After the event, the courtyard of Gu Mingyue's house became unusually lively.

There are always people who quietly knock on the door in the early morning or evening light, carrying fabric.

Without a word, Gu Mingyue would lead the person into the inner room. The soft measuring tape and sewing basket on the kang (heated brick bed) became an unspoken understanding between them.

Not many people come to her to make clothes, but they all have ulterior motives.

A young soldier wanted to make a well-fitting cotton-padded jacket for his mother back home, but fearing being accused of seeking special treatment, he wrapped the fabric inside his military overcoat and sent it over.

Some sisters-in-law wanted to make new clothes for their children for the New Year, but they hesitated for a long time at the gate of the courtyard before daring to ask for soy sauce.

Gu Mingyue never asked many questions. She simply took the measurements carefully, wrote them down in her notebook, agreed on a time to pick up the clothes, and then had the other person leave quietly through the back door.

Most people only dare to admire from afar.

When passing by the Lu family compound, people would hear the snip of cloth being cut inside, or catch a glimpse of needles and thread moving on the window paper. Their eyes would be filled with longing, but no one dared to go forward.

After all, in those days, doing work in private was a sensitive topic, and everyone was afraid of getting into trouble, so they could only talk about it privately with acquaintances.

"If Mingyue could make me a piece of clothing, even just a cloth bag would be fine."

Gu Mingyue noticed these envious glances and would always prepare extra scraps of fabric when sewing clothes, secretly giving some pieced-together fabric mats to her sister-in-law whom she knew well.

Even scraps of cloth can be useful. You can make some rags at home or sew a beanbag for the kids. These things may be insignificant, but they can bring some joy to the family.

That evening, Gu Mingyue was arranging fabrics in the yard when Aunt Zhang from next door brought over half a basin of freshly baked cornbread, smiling as she handed it to her: "Mingyue, try Aunt Zhang's cooking."

As he spoke, his eyes couldn't help but glance at the scraps of cloth on the table before quickly looking away.

She had long envied others who could have Gu Mingyue make clothes for them, but she was too timid to ask.

Gu Mingyue took the cake and noticed the worn-out apron on her clothes, and an idea came to her mind.

The next morning, she took the old jacket that Sister Qin had brought to repair earlier and knocked on the Zhang family's door: "Sister Qin, the jacket is repaired. I also pieced together some things with scraps of fabric from home. Please take a look and see if they're suitable."

As she spoke, she took a small apron out of her cloth bag.

Different colored scraps of fabric were cut into small diamonds and pieced together to form a beautiful pattern. The stitches were finely sewn onto the plain, coarse fabric base, making it both sturdy and skillful.

Sister-in-law Qin's eyes lit up. She reached out and took the apron, her fingertips tracing the pattern on the fabric. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "Is this for me?"

“I was thinking that you cook every day and your apron always gets worn out, so this is a thick one.” Gu Mingyue smiled and helped her tie it on. “It’s just made of scraps of cloth, it’s nothing special, don’t mind it.”

Aunt Qin spun around in front of the mirror twice, her eyes welling up with tears. She held Gu Mingyue's hand and thanked her repeatedly.

This matter later quietly spread among the sisters-in-law who knew her well, and everyone knew that Gu Mingyue was meticulous and thoughtful.

Those who dared not openly ask her to make clothes would occasionally leave scraps of cloth from their homes at the gate of her yard under the pretext of delivering vegetables or borrowing things.

Gu Mingyue secretly earned some pocket money by making clothes in private, which made her much more financially secure. However, fearing that it would attract envy, she temporarily stopped accepting new orders.

Looking at the pile of scraps of fabric in the house, she couldn't bear to throw them away. She picked out a piece of fabric with matching colors and pieced it together to make a curtain, which she then hung at the entrance of the inner room.

When the wind blows, the floral pattern on the fabric sways gently, making it even more unique than a store-bought product.

The remaining fabric was pieced together to make a sofa cover, which was then laid on the old sofa, instantly brightening the room.

