"No, I have a flashlight here. Besides, it's not far. I can get home in less than half an hour by bike."
Lin Qi said, picking up the flashlight that was placed upside down on the table and heading out. Before leaving, he reminded, "There are only two girls at home. After I leave, remember to bolt the doors and windows."
Since there were only two girls at home, it wouldn't look good for him, a man, to be seen coming out of the yard so late. Therefore, after Lin Qi left, he didn't turn on the flashlight immediately. Instead, he pushed his bike to the end of the alley before propping it up and riding away with the flashlight.
It was almost eleven o'clock at night when he got home. Lin Yuliang, who had been waiting for his son and dozing off, woke up with a start when he heard the door open.
"Have you eaten? I've covered the food for you on the table."
"I've already eaten." Lin Qi took off his jacket, wearing only a tank top, and then went to turn off the light. "Dad, go to bed early. I have a lot to do tomorrow morning."
Lin Yuliang nodded, and soon the steady breathing of father and son filled the room.
The next morning, when Lin Qi got up, Lin Yuliang had already prepared breakfast. After eating, Lin Qi said goodbye and rode his bicycle to town.
The fabric had arrived, and he had to get it made quickly. Yesterday, Zhou Bin mentioned that there would be a vehicle going to the provincial capital in ten days, so he couldn't let him go for nothing. He had to rush to make as many clothes as possible to send to Chen Lishu.
With his mind made up, Lin Qi arrived at the small courtyard. First, he packed two bolts of fabric into a nylon bag, then took the sample garment and the two bags of beads to Yuan Lihua's place.
Yuan Lihua was happy to see him arrive. "Why are you so early today?"
"The fabric has arrived, so I brought it over for Aunt Yuan to take a look." Lin Qi said, placing the fabric he was carrying on his shoulder in a corner, and then handed the sample garment and beads to Yuan Lihua.
Yuan Lihua took a look. The style was quite ordinary, but the beaded flowers at the collar were quite ingenious. They were not garish and greatly enhanced the overall appearance of the garment.
"Aunt Yuan, after all, this is the first time we're naming clothes 'Shu Se'. I'm worried about any mistakes. I admire your precision more than anything. The previous two batches of underwear, handled by you..."
Seeing him showering her with praise, Yuan Lihua couldn't help but interrupt with a laugh, "Little Lin, stop flattering me. Just tell me what you need."
Lin Qi smiled, "What flattery? I'm just stating the facts."
Not only was Yuan Lihua's craftsmanship excellent, but her efficiency was also very high. All the underwear that passed through her hands not only had no quality issues but also allowed her to make three to four more pieces of clothing from each batch of fabric than others.
"Aunt Yuan, could you handle the fabric cutting? I'll have others do the subsequent sewing."
"Of course, why not?"
Yuan Lihua readily agreed. After all, it was just work, and Lin Qi was a genuinely good person. She had been greatly helped by his care during this time, whether it was changing a light bulb or carrying rice and flour. Sometimes she thought that having a son might be just like this.
After Yuan Lihua cut two sets of fabric, Lin Qi packed them all up along with the underwear she had made during this period and took them away.
He first returned to the small courtyard to count and record the number of underwear pieces, then delivered them to various supply and marketing cooperatives.
After Wang Chenglin and his wife got off work, Lin Qi took the fabric cut by Yuan Lihua and two other bolts of fabric to the Wang family's home.
Wang Chenglin and his wife were employees of the textile factory for many years. Although their cutting skills were not as good as Yuan Lihua's, they were still much better than ordinary people. After giving specific instructions, Lin Qi took two more bolts of fabric to Qingshan Village.
At the Gu family's home, after dinner, everyone went back to their respective rooms.
Liu Yuemin originally wanted to use the sewing machine for a while. The room was small and stuffy, especially with the added heat. Moreover, she had recently found out she was pregnant, and after sitting down to work for a while, sweat was streaming down her face.
She stopped her work and looked over, seeing Gu Xingmin lounging on the kang with his two sons, their legs crossed comfortably. This immediately made her feel uncomfortable.
"I work myself to death all day, and I have to work hard even while pregnant. Who am I doing this for? Have you three men no sense at all?"
Gu Xingmin, seeing that things were about to escalate, scrambled up from the kang and busily grabbed the cattail fan nearby, fanning her.
"You're pregnant now, so you can't get angry. I'm counting on this pregnancy to have a daughter. It's not good if she's always temperamental when she's born."
"This room is so tiny, what will we do when a daughter is born? Squeeze in with us? Besides, the two boys are getting older by the day."
Gu Xingmin thought for a moment and suggested, "Why don't we apply for a plot of land from the village and build another house? We have money on hand anyway. Didn't Dad say that anyone who moves out gets an extra two hundred yuan? Building a brick house shouldn't be a problem."
Liu Yuemin had earned quite a bit of money from her work over the past six months, earning fifty to sixty yuan a month. Including her previous savings, she had over a thousand yuan. With bricks costing three fen each, building three rooms should be enough.
At that time, apart from the Party Secretary and the village head's families, Gu Xingmin would be the third person in the village to build a brick house. Gu Xingmin's dreams grew more extravagant.
Liu Yuemin rolled her eyes at his words, "A brick house is good, but have you considered that if we move out, all the benefits of the household will go to Big Brother and the Fourth Brother's families?"
Gu Xingmin asked, confused, "What benefits?"
"There are many benefits." Liu Yuemin began to list them for him, "We're eating from the family's provisions now, right? If we move out, we'll have to start from scratch, so we'll have to pay for our own food, won't we? With the baby in my belly, there will be three mouths to feed. Won't the child need to go to school? Can just the two of us manage?"
Gu Xingmin thought about it and agreed.
"Furthermore, if we leave, it will be exactly what others want. As soon as we leave, this room will surely be occupied by others. Big Brother's family has many children, and the Fourth Brother's family is also about to have a baby, and they both need space. If we leave, we'll be fulfilling their wishes. Are you foolish?"
Gu Xingmin really hadn't thought about it that way and couldn't help but ask, "Then what do you suggest we do?"
Liu Yuemin glanced at the next door, "The third brother and his wife definitely won't be coming back. Why don't we claim it before Big Brother and the Fourth Brother realize what's happening? That way, we can have some breathing room."
Gu Xingmin's eyes lit up when he heard her words.
Outside, Li Xiulan saw Lin Qi arrive and greeted him with a smile, "Why are you still here so late, child? Have you eaten? We just cleared the table. Let me get you some food, you can eat something here."
"Auntie, please don't trouble yourself," Lin Qi quickly stopped her and explained with a smile, "Sister Chen just got a batch of fabric from the provincial capital to make clothes. This is the first batch that needs labels. There are some things that need to be discussed in person."