After scolding her daughter for a while, Meng Suling finally said, “But you did the right thing buying sweet potatoes this time. Your dad has been driving for so many years, yet he never brought back a single sweet potato—not even a vine! I had no idea Quan City was known for sweet potatoes. What use is your dad? You’re more capable than him!”
With so many mouths to feed at home, the main earners were just the two of them. Now that Miao Jianguo had retired early and passed his job to their son, the situation hadn’t changed much. Fortunately, their daughter had become a permanent employee, adding another source of income to the household. Still, with three people’s earnings supporting seven mouths, and the eldest son needing a large sum for his upcoming marriage, the pressure was immense. Saving wherever possible was a must, and something as good as sweet potatoes should be acquired in abundance.
Thinking this, Meng Suling’s expression shifted again. She leaned closer to Miao Yunwei and lowered her voice. “I’ll help you get a few more pounds of brown sugar—guaranteed a good deal. When you give it to them, ask if they can spare some sweet potato vines. We have space in the front yard and the backyard—planting a patch would be perfect.”
Miao Yunwei had the same thought. “I’ll ask Comrade Cai about it when I go on duty the day after tomorrow. You hurry up and buy the brown sugar for me so I can approach them properly. Also, did Grandma say what time we should go over tomorrow?”
Meng Suling waved a hand dismissively. “Matchmaking meetings aren’t held at night. Your dad probably won’t make it back in time. I’ll take you all over for lunch tomorrow.”
With her daughter now a permanent ticket seller and Miao Xuewei still a temporary worker at the sugar factory, she could finally hold her head high and show off a bit in the courtyard, feeling a sense of pride.
As she spoke, Meng Suling looked Miao Yunwei up and down. Seeing her still in her work uniform—clearly thrown together and neither fitting well nor looking good—she frowned. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you to the department store to pick out a new outfit. You’re a ticket seller now—walking around looking shabby is unacceptable!”
Miao Yunwei widened her eyes and glanced down at her clothes, not seeing anything wrong with them. But since Comrade Meng was rarely this proactive about buying her clothes, she couldn’t let this opportunity slip by. “Mom, don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you tomorrow!”
“That’s more like it!” Meng Suling turned back to focus on cooking.
Early the next morning, Meng Suling got up, moved the fifty-five pounds of sweet potatoes to the second-floor storage room, took out three, and prepared to cook sweet potato porridge for the whole family.
When Miao Lingwei and the two younger ones saw sweet potatoes in their breakfast, their eyes lit up. Whether they tasted good or not, sweet potatoes were filling. They could play outside without worrying about running out of energy from hunger.
Once the children had mostly finished eating, Meng Suling turned to Miao Pingkang. “Eldest, we’re going to your grandparents’ for lunch today. I see you don’t have any decent clothes either. In a bit, I’ll take you and your second sister to the department store to look around. Third, fourth, and Old Five, stay home and finish your homework properly. If I come back and don’t see you, you’ll be in trouble.”
Miao Lingwei’s face twisted with jealousy. “Mom! You’re biased! Why do only Big Brother and Second Sister get new clothes? We don’t get any!”
Meng Suling cleared her throat and sat up straight. “Since we’re on the topic, let me tell you something. Your second sister officially transferred positions yesterday—she’s now a permanent ticket seller at the bus station.”
Miao Lingwei stared at Miao Yunwei in disbelief. “Second Sister, you really got a permanent position? As a ticket seller? How did you manage that? Did Dad pull strings for you?”
Meng Suling tapped her on the head, “What nonsense are you talking? If your dad had that much influence, your sister wouldn’t have worked as a temporary loader for so long. She got her permanent position through her own hard work and luck—timing, location, and people all played a part.
Buying clothes for your sister is both a reward and encouragement. Besides, she’s going to be a ticket seller now—it wouldn’t do for her not to have a decent outfit. Your older brother is at the age where he should be looking for a wife. How can we get him a sister-in-law if he doesn’t dress up a bit?
What about you three? Students should look like students—do you understand ‘hard work and simplicity’? All you do is compare this and that—why don’t you compare your grades instead?”
Miao Lingwei was scolded until she wilted like a little cabbage, feeling wronged and stubborn even though she had no ground to stand on.
But soon, she secretly rejoiced because Miao Yunwei had become a ticket seller. If nothing else, knowing she had a ticket seller sister brought her face, and she could even show off a bit when going out.
For this peculiar reason, she surprisingly didn’t feel jealous of Miao Yunwei this time.
After the mother and her three children left the house, they headed straight for the department store.
In those days, department stores were like wholesale markets, bustling with crowds. The three of them waited in line at the fabric counter for a long time. When it was finally their turn, Meng Suling frowned at the clothes and pants on display.
The Dacron shirt looked crisp and wrinkle-resistant, durable too, but the price was steep—eight yuan for a top, plus five feet of fabric ration coupons. The cotton shirt was cheaper at five yuan, also requiring five feet of fabric ration coupons, but it wrinkled easily and didn’t hold its shape as well as the Dacron. After a few wears, it would look old.
She hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and pointed at a Dacron shirt. “Comrade, give me that off-white one with the dark red trim.”
Holding the shirt up against Miao Yunwei, Meng Suling’s eyes lit up.
Her earlier reluctance faded a little.
“It looks good! This shirt suits you. Let’s take it!”
To match the shirt, Meng Suling picked out a pair of gray Dacron straight-leg pants for Miao Yunwei. The pants were even more expensive than the shirt by one yuan. Adding a pair of black cloth shoes, the whole outfit came to exactly twenty yuan—equivalent to more than half of Miao Yunwei’s monthly wages.
Not only Meng Suling, but even Miao Yunwei herself felt a pang of regret looking at it.
Then, as if she had transformed into a different person, Meng Suling turned and bought a set for Miao Pingkang too. Men’s clothes were more expensive than women’s and required more fabric ration coupons. The whole set cost twenty-five yuan.
Two sets of clothes cost Meng Suling a month’s wages.
As they walked out of the department store, Miao Yunwei held her breath, afraid her mother would regret spending the money and find an excuse to scold her again.
But Meng Suling remained calm and pulled Miao Yunwei into a barbershop. “Your braids are too long—they get in the way when you work. You can cut them shorter.”
Miao Yunwei was taken aback and blurted out, “Why not just get a Liu Hulan haircut? It’s neat and practical. In the morning, you can just run your fingers through it and head out.”
Meng Suling hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement. “Then cut it. Your hair grows fast anyway—in less than a year, you’ll be able to braid it again.”
When the mother and her three children walked out of the barbershop, Miao Yunwei’s long hair was gone, and Miao Pingkang’s buzz cut was even shorter.
When the three returned home, they changed into their new clothes. It was almost time to head to the sugar factory.
Along the way, Meng Suling kept glancing at Miao Yunwei out of the corner of her eye.
She couldn’t help but feel that after this makeover, her second daughter seemed like a different person—her whole demeanor had changed.
Miao Lingwei circled around Miao Yunwei, chattering away, “Second Sister, what were you thinking? Isn’t it a shame to cut off such a nice long braid?”
Miao Yunwei shook her head, “I sold it for money, and I’m happy about it.”
Although it didn’t sell for much, she and her eldest brother saved on haircut expenses and even earned a little extra.
Miao Lingwei: “…”