Crossing Over to Yamada Love

"It's not impossible. We can cut it into flowers as Lan said, and piece it together to make the shoe upper. It won't look too bad. It's just that such good material doesn't have a good lining to match," Wang said after looking at it for a while.

That's true. I only thought about the upper and forgot about the lining. If I used coarse cloth for the lining, the upper would be ruined.

"I happen to have two good linings left. I'll go get them now. If it's alright, we can make them into shoe uppers for Mei and Lan," Liu said, getting up to leave.

“That won’t do, that’s your dowry. You’ve used up almost all of your dowry over the years, and all that’s left are those few pieces of cloth. You should keep them for later.” Madam Wang stopped her.

"Mother, what's the difference between these children and my own? I watched them grow up. I... I'm not blessed with children of my own. Please let me do my part for them." Liu's voice was choked with sobs.

"Oh, Mother won't stop you anymore, good child, you've suffered." Wang's voice was also somewhat low.

Liu got off the kang (a heated brick bed), went out to go back into the room to get some cloth. Her back view was so desolate.

My aunt is such a good woman; I must treat her well in the future. Mo Lan thought to herself.

A short while later, Liu returned with a bolt of white cloth. After she sat on the kang (heated brick bed), Mo Lan touched the cloth; it was soft, fine cotton. This must be expensive. It seemed her aunt's family was quite well-off. Why did she rarely see her aunt visiting her parents' home?

"Oh, such fine fabric, it's a pity to use it as a lining," said Madam Wang, stroking the fabric.

"It's alright, as long as the girls like it," Liu said gently.

"Grandma, Aunt, I don't want it. I can't wear it for work. Make it for Lanlan instead," Mo Mei said softly from the side.

Seeing the envious look in her eyes, Mo Lan knew that she probably liked it too. It's just that she was sensible, so she suggested making it only for herself and not for herself.

"Grandma, Aunt, I don't want it either. Do you think we can sell it if it looks nice?" Mo Lan offered her opinion.

“Sell it? Will anyone buy it? Besides, it might not even look good.” Wang frowned.

"Then let's make it well and make it look good. That way, people will buy it, right?" Mo Lan felt like she was talking nonsense, but she had no choice. After all, her body was only 9 years old. If she were to give some grand speech, wouldn't people be scared to death?

“Then let’s think about it carefully and see how to make it look good.” Wang’s eyes gleamed, and several women of different ages, along with a little girl, began to offer their ideas and discuss the style of the shoe upper.

On the afternoon of the third day, the shoe uppers were finally finished. Looking at the exquisite and beautiful shoes in front of her, Mo Lan couldn't help but sigh, "They're really beautiful!" Beside her, Wang Shi, Liu Shi, Qiu Shi, Mo Mei, and Xiao San'er all looked satisfied and pleased.

Both shoes have identical soles, with a large, layered flower on the front. Unlike the embroidered flowers of ancient times, which were made of silk thread, these flowers were first applied as large floral patches, then layered on top of each other, creating a three-dimensional effect. After the flowers on the uppers were applied, they were crocheted with matching silk thread, giving them a delicate look.

"Beautiful!" exclaimed the mistress beside her.

"Yes, it's so beautiful! Our little San'er helped too!" Mo Lan hugged the little one and laughed happily.

"You know, it's really quite good. When it's time to deliver in a few days, you can ask the fabric shop if they'll buy these." Mrs. Wang was clearly very satisfied with the shoe upper.

"Yes, Mother, there are only 5 days left until the delivery date. I'll take it with me to ask about it then. It's just that the shoe uppers are so big that the girls can't wear them." Liu looked at Mo Lan with some guilt in her eyes.

“Aunt, my sister and I are still too young to wear these. If you have extras later, you can make more for us,” Mo Lan said in a clear voice.

"Yes, I'll definitely make it for you in the future." Liu nodded vigorously.

