Chapter 36 The Island Fashion Icon: A Dress That Caused a Sensation!

"Commander! Something terrible has happened!"

Xiao Li's voice was like a bucket of ice water poured over someone's head, instantly extinguishing all the romance and ambiguity in the room.

Jiang Wu pushed Qin Lie away abruptly, her cheeks burning red, and hurriedly tidied her disheveled clothes and hair.

Qin Lie's good time was interrupted, and his face darkened.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the anger rising within him, stood up, strode to the door, and asked in a deep voice, "What's the panic! Is the sky falling down?"

"No...it's...it's the training ground!" Xiao Li ran out of breath, pointing eastward, "The first and third battalions are fighting...fighting over a training ground!"

"What?" Qin Lie frowned, and his aura suddenly became sharp.

"Was anyone hurt?"

"Not yet... they're just pushing and shoving each other, but they seem really angry. If no one intervenes, something bad is bound to happen!" Xiao Li was sweating profusely with anxiety.

"Get the car ready!"

Qin Lie uttered two words, then turned and went back into the house to grab his military cap and coat.

As he passed by Jiang Wu, he paused, looking at her still flushed face and slightly swollen lips, and the anger in his eyes turned into helplessness and guilt.

"Wait for me to come back, then we'll continue."

He lowered his voice and whispered something in her ear, then strode away before Jiang Wu could react.

Jiang Wu blushed even more at his abrupt and nonsensical remark. She stomped her foot, feeling both ashamed and angry.

This man!

Once Qin Lie left, the room returned to silence.

Looking at the half-sewn piece of fabric on the ground and the black sewing machine, Jiang Wu sighed and had no choice but to sit down again and continue the work she hadn't finished.

Without Qin Lie by her side, she operated the sewing machine alone, which was somewhat strenuous, but she made much faster progress.

As evening approached and the afterglow of the setting sun bathed the entire courtyard, the white dress was finally finished.

Jiang Wu held up the dress in her hand, turning it over and over to examine it.

The dress was made according to the design of her "first love".

A petite Peter Pan collar, a high waistline, and a voluminous skirt.

Because of the limited fabric, she did not embroider the hem of the skirt, but the simple and smooth lines were already captivating enough.

She couldn't wait to take off her old clothes and put on this brand new dress.

Then, she walked to the dressing table.

When Jiang Wu saw herself in the mirror, she was stunned.

The girl in the mirror already had snow-white skin, and the pure white dress made her look even whiter, as if she were glowing.

The Peter Pan collar design made her face appear only the size of a palm, giving her a pure and youthful look.

The high waistline design perfectly accentuates her slender waist and visually lengthens her legs.

The wide skirt swayed gently with her movements, exuding a unique girlish liveliness and playfulness.

This...this is even better than she imagined!

She couldn't resist twirling in front of the mirror, her skirt blooming like a flower.

At this moment, she was no longer the rustic country girl Jiang Wu, but the fashion designer "Vivian".

Confidence and radiance emanated from her very being.

When Qin Lie returned, this was the scene he saw.

His young wife, dressed in an incredibly beautiful white dress that he had never seen before, was standing in front of the mirror, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

The light of the setting sun shone in through the window, bathing her in a golden glow.

She was like a fairy who had strayed into the mortal world, clean, pure, and so beautiful that one dared not look directly at her.

Qin Lie felt his breath stop for a moment.

He spent the entire afternoon dealing with a mess and berating people, leaving him completely exhausted.

But the moment I saw her, all my fatigue and frustration vanished.

His heart was filled with a burning, intense emotion.

Is it pretty?

Jiang Wu saw him in the mirror, lifted her skirt, turned around, and looked at him with a hint of anticipation and pride.

"……nice."

Qin Lie walked over, his steps unsteady, as if he were walking on clouds.

He reached out, wanting to touch her, but he was afraid that his rough hands, stained with gunpowder and dust, would soil the sacred dress.

He simply stood before her, his dark eyes meticulously and greedily tracing her features inch by inch.

“You…” His Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice terribly hoarse, “You wearing this… is really awful.”

Jiang Wu felt her heart tremble under his undisguised, possessive gaze.

She knew what this man was thinking again.

She tiptoed and leaned close to his ear, her breath sweet as orchids.

"Then... how about I give you my 'life' right now?"

The string of reason in Qin Lie's mind snapped once again.

...

The next day, Jiang Wu did not wear the white dress that made her famous.

She changed into another dress that she had made herself.

It was a long skirt made of scraps of floral fabric pieced together.

She cleverly pieced together various colored floral fabrics—red, green, blue, yellow—which, far from appearing cluttered, instead created a unique, rustic, and fashionable look.

For her upper body, she wore a simple white shirt.

Her hair was tied high in a ponytail with a red hair tie, revealing her smooth forehead and slender neck.

She exudes both the vivacity of a young girl and the elegance of an artistic youth.

She carried a basket and prepared to fetch water from the well in the yard.

This is something that all the families in the military compound do every day, and it is also a natural social and information exchange center.

When Jiang Wu appeared on the path in the family compound, everyone stopped what they were doing.

The military wives who were washing clothes, picking vegetables, and chatting all turned their attention to her.

"Hey, look, isn't that Commander Qin's house?"

"It's her! Oh my god, what is she wearing today?"

"This dress... looks like it's pieced together from scraps of fabric? How come it looks so good when pieced together!"

"Look at her waist, wow, it's so tiny! This dress really accentuates her figure!"

Discussions rose and fell.

