“Comrade Yu, you have excellent taste. This tunic suit is highly sought after. It is made of premium wool, the very finest quality available. It carries a high price indeed. I had wished to purchase one for my husband Du Wen, yet with a young child and constant expense of milk powder, we have been unable to afford it. As newlyweds, this would be the perfect time for you to acquire such a set.”
Lin Yan described the fabric and craftsmanship to Yu Zhaozhao.
“How much does it cost?” Yu Zhaozhao asked. One glance told her it would not come cheap.
“Seventy yuan, together with eighty industrial coupons.”
Yu Zhaozhao drew a sharp breath. In the nineteen eighties, she might simply have purchased it regardless of cost. But this was an era where plain living and frugality were held in high honor. To buy something so fine might draw unwanted attention. She hesitated. She possessed ample industrial coupons, many given to her by her mother-in-law Madam Bian Lan.
Lin Yan added, “Military officers enjoy special consideration. Upon presentation of an officer’s identification card, the required industrial coupons are reduced by half.”
Yu Zhaozhao had brought both marriage certificate and officer’s identification card with her. Purchase was well within her means. Yet as the wife of an officer, she must consider every action with care. Plainness and economy were universally praised. To buy such an expensive suit might reflect poorly upon Lu Shiye. She hesitated.
“If Comrade Yu finds this too costly,” Lin Yan said, “we also have suits woven from standard fabric. Those may be had for merely thirty or forty yuan, requiring only thirty or forty coupons. Should you purchase the cloth separately and engage a tailor to make it to exact measure, you would save considerably. My husband always has his clothing custom tailored.”
Yu Zhaozhao however had already seen the finest wool suit. She could hardly bring herself to settle for ordinary cloth. Lu Shiye would wear his uniform for their wedding ceremony, rendering the tunic suit unnecessary for that occasion. Yet it would be good for him to have one for ordinary wear. She weighed her choice between bespoke tailoring and purchasing the ready-made suit. Yu Zhaozhao was not by nature stingy. Had this been for herself alone, she would have bought it without hesitation. But this was her first experience as a military wife. She feared that acting impulsively might bring unwelcome scrutiny or difficulty upon Lu Shiye.
“Would it be improper?” she asked. “To avail ourselves of such privilege?”
Lin Yan laughed warmly. “Comrade Yu, you concern yourself too greatly. This discount is the established right of every military officer. Whether purchased upon the occasion of marriage or at any other time, no reasonable person could take exception.”
Lin Yan herself would have enjoyed such consideration, yet her husband held the rank of Platoon Leader Candidate, not yet a commissioned officer. He would enjoy such privileges only upon promotion to full Platoon Leader.
“Then I shall take the suit,” Yu Zhaozhao decided. “And this white cotton shirt as well.”
“Comrade Yu,” Lin Yan asked, “would you care to purchase undergarments and socks as well?”
Her question brought to mind the measurements Lu Shiye had mentioned before she left the hospital. Yu Zhaozhao felt heat rise to her cheeks.
“Yes,” she replied. Since she had come, she would purchase everything at once.
Yu Zhaozhao then turned her attention to the women’s garments section. She selected a rose-pink cotton blouse with turned-down collar and short sleeves, to be worn with dark straight-leg trousers. She also chose a navy blue Lenin-style suit. The rose-pink blouse cost eleven yuan and seven industrial coupons. The straight-leg trousers were eight yuan and six coupons. The Lenin suit came to twenty-eight yuan and eighty cents together with twenty-eight coupons. With the officer’s discount reducing coupons by half, everything proved remarkably reasonable.
“Comrade Yu,” Lin Yan said, “I also have certain pieces of fabric bearing minor imperfections that I am authorized to sell at a reduced price. Would you care for any?”
“Yes,” Yu Zhaozhao answered without hesitation. “I am truly most grateful to you.”
“You are far too polite,” Lin Yan replied. “My husband owes his good fortune to your husband Deputy Battalion Commander Lu. You have shown us such kindness and generosity already that we scarcely know how to express our gratitude. Du Wen returned home speaking of him with great warmth. He said that once Deputy Battalion Commander Lu has fully recovered, my husband and I should wish to invite you both to our humble home for a meal. You must do us the honor of visiting.”
“It is we who should be grateful,” Yu Zhaozhao said. “Comrade Du has cared for my husband these three months with such devotion.”
