Chapter 10
Zhen Guizhi had a bad reputation, and Feng the tailor had never thought that she could buy such good fabrics for her daughter-in-law. However, the bride was not thin, and fifteen feet of fabric was needed to make three sets of clothes, one of which was a cotton jacket. This was obviously not enough.
"I'm afraid three sets of clothes won't be enough." Tailor Feng looked at Zhen Guizhi's face cautiously, fearing that this evil woman would jump up and bite her.
"I know."
Zhen Zhen had made preparations. Last night, she took out a brand new milk flannel sheet from the space. She had never used this sheet since she bought it. The material was soft and lively, dark grey in color, perfect for making the lining of a cotton-padded jacket.
She had quite a few quilts in her space, both new and old. She took apart a quilt and filled it with cotton, which was just enough to use.
Farmers were reluctant to use new fabrics for linings when making clothes, but tailor Feng was not surprised and picked up a piece of painting powder to get busy.
When she saw Zhen Zhen's fabric, her eyes lit up. "What kind of material is this? It's quite soft, and the surface looks like it has a layer of wool on it. It must be very warm if it's used as a lining."
Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "It was sent back by Daguo's father when he was still alive. It might have been sent by the leader of his unit."
"No wonder! Daguo's father is a capable man. His leader must have seen the world. I've never seen such good material before."
Rural people make clothes mainly for practicality, and a piece of clothing can be worn for many years without being damaged. However, this kind of fabric is too hard and uncomfortable to wear, unlike the fabric provided by Zhen Guizhi, which has a good feel and is comfortable to the touch, and you won’t feel cold when wearing it in winter.
Zhen Zhen poured her a cup of brown sugar water. Tailor Feng was flattered and couldn't believe that this evil woman would take the initiative to entertain her.
Zhen Zhen was bored, so she discussed clothing styles with her while knitting.
Tailor Feng was very good at saving cloth when making clothes. With only 15 feet of cloth, he was able to make three sets of clothes. What's more amazing is that the seams of the clothes were sewn secretly, comparable to high-end custom-made ones in later generations, which left Zhen Zhen dumbfounded.
She simply asked Feng the tailor to make some winter clothes for Daya and Erya. Especially for Erya, whose baby was about to be born in the spring, she hadn't prepared anything yet. She didn't know what the original owner was thinking.
Zhen Zhen planned to make two sets of cotton shirts and trousers for Daya. She was worried about where to find the cloth, but she didn't expect that Feng Tailor had ready-made floral cloth.
"These are the ones my little daughter didn't use up when she was making clothes. If you want them, I'll sell them to you."
This matter dare not be brought to the public, Zhen Zhen readily took out five yuan to give her. The money was spent, and if it was not enough, she would think of another way! If she could not raise the betrothal money in the end, she would send Meng Eryong to the Tao family to be a son-in-law, since there were many sons in the family anyway.
One less son means one less burden!
Tailor Feng could earn extra money from sewing, so he worked even harder and quickly finished making the small clothes that Zhen Zhen wanted. The small shirt with floral patterns was very cute, the cotton pants could protect the chest, and the straps crossed at the back.
Although these cotton pants are very warm, it is really troublesome to go to the toilet. There is no other way. It is better to be uncomfortable than to freeze to death. People are often frozen to death these days. It’s no joke.
"Erya's clothes will be delivered to you in two days."
"Okay." Zhen Zhen agreed.
She pulled Daya in to try on clothes, threw away the old and worn-out cotton jacket that the girl was wearing, and wrapped her in a new one.
Daya hid in her arms and acted coquettishly, Zhen Zhen pinched her butt with his hands, until it was full.
Children are really easy to raise. They grow meat as long as they are fed. It’s quite rewarding.
Jiao Huilan picked up the old cotton shirt with a distressed look on her face. "This was given to me by my mother. It was worn by six of my children before! It's still wearable!"
"Thank you, mom. I wanted to throw this dress away a long time ago. It smells like urine. If you don't know, you would think it was just taken out of the toilet."
Jiao Huilan smiled awkwardly, "The one wearing the top is my nephew. My nephew loves to wet the bed. He's eight years old and still wets every night. So, the smell is a bit strong."
Zhen Zhen said nothing. Let’s forget about the past. Anyway, she would have to check her granddaughter’s clothes in the future.
