Chapter 75: Aunt Wang's Kindness

Most of the villagers gathered here were elderly women, though there were also young wives and unmarried girls among them. They had come together, chatting quietly in the sun-drenched threshing yard, and when their conversation turned lively, their faces would break into simple, heartfelt smiles.

A round-faced young wife saw Liu Xing leading Liu Qiuyuan and Liu Dongju out and hurried over to greet them. "Surprised, aren't you? I’ve come back again," she said cheerfully. "They all wanted to come to your house to buy shoes but didn’t know the way, so I brought them along," she explained, gesturing at the villagers gathered on the threshing yard.

"Next time I come to buy shoes, you must give me a discount!" she reminded Liu Xing, seeing his bewildered expression.

"Of course, of course!" Liu Xing nodded.

"Then I'll head home now," she said, turning onto the country road. She had wanted to stay to see the excitement, but it was nearly time to prepare lunch at home, so she decided it was best to leave for now.

Liu Xing watched her go, then hurriedly invited the villagers who had come to buy shoes into the main hall.

One aunt, her temples streaked with grey, was delighted to see the floor of the hall covered with slippers and sandals. She stepped forward and took Liu Xing's hand. "Xing, you really amount to something now! I remember when you were a little rascal, sneaking up my mulberry tree to steal fruit. In the blink of an eye, you’ve taught yourself to make shoes and help support your family. Remarkable!"

"Aunt Wang, please don't bring up my embarrassing childhood," Liu Xing replied with a wry smile. "Is your dog still alive? It bit my leg so badly back then that the bone showed!"

"You mean Laifu? He died long ago. These days, we can barely feed ourselves, let alone keep a dog," Aunt Wang sighed. "I want to buy a pair of shoes for my granddaughter. She’s in second grade—do you have shoes her size?"

"I should," Liu Xing said, noticing that the other villagers were orderly, waiting quietly in the corner. "What size does your granddaughter wear? For school, sandals are best; slippers aren’t suitable."

"She wears size 32," Aunt Wang replied, her face lighting up at the mention of her granddaughter.

Clearly, this granddaughter was a treasure to her, judging by her expression.

Liu Xing bent down to find a pair of sandals, but Liu Dongju asked, "Aunt Wang, your skill in making shoe soles is well known in Rice Blossom Village. If you buy some thread and shoe materials from the supply and marketing cooperative, couldn’t you make several pairs for your granddaughter yourself? Why come here to buy?"

Liu Qiuyuan shared the same curiosity. Of course, he had never made shoe soles himself, so he didn’t know the inside story.

Aunt Wang shook her head. "You think I don’t want to make shoes for my granddaughter? The key is, without ration tickets, you can’t buy anything at the supply and marketing cooperative! Take shoe materials and fabric—before, you could use scraps from home, but now, people in the countryside can’t even buy clothes for themselves, let alone have leftover fabric!"

"If you buy from the cooperative, the price is higher than buying a ready-made pair, and you still need ration tickets," a short aunt chimed in.

"I see," Liu Dongju said, suddenly understanding.

Liu Xing felt the same way. Before 1953, rural women at home could use needle and thread to make their own shoe soles. Back then, ration tickets weren’t yet in use; as long as you had money, you could buy whatever you needed, at least daily necessities weren’t restricted.

But after 1953, things changed. Everything required ration tickets. Without them, money was useless.

In the first few years, all sorts of tickets were still distributed adequately to rural areas. Later, for various reasons, fewer and fewer tickets were issued to the countryside. In some remote places, you might not see a single ticket all year.

So farmers had to rely on their own hands to be self-sufficient. But things like thread, fabric, matches—household essentials—couldn’t be produced on the farm.

This created a strange situation: many farming families didn’t even have clothes to wear.

In summer and winter, they went barefoot. Those better off could buy a few pairs of straw sandals. If you were less fortunate, or suffered illness, you might not even have enough to eat, let alone clothes.

Of course, such cases were rare and didn’t represent everyone, but the shortage of fabric in rural areas was a persistent reality.

That’s why Aunt Wang, despite her skill in making shoe soles, had no materials to use.

In the end, it all came down to policy. The policies themselves were good, but some unscrupulous merchants—namely, the old men at the supply and marketing cooperative—monopolized scarce ration tickets for profit.

That’s how things ended up as they were.

But Liu Xing knew that, though this phenomenon was especially prominent in the early 1980s, it wouldn’t last long. Once the policy of reform and opening up was implemented, such shameful behavior would be swept away by the tide of the times.

By using his rebirth’s knowledge to make shoes from old tires—products monopolized by the supply and marketing cooperative—he was, in a sense, challenging the old era and working for the benefit of the rural people.

Of course, there were risks, but his memories from rebirth could help him quietly resolve them.

With these thoughts, Liu Xing smiled and handed Aunt Wang a pair of size 32 sandals. "You’re in luck—there’s only one pair in that size left."

"Oh, wonderful! How much are they?" Aunt Wang asked, delighted.

