When Xiao Man got home from school that afternoon, Grandma showed her a roll of colorful little coupons. She explained that Grandpa had gotten them from Secretary Mo. Some needed to be returned, while others, like the yarn coupons, did not. After all, you still had to pay for the items themselves; with a coupon, pure wool cost an extra 18 yuan per pound!
Grandma said they should go to the co-op and buy plenty of fabric so everyone could have two new outfits for autumn and winter. Xiao Man could even have a couple of extra ones made. If cotton was available, they would buy some to make padded winter jackets. If they didn't have enough cloth coupons, they could find the salesclerk from last time and pay her a small fee to help them get more.
