CHAPTER 191: CHAPTER 191: GOLD AND SILVER THREADS

Wen Shi felt that his wife spent money without any hesitation and was extremely generous to him.

And she was good at making money.

Indeed, he seemed destined to enjoy a life of ease.

"Wife, why don’t you buy one too?"

He egged on Yi Chichi to buy one as well.

"I already have one."

Yi Chichi waved him over, "Let’s go, it’s time to buy something for Aunt and Uncle."

When you go out, you should bring some gifts back.

Just buy and send it through the post office, no need to carry it back to the island — how convenient.

When it came to shopping, Wen Shi had no say, nor did he need it, his role was just to carry the bags.

So, in the following times, he trailed behind Yi Chichi, watching her buy things like tobacco, alcohol, candies, chocolates, woolen coats, tin-box cookies, iron frogs, and the like.

It was truly a complete assortment of food, drink, and play, just missing a bit of movement.

But that ’movement’ was soon added.

Because she bought two pairs of leather shoes, one pair of men’s size 42 and one pair of women’s size 37.

"Who are the shoes for?"

"For Uncle Yaozi and Aunt Mu."

The couple took good care of her, treated her like a daughter, and all for that Guanyin statue, they tidied the room for her and didn’t let her do any work unless absolutely necessary.

She said she was on duty at the medical office, but during that time, she was mostly cooped up in her room focused on embroidering the Guanyin statue.

This kindness needed to be remembered.

And it needed to be repaid.

She briefly explained these connections in a low voice, and Wen Shi agreed with her actions after listening.

He even worried whether she bought too little, asking if they should buy more.

"No need, this is a long-term matter, not a one-time thing."

Wen Shi nodded, "As long as you have it in mind."

Thus, the topic ended here.

With their shopping done, the two of them, lugging big bags and small bags, returned to Ning Jiandong’s office.

Just as the staff came to deliver materials, spotting Yi Chichi, waved enthusiastically, "Xiao Yi, come look at this embroidery thread."

Yi Chichi went over and saw it was all high-quality silk thread.

The colors were diverse, complete from deep to light.

Silk thread is the most colorful embroidery thread, spun and twisted from silkworm cocoons, all custom-made, quality guaranteed.

She opened one and looked; it was about 20 meters, a single strand had 16 threads, with each strand divided into two clumps.

Each clump had eight threads.

When embroidering, one could choose the thickness of the thread based on the desired effect.

After re-binding the opened thread and putting it back, Yi Chichi’s attention was drawn to two bundles, one gold and one silver.

"Gold and silver threads?"

"Yes."

Ning Jiandong nodded, "This stuff, I guess only you can use."

He dared not give it to others for fear it would be wasted.

Yi Chichi, "??? They’re good things, but I can’t use them."

Regardless of whether it’s the Four Gentlemen or the Giant Panda double-sided embroidery, gold and silver thread cannot be used.

The key point is this stuff is expensive, with high craftsmanship demands for the makers.

In the current environment, even the Friendship Store might not have much of these two bundles of gold and silver threads.

Thinking of this, she said, "Let’s keep it for now; we can use it after completing the double-sided embroidery."

Ning Jiandong showed a pleased smile, liking the confident look on Yi Chichi.

Unless she had enough confidence in her craft, she wouldn’t have said something like that.

"Then I’ll keep these two bundles for you."

"Alright."

Yi Chichi then went to inspect the needles, with models 11 and 12, and needles varied in hardness.

For threads under eight strands, Yi Chichi habitually used a No.12 gold-tail needle, which was thin and soft.

Its eye was relatively small.

For multiple-thread embroidery, a No.12 hard needle was generally used, whose eye was relatively larger.

After checking the needles, she also examined the embroidery frame.

Because the Four Gentlemen required a fan shape, Ning Jiandong provided a round frame, but for larger embroidery pieces, a roller frame would be needed.

The main check for the embroidery frame was for burrs and fitting issues between the fasteners.

As proven, the materials provided by the Friendship Store were all quality assured.

Ning Jiandong, whose attention had been on her all along, showed a satisfied expression upon seeing her earnestly and meticulously inspect all the materials, asking with a smile, "All okay?!"

"Yes."

"Embroider well, don’t disappoint me."

"Rest assured, I never undertake anything I’m not confident about."

Yi Chichi solemnly promised, "I guarantee Uncle’s satisfaction."

"Then I look forward to your good news."

"Okay."

After packing everything up, she appeared to be in the stance of leaving.

Ning Jiandong was stunned, "Weren’t we supposed to have dinner at home?"

Wen Shi and Yi Chichi exchanged glances; wasn’t this just a polite gesture?

Seeing them like this, Ning Jiandong understood immediately and said, with a chuckle, "I wasn’t being polite, I genuinely invited you to have dinner at home."

Yi Chichi, "..."

Oh no, they didn’t take someone’s sincere words to heart, now what to do?

They didn’t even prepare any gifts.

She gave Wen Shi a look, "What should we do now?"

Wen Shi remained calm; there was still plenty of time to prepare presents.

"Is Uncle Ning there too?"

This was probing whether the Ning brothers had split households.

"Yes."

Ning Jiandong quickly understood his thoughts and took the initiative to provide information.

"The main reason is the old lady wants to see Xiao Yi."

"Huh?"

Yi Chichi was puzzled, "Why does the old lady want to see me?"

They’d never met before, even the Ning brothers had only a fleeting acquaintance with her.

It didn’t seem realistic to say they liked her.

She didn’t think she had anything worthwhile for the old lady to remember.

Ning Jiandong had some idea in mind, but with many people and much gossip, he could only be vague, "You’ll know when you see her."

Yi Chichi and Wen Shi exchanged glances, suppressing their curiosity, and after bidding Ning Jiandong farewell, first went to the post office to send the purchased items back.

They also sent a telegram to Wen’s mother to inform her about their marriage registration.

Then they returned to the Friendship Store to buy gifts for visiting the Ning Family, and finally left with Ning Jiandong off work to head to the Ning home.

The Ning family lived in a typical large courtyard home, with guards at the entrance, and strict management of visitors coming and going.

Wen Shi and Yi Chichi, accompanied by Ning Jiandong, registered their information before being allowed entry.

The courtyard mostly consisted of single houses, with a few scattered buildings that looked newly built in the last couple of years, judging from their color and architectural style.

The Ning family resided in the centralized part of the single-house area, in a two-storeyed building with a yard, free from flowers or trees, but instead cultivated as a vegetable garden.

The Ning brothers hadn’t split households and lived together.

Both brothers were from dual-cadre families.

Ning Jianping worked at the Provincial Revolutionary Committee, his wife, Liang Yu, worked at the Provincial Women’s Federation.

They had two sons and a daughter.

The eldest joined the military, the second was a daughter in school under the Worker-Peasant-Soldier program.

The youngest enlisted to volunteer in the countryside silently, currently with the Dian Nan Construction Corps.

Ning Jiandong’s wife, Jiang Youlai, was a doctor at the Yangcheng Hospital, attending an exchange meeting in Beijing, so she wasn’t home.

Their children were home, one 12 years old and the other just five.

The two kids weren’t shy and were quite attracted to good looks.

Ever since Yi Chichi and Wen Shi entered the room, the brother and sister, who were sticking by the granny’s side in colorful clothes for company, opened their mouths once the parents (or uncle) did the introductions.