After buying the cotton, Mrs. Zhou also went to the grain store to purchase some provisions. As the three were preparing to leave, Lin He suddenly remembered something and asked the other two to wait for her, saying she had forgotten a few things. When she returned, she held several steamed buns.

Lin He remembered her promise to the children. Although eating buns was a slight luxury for them at the moment, a promise made to a child was one that absolutely had to be kept. Mrs. Zhou looked at the buns in Lin He’s hands and chuckled, "Children are just children; what you promised is enough. Why spend this much money?" Lin He smiled but said nothing. With most of the necessary items purchased, they planned to head home.

Back at the house, Mrs. Huang scolded her upon seeing the scraps of cloth she had bought. "Wasting money! Five large coins—that could buy a jin of coarse rice! What use is there for these old rags?"

Lin He didn't offer much explanation. She set the scraps aside, took out the purchased buns, and handed them to the younger children. Seeing the buns, the little ones cheered and jumped, taking them to a corner to eat. At noon, they kept Mrs. Zhou’s family for a meal.

Lin He took out the pig offal Mrs. Huang had bought at the market a few days prior and hadn't finished. The large intestine, having been boiled once, had a thick layer of lard on it. She used this lard to stir-fry wild greens, then stir-fried the pig’s lung with chili peppers, filling a large bowl. She also made some wowo tou (steamed corn flour buns) and steamed some sweet potatoes. Everyone ate until they were full. Mrs. Zhou, having received some of the offal from Lin He’s family before, recognized what it was and didn't ask too many questions.

After the meal, Mrs. Zhou’s family left. Lin He brought out the cloth scraps, intending to mix them with the cotton to make winter garments. She selected the pieces that weren't too small and those with pretty colors, thinking she might make something else with them later.

In reality, using scraps with cotton for winter coats was based on the same principle as na (quilting) soles for cloth shoes: the scraps were quilted into a thick layer, a layer of cotton sandwiched in the middle, and then stitched into an outer garment, which provided warmth. Naturally, it wasn't as warm as being purely cotton-filled, but it would certainly be warmer than a winter coat with only a thin layer of cotton.

It seemed the family had always lived this way for years, and everyone was probably quite hardy against the cold. Originally, three jin of cotton could only make three winter coats, but by adding scraps inside, perhaps they could stretch it to four. If they could find more scraps next time, they might even make a quilt, solving the worries about winter clothing and bedding, allowing everyone to get through the winter warmly.

Mrs. Huang found Lin He’s method of layering the scraps in the coats quite novel; no one had ever done this before. She asked, "Er Ya, how did you learn to do this?"

Lin He wasn't afraid of exposure. She replied, "I saw people making quilts this way in town. I figured if it works for quilts, it should work for clothes too." Mrs. Huang nodded, thinking her daughter was quite clever, able to extrapolate at such a young age. Indeed, this method was excellent.

There was no fear of freezing in the winter. In previous years, the whole family rarely ventured out once winter set in, relying only on gathering more firewood to heat the kang (heated brick bed) and staying indoors for the entire season. The adults were fine.

But the children hated being cooped up all day. They wanted to go out and play, but because their clothes were too thin, they would come back with noses running and eyes tearing up from the cold, inevitably falling ill afterward, so they dared not go out.

Seeing Lin He layering the winter coats, Mrs. Huang understood the principle. She selected the cotton and all the usable cloth scraps and prepared to help Lin He sew.

Lin He asked Mrs. Huang to bring out the old winter coats from the previous years to see if any were still wearable. Mrs. Huang brought out several—garments slightly thicker than single shirts, resembling light padded jackets; the three younger ones each had one.

Lin He planned to make four winter coats from the three jin of cotton, making one for the eldest brother as well. The old ones were still usable; the larger ones could be passed down to the younger children. By making four new coats, they wouldn't need much new outer fabric. The two old ones could go to San Ya and Xiao Bao, with two new padded layers stitched inside, and then just a new outer smock needed for each.

The new smocks made from Er Ya’s and the eldest brother’s old clothes could fit Xiao Bao and San Ya. Er Ya could wear modified old clothes of Mrs. Huang’s. They only needed to make a new smock for Da Bao, as he was a boy growing fast, and last year’s clothes were long past fitting. Furthermore, since Da Bao often needed to be out and about, a slightly more presentable outfit was necessary. As for Mrs. Huang and Lin Er Niu, Lin He planned to wait until the next time she brought back embroidery income to buy a few more jin of cotton to make each of them a winter coat and a quilt; it wouldn't cost much.

Mrs. Huang mentioned that this year was better than previous years. In the past, Er Ya couldn't do embroidery, so that income stream was nonexistent, and Lin Er Niu had no work building houses for the landlord, leaving no income for the winter. Thus, managing to make two padded coats and a quilt this year was feasible.

Throughout the afternoon, Mrs. Huang and Lin He finished layering the stuffing for the four coats. The sewing of the outer smocks would be left to Mrs. Huang, as Lin He hadn't yet reached that level of skill to sew a complete garment. Some scraps remained.

Lin He picked them up and sewed a small Winnie the Pooh-like bear from a larger piece of fabric, stuffing it with the remaining scraps. Once stuffed, the bear was plumped up. Although the fabric was coarse, the resulting toy looked truly adorable. San Ya and Xiao Bao saw it and rushed over to snatch it, though ultimately Xiao Bao managed to keep it.

San Ya pouted, her eyes reddening. Every child loves a toy, especially in such a backward, impoverished era where the chance to see one was rare. Lin He gently pinched San Ya’s cheek.

Lately, life was much better than before. While there wasn't lavish feasting every meal, at least they weren't starving one day and full the next. San Ya’s cheeks had filled out a bit, too. Lin He comforted her, "Sister will sew you an even prettier one."

San Ya nodded. Lin He then used two different colored fabrics to sew a Qizai (a popular character/doll name) likeness for San Ya. San Ya held it dearly, unable to put it down. Seeing this, a thought sparked in Lin He’s mind.

In this era, perhaps some children from wealthy families would be willing to spend money on toys. At the market, Lin He had seen toys like cloth tigers and dolls for sale, but the variety was limited, they weren't delicately made, and the colors were poorly matched.

If she could reproduce some of the toy designs from her previous life to sell, it might become a source of income. Thus, Lin He took the remaining scraps and made a few more little bears and a small yellow cloth pumpkin, then took them inside to show Mrs. Huang.

Mrs. Huang’s eyes lit up upon seeing them. "Second daughter is quite skillful."

Lin He proposed, "Mother, I want to take these toys to the shops in the market to consign them. Do you think anyone will buy them?"

Mrs. Huang found the idea viable. "I think it will work. Tomorrow, take San Ya to the next town over. You can deliver the elder brother's winter coat while you’re there, and I’ll finish sewing his coat tonight, and then I’ll go ask around about this."

A moment later, she added, "The next town is a bit far. You should get to the village entrance early tomorrow morning to catch the ox cart."

Lin He agreed. That night, Xiao Bao and San Ya clung to their toys, unwilling to let go, even hugging them as they slept. Lin He watched them and heard that they had been showing off the toys to the neighborhood children all afternoon, who had admired them greatly and asked where they had been bought.

Lin He was also too excited to sleep. If this venture succeeded, their family’s life could continuously improve. While it might not lead to sudden riches, it could certainly earn them some capital, and ideally, she could make a profit before others started copying the designs. With seed money, they could do so much more. Thinking these thoughts, Lin He finally drifted off to sleep, a smile still lingering on her face.