…
Because she had made plans with Lin Qi long ago, Chen Lishu informed her family after breakfast the next day and headed to town.
Upon arriving in town, just as Chen Lishu turned the corner from her family’s alley, she spotted a tall, thin figure by the courtyard gate. Perhaps it was too cold and there was no sheltered spot, but the person paced back and forth, cupping their hands around their mouth and occasionally breathing out to warm them.
Chen Lishu hurried her steps. "When did you get here? You must be freezing!" she said, quickly taking out her keys to open the door.
Once inside, Chen Lishu busied herself with lighting a fire to warm the stove. The house had been unheated for two days, and everywhere was frigid.
"How is your father's illness?"
As the fire in the stove slowly caught, the room’s temperature rose, and Lin Qi’s pale complexion eased considerably.
Hearing Chen Lishu’s question, he smiled gratefully at her. "We went to the hospital and got medicine. He's much better now."
If it weren't for the money Chen Lishu provided, they wouldn't have been able to see a doctor in time. The doctor had said that any further delay would have been fatal.
Chen Lishu nodded, then rose to go back to her room and retrieve the items she had for sale. "These are our current products. Later, I'll take you to the places where we work and introduce you to the various supply and marketing cooperatives. I'll be going to the provincial capital in a couple of days, so I can't guide you for long. Please pay close attention and remember everything."
Lin Qi's face flushed slightly when he saw the undershirts in her hand, but he nodded earnestly upon hearing her words. "I understand, Sister Chen."
Chen Lishu spoke a few more words to him, then first took him to the Wang family. After informing Sun Min and her husband that Lin Qi would be responsible for delivering the fabric and picking up goods, she then took Lin Qi on a tour of the different supply and marketing cooperatives.
After the tour, Lin Qi's gaze towards Chen Lishu had completely changed.
If at first it was merely gratitude, now he admired the woman before him from the bottom of his heart.
Not only could she get into university, but her business had also grown so large.
After leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, Chen Lishu took him to meet Nan Haitian and Zhou Bin, incidentally mentioning her upcoming trip to the provincial capital.
Both of them were greatly shocked to hear she had been accepted into university. Nan Haitian, in particular, looked at her with a gaze that was difficult to fathom.
"Will we see each other again?" Nan Haitian asked.
Chen Lishu smiled. "Of course. The school has winter and summer breaks, and my base is here. I'll need your continued support, Manager Nan."
Hearing her words, Nan Haitian couldn't help but smile, the narrowness of his eyes curving into a handsome arc. "I wouldn't say I'll support you, but don't leave me out if any profitable opportunities arise."
Leaving Nan Haitian's office, Chen Lishu looked around the fabric section on the first floor and selected a black waterproof fabric. It wasn't expensive and didn't require a fabric coupon, making it perfect for a down jacket lining.
Running around these past two days had intensified her desire to make a down jacket for herself.
Besides the waterproof fabric, Chen Lishu also bought two other pieces of relatively thicker fabric, one black and one beige, to be used as the outer material for down jackets.
After leaving the department store and parting ways with Lin Qi, Chen Lishu went home.
"Mom, Sister-in-law, I want to go to the reservoir to buy duck feathers. Do either of you want to come with me?" Chen Lishu asked.
"Third Sister-in-law, what do you need duck feathers for?" Gu Xingping asked curiously.
"It's so cold. I was thinking of seeing if anyone sells duck feathers to make a down jacket. If not, I'll buy a few ducks; we can eat them during the New Year."
"Third Sister-in-law, I'll go with you." Gu Xingping, who was idly at home, readily agreed.
With Gu Xingping accompanying her, the two quickly got dressed and headed towards the reservoir.
The reservoir was more than ten li away from Qingshan Village. Because it was near the water, most of the villagers there raised ducks. Villagers with the means would occasionally come to buy duck eggs to preserve as salted duck eggs.
Because the courtyard walls were low, it was easy to see the situation in each yard. As soon as they entered the village, Chen Lishu spotted a household with several ducks in their yard and walked in with Gu Xingping.
"Auntie, excuse me, do you have any duck feathers at home? We'd like to buy some."
The two entered the house and saw an old woman sitting on the kang, stitching shoe soles. Chen Lishu asked with a smile.
"Buy duck feathers?" The old woman stopped her work. She had never heard that such a thing could be sold for money.
Seeing Chen Lishu nod, the old woman got up from the kang and quickly rummaged through a cabinet, producing a bundle of cloth. "See if this is any good?"
The family’s cotton coupon wasn't enough, so her daughter-in-law had come up with this method to make cotton-padded clothes for the child. Unfortunately, the down often poked out, and it was uncomfortable to wear. These were kept for making cushions for the child.
Chen Lishu hadn't expected to actually find any. Seeing that they were already cleaned, she was overjoyed that she wouldn't have to do much work after buying them.
However, the quantity was a bit small. She asked the old woman to help inquire further. When everyone heard that duck feathers could be sold for money, there were indeed some households that had kept them.
Chen Lishu paid three yuan and bought enough duck feathers to make two down jackets. Thinking she shouldn't come back empty-handed, she also spent four yuan to buy two ducks.
Upon returning home, she first put the duck feathers away, handed one duck to Zhang Qin to eat that night, and sent the other to the Chen family.
That very night, Chen Lishu cut out the lining and sewed it on the sewing machine. The next day, she sorted through the purchased duck feathers again, selecting the softest down.
Chen Lishu spent two consecutive days making a down jacket and a down vest. She tried on the jacket and was very satisfied.
In the afternoon, she made a special trip to the educated youth point. The three of them had already agreed to return to the provincial capital together, so they decided to finalize the time.
"I've already asked the village secretary to mail the admission notices to our home if they arrive at the village."
When they filled out their university applications, they had all written for their notices to be mailed to the village for convenience. With the admission notices about to be sent out, likely after the New Year, she and Wang Tiegang were no longer willing to wait.
"Then let's set the time for eight o'clock tomorrow morning. We'll go to the train station together to buy tickets." Chen Lishu suggested.
Xu Ning and Wang Tiegang had no objections. After agreeing, Chen Lishu headed home.
Knowing that Chen Lishu was leaving, Li Xiulan fried a small bag of sunflower seeds, peanuts, and walnuts for her that evening. The next morning, she specially got up early to steam dumplings with pork and scallion filling for Chen Lishu, and also boiled over a dozen eggs.
"There isn't much good food on the train, so take these to eat on the journey."
Chen Lishu looked at the dumplings and eggs packed in the lunchbox before her, feeling deeply touched.
"Thank you, Mom."
"What are you thanking me for? Be careful on the train. Send us a letter when you arrive. Once the admission notices are out, I'll have Xingping mail them to you."
Chen Lishu nodded, took the items Li Xiulan had packed for her, and headed out to the village entrance to find Xu Ning and Wang Tiegang.
The three of them went directly to the train station in town to buy tickets.
With companions and the excitement of returning home soon, the three of them didn't feel too bored on the journey.