The kang (heated brick bed) for left-behind women

Chapter 18 New Year Celebrations

"Wang Touji, if you dare touch a hair on Ruoxue's head, I'll kill you," Lin Dachun said fiercely.

Wang Touji simply snorted and retorted, "The woman I set my sights on will be mine sooner or later, hehe."

After Wang finished speaking, he left with a sinister laugh and slipped away.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here, no man will touch you," Lin Dachun assured him.

"Um."

Li Ruoxue nodded, feeling much more at ease.

When Lin Dachun arrived at the town's supply and marketing cooperative, he could see through the dusty glass windows that some faded but at least brand-new fabrics and garments were hanging inside.

He couldn't help but feel ashamed when he thought of the old underwear Li Ruoxue was wearing, which had been worn for who knows how many years, faded from washing, and patched up.

"Let's go in and take a look," Lin Dachun said to Li Ruoxue, who was following behind him.

Li Ruoxue was somewhat surprised: "Huh? Isn't our family..."

"Money is meant to be spent, and we should buy what we need." Lin Dachun interrupted her, his tone leaving no room for argument, and pushed open the heavy cotton curtain of the supply and marketing cooperative first.

The supply and marketing cooperative was dimly lit and filled with a smell of cloth, kerosene, and damp dust.

Behind the counter, a saleswoman wearing arm sleeves was lazily knitting.

Lin Dachun walked straight to the clothing counter.

There weren't many clothes hanging there, mostly in gray, blue, and black, and the styles were rather outdated, but for a rural area, they were already rare finds.

His gaze swept across the room, finally settling on a black women's lace dress.

The color isn't too flashy, but the design is very novel.

"Comrade, bring me that black one." Lin Dachun pointed.

The sales clerk put down the yarn and slowly took off the clothes.

Lin Dachun took it, pinched the cotton to check its thickness, and then carefully examined the stitches.

"Ruoxue, try this on." He handed the clothes to Li Ruoxue.

Li Ruoxue hadn't expected it to be for her, and quickly waved her hand, "Ah, I don't want it, I can still wear my old clothes..."

"Try it on, then try it on." Lin Dachun shoved the clothes into her hands, his tone leaving no room for argument. "It's the New Year, you need a new outfit, whether you wear it inside or outside."

Then Lin Dachun picked out another coat and handed it to Li Ruoxue.

"So many?"

"I have the money," Lin Dachun replied. He had received some compensation, and he still had enough for the clothes.

"Is there a fitting room?" Li Ruoxue asked, blushing.

"Just pull up that curtain over there," the saleswoman said, pointing.

Li Ruoxue couldn't refuse, so she hugged the clothes and walked somewhat embarrassedly to a corner in front of a dressing mirror with a chipped corner.

She took off her worn-out coat and put on the new maroon blouse.

The clothes were a little big, but they were perfect for wearing over a cotton-padded coat in winter, and the color made her originally pale face look a little radiant.

She turned around and looked at Lin Dachun, her eyes filled with a question and a hint of girlish hesitation.

Lin Dachun took two steps back, squinted, and carefully looked him up and down.

He was like a picky tailor, or a man buying clothes for Xue for the first time, his expression unusually serious.

"The shoulders are a bit sloping," he pointed, "but it's good to wear thicker clothes in winter. The sleeves are a bit long, but you can roll them up. The waist... is fine."

He commented, his tone calm yet concerned, "Let me turn around and see what's behind me."

Li Ruoxue turned around as instructed.

Lin Dachun checked whether the back was flat and whether the hem was neat.

"The color suits you well," he concluded, his tone unusually gentle. "It looks good. Wear it; it'll keep you warm and show off your figure."

Then, Lin Dachun took two more black and pink undergarments.

"Okay, these four items will do," Lin Dachun said to the sales clerk, and then started taking out his money.

"Oh, why did you buy so much?" Li Ruoxue felt sorry for her.

"It's Chinese New Year, and this is the only time I've bought you anything all year. I haven't bought you anything before, and that was wrong of me. I just wanted to be good to you," Lin Dachun said sincerely.

"You've already been so good to me, are you afraid I'll run away?" Li Ruoxue laughed.

"Yeah, I was afraid you'd run away too," Lin Dachun joked, but it was also true, since he didn't have many close relatives left.

The incense offerings were not renewed.

Lin Dachun felt that his life was a failure.

Keeping Li Ruoxue was already a major concern for him.

There was a thick stack of small bills and large denominations, quite a lot of them, but Lin Dachun didn't even frown.

Watching Da Chun count the money, Li Ruoxue felt both touched and uneasy.

"Too expensive..."

"What's so expensive about it? Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse. We made quite a bit of money from the wild goats this time." Lin Dachun paid, packed up the clothes, and pulled Li Ruoxue along, saying, "Come on, let's go buy some candy and festive things. Let's have a good, happy New Year."

As he spoke, Lin Dachun took Li Ruoxue's hand and led her toward the candy store and the household goods store.