The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 20 - 19: Making Cotton-Padded Clothes

Now that they had cotton, Xue Yue planned to make cotton-padded jackets first.

But while Xue Yue could cook, she really didn’t know how to make clothes.

She’d rarely had the chance to make new clothes before. Sometimes, a whole year would pass without her getting a single new outfit.

So, Xue Yue went to find Mrs. He.

"Mother, He Lang brought back some cotton. I want to make padded jackets, but I don’t know how."

"Don’t worry. Bring it over, and I’ll teach you."

Xue Yue quickly gathered the cotton and fabric from her room and carried it all to Mrs. He’s.

Mrs. He examined the cotton and nodded. "This is good cotton."

Xue Yue wanted to make a new jacket for herself, then take apart her old one to add more cotton. After that, she would make one for He Lang. If there was any left over, she wanted to make one for her older brother, too. Xue Xingzhou only had one thin padded jacket, which he wore all winter long.

Xue Yue told Mrs. He her plan, and Mrs. He nodded.

"There’s enough cotton here. From what I’ve seen, your brother’s build is similar to our third son’s. If we make it to his measurements, it’ll surely be a good fit."

For the next two days, Xue Yue stayed in Mrs. He’s room, learning to make clothes. Aside from cooking and sleeping, she spent all her time there instead of her own room.

He Lang wanted to say something, but after a moment’s thought, he held his tongue.

Until one night, after He Lang and Xue Yue had already gone to bed, a knock came at the door.

It sounded like Mr. He went out to ask who it was, and then Xue Xingzhou’s voice followed.

"Uncle, it’s me. I’m looking for He Lang."

Xue Xingzhou stood at the courtyard gate, not coming inside.

Xue Yue and He Lang heard Xue Xingzhou’s voice as well.

"It’s my brother," Xue Yue said, looking outside.

"Yeah, I heard him. I’ll go see what’s up." He Lang quickly sat up and got dressed.

He opened the door and went out, seeing that his older brother, He Nan, had also come out.

"Brother, what brings you here so late?" He Lang asked, looking at Xue Xingzhou and noticing his clothes were a bit dirty.

Xue Xingzhou looked at He Lang, his eyes flickering.

He Lang understood instantly. He turned to Mr. He and He Nan and said, "Dad, Big Brother, you two should go back to bed."

Mr. He nodded and went back to his room. He Nan glanced at Xue Xingzhou before heading back as well.

Only then did Xue Xingzhou explain to He Lang what had happened. It turned out he had killed a wild boar on the mountain that afternoon. He couldn’t carry it down by himself, so he had no choice but to hide it well and wait until nightfall, when no one was around, to get He Lang to help him bring it down.

He Lang was stunned when he heard Xue Xingzhou’s story.

Xue Xingzhou was about the same size as him, yet he had managed to kill a wild boar all by himself.

Still, He Lang didn’t dare to delay. "Wait here. I’ll go inside and tell Yue’er."

"Alright."

He Lang went back inside but didn’t dare tell Xue Yue about her brother killing a wild boar. He just said her brother needed him for something, that he had to go out for a bit, and then he left.

Xue Yue watched from the courtyard. ’What could have happened? Why would my brother come looking for He Lang so late at night?’

After He Lang left, he didn’t return all night.

He didn’t come back until the following afternoon.

When he returned, he didn’t say a word, simply collapsing onto the bed and falling asleep.

Xue Yue saw how utterly exhausted He Lang looked. A moment later, she heard him snoring.

Xue Yue sighed, took off He Lang’s shoes for him, and draped a piece of clothing over his stomach. Letting him sleep, she went back to Mrs. He’s place.

"Our third son is back?"

Xue Yue nodded. "I don’t know what he and my brother were up to. He came back and fell right asleep, without even taking off his shoes."

Mrs. He looked like she’d seen it all before. "Don’t mind them. Just let them do their thing."

When Xue Yue finished the clothes and came back, she saw He Lang was still asleep, so she went to make dinner first.

He Lang was woken by the aroma of food.

He opened his eyes and saw a kerosene lamp lit on the kang table. Xue Yue was sitting there, her chin propped in one hand, watching the flame. The lamplight cast a golden glow around her entire figure.

He Lang watched her for a long time, until she finally looked over at him.

"You’re awake?"

Only then did He Lang lower his gaze and sit up.

