Chapter 21: Clothes in the Supermarket

Sun Ying was furious, smoke practically pouring from her seven orifices, yet she dared not utter a single word. She feared Su Qiao would report her to higher authorities, accusing her of abusing power for personal gain, which would cost her her job.

Su Qiao said calmly, “I was just about to do that.”

The director of the Youth Office saw Su Qiao’s sharp gaze and was afraid she might lose her temper right there. She clearly noticed the heavy satchel Su Qiao carried—it looked like it contained a cleaver. But after all, Su Qiao was a cook, so carrying a cleaver wasn’t illegal.

Still, feeling uneasy, the director quickly stood up and took Su Qiao by the arm, leading her out. “Comrade Su Qiao, I’ll accompany you to the Street Office. That way, we can expedite the process of settling Comrade Fang Xiaoying’s household registration.”

“Alright, thank you!”

With the director’s company, every traffic light turned green for them. It took only half an hour to complete Fang Xiaoying’s household registration. Su Qiao hadn’t expected such efficiency in these times.

After the director saw her out, Su Qiao still felt as though it were unreal. But the new page in the household register with the name on it confirmed everything was true.

She wandered aimlessly for two hundred meters before a dizzy realization struck her: she needed to go to the hospital to see her daughter.

Then she thought of Xiaoying still wearing that one set of clothes and sighed at her own lack of foresight.

There were no clothes at home that Xiaoying could wear, and even if she made some now, it would be too late. Besides, there were no fabric coupons at home either, so even if she wanted to trade for some, she didn’t know whom to ask.

After all, in these times, every household was short of fabric coupons.

In desperation, Su Qiao remembered her secret weapon. She quickly turned a corner and entered a supermarket with purpose.

Once inside, she headed straight to the women’s clothing department on the second floor. At the sportswear counter, she picked out a set of conservative white sports underwear, then visited a brand she had liked in the past, selecting a pure cotton white shirt with a small doll collar, paired with black straight-leg trousers, black flat shoes, and white cotton socks.

Su Qiao tore off all the tags and examined the outfit carefully. She thought this combination would be suitable for Fang Xiaoying to wear outside. Then she went to the loungewear section.

From the discounted loungewear, she chose the most modest set of long-sleeved top and long pants, before proceeding to the appliance floor.

There was a sample washing machine with water and electricity hooked up—a rinse and dry all-in-one. Except for the black trousers and flat shoes, Su Qiao washed every piece of clothing thoroughly.

Feeling the dry clothes, faintly scented with floral fragrance, she folded each item neatly and packed them into a bag with no brand markings.

...

Fang Xiaoying felt as though there were bugs crawling all over her body, the itch unbearable. She wanted to go home and bathe, but her brother was with her.

He was already a grown young man, and she was too shy to ask.

Just as her hand instinctively reached to scratch her back, the hospital room door opened from outside.

Fang Xiaofeng, who had been dazed in the corridor, pulled Su Qiao inside.

“Mom—”

“Ah!”

“Mom...”

“Come, let me help you up to take a bath.”

Fang Xiaoying, realizing she could finally bathe, was so happy she forgot about her dizziness.

“Careful,” Su Qiao reached out to steady her daughter.

“I know. Mom, where are we going to bathe?”

“To the hospital’s bathhouse.”

“Is that open to the public?”

“Officially no. Like our mechanical factory, only employees and their families can enter with a ticket.”

“What then?”

“Everything runs on favors,” Su Qiao whispered, slipping a dime to the gatekeeper auntie, who then let them in. Before letting them enter, she reminded them repeatedly to only use one showerhead and not waste water.

Su Qiao promised politely and led her daughter inside.

It was working hours, so the bathhouse was nearly empty. Mother and daughter enjoyed a long, satisfying hot bath.

“Mom, I’m so glad you came today. If you hadn’t, I’d have scratched my back raw.”

“I went straight to bed as soon as I got home last night and completely forgot about your bathing and changing clothes.”

“That’s not your fault, Mom.”

“I had breakfast, then went to the Youth Office first thing, and only after your household registration was done did I feel relieved.”

“Mom, it really got settled.”

“Mm.”

“Mom, it still feels like a dream.”

“When the Youth Office director saw me out, I also felt like I was dreaming. It took me several looks at the household register to believe it was real.”

“Mom—”

“Don’t cry, sweetheart. I bought you new clothes. Our Xiaoying will be as pretty as ever.”

“Thank you, Mom.”

“Here, let me dry your hair.” Su Qiao helped dry her daughter’s hair and then dressed her in the sports underwear.

It was the first time Fang Xiaoying had seen such pure white undershirt and briefs. The style was very pretty but a bit embarrassing. “Mom...”

“Oh my, where did you get such lovely underwear?” two girls who had just entered the dressing room saw the underwear on Fang Xiaoying and immediately liked them.

Fang Xiaoying hadn’t expected anyone to come in at that moment. Embarrassed, she hugged herself and hid behind her mother.

Su Qiao, knowing this wasn’t the time to be shy, answered confidently: “A relative of ours brought them from Shanghai. Pretty, right?”

“Pretty! Are there more? Can you share a set with me?”

“Yes, me too! Whatever the price.”

“These are a bit pricey,” Su Qiao said, hoping to discourage them.

“How pricey?”

“Eight yuan eighty cents a set, plus two fabric coupons.” Su Qiao intended this price to scare them off.

“Eight eighty is a bit steep,” the two girls muttered, thinking that with eight eighty they could buy a nice pair of bloomers, and hesitated.

Su Qiao had no intention of selling; she didn’t want to bring trouble on herself. She helped her daughter put on the loungewear and prepared to return to the ward.

“Hey, what are those clothes she’s wearing? That set looks really nice.”

“That’s loungewear, also brought from a relative in Shanghai.”

“Loungewear?”

“Yes, clothes worn at home. See, they’re comfortable and presentable.”

“Loungewear...” the two girls silently repeated the words.

“Exactly! Clothes you wear at home. Look, these don’t reveal anything, so even if guests come over, you won’t feel awkward.”

The two girls thought about the clothes they wore at home and felt uneasy.

In these times, every family had many children, brothers and sisters alike. Girls wouldn’t wear anything too casual at home to avoid gossip.

At this season, they wore long sleeves and long pants even at home. They certainly wouldn’t imitate their mothers, wandering around in just undershirts and briefs.

Otherwise, with a single “tsk tsk tsk,” their whole lives would be dissected by gossipmongers.

And their lives would be over.

Su Qiao guessed what the girls were thinking by their expressions. Gossip, no matter the era, could drown a person with words alone. Rumors were spun from a single mouth, without regard for consequences.