After putting on the flowery clothes, Daya wanted to run out to show off, but Jiao Huilan took her back, fearing that she would get her New Year clothes dirty. So Daya had to take off her new clothes again and looked forward to the New Year.
After the maid left, Jiao Huilan began to decorate the bridal chamber. These days the decoration was simple. Just put up a wedding character, prepare a pair of new toothpaste cups, and change the bedding.
The third son, Meng Hua, went to the capital to "study" as an advanced representative because his ancestors were poor farmers for generations. Zhen Zhen could not contact him about Meng Eryong's marriage. It was not because he valued this cheap son so much, but mainly because he wanted to requisition his house as a wedding house.
"What will happen if my third brother has no place to live when he comes back and makes a fuss?" Jiao Huilan looked at Zhen Zhen's face worriedly.
My mother dotes on my third brother the most. She would give him whatever he wants. If he comes back and sees that his house is gone, he will definitely be very upset.
Zhen Zhen was not worried. Let them make a fuss! It was her mistake not to send the second son away as a live-in son-in-law. At worst, she could send the third son away. As the saying goes, one less son means one less worry!
The bride's family would bring a quilt as a dowry, but Zhen Zhen only prepared a red quilt.
Fortunately, there was some ready-made red cloth at home, which was the leftover from Meng Daguo's wedding. Zhen Zhen picked up some ready-made red cloth and took a quilt from the space to put on the cloth. Jiao Huilan tried to put it on all night and finally got it done.
After all this busy work, the wedding items were almost ready, except for the 24 yuan gift money. By the time she gave the old hen to the uncle, the money would be almost enough.
When he was not working, Meng Daguo would get up early every day to chop firewood for his family. He was a good worker and he would carry bundles of chopped firewood home. Soon the kitchen was filled with firewood.
For fear that there would not be enough for the wedding, he chopped some more and piled them in the south side of the kitchen. He also carried some dry grass and pulled a lot of cabbage to store in the cellar.
These things may seem like a lot, but they are not enough to use. In winter, water is consumed very quickly when cooking, not to mention that there will be a new member in the family soon.
Zhen Zhen wanted to get some coal. Although coal was not expensive, she needed a ticket to buy it. She would need one or two thousand kilograms of coal in one winter, and the ticket was hard to find. But she couldn't light the stove without coal. The house was so cold that she couldn't stand it. She really didn't feel happy at all.
Zhen Zhen mentioned this unintentionally, and Meng Daguo immediately said flatteringly:
"Mom, we won't be working for the next two months. I plan to take Eryong to pan for slag, sell some of it, and keep the rest for you to keep warm."
Gangue is the stone in the coal. When mining, the gangue is piled aside. The gangue is mixed with broken coal. The coal is light and the gangue is heavy. Dig a pit, fill it with water, pour the gangue in, and the coal will float on the water.
Because the slag mountain was unattended, people often went there to mine for coal, and they could mine over a thousand kilograms of coal in one winter.
But the weather was freezing cold, the wind was howling in the wilderness, there was no hot water, no food, and no place to sleep. How could an ordinary person endure it?
Meng Eryong, who was wearing a large blue cotton jacket, had just walked to the door of his house. When he heard this, his face turned pale.
He had worked for the Tao family for two months and had prepared all the things needed for the Tao family's wedding. He was just about to go home to rest for a few days and be the head of the family for a few days, but he heard Meng Daguo's words as soon as he entered the door.
No! What nonsense is Meng Daguo talking about!
He was not afraid to dig slag. After all, Meng Daguo was the eldest brother, and an elder brother is like a father. It was his duty to work like a slave for the family!
But he is the second child, and he is getting married on the 24th of Lunar New Year. He has to prepare for the wedding, make his skin whiter, and borrow a new dress from a friend for the wedding. This is the only wedding he will get in his life, so what's wrong with taking a two-month break? Is it illegal?
Digging for waste rock is very hard work, is that something that humans should do? Why did they involve the groom-to-be?
Zhen Zhen glanced at Meng Daguo, "Daguo, it's at least minus ten degrees Celsius out there. If there's snow and wind and the water freezes, it will be even harder to fetch water. I can't bear to see you and Eryong suffer this. It's okay for me to be a little cold, just bear with it."
Meng Eryong nodded hurriedly at the door. His mother was right. He shouldn't suffer like this.
