The Beauty of 1980's

Ch.12 Escape

The morning glories in the yard had long since withered in the soil because they could not withstand the scorching sun, and turned into fertilizer to nourish the peppers planted by Deng Yajun.

　　Because it was a weekday, the house was still empty. Meng Xiang packed up the luggage he brought back, glanced at the half-finished clothing prototype on the sewing machine by the window, pursed his lips and thought for a moment, then took his wallet and a piece of cloth and left the room.

　　"Oh, it's Axiang. Why are you back today? It's not raining, so why are you holding an umbrella?" Aunt Liu was sitting at the door of the grocery store, holding a palm-leaf fan in her hand and eating a bag of melon seeds. When she saw someone stopping at her door, she quickly stood up and greeted him enthusiastically.

　　Meng Xiang put away the umbrella in her hand, stood under the shade of the tree and smiled softly at Aunt Liu. Today she was wearing a white printed top and straight-leg jeans. Her hair was tied into a pigtail and hung on her right shoulder. She looked well-behaved and youthful.
　　"It's summer vacation, and I just got back. The sun is too strong. If I don't use an umbrella, I'll get tanned in no time."

　　Meng Xiang's voice was as sweet as honey. When she spoke to people, she sounded a little softer as if she was acting like a spoiled child. Aunt Liu looked at the graceful girl in front of her and couldn't help but raise the corners of her lips. She smiled and said, "No wonder your skin is so white. I'll ask my daughter to carry an umbrella when she goes out in the future, hehehe."

　　"good."

　　Meng Xiang chatted with Aunt Liu about family matters for a while before going into the store and choosing a few bags of preserved sour plums. These were good for whetting the appetite in hot weather. Of course, her purpose in coming here was not just to buy food. When paying the bill, Meng Xiang casually took out a piece of cloth from her pocket in front of Aunt Liu.

　　Aunt Liu had sharp eyes and a good memory. She immediately recognized that this was the fabric that Deng Yajun bought last time she came to the store. She asked, "When your mother came to the store to buy fabric last time, she said that you were tinkering with making clothes yourself. I didn't believe it, but now it seems to be true?"

　　"Hahaha, I was just joking. By the way, last time I used the cloth to make a few wallets and gave them to my classmates. They all liked them very much and kept asking me where I bought the cloth. They also asked me to bring a few feet to them so that they could find a tailor to make them. It's just that we all live far away from each other, and I can't carry so many by myself when I go back to school..."

　　"Aunt Liu, where do you get these from? If it's close to their house, I'll let my classmate buy it himself."

　　Meng Xiang's eyes were not on Aunt Liu. He was only focused on counting the money, as if he didn't care whether she could really give an answer.

　　"Hahaha, really? I bought these cloths at the wholesale market over at the He Family Courtyard in the west of the city. They're all selling cloth over there, but it's quite far from here. I don't know if it's close to your classmate's place. I only sell them at cost price, and I don't make any profit at all. I don't plan to go get the goods next month. Sorry for the trouble."

　　Aunt Liu sighed, and then continued, "Nowadays, people don't like to buy cloth to make clothes themselves. They just buy ready-made clothes. The price is similar, and they can be worn immediately. It's much more convenient."

　　"That's right, it's really troublesome to make clothes by yourself." Meng Xiang echoed a few words, silently pondering the address Aunt Liu gave him a few times in his mind, and finally left with an umbrella.