Shen Qing returned to the hotel, but Cheng Zhiwen had not yet returned.

She knew he had gone to see Miss Zhu again and would definitely not be coming back tonight.

I felt a little uncomfortable, but when I thought about how he was a shameless traitor, I instantly felt less bitter.

After packing her luggage, Shen Qing couldn't sleep, so she put on her coat and went to open the window.

Today is a full moon.

The moon, large and round, hung in the sky, illuminating the dark alleyway across the street with twinkling lights.

Shen Qing looked toward the laundry room in the middle of the alley.

The struggles of overseas immigrant families in the late Qing Dynasty have always been epic tales of passion and determination.

They worked hard and kindly to survive in an environment full of discrimination.

As night deepened, white men could be seen entering and leaving the alley from time to time, presumably to retrieve their clean clothes to take home.

Will that hardworking couple receive a few pounds tonight?

Shen Qing smiled with satisfaction, closed the window, and turned to go back inside.

In the laundry room.

A brown silk vest hung on the counter, and the little boy stared at it longingly.

The woman comforted her, saying, "These two dresses are too big for you now. We'll let you wear them after the New Year."

The little boy pouted, not daring to say anything.

Just then, a customer picked up his clothes and was about to leave. Following the little boy's gaze, he also saw the two vests.

"Boss, how much is this coffee-colored shirt?"

...

The next day.

Shen Qing did one last check on his suitcase before heading to the dock in half an hour.

"Boss Shen, Boss Shen." Jiang Shen knocked on the door from outside.

Shen Qing quickly opened the door: "What's wrong?"

"Someone downstairs is looking for you. They say they own the laundry room across the street."

"The laundry room?" Shen Qing asked in surprise. "Did they say they wanted to see me about something?"

He said he had something important to discuss with you.

Something important?

Shen Qing found it strange.

What important things could a stranger like her possibly have to talk to her about?

However, out of goodwill towards her fellow countrymen, she immediately went downstairs.

Jiang Shen followed.

Just past the corner of the stairs, I saw the laundry shop owner sitting awkwardly on the sofa in the lobby.

Shen Qing jogged over and asked, "Is there something you need?"

The other person immediately stood up, nervously wringing his hands, avoiding her eyes.

This made Shen Qing even more worried, and she asked anxiously, "Has something happened that you need my help with?"

"The clothes you gave my child yesterday... the quilt..."

His face flushed red, and he said haltingly, "My wife sold me to a customer... but the customer really liked me and insisted that I take you to see him."

"clothes?"

Shen Qing thought for a moment and then gave the name of the department store.

"I bought it there, just pass it on to him. I'm about to board the ship back home, so I really don't have time to see your guest. I'm sorry."

After saying that, he turned to go upstairs.

Behind him, the laundry shop owner said, "It's not the clothes from the department store, it's those two brown jackets."

It's a down vest she made herself.

Shen Qing stopped in her tracks and turned around with delight.

"You said someone likes those two jackets? And wants to see me? What kind of person is it?"

“He was a London gentleman in his sixties who brought me white shirts to wash every day, but I didn’t know what kind of person he was.”

Shen Qing decided to meet this Mr. London who was interested in down vests.

She refunded her boat ticket and then returned to the laundry with the samples.

The woman was tending the shop alone. When she saw her come in, she kept saying "I'm sorry."

Because of her momentary greed, she sold the clothes that Shen Qing had given to the child.

Shen Qing was a little unhappy, but she didn't blame her. She smiled and sat down at the counter.

The man kindly served a cup of tea that wasn't very dark in color.

Shen Qing didn't drink it, and waited patiently.

Soon, an "old man" with a white beard, but whose figure and gait were as agile as a young man, walked in from the alley entrance.

He was wearing a dark brown three-piece British suit, matching Locket shoes, and a British top hat, and was carrying a black pointed umbrella.

Judging from his attire, you could tell he was a genuine London gentleman.

Shen Qing looked at the man: "Is this the gentleman?"

The man nodded vigorously.

Shen Qing quickly stood up.

The old man walked to the door, saw her, smiled at her, and then came forward to extend his hand to her: "Madam, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Walker."

Shen Qing extended her hand and shook his hand briefly: "Hello, Mr. Walker."

The man quickly brought out another chair for Walker to sit on.

Shen Qing sat down with him and looked at Walker sincerely.

She had a feeling that the old gentleman genuinely wanted to do business with her.

Walker took a sip of tea.

He didn't seem to mind the cheap cup stained with tea and the water that hadn't turned into tea.

He was a kind-hearted old man.

Shen Qing noticed these details.

"Madam, I received two excellent vests from here last night. I heard that you made them. I would like to ask if you could make more of these vests for me?"

Shen Qing asked, "What is the purpose of you buying these vests?"

Walker laughed and said, "I found that it keeps very warm, and I want to buy some to donate to the church so that the church can distribute them to poor elderly people and children as warm clothing."

Shen Qing's eyes welled up with tears: "How many do you want?"

"One million pieces...is that alright?"

One piece costs one tael of silver, so one million pieces would cost one million taels.

Shen Qing swallowed hard and hesitated, "But Mr. Walker, I can't get a test report for this garment in the UK. Do you still want it?"

Walker glanced at the little boy playing on the ground, then looked back at Shen Qing.

He looked into Shen Qing's eyes: "I believe you would not give clothes with quality problems to the children of your compatriots. I know these clothes were originally intended for Chen's children."

Chen is the surname of the laundry shop owner.

...

Shen Qing did not immediately agree to Walker's request, and they arranged to meet again at the laundry room at noon the next day.

Right now, one thing must be made clear—is Schmidt willing to provide the spinning machine?

Last time, Schmidt wouldn't let her take the machine with her, but Lao Xu said Cheng Zhiwen could handle it. Later, after boarding the ship, she vaguely guessed that Cheng Zhiwen might have brought the machine on board as well.

But this was just her guess, so she needed to confirm it with Cheng Zhiwen.

Can this machine go with her back to China?

If possible, how long would it take for one machine to produce one million vests, plus the shipping time? This is the timeframe she needs to clearly provide Walker with.

However, Cheng Zhiwen still did not return home all night.

Shen Qing waited until dawn, but he didn't show up. Because she needed to give Walker an answer by noon, she was anxious and decided to go find Cheng Zhiwen.

He called Jiang Shen over and asked, "Mr. Cheng went to see Miss Zhu again, didn't he?"

Jiang Shen nodded: "Yes."

Where does Miss Zhu live?

“Lives in the suburbs of London.”

Shen Qing glanced at the clock, then stood up: "Let's go! Take me to him!"