Xiaoxiao entered the house, kicked off her shoes, climbed onto the kang bed without treating herself like an outsider!
"Mom, your room is so much warmer, this kang is really toasty, not like my icy cold one. It's the peak of winter now; can the kang in my room be heated too?" Xiaoxiao said cheerfully!
Her elder and second sisters-in-law thought to themselves that this younger sister-in-law really dared to speak her mind. They were cold too but didn't dare to say so.
"Child, you have had it tough. We don't have enough firewood at home; to save on firewood, everyone gathers in the main house during the day, and only goes back to sleep at night. When it gets colder next month, we'll start heating the kang in each room!" Grandma replied, somewhat embarrassed!
Xiaoxiao was surprised. Didn't they have eleven acres of land? Weren't all those cornstalks and cobs enough for fuel? It seemed the yield was quite low.
"Mom, I'm thinking of adding a stove to my room. Isn't there a room next to mine? I've seen the hole for heating the kang is in the outer room, perfect to build a stove directly. This way, in winter I can also boil water; heating water will warm up the kang too, so it won't be a waste of firewood!"
"Why don't we do the same for the elder and second sisters-in-law's rooms? We can stop cooking in the kitchen and cook on the new stove instead. This way, we'll also warm up the kang by the way, right?"
After hearing this, the elder and second sisters-in-law were quietly delighted; it was a good idea, and they waited for Grandma's response.
"Let's wait for your dad to come back and discuss it then," Grandma said.
"Eh, okay!" Xiaoxiao agreed with a chuckle, thinking that even if they disagreed, she would do it anyway, or else she'd freeze to death!
"Little sister-in-law, what are you making there, cutting the fabric into such small pieces?"
"Oh, I'm making some underpants and vests!"
"What are those?"
"They're clothes you wear close to your body, for daily changing and washing. Otherwise, it's easy to get sick! I need to make several since, in this cold winter, clothes don't dry easily! I'll make some for you too. Later, I'll also make some chest supports for you, and I guarantee big brother and second brother will love how it looks," Xiaoxiao teased, as she mimicked lifting her chest with her hands. The two sisters-in-law blushed at Xiaoxiao's gesture, immediately getting the hint!
Although Xiaoxiao was not good at making outer clothes and had no idea how to do embroidery, making underwear was a different story—it was something she mastered with her hands tied behind her back. That had been Xiaoxiao's profession for seven or eight years; because she loved what she did, she wanted to understand her products better, from material selection to style, from production to sales. Xiaoxiao had learned it all. Friends always said she had too much time on her hands. A small underwear business owner like her didn't need to do the work herself! Xiaoxiao would always retort with a complaint: when selling underwear, she was serious!
"Oh, right, Mom, I still need to go to town. I don't have any toiletries since I came here; I need to buy some. You all can't say I'm wasteful, okay? These are necessities! Just for basins, I need three: for washing my face, feet, and my butt! Last time I didn't think it through and bought a bunch of useless things, really sorry about that!"
"......" Everyone was speechless. This third daughter-in-law was too fussy! Could she really fit in with the Zhang family? Everyone had their doubts!
"It's my negligence, I didn't prepare for you when you arrived. Here, take one hundred coins, and have your elder sister-in-law accompany you on a trip there!"
"Mom, I have money; you don't need to give me any. Besides, I won't hand over all the money I earn in the future either, so I won't use the family's money!"
"......"
Without finishing the underwear, she grabbed her elder sister-in-law and left in the hope of catching the ox cart. She really didn't want to walk!
"Mom, why does the little sister-in-law talk in such an odd way, completely shameless! But that kind of disposition is also good. You can tell she's not cunning, just plain silly."
"It's just you who talks too much, get back to your work!"