Daily Life in the 70s
Chapter 235 Buying Furniture

Chapter 235: Chapter 235 Buying Furniture

Yang PeiMin had been busy like a squirrel these past few days, making several trips to the county town, and had finally managed to give the house a decent look.

She had moved the iron frame bed she had been sleeping in to the guest room and replaced it with a 1.8-meter wide bed in her bedroom, which she had bought along with the sofa and chairs from the county town. Though she sorely missed memory foam mattresses which weren’t available here, she was pleasantly surprised to find a palm mattress, reportedly still used in hospitals, made from natural materials that were safe and comfortable, which meant she no longer had to sleep on a hard board bed.

She had bought almost all the furniture necessary to make it feel like a home, but the money had been spent like water. Even the one thousand yuan given to her by Shen Yiguang had nearly halved, and with her current lack of income, she felt insecure.

As she moved the furniture, some nosy neighbors couldn’t help but gossip behind her back. "I heard Camp Commander Shen also came from a rural area, I bet her parents must be rich, otherwise how could they afford her constant rearranging?"

"Isn’t it obvious? His wife doesn’t look like she’s from the countryside at all. Hey, she even has a sofa there, all brand new. Let’s find time to visit her."

"You’re so eager! Who doesn’t know that the Shen sister-in-law is generous? I heard that Coordinator Lu’s wife got close to her, and her kids often got snacks from her."

Mrs. Cui stepped out of her house just in time to join in and asked, "Really? Oh dear, that Mrs. Shen, we used to be neighbors before... we have that old connection..."

Seeing her join, the others stopped talking and quickly made excuses to leave.

Mrs. Cui smirked to herself and turned back into her house.

Seeing Du Juanjuan coming out of her house, Mrs. Cui’s face instantly lit up like a chrysanthemum. "Oh Shao Family’s wife, you’re here, how thoughtful of you to check on my ungrateful daughter-in-law. Are you leaving already? Why not stay a bit longer and have dinner with us?"

Du Juanjuan glanced at her and dismissively lifted her chin, "No."

Watching her react as if dodging the plague, Mrs. Cui couldn’t help but spit in disdain, "Putting on airs, damn pretentious..." Despite her words, she quickened her pace, taking two steps at a time, and hurried into her daughter-in-law’s room. Seeing Gao Hong sitting on the bed, lost in thought, she asked irritably, "What in the world is going on? Why did that woman from the Shao Family come to see you?" Meanwhile, her eyes swept around like searchlights, checking if anything new had appeared in the room.

Three days had passed since Gao Hong’s suicide attempt, and her mood had finally stabilized. She hadn’t mentioned suicide anymore but was neither going out nor working, just lying in bed waiting to be fed. Mrs. Cui, having been reeducated by the folks and asked by her son, had begrudgingly taken care of her for a few days.

Now, reaching the peak of her repressed anger, she demanded, "What did she say? Did she bring you any benefits?"

Juanjuan also did not know what was going on. There was little interaction between the two families, even when they met and greeted her, she was usually unwilling to engage. Suddenly, she showed up at their home, miraculously claiming she came to help counsel her daughter-in-law. Later, no one knew what she had said, but her troublesome daughter-in-law stopped threatening to commit suicide. Soon after, good words about Juanjuan spread outside, praising her as a loving, enthusiastic person who united neighbors and was a role model among military wives.

Yang Peimin was perplexed; she felt that not even Juanjuan’s own mother believed her daughter would do such a thing. Therefore, Mrs. Cui suspected there was something fishy about Juanjuan; otherwise, she might have bribed her daughter-in-law to stop her from committing suicide just to boost her reputation.

Gao Hong nodded and opened her palm to show two one-yuan bills.

Mrs. Cui snatched them immediately, her eyes flashing as she stared, "Is this all you got?"

Gao Hong nodded again, "I wouldn’t dare to deceive Mrs. Cui."

Nor would she risk further trouble, Mrs. Cui nodded contentedly, still muttering, "Why didn’t you ask her for more, after all, a life is at stake."

Gao Hong kept silent for a moment, then asked about her recent conversation with someone outside, having faintly heard it from inside the room.

Considering the money involved, Mrs. Cui was willing to gossip a bit, "It’s about that lavish daughter-in-law of the Shen family upstairs, taking the opportunity while her man is not home to practically empty the family’s saving for fancy furniture."

Meanwhile, Pei Min thought of her financial struggles to refill the drained money. Fortunately that day, Shen Yiqiu sent her a letter, initially asking her to send some samples, then explaining that the store increased its orders due to good sales. She had to hire two more helpers, but she still found it overwhelming since she couldn’t dedicate full time to it. This led to many mistakes, causing the store to return the merchandise for corrections involving labor and fabrics, which cost her the previously earned money.

Her mother-in-law then advised her to stop, to stick to her stable factory job, as the growing business unnerved her; she earned money but was unsure if policies might change, risking speculation which could cost lives. Despite their advice, Yiqiu, unwilling to give up yet unsupported by her family and still having a solid job, decided not to take more orders from the stores. She would only do individual pieces without hiring anyone, using her free time, and mentioned that Pei Min could send her some drafts if free or not to worry if she wasn’t, as she was fine managing with previous orders.

Reading the letter, Pei Min shook her head.

She felt sorry for Yiqiu; policies were relaxing now, and the apparel industry was booming. Yiqiu must have felt it too; initially, her plans for managing shipments were meticulous and astute. Yiqiu seemed a natural businesswoman, but less than three months in, she backed out.

But Pei Min understood, old policies had frightened her; having a job felt like holding a secure lifeline, and she didn’t want to take risks.

Pei Min set down the letter and promptly wrote a reply. Everyone has their choices, and since Yiqiu chose to step back, there wasn’t much she could say. As to the drafting issue, it was not sustainable; sewing details like fabric cuts and how they fit the wearer were crucial and had not been thoroughly considered. Perhaps wearing the garments could backfire. She would still send drawings, but not many as her memory too had its limits. The rest was for Yiqiu to figure out, considering communicating matters weren’t ideal. After all, not earning from a piece but losing money on communication was a real loss.

Once the letter was ready, she sent it from the military communications office.