Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 58 The secret is exposed

The next morning, Chen Fan, dressed in his new clothes, was faced with a dilemma.

My clean new clothes, the hard-to-find green military uniform, with a brand-new military overcoat and clean rubber-soled liberation shoes, are enough for a blind date, let alone going out to kill turtles.

What if it gets dirty and smelly?
He should wear his old clothes; they weren't dry even after he washed them this morning. If he doesn't wash them, Jiang Lili will definitely wash them for him, and he feels bad about always bothering her.

He even washed that cotton-padded jacket that no one knew who it belonged to, and returned it to Captain Yang after it was dried.

So you have to wear new clothes there?
Tangled ah!
What's even more troubling is that Chen Fan never imagined he would one day worry about getting his new clothes dirty!
Think about the future, who won't have ten or eight sets of clothes? Even if new clothes get dirty, it won't hurt, you can just buy a new one.

I've only been here a few days and I've already been assimilated?

When Jiang Lili came out of the room carrying something, she saw Chen Fan squatting under the eaves, his expression changing. She couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Chen Fan snapped out of his daze, stood up, and smiled, "Oh, it's nothing."

Then, with a slight shift in her eyes, she pointed outside and said, "I think I hear some noise over there. I wonder what's going on in the village?"

But in my heart I was thinking, oh well, new clothes are going to wear out anyway, I might as well wear this today.

It's just a bit flashy.

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, Jiang Lili turned her head to look at him, listened attentively for a while, and then said with a smile, "Oh, you're planting telephone poles, aren't you?"

Hearing her say that, Chen Fan remembered that when he went to work in Team 7 yesterday, there were long wooden utility poles piled up in front of many people's doors. Those were brought back from the commune for use in running power lines and loudspeakers.

Unfortunately, I have to work at Team 8 and Team 9 today, so I won't be able to watch the excitement.

Or you can only go there to watch the excitement.

Jiang Lili glanced at him, then suddenly took a deep breath and handed over what she was holding, "Chen Fan, this is..."

Before she could finish speaking, there was a sudden knock on the courtyard gate, which was then pushed open with a creak, and the storekeeper, Huang, walked in carrying a large cloth bag.

Seeing their expressions, he stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowing slightly. "What are you doing?"

Jiang Lili was so frightened that she pulled her hand back, hugged the thing, and lowered her head without saying a word.

Chen Fan glanced at her and then noticed that she was holding a pair of new cotton shoes, but those shoes were clearly not suitable for her small feet.

He didn't have time to think much at that moment. He got up and walked towards the custodian, Huang, and said with a smile, "Custodian Huang is here. Come in and sit down."

As he spoke, he made an inviting gesture.

The custodian, Huang, chuckled and said, "Oh, I won't sit down. They're busy upstairs. They're installing utility poles today and can't leave anyone alone. I have to hurry over."

He gestured to Chen Fan, "Let's talk inside."

When they reached the eaves, they looked at Jiang Lili, who was still bowing her head, and then at the cotton shoes in her arms. "Are they for Master Chen?"

Jiang Lili's pretty face immediately turned bright red, and she didn't dare to lift her head. "I...I..."

Upon seeing this, Chen Fan quickly smiled and said, "I asked her to make this for me. The weather is getting colder and colder, especially at night. My feet get too cold when I sit indoors reading, so I asked Comrade Jiang if she could make me a pair of cotton shoes."

"Hello, Comrade Jiang. You're so kind-hearted. You took pity on me and agreed to help. I just finished making it and was delivering it when you arrived."

The custodian, Huang, nodded in realization. "Oh, I see. That's good."

After a pause, he instructed Chen Fan, "No matter who asks you, you must say the same thing." Chen Fan nodded repeatedly, "That's exactly right, I'll definitely say that."

The custodian, Mr. Huang, walked into the room again. "Didn't you say a couple of days ago that you were going to make some clothes and shoes for me? Once they're done, I'll bring them to you. They're all washed and dried, so you can wear them right away."

As he spoke, he walked to the bedside, picked up the cloth bag upside down, and poured out a pile of clothes and shoes.

He then walked to the table and sat down, taking out a small notebook and placing it on the table. "Here is a cotton-padded jacket, a pair of cotton-padded trousers, a pair of cotton-padded shoes, two sets of single-layer clothing, and two pairs of cloth shoes. They are all made of homespun cloth, not worth much money, but they are warm and comfortable to wear. Try them on, and if there are no problems, sign them for me."

Chen Fan couldn't stop smiling. He didn't even bother with formalities regarding these things that had been agreed upon beforehand, and immediately nodded and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll give it a try right away."

He immediately took off his military overcoat and put on a cotton-padded jacket.

Then he covered it and spun around, chuckling, "Just right, it fits perfectly."

The cotton-padded jacket has two layers: an inner cotton-padded core and an outer overcoat. When washing, only the overcoat needs to be washed.

Although it's homespun cloth, it's not bad at all. The classic blue background with gray stripes will never go out of style, even decades from now. It's just that the cloth is too soft and wrinkles easily, and it tends to deform over time, making it less flattering to wear.

However, if it's just for wearing while working, homespun clothes are just right.

The custodian, Mr. Huang, stood up and looked at it, nodding in satisfaction. "It's just a little loose. If the weather gets colder, you can wear a cotton vest or sweater underneath and it will be just right."

He then turned to look at Jiang Lili, who was standing at the door, and said meaningfully, "Little Jiang, you can make clothes, right?"

When Jiang Lili heard him speaking to her, she suddenly came to her senses and quickly nodded gently, "Yes, I can do it."

These days, ready-made clothes are too expensive, often costing ten or even several tens of yuan per piece. So most ordinary people buy fabric and ask a tailor to make them, or simply make them at home.

She watched her mother make clothes since she was a child, and her mother also taught her step by step, so she naturally knew how to do it.

The warehouse keeper, Huang, laughed and said, "Since you've already made him a pair of cotton shoes, and he has some cloth and cotton here, let's make him a cotton vest too, so he can work more efficiently in it."

Jiang Lili nodded timidly, "Okay."

Chen Fan didn't stand on ceremony and grinned, "Then I'll have to trouble Comrade Xiao Jiang."

The custodian looked at him strangely. "You're only 16, and she's 17. You call her Xiao Jiang?"

Chen Fan's face immediately froze. Oh no, he'd let it slip.

Although Jiang Lili kept her head down, her eyes were wide open as she secretly glanced at Chen Fan. 16? Not 18?

The custodian glanced at the two of them, too lazy to bother with such trivial matters, shook his head, and said to Chen Fan, "Sign if there are no problems."

Chen Fan quickly came over to sign.

After signing, custodian Huang put the notebook in his pocket and strode out.

As soon as he left, Jiang Lili raised her head, puffed out her cheeks, and stared at Chen Fan, looking just like a little goldfish.

Chen Fan was about to argue, but when he saw her like this, he burst out laughing.

Jiang Lili blushed, glared at him, angrily placed her cotton shoes on his bed, and as she turned to leave, she gave him a harsh "humph" before stomping away.

(End of this chapter)