Daily Life in the 70s-Chapter 236: Scared

Yang Peimin planned to pick up the clothing project again.

She specifically took a trip to the downtown area, which was near the T University she was preparing to attend. If she were going to do this, she had to be close to the university, so she could manage both work and studies.

After visiting the mall’s tailor shop and the sewing society, she had a clearer idea.

What gave her more ideas was a sewing society established by a street office in the city district. It had six sewing machines and employed some dexterous young wives and maidens, usually making clothes for others and charging based on the craftsmanship. Making an ordinary piece of clothing would cost 50 cents; winter garments cost one yuan, plus additional fees for buttons and specific parts of the work. This made Yang Peimin realize it was like a simple garment processing factory.

She then bought a piece of fabric and went to the sewing society to have a shirt made to check the quality of their workmanship, which she found satisfactory.

She drafted a pattern at home and went back to the sewing society to discuss with the person in charge there, asking them to produce ten pieces of her design in each of two colors. However, they couldn’t take on outside work on their own—there was no concept of copyright yet, so they had to make a verbal agreement and sign a contract.

The person in charge, Sister Liu, sized her up, her eyes showing interest, "Young lady, what do you plan to do with all these garments?"

Yang Peimin smiled, "I’m thinking of placing them in tailor shops or stores for consignment."

Upon hearing this, Sister Liu gave her a measured look, "Girl, can that really work? Not to belittle your idea, but as far as I know, department stores get their goods from designated factories. Your homemade ones, well, doing it yourself is one thing, but it won’t be easy to get them out there."

Yang Peimin nodded, "I won’t hide it from you, sister. I just want to give it a try. However, we still need to sign a contract that you won’t make this for others and won’t leak the design. You’ll need to make them exactly as I instruct."

Seeing her confident demeanor, Sister Liu became curious about the pattern Yang Peimin was talking about, "I’ve been sewing for more than a decade, and I’ve made no small number of clothes. I’d like to see what kind of garment you’re planning to make."

Yang Peimin showed her the design. With the early onset of winter here, and autumn already arrived, she had designed a long women’s coat. Based on the coats sold in current stores, she made her own alterations. Though the result greatly differed from those, it wasn’t too far removed from people’s current aesthetic acceptance. The coat came in two colors, khaki and pink, and she listed everything from materials to construction.

After looking over the pattern, Sister Liu’s eyes lit up, and she nodded, "It looks quite nice."

She would provide her own materials and buttons, while the sewing society would only charge for labor. They agreed on a price of one yuan per piece and she paid half upfront as a deposit. After signing the contract, they set a date to pick up the finished garments in three days, and Yang Peimin went home.

Returning to the military base, the sky gradually darkened. With every household now having tap water, there was no longer a need to gather in the courtyard to wash things. However, everyone was now congregated in the vegetable garden. It was best to water the plants early in the morning or after the sun had set. Due to the dry climate, it was important to water the vegetables frequently to ensure good growth—something Luo Dahua had taught Yang Peimin.

She was just passing the vegetable plot next to the dormitories on her way back, a route she would take anyway, when someone greeted her.

"Where did you go, young sister?"

"Nowhere in particular, just wandering around." Perhaps because she had been seen going out more often lately, some people were speculating on her activities, so Yang Peimin didn’t say she went downtown.

"Oh, so you’ve come to water the plants?"

Yang Peimin blinked and looked over at her small plot of land covered with cabbages, winter melons, and white radishes. The white cabbage seeds she had scattered had already sprouted and were lush with greenery. However, the soil beneath the cabbages was indeed dry, reminding her she had neglected to water them in the past few days while she was busy trying to make money.

Feeling a bit ashamed, she said, "I need to go get some scoops and a bucket."

"There’s no need for you to make another trip; I have some here. I just finished using them, so you can borrow mine." This military wife, named Li Xing, was someone Yang Peimin had interacted with a few times, but they were merely acquaintances, not close.

Li Xing handed over her equipment, and Yang Peimin graciously accepted and thanked her, "I’ll bring them back to you when I’m done."

But Li Xing didn’t leave, saying instead, "Don’t worry about it, we don’t live in the same building, and there’s no need to make you run back and forth. The ground isn’t too big, and it won’t take long. I’ll just wait here for you."

Yang Peimin, letting her stay, took the bucket to the nearby stream to fetch water. She remembered Luo Dahua’s guidance on how to water the vegetables with a ladle, though her movements were a bit stiff.

Li Xing chuckled at her side, saying, "You know, sister, your movements are as funny as a duck fighting, ha ha ha..."

Yang Peimin replied helplessly, "I just learned..."

Li Xing’s laughter subsided after a while, and she said apologetically, "Don’t take offense, sister. I can’t help it... My man came back from a mission a few days ago, and I’m so happy that everything seems funny to me..."

Yang Peimin: "..."

Li Xing was around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with delicate features and a somewhat Southern gentle charm. Yet, her actions were as straightforward as a Northern woman’s, carefree and direct.

Yang Peimin wasn’t offended but hearing that her husband had returned from a mission made her inquire, "When did your man leave for his task?"

Li Xing mentioned a date.

Damn, that’s the same time Shen Yiguang left for his mission, isn’t it?

She tossed her ladle back into the bucket abruptly and asked in shock, "Your man returned a few days ago?"

Li Xing nodded, a bit puzzled by her reaction, "He came back three days ago. When he returned, I hardly recognized him. Thank God, he was mostly unharmed..."

It was only then that Li Xing realized something and asked, "Did your husband also go on a mission?"

Yang Peimin nodded and walked out of the vegetable plot, muttering, "He left on the same day as your husband but didn’t return at the same time..." Suddenly, something struck her heart, and it began to pound furiously and uncontrollably, almost to the point of being unable to breathe. Her legs weakened, and she collapsed to the ground.

Li Xing, standing nearby, swiftly stepped forward to catch her and reassured her, "It’s okay; don’t scare yourself."

Yang Peimin nodded, realizing she didn’t have all the information and was perhaps overthinking. What she needed most was to find out the truth.

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