Witty Wife, Better Life

Old Lady Wang was a nimble and efficient worker. Shen Yunfang had only delivered the cotton and fabric to her three days ago, and now she was back, accompanied by her daughter-in-law and young granddaughter, bringing Shen Yunfang a complete set of cotton-padded clothes.

"Try them on to see if they fit properly. If they don't, let your sister-in-law alter them for you," Old Lady Wang said as she sat on the kang bed in the eastern room of Shen Yunfang's house.

Dashuan's wife didn't stand on ceremony, grabbing the cotton-padded jacket to slip it onto Shen Yunfang.

Shen Yunfang let them fuss over her as she changed into the new cotton jacket and trousers. Without a mirror at home, she stood barefoot on the kang bed, basking in her own glory.

"Sister-in-law, does it fit me well?"

"The size is right, but it's a bit too loose. You're too skinny," said Dashuan's wife as she turned her around to check the fit.

Shen Yunfang was just 15 this year and hadn't fully developed yet. Adding to that, her nutrition couldn't keep up, making her look even thinner and smaller.

"It's not too loose; this is perfect. There's some room to spare, which is good. If it gets too cold in winter, you can add some clothes underneath. Even if you gain some weight later on, it won't be a problem. You'll still be able to wear it," Old Lady Wang reasoned with the old-school thought that it's better to make clothes a bit larger so they could be passed down or repurposed.

Shen Yunfang looked down at her clothes from different angles. She hadn't expected much from clothing in this era, but now, feeling the thickness and looking at what she wore, she was quite satisfied.

"They're really good," she gave them a five-star rating.

"But the color of this outfit is too old-fashioned. Brighter colors and floral patterns would look much more lively on a young girl like you," Old Lady Wang was not entirely satisfied with the dark blue outfit Shen Yunfang was wearing.

Originally, when she went to the supply and sales cooperative to buy the fabric, she could only afford the lining made of fine cotton cloth due to her limited funds and coupons. The outer layer was made from an old garment that Shen Yunfang had repurposed directly.

When sorting things out at home, she found an old, coarse, dark blue cloth garment that was too big to be hers—most likely, it belonged to Shen Yunfang's late mother.

Given the current circumstances, there wasn't much room for being choosy, so she took one of her own floral garments to make the outer layer of the cotton-padded jacket. She also had Old Lady Wang alter the dark blue garment so she could wear it over the jacket, as it was more dirt-resistant and durable.

Shen Yunfang didn't think all the fuss about wearing bright floral patterns was attractive. She felt the blue she wore would never go out of style.

"Oh my, look at how smart Sister Yunfang looks in that outfit. I think it's much better looking than those floral ones," Dashuan's wife initially didn't fancy that somewhat dull-looking garment. But now, seeing the girl wearing it, she didn't know why, but everything seemed just right, and the girl looked so spirited in it.

"Right, sister-in-law? I've always thought this color looked good," Shen Yunfang said, quite pleased with herself. She then added, "And it's dirt-resistant, too."

The cotton-padded jackets weren't like those in the future where each wash required dismantling, a truly troublesome process.

"Silly child, you won't be climbing trees or slogging about, how dirty can you get?" Old Lady Wang said dismissively.

Shen Yunfang fell silent, actually wanting to climb trees and trudge around.

"Come, Yunfang, try on these cotton shoes to see how they fit. I wasn't sure about your shoe size, so I just estimated and made them," Dashuan's wife said affectionately as she caressed the dark blue upper of the cotton shoes before handing them over.

"Oh, there are cotton shoes too! Sister-in-law, did you make these for me? That's so nice," Shen Yunfang hadn't anticipated the need for cotton shoes. Unexpectedly, the Wang family mother and daughter-in-law had simply gone ahead and made them for her.

"Yeah, I saw there was some fabric left after altering the clothes, figured you probably didn't have proper cotton shoes, and it wasn't much extra work, so I made them along with everything else. Quickly try them on for size. If they're not right, I'll take them apart and make them over," said Dashuan's wife with a smile.

"Your sister-in-law is better at sewing than I am. She did most of the work on these shoes and clothes," Old Lady Wang unhesitatingly praised her daughter-in-law, giving credit where it was due.

Shen Yunfang felt grateful. Even though she didn't know how to make shoes herself, she was aware of the difficulty of handmade shoe-making at this time. Stitching the soles was entirely done by hand, one stitch at a time. Making a pair of shoes was quite laborious.

