Chapter 59 At worst, we'll fight to the death.
That morning, a middle-aged woman with elegant clothes and exquisitely permed hair entered.
She carefully held a piece of silk fabric in her hands; its sheen was warm and lustrous, clearly indicating its high value.
"Is the proprietress here?" the woman asked gently, her gaze sweeping around the shop.
His gaze fell on Wen Xiaoxiao, who was supporting her back and looking after the baby with Liu Shuhua. Seeing her prominently protruding belly, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"Yes, please have a seat." Wen Xiaoxiao straightened up and greeted her politely, "Do you need any clothes made?"
The woman sat down and placed the fabric on the cutting table: "I came here because of your reputation. I want to make a cheongsam to wear to an important occasion in two months. This fabric was brought back from Hangzhou by someone I had asked. It's the only piece I have, and I'm especially afraid of ruining it."
She glanced at Wen Xiaoxiao's belly, her tone hesitant, "Boss lady, with your condition... can you still do such delicate work? Or... should I find someone else?"
Wen Xiaoxiao sensed her concerns.
This is a big deal, and the material is extremely valuable.
A sincere and confident smile appeared on her face: "Sister, don't worry. Although I'm heavy, I haven't lost my skills. If you entrust this material to me, I guarantee it will be made perfectly, without any mistakes. If you're still worried, I can waive the deposit first. You can pay the wages after the cheongsam is finished and you're satisfied."
The certainty in her tone reassured the woman somewhat.
They then asked Wen Xiaoxiao several questions about cheongsam styles, buttons, and piping, to which Wen Xiaoxiao answered fluently and even gave very professional advice.
The woman finally nodded: "Then... I'll leave it to you. There's no rush, take your time, and make sure it's done well."
After taking the measurements and seeing the guests off, Wen Xiaoxiao immediately got busy.
She didn't dare to slack off in the slightest, and devoted herself almost entirely to it.
For four days in a row, apart from eating, sleeping and briefly taking care of the child, she devoted all her time to that cheongsam.
Her eyes were bloodshot from staying up late, her back ached from sitting, and her fingers were pricked by needles several times, but she gritted her teeth and persevered.
The piping must be even, the buttons must be precise, and the slits must be smooth; every detail must be perfect.
On the evening of the fourth day, the cheongsam was finally completed.
The dark green silk flows like water, with subtle silver patterns that shimmer under the light. The delicate lace lining and handmade Chinese knot buttons are the finishing touches.
When the lady came to pick up the clothes, her eyes lit up immediately. She couldn't wait to try them on, standing in front of Wen Xiaoxiao's old full-length mirror, looking at herself from left to right, nodding in satisfaction.
"Great! It's even better than I expected!" She took off her cheongsam, carefully folded it, and readily paid ten yuan more than agreed upon.
"Boss lady, your cooking is absolutely amazing! This ten yuan is to thank you; I'll buy some good food to help me recover during my postpartum period!"
After seeing off the guests who were extremely grateful, Wen Xiaoxiao held the stack of wages still warm from her body, feeling both at ease and proud.
Now that she had a little more money in her pocket, she calculated the days ahead and realized she would give birth in about two weeks.
While Liu Shuhua took Yizhen and Yibao out to play that day, she locked the shop and went to the street to buy things needed for production.
I bought a whole bag of all sorts of things: toilet paper, maternity pads, loose-fitting postpartum clothes, baby blankets, clothes, diapers, formula, and bottles.
I felt more at ease once everything was prepared.
At night, Wen Xiaoxiao was woken up again by the pain in her lower back.
Her belly was so big that she couldn't lie down comfortably no matter how she lay, and the heavy feeling of her belly making her panic.
"Xiaoxiao? Is it hurting again?" Liu Shuhua is a light sleeper. Hearing the noise, she immediately sat up and turned on the light.
Seeing Wen Xiaoxiao's pale face and pained expression, she quickly got out of bed and gently massaged her waist and back with her warm, rough hands.
"Oh, you've really suffered, child." Liu Shuhua sighed as she rubbed your back, her voice filled with tenderness.
As she rubbed her hands, tears unexpectedly streamed down her face, dripping onto Wen Xiaoxiao's thin pajamas.
Wen Xiaoxiao tilted her head slightly in surprise: "Aunt Liu, what's wrong?"
Liu Shuhua wiped her face, her voice slightly choked: "It's nothing... I just looked at you and it reminded me of my poor daughter. If she were still alive... she would be two years older than you."
Wen Xiaoxiao listened quietly. This was the first time Liu Shuhua had brought up her past.
“My daughter died suddenly when she was eight years old… It’s my fault for not taking good care of her…” Liu Shuhua’s voice lowered, filled with deep regret.
"After I had my son... I wanted to have a daughter... but I never got pregnant again."
When my husband was alive, things were alright, but he passed away a few years ago. After I raised my grandson, my son and daughter-in-law weren't around anymore... I was all alone at home... So when Liu said you needed someone here, I came right away.
Looking at you, and at these two little children, I feel a warmth still welling up inside me.
Wen Xiaoxiao felt a pang of sadness and gently patted Liu Shuhua's hand.
We are both suffering in this world, and this understanding needs no further explanation.
The two talked for a long time in the dim light.
Liu Shuhua talked about trivial matters in her hometown in the countryside, and about her daughter and husband who died young. Wen Xiaoxiao also told some interesting stories about her precious daughter and husband.
The atmosphere was both warm and melancholic.
