Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 362: Girls Should Treat Themselves Well
The aunt and niece exchanged a glance and shook their heads in unison.
Wen’s mother thought for a moment, "How about getting some fabric?"
"What for?"
"Your grandpa and the others don’t have any small jackets. We need to make each of them one, otherwise it’s too cold to wear just a single layer when the temperature drops, and too warm with a heavy cotton jacket."
"Let’s get some."
Yi Chichi made the decision and after their meal, took the money, fabric, and cotton tickets to her. "Mom, buy what you see fit. We’re not short on money. Let’s make one for you too, and I’ll embroider some subtle flowers on it for you."
Originally, Wen’s mother was going to say that she already had clothes to wear. Upon hearing about the embroidery, her refusal turned into, "Really embroider?"
"Really, I’ll embroider it like Wen Shi’s shirt. People won’t even notice, thinking it’s just the pattern on the fabric itself."
This sounds good.
Wen’s mother was secretly delighted, but pretended to be reserved, "Are you sure you have time?"
"I’m not embroidering anything too complex; it won’t take much time."
Knowing her mother-in-law’s personality, Yi Chichi put her arm around her shoulder nonchalantly, "Don’t worry, Mom. I won’t delay important matters for you. Money is still important."
That’s true.
So, a very pleased Wen’s mother brought back the fabric and cotton the next day.
At that time, Yi Chichi was squatting in the medical room teaching Lang Hong how to handle herbs. Wang Nan came by to get some medicine, and after taking it, he didn’t rush off. He sat down, poured himself a glass of water, took a sip, and then said slowly, "Chichi, your mother-in-law bought a lot of fabric and cotton today."
Yi Chichi didn’t even lift her head, "I asked her to buy them, we ran out of small jackets."
Lang Hong, who was busy grinding herbs, looked up, "Small jackets?"
"Yeah, small jackets."
Knowing she was new and not very familiar with the weather in the Northeast, Yi Chichi explained, "Come September, the temperature difference between day and night increases. By mid to late September, you need a small jacket at night."
Lang Hong got anxious, "What should I do without a small jacket?"
This girl originally spoke with a soft Wu accent, but now her accent had completely shifted to a heavy local dialect.
The contrast with her voice was just too extreme.
Wang Nan couldn’t help but laugh, "Having a sweater and a thick coat works too."
Lang Hong felt relieved; she had sweaters and thick coats.
But, "I think I should make a small jacket just in case."
"If you have fabric and cotton tickets, you can make one."
"I do."
Her parents had prepared quite a few tickets for her when she left home, and she received national tickets monthly. She wasn’t short on money or tickets.
It’s just, "What if I don’t know how to make a small jacket?"
"Go to Aunt Hua; she’s good at making small jackets and doesn’t charge much. Making one costs around two or three yuan."
That’s not much at all.
"Nannan, are you guys going to the supply and marketing cooperative?"
"We’re going once before the harvest starts to buy some meat. It’s hard to work without some sustenance."
Wang Nan then looked at Yi Chichi, "Are you coming then?"
"We’ll see."
They weren’t short of anything at home, and if they were, Wen’s mother would restock immediately. The stuff sold at the supply and marketing cooperative... to be honest, it wasn’t very attractive to her.
It was optional to go or not.
"When are you and Old Bai finally going to settle down?"
Wang Nan and Bai Chen were a couple that made Yi Chichi anxious. There had been signs since last winter, but they’d dragged it out until now without settling things.
She stared unblinkingly at Wang Nan, and surprisingly noticed a blush slowly spreading on her face, with a shy expression following a brief daze, and then unmistakable joy.
"Old Bai said that after the harvest, we’ll have a feast and get our marriage certificate."
As she spoke, she added with a consulting tone, "Moreover, Old Bai wants to move out."
"Build a house?"
Yi Chichi’s first thought was this; the conditions at the Youth Corps Courtyard weren’t bad. You could say that the conditions at Kao Shan Village’s Youth Corps Courtyard were better than the houses of all the villagers from the brigade.
But now that the Youth Corps Courtyard was full, when there were fewer people before, they could have several empty rooms, but now they were all occupied.
After Wang Nan and Bai Chen got married and became a legal couple, living in the Youth Corps Courtyard would indeed be inconvenient.
"No, we want to rent Xiao Cao’s house."
Wang Nan was being honest, "Mainly, we don’t have much money, and building a house would be too expensive."
"Who is Xiao Cao?"
This girl, Lang Hong, was not concerned with outside affairs, and because Yi Chichi had given her the medic post, her days revolved around the Youth Corps Courtyard, the medical room, and back again.
Occasionally, she would go to the fields and make house calls with Uncle Yaozi, but not many times.
Without knowing all the people in the village, she really didn’t know Liu Xiaocao, who rarely returned from the county.
Wang Nan understood her situation and explained, "The house not far from Liu Lan’s house belongs to Xiao Cao and her husband."
Lang Hong suddenly realized. She knew about that house; it didn’t have an owner.
It was quite well-built too.
"Would she be willing to rent?"
Wang Nan shook her head, "I don’t know. We have to ask her at the county first."
"Go and ask."
Yi Chichi was supportive, analyzing reasonably, "Given Xiao Cao’s current situation, the likelihood of returning to Kao Shan Village is low. The house is just sitting there, renting it to you and Old Bai would not only earn her rent but also prevent the house from deteriorating too quickly. I think she’ll agree."
Wang Nan nodded, "I’ll go with Old Bai to ask."
Unexpectedly, the usually steady Bai Chen was impatient this time.
When Wang Nan told him about it that evening, he borrowed a bicycle from the team leader’s house and went to the county by himself just a few days later.
By the time he returned, the house was rented out.
They also set the date for their wedding—scheduled for a week before the harvest, on September 12th.
As soon as the news spread, the entire village, young and old, came together to help organize.
The friends at the Youth Corps Courtyard were even more excited than Wang Nan and Bai Chen about lending money and tickets for the event.
As someone who came from the Youth Corps Courtyard, Yi Chichi also wanted to contribute generously. However, Wang Nan said they had enough money and tickets and didn’t need hers.
Instead, they gave her a piece of red fabric, asking her to help make a dress for the wedding day.
The tiger head was already embroidered, and Yi Chichi, who was embroidering the body, took the fabric and glanced at it. It was a thick khaki fabric, not suitable for making a single-layer dress, but perfect for a coat or trench coat.
After asking for Wang Nan’s opinion, Yi Chichi made her a long trench coat that resembled a dress.
When Wang Nan tried it on, she was extremely satisfied.
Ge Sujuan and the others couldn’t stop admiring how good the dress looked.
Zhou Qiuyu was full of envy, "I also want a dress like that."
"Are you getting married too?"
Ge Sujuan slyly glanced at her, and Zhou Qiuyu was embarrassed, "I don’t even have a partner. Who would I marry?"
Lang Hong startled everyone, "Pick one from the guys at the Youth Corps Courtyard. They’re all pretty good."
Everyone was speechless, "..."
This girl really doesn’t hold back her words.
If it were that simple, there wouldn’t be just Wang Nan and Bai Chen as a couple among all the youth members.
"You should worry less about such things."
Ge Sujuan replied helplessly, then turned to hug Zhou Qiuyu’s neck and said, "You’re on your own; if you want it, make it. We girls should treat ourselves better."
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