"Thank you, sister-in-law." Though Shen Yunfang was grateful in her heart, she didn't go into a long-winded thank-you. A simple expression of her sentiment was enough. As for the kindness of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law from the Wang Family, she had it memorized in her heart.

She sat on the kang, trying on the cotton shoes and glancing at her bare feet; she hurriedly opened the mahogany chest, thought for a moment, and took out two pairs of woolen socks.

These were made from wool she had secretly plucked and spun into yarn, then knit together. The wool was not bleached when washed, so the socks turned out a bit yellowish.

"Wow, these socks sure are nice," Dashuan's wife said as she fondly touched the woolen cotton socks, then she noticed something amiss, "These are made of wool, right?" Her eyes grew wide as she looked at Shen Yunfang, considering the possible source of the wool, with a look of disbelief.

"What's all the fuss about? You want everybody to know or what?" Wang Da-niang quickly scolded her daughter-in-law, looked outside to make sure no one was there, and then relaxed, taking the socks from her hand to examine closely.

Shen Yunfang had long realized that Wang Da-niang's family wasn't exactly "sticklers for the rules." Otherwise, she wouldn't dare to speak of something like pilfering socialist wool. She chuckled, taking a pair of socks for herself.

"As long as big sister likes them, that's good. It just so happens that we each have a pair." They were originally all prepared for herself, but she didn't mind giving one pair away at this time.

"Oh no, that won't do. Sister-in-law, I can't accept such valuable things, and I can't take something from you," Dashuan's wife said as soon as she heard, treating the socks in her hands like a hot potato and quickly throwing them onto the kang.

"Why can't you accept them? You and big mom have been busy for several days because of me. Why can't I show some gratitude? Hurry up and don't argue with me, just take them." Shen Yunfang had already put on the cotton shoes and was twirling around on the kang in her new clothes.

"What's this about thanks? Besides, your sister-in-law has already used your leftover fabric to make a small garment for the child, and that's gratitude enough." Wang Da-niang also coveted those thick socks but what should be done must be done. They couldn't take such things, how would they explain taking such items?

"That's another matter entirely. That was me, the auntie, giving it to the child. This is for you, sister-in-law. Big mom, don't be jealous, I haven't given you anything." Shen Yunfang picked up the socks again, stuffed them into Dashuan's wife's hand, and wouldn't let go. "Sister-in-law, you won't be wearing these socks outside, don't worry, no one will know." If people saw them, it would be hard to explain the source of the wool, but as long as they were careful, nobody else would discover the secret.

"Mom, this…" Dashuan's wife didn't know what to do and could only look to her mother-in-law.

How could Wang Da-niang not see her daughter-in-law's longing? She glanced at Yunfang. "If I can take it out, it's because I truly intend to give it. I'm not one to pretend," Shen Yunfang said with a beaming smile.

Wang Da-niang sighed and said, "If your sister tells you to keep it, just keep it. When you're free, just make a few more pairs of shoes for your sister and everything will be settled."

"Exactly, big mom is right. I don't know how to make shoes; if I ever run out of shoes to wear, I'll come looking for my sister-in-law," Shen Yunfang joked.

"Yeah, sure, sister-in-law will make you a pair that's pretty as can be," Dashuan's wife said, cherishing the socks in her hands.

"These shoes fit okay?" Shen Yunfang asked cockishly, sticking out her foot for everyone to see.

The body of Shen Yunfang in this era was on the slender and smaller side, and so were her feet. By her own measurement, she should be a size thirty-five.

But the shoes that Dashuan's wife had made for her were at least a size thirty-seven. When her small foot slid in, there was room for at least two more fingers in the back.

"Oh, these are a bit too big; I'll take them back later and alter them for you," Dashuan's wife said upon seeing that two fingers could fit in the back, worried that the shoes would not stay on properly and spoke up at once.

"No need to alter them, they're perfect. I was thinking, when it snows, I'll pad them heavily on the inside. If they were made just right, I wouldn't be able to fit the padding in," Shen Yunfang thought the size was just right. She still had some wool left and was planning to make a pair of warm insoles. When it snowed, she intended to wander around in the mountains.

"Well, that's fine too. I've got some leftover fabric scraps, I'll sew you a pair of insoles when I'm free," Dashuan's wife said.

Shen Yunfang looked at Wang Da-niang and then at Dashuan's wife, grinning mischievously, "I still have some wool left; I'll use it to make them warm."