The supply and marketing cooperative also had a counter that sold fabric, but the colors weren't very appealing.
But Fang Pingying thought that at this time, and in such a small town, most of the available fabric would be of these colors, so she called over the salesperson and asked to see a few bolts of fabric.
The two sisters-in-law chattered and mulled over their choices for a long time. In the end, Fang Pingying picked out a piece of dark red fabric that resembled wool in texture, thinking that five yards would be more than enough to make herself an outfit.
But seeing Hong Lan nearby, she deliberately took an extra three yards, thinking of making a small jacket for Luo Honglan.
For Luo Zhiyong, she selected a few yards of blue khaki cloth, taking into account his tall and sturdy build and purposely taking an extra yard to avoid the possibility of running short.
Finally, Fang Pingying thought if Zhou Yunmei saw that they had bought fabric for themselves, she would probably kick up a fuss again. To avoid these needless disputes, Fang Pingying looked around and decided to buy something for both Zhou Yunmei and Luo Dashan as well.
However, after looking around, everything seemed either too expensive or not quite right.
After much deliberation, Fang Pingying noticed that the counter next to the one selling fabric had a kind of slipper for sale that resembled cloth shoes. Although called slippers, they were nearly identical to cloth shoes, stitched together from fabric for both sole and upper, with the only difference being the open heel, which added a bit of novelty.
But during this spring and autumn season, they would be ideal to slip on after washing up in the evening.
Thinking she could make them herself, Fang Pingying specifically took an extra yard of fabric, planning to use the leftovers from making clothes to make a pair first. If it worked out, she would use the newly acquired fabric to make a pair for both Luo Dashan and Zhou Yunmei.
After all, a yard of fabric wouldn't cost much, and it could prevent a lot of disputes, making it worthwhile.
After completing their purchases, the two prepared to head home, but just as they were passing by the part of the supply and marketing cooperative that specialized in selling jars and crocks, Fang Pingying spotted the kind of small glass jars she had been looking for.
Moreover, they looked very nice, and the lids could seal tightly. All she needed to do at home was to seal them with a paper label.
But after asking the price, Fang Pingying pulled Luo Honglan away.
A single jar cost thirty cents, and no matter the quantity, there was no discount, and they couldn't guarantee stock availability at all times.
The most annoying part was the woman working behind the counter. During the conversation, she only lifted her eyelids slightly and continued knitting her wool, behaving as if the customers owed her something.
In this era, in this small town, because there weren't many individual businesses, people were often distrustful of them. Many people still shopped at the supply and marketing cooperative, which is why the salespeople had such an attitude. But just wait a few years, when individual entrepreneurs start popping up, these cooperative employees might not even have jobs anymore.
But Fang Pingying also thought that, for now, her small business couldn't afford such jars. If her business grows big later on, she would need to standardize everything, and then she'd have to make the purchase.
But she definitely wouldn't buy from this supply and marketing cooperative. Instead, she'd go to larger places and find privately owned shops to buy from, where not only the prices were cheaper, but also there was more flexibility.
There wasn't much to see in town when there was no market, so after the two sisters-in-law finished their shopping, they immediately headed back home.
The town wasn't far from Luojia Village, about a little more than six miles away, and they walked briskly. In roughly half an hour, they reached the entrance of the village.
By chance, when they arrived at the village entrance, they happened to run into Fang Ping'an and Li Yuchun, who were returning from working in the fields.
Fang Pingying subtly switched the things she bought today to her other hand and walked towards them, "Dad, Mom, working in the fields?"
Luo Honglan followed her and also greeted the two, "Uncle, Auntie."
"Yeah," Li Yuchun spoke while her eyes sneakily glanced at the items Fang Pingying switched to her other hand, "Why, if not for the market today, did you also go to town?"
Fang Pingying nodded with a smile, "Yes, there were some things at home that we urgently needed, so I went to town to buy some stuff."
As she spoke, she secretly sighed. It seemed that switching hands was useless; Li Yuchun had still seen.
"Let me see." Li Yuchun directly snatched the items from Fang Pingying's hand and skimmed through them.
As she saw the fabrics, she took out a red piece, comparing it against her body, "Oh, bought so much fabric, this red is really pretty. I was just telling your dad the other day that I wanted to buy some woolen fabric to make a coat for the autumn; this cloth is just perfect."
After comparing the red, she took out a blue piece of khaki fabric and compared it against Fang Ping'an, "And this blue khaki fabric is also nice, I reckon it would be just right for your dad to wear."
Fang Ping'an, although not particularly upright, is still much better than Li Yuchun.
He snatched the fabric from Li Yuchun's hands, handed it back to Fang Pingying, and then glanced at Li Yuchun and scolded softly, "Wife, what are you doing?"
"What, my daughter is being filial. She didn't bring anything back to the family last time she came due to her fierce mother-in-law. Now that she got hold of Zhiyong's salary, she immediately thinks of us." Li Yuchun finished speaking and curled her lips dismissively, then walked toward Fang Pingying again, intending to reach for the fabrics.
Fang Pingying instantly changed direction, turning to Li Yuchun and handing the fabric to Luo Honglan standing beside her, "Mom, you're mistaken; these fabrics are for us to make our own clothes."
Seeing that Li Yuchun wanted to reply, Fang Pingying added with a smile, "Mom, you know that when I was at my parents' house, I never had proper clothes to wear. When I got married, it seemed like all the fabric at home was given to Xiu'er; my dowry chest had nothing in it. Not to mention clothes; there wasn't even a yard of fabric."
While speaking, she pointed at her own clothes, "The clothes I'm wearing now have been worn for several years, and they're a bit small. I figured that I couldn't let my mother-in-law laugh at how stingy my family is, so I decided to spend my own money to buy some fabric in town and make my own clothes."
Just as Fang Pingying finished speaking, Fang Ping'an suddenly furrowed his brow tight and looked at Li Yuchun to ask, "Wife, when Pingying and Xiu'er got married, didn't we buy two sets of dowry items? What does Pingying mean by this?"
"How would I know what she's blathering about," Li Yuchun, seemingly afraid that Fang Ping'an would find out about these matters, quickly cut off Fang Pingying's words, "Cut it out; it's just some clothes, acting as if nobody has ever worn them before, what's so grand about that."
"Mom, Dad, then you guys go ahead with your work; I should get going, I still need to go home and cook lunch." Fang Pingying couldn't be bothered to say more, greeted them, and then walked away with Luo Honglan.
Luo Honglan, usually reserved, seemed to understand the conversation between Li Yuchun and Fang Pingying today. She looked at Fang Pingying with a hint of sympathy in her voice, "Sister-in-law, so it seems you had the same hard times at your parents' place as I did; and coming to our family, you met my tough mother, sigh..."
"It's nothing. No matter how tough things get, I still made it through," Fang Pingying said, making sure to caution Luo Honglan, "Besides, if a woman wants to have a good life, she really can't put all her hopes on others; she has to be independent and self-reliant. If you can make your own money, then it doesn't matter if it's your parents' house or your in-laws'; nobody can suppress you."
Luo Honglan had never thought of this concept before; her eyes widened in surprise and asked, "Make our own money? Even the men in the village can only make some money by farming, where can we, women, go to make money?"
"As long as you're determined, what's there to fear about not making money? Right now, isn't your sister-in-law leading you to find ways to earn?" Fang Pingying told her with a smile.