“His service is indeed his duty,” Lin Yan said with growing feeling. “Yet to be chosen to care for Deputy Battalion Commander Lu, hero of distinguished merit, is an honor for which many would have contended. You have no idea how many sought that posting. Du Wen was selected only because he happens to be stationed in this same city. He could scarce contain his joy. And occasionally Deputy Battalion Commander Lu permits him to return home to see our child. Our gratitude is beyond words.”
Lin Yan continued speaking warmly as she gathered various remnant fabrics and packaged them carefully for Yu Zhaozhao.
Yu Zhaozhao also purchased a straw sleeping mat, mosquito net, summer bedsheets, and pillows. She added pails, wash basins, towels, drinking cups, bowls, chopsticks, and food containers to her purchases.
“Comrade Yu, let me help you carry these to your home,” Lin Yan offered.
“No, no,” Yu Zhaozhao protested. “You are at work. I could not ask you to leave your post.”
Yu Zhaozhao felt it would be ungracious. She could make two trips, or even carry everything in one journey though it would appear somewhat conspicuous.
“It is of no consequence,” Lin Yan insisted. “A colleague may cover my station temporarily. I shall speak with our supervisor. It will create no difficulty.”
And so the two women rode their bicycles together, transporting every purchase back to Granny Jiang’s courtyard home. Along the way, they conversed and laughed freely. They had begun addressing one another formally as Comrade Yu and Comrade Lin, yet by journey’s end they had become simply Zhaozhao and Yanyan.
“Place them here,” Yu Zhaozhao said. “Please rest and drink some water. You have exerted yourself on my account.”
Yu Zhaozhao fetched warm water from Granny Jiang’s quarters and poured a bowl for Lin Yan. She also pressed a small bag of brown sugar into her hands.
“Once I have settled everything properly, I shall invite you over for a proper meal,” she promised.
“I shall look forward to it eagerly,” Lin Yan replied.
After seeing Lin Yan off, Yu Zhaozhao returned to her room. She unpacked everything, washed what needed washing, and hung items out to dry. Upon this single visit to the Department Store, she had spent barely more than two hundred yuan together with fewer than one hundred industrial coupons, and that included a generous quantity of remnant fabrics. It had been truly remarkably economical.
Yu Zhaozhao presented one piece of remnant fabric to Granny Jiang. The elderly lady beamed with delight, her eyes nearly disappearing amidst her smiles.
“I am quite skilled with a needle,” Granny Jiang said proudly. “I own a sewing machine. Complex garments may be beyond me, yet simple cuts I can manage perfectly well.”
She spread her hands before Yu Zhaozhao in a gesture of proud demonstration. “Look at this dress I wear. Every stitch is my own. The bedcovers and pillowcases in my room were all fashioned by these hands as well.”
“Granny Jiang, you are truly accomplished,” Yu Zhaozhao said with sincere admiration. Neither the Yu family nor the Zhou family had ever possessed a sewing machine. Though she had seen such machines in other households, she had never learned to operate one, far less cut and sew fabric herself.
Granny Jiang swelled with pride. “If you wish anything made, bring it to me. I shall make it for you entirely free of charge.”
“Do not ruin such fine cloth with your clumsy hands!” a voice called out sharply from atop the dividing wall. It was Granny Liu once again.
The two elderly women immediately launched into another spirited exchange across the wall. Yu Zhaozhao accepted the sight with remarkable calmness. She found herself even gathering interesting tidbits of their history amidst the back-and-forth shouting.
Once everything had been arranged to her satisfaction, Yu Zhaozhao rode back to the hospital to fetch her remaining luggage. Her belongings had remained there. She also brought along the newly purchased tunic suit to show Lu Shiye.
At the hospital, Lu Shiye had just had his bandages removed. He had his hair trimmed, shaved clean, washed his face, and dressed with great care. He glanced repeatedly into the mirror, anticipation rising within him as he awaited Yu Zhaozhao’s arrival. He watched and listened intently for the sound of footsteps outside the door. His eyes never strayed from the doorway. Hou Ziliang, Du Wen, and Lu Shiguang watched his evident longing with quiet amusement.
At long last, Yu Zhaozhao appeared. Lu Shiye’s dark eyes lit with sudden brilliance. A radiant smile spread across his face, and his voice carried an unmistakable warmth and joy.
“My wife has come.”
Yu Zhaozhao however stared at him in open astonishment. Had she heard only his voice, she might never have guessed who he was. Yet this face. This face.
The bundle slipped from her hands and fell to the floor with a heavy thud.
It was him.