Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 143: Food Poisoning

However, reform and opening up won’t come in a short time.

She has to endure a few more days.

Endure it.

After chatting with the old man for a bit more, she took her leave.

As soon as the clinic door opened, Liu Xiaocao, glowing with enthusiasm, eagerly reported in, holding a light bundle in her hands.

Before Yi Chichi could speak, she handed over the bundle with a beaming smile, "Chichi, I need a favor!"

"Tell me."

"Help me rush to make a dress for my wedding day."

As she spoke, she opened the bundle, revealing a piece of red fabric.

Yi Chichi picked it up and looked at it, cotton silk.

"Did it come from Shanghai?"

Currently, due to production reasons, cotton silk is only available in Shanghai and nearby cities; it’s nearly impossible to obtain elsewhere.

"Yes."

Liu Xiaocao’s eyes showed a hint of shyness, "Ping’an arranged for someone to bring it back."

Yi Chichi’s eyes widened immediately, Qian Ping’an had this kind of capability?

"Live well, life will only get better."

"It will."

They discussed the style and size of the dress.

Liu Xiaocao wanted a dress that reached mid-calf, with a round collar similar to a Peter Pan collar.

Yi Chichi decisively refused, "I can’t make it."

"What? You can’t make a dress?"

"It’s not that, it’s that there’s not enough fabric."

She explained in detail how much fabric was needed for a mid-calf length dress, and then how much for a top.

She concluded, "If you make a top, I can still use the remaining fabric to make a vest, but a dress is really not possible."

Liu Xiaocao suddenly understood, "Then make the top."

Without enough fabric, she had no choice but to make a dress later.

Yi Chichi agreed, and after finalizing the design, she took her measurements.

Once everything was done, Liu Xiaocao felt her pocket and pulled out a stack of bills, "Chichi, how much for the labor?"

"Two yuan would be okay, or you can pay with eggs if you have any."

Actually, grains like rice, wheat, or peanuts would do too, but Liu Xiaocao didn’t have any.

Living separately, she still borrowed food from the brigade to eat.

She did have chickens; she secretly raised a few in a mountain nook that Aunt Ma and others knew about, but no one said a word.

Aunt Ma and others’ reasoning was simple: the child suffered too much, and they were poor and couldn’t help much, so they turned a blind eye.

That’s why Liu Xiaocao could secretly raise chickens.

Otherwise, she would have been reported already!

Yi Chichi knew she secretly raised chickens because she ran into Liu Xiaocao collecting eggs when she went to the mountain nook to gather herbs.

The situation was somewhat awkward at the time.

However, Yi Chichi was shameless, and Liu Xiaocao seemed a bit inclined to let things be.

One said she’d keep it a secret, the other said report if you must, as they exchanged glances and finally laughed it off.

So, hearing Yi Chichi take an interest in her eggs, Liu Xiaocao was quite speechless, "I just saved up twenty eggs, and you’re already eyeing them!"

"Ah!"

Yi Chichi sighed, "Lacking oil and water in my diet, I’m craving something nice, and if I can’t get meat, eggs will have to do."

"Fine, I’ll give you two pounds of eggs and 90 cents, will that work?"

The purchasing station buys eggs at 0.55 a pound, roughly eight or nine in a pound. Two pounds would leave her a few for Ping’an to nourish his health.

She planned well, except she didn’t consider herself.

Yi Chichi nodded, "That’ll work."

It was already the 1st today, with four days until her wedding.

"You can come pick up the dress on the night of the 5th."

"Okay."

After nine in the evening, Liu Xiaocao came furtively with the eggs.

"Chichi, here are the eggs you wanted."

"Thank you so much."

She joyfully accepted them as Qin Jiu, who had just returned from the cowshed, was bathing in the courtyard.

The weather was hot, and during the day Yi Chichi had sun-warmed the water; just adding some hot water, the kids loved it.

Da Li lay crouched on Uncle Yaozi’s deck chair, eyes focused on Qin Jiu, looking ready to jump in to save him.

Occasionally letting out a "meow" sound.

Hearing noises from the backyard, Liu Xiaocao asked in confusion, "Is Da Li playing with water?"

Yi Chichi couldn’t tell her that Qin Jiu was bathing, so she deflected, "Not sure, but probably."

Not wanting to continue the topic, she softly asked, "Xiaocao, can I ask you something? Do you know who has any refined grains?"

"You want to exchange for refined grains?"

"My stomach’s a bit uncomfortable; I want some refined grains to soothe it."

She clutched her stomach, eyebrows furrowed, looking pained.

Liu Xiaocao immediately felt sympathy, "Your stomach really isn’t good, you should at least get some medicine, so it won’t be so uncomfortable."

"That’s treating the symptoms, not the cause!"

That’s true.

"As for refined grains..."

She thought for a moment, "Lanlan’s family might have some, and also the captain’s family, and Uncle Liu’s family. These families requested more refined grains last year, but whether they still have any, I’m not sure. You’d have to ask yourself."

That’s all she could do.

After sending Liu Xiaocao off, she closed the door and, using the flashlight, started working on the dress.

In the afternoon, she had cut the fabric during her free time.

So, she could directly sew.

Qin Jiu, having bathed and brought Da Li into the house, saw her sewing under the light and came over with the cat.

"Auntie, doing needlework at night isn’t good for your eyes."

Da Li meowed, as if agreeing with the child.

Yi Chichi smiled, "Well, you weren’t here, so Auntie was just killing time by sewing a bit."

As she spoke, she packed the things away.

"Auntie won’t sew anymore, you go to bed, you have school tomorrow."

"Okay, Auntie, you should sleep early too, you can leave the assignments for the day, I’ll revise them when I get back from school."

He sounded so mature, reminding her reassuringly, "Make sure not to sneak around doing needlework, it’s bad for your eyes."

Yi Chichi... was her credibility so low?

Why did this little kid think she would sneak and work?

"Got it, little steward, go to sleep; Auntie will sleep after her bath."

She nudged Qin Jiu into the room and pressed him onto the bed, leaving only when the kid closed his eyes.

Da Li didn’t leave and lay beside him.

Having gotten used to sleeping with Uncle Yaozi, this cat didn’t treat itself as an outsider, lying sprawled and stretching a hind leg over Qin Jiu’s leg.

Seeing the sleeping positions of one cat and one child, Yi Chichi left reassured.

Returning later, Qin Jiu was already asleep, whether Da Li was asleep or not, its eyes were closed anyway.

Yi Chichi placed a pillow towel over Qin Jiu’s stomach and went to sleep.

A night of peaceful sleep... not!

At around two in the morning, Liu Chen’s child had food poisoning, vomiting and having diarrhea, Yi Chichi was awakened by his father, shouldering the medical kit to make an emergency house call.

And then it was like a patient epidemic had been unleashed. Just as she left Liu Chen’s home, she was called to the Women’s Director’s home for her son.

Also, food poisoning.