Step by step, a gentle breeze leads to a smooth path

The three Zheng siblings continued practicing. Zheng Ruidong started to sway after standing in a horse stance for a while, but he kept going and kept going... His legs were shaking and his face was pale. He heard Nan tell him to stop and suggested that he start with a slow walk.

Zheng Xiangqian has been doing a good job of sticking to his principles; it takes physical strength to travel around all the time.

"Time's up! Big brother, little brother, don't go too long at first, take it step by step. Also, fatigue, knee and ankle joint and muscle soreness are normal fatigue phenomena in the early stage of practice. If you persist for a period of time, the symptoms will disappear."

"Yes, I know that. Every time after the 'double harvest' (harvesting season), I have back pain, but it gets better after a while." Zheng Xiangqian said that it was no problem at all, and he got used to the pain after a while.

Zheng Ruidong was somewhat frustrated. He had indeed been a bit lazy and hadn't done much farm work, so he needed to change that.

Just then, the breakfast that Song Xiuying had carefully prepared was served, so Song Tingnan didn't say much. Both of her older brothers were smart and would handle things on their own.

There are no breakfast shops or steamed buns in the countryside, so Song Xiuying went to the supply and marketing cooperative early in the morning to buy meat and ribs. She chopped the meat into small pieces and stir-fried it with "ground lichen," which smelled delicious.

Nostoc commune grows in wastelands, ponds, and along embankments, appearing after rain. Although it's very thin, it has a slightly crisp texture when you bite into it. At first, the taste is a bit strange, with a hint of earthiness, but it becomes more fragrant the more you chew.

This stuff is delicious, but it's hard to bend over and pick up, so it's usually the kids who do it. Song Xiuying only picked up a little bit and mixed it into the minced meat to make a topping for noodle soup. The ribs were made into a sweet and sour dish, which was delicious and Tingnan loved. There was also cucumber salad and tomato and egg soup. Seeing Tingnan eating so happily made Song Xiuying happy; Tingnan had hardly ever eaten any of her cooking.

After dinner, Zheng Ruidong mysteriously pulled Tingnan into his room, opened an old-fashioned trunk, and took out a skirt, two skirts, three skirts, four skirts... six skirts... Tingnan had been away from home for six years since she was a child.

"Hey sir! Are all these pretty dresses for me?"

"Of course, Tingnan, you should try it." Zheng Ruidong handed over the largest one and then walked out of the room.

Song Tingnan looked at the red striped dress made of Dacron fabric with a belt tied at the waist, her eyes welling up with tears.

Tingnan had never worn a skirt before, as skirts were inconvenient for working, and her grandmother had never prepared a skirt for her.

Seeing the little girls in the county town wearing them, Ting Nan felt envious, imagining herself twirling like a fairy, her skirt spreading out into a circle. She never expected her boyfriend to keep preparing these for her; how did he manage that?

Ting Nan wiped away the tears that had streamed down her face, "Brother, you're all done!"

Zheng Ruidong pushed the door open and came in. "Tingnan, you look so beautiful! Just like I imagined! I didn't know your weight, so I made it into a belt around your waist. You can adjust it yourself, tight or loose. You can tie it into a bow like this... like this."

"Young man, did you make this yourself? Where did you get the money? How did you get the fabric? You don't have a sewing machine at home, how did you sew it..." Nan Tai was surprised and had many questions...

“Ting Nan, as long as you put your heart into it, this is no problem! I’ll make you a dress every year for your birthday,” Zheng Ruidong said casually.

Little did anyone know that he scrimped and saved to buy a dress, shamelessly begged his older brother for pocket money, helped his classmates with chores, and endured the disdain and suspicion from his classmate's mother who owned a sewing machine.

But seeing his little sister looking so pretty and happy in her dress made it all worthwhile. His sister deserves to wear pretty dresses, like a little princess.

"Brother!" Ting Nan couldn't help but hug Zheng Ruidong. "How can you be so good to me?"

From the first time Zheng Ruidong saw the city girls visiting their brigade wearing beautiful dresses, he longed to hear Nan also wear the most beautiful dress. Today, that dream has finally come true.

He enjoys making clothes, especially skirts for Tingnan, which makes him feel particularly happy and fulfilled.

“Tingnan, you’re my sister! Try on the one from when you were seven. I made it a little bigger than usual, so it should fit you. The others were too small or not made well, but I’ll make you another one later,” Zheng Ruidong said gently to Tingnan.

"Okay, thank you, sir!" Ting Nan released Zheng Ruidong and continued trying on the dress.

When Zheng Ruidong came in again, he saw his younger sister wearing a pure white cotton dress, twirling and laughing, just like a little fairy who had fallen to earth.

"Young man, the dresses you made are all so beautiful! I love them so much! It's a pity these few are too small!" Ting Nan looked at the other four dresses with regret.

"Don't worry about it, it won't go to waste. I'll put them all together and make them your birthday present next year," Zheng Ruidong said confidently.

"Really? You're amazing, bro! I want to go out and show Mom and my older brother!" Song Tingnan excitedly ran outside, but Zheng Ruidong grabbed her. "No, no, little sister, you can't tell Mom. She'll be angry. I'm a boy."