Siheyuan: Superb comprehension? All skills are perfect

"I used the few cloth coupons issued by the factory to buy some fabrics." Lin Xiangdong answered casually.

After a brief conversation, Lin Dong returned to his residence.

Throwing the package on the table, Lin Xiangdong first lit the fireplace and then heated the kang, and soon the room became warm. At this time, he saw Lou Xiao'e operating the sewing machine in a clumsy manner.

The problem that arises from this is that neither of them knows how to make clothes.

Although there was a sewing machine at home, Lin Xiangdong did not know how to make clothes. Similarly, Lou Xiao'e knew nothing about it.

It would be a shame to waste the finest fabric.

Lou Xiao'e looked very uneasy. She had a machine at home but couldn't sew clothes. If this matter spread, it would definitely become a laughing stock among the neighbors.

"Auntie's craftsmanship is pretty good. Why don't we ask her for a favor? The remaining scraps of fabric can be given to her as a thank you." After careful consideration, Lin Xiangdong suggested to Lou Xiao'e.

"Don't we need to give her some compensation?" Although Lou Xiao'e didn't know how to make clothes, she didn't intend to force herself; she had no objection to asking the third aunt to help.

“Bringing up money in a relationship can damage the relationship.”

According to the needs, a piece of clothing for Lin Xiangdong would require about three feet of cloth; similarly, Lou Xiao'e's needs were not far off.

Therefore, after making these two pieces of clothing there is still quite a bit left over, and perhaps the leftover material could be used to make new pants for the children.

So Lin Xiangdong went directly to the neighboring Yan family to invite the third aunt for help.

When the third aunt, who was sewing the soles of shoes for her family members, saw him, she was also quite surprised.

"Dongzi, is there anything I can help you with?" asked Auntie Three.

"Auntie, Xiao'e and I don't know how to sew clothes, so the sewing machine in our home has become a decoration. I just bought some cloth, can you help us make clothes with it? I can leave the remaining cloth for you to make a pair of pants for your daughter," said Lin Xiangdong.

"Oh, from what you said, we are close neighbors. If you have any problems, just tell me. As long as I can help, Third Aunt will definitely lend a hand." Third Aunt said with a smile.

Knowing that the Lin family owned a sewing machine, it became easier to sew a piece of clothing for each of the couple.

And from what he said, there will be a lot of leftovers!

It might be a bit of an exaggeration to use the cloth to dress up your own child who spent a lot of money, but it would be very appropriate to use the cloth to sew a protective cover.

Then, the third aunt informed her partner and went to Lin Xiangdong's house.

Naturally, the third uncle would have no objection to his wife's help.

The three aunts came to the house and first took a ruler to measure the fabrics; then they also measured Lin Xiangdong and Lou Xiaoe's body sizes and other information.

After doing the calculations, the smiles on the three aunts' faces became brighter and broader.

The calculation result shows that there will be about one foot left.

"It's really good to get one foot." This is her inner monologue

Even with a coupon, buying a yard of fabric is not a good deal.

If this matter spreads, everyone will definitely think that this has given the three aunts a lot of benefits.

All the sizes were measured, and then the three aunts started to deal with the cutting work.

The three aunts are also very skilled in how to operate this sewing machine.

Owning a sewing machine makes the entire garment-making process much more convenient.

In such a large house, there is rarely any privacy; no matter what happens in any family, the neighbors on both sides will soon know the news.

When someone saw Lin Xiangdong asking the three aunts to help him sew clothes.

Although the third aunt did not deliberately publicize this matter, some people who paid attention to details realized that the Lin couple gave the remaining materials to the third aunt.

Inside the Jia family's house in the central courtyard, Jia Zhang was so angry that her mouth was crooked.

"Lin Xiangdong is a dishonest guy. Why did he ask Third Aunt to make clothes for him? His wife is also an idiot," Jia Zhang said angrily.

Qin Huairu was in a bad mood and she was particularly concerned about this matter.

By helping this family make clothes, Auntie No. 3 got at least one foot of fabric, which was really top-quality material!

Only one foot of cloth can make a brand new piece of clothing for Xiaodang.

Qin Huairu also has the skill of sewing clothes, so why doesn't Lin Xiangdong ask her for help?

Could it be that Lin Xiangdong looked down on her because she was a widow?

If he was concerned about the frequent occurrence of prostitution around a widow, that shouldn't be a problem, because Lin Xiangdong is married and can legitimately ask her for help without having to hide it from Lou Xiaoe.

Qin Huairu was very upset as she watched this benefit being snatched away by the three mothers.

Even though the cloth was made by Lin Xiangdong, Qin Huairu still felt like she had suffered a loss.

Now, these three have already started making clothes for Lin Xiangdong and his wife, and it is too late even if they want to make amends.

"The Yan family happens to live very close to Lin Xiangdong and his family, so they may have a closer relationship." Qin Huairu said to her mother-in-law.

"Bah, so what if they are close? With the calculating character of the Yan family, it would be a sheer clumsy move for Lin Xiangdong to ask the three mothers to help."