Just as I finished smoothing out the sofa cover, Qi Juanjuan's voice came from the courtyard gate: "Mingyue, come to my house for dinner tonight. My husband brought some cured meat from his hometown and wants to invite everyone to join in the fun."

Gu Mingyue smiled and agreed, then turned to Wanwan and said, "It's perfect timing to bring the sugar cakes I made yesterday so everyone can have a taste."

As evening fell, Gu Mingyue and Lu Lin walked toward Qi Juan's house and could hear laughter coming from inside.

Pushing open the door, they found Xia Qinghe and her husband already there. Qi Juanjuan was busy in the kitchen, wearing an apron. Seeing them arrive, she quickly wiped her hands and came out to greet them: "Please sit down, we've been waiting for you!"

His gaze swept over Gu Mingyue's cloth dress, then caught sight of the sugar cakes she was carrying, and he teased with a smile, "You're so skillful; even your sugar cakes are more exquisite than others'."

Several people sat around the table, looking at the stir-fried cured pork with green peppers and steamed eggs, smelling the aroma of rice, and chatting about recent events in the family compound.

Qi Juanjuan spoke of the fabric curtain that Gu Mingyue had pieced together, her eyes filled with envy: "Next time, I'll save some scraps of fabric from my house for you. Can you help me piece together a tablecloth? Don't worry, your sister-in-law won't let you do it for free."

"No need for formalities, just bring it over," Gu Mingyue replied with a smile.

The table was steaming hot, the salty aroma of cured meat mingling with the fragrance of rice, and the group chatted and ate merrily.

Qi Juanjuan put a piece of cured meat on Wanwan's plate, then suddenly lowered her voice and looked at Gu Mingyue: "Mingyue, I have something to tell you."

She glanced towards the kitchen to make sure her husband was busy, then continued, "My neighbor Wang's little girl is almost of school age and wants a new dress, but she doesn't live in the family compound and is afraid to ask you directly. Knowing we're close, she specifically asked me to ask if it's possible..."

She paused halfway through her sentence, a hint of cautious probing in her eyes.

Gu Mingyue didn't stop eating with her chopsticks. She picked up a piece of green vegetable and chewed it slowly. After a moment, she looked up at Qi Juanjuan and nodded gently: "Okay, just have her bring the fabric when she has time."

Fearing that Qi Juanjuan would worry, he added, "The same old rule applies, come when it's quiet in the morning or evening, don't worry."

Qi Juanjuan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as she added a spoonful of steamed egg custard to Gu Mingyue's bowl: "I knew you would help with this! If Aunt Wang knew, she would be so happy."

Xia Qinghe, who was standing next to her, laughed and said, "Your skills have been known throughout the family compound for a long time. It's just that everyone is too embarrassed to ask, so they can only ask someone to inquire."

Gu Mingyue smiled but didn't say anything.

As dawn broke and the morning mist still lingered over the family compound, Gu Mingyue heard a soft sound coming from the gate.

When I opened the door, I saw Qi Juanjuan standing there with a cloth bag in her hand and a bunch of small green vegetables covered in dew.

"Mingyue, did I disturb your rest?" Qi Juanjuan asked in a low voice, glancing around before handing over the cloth bag. "This is fabric for making clothes for the maid. I've roughly measured it and written the measurements on a piece of paper, then put it inside."

The cloth bag was made of coarse cloth and felt heavy to the touch. Inside, besides the floral cotton cloth, there were also several freshly steamed white steamed buns.

Gu Mingyue took the cloth bag and pushed the damp green vegetables into her hand: "I'll take the cloth, but you can take the vegetables back. Homegrown vegetables are precious, and the steamed buns aren't cheap either."

Qi Juanjuan insisted on stuffing the vegetables through the crack in the door: "It's not worth it."

After saying that, as if afraid of being seen, she waved her hand and walked quickly towards her own yard. When she reached the corner, she turned back and smiled at Gu Mingyue.