Chapter 8 Clothes

Xia Zhizhi puffed out her small, thin chest and said, "If I dress up nicely, outsiders will just say that I am the daughter of the old Xia family. I am so pretty. It will bring honor to you and my father."

"Besides, Director Lu chose me because I'm pretty. If I don't dress up properly and become ugly during this period, he will regret it. Wouldn't our loss be even greater?"

Xia Zhizhi gave them an example: "Look at our sister Juhua's niece downstairs. She was so pretty before, and all the men came to her door, but she didn't like any of them. Last year, her face suddenly became covered with pustules. Now that it has healed, her face is still full of pits and depressions, and it's hard for her to find a partner."

Li Dongmei was not discouraged: "How can you have abscesses if you eat and drink well every day?"

"Mom~Mom?!" Xia Zhizhi looked incredulous. "I'm talking about what could happen. If I'm fine, everyone will be happy. But we should be prepared for what could happen. Besides, no matter how good I eat, can I eat and drink as well as Sister Juhua's niece?"

Li Dongmei was silent...

Xia Zhizhi struck while the iron was hot: "I didn't dress up just for this. Did I get married just for my brother's job?"

"Why else?" Li Dongmei muttered.

"Of course not!" Xia Zhizhi looked at Li Dongmei with a look of disappointment: "Even if there is no such job, with my brother's ability, can't he find a job himself?"

Xia Zhizhi suddenly approached her and said, "I married for the identity of Director Lu's wife. Just think about it, when you and my dad go out in the future, people will say that we are Director Lu's father-in-law and mother-in-law. How face-saving it is. When the factory is evaluated for advanced grades, you and my dad will definitely be given priority!"

"It seems... that's the reason...?!" Li Dongmei was a little uncertain and looked at Xia Ruhai.

Xia Zhizhi continued, "Let's talk about Lanlan and Fangfang. If you find a partner for them now, at most you can find a worker's family. After I get married, when people introduce me to a partner, they will say that she is the sister-in-law of Director Lu. Then at least they will introduce her to a cadre family. If I'm lucky, she may become a secretary, a member of the Standing Committee, or a minister!"

Xia Lanlan's eyes lit up as she listened. Xia Fangfang was still young and not that interested, but she also listened with great interest.

Xia Zhizhi looked at Xia Jianguo and started to use his big move: "As for my brother, when the time comes, let Lao Lu find him a job in the Public Security Bureau. Lao Lu is 37 this year and can still work for a few more years. When Lao Lu retires, let him give the position to my brother. Then we will be the youngest director. Look at my brother, he is a handsome man. He can marry any sister-in-law. Maybe he has a bright future in the province!"

The Xia family's eyes sparkled and their hearts began to pound, especially Xia Jianguo, a young and energetic man. Xia Zhizhi even felt white steam coming out of his head.

"He, his father!" Li Dongmei was a little uneasy after being deceived: "Why do I feel uneasy? Besides, can I give up the position of director just like that?"

Hey, this guy actually has common sense.

"Why can't I give up the position of director? Even if I can't give it up, why don't I let Lao Lu promote him? You see, it's not easy for your factory director to promote a director, and then slowly promote him up. Lao Lu is not going to retire immediately."

Xia Zhizhi looked at her with a little surprise: "Mom, you must be feeling uneasy now. All I said is based on the premise that I can marry into the Lu family beautifully. What if I can't marry into the Lu family..."

The implication is very clear.

"Dongmei, give Zhizhi some money. She's grown up now, it's time for her to dress up." Xia Ruhai said. He doesn't talk much at home, but he is the one who makes the decisions.

Li Dongmei went back to the house, took out a small handkerchief from the box, counted out 10 yuan, glanced at Xia Zhizhi, and added another 10 yuan.

Xia Zhizhi must have looked down on it: "Mom, what can you do with 20 yuan? It's just enough to make a set of clothes. I've put on the new clothes. I can't wear this pair of broken shoes, right?" She stuck her toes out of the holes in the front of the shoes and shook them: "What do you think this is?"

Li Dongmei gritted her teeth, took out another 20 yuan and told her, "Spend it sparingly. Your father can't even earn this little money in a month."

"Okay, okay, don't worry, Mom." Xia Zhizhi took the money, and quickly took away the bills and industrial coupons in her hand, and also put a few grain coupons in between.

Li Dongmei also knew that money alone could not buy clothes, so she didn't say anything more. She put the handkerchief away with a painful look on her face, put it in the box, and locked it.

As soon as Xia Zhizhi got the money, she went to the supply and marketing cooperative and spent two yuan and twenty cents and a foot of cloth coupon to buy a crossbody bag and ninety cents to buy an aluminum lunch box.

She rinsed her lunch box with the faucet outside the supply and marketing cooperative, then went to the state-owned hotel to eat a bowl of sweet bean milk and two fried dough sticks. Sugar was expensive at that time, and the sweet bean milk cost 5 cents, and the fried dough stick cost 6 cents. In total, she spent two taels of grain coupons and 17 cents for breakfast.

In fact, if she was allowed to eat, she would still eat a little more, but she really didn't want to do things like showing off ten buns in a restaurant and attracting onlookers.

After breakfast, I used three grain coupons and two cents to pack three meat buns, which were the size of a normal fist, not as big as my face...

When they got to school, she showed Li Ling her bag and new lunch box, and praised her happily: "Li Ling, you and your mother are really great. After you came to my house and persuaded my mother, she brought lunch for me."

"Really? That's great!" Li Ling is a kind girl and I am really happy for her.

At noon, I heated up some buns in the cafeteria and had lunch with Li Ling. We then chatted about the new clothes in the supply and marketing cooperative.

Happy times always pass by especially quickly, and soon it was time to go home from school. Xia Zhizhi declined Li Ling's invitation to go to her home and rushed to the supply and marketing cooperative as fast as she could to the clothing counter.

"Sister, let me see how much that pair of pants is." Xia Zhizhi asked the salesperson who was chatting with the counter next to her sweetly.

The salesperson gave her a price, and she asked about a few other items. Seeing that the salesperson's expression was becoming more and more impatient and the time he took to quote prices was getting slower and slower, Xia Zhizhi finally decided what she wanted to buy.

I bought a pair of black cotton trousers. Generally, people prefer to buy this color of trousers and make them themselves, so the price is considered cheap among trousers, 5.82 yuan for two feet of cloth coupons. I asked for a white shirt, 7.6 yuan for two feet of cloth coupons. I chose a pair of black leather shoes with round pointed toes and a tiny heel, which cost 12 yuan and required an industrial coupon.

The salesperson said this one was new, so it was more expensive than the others.