As they chatted, Liu Shuhua hesitated for a moment before finally asking the question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time: "Xiaoxiao, if Aunt Liu has to ask... where are your parents-in-law? Your husband... you're about to give birth, why haven't we seen him at all? Don't any of the elders at home care?"
This is a problem that we can't avoid in the end.
She originally wanted to keep it a secret, but then she realized that she would be giving birth in a few days, and with breastfeeding and changing clothes, she would definitely not be able to hide those hideous old scars on her chest.
It's better to be honest now than to frighten the elderly later.
She remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking, her voice as calm as if she were talking about someone else:
"Aunt Liu, I'm divorced."
Liu Shuhua paused her massage.
“My man… he’s having an affair and has a son. I gave birth to twin daughters, which he didn’t like. Then I got pregnant with this one,” Wen Xiaoxiao said, gently placing her hand on her belly. “He came back and said… this child isn’t his, and he cursed at me… he said some really nasty things.”
“We couldn’t make it work, so we got a divorce.” Wen Xiaoxiao paused, as if she had made up her mind, and her voice was even lower. “He…he wasn’t good to me before. When he was drunk, or…on the bed, he would pinch me, bite me, and burn me with cigarette butts…sometimes…he would even use a belt…”
She didn't mention Zhao Qingda raping her, only focusing on these "ordinary" acts of abuse.
Even so, it is still appalling.
"You beast! You're worse than a beast!" Liu Shuhua spat out the words through gritted teeth, her hands trembling with anger. "And what about your in-laws? Don't they care?"
“My father-in-law died long ago… My mother-in-law… favors her grandson and doesn’t care about us,” Wen Xiaoxiao said indifferently, unwilling to mention Li Yugu any further.
Liu Shuhua was speechless for a long time, but she gently massaged Wen Xiaoxiao's waist, as if trying to soothe all her past pain in this way.
Wang Juan has been feeling uneasy lately at the courtyard house.
Tie Tou's illness showed no improvement, and her own belly showed no signs of pregnancy. She increasingly felt that the feng shui of this courtyard was bad, bringing misfortune to them.
She found a feng shui master who was said to be very effective.
The feng shui master walked around the courtyard with his compass for a long time, asked for the birth date and time, and finally stroked his beard and said in a serious tone: "The layout of this courtyard is such that the east and west wing rooms suppress the positions of the Azure Dragon and White Tiger, which is inauspicious and especially detrimental to offspring and the male head of the household's fortune. Only this main hall, facing south, gathers auspicious energy and is a very lucky place."
Wang Juan's eyes lit up when she heard this.
The main house? The rooms Zhao Fei had locked up—she immediately told Zhao Qingda this.
Zhao Qingda was troubled by his mother's illness and the mess at home, and when he heard that it was "unfavorable to the male protagonist's fortune," he also had some doubts.
Upon hearing that the main house was "auspicious and prosperous," their minds began to stir.
If we could bring the main house over, maybe it would really change our luck?
After discussing it, the two decided that since Zhao Fei had moved to the city, the main house was just sitting empty anyway, so they might as well exchange it for the east and west wing rooms!
They moved into the main house to soak up some "auspicious energy." Since Zhao Fei wasn't coming back to live there anyway, there was no use for that dilapidated side room. They might even be able to take the opportunity to ease tensions.
Zhao Qingda, with his own plans in mind, went to wait downstairs at Zhao Fei's house in the city.
Seeing Zhao Fei drive back, he shamelessly approached him, forcing a smile: "Big brother, you're back? There's something I want to discuss with you."
Zhao Fei frowned when he saw him, his face cold: "What is it?"
“Look at you, you live in an apartment building now, how comfortable is that? The main house in the old house is just sitting empty, it’s a waste to keep it locked up.” Zhao Qingda rubbed his hands together.
“My mother is sick right now, and you know Tie Tou… The feng shui master said that the main house has good feng shui and will bring prosperity to the family. You see… could we switch places? You can let us live in the main house, and you can have the east and west wing rooms, since you're not going back to live there anyway…”
Zhao Fei was so angry he almost laughed when he heard this.
He sized Zhao Qingda up and down, his eyes icy: "Zhao Qingda, are you still half asleep, or do you think I, Zhao Fei, am easy to bully? Get out of my way!"
Zhao Qingda hadn't expected such a straightforward refusal, and feeling embarrassed, his stubbornness returned, and his tone became threatening: "Zhao Fei! Don't be so stubborn! I'm being polite to you to give you face! Don't push me!"
"Forced you?" Zhao Fei stepped forward, his tall figure exuding an oppressive aura. "What do you want to do? Poison my pig farm again? Or what? Zhao Qingda, let me tell you, I tolerated all the despicable things you did before because of Xiaoxiao! Now Xiaoxiao has been driven to the brink of death by you, and her whereabouts are unknown!"
He grabbed Zhao Qingda by the collar and said, "You dare touch me again, touch my pig farm, and see what happens! It's better to fight to the death! I, Zhao Fei, am not someone to be trifled with. Let's see if I dare to kill you!"
The ruthlessness in Zhao Fei's eyes was something Zhao Qingda had never seen before.
Zhao Qingda was so frightened that he trembled, and his bluffing spirit vanished instantly.
He forcefully pried Zhao Fei's hand away, staggered back two steps, and threw down a fierce but weak "You...you wait!" before scurrying away without looking back, his back view disheveled.
Zhao Fei stood still, his chest heaving violently.
Xiaoxiao, where are you?
Is it because of my past tolerance that scum like Zhao Qingda has repeatedly hurt you and driven you to the brink of despair?
He stared in the direction where Zhao Qingda had disappeared, his eyes unreadable.
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