Chapter 161: Better to be shattered jade than whole tile; even in death, I'll drag someone down as a cushion!

Shen Man was stunned by what the man meant; from ancient times to now, women who have been bullied are almost always met with one-sided scorn and disdain.

There are far too many examples; people only look at bullied women with strange eyes, turning the spotlight onto the weak.

Few men truly don't care about such matters.

This is human nature, a social phenomenon.

But now, the man clearly tells her that if she really encounters such a thing, she should protect herself from further harm; she need not worry about anything else, and he will forever be her backing.....

At this moment, Shen Man gained a new understanding of this guiding type of lover.

As it turns out, someone truly would be willing to risk their life to protect her.

Unafraid of gossip, they will steadfastly stand before her, shielding her from wind and rain.

In her mind, for some unknown reason, a blurry figure in armor flashed across....

On the way ahead, the two didn't speak, but anyone could see they were being affectionate.

Regardless of whether what the man just said was true or false, Shen Man kept it in her heart.

At the same time, she made up her mind to learn more self-defense skills; besides basic grappling and seizing, she also wanted to handle guns and learn shooting!

Truth lies within the range of a cannon; her personal safety is in her grasp!

She would never let herself fall to the point of compromising with bad people!

She would rather be shattered jade than whole tile; even in death, she'd drag someone down as a cushion!

Of course, she didn't say it out loud, but that's what she thought.

The weather in May had officially turned hot; the people living on Sea Island had already put on short sleeves and long skirts.

However, due to the era's aesthetic standards, no one dared to go out in short pants or short skirts.

Like the officers and soldiers in the unit, regardless of rank, they all wear olive-green short-sleeve shirts, black long trousers, and liberation shoes.

Besides this set of clothing, there is also a set of lightweight, loose-fitting training uniforms.

Thrifty people would no longer buy regular clothing.

For example, on Sea Island, the troops distribute spring and summer clothing twice a year when the seasons change.

As for overcoats, frankly speaking, except for a few elderly leaders who feel the cold, they are hardly ever used.

Jiang Ye's overcoat was still the one that Section Commander Duan forced on him back then; he only wore it for two days before giving it to his wife....

In short, the closet is almost filled with Shen Man's colorful clothes.

What belongs to Jiang Ye are just those two sets of spare military uniforms.

Shen Man couldn't stand it; she sorted out the fabric coupons in her hand and planned to take her husband to Haibin City to look at clothes.

Of course, her grandfather must not be left out.

The master should also be arranged.

Section Commander Duan also needs to be arranged.

In that case, the best method is for her to take the fabric coupons to get cloth, buy the fabric back, then find military wives who can sew to measure a few people's clothing sizes; once the clothes are made, everyone will be happy.

Before going, she specially went next door to ask the sister-in-law if she wanted to come along, or if she could also get fabric for her by the way?

"No thanks, I have plenty of clothes and no time to wear them; I usually wear a white coat, which is more formal."

"As for your brother, he also has plenty of clothes; two sets of spares are enough."

Pei Yan Ting has low material desires and isn't particularly interested in new clothes.

By contrast, she prefers formaldehyde, staying in the hospital lab to do dissection‑related research.

"Okay."

Shen Man is a very obedient sister‑in‑law; since the sister‑in‑law said that, she won't be a meddlesome person.

As for Lu Xiu Bai, he isn't at home; he originally had little say, and even if he were home now, he'd have no opinion.

Of course, even if he had an opinion, he wouldn't dare to voice it.

Married men can be as lowly as they come; they fear most that their wives will get angry and not let them sleep in bed at night!

"Ear‑scratching?"

He just does the ear‑scratching thing—however, it's not embarrassing.

Just like that, Shen Man called her husband and they went together to Haibin City.

Estimating the number of elderly gentlemen on Sea Island, each needs a set.

Her grandfather, the master, and Section Commander Duan have different relationships, so they each need two sets.

These fabric coupons, aside from the ten‑plus contributed by Lu Manman, are the ones she deliberately exchanged for pastries with the other military wives in Jiashuyuan these past two days.

Making a living, you shift things here and there, and you can always make up the total.

These days, fabric varieties are few: plain cotton, vinylon (chemical fiber), and high‑grade fabrics (such as corduroy and khaki).

Colors are monotonous—mainly black, white, gray, and navy blue, with few other bright hues.

As everyone knows, black absorbs heat.

White can't be worn casually; people of this era also dislike wearing white, considering it unlucky.

Therefore, gray and navy‑blue cloth bolts are stacked the most on the shelves behind the clothing store counters.

Shen Man had inquired beforehand that a bolt of cloth is 72 centimeters wide (10 zhang = 33.3 meters).

Based on adult clothing, one bolt can make about 18–22 garments** (33.3 m ÷ 1.5 m ≈ 22 pieces for women, 33.3 m ÷ 1.83 m ≈ 18 pieces for men).

Each person receives about 10–20 chi of fabric coupons per year (3.3–6.7 meters); ordinary families rarely buy a whole bolt, usually taking just a few chi, and people carefully calculate layout when making clothes.

I don't know how Lu Manman managed to save up, but she actually has eight one‑zhang fabric coupons, which came in handy for her.

"Comrade clerk, I'd like half a bolt of vinylon gray, and also half a bolt of vinylon navy blue."

Shen Man looked and saw that the fabric sample was very sturdy, with no pattern, just pure dyeing.

She tugged at it, and it felt remarkably sturdy.

"Ah? Miss, this adds up to ten zhang; you could make eighteen to twenty‑two outfits for an adult. If you're not joking, you must have the wrong dimensions, right?"

The saleswoman was completely baffled; she kindly reminded that she had worked for over ten years and it was her first time seeing a private customer buying so much cloth.

If it were someone from a procurement department of an organization bringing an official seal for purchase, that would be understandable.

If it's an individual, not only would they need ten rolls of one‑zhang cloth vouchers, but even the supplemental cash vouchers would be a lot—not a trivial amount.

"Thank you for the reminder, sister. I'm not joking; I brought cloth vouchers. You can be a bit lenient; if it's not enough I'll make up with cash vouchers."

As for why I'm buying so much cloth, naturally it's to make garments to give to family members and other elders.

Shen Man heard the saleswoman's kind reminder, so she gave a brief explanation.

The other party took the vouchers, counted them suspiciously once, then counted them again.

Indeed, there really were ten‑zhang cloth vouchers!

Here you are, Great Patron!

"Okay, okay, please add another hundred cash, and I'll issue the invoice and cut the cloth right away."

"Our cloth quality passes inspection; within three months, if there are any fading, dyeing issues, non‑human damage, or quality tears, you can exchange it based on the vouchers…"

The saleswoman, facing a sincere cloth‑buying customer, smiled brightly like a sunflower!