The fabric counter is wooden, divided into two layers.
The upper layer has lightweight printed fabrics, like rayon, Dacron, and seersucker.
The patterns are so old-fashioned they're hard to look at, but in this era, they're extremely fashionable.
The lower layer has thicker fabrics like khaki, corduroy, and dark wool, suitable for winter.
There's also a glass cabinet, displaying red silk duvet covers.
The bright red color adds a splash of color to the otherwise drab fabric counter, really catching the eye.
There's no customer at the fabric counter, only a robust lady sitting there cracking sunflower seeds.
When she sees Yi Chichi approaching, she doesn't even bother to raise an eyelid and pops a sunflower seed into her mouth.
Customer service?
Sorry, in this era there's no such concept as the customer being king.
Not cursing or hitting customers is considered good manners.
Facilities like supply and marketing cooperatives, state-run restaurants, and others even put up signs prohibiting the beating of customers.
It's unimaginable in later generations, but quite common in this era.
Yi Chichi has read plenty of literature from this era, not to mention having several elders in the family who have gone to the countryside.
Therefore, upon reaching the counter, she isn't the least unhappy with the lady's attitude but briskly slaps a banknote on the counter, "Sister, give me three feet of cotton fabric."
This accent isn't local either.
The lady raises her eyes and looks over, "Educated youth?"
"Yeah!"
"Do you have fabric tickets?"
Actually, Yi Chichi doesn't have any, but it's okay; she has food tickets.
After looking around and seeing no one, she takes out a half-pound national food ticket and waves it at the lady, "Sister, will this do?"
Don't think she doesn't know; the clerks at these supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores have certain privileges.
It's no secret about the defective items; those who've read literature from this era know it.
But besides the defective items, the fabric sellers enjoy the privilege of 'scrap fabric.'
The so-called scrap fabric refers to the leftover scraps after fabric cutting.
But these scraps can be manipulated; as long as the clerk agrees, even two meters left can be called scrap fabric.
This is exactly what Yi Chichi is aiming for.
Generally, these fabrics only require money, not fabric tickets.
Again, unless you're close, even good scrap fabric isn't given to you; temptation with benefits becomes inevitable.
"What are you looking at?"
The lady asks with seeds in her mouth but leans over sincerely.
Without a clear look, there's already a national food ticket in her hand.
"Sister, I want a bit of scrap fabric, not much, just enough to make a few pairs of underwear."
She whispers her request, her clear eyes looking at her pitifully.
In the instant their eyes meet, Du Chunhua's gaze becomes unfocused for a moment, then she looks down at the national food ticket in her hand and then back at Yi Chichi, feeling a bit of a toothache.
This young girl must have someone in the family working at the supply and marketing cooperatives or department stores; otherwise, she wouldn't understand the lingo so well.
But about this food ticket…
She looks down at the food ticket in her hand, thinking it's quite valuable.
After some contemplation, "Too little."
Implicit meaning: such a small food ticket isn't worth her going out of her way to help.
Yi Chichi immediately understands what she means, not upset but rather pleased; being deemed too little is better than being turned away.
If it's too little there's still room for negotiation, turning it away means there's no chance at all.
So, she quietly negotiates a trade with the lady.
The exchange process goes fairly smoothly.
After some negotiation, Yi Chichi uses ten pounds of national food tickets to buy blemish-free fabric from Du Chunhua.
Sanitary napkins and underwear.
Besides that, she exchanged for fabric tickets, soap tickets, and miscellaneous ration tickets.
"Sister…"
"Call me Auntie."
Du Chunhua gives her a sideways glance, "You're younger than my daughter, what are you calling me sister for."
"Alright, Auntie."
Yi Chichi complies happily, "Auntie, I'll come over later."
"Hurry off, come back and chat with Auntie when you're done shopping."
"Got it!"
Yi Chichi then flits around like a butterfly, clutching her exchanged tickets to begin her shopping spree.
Over an hour later, after wandering here and there, she returns to Du Chunhua's side with her purchases.
Casually she slips her a small bag of glutinous rice snacks, "Auntie, give this to my nephew to eat."
Initially intending to refuse, Du Chunhua hears this and her pushing hand turns to grabbing it back.
"Then I won't be polite."
"No need to be polite."
If they were polite, how would she chit-chat, and how would she buy defective goods in the future?
The tickets are too hard to come by, and she doesn't want to go to the black market; it's dangerous.
She just wants to live to see the reform and opening-up peacefully, with no desire for thrills.
Someone who is keen and good at hypnosis, and another who is willing to chat with her for the sake of the national food tickets, they gradually become close friends despite their age gap.
Du Chunhua is inherently decent, straightforward and sincere, and under Yi Chichi's deliberate guidance, she has a very good impression of her.
With a good impression, she starts to share more.
Even mentioning the defective goods in the warehouse, and asking if she wants any.
"I do!"
Yi Chichi doesn't stand on ceremony, after all, this was her original intention.
"Wait here."
Throwing out a sentence, she turns to leave but returns after a few steps as if remembering something, "If anyone asks who you are, just say you're my niece, remember that."
"Got it."
But her worry was unnecessary; from when she left to when she returned, no one had come by.
Those that come in either head straight to the food section or the daily goods section.
No one comes to the fabric and clothing section.
Yi Chichi feels this situation is a bit strange, and after asking Du Chunhua upon her return, she learns that the fabric and clothing section has low and high seasons.
The end of the year sees a rush because at this time, cities and rural areas start issuing new year's ration tickets.
This includes fabric tickets, cotton tickets, etc.
People flock during this wave to buy fabric and make clothes.
Then there's the spring to summer transition season, when it's time to change clothes; those with fabric tickets will buy fabric for summer clothes, and those without enough will still buy some to patch up.
The rest of the time is idle.
"Here, this is my monthly share, pick what you want."
She sets everything down on the ground and invites Yi Chichi to start choosing.
The offerings are truly abundant: enamel mugs, Liberation shoes, and fabrics like corduroy and Dacron.
Called defective goods, they're actually just slightly flawed.
You wouldn't notice unless you really looked.
For instance, the Liberation shoes have a tiny bit of glue showing on the edge, marked as defective.
For the corduroy, it was said to have been chewed by mice, but Yi Chichi had to search for a long time to find a small hole the size of a baby's fingernail.
It really doesn't affect anything.
And for the printed Dacron, it was said to be a dyeing mistake, but actually wasn't; it was just that the pattern was cut in half during cutting.
And satin pillowcases and such…
After some deliberation, Yi Chichi chooses an enamel cup, a large one that can be used as a small stew pot, very convenient to steam eggs or cook noodles on her small stove.
She takes two pairs of the Liberation shoes and chooses corduroy for fabric; she doesn't take the Dacron as it's not breathable or sweat-absorbent and quite stifling.
She leaves the rest for Du Chunhua.
"Take all of this."