Helping others find love and making money weren’t mutually exclusive.
The original owner’s “business scope” had mainly been limited to a few production brigades around Qinghe Brigade. The area was too small, and rural people were short on cloth coupons, so they didn’t have many clothes made. If city people came to her for tailoring, she could earn much more money.
Besides, if she didn’t advertise herself, how would anyone know there was a talented little seamstress hidden away in Qinghe Brigade?
She had even thought it through already. If she got so many orders that she couldn’t keep up, she would teach Shen Mother to make clothes too.
Lin Qinfen was only in her forties. Learning to use a sewing machine wasn’t difficult. If she mastered it, it would certainly be easier than earning work points in the fields.
After a lengthy internal struggle, the saleswoman finally nodded in agreement.
The two of them went into a small alley behind the store. The round-faced saleswoman’s name matched her face perfectly—Tao Yuanyuan.
She asked a coworker to cover for her for a while, borrowed a shirt from another colleague to wear over her own, and, still uneasy, insisted on watching Shen Yueliang mend the garment.
“If you ruin it, I’ll settle the score with you.”
Shen Yueliang was threading a needle when she heard that and shot the girl a glare.
Once a garment was torn, it was impossible to repair it without leaving any trace. Based on the size of the tear, she used white thread to embroider a ginkgo leaf over the damaged spot. The fine stitches completely concealed the tear.
“It really doesn’t look damaged anymore!”
Not only was the tear invisible, but because white thread was used, it didn’t look out of place at all. It seemed as if the shirt had originally been designed that way.
Shen Yueliang held up the shirt for inspection, then embroidered another ginkgo leaf on the hem on the same side.
The moment she cut the thread, Tao Yuanyuan snatched the shirt over and examined it repeatedly.
“It actually looks even better than before!”
Shen Yueliang handed back the needle and thread.
“Happy now?”
Holding the shirt in her arms, Tao Yuanyuan pursed her lips awkwardly.
“I had a bad attitude toward you before, but don’t worry—I’ll definitely recommend my friends to have clothes made by you. Also, if you really want to buy a bicycle, I can help ask around to see if anyone has an extra bicycle coupon they don’t need.”
Shen Yueliang didn’t stand on ceremony.
“Alright, help me ask around. I’ll be coming back here again. But before that, I need another favor.”
“Huh?” Tao Yuanyuan blinked.
Shen Yueliang wasn’t trying to make things difficult for her. She simply wanted to know where the black market was.
Because she had overlooked one thing earlier: making jerky required a considerable amount of pork. Although she had meat coupons, she didn’t have enough, so she’d need another source.
With someone giving directions, it wasn’t hard to find.
Shen Yueliang took out a piece of blue cloth from her bundle and wrapped it around her head, leaving only her eyes exposed.
Soon, she found people trading in an inconspicuous area. Just like her, everyone kept their heads down and remained highly vigilant.
She stood there observing for a while. When she spotted someone carrying pork in a basket, she walked straight over.
“What’s the price?”
The seller was a man. He glanced at her.
“Eighty cents a jin without coupons.”
The price was definitely higher than the butcher shop, but meat coupons were difficult to come by. Shen Yueliang found it acceptable. She lowered her gaze to inspect the meat.
“The meat’s fine, right? It’s not from a sick pig or a dead pig?”
“No way. It’s all fresh pork.”
Shen Yueliang wasn’t unfamiliar with buying groceries and could judge the quality herself. She examined it carefully and poked at it with her finger.
“I’d say there’s only seven or eight jin here. How about this? Seventy cents a jin, and I’ll take all of it.”
Saving a dime per jin was still saving money. The cash she had wasn’t abundant, especially if she still wanted to buy a bicycle.
Although she had bargained, she was buying in bulk. The seller also wouldn’t have to continue taking risks selling it here. Everyone knew where this kind of meat came from anyway—it certainly wasn’t from official channels.
Strictly speaking, neither side was losing out.
Since the man was in this business, he naturally understood.
“Deal. I can tell you’re experienced. You knew the weight the moment you handled it. There’s a bit over seven jin here. Five yuan for the lot.”
