Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 457: Hand-Embroidered

Wu Yongfei looked embarrassed, "I’m also afraid the child will be cold!"

"What?! You’re just being silly!"

Ge Sujuan also had a way with words that could pierce the heart. Wu Yongfei just felt he shouldn’t be indoors, but outside.

"Old Bai, let’s go to the other room and talk about men’s topics."

He extended a sincere and enthusiastic invitation to Bai Chen, who twitched his mouth slightly, "Let’s go!"

Then, Yi Chichi and the others watched as the two men left, each holding a child.

Wang Nan trotted after them and returned a couple of minutes later, beaming.

"They crack me up!"

"What happened?!"

"They’re off to play with the kids."

Zhou Qiuyu blurted out, "So their men’s topic is playing with kids?"

Wang Nan acknowledged, and everyone was speechless.

But it didn’t matter; someone looking after the kids was a relief.

"Your little apprentice Niu Niu is quite something."

Ge Sujuan’s words caught Yi Chichi’s attention.

She raised an eyebrow, "What did she do?"

"She gave handkerchiefs to her little friends, embroidered by herself."

Yi Chichi realized that the emphasis was on the fact she’d embroidered them herself.

"Didn’t you receive any?"

"We did."

As Ge Sujuan spoke, they took out the handkerchiefs to show her.

Yi Chichi took them and looked through one by one, impressed by the kid’s skill. Each handkerchief had a different pattern, from chicks and bunnies to flowers, with leaves and the like.

But that wasn’t the point. The point was that all these handkerchief patterns were self-created.

They weren’t embroidered based on the patterns she had left.

There were certainly flaws, like the structure of the bunny not being quite right, wrong leaf colors, mishandled lighting on the flowers, and so on.

But considering Niu Niu’s age, managing to do this was a typical case of blemishes not obscuring the jade.

She couldn’t sit still anymore, "Are there lessons at the Youth Corps Courtyard today?"

"Yes!"

Wang Nan nodded, "Today it’s Ouyang and the others teaching."

No wonder these people were lounging at home rather than going to the Youth Corps Courtyard.

"I’m going to the Youth Corps Courtyard. Are you coming?"

Zhou Qiuyu put on her shoes when getting out of bed, "It’s about time I head back."

After all, she still lived at the Youth Corps Courtyard.

Liu Lan wasn’t leaving; she said, "I’ll come by tomorrow to start work with you."

And to collect her pay while she’s at it.

Yi Chichi nodded, inviting Wang Nan and the others to visit her home when they were free, and then bade farewell to everyone, heading to the Youth Corps Courtyard with Zhou Qiuyu.

On the way, they ran into Aunt Ma, who was bundled up with a layer of frost on her eyes as she walked over. Seeing Yi Chichi, she was quite surprised, "Chichi, when did you get back?"

"Been back for less than two hours." Hearing that, Yi Chichi knew Aunt Ma had been out, and she curiously asked, "Sister, where did you return from?"

"I had something to take care of at Sanliwan."

Before she finished speaking, she realized something was off, "How did you know I was returning from outside?"

"Uncle Zhuzi picked me up."

No wonder she asked it that way.

It turned out her husband was the one picking her up at the cooperative.

"Did you come straight back?"

"No, Uncle Zhuzi went shopping for everyone at the department store."

Zhou Qiuyu’s eyes lit up suddenly, "I asked Uncle Zhuzi to bring me something."

"Not taken yet."

She added.

Why wait then, let’s just follow Aunt Ma home first.

So the two of them went back home with Aunt Ma. The house was bustling with people who came after getting word to pick up their things.

Seeing Zhou Qiuyu, the team leader pointed to a pile beside the kang table and said, "Qiuyu, these are all for you at the Youth Corps Courtyard. Take them with you together."

Zhou Qiuyu looked at Yi Chichi, "Chichi, can you help me carry some?"

"Sure."

The things for the Youth Corps Courtyard were indeed plenty, covering food, clothing, etc. Zhou Qiuyu bought a pair of cotton leather shoes that could be worn outdoors, which were also the only pair of cotton leather shoes the group had bought.