The more she said this, the more guilty Meng Daguo felt. "Mom, it's okay if I'm a little cold and hungry, but you can't stay cold and hungry. If you get sick from the cold, how can I explain it to my dad? Eryong thinks so too, right, Eryong?"
Meng Eryong was suddenly named, and he wished he could kill his elder brother from a distance.
Meng Daguo is really a scoundrel. He wants to make money by mining for slag, so why does he involve him? He is dark-skinned to begin with. If his face is frozen for another two months, how can it still look good?
Meng Eryong didn't say anything, so Meng Daguo deliberately asked loudly: "Eryong, you don't want to go, do you? As a son, it is only natural for you to get some coal for your mother to keep warm! Or do you not have your mother in your heart at all!"
Zhen Zhen raised her eyebrows. Is this the joy of raising a son?
She crossed her legs and smiled, "Daguo, your brother is not that kind of person. He works very hard. I heard that the Tao family even surrounded the pig pen with hay. It's impossible that mother is not as important as that sow, right?"
Meng Eryong: “…”
Meng Daguo was secretly happy, and Meng Eryong stiffened his neck, "Mom, what are you talking about! Am I that kind of person? Everyone knows that I, Meng Eryong, am the most filial son in our Meng family!"
Zhen Zhen sighed contentedly, "Others say that raising a son does not protect you from old age, and that sons forget their mothers after they get married. I never agree with that. In my family, all my sons are filial and are the pillars of the family. I have sons like you. I must have accumulated eight lifetimes of blessings in my previous life."
When Meng Eryong and Meng Daguo heard this, their hearts were filled with joy, and they both felt that their mother was praising them.
After the sun rose, Meng Daguo asked Meng Eryong to make a few doors with wheat and straw, and pasted them on the outside of Zhen Zhen's room to block the wind for her. They also hung straw outside the windows. In this way, the room was at least three or four degrees warmer.
The adopted son was pretty good, so Zhen Zhen returned the favor by taking some meat out of the space and asking Jiao Huilan to make some meat buns and meat cakes, and then took out the thermos.
"Let them both take this thermos."
Jiao Huilan's eyes almost popped out. A thermos? This is a rare item! Last year, when her mother was hospitalized, she borrowed a thermos from the village chief.
"Mom, where did this come from?"
"Where did you get it? Of course I bought it! Or could I have stolen it?"
Bought it? Bought a thermos, bought meat, and saved money for Eryong's wedding. How could the family have so much money?
Jiao Huilan sighed and went in to steam buns. The kitchen was filled with steam and the aroma was wafting out, startling Meng Eryong.
What is the sister-in-law doing? Why does it smell like meat? Can't it? The family should have run out of rice a long time ago. In his imagination, the family should be starving, so why are there steamed buns with meat?
During this time, in order to avoid eating bran with his family, he went to work at the Tao family and ate coarse grains. Although it was not kind to abandon his family, bran was eaten by pigs, and he really didn't want to eat that stuff!
There's nothing wrong with that, right? It's okay for people to be a little selfish, right?
Meng Eryong swallowed his saliva, "Brother, what is my sister-in-law steaming?"
"Meat buns!"
Meng Eryong was startled by his elder brother's unusual tone, "Meat buns? Could it be that you guys ate meat buns every day while I was away?"
"That's not it either!"
Meng Eryong breathed a sigh of relief.
Meng Daguo nailed the window and murmured, "We also ate cabbage stewed with meat, radish stewed with pork ribs, and white flour steamed buns. Um... Yesterday, Daya had a cough, and mother even stewed Sichuan Fritillary Pear Soup for us to drink!"
Meng Eryong: “…”
The big fragrant steamed buns were ready. Jiao Huilan put some buns and bread in the buns, and also took some pickled vegetables. In addition, she added the thermos bottle given by Zhen Zhen. She guessed that no one among the slag miners would eat better than them.
As soon as Jiao Huilan finished her work, Zhen Zhen came in with the meat.
"Mom, just tell me what you want me to do."
"You've been busy all afternoon and you must be tired. Go and have a rest! I'll cook tonight."
Jiao Huilan felt very happy that her mother-in-law cared about her, but when she saw her mother-in-law put ten eggs into the pot to cook, she couldn't smile anymore.
Ten eggs! How could my mother bear to give them away! I can’t find such a wasteful mother-in-law in the whole village!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