He realized it was already pitch-black outside.

The dishes on the table were covered with bowls to keep them warm.

"You should eat first."

He Lang grunted in acknowledgment. He watched as Xue Yue uncovered the dishes: cured meat stir-fried with garlic shoots, flash-fried bok choy, and steamed buns made from a two-grain flour blend.

He Lang got off the kang to wash his hands, then sat back down and started eating a steamed bun.

"Have you eaten already?" He Lang asked when he saw Xue Yue wasn’t eating.

"Yes. I thought you’d sleep until midnight."

Xue Yue poured a bowl of water and placed it in front of him.

Only then did she ask about last night.

"What? My brother killed a wild boar, and you two took it to the black market to sell?"

He Lang nodded. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"How is that possible? My brother killed a wild boar by himself? And you took him to the black market?" Xue Yue couldn’t believe her brother had killed a boar. Plus, he was being far too bold. ’How could he have gone to the black market?’

’He Lang could hardly believe it himself. If he hadn’t seen the two arrows—whittled from tree branches—stuck in the boar’s head on the mountain, or the bow in Xue Xingzhou’s hand, He Lang would have thought he’d completely underestimated his brother-in-law, who was five years his junior.’

Especially when they were on the mountain cutting the meat into large chunks. He had suggested selling some of it at the black market, and Xue Xingzhou hadn’t shown the slightest surprise.

He Lang figured Xue Xingzhou had probably long since guessed about his dealings in the black market.

However, He Lang’s connections at the black market were complicated, so the two of them didn’t ask for help. They took the meat there and sold it themselves. They only came back after they’d sold it all this afternoon.

"You have no idea, that boar weighed at least 270 or 280 jin. We couldn’t possibly eat it all, so it was better to trade it for some money. Other than the black market, there was no other way."

Xue Yue was thoroughly shocked.

He Lang continued, "Your brother still has several dozen jin of meat, plus the pig’s head. He told us to go get some. I’ll make another trip tomorrow."

Xue Yue took a moment to recover. "I’ll go with you. Besides, the padded jacket I made for my brother is finished. I can take it to him and pickle some vegetables for him."

He Lang nodded.

After He Lang finished eating, Xue Yue brought out the new padded jacket she had made for him.

For both He Lang’s and Xue Xingzhou’s jackets, Xue Yue had used the dark green fabric. The two were identical, and Mrs. He had even sewn two pockets onto them.

He Lang glanced at it. "I’m going to go wash up. I’ll try it on when I get back."

He Lang was tall and looked thin, but he was still muscular underneath his clothes.

"Hm, it’s the perfect size. Very warm. I can wear this in the winter," He Lang said, having put on the jacket.

Xue Yue looked at He Lang, thinking the dark green color made him look even more handsome.

When they lay down to sleep, Xue Yue stared at the ceiling for a long time. She knew He Lang wasn’t asleep either.

After hesitating for a while, she finally spoke. "He Lang, all those things you bought before... you got them at the black market, didn’t you?"

A moment later, she heard He Lang’s soft grunt of affirmation.

Xue Yue pursed her lips and turned to look at He Lang, only to find him already looking at her.

"He Lang, what’s the black market like?"

He Lang looked at Xue Yue. "The black market is just a place for trade. Some people go there to sell things, others go to buy. Everyone gets what they need. There’s nothing shameful about it, really. It’s just that the current circumstances don’t allow it, so everyone has to be secretive. But actually, the authorities know about it. They haven’t officially banned it; they just turn a blind eye. After all, everyone has things they need but can’t buy. I don’t think this situation will last for long. Sooner or later, the general environment will allow us to trade freely."

"I heard that if you get caught, you’ll be arrested and sent for reform." This was what worried Xue Yue the most.

He Lang nodded. "Right. Sometimes the police come in to make arrests, but usually they don’t. Unless someone reports it, then the police will respond. They’ll catch some of the small-time sellers and arrest them. Mostly, they just get a lecture and are locked up for a few days for disturbing public order, or they get fined. You’re only sent for reform if large sums of money are involved. But everyone is very careful."

Seeing Xue Yue fall silent, He Lang knew she was worried about him.

"Don’t worry, I don’t go often. And you know, when I do go, it’s at night. I’m always back before dawn."

What He Lang didn’t say was that for his black market dealings, he never sold the goods himself. He always had someone else do it for him.