In the evening, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law closed the door for a private meal. Li Xiufen put both chicken drumsticks into her daughter-in-law's bowl.
Gu Chunmiao put one chicken leg back for her: "Mom, you eat too!"
"Don't say you don't like to eat it! The best part of a chicken is the drumstick. Who doesn't like drumsticks?"
Li Xiufen's eyes felt warm. Raising a daughter-in-law was different from raising a son~
Before, every time she gave her son a chicken drumstick, that brat He Zhanjun would eat as many as she gave him, never asking if she liked to eat them.
Since living with her daughter-in-law, in her half-life, this was the first time she ate a whole apple by herself, and the first time she had a chicken drumstick when stewing chicken at home...
My daughter-in-law is so good~ Fortunately, I didn't let my daughter-in-law and son follow the army!
Seeing that Gu Chunmiao liked to eat dried gourds, Li Xiufen slapped her thigh: "It's just dried gourds, right? Easy! We're digging a well in the backyard anyway. Later, Mom will build a shed on the well platform and plant a row of gourd seedlings along the backyard wall. Next year, we'll have plenty of dried gourds!"
She meant what she said.
After dinner, Li Xiufen went to the production team leader's house again.
He Jianqiang's expression was already numb when he saw her.
"Auntie, what is it this time?"
Li Xiufen chuckled and secretly stuffed two packs of "Golden Leaf" cigarettes into his pocket.
These were high-end cigarettes that cost three mao a pack!
He Jianqiang couldn't resist the sugar-coated bullets of capitalism, and his tone quickly softened.
"What is it? Go ahead and say it!"
Li Xiufen sighed: "Zhanjun is not home, and we two women usually have trouble carrying water. My daughter-in-law has taken out all her dowry money from the bottom of her chest to dig a well for the family."
"I thought it would be convenient to build a shed on the well platform, and we're short of a few wooden beams. Didn't our production team plant a poplar forest a few years ago? Jianqiang, please approve two large poplar trees for me!"
"Oh, and also approve thirty yuan worth of green bricks and two bags of cement for me."
He Jianqiang put on a stern face: "Green bricks and cement are easy to arrange. These large poplars are collective property. I can approve them for you, but you have to pay the money for the trees to the production team, or exchange it with your year-end work points."
Li Xiufen now had a way to earn money and wasn't bothered by this small amount. She immediately paid for the two trees, arranged to cut them down the next morning, and left in a hurry, like a gust of wind.
Back home, Li Xiufen took out the axe, saw, and other tools. After thinking for a moment, she took a flashlight and went out to find a carpenter in the village.
Her son had consummated his marriage with his daughter-in-law, so she would eventually become a grandmother in the next two years. If the family had a child, she would need to arrange a cradle, a walking chair, and a small stool for the child.
When the poplars were brought back, the branches would be cut to build the shed, and the trunks would be kept. The bark would be peeled off and exchanged with the carpenter for his seasoned poplar wood, which could then be used to make small furniture for her grandchildren.
Seeing her mother-in-law busy, Gu Chunmiao couldn't help much, so she took out some cotton cloth from her space and made two sets of underwear for herself and her mother-in-law.
Fortunately, there was a sewing machine at home. This sewing machine was one of the "three turns and one sound" that her mother-in-law had prepared for her when she married He Zhanjun. Fortunately, she found it too troublesome to move it to Beijing City at that time, otherwise, wouldn't it have been cheaper for Gu Sisi?
Thinking of the apron and sleevelets her mother-in-law had made for her, Gu Chunmiao pursed her lips and smiled. She took out a piece of red "Dacron" fabric and a roll of dark blue polyester fabric from her space and made her mother-in-law a "Dacron" collared shirt and a pair of crisp polyester pants.
Li Xiufen had already returned. Seeing her daughter-in-law operating the sewing machine in the room, with several pieces of red "Dacron" fabric on the cutting board, she thought Gu Chunmiao was making clothes for herself and didn't go in to disturb her.
Thinking that there was still a large piece of lamb with skin and bones at home, and fearing it would spoil in the heat, Li Xiufen quickly blanched the lamb, washed it clean, and put it in a large pot to stew.
This lamb was taken out by Gu Chunmiao from her space. The meat was tender and fresh, with little gamey smell, and tasted better than the local lamb. Li Xiufen was also a picky eater and found that this kind of lamb stewed into soup tasted the best, so she simply stewed it whole.
