Chapter 35: All You Need Are Hands

However, as someone who had been reborn, Liu Xing was clearly not going to make the mistakes mentioned above. His technique in tying knots was skillful and practiced. Seeing that the edge of the slipper still wasn’t flush with the sole, Liu Xing picked up a hammer and rhythmically tapped the knotted area along the edge dozens of times. He only stopped when the knot was level with the sole.

He glanced at the clock on the wall—it had taken him almost an hour to make this pair of slippers. If he were back in the prefab house before reincarnation, the supervisor would have surely scolded him to death. Of course, the outdated tools he used were partly to blame. If he had proper tools, making such simple slippers would never have taken so long.

Satisfied that there were no quality issues, he beckoned to Gua Zi, who was playing nearby, “Little sister, come here.”

“Coming!” Gua Zi bounced over to Liu Xing’s side.

“Try on the slippers your brother made for you, see if they fit.” Liu Xing slipped the slippers onto her bare feet.

Once they were on, Gua Zi jumped twice on the spot, then stepped on the sharp tips of wild grass by the door. When she felt no discomfort and found the slippers fit perfectly, she happily ran toward the kitchen, “Mama, I have slippers now! Look, look! My brother made them for me, aren’t they pretty?”

Hearing this, Liu Xing felt a deep sense of accomplishment. He shook his head and smiled, then gathered the tools from the floor. Dinner was about to begin, and he couldn’t be making slippers for other family members while they ate. Besides, he was exhausted—he hadn’t rested since arriving at midnight last night. If he kept making slippers, his body wouldn’t hold up. After all, at sixteen or seventeen, he was still growing.

From the kitchen came his mother’s surprised voice and a question, “Gua Zi, did your brother really make these slippers?”

“Yes, he used a tire to make them. Aren’t they nice?” Gua Zi replied cheerfully.

“Let me see—oh, the craftsmanship is quite good!” That was Liu Dongju’s envious voice. She soon emerged from the kitchen, carrying Little Dot, and came to Liu Xing. Seeing his tired face, she said apologetically, “Little brother, go rest first. When you’re rested, I’ll talk to you about important things.”

“I’ll make slippers for Little Dot when I have time, no need for you to ask.” Liu Xing smiled.

“Make a pair for me too!” Liu Dongju whispered.

“All right, everyone in the family will get a pair,” Liu Xing replied.

Since shoes couldn’t be bought even with money at the supply and marketing cooperative, he was determined to use his reborn experience to solve this practical problem.

Zhou Qiuxiang, carrying a pot of taro stewed with ribs, heard Liu Xing’s promise and said, “There’s no rush to make slippers for everyone. Make a pair for your second sister first, since she’ll soon be starting school.”

“Will second sister like the quality and style?” Liu Xing couldn’t help but ask.

“I like them,” Liu Ziran poked her head out the window, her pretty face showing delight. She wasn’t just being polite; she spoke the truth. In the rural eighties, even shoes bought with coupons were either green Liberation brand running shoes or cloth shoes. Either way, they tended to make feet smell bad—a common problem for rural children.

Of course, rural parents didn’t mind their children’s smelly feet. Their own feet were just as smelly. But Liu Ziran was different—she attended No. 8 Middle School.

Apart from a few rural kids who got in through exams, most students were from the city. City kids were generally cleaner, though they too sometimes had smelly feet, but not as bad as rural children. Thus, Liu Ziran faced an awkward situation at school: she never dared take off her shoes, for her feet would smell terribly from being trapped in them. Especially in the dormitory, she wouldn’t dare remove her shoes and wash her feet in front of her roommates. If she slipped up, the stench would be overwhelming.

Naturally, no one’s defenses are perfect. More than once, Liu Ziran’s classmates noticed her smelly feet and teased her about it. Now that Liu Xing could make slippers, she wasn’t about to miss this opportunity. Wearing slippers alternately with cloth shoes, regardless of how they looked, at least her feet wouldn’t smell!

But Liu Xing didn’t agree with his second sister’s preference for slippers. Slippers gave off a lazy image—not suitable for school. So, the next pair he’d make for her would be sandals, so she wouldn’t be thought lazy by classmates or disrespectful by teachers.

However, making sandals…

Liu Xing frowned at the thought. Sandals were much more complex than slippers. Without proper tools, it would be impossible to finish a pair in half a day. But he kept this to himself and looked at Liu Ziran, “Second sister, making shoes isn’t as simple as you think. How about I take you to school early tomorrow morning, and tonight I’ll stay up late to make you a better pair, so you won’t be embarrassed at school?”