"Aunt, may I go with you on the day of delivery?" Mo Lan asked Liu Shi. She wanted to go out and see the world, and this was an opportunity.

“This…” Liu did not agree, but looked at Wang instead.

It seems I need Grandma's approval first.

"Grandma, let me and Aunt go. That way, Aunt will have someone to keep her company, and she won't be lonely," Mo Lan suggested.

“You silly girl, you clearly wanted to go to town to see the excitement and novelty yourself, and you even used your aunt as an excuse. But the town is more than 10 miles away from here, can you really manage?” Wang Shi did not agree immediately.

A distance of ten miles or so isn't far, but could she walk it in her current state? Mo Lan wasn't sure.

"Mother, why don't we let Lanlan ride in Uncle Liu's oxcart when it's time? I'll follow behind," Liu suggested.

“That won’t do. Your Uncle Liu will be going to other places after he gets to town, so he can’t look after Lanlan for you. How will you find Lanlan then? Besides, it’s not good for you to walk that far. You two should take the carriage together. But Lanlan, you can’t run around when it’s time to go!” Wang Shi made up her mind.

An oxcart? Mo Lan had never ridden one before, nor had she ever been to town. She didn't know how much it would cost, or whether it was expensive or not. But regardless, she had to go to town because she needed to investigate what she could do.

The next morning, Mo Lan didn't stay in bed anymore. Four days of rest were enough for her injury; if she stayed in bed any longer, she'd just get moldy. She decided to go out and get some sun, and also to observe her surroundings.

After washing up, Mo Lan pulled Xiao San'er into her uncle's room. She had been there for several days, but she hadn't seen her uncle yet. Now that she had made up her mind, she had to come and see him.

As soon as she entered the room, Mo Lan smelled an unpleasant medicinal odor. It was probably the smell of medicine that had accumulated in the room from her uncle's long-term use of medicine. Mo Lan led Xiao San'er to the front of the kang (a heated brick bed) and looked at her uncle, Mo Changhai.

He was in his early thirties, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, a straight nose, a moderately sized mouth, and very fair skin. He was quite a handsome man. Mo Lan had always thought her father was the best-looking of the three brothers, but now, seeing her eldest uncle, she realized she was wrong; her father was far too masculine. Mo Changhai, on the other hand, resembled Wang Shi more. If he were in good health, he would surely be a refined and elegant gentleman. Unfortunately, his complexion was too pale, and his lips, which should have been rosy, were tinged with a bluish tinge, likely due to a prolonged illness.

Mo Lan sighed inwardly, but greeted her uncle and aunt with a sweet smile. At that moment, Liu was feeding her husband egg custard. Seeing them arrive, she smiled and invited them to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Mo Changhai beckoned to Mo Lan and Xiao San'er, inviting them to sit down beside him. Then he said to Liu Shi, "Give the eggs I didn't eat over there to Lan'er and Xiao San'er."

"Uncle, we won't eat it. Grandma has been giving me this every day for the past few days, and I'm tired of it." Mo Lan refused her uncle's offer. She was joking; these eggs were her uncle's nutritional supplement, how could she eat them? Ever since Wang Shi stopped giving her egg custard this morning, Mo Lan knew even more how precious it was in the Mo family.

“Little San’er won’t eat either. I ate all of my eggs, so Little San’er doesn’t want to eat eggs anymore.” The little guy echoed Mo Lan.

Mo Lan looked at her younger brother with a smile; he was truly sensible.

********

Today is Father's Day, and Xuexue wishes all fathers in the world a happy holiday! Fatherly love is as steadfast as a mountain; may all fathers in the world enjoy good health and all their wishes fulfilled!

It's raining outside, and the wind is making me shiver. Thunder rumbles around me. I wonder if a bolt of lightning will strike the computer and send Xuexue flying through time?

With such heavy thunder and rain, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get online tonight, so I'm posting this now. Have a great weekend everyone!