Chapter 94 Yet, one might yearn for...
“This is my colleague Zhou Qi,” Lin Xi introduced to Zhou Zhiyu. “She also often picks out Hanfu.”
Zhou Zhiyu greeted her with a smile: "Sister Zhou Qi, we met at the venue earlier."
Zhou Qi nodded hurriedly, marveling at the sheer number of Hanfu in the shop: "Did you make all of these Hanfu by yourself?"
“There’s also my grandmother’s apprentice in the shop. We basically do all the work together,” Zhou Zhiyu said, pointing upstairs. “Upstairs are my grandmother’s earlier works, which are more exquisite. I’ll take you up to see them.”
As she spoke, she led them upstairs, "However, Grandma's designs are all traditional, so they might not be suitable for everyday wear. And..."
She paused, somewhat embarrassed, "The price is really high due to the fabric and craftsmanship. Unless you have a specific purpose for it, I don't recommend you choose those."
It's clear she's genuinely concerned about their finances.
Indeed, as she said, the Hanfu on the second floor is mainly in a magnificent and luxurious court style, emphasizing craftsmanship, woven with gold and silver threads, and adorned with pearls, corals, and other jade and gemstone jewelry, which is not suitable for everyday wear.
After admiring the clothes for a while, the two decided to choose from the ready-made clothes downstairs.
To protect Zhou Zhiyu's self-esteem, Lin Xi and Zhou Qi didn't go overboard and simply each selected four or five sets of Hanfu.
However, Zhou Zhiyu still felt it was too much, and said very apologetically, "Sister, you don't need to deliberately patronize my business. These handmade clothes are mainly expensive because of their high cost. One or two pieces are enough for you. I can give you an extra set."
"Child, we bought this because we really like it! Don't worry."
Lin Xi took out her phone and scanned the code on the clothes to pay. "No need to deliver it. This is the reward for your hard work."
Zhou Zhiyu couldn't stop her in time: "Thank you, sister. Let me take your measurements. These clothes are all made to one size fits all, and I'll alter the waist and other measurements."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work."
-
When Lin Xi arrived home, Fu Qingli was working in the living room.
She changed into slippers, tossed her bag aside, and ran to Fu Qingli's side, snuggling into his arms.
Fu Qingli put down his work, opened his arms and picked her up, letting her lie on top of him.
He lowered his head, stroked her hair, and asked softly, "What's wrong? Did you not enjoy dinner with Zhou Qi?"
Lin Xi shook her head. She and Zhou Qi ate the meal somewhat absentmindedly, constantly thinking about how she could help Zhou Zhiyu more.
She briefly told Fu Qingli about Zhou Zhiyu's situation, then tugged at the fabric on his chest, tilted her head up, and said in a coquettish tone, "Brother, can I spend some money to sponsor this intangible cultural heritage exhibition? I want all the staff and vendors participating in the exhibition to wear Yiyu's Hanfu, so that it can not only increase Zhiyu's income, but also serve as a form of publicity."
"The price might be a bit high. I did the math, and a hundred or so Hanfu would cost tens of thousands of yuan."
Fu Qingli chuckled and rubbed the back of her head: "You forgot, you're in charge of all the money in the house now. Do whatever you want, your husband can earn it."
Because of his very natural "husband", Lin Xi felt a little hot, but she didn't want him to see her shyness, so she buried her face in his chest again: "Then I have to tell you how you spend the money you earn, right?"
Fu Qingli tightened her arms around her: "No need to say anything, as long as you're happy, it's worth spending money however you want."
"No, I think you should talk to Gu Keli about Zhou Zhiyu first."
"Should I ask him to pay?" Lin Xi suddenly looked up, looking troubled. "I've thought about it, but I feel like he's already spent a lot of money, and I'm a little embarrassed to ask him."
"He must be hoping someone will speak up so he can have the opportunity to do more for Zhou Zhiyu."
"Is it okay if she doesn't know?" Lin Xi didn't quite understand.
But Fu Qingli had felt the same way.
Those who hide their feelings will act very carefully, for fear of revealing their true feelings to the other person.
But they would long for a legitimate reason to do more for her.
Because he had done the same thing during those six years.
“Yes, he’ll be willing to do anything for Zhou Zhiyu,” Fu Qingli said confidently. “If he’s not willing, then we’ll pay for it.”
“It’s not that I’m worried about the money. If Gu Keli is willing, you can continue to help Zhou Zhiyu with other things, and she can have more income. Right?”
Lin Xi nodded, agreeing with what he said.
It's always good to have more people help her.
Fu Qingli took the phone, found Gu Keli's number, and handed it to Lin Xi.
The phone was answered after ringing twice.
Gu Keli thought it was Fu Qingli, and when he spoke, his voice was lazy: "Brother Fu? Aren't you in Nanqing with your wife? What brings you to call me?"
Lin Xi coughed lightly: "President Gu, I am Lin Xi."
"Sister-in-law?" Gu Keli instantly dropped his nonchalant attitude, his tone even revealing a hint of nervousness. "What's wrong? Is there a problem with the project?"
"No, no, it's just..." Lin Xi was a little embarrassed to actually ask for money.
Fu Qingli chimed in from the side: "I'd like to ask President Gu to secure some more sponsorships."
Gu Keli on the other end seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, his tone becoming lighter and more cheerful, without the slightest hesitation: "Sure, how much?"
"Not much, 100,000." Although he was very straightforward, Lin Xi felt she still needed to explain, "It's like this, I met Zhou Zhiyu today."
