Tears dripped onto Grandma's hand. She didn't say anything more, just reached into her inner pocket and pulled out an embroidered handkerchief with a scalloped edge. The handkerchief was old and yellowed, but it was spotlessly clean and neatly folded. Grandma used it to wipe Xiao Man's tears.
In her past life, Xiao Man had seen handkerchiefs like this for sale at the village co-op store, twenty-five cents apiece. She had been so envious of those who could afford to use them, but she never owned one of her own, not even after Liu Fengying took her bride price and married her off. By the time she finally had a little spending money of her own, the co-op had stopped selling them. Before long, people started using disposable tissues, which made Mo Xiaoman feel even more behind the times.
'Xiao Man had never seen Grandma with a handkerchief when she washed her clothes before. She must treasure it. Maybe she washes it herself at home and hangs it to dry inside, just to keep the kids from running off with it!'
The thought made Xiao Man's tears turn to laughter. "Grandma, you... you have a handkerchief!"
Grandma paused, a peculiar light dancing in her eyes. "What? Is it so strange for your grandma to have a handkerchief? I've had plenty of nice things in my day!"
"Oh? Like what kind of nice things?"
"Does gold and jewelry count?"
Xiao Man nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! Where is it? Where?"
Grandma giggled. Her voice was full of affection, but it also held a hint of the playful charm she usually only showed around Grandpa. "If I'd known I was going to have a little money-grubber like you waiting for me, I would've moved heaven and earth to save one or two nice things for you!"
Xiao Man's shoulders slumped. "Oh, so that was in the past. That means you don't have any now? What a pity!"
Grandma laughed happily again and patted her shoulder. "Hurry up and take your grandma to pick out a pretty bedsheet for you, and a new quilt, a new mosquito net, pillowcases, towels, all of it. Then tonight, you can have a sweet dream, and you'll have everything you could ever wish for!"
Xiao Man: "..."
'Grandma was in high spirits, acting as playful as a child and even teasing her!'
With Grandma in charge, two hundred yuan—which wasn't much in the eyes of a former spendthrift like Xiao Man—vanished in a flash. In a little over half an hour, when Grandpa came upstairs to find the grandmother-granddaughter duo, all he saw was a massive pile of goods. Every last cent was gone. In fact, Grandma had even asked him for another two yuan to buy Xiao Man a pair of clear plastic sandals!
Grandpa stared blankly at the pile of goods for a long moment. In the end, he just shook his head without a word. He was completely dumbfounded by how fast his wife and granddaughter had spent the money!
After taking Grandma back to wait by the ox-cart, Grandpa and Xiao Man had to make two trips to haul all their purchases and secure them on the cart.
Two hundred yuan went a very long way in 1977, so they were able to buy a great deal. They ran out of cloth ration coupons, so Grandma followed a salesclerk's suggestion and secretly traded cash for more coupons with another person. The exchange was done discreetly, with few words spoken, and both parties parted ways as soon as it was over.
Xiao Man now had her very own set of brand-new bedding: a quilt, a bedsheet, a pillow towel, a mosquito net, a washbasin... Considering that Xiao Man didn't know how to sew a duvet cover and Grandma couldn't see, they bought two woven blankets instead. In the summer, she could use one to cover herself. In the winter, they could sandwich the quilt between the two blankets and stitch them together at the top and bottom to act as a makeshift duvet cover!
It was a simple and practical solution. The woven blankets were thicker than cotton cloth, meaning a cover made from them would be even warmer. And even if Xiao Man couldn't manage the sewing, Grandma could slowly do it by feel.
They also bought a new boxwood comb and a fine-toothed delousing comb. Xiao Man's hair was too short to be tied up; otherwise, Grandma would have bought her colorful gauze scarves and silk ribbons to use as hair ties!
They bought four new handkerchiefs—two for Grandma and two for Xiao Man. There were many patterns available, so after consulting with Grandma, they each chose designs they liked.
They also bought new towels, laundry soap, bath soap, and a bottle of Seagull brand shampoo. Xiao Man said she wanted to wash her hair with tea seed cake water like Grandma did. 'Tea seed cake is a prized hair-care treasure in the future,' she thought, 'it's genuinely good for your hair.' But Grandma wouldn't hear of it. She insisted that Xiao Man use the most popular shampoo available, the Seagull brand—after all, how could something everyone praised be bad?
She took Xiao Man to the clothing and footwear counter and bought her three pairs of underwear and three matching undershirts. Only at Xiao Man's firm insistence did Grandma agree to also buy two new pairs of underwear and two new undershirts each for herself and Grandpa—all of it Flower Basket brand!
Seeing that Grandma, though blind, was a decisive shopper with money to spend, the saleswoman's attitude toward her improved noticeably. While wrapping the clothes in a sheet of newspaper, she told Grandma, "The textile factory that makes this Flower Basket brand underwear is a key state-owned enterprise. The quality is absolutely guaranteed. You'll know once you wear them at home. They're incredibly comfortable."
Grandma nodded and smiled. Then she heard the saleswoman mention that a new, very pretty batch of girls' outfits had just come in, and the largest size would be perfect for a girl of Xiao Man's age. Grandma immediately told the saleswoman to let Xiao Man try one on.
The outfit was a matching set: a blouse with a small floral pattern on a blue background, paired with blue straight-leg trousers. The saleswoman helped Xiao Man into the new clothes, then guided her to a glass counter to see her reflection. It was true that clothes make the person. She felt completely transformed. The outfit had looked unremarkable on the rack, but on her, it fit as if it were tailor-made. The small lapels, the front placket, the cuffs, and the trouser seams were all trimmed with an iridescent, colorful piping, making it look novel, exquisite, dignified, and elegant. For that era, it was definitely considered high fashion!
The saleswoman smiled at Grandma. "Your granddaughter is so lovely. In this outfit, she's a real standout—even prettier than the girls from the city!"
This was exactly what Grandma loved to hear. With a wave of her hand, she declared, "We'll take it!"
A new outfit demanded new shoes, so of course, she had to have a new pair of sandals to go with it. They were out of money, so they'd just have to wait for Grandpa to come and pay!
Meanwhile, Grandpa was wandering around downstairs. He bought some farm tools, some common household implements, and a brand-new set of pots, bowls, and ladles. He had also weighed out the candy Grandma wanted and purchased salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Realizing they had no lard for cooking, he rushed to the pork counter to buy over a jin of fatback to render down at home.
When you added it all up, Grandpa had also spent a pretty penny that day!