The first two times he sent Hua Jin home were at night, and Pei Yan had not yet seen the complete living environment of Hua Jin. When he found that the alley was broken and old, with potholes and bumps on the road, he couldn't help but frown. Hua Jin had to take this road every night to go home?
After the alley, there is a small open space. The open space is covered with thick dust, and the original appearance of the cement floor is almost invisible. A few weeds grow in the cracks of the ground, twisting and growing tenaciously. The house behind the open space has a mottled wall with dark gray lines on it. I don’t know if it is moss or the traces left by repeated rain.
Clothes were hung in a mess on the balconies on every floor, and colorful quilts on the roof were fluttering in the wind.
"You live in a place like this?" Pei Yan suspected that this house was older than he was. He glanced at the third floor, where there was a man standing in the corner of the balcony smoking. His brows knitted tightly, "Is it safe for you to live here alone?"
"I have lived here for a long time. The landlord is kind and does not raise the rent arbitrarily. The neighbors are also easy to get along with..."
As soon as Hua Jin finished speaking, she heard Grandma Chen on the second floor yelling at someone who had stolen the dried vegetables she had hung out to dry.
If it weren't for the makeup, Hua Jin would have wanted to cover her face. She blinked, "I don't like living with others. Although the house here is a bit old, the tenants all live separately and the rent is not high, which is pretty good." Seeing Pei Yan's look of disbelief, she couldn't help laughing and said, "For a single girl like me who works hard outside, living in a house like this is already a luxury. There are even more people who share a basement or a small shack of a few square meters with others to save money. There is a saying that poverty limits the poor's imagination of the rich's life. I think wealth will also limit your imagination of poverty."
"Who are you scolding in such a sarcastic way?" Sister Qin stood on the fourth-floor balcony, right hand on waist, left hand pointing downstairs, "As if who cares about a few smelly and rotten vegetable leaves. Don't scold people just because something is lost. Even if you are not annoyed, others are tired of listening to you."
Seeing this woman, Pei Yan thought of the tofu beauty Yang Ersao in Mr. Lu Xun's "Hometown". Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little worried. Although Hua Jin was quite eloquent, compared with these two, she would probably be scolded without any chance to fight back.
In the brief moment when he was distracted, the quarrel between Old Lady Chen and Sister Qin had escalated from rotten vegetable leaves to personal attacks. Pei Yan was 27 years old and could be considered to have seen a lot, but he had never encountered such an unreserved quarrel.
For a moment, I was amazed and stunned.
"Bah, I'm not like some black-hearted, rotten-hearted, shameless women who married a bastard, ran away in a stinky mess, and even introduced their own family to the beautiful girl. What kind of people are their own family? Don't you know? Why do you want to harm others?!"
"Your children are all good, but it's a pity that they don't want to live with you. What is my family? What does it have to do with you?" Sister Qin said, "Look at your old appearance. Pah!"
Hua Jin pulled Pei Yan's sleeve and whispered: "Mr. Pei, let's go." If they didn't leave, the fire would burn her.
Pei Yan, who was listening with great interest, only reacted when Hua Jin pulled his sleeve. He asked in a low voice: "Will they fight?"
"No." Hua Jin said affirmatively, "They sometimes quarrel, but they never fight. Grandma Chen is very old, and Sister Qin dare not fight with her. They are just quarreling for no reason. Everyone in our building is used to it."
Unfortunately, Hua Jin had only taken two steps dragging Pei Yan when she was discovered by Old Lady Chen.
"Xiaohua, wait a minute!" When Old Lady Chen saw Hua Jin, she seemed to be helped. She pointed at Pei Yan who was beside Hua Jin and said, "She wants to introduce a relative to Xiaohua. Look at what her boyfriend looks like. He looks better than your relative, has longer legs than your relative, and even wears better-looking clothes than your relative."
Hua Jin and Pei Yan looked at each other, and at this moment, they finally understood each other's thoughts and understood the meaning in each other's eyes.
Pei Yan: Boyfriend? She's talking about me?
