Su Meilan smiled brightly and said to Yang Lihua, “Now that you’re living on your own, you have to manage your wages carefully. Don’t waste them.”
She then gently patted Yang Lijun and added, “And you can’t rely on your Third Sister to buy things for you anymore, understand?”
“Alright, he’s happy for once. Besides, this is Lihua showing her care as an older sister. You haven’t heard her say a word, but here you are nagging nonstop,” Yang Daqiang interrupted Su Meilan’s scolding. Children thinking about their family and helping out was hardly a bad thing.
Su Meilan was momentarily speechless, but quickly adjusted her mood and turned to the fabric Yang Lihua had brought home, fondly stroking it.
“This is perfect! Your eldest brother has set the date for his wedding, so we can use this for his new bed sheets and quilt cover… The color is beautiful. The rest can be used to make pants for your dad and younger brother.” Working at the textile factory certainly had its perks—you could buy flawed fabric at a bargain.
Yang Lihua rolled her eyes internally. So after all her effort buying fabric to bring home, she ended up contributing it all back to the family. She was no longer a student depending on the household—some things still had to be fought for.
“Mom, this fabric is beautiful, right? If we make dresses with it, they’ll look amazing. Now that I’m working, I need at least two decent outfits for changing,” Yang Lihua said with a smile, her eyes focused on Su Meilan.
Su Meilan paused, clearly not expecting her to make such a request, but immediately nodded. “Of course! My daughter earned this fabric herself. Making two outfits? Absolutely, I’ll make them beautiful for you.”
Her daughter was already naturally more attractive than others, and now that she was working, she looked even more spirited. In a few years, when it came time for her to marry, she would need to dress well.
Yang Lihua’s eyes flicked with thought. If they left the fabric, her mother might later give it to Zhou Hongxia when her eldest brother married. It was better to use it now.
Following her mother’s hand stroking the fabric, she said softly, “Mom, there’s about 40 meters of this fabric—plenty. How about we make one outfit for each of the three sisters?
Second sister is graduating soon and will meet potential suitors—she’ll need new clothes to impress. Fourth sister is growing up too; she hasn’t had a single new outfit and has been wearing hand-me-downs. She deserves one new dress.
And you and Dad—you’ve worked hard all your lives. Shouldn’t you enjoy new clothes too?
It’s rare for me, as a daughter, to show respect for you both. With my eldest brother’s wedding coming, it would be wonderful if our whole family looked neat and respectable. It would also reflect well on him.”
She paused, glancing around at everyone in the room. Second sister Yang Lijuan and fourth sister Yang Lishu were delighted—who doesn’t like new clothes?
Even the usually stern Yang Daqiang looked pleased. Su Meilan nodded repeatedly, her smile widening.
“Yes! My daughter is being thoughtful, of course we’ll make them. The family will all have new clothes. A few new outfits won’t use much fabric. Two skirts for you, two sets of clothes plus a cover-up.
A skirt for your second sister and one for Lishu—girls need to dress well. And your dad and I… we need a new coat too, something presentable for going out. And Lijun…”
Su Meilan’s mind raced, figuring out how to cut and stitch the fabric efficiently, making sure the flaws were hidden.
Of course—if she didn’t use what she bought herself, why even bother? Though single women weren’t exactly treated kindly in this era, she still wanted to take care of her family.
Even though Yang Lihua lived in the dormitory, her eldest brother often brought her back from the factory. They knew her family wasn’t poor—her parents and eldest brother worked at the steel mill. She wasn’t a lone single woman with no support.
Yang Daqiang listened silently, subtly nodding in agreement with the arrangement.
“Lishu, bring the soft measuring tape and chalk from the room,” Su Meilan said, already holding the fabric and gesturing. They needed to get started so that the clothes would be ready before Lixin’s wedding.
Taking advantage of the lively atmosphere, Yang Lihua pulled out the five yuan she had prepared and handed it to Su Meilan.
“Mom, here’s the money we talked about before.”
Su Meilan, still measuring Yang Lijun, looked up at the money in Yang Lihua’s hand. She paused, then smiled and pushed the money back.
“No need, keep this for yourself. You bought so much fabric for the family and a table tennis set for Lijun—you’ve already spent a lot. Keep your wages for yourself. You’re grown now; you should have some money for yourself for good food and daily necessities.”
Yang Lihua hadn’t expected her mother to refuse her money.
Yang Daqiang and Yang Lixin both furrowed their brows at first, but with Su Meilan’s words, they didn’t say anything further.
Yang Lihua held the money out to Yang Daqiang. “Dad?”
Her voice was calmer than before. “Your mother is right. Keep the money for yourself.”
“Next month, don’t buy unnecessary things again,” he added after a moment. “Carrying them so far is tiring. You’re an adult now and working; you need to be sensible and understand priorities.”
Hmph! She thought, it’s never that simple. Even if her mother refused, her father still wanted the money—he just couldn’t argue against her mother this time.
Sensing the atmosphere might be a little awkward, Su Meilan quickly changed the subject casually:
“By the way, Lihua, your eldest brother’s wedding is set for next Sunday. Whether you ask for leave from the factory or not, you’ll need to come home.”
It wouldn’t be a big celebration—just a couple of tables at home. But for such a major event, siblings couldn’t be absent.
Yang Lihua murmured to herself. So soon? She remembered that in the book, the wedding was supposed to be after high school graduation—this was almost a month earlier.
Could it be because she revealed her temporary worker status?