That evening, after Zhang Yonghua finished dinner, he returned to the dormitory.
Li Xia noticed that Wen Yining and Yaoyao hadn’t brought any change of clothes, so she picked out a set of clothes each from her own and Zhang Xiaofan’s wardrobe for them to wear.
“These clothes were bought by Old Zhang last year in the city and brought back for me,” Li Xia said, placing a new shirt by Wen Yining’s bed. “I’ve only worn it twice. It’s inconvenient for chores at home, and I’d hate to ruin it, so I’ve kept it aside. Don’t mind that it’s slightly used. The weather’s getting warmer, so you can wear it for now. Once you find a job and get paid, you can wash it and return it to me.”
Wen Yining knew the economic conditions of the time were tough. Everything was limited; families who were slightly better off could, by year-end, buy a couple of yards of cloth to make two new outfits, but most of the time people wore old clothes patched and re-patched until they were barely wearable. Good cloth would even be saved to make clothes for children.
Some poor families had so little that they only had one pair of pants, which everyone took turns wearing. The rest of the time, they stayed home under blankets to avoid going outside.
For Li Xia to lend her a shirt she’d only worn twice was a huge gesture of goodwill.
“No need, Sister-in-law. You can just lend me a vest,” Wen Yining said, returning the shirt. “The weather’s warm; if I wash clothes at night, they dry by morning. If I were a boy, I wouldn’t even wear a vest—I’d sleep bare-chested.”
Li Xia patted Wen Yining on the shoulder. “What are you saying? Not even embarrassed?”
Wen Yining chuckled, looking a bit shy.
Li Xia pressed the shirt under Wen Yining’s pillow to keep her from returning it and sat on the edge of the bed, holding down the pillow with her hand.
“Listen to me—you keep this shirt,” Li Xia said, brushing stray hairs from Wen Yining’s cheek behind her ear. “Maybe Old Zhang will find you a suitable job soon. When that happens, you’ll need to go and they might test you. You can’t go in just wearing a vest—that would leave a bad impression. The military is serious. Even though we women aren’t as strong as men, we can’t lose in presence or spirit. No one should underestimate us.”
“Besides, I have other new clothes, so I don’t need this one badly!”
Wen Yining, touched by the gesture, replied, “Alright then. Once I get a job and earn a salary, I’ll buy you something even better.”
“Deal!” Li Xia thought Wen Yining was too polite. For every bit of kindness she received, she felt she needed to return triple. But she also knew this was Wen Yining’s nature. She didn’t plan to change her, but she could treat her even better.
“This little outfit was also bought by Old Zhang in the city for Xiaofan, but he said it looked like something a rich kid would wear and refused it. It’s perfect for Yaoyao.”
Li Xia unfolded the white shirt and gestured to Yaoyao. “Our Yaoyao isn’t like these little rascals. She needs to be dressed neatly.”
The shirt was purchased in a larger size so the child could wear it for two years. Even Zhang Xiaofan’s oversized clothes looked baggy on Yaoyao.
“Perfect. She can wear it for a couple of years.” Li Xia rolled up the sleeves twice and gazed at Yaoyao, clearly delighted.
Little girls were soft and adorable, unlike their wild little boy, who either bounced around like a monkey or got confused by medicine, making her, as a mother, jump in fright.
She frowned at Yaoyao’s chewed-up-looking hair. “Yaoyao, your hair…”
“I cut it,” Yaoyao said.
“I like it,” Wen Yining added.
The mother and daughter spoke simultaneously. Regardless of the era, little girls loved to look nice. Wen Yining didn’t want Yaoyao to feel embarrassed, while Yaoyao worried about her mother being shy, so they both quickly explained themselves.
Li Xia, seeing their reaction, understood why Yaoyao’s hair looked the way it did. She suppressed a laugh, ruffled Yaoyao’s hair, and said, “Tomorrow, Auntie will give you a proper haircut. It’s hot now, you sweat a lot, and wet hair sticking to your head isn’t comfortable.”
Yaoyao leaned closer to Wen Yining. “Auntie, I like the haircut Mama gave me.”
Li Xia shot Wen Yining an envious look. “You really have a thoughtful little daughter.”
Wen Yining brushed Yaoyao’s chewed-up bangs aside. “Tomorrow, Auntie will cut it nicely while Mama watches and learns. That way, I can style Yaoyao’s hair well in the future.”
Yaoyao finally nodded in agreement. “Alright then!”
Li Xia saw Yaoyao leaning against Wen Yining, almost dozing off. She took Zhang Xiaofan, who was clamoring to sleep with Yaoyao, back to the main house.
The next morning, after breakfast, Wen Yining washed and hung the clothes she and Yaoyao had changed out in the courtyard.
When leaving the Cheng family, she had packed all her luggage, including Yaoyao’s extra clothes, into her storage space for convenience.
Later, staying with Li Xia and Zhang Xiaofan, it would have been troublesome to take items out of the space unnecessarily. Li Xia lending her clothes meant she didn’t have to risk that. Once she found a job and moved into a dorm with her child, it would be easier to retrieve things from storage.
After hanging the clothes, Wen Yining sat in the shade under the eaves, sorting the mushrooms she’d picked yesterday and neatly arranging them on a tray to dry.
By noon, she saw groups of military wives coming down from the hill.
July in the southern border was hot, with high humidity. In the daytime sun, it felt like a sauna.
Several military wives wore straw hats, but still struggled with the heat.
Before even reaching the gate of the family housing area, one woman collapsed.
Her companions were startled and rushed to help, guiding her to a large tree in the courtyard for shade.
Wen Yining and Li Xia, hearing the commotion, put down their work and went over to see if they could help.
They saw a military wife in her early twenties lying under the tree, clearly in distress. She was sweating profusely, struggling to breathe, her purplish lips contrasting with her pale face.
The other wives assumed it was heatstroke and fanned her with their straw hats.
Only Wen Yining noticed that the woman was clutching her chest tightly, as if trying to ease the pain.
With her experience as a doctor in her past life, Wen Yining’s instinct told her this was not simple heatstroke.
The symptoms suggested a heart-related issue causing arrhythmia, which could lead to fainting or even sudden death.