Hua Jin: This is all a misunderstanding...
Pei Yan: If I send you home, not only will I waste gas, but I will also lose my reputation?
Hua Jin: ...
She turned around and gave Old Lady Chen an awkward smile. Just as she was about to explain to her that Pei Yan was just her friend, she saw a young man in a sports suit walking out of the alley.
The young man's eyes lit up when he saw Hua Jin, but when he saw Pei Yan beside Hua Jin, he retracted his foot that was about to step towards Hua Jin.
Sister Qin was about to retort and scold Old Chen for meddling in her business, but when she saw her nephew from her mother's family appear, she had to swallow her anger. If they continued to argue, not only would her nephew be embarrassed, but Hua Jin and her boyfriend would also be embarrassed.
When Old Lady Chen saw Sister Qin's nephew, she also chose to stop. The person she disliked the most was Sister Qin. This young man was handsome and had never offended her. She was afraid that if she continued to scold him, it would embarrass the young man.
The two of them chose to call a truce tacitly, but for the sake of face, they both stood on the balcony and refused to leave, as if whoever went back to the house first would lose.
"Hello." Hua Jin nodded slightly to the other party.
Pei Yan turned his head slightly and glanced at Hua Jin. He felt Hua Jin's alienation from this man.
"Hello." The young man with a buzz cut smiled reluctantly, and stammered, "What a coincidence."
"Are you here to look for Sister Qin?" Hua Jin pointed upstairs, "Sister Qin is at home, go up quickly."
"Oh...oh, okay." The young man seemed to have just come to his senses. He walked past Hua Jin reluctantly, took a few steps and asked unwillingly, "Is this... your boyfriend?"
Hua Jin smiled and didn't answer.
The young man's eyes dimmed little by little, and the smile on his face could hardly be maintained: "Sorry." He walked dejectedly into the dilapidated corridor without street lights. Hua Jin glanced at his back and withdrew his gaze expressionlessly.
"Let me take you out." Hua Jin looked up and smiled at Pei Yan, "You won't get used to this kind of living atmosphere." Poor Mr. Pei, who was so high and mighty, was so frightened by the quarrel that he became less talkative.
"I sent you in, and you sent me out again. Isn't this just a waste of time?" Pei Yan looked at the shabby little building behind him. The old lady on the second floor and the woman on the fourth floor had already entered the house without him noticing. He asked Hua Jin, "Which floor do you live on?"
"Fourth floor." Hua Jin finished replying, and saw Pei Yan's expression become tangled. He smiled and said, "Don't think too much. I get along well with them. Sister Qin sometimes stews soup and gives me a bowl. Grandma Chen also often gives me dried vegetables and medicinal wine. They may have many unpleasant shortcomings, but they are not evil people. I am just like them, a member of the mortal world, either annoying or likable."
"You are different from them." Pei Yan blurted out.
"What's the difference?"
What's the difference?
Pei Yan didn't know what made Hua Jin different from them. He said she was more elegant and likable than them, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Wasn't that a blatant compliment to her? If he really said that, wouldn't this peacock be proud of himself?
"You are younger and prettier than them."
"Everyone will grow old, and everyone will become less beautiful." Hua Jin couldn't help but laugh when she saw Pei Yan's expression of "I don't want to praise you, but I have to force myself to praise you", "They also had their youngest and most beautiful time, but some things were worn away by life."
Pei Yan fell silent. Most of the women he often came into contact with lived a refined and elegant life. Even if their husbands and sons were not doing well for them, they would still use gorgeous clothes and beautiful accessories as battle clothes.
It would never happen that someone would get so worked up over a few words or a few pieces of food in front of everyone.
"We're here." After walking out of the alley, Hua Jin saw the luxury car parked not far away. She looked at Pei Yan with a smile, "Be careful on your way home."
"You are different from them in one aspect." Looking at Hua Jin's smiling face, Pei Yan hesitated for a few seconds, but still said what was in his mind, "There is hope in your eyes."