“All right,” Liu Ziran agreed. As long as Liu Xing took her to school, it wouldn’t be too late to go in the morning. After all, classes started tomorrow, and today was Sunday, so there was no rush.

Just then, Zhou Qiuxiang realized something odd. She removed her apron and looked at Liu Xing in astonishment, “Kid, when did you learn to make slippers from tires? I had no idea.”

“Does something this simple need to be learned? As long as you have hands,” Liu Xing replied, brushing it off with a smile.

“That’s right, all you need is hands!” Gua Zi, running around the sun-drying yard in her slippers, echoed.

Zhou Qiuxiang shook her head at their words. She didn’t quite believe Liu Xing, but asked no more. After all, the slippers on Gua Zi’s feet did look rather simple.

Seeing her husband, Liu Dazhao, returning from the village office on his bicycle, she called out, “Stop sitting around, everyone. Come to the table—braised pork and taro stew with ribs are ready!”

Little Dot was the first to rush to the table, holding a small bowl and chopsticks, drooling at the braised pork, “Mama, serve me rice! I want five bowls today!”

“This child,” Zhou Qiuxiang laughed and shook her head.

Liu Dongju couldn’t help but laugh, “All right, Mama will serve you rice, but mind your manners. The meat isn’t ours—your uncle worked hard to buy it.”

“When I grow up, I’ll earn money to sell meat, and I’ll feed Uncle too, just not Grandpa and Grandma!” Little Dot slapped the table.

At these words, Liu Dongju’s smile vanished. Zhou Qiuxiang sighed, and as everyone sat at the table, she nudged Liu Dongju, “Don’t dwell on it. All unpleasant things will pass.”

“Ah!” Liu Dongju looked at the sumptuous dishes on the table and felt a pang in her heart. If only her mother-in-law treated her as well as her own family did, Little Dot wouldn’t have uttered such rebellious words!

She hadn’t taught Little Dot anything bad about her in-laws; it was their words and actions that had influenced the child. This couldn’t go on—she was determined to keep Little Dot away from her in-laws, lest he be spoiled beyond repair.

Only now did she realize that splitting from the family might not be so bad. At least Little Dot wouldn’t have to live with his grandparents anymore. The thought cleared her sorrow, and she picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in Liu Xing’s bowl, “Brother, you’ve been working hard lately. Eat more meat.”

“Yes, third brother, eat more!” Liu Ziran also put a piece of braised pork in Liu Xing’s bowl.

“Uncle, eat meat!” Little Dot tried to add meat to Liu Xing’s bowl, but couldn’t manage the chopsticks. After a few tries, he gave up, which made the family smile.

But mealtime was not for talking. After exchanging smiles, the family ate in silence.

Since his return, Liu Dazhao seemed in a bad mood. After finishing a bowl of rice, he went to rest nearby. Zhou Qiuxiang asked casually, “How many coupons did you get from the village office?”

“Don’t mention it—Chief Wang wasn’t there, I didn’t get a single coupon,” Liu Dazhao sighed.

“But there’s the secretary and the accountant! Surely you could get at least one coupon?” Zhou Qiuxiang grew anxious and angry, tossing her chopsticks at Liu Dazhao.

He didn’t dodge, “I saw the secretary, but he said it’s not yet time to issue coupons. His grandson is two and still has no cloth shoes—he’s wearing straw sandals. With that situation, how could I ask the secretary for coupons?”

“But our daughter’s house has no pots or pans. How will she cook or do laundry?” Zhou Qiuxiang asked coldly.

“At worst, she’ll stay with us for now,” Liu Dazhao voiced his thoughts.

“That’s all we can do,” Zhou Qiuxiang realized her tone was off and softened it.

“Dad, Mom, don’t worry about me. Dong Kui and I will think of something,” Liu Dongju stood up, afraid her parents would argue over her troubles, her eyes reddening.

“Sister, why are you crying again? It’s not a big deal. Just give me a few days—I’ll get you pots and pans. I refuse to believe that money can’t buy what we need,” Liu Xing checked the time, “Dad, walk to Wang Dachui’s house this afternoon to help out. Let me borrow the bike—I need to go out.”

“All right,” Liu Dazhao nodded without further questions.

“Where are you going?” Zhou Qiuxiang asked, concerned. She didn’t want her son getting into trouble.

Liu Dongju was worried too, though she said nothing. She guessed Liu Xing was going to the black market in the Eastern Suburbs to see if he could buy pots and pans.