Chapter 30: Special Day

"Little sister, from now on you are my own little sister. As long as you come to the State-run Restaurant, whatever you want to eat, just say the word. I'll tell you a secret: the head chef at this State-run Restaurant is my paternal Ershu. Whatever you want to eat, I'll have Ershu make it for you specially." Liu Mei was incredibly moved. She had originally wanted to haggle, but her little sisters' budget was actually four yuan. Since the little sister was such a good, simple, and honest child, she absolutely could not let her suffer a loss.

An Yinan smiled, "That would be wonderful. I just love the food our Ershu makes; I love everything."

The words "our Ershu" brought the two of them even closer.

"Right, our Ershu. Whatever you want to eat, I'll have Ershu make it. By the way, there were leftover meat buns from last night that everyone had enough of; do you want them?" Liu Mei remembered that the little sister seemed to like meat buns.

"Yes, yes, yes! How many are there? I'll take them all. I have my younger brother at home, and the little friends who came last time, they all eat with me. These meat buns are really not enough to go around." An Yinan was laughing inside, but she also understood Liu Mei's character and temperament, and felt she could be close friends in the future.

"That's settled then, I'll pack them all for you in a moment." Liu Mei slapped the table, and it was decided just like that.

An Yinan took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, then packed all the meat buns into a large basket. This time, no matter what, Liu Mei refused to take any money, saying it was her treat.

An Yinan didn't insist. She would naturally repay these meat buns, though not necessarily right now; if she repaid them now, it would seem too distant.

"Sister, tell me how many Square Scarves you need, and I'll have my godmother mail them over. But you won't be able to pick the patterns." An Yinan brought this up first. These people couldn't imagine the fabric she had; although they were scraps, they were scraps from her hundreds of millions worth of ancient costumes, and those fabrics were absolutely superb.

Liu Mei calculated and whispered in An Yinan's ear, "At least ten. If our godmother can get more, that would naturally be even better. A hundred or so, and I could handle them all, sister."

Her closest little sisters had already ordered seven or eight. Given their relationship, ten definitely wouldn't be enough to go around, and a hundred or so would also sell.

When An Yinan said two yuan and fifty cents each, she had already made her plans. Her monthly salary was only thirty-something yuan. If she sold one Square Scarf, she could earn fifty cents. How much money would she make in a month?

The little sister also said these Square Scarves were only for her, and others wouldn't have anywhere to buy them. Wasn't this little sister just sending money to her?

She could be upfront with her sisters and give them to them for two yuan and eighty cents each. Once the sisters went out and turned them around, those hundred probably wouldn't be enough.

She would wait for the little sister to bring the Square Scarves first, and she would also go and discuss it with her little sisters.

Although An Yinan was consciously cultivating Liu Mei's way of thinking, she hadn't expected Liu Mei's thinking to shift so quickly, and she never imagined that this was how they used to move goods among their little sisters.

"Alright, it will take a week." An Yinan nodded.

Afterward, she looked at the Square Scarf Liu Mei was wearing, and it was a bit of an eyesore.

"Sister, let me teach you how to tie this Square Scarf." An Yinan signaled for Liu Mei to take it off. Liu Mei's Square Scarf was just tied in a dead knot; although it looked okay, for An Yinan, a fashion designer, it was truly hard to look at.

First, lay the Square Scarf flat, then fold it. "Sister, the dead knot you just tied is similar to the Laodie Knot method, but it needs to be tidied up."

First, tie a single knot, then tie another single knot. Both times you tie it, you must pull on the same side to keep it flat. The Laodie Knot tied this way is more playful and cute; whether wearing a neutral jacket or a dress, it carries a bit of cuteness.

"Sister, take a look?" Liu Mei took out a small mirror and looked at the silk scarf on her neck. She felt An Yinan's movements; it was the same action, but the result was completely different.

"You tie this knot so well." Liu Mei exclaimed, her eyes shining.

Before, the small Square Scarf had a unique shape, but most importantly, the color was vibrant and the fabric was soft and comfortable.

She hadn't expected that a special tying technique could make people's eyes light up. Where was this just a Square Scarf? Didn't it look like a necklace? Didn't it look like an accessory?

"Sister, this is the simplest one. Look, there are many more: Wild Rose Knot, Rabbit Ear Knot, Goldfish Knot, Dragonfly Knot, Butterfly Knot, Flower Crown Knot." An Yinan's hands were like magic; every time she said a word, a new knot appeared.

Liu Mei was dazzled; in her eyes, every knot was beautiful.

For this demonstration, in order to give Liu Mei a more intuitive feeling, she tied all the knots on her own neck. Her neck, slender and white as jade, paired with the bright red Square Scarf—no matter the knot, it exuded ultimate beauty.

"This is just too magical," Liu Mei exclaimed.

She didn't know if she was saying the Square Scarf was magical, or if An Yinan's hands were magical.

An Yinan smiled; her professional habit had kicked in...

"Sister, I'll teach you whenever I have time in the future. Let me tie a Rose Knot for you first." An Yinan's hands flew quickly, and in just over ten seconds, she tied a Rose Knot for Liu Mei, adjusting it to the front left of her neck. Her entire spirit and state improved.

Liu Mei looked in the mirror and couldn't bear to blink. She decided that after she finished her work at noon, during her break, she would go find her cousin and let her see this Rose Knot. Where was this just a Square Scarf? This was using one Square Scarf to change into many uses; a different knot every day meant a different accessory every day.

"Little sister, that Square Scarf, please be quick." Liu Mei was anxious to death now. Her little sisters had been urging her, and now she herself wanted to keep more of them; different patterns paired with different tying techniques made for different accessories.

An Yinan agreed, taking the leftover meat buns from yesterday, plus three extra portions of wontons that Liu Mei's Ershu had boiled in the morning. Fortunately, she had many lunch boxes in her space, so she packed them all away.

As for the money...

Liu Mei didn't let her pay, saying it would be deducted from the Square Scarf money later...

This made today especially unique; she didn't spend money on books, and she didn't spend money on wontons, all saying it would be deducted later.

Fine, this was also good intentions, so she accepted them all.

An Yinan was too lazy to walk back to the village. Seeing that it was still early, she went to the Post Office and bought a full sheet of every kind of stamp. It wasn't to make money, and she didn't plan to resell them later; she just wanted to keep them as a souvenir. These things with the characteristics of the era were all worth remembering.

Afterward, she took out the ration coupons that were about to expire and went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy some pastries. As for candies, she had too many in her space, and she couldn't just give them away for free, as that would make people think she was a sucker.

Walking along, she arrived at the Waste Recycling Station. The old man was still lying on his rocking chair, though this time he was covered with a blanket. Hearing the creak of the wooden door being pushed open, he opened his eyes and glanced at An Yinan, "Little girl, what are you looking for this time?"

An Yinan smiled and handed the old man a paper parcel containing one tael of tea leaves, "The ox cart back to the village doesn't leave until five in the afternoon. I had nowhere to go, so I came to your place to wander around."