Someone in the brigade had dug some up before.
"We must take care of this, let’s try our luck in the mountains," they said.
They all knew these were valuable things.
After seeing them off, Yun Xiaoxiao finally let out a sigh.
The two little ones stayed with Yun Xiaoxiao, not venturing out to play.
"Mom, I’ll stay with you," said Da Bao.
"Mom, I’ll stay with you too," said Xiao Bao.
As it was so cold, Da Bao and Xiao Bao had already put on their thin cotton-padded jackets, wearing long underwear underneath, and a cotton jacket on the outside.
Da Bao’s old cotton jacket didn’t fit anymore, but Xiao Bao could wear it, though Yun Xiaoxiao hadn’t given it to Xiao Bao to wear for the time being.
The two little ones had grown a bit taller again.
It finally became clear why children from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s weren’t as tall as those from the 2000s – they didn’t have enough nutrition.
Actually, there was really no need for them to stay with her.
"Go read your books," she said.
The three of them didn’t disturb each other, each engrossed in their own reading.
When they heard a knock at the door, Da Bao immediately went to open it.
Seeing the person standing outside, "Sister Fang..." he exclaimed.
It was Fang Meiyun who came, bringing three sweaters with her.
"Mom, Sister Fang is here," Da Bao called out.
Hearing the shouts from outside, Yun Xiaoxiao came out only to be slightly stunned – was she that fast?
Her efficiency was incredibly high.
How had only a few days passed?
"Sister-in-law, I’ve finished knitting the sweaters. Please check if there’s anything that needs to be altered," Fang Meiyun said as soon as she saw Yun Xiaoxiao.
Need for alterations?
Unraveling and re-knitting?
That would be extremely troublesome.
"Let Da Bao and Xiao Bao try them on to see," she suggested.
After Da Bao took off his cotton jacket, he began trying on the sweaters. It must be mentioned that these sweaters weren’t turtlenecks; they had a little bit of a collar.
Xiao Bao’s was a bit larger, but it still fit him now.
As for Zhao Tianlei’s, he was not at home, so it couldn’t be tried out just yet.
"Da Bao’s and Xiao Bao’s fit well. As for Third Brother’s, we’ll need to wait for him to come back and try it on, but from the looks of it, it should fit," she said.
Fang Meiyun had knitted these sweaters a bit loose.
Hearing her sister-in-law say this, Fang Meiyun relaxed.
She had not only knitted sweaters but had also made a cotton-padded jacket out of that piece of floral fabric, refurbishing an old cotton jacket and adding some new cotton to it.
"These socks, my parents mailed them to me, but the color is ugly, I’ll give them to you," she offered.
They were a pair of nylon socks.
"Sister-in-law, I can’t take them; you’ve already given me quite a bit," she protested.
That piece of fabric had been turned into a dress, and there was still a lot of fabric left, not to mention the soap. Now to accept her sister-in-law’s socks would seem too greedy.
"These socks pill, I don’t like them, you take them."
Their socks were all patched together with remnants, lacking elasticity and warmth.
"Then sister-in-law, I will gratefully accept. From now on, you can leave all this sewing work to me," she declared.
Yun Xiaoxiao remembered another matter – that of Fang Meiyun being trafficked.
"Little Sister Fang, if you’re ever going to the town, let me know, and we’ll go together. You know that since I don’t work the fields, the other sisters-in-law and elders in the village don’t think highly of me. Now that many of the Educated Youths have returned to the city, I don’t have anyone close to hang out with," she explained.
Fang Meiyun was aware of this; those sisters-in-law and elders in fact envied and were jealous because the sister-in-law had Third Brother caring for her, didn’t have to do field work, and even ate well.
"Sister-in-law, don’t worry. If I’m heading to the town, I’ll definitely come and call for you," she assured her.
After all, who goes to town without a reason? People usually only go there when they need to buy something.