50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 120 Dates
"Oh, then I'll have a cup too." As she said that, she put the teapot on the stone table, poured a cup of tea for herself and Sun Zhiwei, and then they drank from each other.

So, when Tong Jiajia came out with the small bamboo basket of needles and thread, this was the scene she saw.

The two people, one big and one small, sat opposite each other on the stone bench in the yard like two old men, drinking tea and talking.

Tong Jiajia laughed and walked over and sat on another stool. Sun Aila immediately poured her a cup obediently.

"Sister-in-law, you have a drink too."

"Well, who came just now?"

"Two friends from the museum have two items they asked me to look at. I think they'll be visiting often, so just treat them like ordinary friends."

"Brother, they are from the museum. Can they get tickets? Then I can visit the Forbidden City for free in the future?"

Sun Zhiwei poked her in annoyance and said, "Does our family need this little bit of money for the tickets? What's so good about taking advantage of this little bit of money?"

"Oh, that's different. How can free things be the same as paid things? It would be so prestigious if you told others about it."

"Nannan, remember, our family is not short of money. We should not take advantage of small profits if we can, and we should definitely not take advantage of the country."

"If you need money, you can come directly to me or your sister-in-law. As long as the reason is legitimate, we will support you."

"Jia Jia, how much pocket money does Nan Nan have now?"

"According to the agreement, her salary will be raised to 3 yuan starting next month."

"Three yuan is not a small amount. The minimum living standard in Beijing is five yuan. A poor family can survive for half a month on three yuan. If there is any extra money every month, I save it myself."

Thinking that the kid probably had no place to hide the money, he remembered that among the things seized from Brother Long, there was a small mahogany box containing bills.

So he went into the house and came out after a while with an empty box.

As soon as Sun Ailai saw the small box in his hand, he couldn't take his eyes off it.

The small wooden box is square and painted purple-red. Although there are no dragons or phoenixes carved on it and it looks a bit old, it is round, small and beautiful.

"Here, this is for you to put some small things in. If you want to lock it, go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy one yourself."

"Thank you, brother." Sun Ailai picked up the box and refused to let go.

Tong Jiajia followed up by saying, "The small lock seems a bit expensive. Your brother and I will each contribute fifty cents to help you buy a small lock. If it's not enough, you can use your own pocket money to add to it."

"Thank you, sister-in-law." Sun Ailai smiled with her eyes narrowed, then ran back to the room with the box in her arms.

Sun Zhiwei smiled with satisfaction. Every child wants to have his own treasure box. He didn't remember where he saw this saying, but now he felt it was true.

After a long time, Sun Ailai came out of the room, and the small box in his hand was gone.

The couple ignored her. Sun Zhiwei was reading the newspaper and Tong Jiajia was sewing a sleeve.

In this day and age, sleeves are an essential clothing accessory for everyone. They can effectively reduce the wear and tear on the cuffs of clothes, block dirt, and keep the cuffs clean so that clothes do not need to be scrubbed vigorously.

Similar items include fake collars and fake patches.

A "fake collar" is a sleeveless top with a small half-collar. Once you put on a jacket, it looks like a shirt from the outside, but in fact it is only half a collar, so it is called a "saving collar."

"Fake patches" are large patches put on good clothes in places that are prone to wear and tear, usually on the elbows of the sleeves and the knees of the pants.

The newspaper Sun Zhiwei was reading just happened to reprint a piece of news from the Xinmin Daily's "City News":
"Putuo Hengda Cotton Shop has trial-produced a batch of vest-style sleeveless shirts based on the autumn and winter clothing habits of urban residents. This type of shirt uses less material, only about 1 foot 5 inches of cloth, the selling price is correspondingly lower, and it is easy to wash." This type of collar can be made with only scraps of fabric, and scraps do not require cloth coupons and can be bought and sold freely.

"Look at how refined the lives of those comrades in the foreign concessions are." He showed the news to Tong Jiajia, who was a little confused.

"What exactly does this thing look like?" Seeing that it was described so well, she also wanted to make two to try.

Sun Zhiwei thought about it, then took out one of his shirts and gestured:
"From here to here, there are no shoulders or sleeves. The neckline is complete, but only goes to the third button from the bottom. Below that is a cord or elastic band that can be used to secure it under the armpits."

Now, Tong Jiajia understood.

"This thing is easy to make. I'll make two for you to try."

"Okay, I'll wear it if you make it."

At that time, cloth was in short supply, so most families used clothes in the following way: first, they changed old long gowns and jackets into Zhongshan suits and youth clothes;

When youth clothes are old, they can be made into student clothes, vests, and waistcoats to save money; when student clothes are even older, they can be made into cushions and cloth bags; when bags are even more torn, they can be rolled up into rags.

This way, a piece of fabric can go from the store to your home and be used until it disappears.

Although there is no shortage of fabric at home, Tong Jiajia still wants to use it sparingly when possible, and Sun Zhiwei does not object to this.

You may have it at home but not use it for the sake of saving money; this is different from wanting to use it but not having it at home, which makes you look shabby.

At this time, Sun Ailai suddenly asked him: "Brother, when can we eat our dates?"

"Dates?" Sun Zhiwei looked up at the sky after hearing this. Many dates on the date tree were ripe and should be ready to eat.

"I'll go up and pick a bunch, and you can taste it to see if it's ripe."

After saying that, he rolled up his sleeves and climbed up the tree in a few steps, then reached out to pick a bunch and threw it down. Sun Ailai quickly picked up the hem of his clothes and caught it.

Seeing such beautiful dates, Sun Ailai couldn't help himself. He picked one and was about to put it in his mouth, but was stopped by Tong Jiajia.

"Girl, these dates have been crawling with countless bugs on the tree. Give them to me, and I'll wash them before I eat them."

"Sister-in-law, I'll wash it myself."

In order to work for food, Sun Ailai never lags behind. She immediately found a small basket, put the bunch of dates in it and went to the well to wash them.

After a while, they were washed and served. The three of them ate a few each and said they were delicious.

"Since they are ripe, I will pick them all and give some to each family."

"Then I will bring some to school for my classmates to try." Sun Aila is a good person in this regard. He is not a person who guards his food.

"Okay, you can carry it to school yourself then."

"Zhiwei, I see we have another bumper crop of dates this year. Do you want to take some to the kindergarten for the children to try?"

Sun Zhiwei thought for a moment and said, "It's okay to give it to the teachers, but forget about it for the children."

"Children don't know how to spit out the pit. If it gets stuck while eating, it will be our fault. It's better to have less trouble than more."

(End of this chapter)