Qin Huairu also felt that Jia **'s statement was very reasonable.

If Lin Xiangdong had come to her at the beginning, he would at least have won some praise.

…………

Opposite the Jia family is the home of "Daizhu".

"Brother Lin has that sewing machine. The three mothers can get so much good material just by making a few clothes for them. It's really a bargain." He Yushui said with envy: If she could get those cloths, wouldn't it be great?

Even though this one-foot piece of cloth was not enough to make a whole pair of pants for He Yushui, she could still make it by adding some other materials.

However, it would be nice if a piece of clothing could be mixed with some high-quality fabrics.

However, even if Lin Xiangdong wanted to ask He Yushui for help, unfortunately He Yushui did not know how to sew clothes or even make shoes, so there was nothing he could do.

.........

Mothers one and two also knew how to sew clothes, so they began to envy mother three.

It only took an hour to finish two pieces of clothing.

The remaining material even exceeded a full foot.

The three mothers were delighted and took the cloth home.

As soon as I got home, I quickly put the leftover materials together. Although most of them were scraps of cloth, it would actually be a lot if they were used together.

"With Dongzi's machine, it's not tiring at all to sew clothes for others. It only takes about an hour, and there's still so much material left!" The mother smiled and expressed her satisfaction.

"Mom, can you make me a new pair of trousers?" Yan Jiedi asked.

After Yan Jie Di heard what Lin Xiangdong said, Lin Xiangdong mentioned that he would give the extra material to her mother so that she could make new trousers.

Before he finished speaking, his brothers Yan Jiecheng, Yan Jiefang, and Yan Jiekuang all shook their heads in opposition.

Even Yan's father, Yan Bugui, held a negative opinion.

After a discussion, the whole family decided that everyone could have a share - making sleeves. It is really a happy thing to be able to wear new sleeves during the Spring Festival.

…………

The company played the film for two consecutive days, so Lin Xiangdong had some free time.

As the Lunar New Year draws closer, the problem of purchasing New Year's goods remains to be solved.

Even though the Lunar New Year has not yet arrived, the courtyard is already filled with a New Year atmosphere. Nearly ten families are busy preparing New Year goods, while the children are looking forward to the arrival of the New Year.

Uncle San bought some melon seeds, peanuts, candied fruits and two dried fish. On the other hand, Brother Zhu brought back a pig's head.

In those days, although buying a pig's head was a relatively economical choice, you still needed a meat ticket. The aunt prepared a few pounds of flour and some pickled pork. Haizhong's wife bought a chicken and took it home.

Even Brother Mao brought back some pork; it was winter, so it didn't matter if he bought more meat, because the temperature was low and there was no need to worry about food spoiling. Lin Xiangdong and his wife also bought all kinds of New Year's goods, including poultry, fish and meat, plus white flour, rice and seasonal fresh vegetables.

In such a cold winter, it is not easy to enjoy some green vegetables. From the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, every household began to improve their meals. In addition to stir-fried bean slices, there was also fried egg delicacies. Entering the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, almost every household was busy steaming buns.

Families with tight finances would enjoy steamed bread as the main dish and eat coarse grain cornbread as the staple food. In order to prepare for these activities during the New Year, Xiangdong would almost turn his day and night upside down.

After running around between multiple tasks such as showing movies, installing heating pipes and preparing New Year's goods, I have finally finished my work. According to the custom at that time, on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, people would offer candies to the Kitchen God to pray for peace; on the 24th, they would clean the house to welcome the spring; on the 25th, they would fry bean cubes; on the 26th, they would stew mutton; on the 27th, they would slaughter chickens for preparation; on the 28th, they would ferment dough and make some snacks such as cakes and pastries to prepare for the festival; on the 29th, they would steam buns, and finally on New Year's Eve, the family would gather together for a sumptuous reunion dinner and stay up together until the end of the year.

However, given that life is still quite difficult for most people, these practices can only be continued to a certain extent, mainly to create a stronger New Year atmosphere.

Children look forward to the arrival of the Spring Festival because they can enjoy rare delicacies, but for many adults, it is a time of worry - although the Spring Festival is indeed very festive, they often find themselves strapped for cash afterwards due to excessive expenses, so they have to tighten their spending.

In the blink of an eye, New Year's Eve has arrived.

At this moment, the courtyard was silent, and everyone was preparing the New Year's Eve dinner indoors. By the way, the deaf grandmother had been invited to Zhonghai's home to celebrate the festival together.

At this time, every household is filled with laughter and joy, because every family is preparing dumplings as one of the New Year’s Eve dinner dishes.

At lunchtime, Xiao'e kneaded the dough for the dumpling wrappers while Xiangdong prepared the meat fillings. After nightfall, the two worked together to cook the dumplings.

There is an old saying: dumplings symbolize ingots, noodles represent threads, and when the silver thread penetrates the ingots, life will become more and more prosperous.

In this era, it is important to follow local customs, and Lin Xiangdong cannot be separated from the cultural traditions of the group.

……