"Thank you." Hua Jin was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "I am one of the heirs who will shoulder the future of Shu embroidery."
"You've thrown away your own dignity just to flatter yourself." Shocked by Hua Jin's shameless words, Pei Yan couldn't help but sigh. Why did he feel at that moment just now that he needed to say something to comfort Hua Jin?
After getting into the car and starting the engine, Pei Yan found Hua Jin in the rearview mirror still standing at the alley entrance, with a faint smile on her face, incredibly gentle. In a flash, he suddenly wanted to see Hua Jin's expression clearly, so he turned off the engine, unbuckled his seat belt, opened the car door, stood up and looked towards the alley entrance.
Hua Jin was no longer standing there.
At this moment, Pei Yan felt an indescribable sense of loss.
In the following days, Hua Jin and Tan Yuan did not receive any orders, but they did sell a few finished products. They had long been accustomed to this quiet environment, and in addition to drinking tea and chatting in the store, they also embroidered and made lacquerware, and their lives were quite pleasant.
During lunch, Tan Yuan talked about a not-so-famous female artist in the entertainment industry: "She is really pitiful. Her family favors boys over girls. Her younger brother owes a loan shark, and her parents are asking her, the older sister, to pay it back. Two months ago, when she walked the red carpet, someone mocked her for being so poor that she wore a few hundred yuan worth of knockoffs. There is an important event in two weeks, and netizens are already speculating which knockoff skirt she will wear this time."
Hua Jin glanced at the picture on Tan Yuan's phone screen. The female artist was very beautiful, but her eyes showed fatigue. She put down her chopsticks and said, "If she doesn't find a way to resolve this pathological family relationship, she will be trapped in it for the rest of her life."
"Her parents are so cruel. They tortured their daughter after she finally achieved some success. They spoiled their son instead of educating him. Won't he harm himself and others when he grows up?" Tan Yuan couldn't stand this kind of preference for boys over girls. "What era is this? There is still preference for boys over girls. It's disgusting."
"It's not uncommon to favor sons over daughters, or to favor the younger sons and daughters, and let the older sons and daughters suffer." Hua Jin lowered her eyelids, and said in a cold tone, "There is no shortage of such unfair things in the world." She wiped her mouth with a tissue, "By the way, the cheongsam I took last time is basically finished, but the flower buttons I made for the cheongsam are not as good as Aunt Gao's. You can take the cheongsam back tonight and let Aunt Gao help you fix it."
"You're not good enough?" Tan Yuan said helplessly, "Do you know that my mother often regrets that you are not her daughter?"
Hua Jin reached out and pinched Tan Yuan's soft face: "I also want to have parents like Aunt Gao and Uncle Tan, but who told me that I love you the most, so I can't do anything to steal your parents."
"It's a great pity that I meet a beautiful woman in my life, but she is of the same sex." Tan Yuan sighed, put away the lunch box and threw it into the trash can behind him.
"Excuse me, sorry to bother you." A bright yellow head appeared at the door of the store. "Flower embroiderer, are you available for custom orders recently?"
"Mr. Yang?" Hua Jin came and greeted him with a smile. For a rich and generous customer like this who was not picky, it would be a shame to not be welcoming to your wallet.
"I didn't expect that Hua Xiushi still remembered me." Yang Shao looked at Hua Jin and Tan Yuan, "It's like this, my grandmother's birthday is in a little over a month, and I thought she really likes your pandas, so I wanted to ask you to customize a panda embroidered screen for me. The price is negotiable."
The embroidered screen requires double-sided embroidery, so the time of more than a month is a bit tight. Fortunately, Tan Yuan can make the screen frame and can help her with some auxiliary work. If the two of them work together, there will be no problem.
Hua Jin understood Yang Shao's needs and briefly explained the production process to him, which made Yang Shao dizzy and he transferred a large deposit to them on the spot.
"Thank you so much." Yang Shao was very happy that Hua Jin was willing to take the order. The old lady at home didn't like any embroidery sent by anyone, but she liked the handkerchiefs made by Hua Xiushi. In order to please the old lady, his parents drove him here to place the order.
