Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 422: Darkness Before Dawn

"No mistake!"

Wen’s mother explained, "Chichi doesn’t like this one with the trim."

Wen Shi, "??? But this looks nice! Much better than the black shoes."

Yi Chichi was worried about his sense of aesthetics and saw him about to persuade, "It’s a girl’s matter, don’t interfere."

"Exactly, matters of us girls aren’t for you guys to comment on." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Wen’s mother supported assertively.

Wen Shi was silenced.

Alright, let the girls handle it, this man should just go chop wood.

Thus, the sound of chopping wood came from the yard.

Having tried on the shoes, Yi Chichi left him alone, and after putting the shoes away, said to Wen’s mother, "Mom, let me make you some clothes to wear when it gets warmer."

"Have you finished that embroidery piece?"

"Almost done."

"Alright, make me something out of work cloth to wear while working, it’s sturdy!"

Indeed, work cloth these days is the most durable and solid fabric.

Then there’s Dacron, but the production of Dacron hasn’t significantly increased yet. Its limited production and high price have little to do with ordinary people.

Those truly envious would just tear off a bit of fabric to make a fake collar.

This way, they maintain their image and save money and fabric tickets, one must say the wisdom of the working people is boundless.

The family had Dacron, several pieces of it, even a simple white floral fabric, but neither Yi Chichi nor Wen’s mother cared much for Dacron.

Due to their identity, Aunt’s granduncle and them were not suited to wear too nice clothes, and Dacron couldn’t even be made to look old, so it had to be unused.

When measuring Wen’s mother, she sighed, "Mom, you’ve put on quite a bit this winter."

Wen’s mother pinched the flesh around her waist, sighed, "Eating all day and not doing much work, putting on weight is normal."

"Does it look very bad?"

"You were too thin before, now your weight is just right."

She put down the tape measure, took the floral Dacron and asked, "How about I make a dress with this?"

Wen’s mother twitched at the corners of her mouth, "This color doesn’t suit my age, it’s too young."

Which family’s elderly lady would wear florals? If they did, they’d be told they’re shameless.

"Don’t want a dress."

"Then how about a shirt?"

Wen’s mother saw through it, her daughter-in-law was set on using up some Dacron.

"Use the white one, then make it."

That was an agreement.

As long as it gets used up, to Yi Chichi, white floral wasn’t bad either.

She smiled in response, then cleaned up the table, laid out the fabric, and started cutting without even bothering to draw on it.

The sound of tearing was incessant. Wen’s mother watched her neat cutting, comparing it to the cautious tailors at the commune who feared ruining the fabric, and thought, "Comparisons make people despair; contrasts make things unwanted."

"Do you need help?"

"No need, mom, go enjoy yourself, I can handle it alone."

Wen’s mother didn’t go to play but went to boil water to prepare for a bath.

In the evening, after Yi Chichi washed up and returned to her room, Wen Shi was staring at the half-finished shirt of Wen’s mother, looking a bit puzzled.

Hearing footsteps, he couldn’t even spare a glance and asked, "Wife, is this shirt being made for me?"

"... No!"

Yi Chichi wiped her hair and lay down on the bed after spreading an absorbent cotton cloth on it. The bed’s warmth was perfect for drying hair in an era without hairdryers.

"Do you want a shirt?"

"No, I don’t."

The straightforward Wen Shi shook his head, "Even if you made one, I don’t have the time to wear it."

He couldn’t wear it at home; it’s too cold.

Wearing a shirt out on the street would be something only a fool would do.

Moreover, he wasn’t that resistant to the cold.

Upon returning to the army, he wore the uniform every day, even less opportunity to wear it.

So making it would be a waste.

"You and mom wear new clothes, that’s enough."

Speaking of which, he remembered Qin Jiu, "Did you make clothes for Xiao Jiu?"

"I did."

Wen Shi’s heart settled, "If there’s more fabric, make a few more sets for him, whatever other kids have, our Xiao Jiu should also have."

He shouldn’t be shortchanged.

Yi Chichi’s eyes softened, this was the man she fell for.

Genuine, emotionally steady, and loving everything related to her.

"The clothes I made for you before, haven’t you worn them much?"

Wen Shi mumbled a response, kicked off his shoes, climbed onto the bed, and sat cross-legged beside her, taking a comb to brush her hair.

"Next time you visit, I’ll wear it to pick you up."

"Just afraid you won’t have the time."

That was the honest truth; he might even be elsewhere on duty, unaware his wife was coming.

Reflecting on this, he could only console, "There will always be a chance to wear it."

By the time there’s a chance, the clothes might already be out of style.

But it didn’t matter, she could always make more.

Her hair wouldn’t dry quickly; the two of them chatted aimlessly, and while talking, Wen Shi mentioned, "Old Qi is leaving."

At first, Yi Chichi didn’t understand what he meant by leaving until she realized and was surprised, "Why is Old Qi leaving?"

"His health has problems."

"From the previous incident?"

Wen Shi confirmed, and Yi Chichi sighed, it couldn’t be helped.

The army had requirements for physique and health. Given that Old Qi had to leave, his injuries must have been more severe than Wen Shi’s.

"Will there be work arranged for him when he returns?"

"Yes, transferred to their local machinery factory."

As for what position, he wasn’t sure.

"You reluctant?"

"Not really."

Wen Shi didn’t lie and candidly said, "Departures are common in the army, it’s the nature of the beast, today’s Old Qi, next time it might be Old Lin, even me."

There was definitely sadness, but it’s not like they wouldn’t keep in touch.

As long as they stay in touch, brotherhood and camaraderie would remain.

"Old He is still around."

Not mentioning Old He was fine, but as soon as Old He was brought up, Wen Shi got filled with resentment, "Old He’s getting more shameless every day."

"What did he do?"

These two were bosom buddies, ready to die for each other.

Now Wen Shi was calling him shameless, what on earth did Old He do to earn such a critique?

Yi Chichi was very curious.

"He brags about his wife to me every day."

Yi Chichi didn’t know how to respond, but finally understood where Wen Shi’s resentment came from.

Clearly, he got married before He Yunsong, yet He Yunsong had surpassed him later on.

But that’s not the point, the point was that He Yunsong’s wife was with him.

Unlike her, stuck at home.

She feared opening her mouth would lead Wen Shi to bring up the topic of joining the army with him.

But even if she didn’t mention it, Wen Shi brought it up.

He set down the comb and cupped Yi Chichi’s face, like a little wife, saying, "Honey, when are you coming to join me?"

Yi Chichi gave a dry laugh, "I thought we had already come to an understanding about this."

With this, Wen Shi realized his act of pity was for naught.

He sighed, "I feel like the environment won’t improve anytime soon."

"I feel the opposite."

According to historical trends, even by the end of this year, there would be slight shifts in direction.

What would follow was the last madness.

The darkness before dawn.

She held Wen Shi’s hand, looked into his eyes, and said, "Hang in there a bit longer, keep an eye on current affairs, extract information from them, you’ll find what you’re looking for."