Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 246: Acting Cute Again

But for Yi Chichi, it was very precious, mainly because it freed her hands.

Returning home in the evening, she circled the sewing machine, beaming as she changed the needle, adjusted the stitch length, and then tightened the screws and so on.

After all the preparations were done, she ran back to the house to get the cut fabric and sat in front of the sewing machine to start working.

In the sound of the treadle, pieces of fabric gradually formed into a puzzle in her hands.

Wen’s mother wasn’t in a hurry to leave, standing by and watching.

After just a few minutes of watching, Yi Chichi finished, and she took scissors to cut off the thread ends, pulling the sewn fabric out from under the needle of the sewing machine.

"Is it done already?"

"Yes, it’s done."

The speed was so fast, what did she sew, really?

Just as she was about to ask, Yi Chichi’s hand shook, the sewn fabric unfolded, and Wen’s mother blushed—it was small clothes.

With just those two thin pieces of fabric, the machine was indeed fast.

"Did you make it for yourself?"

"No, for Chi Jiaojiao."

Yi Chichi checked the stitches—dense, flat, perfect.

The key was the speed.

What the sewing machine could accomplish in a few minutes would take much longer by hand.

"Making clothes will be easier in the future."

She was delighted.

Wen’s mother smiled, "It was lucky, the supply and marketing cooperative only had this one sewing machine, and I managed to bring it back."

If it was a bit earlier or later, it might not have been available; only at the county’s department store could one find it.

"Have you eaten?"

"Not yet, Uncle Yaozi and the others just arrived and invited me for a meal, but I was eager to see the sewing machine."

Wen’s mother nodded in understanding, "What do you want to eat, I’ll make it for you."

Yi Chichi looked at the sky, "Let’s cook some noodles, it’s too late."

Cooking dishes was too much hassle—noodles are quick to cook, just boil water, drop them in to cook, mix with some greens, or add some sauce, and there’s a meal, convenient.

So in the evening, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law finished with a bowl of noodle soup with minced meat each.

The next day’s weather was gloomy, and when the early-rising Yi Chichi opened the door, the biting cold wind hit her face, making her shiver as she quickly shut the door.

"Mom, the weather’s changing."

Wen’s mother was making breakfast in the kitchen; she poked her head out and said, "Looks like it’s about to snow, remember to wear your cotton-padded jacket."

"Got it."

After changing her clothes, Yi Chichi took out the letter she had written to Wen Shi and went to the kitchen, "Mom, did you write a letter to Wen Shi?"

"I did, it’s on my desk, go fetch it, and send it out together."

"Alright."

Yi Chichi went to Wen’s mother’s room to get the letter and during breakfast asked what Wen’s mother planned to do today.

She swallowed the noodles in her mouth and said, "Weighing grain in the morning, and shelling pine nuts in the afternoon; what about you?"

"Going to the clinic, as long as it’s not snowing heavily, I have to be on duty."

If it snowed heavily, she wouldn’t have to go out, allowing her to stay warm on the heated brick bed and work on her Double Cat Double-sided Embroidery.

Thinking of the bed, she remembered something, "Mom, it seems we haven’t stockpiled enough firewood."

"Don’t worry, I’ve already told Dazhuang and his grandson, they’ll bring firewood over in the next few days."

So Yi Chichi stopped worrying about the firewood.

"By the way, Xiao Cao gave birth."

"At the hospital?"

Yi Chichi asked curiously, when she returned for the visit, not only was Liu Lan not at home, neither was Liu Xiaocao.

After asking, she found out that Liu Xiaocao’s husband had been promoted from a temporary worker to a permanent one, and by coincidence, was transferred to the county’s transportation team, where he applied for employee housing in the county.

Then Xiao Cao followed him to the county.

The people in the village said that Liu Xiaocao married into a good life, and Aunt Ma was unbearably smug because she had been the matchmaker for them.

But as a result, Aunt Ma gained fame, and families with unmarried sons and daughters from several surrounding communes all came to her for matchmaking.

They said she had a wide network, leaving Aunt Ma helplessly crying and laughing, repeatedly explaining she wasn’t a professional matchmaker, that Liu Xiaocao’s match was a coincidence.

She turned everyone away.

"At home, there’s someone helping her with the postpartum month."

Upon mentioning this, Wen’s mother said, "I guess her husband will soon come to share the good news."

Yi Chichi acknowledged with a sound, thinking about her family and asking, "Did her mother’s family regret it?"

Wen’s mother showed disdain, "Even if they regret, it’s useless. Xiao Cao’s husband is assertive, and Xiao Cao was heartbroken; her parents won’t gain any advantage."

"Exactly."

Thinking of Liu Xiaocao’s mother and their family being upset for not being able to take advantage of Xiao Cao and her husband, Yi Chichi felt grateful, "Xiao Cao has finally turned her life around, that’s wonderful."

"Mainly because her husband is capable."

The saying goes that poverty in a couple brings misery; if Xiao Cao lacked ability, the couple would survive on work points, with no guarantee of enough to eat.

"She really should give a hearty thanks to Aunt Ma."

Without Aunt Ma finding her a good match, she might not even support herself, let alone promise her parents retirement money and food.

It could have driven her to despair.

"My husband is capable too."

Yi Chichi shamelessly praised herself, and Wen’s mother paused, then burst out laughing, "Did he act cute and beg in his letter again?"

Unashamed, Yi Chichi laughed and admitted, "Mom, see through it, but don’t say it."

"I get it."

Wen’s mother gave her a fried egg, "Hurry and eat, or the noodles will get soggy."

"Okay."

Soon enough, after finishing a bowl of noodles, Yi Chichi wiped her mouth to head out after rinsing her mouth.

She was at the door when Wen’s mother called out, "Do you want coarse grain for the ration distribution?"

"Get some sweet potatoes and cornmeal to change up the taste; the rest, turn into fine grain. If it’s not enough, use some money to buy more from the team."

With that said, Wen’s mother understood her share.

No more for Yi Chichi to worry about, upon arriving at the clinic, she coincidentally met Aunt Mu heading to work, quickly handing over the letter and some money, "Aunt, please send a letter for me."

Mu Da accepted, put it in her pocket, mounted her bicycle, pedaling off like the wind.

The bitter wind blew, making the red scarf around her neck flutter and dance.

Uncle Yaozi stood at the door like a lovesick boulder, watching her departing figure with reluctance.

"Middle-aged love, it really is quite mushy."

She murmured lightly, Uncle Yaozi with sharp ears heard it, sending a glare her way, intending to reprimand but couldn’t find the words, only impotently snapped, "Grind the three-sevens, I’ll go weigh the grain."

"...Can I skip grinding?"

Uncle Yaozi sneered, "What do you think?"

Yi Chichi replied dejectedly that she understood, diligently setting about completing the task Uncle Yaozi assigned.

In the afternoon, someone came for Uncle Yaozi for a house call. With his medical bag on his back, he left, and Yi Chichi steadfastly stayed until he returned in the evening, cooking him a bowl of noodles before going home.

Before long, the first heavy snow of winter arrived.

Yi Chichi finally enjoyed days without needing to man the clinic, staying cozy at home.

Because the snow was too heavy, Qin Jiu and the others had class canceled, and the little boy was brought to their home.

The big and little occupied the warm bed’s head and foot, with one doing homework and the other sitting at an embroidery stand being an embroideress.

Wen’s mother sat at the sewing machine, pounding away, mending clothes for the old man and the others.