In three days, another three sets of cotton jackets were completed.
Zhong Yuxiu stretched lazily and thanked with gratitude, "I haven't done this for a long time. It's really tiring. Sister Ruhong, Sister Jiangmei, thank you for your hard work." She felt tired after helping her with needlework for three days.
"It's not very tiring. It's easier than working." Jiang Mei shook her head and put away her needle and thread.
Sun Ruhong threw back the quilt, got out of bed, and stretched. "Yuxiu! The fabrics of these clothes are good. They can be worn for several years. I don't have to make clothes for several years. The same goes for quilts."
Zhong Yuxiu nodded, but smiled without saying anything, knowing that good days were yet to come.
As they were talking, there was a noise outside, not coming from the yard, but from outside the yard.
"Let's go out and take a look."
The three of them quickly packed up their things and left the room, only to see the male educated youth gathered in the yard.
"You are out too. That's great. Let's go together." Luo Jianmin said excitedly and walked out of the yard.
Wang Yishan nodded and followed quickly; Feng Jianjun smiled shyly and walked away quickly; finally, Yan Rushan glanced at the female educated youth and followed them out.
"I wonder why the village is so lively. Should we go and take a look?" Jiang Mei asked, tilting her head.
"Walk."
Since both of them said so, Zhong Yuxiu naturally went with them.
A group of people arrived at the place one after another. Most of the team came and surrounded the place in three layers.
The three of them squeezed in and saw that the people surrounded were three gray-haired old men. They were dressed thinly, with bent backs and looked disheveled. However, it was not difficult to see the remaining elegant temperament in them. They looked like old scholars.
Zhong Yuxiu's gaze fell on one of the gray-haired men, and she paused for an instant. At that moment of distraction, the original owner's memory involuntarily emerged in her mind, and she realized in an instant that the man was the original owner's adoptive father.
Wanxuetang!
He was far from the elegant and upright person in the original owner's memory. The former Wan Xuetang was elegant and graceful; now Wan Xuetang's hair was mostly white, he looked ten years older, his back was bent, and he looked listless.
"Yuxiu, Yuxiu..."
"Ah?" Zhong Yuxiu suddenly woke up and blinked subconsciously, looking confused. "What's wrong?"
Sun Ruhong said, "We should go back. There's nothing exciting to see." The educated youth who went to the countryside were much better off than the transferred personnel. At least their treatment was the same as in the village.
"Let's go, let's go back and stay warm in bed." Luo Jianmin called his friends, and the male educated youth all went back.
Zhong Yuxiu had to nod. Before leaving, she looked back at Wan Xuetang and others who were lowering their heads, and followed the large group back to the Youth League Home.
Back at the Youth League Home, Jiang Mei and the others had all gone to the countryside early on, and they had seen at least a dozen or more people who had been sent down to the countryside, so the novelty had long worn off. They all went back to their rooms, and wouldn't it be nice to lie in bed and chat with their roommates?
Zhong Yuxiu leaned back against the pillow, her thoughts restless. According to the original owner's memories, the Wan family was a revolutionary capitalist family, wealthy and powerful. Their domestic assets had also declined, and they had donated them, thus enjoying the protection of several powerful patrons. Logically, they shouldn't have been sent down, so what had happened in just a few months?
"Sister Ruhong, Sister Jiangmei, I'm going out for a walk." Zhong Yuxiu stood up and said.
Jiang Mei nodded: "It's cold outside, come back early."
"Um."
He hurried out of the room, crossed the courtyard gate, and went to the place where the crowd had gathered before; Wan Xuetang and others were no longer there, and the members were scattered in groups of three or four, talking among themselves.
The captain and several cadres were giving a speech, and the three old scholars were listening attentively. After everyone left, she walked forward, found a relatively secluded place, squatted down and listened to what was going on.
However, after waiting for a long time, no one spoke, but sighs were heard intermittently several times.
None of them brought any clothes, not even a change of clothes, let alone bedding and other items.
Zhong Yuxiu stayed for a long time and only turned around and left after the brigade cadres brought her three tattered quilts; at least with the quilts, these people would not freeze to death.
After returning to the educated youth point, Zhong Yuxiu felt relieved. The original owner repaid the Wan family's kindness of raising her with her life; she did not owe the Wan family anything. The emotions she had now were not hers, but the remaining emotions of the original owner.
The original owner couldn't let go of the Wan family, and Zhong Yuxiu didn't owe them anything, so she didn't want to have much contact with Wan Xuetang. However, in the production team, they were always there, and one day they would meet. For the sake of the original owner's lingering feelings, and to shut Wan Xuetang up, she had to do something.
After much thought, they realized that what they needed most now was cotton-padded clothes; two sets of cotton-padded clothes and two sets of thin clothes would be enough to get them through next year.
Having made up her mind, Zhong Yuxiu took out the unused quilt and hurried to the male educated youth's room. The door of the male educated youth's room was closed, so Zhong Yuxiu gently knocked on the window.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
"who?"
Zhong Yuxiu pursed her lips and said, "I, I have something to ask Brother Yan."
The door opened, and Yan Rushan came in, looking at her intently. "What's the matter?" Yan Rushan asked.
"Brother Yan, let's go talk over there." Zhong Yuxiu turned to the corner of the courtyard. Seeing Yan Rushan approaching, she pursed her lips and said, "Brother Yan, do you have any old clothes you don't want?"
Yan Rushan nodded, "Yes."
"How many?"
"I have three or four, and everyone else should have two too." Yan Rushan looked her over and asked, "Why are you asking this?"
Zhong Yuxiu shook her head. "Brother Yan, don't ask anymore. I'll exchange new cloth for six sets of your old clothes. The older the better."
"I can give you the old clothes, but I don't need the fabric. They were unwanted clothes in the first place. But you have to tell me the truth. What are you going to do with them?" Yan Rushan saw her hesitation and said, "We are all in the same educated youth institution. If you don't tell us now, we will find out sooner or later."
Zhong Yuxiu was silent, and Yan Rushan did not urge her. He waited for a long time before Zhong Yuxiu spoke.
"Then please keep it a secret for me, Brother Yan."
"I'm not a big talker." Yan Rushan glanced at her with an unhappy look.
"Of course I believe in Brother Yan, but..." Zhong Yuxiu gritted her teeth, "To be honest, Brother Yan, my adoptive father was among those sent down today. I didn't expect him to be sent down, and to our production brigade. His clothes are too thin, so I want to make him two sets and send them over."
Yan Rushan narrowed his eyes slightly, "Your adoptive father? I remember that you only had two sets of clothes when you were sent to the countryside. Since he is your adoptive father..." Why should he treat you so harshly? You only had so few things when you went to the countryside.
"Brother Yan, don't ask anymore. I'll just give it to him this time." May they live happily ever after.
The air seemed to freeze. Yan Rushan didn't say anything, but Zhong Yuxiu could hear each other's breathing.
"Remember what you said," Yan Rushan said suddenly. Before he finished speaking, he turned back to the house and in a moment, he brought over a large pile of old clothes. At this time, old clothes were also useful. They could be used to make insoles, so no one would throw them away casually. "I have four sets, and the others each took out two sets."
Zhong Yuxiu thanked him and took it, said goodbye to Yan Rushan, and went back to her room to take out the cloth to start cutting. For Yan Rushan's four sets, she cut twelve meters and gave them to the others. For the others, she cut two sets, six meters each, enough for them to make a set of clothes.
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