Free Days in Siheyuan

Chapter 194 Needlework

The east side of their house is easy to say, the neighbors on the east side have a large family, and there is no shortage of labor to sweep the snow, so they don't need to sweep too far, they just need to sweep together with the neighbors.

But there is a longer distance to the west. There are two old people living on the west side of them.

The two old people have no children, and they are not too young. They are easy to fall when they step on the snow, but the old people of this age cannot fall. If they fall, they may not be able to get up again.

So the few people not only cleaned up the road, but also helped the two old people clean up the snow in the yard.

The two old people were old and their legs and feet were not very good. Seeing that they had swept the yard clean, they came to them with a tray and walked a little staggeringly: "Thanks to you, otherwise our two old bones would only I can look at it, I can’t sweep it anymore, I can’t sweep it anymore, thanks to you!”

After speaking, he looked at Zhang Yu and Xie Xiaohui who were following him, and pulled them hard again, and gave them a bag full of melon seeds from the tray.

While pretending, he said: "I got a few hairs in the courtyard this year, and I picked up a lot. Isn't it the Chinese New Year soon? After tidying up, they will all be fried. Try it, taste it. How about it?" Sample?"

Because the old man was old and his attitude was very firm, the two of them didn't dare to push and push, for fear of bumping into the old man.

The two old people had no children because of the war, so they were very kind to the children nearby.

The two old people also came from the chaotic era before, and they are also people who are used to living a hard life. They are usually reluctant to eat anything delicious.

But every year, some snacks such as Maoke are planted in the yard. As long as there are children coming over, they will more or less pack some for the children to make them sweet.

After sweeping the snow, the women also prepared all the meals when they got home. After eating a hot meal, the family went about their own business.

The women occupy a large kang by themselves, gather together to store shoe soles, and put on quilts and cotton-padded clothes.

In this era without machines, people are dressed from head to toe by women stitch by stitch.

Even if there is a sewing machine, it is also a patent of a few people. At least in Zhang Yu's memory, even in Beijing, sewing machines are rarely seen.

So at this time, needlework has become a must-have skill for every woman. Many people will ask how women's needlework is when they talk about their marriage.

Good needlework can bring great benefits to a woman's marriage.

At this time, when a matchmaker is a matchmaker, when mentioning a girl, the biggest compliment is to say: "The needlework is very good, and life is absolutely no problem."

At this time, men, women and children wear cotton clothes made by themselves.

Homemade cotton coats are soft and warm.

At this time, the technique of making cotton clothes was taught by mothers to their daughters and passed on from generation to generation.

When a girl grows up, she sees her mother making cotton-padded quilts a lot, and by the time she learns this, she will be able to do it.

The first aunt's craftsmanship is famous in the neighborhood, and the second aunt's craftsmanship is not as good as that of the first aunt, but it is also good.

Today, I just took advantage of my free time to give some pointers to the juniors below.

"Learn well from your aunt. Ni aunt's handicraft is one of the best in ten miles and eight villages. Others can't learn it if they want to." Hu Anmei nodded her daughter's head with her finger, signaling her to study hard and not to be distracted.

"Mom, can you learn some other work, I really can't do this needlework!" Xie Xiaoyan asked pitifully.

"You also said, look at what kind of work you are doing? You see, if you are asked to make a pair of cotton trousers, you have sewed both legs into one." Hu Anmei took another look at the work done by her daughter. The popularity is about to jump up.

A good pair of cotton trousers, new cloth bought this year, I was afraid that she would not know how to cut or sew, so I cut them out for her, and placed them on the kang in order, but I didn’t expect that I would lose them in the blink of an eye. If you don't see the kung fu, you can make it like this.

"Mother, I really can't learn this. Look at my hand." Xie Xiaoyan stretched out her hand towards her mother. It was pierced with five or six needle holes, some of which were still dripping with blood.

Xie Xiaoyan didn't know what was wrong, a light needle seemed to be very heavy in her hand, each stitch required a lot of effort, and it couldn't be sewed straight, a thread was crooked.

Hu Anmei looked at the crooked thread and the cotton trousers sewn into one leg and wanted to get angry, but when she saw her daughter's pinched hands that she couldn't bear to look at, and the traces of blood on the cotton trousers, she couldn't bear it anymore.

"Go, go, get out of the way quickly, don't waste my things anymore, you see I have a good cotton trousers for you to sew, really, it's better to do it myself." He took the horrible pair of cotton trousers, took them apart and sewed them, and after a while, a pair of straight cotton trousers came out.

"Look, isn't this very simple? I'm not too old, so I'll sew it out in a while? Tell me, what's so difficult about it?" He sighed again: "I remember when I It’s useless to learn needlework, I’ll be able to watch your grandma do it a few times, how did you become like this when I came to you, who are you like?”

"But I really can't sew. Compared to sitting here and doing needlework, I would rather go out to fetch water and chop firewood, and I don't even want to touch needles if I don't work in the field." Xie Xiaoyan said with a bitter face.

"I can do for you now, I am willing to do as much as you want, but after you get married, can I still do these jobs for you?"

Hu Anmei shook her head while talking, and looked at her daughter with hateful eyes, "I'm worried about you, it's just your needlework, you can't even make a patch, what will you do after you get married? ah!

At that time, I will still have to chase after your ass, and chase you to your in-law's house to do these needlework for you, and you will see that your mother-in-law won't miss you to death..."

"Mother, I don't want to get married. I will rely on you for the rest of my life." Xie Xiaoyan blushed when she heard what her mother said, and kept acting like a spoiled child while holding one of her mother's arms.

"You!" Hu Anmei was laughed at by her own daughter, and nodded her head helplessly, "All right, all right, stay at home for the rest of your life, and be an old lady."

Hu Anmei's words made the surrounding people laugh out loud.

"Xie Xiaohui, what are you laughing at? What's so funny?" Xie Xiaoyan looked around, and angrily asked her brother who was the most bullied.

"I didn't laugh, I didn't laugh, I didn't laugh, how could I laugh at you, you are my sister, you must have read it wrong, hahahaha!"

(End of this chapter)