"You're back? The food's in the pot, I'll go heat it up."

Jiang Yu stared at the man's back, swallowing hard. Realizing she was infatuated, she couldn't help but pat her burning face, trying to bring herself to her senses.

The man gently placed the sewing machine on the windowsill. He spoke slowly:

"I borrowed the sewing machine from Da Niu's house; it's a Butterfly brand. Give it a try, and if it works well, you can consider buying one."

He followed the woman to the outer room and saw her flushed cheeks and her pale, delicate hands still patting herself, which puzzled him. Looking down, he noticed that two buttons of her shirt were undone, revealing her abdominal muscles from a distance, and his brow furrowed.

This woman had always been indifferent to him; even when she occasionally took off her shirt in the summer, revealing her eight-pack abs, she never gave him a second glance. Now, suddenly she was acting like a shy, timid girl, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.

Shen Ying coughed twice, then turned his back to her and buttoned up his clothes in a low voice.

Jiang Yu realized that his gaze had been too intense, and she wished she could hide her head under the stove to ease the awkwardness. She didn't even hear what the man said afterward.

After dinner, a few drops of rain fell outside, adding a touch of mist to the surroundings. The two children lay on the bed looking at the pictures in their storybook, with Shen Ying explaining the parts they didn't understand.

Jiang Yu measured the floral fabric with a ruler, drew the dimensions with chalk, and then cut it out.

I have to say, Butterfly sewing machines are really good. After pedaling it around once, I picked it up and tested it; it felt great.

She finished two pieces in this manner. When she got to the third piece, Jiang Yu felt a pause as she stepped on the sewing machine, as if the thread had gotten caught. Looking down to see where adjustments were needed, the needle fell to the ground, gleaming silver in the light.

She put down the clothes she was holding and checked the problem. She found that the other half of the needle was stuck in the sewing machine. She pulled it twice, but it didn't work.

The man's powerful silhouette resurfaced in her mind. Jiang Yu looked down at the bed and saw him telling the two children a story from a book. In the lamplight, there was an illusion.

"Chen Ying, could you help me change the needle?"

Worried about startling the focused children, she spoke softly and gently. The man had never heard her call him in such a tone before, and a shiver ran through him; he felt a strange, indescribable feeling.

Shen Ying put down the book, got up, and walked to the woman, observing her closely. It only required opening something like a clasp, but overall, it was a bit troublesome.

Because the surface of the needle is quite slippery, I had to apply the right amount of pressure while also avoiding pricking my hand. I tried many times but failed.

"Pull the needle out a little bit and put a cloth on it; that will make it a little better."

Jiang Yu shared her proposed solution and couldn't resist moving closer, intending to assist the man in carrying it out.

'Thump.'

The moment the needle was pulled out, he leaned back. Afraid of knocking the woman away, he quickly turned his head, and the distance between their lips was only 0.1 millimeters.

"Feel sorry."

Shen Ying's hand naturally wrapped around the woman's waist, feeling how slender it was that he could easily wrap his hand around it. Once Jiang Yu stood up straight, he quickly let go, afraid that she would misunderstand and think that he had deliberately taken advantage of her.

"It's alright~"

At this moment, Jiang Yu's face was even redder than before. She forced an indifferent expression and took the opportunity to rummage through the box for needles. When the man couldn't see her, she glanced at the sleeping children and exhaled.

She finally understood why her parents would pretend to ask her to get water whenever there was a kissing scene on TV when she was a child—it was genuinely embarrassing.

"I'll do it."

A man should appear more magnanimous. He took the silver needle from Jiang Yu's hand carefully, worried that he might prick her.

Jiang Yu didn't stand on ceremony with him. After finishing the assembly, she continued working on the stool. However, the image of her blushing earlier kept replaying in her mind, making her somewhat distracted, and her work slowed down.

......

The next morning, Jiang Yu packed up the six samples she had made the night before and headed to the city. Since they were just samples for customers, she sewed them a little and didn't put in much effort, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to finish them in time.

However, apart from missing two rows of stitching, everything else is pretty much the same. For example, the sleeves and buttons are there.

Customers arrived at the department store early in the morning. Seeing a newly opened clothing store with a novel decoration style, they couldn't help but come over to see what it was all about.

Jiang Yu took out samples from her bundle and hung them on the wall, then opened the door to welcome customers. Many people, seeing only a young girl inside, couldn't help but ask when the manager would arrive. Upon learning that she was the manager, many were greatly disappointed.

In their view, most people who can make good clothes are over forty years old. A young girl who looks only in her early twenties is just playing around; it's highly unlikely that she can actually produce anything worthwhile.

But the clothes hanging on the wall... while not many, were quite different from the current popular styles. However, no one believed she made them, and naturally, no one bothered to ask.

A woman, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, plunged into the crowd and headed straight for the shop. Seeing a customer approaching, Jiang Yu quickly put down her work and stood up to greet her.

"Comrade, do you have any clothes you like? You can try them on."

Jiang Yu has a sweet smile that gives people a very friendly feeling. Unlike some store managers who always have a long face and only show a nice face when customers have finished trying on clothes and are about to pay.

The woman was wearing the latest trendy flared pants, a double-breasted plaid blazer, leather shoes, and aviator sunglasses. She would always pull her glasses down slightly when looking at people, giving her a very fashionable appearance.

She walked past Jiang Yu, fiddling with her clothes, and couldn't help but shake her head. When she saw the women's business blazer, she burst out laughing.

Jiang Yu felt that this person was not a simple customer, but since he was the first customer since the store opened, she had to treat him well no matter what.

She hesitated for ten seconds, then went back to the woman and continued to ask:

"Hello comrade, how can I help you?"

As more and more people gathered outside the door, the woman ripped off the blazer, grabbed it casually, and looked disdainful.

"What are you selling? It doesn't look like a suit or a coat, it's really outdated. Look at my coat, double-breasted is the most fashionable thing right now. If you really don't know how to make it, you should go to another clothing store and learn, so you don't embarrass yourself in public."

As the woman spoke, she held up the clothes and compared them to the one she was wearing. Finally, she disdainfully tossed it aside, only to be caught by Jiang Yu, who was following closely behind.

The reason she used this one as a comparison is because the other styles are all so beautiful; if she hadn't been asked to make one herself, she would have loved to have one custom-made.