The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

I was away from home for half a day, and the stove in the house went out.

Bao Ya quickly took a honeycomb briquette to Granny Zhou's house to exchange it for a lit one, then came back to pick it up and boiled a kettle of water.

After warming myself by the fire in the kitchen for a while, I took out the two pieces of flawed fabric I had exchanged from the cupboard, picked out the darker one, and planned to make a cotton vest for my grandmother.

I'll give Lin Xiaoquan a heads-up today and tell him I'm prepared to pay back the money. This is a polite way of starting before resorting to force. If he defaults, I'll have a reason to cause trouble at the factory.

Bao Ya didn't plan to get entangled with him for too long. Lin Xiaoquan couldn't come up with two hundred yuan right away, but the factory could. She had to find a way to get into the machinery factory and have them deduct the money from his salary.

Bao Ya spread out the cloth, estimated the size of Grandma Su, and cut it into several pieces. She then used the leftover cotton from the cotton-padded jackets she made for her parents-in-law last time to add another layer.

The vest was made to be loose, worn over a cotton-padded coat, so it didn't need to be too thick. Bao Ya deliberately tucked it in slightly under her arms and around her waist.

Grandma Su's cotton-padded coat was very loose, and Bao Ya always felt that the bottom would be drafty and not warm enough when it got cold.

Around 3 p.m., Chen Fang from the supply and marketing cooperative came looking for Bao Ya again with a group of people, followed by a young woman.

"Bao Ya, this is my cousin Chrissie Chau. She wants to see the padded jacket you wore at your wedding. She wants to have one made too."

Ever since she saw Bao Ya's padded jacket, she has loved it to bits. Bao Ya has made five of them so far, all of which were brought by her friends.

"Okay, I'll get it for you right away."

After saying that, Bao Ya took out the thin jacket from the wardrobe and handed it to them.

Chrissie Chau had originally seen Chen Fang's jacket, but Bao Ya's was a brighter color, and she fell in love with it immediately.

"If you like it, try it on. There's a mirror over there."

As Bao Ya spoke, she closed the door to the outer room, moved the chair in front of the wardrobe mirror, and let Zhou Xiuna dress herself and look in the mirror.

However, Bao Ya felt that the dress didn't suit her. The girl was about the same height as her and had a full bust. Wearing such a padded jacket made her bust look even bigger.

Sure enough, when Chrissie Chau put on Bao Ya's clothes, the buttons on her chest could barely be fastened, and her upper body looked particularly bulky.

Chrissie Chau regretfully took off her padded jacket, pouted, looked at Chen Fang, and felt wronged.

"Sis, this isn't suitable for me either."

She has large breasts, and no matter whether she buys or has clothes made, she never feels comfortable with them. She's getting married soon and wants to buy herself a suitable dress, but she hasn't found one she's satisfied with after searching for a long time.

"Well, how about letting Baoya see what kind of thing she can make for you? Take your time choosing, no rush."

Chen Fang gently comforted Zhou Xiuna, saying that she thought Bao Ya was good at making clothes and that the clothes she made were beautiful, so she brought her cousin here directly.

Just because clothes look good doesn't mean they'll look good on everyone.

Bao Ya could see Zhou Xiuna's embarrassment; her breasts were probably a D cup, which was particularly outstanding in this era.

"This style doesn't suit you. Why don't you make something else? How about a Lenin suit? I saw a dark green piece with a subtle checkered pattern on the fabric you brought. Open the neckline a bit wider, and wear a turtleneck sweater underneath. That way, it won't make your chest look too big."

As she spoke, Bao Ya took out the Lenin suit she had bought and made her try it on.

Although it's still a bit difficult to button up, it looks much better than that padded jacket.

"Put the collar down a little further, and make it bigger."

Bao Ya gestured to her body, but Zhou Xiuna still frowned, unable to imagine what Bao Ya was talking about.

Bao Ya noticed her confusion and simply took out her notebook to draw on it for her.

"That's it, the neckline is wide open in the front, and the waist is cinched in at the back."

Chrissie Chau thought the drawing on the paper looked good, but she didn't know how it would look on her. She wanted to buy ready-made clothes, but she couldn't find anything suitable.

Bao Ya sighed inwardly. If this girl's figure were in later generations, she would look absolutely stunning in a deep V-neck, off-the-shoulder, or wide U-neck dress. It's a pity she can't dress like that now.

"Baoya, can you hurry up with Xiaona's clothes? If they don't fit..."

Chen Fang wanted to say that if it wasn't suitable, they could go to other places to look, but saying that would offend some people.

"Okay, I'll cut it out for her now, and it'll be ready tomorrow. You can come over the day after tomorrow to try it on, and if it doesn't fit, I'll make some alterations."

Bao Ya understood what she meant; if what she did was inappropriate, they would try to find a solution elsewhere.

Judging from this, it seems they've probably been to all the places in the city that are accessible.

Chen Fang nodded quickly when she heard Bao Ya say that. The main reason was that her cousin was getting married, and normally she wouldn't urge her to hurry up.

Knowing they were in a hurry, Bao Ya took Zhou Xiuna's measurements directly and cut the clothes in front of them.

After cutting the fabric, drape the pieces over Chrissie Chau and sew them together with a sewing needle so she can see the effect.

When Jiang Yuan returned home in the evening, it was already dark. Bao Ya brought the dinner she had prepared to the table as soon as she saw him come back.

Today I steamed some mixed rice, stewed some vegetables with dried green beans and dried eggplant, and made a cold cabbage heart salad.

"Are we out of meat?"

While eating, Jiang Yuan suddenly asked a question.

"Also, I'm too lazy to do anything today, what's wrong?"

"It's okay, just tell me if you run out and I'll get you some."

Bao Ya didn't understand what he meant at first. They had run out of meat coupons at home. Where was he going to get any? Could they just take meat from the slaughterhouse?

Bao Ya looked at Jiang Yuan and felt that she couldn't see through him; there were many things about him that she didn't know.

It was completely dark by 7 p.m., and Bao Ya took the boiled water to wash up.

When she returned, Jiang Yuan came back with a paper package in his hand and handed it to her.

"What is this?"

"Don't always make clothes for others, make a few for yourself too."

He kissed her on the cheek, then turned and ran to wash up, returning in less than ten minutes.

When he came back, Bao Ya was applying face cream in front of the mirror, and he sat cross-legged on the bed, resting his chin on his hand and watching her.

Seeing Jiang Yuan's reflection in the mirror, Bao Ya silently wondered, "Is there really nothing else to do during this long night?" There's a reason for the high birth rate.

Jiang Yuan stared at her intently, his gaze growing increasingly intense.

Just as Bao Ya stood up to hang her clothes on the hanger, Jiang Yuan, with great tact, got off the bed, took the clothes from her hands, and hung them up.

He turned around and hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, burying his head in her neck, and whispering:

"Honey, it's getting dark, it's time to sleep."

As he spoke, he continued kissing her all the way up until their lips met.

Bao Ya cooperated with him, slowly turning around and hooking her arms around his neck.

Just as the two were getting into the mood and about to take the next step, they heard a piercing scream from outside.

Startled by the shouts, the two immediately stopped what they were doing. Jiang Yuan pulled his wife into his arms, stared wide-eyed out the window, and listened quietly to the sounds outside.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Bao Ya patted him gently, her voice so shrill it sent chills down one's spine.

"I'm going out to check on things. You stay inside."

After saying that, Jiang Yuan quickly put on his clothes, and Bao Ya followed suit.

"I'll go take a look too."