"I should thank Mr. Yang for taking care of our business." Hua Jin gave the deposit invoice to Yang Shao, who put it in his coat pocket. "Master Hua Xiu, you are too polite. If you need any help in the future, just give me a call."
"Thank you." Hua Jin sent Yang Shao out the door, and Tan Yuan said with emotion, "These rich people are really generous."
"For these wealthy and prestigious people, it is best if things can be solved quickly and perfectly. If money can solve the problem, it is not a big deal." Mr. Yang was polite to her and was very considerate in his words and deeds, but that was a habit brought by him. If she really took his casual words "Call me if you need anything" seriously, she would be asking for trouble.
"But I like it." Hua Jin said with a smile, "I will go to the God of Wealth Temple recently to worship the God of Wealth and thank him for helping me with my fortune."
"Here we go again..." Tan Yuan sighed, "Mr. Yang didn't mention any requirements for his order. What should we do?"
"We'll do it to the highest standard within the time frame." Hua Jin took out his phone and sent a message to Pineapple Spirit on WeChat. "You get what you pay for."
Two minutes later, just as she expected, the other party asked them to make the embroidery according to the highest standards within the time limit.
"It seems that your daily superstition is useful. You have the ability to predict the future."
"What do you mean by prediction? I just want to fully understand the psychology of customers." Hua Jin shook his head. "To become a successful craftsman, you must grasp both craftsmanship and the market."
"Sister Hua, what you said makes sense. I admire you."
A few days later, Tan Yuan was painting lacquerware at home, and Hua Jin was the only one in the store. The female customer who had customized the cheongsam came to pick up the dress two days in advance. This time, she still wrapped herself tightly, even more carefully than last time, and even used a mask.
"Your cheongsam has been made. If there are any modifications required, please contact me." Seeing that the customer did not want people to see her face clearly, Hua Jin did not ask the other party to try the clothes in the store. She just briefly mentioned a few methods of washing and storing.
"Thank you." The female customer swiped her card and noticed an embroidered handbag on the shelf. "Is this bag reserved by someone else or is it a finished product ready for sale?"
"It's a finished product that the store is going to sell." Hua Jin put on fine velvet gloves, took off the handbag and handed it to the female customer, "You can try it to feel it."
"No, please wrap it up for me." When the female customer saw Hua Jin approaching, she pulled up her mask uncomfortably.
Noticing her action, Hua Jin took a few steps back: "Okay, please wait a moment."
The transaction had just been completed and the female customer had not yet had time to leave when a man and a woman walked in. The man was holding a camera and the woman was holding a wireless microphone. They walked straight towards Hua Jin.
Hua Jin noticed that when the two men came in, the female customer, who had wrapped herself tightly, became a little flustered. She turned around and pretended to be looking at goods in the store.
"Hello, is there anything I can help you with?" Hua Jin pretended not to notice the female customer's reaction and smiled at the man and woman who had just entered the door.
"Hello, we are reporters from the "Human True Love" program team. We saw a very touching story on the Internet. After contacting the person involved, we learned that you are the embroiderer who helped the person involved. May I ask if we can have a brief interview with you?" The female reporter is very young and has a very friendly smile.
Hua Jin was a little confused. What touching story?
Did she do something good that even the TV stations would pay attention to it?
Looking at the black lens of the camera, Hua Jin's mind was in a mess. The makeup she put on this morning shouldn't have been messy, right? And the clothes she was wearing shouldn't look ugly in the camera, right?
Hua Jin was roaring in her heart, but she tried to show an elegant and polite smile to the reporter: "Of course no problem, please sit here, but I don't know much about what happened, can you tell me what it is?"
Aunt Gao, your good disciple is going to be on TV!
The author has something to say: Hua Jin smiled coldly, and inwardly: rubbing her hands excitedly, I'm going to be on TV! On TV!! I'm going to post it on WeChat Moments~
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