If they weren’t homemade big cotton shoes, it would be Ula Grass Shoes from Tao outside Kao Shan Village. No member would be willing to spend that money on cotton leather shoes.

First, you needed coupons, then they were expensive.

Yi Chichi hadn’t expected Zhou Qiuyu would splurge so much on a pair of cotton leather shoes.

Curiously, when asked, she sighed, "I also didn’t want to buy them, but I have no shoes to wear outside."

Pointing at her shoes, which were cotton shoes with Ula Grass Shoes underneath, she said, "Been like this for many years, not warm at all. I don’t have enough cotton to make another pair, and no one in the village has extra to exchange with me."

Yi Chichi was silent, ultimately everything boiled down to the scarcity of resources.

"Things will get better."

She could only offer that comfort.

Zhou Qiuyu just laughed, "Things are already much better now, you see, I can even afford a pair of cotton leather shoes."

That’s true too.

Zhou Qiuyu had always been a smart little girl.

She laughed, "Things will only continue to improve."

"I’m sure they will!"

Continuing on the topic, she enviously said, "Xiao Cao is really living well now."

"That’s good, has she been back?"

"No."

She shook her head, "Before, her mother went to the county to ask her for money, and they had a huge falling out. Her husband came back and beat up her brother, saying they’d better not bully his wife and kids anymore. He threatened that he’d return and beat up Xiao Cao’s brother every time, should they bother his family again."

"...Was he rough?"

"Very rough. Uncle Yaozi said Xiao Cao’s brother got two ribs broken!"

Zhou Qiuyu genuinely disliked Xiao Cao’s brother, not even bothering to say his name.

Of course, Yi Chichi felt similarly, "How’s Dong Mei doing now?"

"She’s seeing someone, planning to marry in the spring."

Yi Chichi’s eyes widened, "Ping’an from Uncle Zhuzi’s family is also getting married in the spring, could his match be Dong Mei?!"

Zhou Qiuyu’s lip twitched a bit, "What are you thinking? They’re from the same clan, and there’s a rule against same-clan marriages in Kao Shan Village."

It’s based on the belief that they share the same ancestral lineage.

Yi Chichi laughed awkwardly, "The timing was just too coincidental, I thought they were a pair."

"No, Dong Mei is with someone from the forest station."

While chatting away, they arrived at the Youth Corps Courtyard.

Bright children’s voices were singing, and it wasn’t any other song but the Guerrilla Song.

Listening to lyrics about having numerous good brothers on the high mountains, Yi Chichi took a deep breath, "Do you also teach them to sing?"

"Yes!"

Only having lessons is boring; there has to be some extracurricular activities for the kids.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t justify the subsidies from the members.

"We even have a handicraft class!"

"What do they learn?"

"Making matchbox covers!"

Yi Chichi, "..."

That’s not a handicraft class; that’s turning a bunch of resourceful kids into free labor.

Everyone knows kids not only have fresh minds; they have nimble fingers as well.

"You guys are something!"

Zhou Qiuyu chuckled, "They’re quite happy doing it."

"Indeed!"

In such windy and snowy weather, it’s unsuitable for going out, keeping busy with classes all day isn’t boring.

Doing some handicraft work is probably loads of fun.

"Let’s go inside."

"Let’s go!"

The creak of the door opening startled those inside. Lang Hong lifted the curtain to peek out, immediately attracted by what the two were holding, delightfully exclaiming, "Did Uncle Zhuzi buy these for us?"

"Yes."

Zhou Qiuyu nodded, and she and Yi Chichi stepped inside. The entire room stared at them.

Lang Hong and the others hastily tidied up the kang, "Just put the things down."

Yi Chichi set them down, turned to look at Qin Jiu, whose eyes were wide in disbelief, and just as she was about to speak, Qin Jiu squealed and jumped over.

"Auntie, when did you get back?!"

His face was full of surprise and joy.