Everyone's eyes were glued to Jiang Wu's unique floral dress.

This dress is completely different in style from the white dress I wore yesterday.

A white dress evokes an ethereal, unattainable beauty, making one only dare to admire it from afar.

This floral dress, however, is full of the flavor of everyday life, making people feel warm and familiar, and it's so fashionable that it makes you want to buy it.

Bai Yuan, Zhao Gao's lover, was also washing clothes by the well.

Her husband had surgery on his leg at the general hospital and is recovering well; he has been transferred back to the military region's sanatorium.

Her resentment towards Qin Lie and Jiang Wu had long since dissipated.

At this moment, she looked at Jiang Wu walking gracefully towards her, her eyes filled with amazement.

"Sister-in-law, your dress is so beautiful!" Bai Yuan was the first to greet her.

"Really? Sister Xiumei." Jiang Wu stopped and smiled. "It was just something I made casually with some leftover scraps of cloth."

"Even something that was made so casually looks this good?" A woman surnamed Zhang came over and touched the fabric of Jiang Wu's dress. "The craftsmanship is amazing! Sister-in-law, where did you get this dress made? Please tell us!"

"I just figured it out myself," Jiang Wu replied calmly.

You made this yourself?

The crowd erupted in uproar.

Everyone knew that Commander Qin had married a country woman, but who would have thought that this country woman would have such skillful hands?

"Sister-in-law, you're so skillful! Could you... teach us a thing or two?"

"Yes, yes, I also have a bunch of scraps of cloth at home, and I don't know what to do with them!"

In no time, seven or eight military wives gathered around, chattering away, creating a lively scene.

Surrounded by people, Jiang Wu maintained a polite smile and patiently answered their questions.

Just then, a discordant voice rang out.

"Hmph, what's so great about it? It's just a new outfit. Why make such a fuss like an opera singer, all flashy and gaudy, not simple at all, and not afraid of what people will say?"

The speaker was Liu, the wife of a company commander in the second battalion. She liked to compare herself to others and was quite talkative.

She always felt that her man was no worse than the men in the First Battalion, so why was Qin Lie promoted to regimental commander?

Consequently, she began to see Jiang Wu as someone who was neither attractive nor obnoxious.

She was wearing a gray "Dacron" shirt today, which she thought was of good quality, but compared to Jiang Wu's outfit, she suddenly looked both dowdy and listless.

She was jealous, so her words naturally carried a barb.

The surrounding chatter immediately subsided.

Everyone knows that Sister Liu is a troublemaker, and no one dares to mess with her.

Jiang Wu's smile faded.

She turned her head, looked at the mean-looking Mrs. Liu, and spoke slowly.

"I just don't understand what Sister Liu is saying."

"We military wives support our husbands in defending the country, and we also need to take good care of our own families and keep ourselves clean and tidy. What's wrong with that?"

"Does one have to be dressed in drab and dusty clothes to be considered simple?"

"Besides, this dress of mine is made from scraps of fabric that others don't want. It didn't cost the government a single penny, and it didn't waste an inch of fabric. That's called being thrifty and turning waste into treasure. How come in Sister Liu's mouth it's all about being flashy and afraid of gossip?"

Jiang Wu's words were reasonable, well-founded, and resounding.

The woman, Sister Liu, was so flustered that her face turned red and then white, and she couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

"Exactly! Xiao Jiang is right!" Bai Yuan was the first to stand up in support. "We military wives should live with spirit and energy! Why can't we wear nice clothes!"

“That’s right, making clothes from scraps of cloth, how thrifty! That’s the kind of role model we should learn from!” another sister-in-law chimed in.

Seeing that public opinion was overwhelmingly against her, Sister Liu lost face, snorted, and slunk away with the basin in her arms.

Jiang Wu easily resolved a minor incident.

Not only did she not suffer any loss, but she also established a shining image in everyone's mind as "beautiful, skillful, thrifty, and not to be trifled with".

"Xiao Wu, don't bother with that kind of person."

Just then, Zhou Nianci also came over carrying a water bottle.

As soon as she arrived, she witnessed what had just happened.

She walked over to Jiang Wu, took her hand affectionately, and looked her up and down, her eyes full of admiration.

"You little rascal, you always surprise me every day. Yesterday's white dress, today's floral dress, each one is prettier than the last!"

Zhou Nianci is the wife of the political commissar, so her words carry much more weight than others.

Her praise made the surrounding military wives look at Jiang Wu with even more fervent eyes.

"Aunt Wang, you flatter me." Jiang Wu smiled modestly.

"No flattery, not at all!" Zhou Nianci patted her hand, then, as if having made a decision, loudly announced to the surrounding military wives:

"Don't you all think Xiaowu's clothes are pretty?"

"Let me tell you, she can not only cook, she can also draw! The design of this new dress I'm wearing was drawn by Xiao Wu!"

As Zhou Nianci spoke, she puffed out her chest, showing off the dark purple two-piece suit she was wearing.

She had this outfit made by the best tailor, and wearing it made her look both dignified and stylish, making her look several years younger.

Upon seeing this, everyone gasped in surprise once again.

Now everyone believed it.

Commander Qin's new wife is a truly remarkable person who keeps her abilities hidden!

Bai Yuan looked at Jiang Wu, her eyes shining. She bit her lip, finally mustered her courage, and was the first to ask:

"Sister-in-law, could you... draw a blueprint for me too?"

"I don't want you to paint for nothing. I... I'll trade you the eggs from my house, okay?"