If someone has a military coat, it would make others insanely jealous.
In the ready-to-wear store in town, it’s always the same old styles. The styles sold in the county should be more fashionable than here.
After making a round, Lin Wan, using the fabric tickets she had earned lately, only bought some quilt lining for her brother, along with some cotton.
She also got a few yards of fabric for Mom and brought them back.
Lin Wan picked a non-market day, and early in the morning, she took a bus to the market in the county. She picked out a trendy white shirt made of Dacron for her brother and also bought a blue and white striped short-sleeve shirt, a tracksuit, two pairs of pants, and two pairs of canvas shoes, spending more than a dozen tickets and ten yuan.
Her brother was going to the city for school; he couldn’t go wearing patched clothes. The first impression people have based on appearance is always important.
After buying these, Lin Wan picked out a set of clothes for Mom. She fancied a floral over-the-knee long dress for herself; it required one fabric ticket plus three yuan. After hesitating for a long time, she couldn’t bring herself to buy it; the weather was about to get cold, and she wouldn’t be able to wear it for long.
Fashion changes every year; it’s better to wait until next year to buy something.
When Lin Wan got home, she happened to run into their landlord. Upon inquiry, she found out he was there to collect rent, and he also wanted to raise it. Only then did Lin Wan remember a month had gone by.
"Big Brother, I plan to rent this place long-term. Can you make it a bit cheaper?" Lin Wan quickly put down her things and said with a smile.
"Little sister, not raising the rent is already quite generous. You didn’t say you needed to use the storefront when you first rented it."
"Big Brother, when you rented it to me, the storefront was part of the deal. How could I not use it?" Lin Wan smiled.
"We don’t live in this house either, and I’m not unreasonable. I’ll raise the rent by three yuan a month, and you can use anything inside the storefront freely."
"It’s just my mom and I doing small trades; we don’t earn much a month. Can it be a bit less?" Liang Hongmei thought saving any money would be good.
"Big brother, how about eight yuan? Today I went to the county, and a larger storefront there charges only five yuan a month."
"Eight yuan is too little."
Seeing the landlord hesitating, Lin Wan added, "Actually, it doesn’t matter where we settle down. I checked today in the county; there’s a two-story building with a storefront below and living space above, right in the bustling area. It looks good, and the price is the same as yours. I was considering whether to continue renting here; if you insist on raising the rent, we might as well move to the county, where we’ll certainly earn more."
As soon as Lin Wan finished speaking, the landlord quickly agreed, afraid she might go back on her word, "Alright, alright, eight yuan it is then."
After giving her a receipt, the landlord left with two months’ rent.
Today, buying things for her brother cost more than ten yuan, and now having paid the rent, the money earned these days was gone again.
Lin Wan always felt that money came too slowly.
In the following days, Lin Wan planned another discount event.
The time for her brother to register at the university arrived. Since Mom hadn’t traveled far before, the task of accompanying her brother was entrusted to Lin Wan. Her brother was worried about her returning alone and refused to agree.
"Little sister, I can go alone. You and Mom stay home. Once I settle down, I’ll write you a letter."
"Brother, how can you carry so many things by yourself?" The quilts and clothes are really heavy.
"I can manage by myself. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful on the road."
In the end, the mother and children didn’t argue further. Lin Wan gave her brother twenty yuan, the remaining food tickets, and a meat ticket from home, telling him to buy what he needed once he got there.