You could feel her breath catch in her throat; she seemed very nervous about what she was about to say.
At this point, Lin Xi didn't keep him in suspense any longer: "I wanted to help her, so I was thinking of having all the staff and vendors at this exhibition wear Yi Yu's Hanfu to participate. This would give her more orders and also increase..."
Before she could finish speaking, Gu Keli hurriedly interrupted her: "Sure, as long as it's something to help her, you can decide, sister-in-law. You can spend whatever it takes. I'll have the finance department transfer ten million right now."
"...Ten million? That's way too much."
Lin Xi was speechless. "We don't need that many. There are only a little over a hundred sets of clothes in total. 100,000 yuan is enough."
Gu Keli's tone was unusually serious, even stern: "Sister-in-law, please help me spend more money. I really don't want her to work so hard."
No matter how much Lin Xi could spend, she couldn't possibly throw ten million at Zhou Zhiyu all at once. After much persuasion, she reluctantly accepted two hundred thousand.
After hanging up the phone, she couldn't help but mutter, "If Gu Keli likes Zhou Zhiyu so much, why doesn't he show up himself? Why does he have to be so secretive?"
Fu Qingli shook her head, her expression somewhat wistful: "I guess there are some unspeakable difficulties involved."
Lin Xi knew that he was thinking of the five years that had secretly accompanied her, and that Gu Keli was just like him back then.
She reached out and hugged Fu Qingli tightly: "Then they will surely be able to be together like us, with lovers finally united. Look how happy we are!"
Fu Qingli liked the phrase "lovers," her deep eyes smiling as she looked at little Lin Xi, her tone firm: "Yes, we will always be happy."
The next day, Lin Xi went to Yi Yu to find Zhou Zhiyu.
“Zhiyu, we thought about it last night and decided to have all the staff and vendors at the exhibition wear Hanfu to create the overall atmosphere of the intangible cultural heritage exhibition. I counted, and there are a total of 159 pieces of clothing for men and women. You can decide on the style. Is the budget of 200,000 yuan enough for you?”
"Two hundred thousand?" Zhou Zhiyu didn't expect Lin Xi to give her such a big order, and her voice even trembled a little. "The whole set of clothes doesn't need to cost two hundred thousand, one hundred and twenty or thirty thousand will be enough."
"This order only has a one-month production period. The labor cost plus the craftsmanship fee will be 200,000 yuan." Lin Xi took out the contract and waved it. "If it's not completed, there will be consequences."
Zhou Zhiyu nodded hurriedly: "Don't worry, sister, I can do it."
Her eyes were red and she looked like she was about to cry. "I'm so grateful to you, sister. This is the first time I've taken on such a big order. Thank you for trusting me so much!"
"No need to thank me, it's because your clothes are beautiful." Lin Xi pointed to the ready-made clothes on the first floor and changed the subject, "Do you have any suggestions for styles among these?"
When it comes to her profession, Zhou Zhiyu immediately gets into work mode: "Since it's the clothes that the Chang'e spacecraft will wear, I suggest choosing a modern Chinese style that's easy to move in."
She took out a women's outfit: "A white ink-splatter shirt with a horse-face skirt. For men, a black jacquard top with a horse-face skirt is a good choice; it's simple yet elegant."
...
As Xu Wenyi said, Zhou Zhiyu is a very conscientious girl. Even though these clothes are probably only worn once, she took the measurements of each staff member and made them according to each person's size.
The final result was exactly as Lin Xi had expected. The atmosphere of the entire intangible cultural heritage exhibition was excellent, allowing visitors to experience the charm of intangible cultural heritage firsthand.
On the day of the event, Zhou Zhiyu helped her grandmother over and greeted them warmly: "Sister Xiaoxi, Sister Zhou Qi, this is my grandmother Shi Huifang."
"Hello, Grandma."
"Hello, Grandma."
Shi Huifang's hair was half-white, and she looked older than her actual age due to the torment of illness. With a kind smile on her lips, she greeted them cheerfully: "Hello, I've always heard Zhiyu talk about you. Thank you for taking care of her!"
"You don't need to be so polite, it's what we should do." Lin Xi reached out and helped him sit down in the chair, asking with concern, "Are you feeling alright?"
"I can handle it, don't worry. I still want to see the young fish take over my mantle." Shi Huifang was full of anticipation for the future.
At this moment, Zhou Zhiyu handed over two brown paper bags, one to her and one to Zhou Qi: "These are my thank-you gifts for you two older sisters. I hope you won't find them offensive."
"This is?"
Lin Xi took the bag and found a smoky purple embroidered cheongsam inside. The fabric had a soft satin sheen, a style that Nanqing could wear in winter.
Zhou Qi's outfit consisted of a two-piece skirt made of black and white glossy satin.
Zhou Zhiyu smiled shyly: "This is something I worked on in the last few days, so it might be a bit rough. I hope you won't mind."
"How could I possibly dislike it?" Zhou Qi happily took it out and held it up against herself. "I love it so much, it's totally custom-made! Xiaoxi, don't you think it suits me perfectly!"
Lin Xi was truly surprised that Zhou Zhiyu would still find time to make clothes for them even when she was so busy.
Seeing her dark circles under her eyes, Lin Xi felt a pang of sympathy: "Did you stay up late? We're not in a hurry."
"It's because I'm in a hurry," Zhou Zhiyu said with a smile. "I recently received a big order for a heavy-duty Xiuhe wedding dress, and I'll probably be busy with that dress for the next two months."
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