Rebirth in 1986: Unforgettable Regrets
Chapter 97 Clearing Inventory (Three More Updates)

Chapter 97: Chapter 97 Clearing Inventory (Three More Updates)

"Then don’t you often get to eat such delicious food?" Zhang Minmin said, her mouth glossy with grease. The food was fried in oil after all, and even though Zhang Hualian tried to drain it for a while to save oil, it was still somewhat greasy.

Tang Jun paused in his actions: "No."

"Why?" Zhang Minmin asked, not understanding, "Doesn’t your mom make food for you?"

"No money," Tang Jun took a bite and continued eating as he answered, "We used to be poor back home, oil was expensive, who would be willing to use it? Only when guests came over could we get a little taste."

Of course, the situation at home has obviously improved now.

Tang Jun didn’t say the latter sentence out loud, but he was very clear about it in his heart. Usually, around the tenth of the month, the meat at home would run out. To eat meat again after that, we’d probably have to wait a while, once a month, managing to eat meat twice was already pretty good, and even then we couldn’t eat to our fill.

But ever since we moved to the county, the opportunities to eat meat at home have increased, especially when my younger uncle comes by, he always brings a pound of meat, or at least some meat with bones.

The meat with bones stewed with radishes tastes really good.

Zhang Minmin clearly didn’t expect this answer.

Zhang Minmin chatted idly with Tang Jun and also came to know some things about Xu Zhenzhen. This Xu Zhenzhen, it seemed like she got along well with Tang Yue, but in reality, it was not the case at all.

Time quickly passed, Zhang Tingyu was the first to finish, followed closely by Tang Yue. After comparing answers with each other, Zhang Tingyu had two mistakes, Tang Yue had one.

"Time to eat." Zhang Hualian carried the food to the table and went to remind them to come for the meal.

"Coming." Zhang Minmin knew Tang Jun’s dad’s cooking was delicious. Especially when she saw Tang Jun’s dad cooking in the kitchen and the scent of food wafted through, Zhang Minmin’s stomach started growling.

If it were her own home or a relative’s home, Zhang Minmin would have slipped into the kitchen to sneak a taste long ago, but since this was someone else’s house where she was a guest, she had to restrain herself over and over. Finally, when it was time to eat, Zhang Minmin ran faster than a rabbit.

"Cough." Zhang Tingyu cleared her throat, really wanting to say she didn’t know this girl.

On the contrary, as if discovering a new world, Tang Yue said, "Tingyu, Zhang Minmin seems quite cute like this."

"Eh?" Zhang Tingyu didn’t understand.

Tang Yue explained, "You see, Zhang Minmin at school usually acts superior, spending every day on dressing up. When she gets displeased, she immediately throws a tantrum. Other than Zhao Yue and the others, really no one can stand her. But right now, she’s just like the girl next door, quite cute."

"If she knew, she would definitely be happy," Zhang Tingyu said helplessly, "She’s famously gluttonous at home, but no matter how much she eats, she never gets fat. Sometimes I wonder how her small belly can hold so much food."

"Tsk tsk, isn’t that great, someone who doesn’t get fat no matter how much they eat is truly blessed."

Tang Yue and Zhang Tingyu, chattering and laughing, washed their hands and sat down for the meal.

Tang Zhengde and Zhang Hualian warmly invited them over to eat. Finally, when Tang Zhengde told them to start eating, Zhang Minmin immediately aimed for the bowl of appetizing braised pork.

Tang Zhengde selected some top-quality pork belly with the perfect balance of fat and meat; one bite and the rich flavor of the pork spread deliciously in the mouth, lighting up Zhang Minmin’s eyes instantly as she praised non-stop how delicious it was.

After trying it herself, Zhang Tingyu realized why Zhang Minmin was so excited; it’s no wonder that someone like her, who always enjoyed eating, would be thrilled to taste such delicious food.

Indeed, she accidentally overate and felt stuffed on the way back. Mr. Zhang came to pick them up, and Zhang Minmin, while rubbing her belly from being so full, had hardly left before she was asking Zhang Tingyu when they could visit the Tang Family for a meal again.

Zhang Minmin: ...

*

This weekend, having finished her tasks, and with the goods for Tang Mingli’s store freshly stocked, Tang Yue set out for Sister Deng’s home. These past few days, she had drawn some new designs, especially for the fabrics that Sister Deng had in stock; if they looked nicer and sold faster, Sister Deng’s inventory would clear out quickly, which meant more cash on hand.

"Xiao Yue, you’re here!" Upon seeing Tang Yue, Deng Lanhua expressed her joy and warmly invited her in, busying herself with serving tea and offering a seat. Her enthusiasm made Tang Yue feel a little embarrassed.

Deng Lanhua brought out two pieces of finished clothing and said, "Xiao Yue, the clothes are ready, but take a look at this pattern—how’s the stitching?"

Tang Yue picked up the clothing to examine it. The brand label was prominently and attractively placed on the left chest area, and the pattern was exactly like the one she had drawn. She asked, "Sister Deng, did you manage to embroider it so well on your first try?"

"Of course not, these fabrics are expensive, and I was afraid of ruining them, so I practiced on plain cloth first," Deng Lanhua explained with a smile, pulling out a piece of cloth and saying, "Look, the earliest ones I embroidered were quite ugly."

"Sister Deng, your hands are truly skillful," Tang Yue commented, feeling that the five yuan paid to Sister Deng seemed a little insufficient. She suspected Deng Lanhua must have worked late into the night just embroidering the labels.

"By the way, Sister Deng, next time, you could embroider the pattern onto a piece of white fabric on the back of the collar. Even if it’s smaller, it won’t be so tiring this way," Tang Yue suggested, picking up some scraps of white fabric, "You see, you can even use these leftover bits and pieces."

"That sounds good, but Xiao Yue, didn’t you want the embroidery to be on the outside?" Deng Lanhua knew that Tang Yue was worried about her getting too tired, so she replied, "It’s alright, I don’t have much else to do anyway."

"Sister Deng, there will be lots of clothes later on. If you put so much effort into embroidering each one, it won’t be worth it," Tang Yue explained, partly considering the difficulty Deng Lanhua might have with embroidery, and also fearing that she might invest too much effort into it.

"Sister Deng, will these clothes sell?" Deng Lanhua, looking at the uniform sizes of the clothing, could tell they were prototypes rather than items for sale.

"Yes, they will," Tang Yue confidently said, "Sister Deng, just concentrate on finishing those clothes. I will display them in the store, and they will sell quickly. Speaking of which, do you have any other fabrics here? I was thinking if we could do the same with them."

Tang Yue handed over the designs she had prepared earlier, "Look, use this kind of fabric for the clothing, and then another kind for the collars to piece together."

Tang Yue carefully explained, making use of most of the fabrics that Deng Lanhua had.

Deng Lanhua had been anxious about not having time to make other clothes, these past few days, she didn’t dare to take on other orders, afraid that she wouldn’t be able to complete the clothes for Tang Yue.

Not taking other orders meant that the leftover fabrics would go unused, essentially tying up money there.

"Xiao Yue, you’re really smart," Deng Lanhua complimented, then hurriedly added, "By the way, come over for dinner at my place tonight, bring your uncle with you. Brother Qi caught a big fish today."