He was straightforward, and Shen Yueliang wasn’t one to drag things out.
Money changed hands, and so did the meat.
Having accomplished her goal, she left without a backward glance.
She had bought quite a lot during this trip and spent a fair amount of money. Her basket felt noticeably heavier.
Fortunately, she had prepared for this. She found another piece of coarse cloth and covered the basket, tucking the edges inside. That way, nobody could see what was inside.
Although the Shen family’s circumstances weren’t bad by Qinghe Brigade standards, bringing home so much meat at once would inevitably attract envy.
As for their relatives…
The Old Shen family had long since severed ties with them.
On the Lin family side, her uncle Lin Caisheng was a decent man, but her aunt-in-law He Fengying was full of schemes. Marrying He Erhong to her brother had never come from good intentions.
Her eldest aunt had once been alright, but after seeing He Fengying’s plans, she too had started harboring ulterior motives.
Neither side was easy to deal with.
So when discretion was necessary, it was best to stay discreet.
By the time she returned home, she had expected her sister-in-law He Erhong to make a scene.
Instead, He Erhong wasn’t even there.
When Shen Mother came home later and she asked about it, she learned that He Erhong had gone back to her parents’ house.
Every month, whenever her brother’s allowance arrived, He Erhong would return to her natal family afterward. Sometimes she’d stay two or three days, other times five or more.
Go ahead and stay there.
She was an eyesore at home anyway.
“Yueliang, why did you buy so much meat?” Lin Qinfen washed her hands and came into the kitchen. At a glance, she saw the ceramic basin filled with chunks of pork marinating in seasonings. Even standing nearby, she could smell the fragrance.
The family ate meat several times a month, usually half a jin at a time. But the amount in the basin looked to be at least five or six jin.
And in the pot, there was an entire batch of braised pork simmering.
Shen Yueliang sat by the stove tending the fire. The flames cast a red glow across her small face.
A notebook rested on her knees, and she held colored pencils in her hand, sketching clothing designs.
In the future, whenever customers came to have clothes made, she could show them the drawings. She could even let them take the sketches away, serving as a form of advertisement.
After all, colored pencils and notebooks weren’t expensive. The designs she drew were simple styles, taking only a few minutes each. It didn’t delay her work at all.
As long as she could spread the reputation that Qinghe Village had a little seamstress capable of making beautiful clothes, she felt it was worthwhile.
“When I visited my brother at the army, he looked thinner from all the training. So I thought I’d make some jerky and mail it to him.”
As she spoke, she closed the notebook and set it aside before walking over to the stove and lifting the pot lid.
The braised pork had become tender and soft. The seasonings were perfect, and the caramelized sugar coloring had turned it a beautiful shade. Rich but not greasy, the glossy surface was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.
Lin Qinfen wasn’t particularly greedy for food, but even she felt herself salivating at the aroma.
“How do you make jerky? It’s a shame I don’t know how, otherwise I could help.”
Shen Yueliang poked the meat with her chopsticks. The chopsticks went straight through, proving it was cooked enough.
She went back to the stove and reduced the fire.
“It’s not difficult. You can help when I make it. Oh right, Mom, did you manage to exchange for those eggs I asked for?”
The clothes for Su Zhiqing were already finished. During the next few days, she could draw more design sketches.
Once the jerky was ready, most of it would be mailed to her brother. She would keep a small portion and bring it to Su Zhiqing as a gift to try.
“I managed to get almost thirty eggs. Is that enough?”
Since she had agreed to do it, Lin Qinfen had taken it seriously. While working in the fields these past few days, she’d casually mentioned it to villagers she met. A few eggs from each household quickly added up.
Shen Yueliang thought for a moment.
“That’s enough. We’ll take thirty eggs. Once the jerky is ready, we’ll pack some of that too. They should be free on Sunday, so I’ll deliver everything then.”
A round trip would take about an hour and a half.
She didn’t want to make the journey for nothing.
So Sunday seemed like the safest choice.
At least someone should be home then.