With this stewed lamb soup, whether it was used to stew radishes, make lamb noodle soup, lamb pulled noodles, or just plain lamb soup, it would be delicious. The lamb wasn't even done stewing yet, but Li Xiufen had already thought of several ways to eat the lamb soup and planned to make them all one by one to see which one Gu Chunmiao liked best.
Just as she put the lamb on to stew, Gu Chunmiao came over with the finished "Dacron" shirt.
"Mom, I made you a shirt and pants. Try them on."
"Made for me? Oh my, I'm an old woman halfway to the grave, why would I wear something so red?"
Li Xiufen looked at the red Dacron shirt in her daughter-in-law's hand. It was a lie to say she didn't like it. When she was young, she liked bright and beautiful clothes like this, but unfortunately, the family was poor back then, and she had many siblings. The only time she wore new clothes was at her wedding.
Later, during the famine, the red jacket she wore at her wedding was exchanged for fifteen catties of sweet potato flour, which saved her family of three.
It was also because of that great famine that her newborn daughter, lacking breast milk and with no rice to even make rice paste, starved to death.
Later, she injured herself and could never conceive again. Her husband also couldn't withstand the hunger, ate clay, and died within two years.
Li Xiufen didn't like wearing new clothes, not because she couldn't afford them. She often wondered if, back then, she hadn't been reluctant to part with her red jacket and had sold it earlier, would her daughter and husband have survived?
Because of this, Li Xiufen hadn't bought any new clothes for years. The only time she wore new clothes was when her son got married.
Later, she didn't usually wear the dark blue jacket her son bought her; she only wore it when visiting relatives or when guests came to the house.
Gu Chunmiao didn't expect a "Dacron" shirt to bring up her mother-in-law's sad past. She secretly regretted it and quickly rolled up the shirt.
"Mom, you don't like red ones. I'll make you a dark blue one later..."
"Who said I don't like it? Give it here, I'll try it on."
Li Xiufen took the shirt and pants, went back to her room to change, and as soon as she came out, Li Xiulan, who had climbed over the wall, saw her.
"Wow! Sister, when did you make new clothes? They look quite nice!"
Speaking of this, Li Xiufen was no longer sleepy.
"Hah! I'm an old woman halfway to the grave, why would I make new clothes? Miao Miao made these for me!"
"Look, this 'Dacron' jacket is more crisp and cooler to wear than our coarse cloth! And these pants, Miao Miao, are these polyester?"
Gu Chunmiao smiled and nodded: "They are polyester. I bought them in Beijing City before and originally wanted to make two new outfits for Mom and mail them back to you. When I came over, I brought the fabric with me, so I could make adjustments on the spot if anything didn't fit, which is more convenient."
Li Xiulan was tired of saying "envious" and couldn't help but ask: "Miao Miao, do you have any younger sisters or anything? Can you introduce a partner to my Jianjun? Your sister would definitely be great!"
Gu Chunmiao hesitated: "Second Great Aunt, are you referring to my adoptive parents' sister? Then there's only Gu Sisi..."
Li Xiulan waved her hands frantically: "That won't do! That girl has a wicked heart. I didn't like her the first time I saw her."
Almost forgot, Gu Chunmiao was switched at birth with the Gu family. That true daughter of the family was not easy to get along with. Li Xiulan would be crazy to find such a daughter-in-law.
Marrying an unsuitable wife brings unrest to the household~
At this moment, Li Xiufen had already returned to her room, changed out of her new clothes, folded them, and put them in the box. She came out and asked Li Xiulan: "Are you a thief? Why are you climbing over the wall late at night instead of using the main door?"
Li Xiulan looked around like a thief, then went to check her cousin's main door. Finding that the bolt was indeed fastened, she finally walked back with relief and said excitedly:
"Isn't our Miao Miao a university student? Yesterday, when I went back to my maternal home to deliver something, I heard my brothers say that the old man who used to manage the scrap yard in our commune has passed away!"
"When that old man was alive, he brought a lot of books and notebooks home. Now that he's gone, his children are discussing selling those books and notebooks as scrap to get some money for a decent funeral."
"I was thinking, doesn't our Miao Miao love to read? How about I take her to pick out a few books? I heard those books and notebooks are very cheap, a few cents a pound..."
Gu Chunmiao suddenly stood up: "Second Great Aunt, I'll go!"
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