Chapter 14 She got paid
After that awkward night, Zhao Fei and Wen Xiaoxiao deliberately avoided each other for several days.
Zhao Fei goes to the pig farm before dawn and doesn't return until late at night, trying his best not to eat at home.
Wen Xiaoxiao buried herself in the pile of dark blue wool fabric; making a suit was indeed much more difficult than making ordinary clothes.
It took quite a bit of effort just to understand the simple paper pattern that Sister Hu gave her.
She unstitched and sewed again, the loose threads and scraps of fabric under the light recording each correction.
My fingers were pricked by needles several times, and thin calluses formed on my fingertips. My eyes were also bloodshot from staying up late.
Two weeks later, the suit was finally completed with the final step – buttoning the buttons and ironing it flat.
The dark blue wool fabric gleams subtly under the light, with smooth lines.
Wen Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, grabbed the clothes, and went to the main house.
Zhao Fei was about to leave when he saw the suit in her hand and stopped in his tracks.
"Big brother, the clothes... are finished. Try them on and see if they fit. If there's anything wrong, I'll alter them." Wen Xiaoxiao lowered her head and handed over the clothes.
Zhao Fei took the clothes; the fabric still carried the faint scent of her soap. He said nothing, turned, and went back into the house to change.
When he came out again, even Wen Xiaoxiao was taken aback.
The navy blue suit fit his body perfectly, supporting his broad shoulders well, and the narrow waistline outlined his sharp lines, while the trouser legs hung straight and smoothly.
He has shed some of his earthy air and gained a more composed and capable demeanor, like...like a reliable and dependable man.
Zhao Fei himself felt a little awkward. He tugged at his sleeve and walked to the blurry mirror in the main room to take a look.
I looked a little unfamiliar in the mirror, but I did look... very energetic.
“It’s fine,” he turned to Wen Xiaoxiao and said sincerely, “It fits perfectly, thank you for your hard work.”
Looking at him, Wen Xiaoxiao felt a surge of indescribable warmth welling up inside her.
"That's good... Big brother, take it off. I want to... I want to take it to Sister Hu for a look, so she can give it her approval."
Zhao Fei hesitated for a moment: "Today... I have an appointment with a feed supplier to discuss the contract for next spring. Would wearing this... make me look more formal?" As he said this, his gaze shifted somewhat, as if he wasn't just there to discuss business.
Wen Xiaoxiao was surprised that he wanted to wear it, and paused for a moment: "Well... that's fine. You can give it to me when I get back tonight."
Zhao Fei grunted in agreement, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief. He then carefully straightened his collar before pushing his bicycle out the door.
The meeting with the supplier that day went very smoothly.
After finishing their business, Zhao Fei rode his bike around the city for a while, finally stopping in front of a state-run photo studio.
He went inside.
The photographer greeted him warmly and asked him to sit in front of the backdrop.
The background is a simple canopy and a few potted artificial flowers.
Zhao Fei sat upright with his hands on his knees, his expression serious, yet with a hint of barely perceptible tension.
The flash went off, capturing the image of him in his brand-new suit.
"Come pick it up in three days." The driver wrote out the receipt.
Zhao Fei took the ticket stub, carefully folded it, and put it in his pocket.
As he walked out of the photo studio, he looked down at his crisp clothes, and something inside him seemed to have changed along with them.
When he got home that evening, he took off his suit jacket before giving it to Wen Xiaoxiao. "It went well today, thank you," he said, only that one sentence.
Wen Xiaoxiao took the clothes; the fabric still retained his body heat and masculine scent.
Holding the clothes, a slight thought crossed her mind, then she lowered her eyes and said, "It's only right."
The next day, she took the suit to the tailor shop.
Sister Hu picked up the clothes and examined them carefully inside and out. She squeezed the shoulder lining, looked at the workmanship of the lining, and checked the buttonholes and overlocking.
After looking at it for a while, she looked up and gave a rare, approving smile: "Well done, Xiaoxiao. There's nothing wrong with this job. The stitches are even, the size is accurate, and the ironing is perfect. You've graduated from your apprenticeship with this suit."
Wen Xiaoxiao felt a sense of relief, followed by a surge of immense joy.
“From now on,” Sister Hu returned the clothes to her, “when the shop gets orders for suits, we’ll share some with you. The wages will be calculated according to what we agreed on.”
The cost of a suit can be over a hundred yuan! This is an income that Wen Xiaoxiao never dared to dream of before.
Holding the suit, she walked out of the shop. Her craftsmanship had been recognized, and she could really support herself with it, or even... live a better life.
When she got home, she returned the suit to Zhao Fei and conveyed Sister Hu's approval.
Zhao Fei carefully hung the suit at the very back of the old wardrobe, keeping it a distance from the other clothes he usually wore.
He didn't seem to intend to wear that piece of clothing often; it was just hanging there like a secret memento.
Li Yugu knew that Wen Xiaoxiao had made a suit for Zhao Fei, and said, "Xiaoxiao, you're a sensible person. It's only right that you make a suit for your older brother. He supports this family all by himself, it's not easy for him."
The words were an apology for Wen Xiaoxiao's "good interpersonal skills," but Wen Xiaoxiao just smiled faintly and didn't reply.
Zhao Fei took the photos back and put them in his office drawer.
I take it out to look at it and touch it when I have nothing to do.
Winter vacation has arrived. Zhao Yidi, holding two "Three Good Student" certificates, flew home like a happy little bird.
Wen Xiaoxiao used leftover scraps of floral fabric and cotton from making clothes to sew a cute rag doll for her.
Zhao Yidi loved it so much that she even slept with it at night.
Wen Xiaoxiao used the fabric and cotton she had saved to make a thick and warm cotton-padded coat for Li Yugu. The coat had a dark purple background with subtle patterns. The old lady wore it and it fit her perfectly and kept her warm. She was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling.
In the twelfth lunar month, a distant relative of Li Yugu's family was having a wedding and sent her an invitation.
Li Yugu thought that she hadn't been back to her parents' home to see her old friends for a long time, so she decided to go back a few days early to help with the arrangements and make it more lively.
Zhao Yidi was on vacation, so she went along too.
Before leaving, Li Yugu entrusted his family to Zhao Fei and Wen Xiaoxiao, repeatedly urging them to be careful with the household.
The huge courtyard house was suddenly empty and unusually quiet, with only the two of them left.
The day after Li Yugu left, Wen Xiaoxiao went to Sister Hu's place to collect her wages for the month.
Because she had independently completed two suits and several other outfits, Sister Hu handed her a thick envelope: "Xiaoxiao, this is yours, count it."
She walked to a secluded spot and counted the money with trembling fingers—four hundred and thirty-five yuan and six mao! More than she had expected!
Clutching the stack of money, tears welled up unexpectedly.
It wasn't sadness, but a mix of overwhelming excitement and bittersweetness.
More than four hundred yuan! At that time, an ordinary worker would only earn one or two hundred yuan a month.
This is what Wen Xiaoxiao earned with her own two hands, stitch by stitch!
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