After dinner, she went to the hot springs as usual to take a bath, and then started to do skin care. Although hot springs have the effect of beautifying the skin, the necessary maintenance is still to be done, and she still has a lot of cosmetics in her space.
After finishing all this, I lay down on the bed and fell asleep again. When I woke up the next morning, it was already 6 o'clock. After getting up, washing my face, brushing my teeth, cooking and eating, it was already 7 o'clock. I took out a military green shoulder bag, so that I would have a cover if I took anything out of the space later.
When Uncle Wang arrived, he saw that Xie Yun was ready, so they went to the station to catch the bus. After a bumpy ride to the city, Uncle Wang took Xie Yun directly to the Educated Youth Office. Inside, they saw two middle-aged women chatting there. When they saw the two of them go in, one of the women asked, "Comrade, who are you looking for?"
Uncle Wang said, "Hello, comrade. Is Director Xiao here?"
"Director Xiao is in his office, which is the room next door."
"Okay, thank you." After saying that, he walked to the door and raised his hand to knock on it.
"Come in." After opening the door and entering, I saw a man in his 30s sitting behind a desk. He was a little confused when he saw the two people come in.
"Hello Director Xiao, I'm Wang Jianye"
"Hello, Captain Wang. Old Zhang told me that you would be coming in the next two days." As the two were talking, Director Xiao stood up and shook hands with Uncle Wang.
"Please sit down." After the two of them sat down, they were poured water.
"Director Xiao, this is my niece. After graduating from high school, she responded to the country's call and wanted to become an educated youth to contribute to rural development."
"As parents, we feel bad for our children, but we can't stop them from making progress. So I thought about finding a village with better weather for them, so we can feel more at ease."
"That's fine. Is there any place you want to go?" Director Xiao said.
"Director Xiao, I want to go to Heilongjiang Province," said Xie Yun.
"It's very cold in Heilongjiang Province in the winter, so you have to think carefully." Director Xiao said this specifically because he was afraid that she didn't know the situation.
"Director Xiao, I've made up my mind and I'll go to Heilongjiang Province."
"Okay, there's actually a brigade there with a very peaceful atmosphere and a decent standard of living. During the famine in the first few years, their brigade was the only one in their county where no one starved to death. If you go there, you'll need to bring some warm clothes. It's cold there, but you can hibernate for a few months in the winter and rest up. I'll let the educated youth office know when I go."
"Thank you, Director Xiao," Xie Yun said quickly.
"Director Xiao, I have all my IDs with me. Can I register now?"
"Okay, I'll do it for you now." Director Xiao said as he stood up and took Xie Yun outside to find the two middle-aged women to complete the formalities.
"We'll be leaving in half a month. Prepare some more things for the children at home during this time." Director Xiao said as he put the things for the educated youth in a net bag and gave it to Uncle Wang.
Since the current relocation was voluntary, the supplies provided were better than those provided by forced relocation. They were given a set of thin bedding, a washbasin, an enamel pot, and 200 yuan in resettlement fees.
After the two took their things and said goodbye to Director Xiao, they left the Youth League Office. Xie Yun wanted to go shopping and Uncle Wang wanted to go with her, but Xie Yun said it was not necessary. Later, Uncle Wang took the things back to her and told her to pick them up at his house after shopping and have dinner there directly.
After the two separated, Xie Yun went straight to the department store. Director Xiao returned to his office and saw two bags of tea on his desk. He smiled and thought they might have left it there when they left. Xie Yun had actually wanted to put two bottles of wine there, but when she saw Uncle Wang had put the tea leaves there, she didn't.
I walked all the way to the department store, which had three floors. It was quite crowded, so I went up to the second floor where they sold fabric and used all my coupons to buy fabric. Then I went to the first floor and bought a lunch box, a coal stove, and an iron pot. These were hard to find, so I put them in my space and decided to take them out when I got to the countryside.
I still had some cotton coupons, so I bought some cotton and took the cotton and cloth to Uncle Wang's house so I could ask his aunt to make cotton-padded clothes and quilts. I also bought two pounds of brown sugar and a pound of pork, which I'll give to my aunt later.
I paid 20 cents for an old man to help me move the coal stove to a nearby alley. I waited until no one was around and put it in my space. I ate lunch at a state-owned restaurant. I ordered the braised pork, a must-have dish in every state-owned restaurant in the novel, along with a bowl of rice and a plate of mapo tofu. The waiter wasn't as stern and rude as described in the novel, but he didn't smile at me either. After I ordered and paid, they told me to wait. Restaurants in the 1960s and 1970s weren't like later generations, where everything was clearly served to you. Now, you have to not only read their faces but also carry your own food.
When she went to serve the dishes, she was shocked. It was really a lot. With her appetite, she couldn't finish it. The braised pork tasted very good. She pretended to take the remaining dishes out of her bag, but actually took them out of the space and put them into the lunch box to take away.
I got to the station and took the bus home. I first went home to put down my bag, and then took the things I bought to Uncle Wang's house.
I knocked on the door and it was my aunt who opened it. When I went in, I saw that she was making a quilt.
"Xiaoyun, please sit down."
"Aunt, I bought some cloth and cotton and wanted to ask you to teach me how to make cotton-padded clothes and quilts. I'll keep these for my younger brothers and their family." After Xie Yun finished speaking, she put the things in the living room.
"You told me what you wanted to take from your aunt's house. Take it back and eat it well. It's easy to make cotton-padded clothes and quilts. This quilt I'm making now is for you. Your uncle said you were going to the countryside in Heilongjiang Province, so I thought it would be cold there, so I made you some cotton-padded clothes and thick quilts. I'll mail it to you when there are too many things to get."
"Aunt, I have bought cloth and cotton. You just need to teach me how to make it." Xie Yun said quickly. It is not easy for anyone's family now. It is unknown how long these cloth coupons have been saved in her aunt's family. She may have borrowed some from others.
"Just take what Auntie gives you. Auntie also makes the ones you buy for you so you can change and wear them."
"Thank you, auntie. I'll learn how to do it from you too." She didn't bother to be polite with her aunt and left some money and tickets for her when she left.
The two of them sat together and started to make cotton-padded clothes and quilts, one teaching the other. When it was almost time for dinner, the two of them cooked together. When the meal was ready, Uncle Wang also came back. The two children lived with their grandmother in the city.
After dinner and cleaning up, Xie Yun went home, intending to continue the work tomorrow. She went into her space and gathered some fruit, then soaked in the hot springs, did her skincare routine, and fell asleep in bed. She worked on this for two days straight, making two sets of thick cotton-padded jackets and pants, and a thick quilt. She had some leftover fabric, so Auntie used it to make two more sets of clothing for Xie Yun.
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