Raising Babies in the 70s - Chapter 88

“Your father-in-law and mother-in-law have given you so much cloth. They’re generous, you should get along well with them.”

In that era, other things were not expensive, but cotton cloth was the most expensive, and one couldn’t save many cloth tickets in a year. Just like the people there, although they had enough to eat, it was a big problem to raise money to buy materials to make clothes.

It was difficult to make money. Abalone, sea cucumber and lobster were not worth much. A few cents could buy a pound of pork, but they could buy thirty to forty pounds of skinned fish. As for other small seafood, no one cared even if it was thrown on the road.

Pippi shrimp and the like were also thrown into the pit for composting.

“I haven’t met his parents yet, and I don’t know if we could get along well. I just spoke a few words with them on the phone.”

When she received so many materials, Qin Rou was indeed taken aback. The production of cotton cloths was low at the moment, and it was not easy to buy them. Even if one had money, they could not buy them. There were not many tickets, and they could only be used tightly. If there were children at home, the second kid wore clothes used by the eldest kid.

However, at that time, green and blue uniforms were all popular. If one had military uniforms issued after they became a soldier, they could save a lot of cloth tickets.

In 1972, the problem of difficulty in dressing had not yet been solved. It was only in the past two years that advanced foreign petrochemical equipment was introduced, and more chemical fiber production lines were opened. After a few more years, there would be “really good” fabrics on the market.

When she was in Guangcheng, Qin Rou also saw some really good ones that came from Hong Kong. At that time, there was a train connecting Hong Kong and the mainland every day. There was also a steel bridge. People who came to visit relatives, came in new clothes in the morning, and went back in tattered clothes at night, leaving the good clothes to the family members on the mainland.

“When I meet his parents in the future, I…” 

Qin Mian was an experienced person, and told her about her previous experience with her in-laws, “Sister, you were in bad condition, but your life is good now. You got admitted as an announcer.”

“There is a radio in our school where I can hear your voice at noon. Everyone likes to hear your voice. I didn’t tell the teachers that the announcer is my sister. If they knew about it, they would definitely envy me.”

The two sisters chatted with a smile, and after a while, two women came uninvited, one with a mole on her forehead, the other wearing a sea soul shirt and green military trousers. They walked into the house together.

They held a piece of clothing in their hands, and had come to find Qin Mian to sew clothes.

“Qin Mian, I came to see you,” the woman with a big mole on her forehead smiled. Her name was Sun Mingfang. She used to be from the same village as Qin Mian.

The woman beside her was her sister Sun Mingli.

Sun Mingfang looked at the thatched house where Qin Mian lived, and the pride and joy in her eyes became even greater.

She didn’t expect to be able to “meet an old acquaintance” on this small island, and the person she met was Qin Mian.

What made her secretly happy was that Qin Mian’s life had become so bad.

Back then, Qin Mian, a poor mountain girl like them, could marry a “scholar” like Chen Mian, and went to Liao Province. It was like a dream to the girls living in the mountains. Qin Mian flew up the branches, turned into a phoenix, and became a scholar’s wife.

Sun Mingfang married a soldier. Later, he was demobilized and discharged from the army. She came to this island as an educated youth to work on the farm.

Life was not bad, she also called her sister over and wanted to find her a military husband there. There were many navies in the military port.

Seeing the depressed Qin Mian, Sun Mingfang was instantly relieved. She used to envy the girl who became a phoenix, but the phoenix was ​​still a chicken, living in a broken grass shed. Her husband teaching in that shabby school was a real joke, it was not as good as the man she married.

It was probably just karma.

Sun Mingfang couldn’t help but look at Qin Mian as she felt at ease looking at her current appearance.

She could step on this wild girl under her feet.

“Qin Mian, please help my sister mend some clothes. You have to be careful not to damage them. My sister is not the same as before. She married an officer, and he is a naval officer…” Sun Mingfang boasted to Qin Mian.

What could Qin Mian care about? 

Anyway, Sun Mingfang felt that her brother-in-law was very powerful, and he was working under some chief.

“Really? That’s good!” Qin Mian also knew Sun Mingfang’s careful thoughts that she just wanted to show off in front of her, so she obeyed her words and just listened.

When she was going to marry off to Liao Province, Sun Mingfang was very jealous, but was too proud at the moment.

Qin Mian only listened to her, but didn’t talk to her about anything. The two sisters didn’t want to have too much contact with their hometown fellows.

Now on the island, they couldn’t get in touch with the hometown people.

“The man that my sister married is good. They got married and got the house in the colony’s courtyard. It is a beautiful house, built of bricks, and has two floors…”

“Look at the dress and white shoes my sister is wearing, aren’t they pretty?”

The less Qin Mian wanted to talk to her, the more excited Sun Mingfang became. Instead, she wanted to tell her more, “I’ll tell you a secret, don’t tell others. The person my sister married is the chief. His name is Lu Yan, Lu (旅) meaning brigade/army, Yan (炎) meaning flame. His family is well educated, so he gave him this name-“

Qin Rou, who was drinking water beside her, almost choked on water.

Was it a coincidence that she heard that name from the person bragging? Were there any other chiefs named Lu?

Qin Mian: “…”