Great Aunt took the fabric and immediately tried to pay for it.
Song Wei refused. The elderly woman shot her an exasperated glance.
“You’re always giving me the best of everything—that’s not right!”
Song Wei giggled and held her hand. “But didn’t you teach us the skill of tea roasting? That’s far more valuable than fabric, and you didn’t charge us for it either.”
“That’s different! You and Lin Zhen gave us tea in return.”
“If we keep arguing about this, it’ll feel distant. Please just take the fabric and use it, Great Aunt. We really have plenty more at home—more than we can even use.”
After some back-and-forth, the elderly woman finally gave in to Song Wei’s insistence and left with the fabric.
Three days later, however, she returned with two more pairs of beautifully crafted small shoes.
She had even made a pair of layered-sole cloth shoes for both Song Wei and Lin Zhen.
Of course, the other aunts in the village had also contributed to the effort.
Layered-sole cloth shoes, known as qianceng xie, were made by stacking layers of thick fabric tightly together and stitching them firmly to form the soles.
They were not only durable but also incredibly comfortable to wear.
Song Wei loved wearing them during dry weather, especially now during her pregnancy.
She had also made quite a few baby clothes herself, including small belly wraps for the infants.
One of them was made from red fabric, embroidered with two chubby golden koi fish.
The embroidery was done by Bai Yunjiao, who had taken over the task upon learning that Song Wei was making clothes for the babies.
Lin Zhen hadn’t been idle either. He ventured into the mountains to find suitable wood and spent his free time doing woodworking.
He was crafting a crib and a stroller for the babies.
Within two months, the house began filling up with more and more baby clothes, toys, and now even a finished stroller and crib.
The stroller was specially designed to accommodate twins.
Lin Zhen had worked meticulously, sanding the wood until it was perfectly smooth without a single splinter.
He even carved small wooden figures inspired by the family’s pets.
Though his first attempt at carving was a bit rough, Song Wei sketched a chubby, adorable chibi-style version for him to reference.
With her design as a guide, his carvings turned out much cuter and more polished.
“This is for you.”
One evening, just as Song Wei was getting ready for bed, Lin Zhen suddenly presented her with something.
She looked down and saw a wooden bracelet.
Though made of wood, it was exceptionally beautiful.
It had a reddish-brown hue and carried a subtle, unique fragrance.
“What kind of wood is this made from?” she asked.
“Sandalwood,” he replied.
Lin Zhen said calmly, “I found it while searching for wood in the mountains. The tree was thicker than my thigh.”
“Did you bring the rest back?”
“Of course. I’ve stored the remaining wood.”
Song Wei kissed his cheek. “You’ve got such great luck!”
She extended her hand, and Lin Zhen gently clasped her slender, fair wrist to slip the bracelet on.
The reddish-brown sandalwood looked elegant and refined, accentuating the beauty of her hand.
“I love it.”
She genuinely adored the bracelet.
A smile touched Lin Zhen’s lips.
“If you like it, I can make you a beaded bracelet too.”
“That’s alright, this is enough. But you could make small peace pendants or peace plaques for the two little ones—and one for Ping’an as well. I’ll make one for you too, but don’t expect any carvings! I can only manage simple peace pendants, hehe.”
Of course, such fine materials should be used for their family.
As for selling it—well, a few peace pendants wouldn’t require much wood anyway.
Even the sandalwood dust from sanding could be collected. It made a fragrant incense when burned, known for its calming effects—perfect to gift to elderly folks.
With the public grain handed over, each household received their share of food and money based on their work points.
It had been another bountiful year for everyone, and those who collected their grain and earnings were all smiles.
“Our brigade is really getting better every year!”
“Absolutely. We’re the only brigade around growing watermelons. I heard another brigade wants to learn how to grow greenhouse vegetables from us—is that true?”
“Why should we? This is our technique—why teach them?”
The people of Ping’an Brigade were less than pleased.
The brigade leader spoke up.
“It’s a task assigned from above. We’re all part of the same county and should help each other. But it’s not for free—the higher-ups said our brigade will be named an ‘Advanced Brigade’ this year, and next year we’ll have priority access to fertilizer.”
With that, no one had any more objections.
“With this year’s award, that means we’ve been named an Advanced Brigade two years in a row!”
This honor was immensely important for the entire brigade.
Wherever they went, they could hold their heads high!
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