"Children’s sandals are four yuan, adults’ are five," Liu Xing announced, glancing around at everyone in the hall. The previous group of villagers hadn’t complained about the price, and he was confident this group wouldn’t either.

As expected, "Ah, not expensive at all. The craftsmanship and quality are worth it," Aunt Wang said, counting out a thick stack of ration tickets and coins, then handed four yuan to Liu Xing. "Xing, take the money. I won’t accept your shoes for free."

Liu Xing hesitated, staring at the thick wad of tickets. He knew Aunt Wang must have saved them up for a long time through thrift and hard work. Accepting them felt weighty.

Liu Dongju, seeing Liu Xing’s hesitation, stepped forward and took the money. "Aunt Wang, I’ll accept it on my brother’s behalf. When his shoe shop opens in the market, if you come to support him, you’ll definitely get a discount."

"Good! Good!" Aunt Wang said, beaming. If her family weren’t so tight, she would have bought more pairs today.

After all, buying shoes from Liu Xing required no ration tickets, and the price was fair.

Hearing that Liu Xing would open a shoe shop in the market, and that she’d get a discount, Aunt Wang was genuinely surprised—and pleased.

The other villagers, seeing Aunt Wang buy the shoes she wanted, hurried to surround Liu Xing, afraid they might miss out, each reporting their sizes and styles.

The lively scene made Liu Dongju very happy. But, worried that too many people might lead to arguments or accidents, she pulled Liu Xing out of the crowd and said, "Everyone, please queue up. One at a time. There are seventy or eighty pairs of shoes in the house!"

"Yes, one at a time," Liu Xing echoed.

At this, everyone quieted down and smiled as they lined up.

Liu Xing began helping the first young wife pick out shoes, while Liu Qiuyuan and Liu Dongju handled the payments and change.

Guazi and Little Dot helped by bringing tea, pouring water, and moving chairs for the villagers who’d bought shoes.

After all, these customers were villagers from nearby, and while they might not know each other's names, everyone was familiar.

Aunt Wang, having bought her shoes, was charmed by Guazi’s behavior and couldn’t resist picking her up. Seeing Zhou Qiuxiang busy cooking lunch in the kitchen, she went over. "Qiuxiang, hard at work?"

"Oh, Aunt Wang, what brings you here today?" Zhou Qiuxiang looked up in surprise, her eyes smiling.

"Came to buy shoes," Aunt Wang said, raising the sandals in her hand. She glanced at the stove, where half a bowl of boiled pork and fine ribs were being stir-fried, and was taken aback, setting down her handful of peanuts. "You have meat for lunch now?"

"No, it’s just that Xing has made a bit of money lately, so we’re improving our meals," Zhou Qiuxiang replied modestly.

"Well, that’s better than my household or any others nearby," Aunt Wang said enviously, surveying the kitchen. Seeing only Guazi present, she lowered her voice. "Does your Xing have a sweetheart yet? If not, how about I match him with my niece?"

Liu Xing’s family now lived so well that whoever married in would surely enjoy a good life. She wanted to seize the opportunity before it was too late.

"Ah?" Zhou Qiuxiang was taken aback, then felt a headache coming on. "Your niece is older than my Xing. That won’t do. Even if I agreed, Xing wouldn’t."

"A little older is nothing—older women are worth their weight in gold!" Aunt Wang urged.

"Is it just a little? She’s the same age as my Dongju," Zhou Qiuxiang couldn’t help pointing out.

"How do you know that?" Aunt Wang asked, embarrassed.

"They’re classmates with my Dongju—how could I not know?" Zhou Qiuxiang, worried Aunt Wang might persist in matchmaking, quickly added, "Besides, your niece must weigh over a hundred pounds, right? My son likes slim figures. He wouldn’t like someone too heavy."

"Oh, not over a hundred—just about ninety," Aunt Wang said, but thinking of her niece’s ‘size,’ she doubted her own words.

With an awkward laugh, she continued, "Forget it, forget it. My niece isn’t a good match for your Xing. He’s handsome and skilled. How about I speak to Liu Fasheng’s family? Their daughter is lovely and in her third year of junior high!"

"No need! Liu Fasheng’s daughter hasn’t even left the area yet—she’s one of our own Liu family," Zhou Qiuxiang replied, rolling her eyes and laughing. "Stop changing the subject. Stay for lunch, and we can have a good chat."

She knew Aunt Wang meant well, though she could be a bit talkative.

In truth, Zhou Qiuxiang also wanted to find a suitable bride for Liu Xing, so she invited Aunt Wang to stay for lunch.

"No need—I’m afraid if I eat meat at your house, I won’t sleep tonight," Aunt Wang said, pinching Guazi’s cheek, then left with a smile.

Zhou Qiuxiang didn’t try to keep her; with so many people in the hall, it wouldn’t be fair to treat one differently from the rest.

So it was best to treat everyone equally.

...

Thank you, everyone, for your daily votes of support, and thanks to 20181103145659533 for the hundred-point reward. Incidentally, I recommend a book by an old author, "Divine Animal Live Streaming." It’s quite good—check it out if you have time.