"I can only wish you happiness," the third sister said helplessly.
“Qin…” Madam Fang turned to Qin Xiaoyu. The words “factory director” seemed unfamiliar to them, and she struggled to speak, so she could only ask A Lei for help.
"Just call me Xiaoyu," Qin Xiaoyu said first.
"Okay, Xiaoyu. I have a suggestion. If it's convenient for you, I mean if, could you stay tonight and give me some advice on my autumn fashion?" Unable to tell whether Mrs. Fang was helping A Lei, Qin Xiaoyu hesitated.
"Grandma, I already told you, I'm going out tonight to meet some friends," A Lei whispered a reminder.
"That's perfect. Leave your little girl... Fish, to me." Madam Fang's tone was stiff, carrying a hint of disdain that made Qin Xiaoyu uncomfortable, as if she were just one in a million, leaving her feeling somewhat defeated. Fortunately, Madam Fang showed her some respect.
"Whatever, but she has to agree. She's very stubborn." A Lei made a face.
"May I take a closer look at your walk-in closet?" Qin Xiaoyu proposed a deal.
"Of course, no problem!" Mrs. Fang's eyes lit up, and the deal was done.
Third Sister only came over for a meal and quickly said goodbye. Fang Baobao had already run upstairs to her room, and since Madam Fang didn't move, Qin Xiaoyu had no choice but to accompany A Lei to the door.
The October night breeze in Shanghai felt gentle on her face. A faint floral fragrance filled the air. Qin Xiaoyu then noticed many small red flowers on the vine. Because of the darkness, the red was dark; it should have been burning brightly like fire during the day, which she had completely overlooked.
She and A Lei stood side by side on the steps, looking just like a couple. Third Sister glanced at them and smiled with satisfaction.
“Alex is the only boy in this family. He has been privileged since he was a child, so he has lived a very willful life. We older sisters also dote on him. I just want to say that he has finally taken this seriously. No matter what, don’t hurt him.” The third sister’s farewell speech made Qin Xiaoyu feel a lot of pressure.
"You have many older sisters?"
"Add them all together, my cousin, my other cousin, that's six." A Lei recited the number without hesitation.
"Fine, anyone who wants to marry you must be blind." Qin Xiaoyu didn't want to experience the fear of being dominated by seven older sisters-in-law and one younger sister-in-law.
A Lei quickly changed his clothes and went out, while Qin Xiaoyu was ushered into the room by Madam Fang and subjected to a fashion bombardment.
Qin Xiaoyu deeply realized that God is fair. Whether rich or poor, when people get old, their deepest feeling is the same: loneliness.
Yes, she has a house full of enviable treasures, but no one to share them with. These things are inanimate; they only come alive when they are appreciated.
Qin Xiaoyu was their kindred spirit, able to appreciate every beautiful moment. This overjoyed Madam Fang, who spoke with the urgency of someone presenting a treasure.
Madam Fang generously shared her life's romantic escapades with Qin Xiaoyu; behind every gorgeous dress was a story.
The more Qin Xiaoyu learned about her grandmother, the less she could connect her with that greasy old man, Lei Bingzheng.
"I've met Mr. Lei." Qin Xiaoyu took a moment to probe.
"Who?" Madam Fang was taken aback.
“Mr. Lei, he said his name is Lei Bingzheng.”
"Him? Haha, he's still alive!" Madam Fang then laughed.
"You're in good health." Qin Xiaoyu was a little confused. Was this how she treated her husband? Had they already divorced?
"He's an oddball in our family, just ignore him." Madam Fang's words shocked Qin Xiaoyu even more.
"Oh." She didn't want to express her opinion.
“He is Alex’s great-uncle, his grandfather’s younger brother.” Mrs. Fang explained in one sentence. Seeing Qin Xiaoyu’s shock, she had to explain again: “He has no children of his own. He is too promiscuous. From his youth to old age, he has had more than ten marriages. When he was in a despicable state, he even married his nanny. So he only has a group of stepchildren waiting to leech off him. Apart from Alex, almost no one wants to associate with him.”
"I see." Qin Xiaoyu suddenly realized why the daughter they met at the hospital seemed so out of place in their family; she was probably a stepdaughter brought by one of the wives.
Judging from this, Lei Bingzheng's taste is indeed quite unique.
"But Alex said his surname is Fang, while Mr. Lei's surname is Lei." Qin Xiaoyu still had doubts.
"Before liberation, he worked for the Special Branch, infiltrating there and picked up a lot of bad habits, which ruined his mind." Madam Fang gestured a few times, and Qin Xiaoyu understood.
Lei Bingzheng was probably an alias he used back then, which he has continued to use ever since. Thinking about it that way, he seems like a respectable old man.
Mrs. Fang was, after all, an older woman. After chatting with Qin Xiaoyu for a while, she covered her mouth with a silk handkerchief and yawned slightly.
"Grandma, you go to sleep. If you don't mind, let me stay in the walk-in closet. I'll just take a look, I won't touch anything," Qin Xiaoyu shamelessly made her request.
"Go ahead and look if you want. Have a guest room prepared. If you want to sleep, someone will take you there to rest." Madam Fang couldn't hold on any longer and got up to leave.
Although she knew there was a servant standing at the door, Qin Xiaoyu felt completely at ease now that her mistress was gone. She meticulously arranged the clothes on the hangers, sketching out the details.
She is also a person who keeps her promises. Only when she really likes a piece of clothing will she take it down to examine it carefully before hanging it back up.
It was a truly fulfilling night; she had essentially learned a lesson in modern fashion history. She filled dozens of pages with notes, and finally knelt before the shoe stool to sort and number them.
After reviewing it again, I found some shortcomings, and it took some time to fill in the details.
In the end, she had forgotten how long she had been in the dressing room; she just wanted to make the most of every second. As dawn approached, she finished most of her work, agonizing over the details for a while longer. All that was left was to make notes with a pen, the more detailed the better, because she was afraid of forgetting them.
Mrs. Fang was originally the one with the most regular schedule, never getting up before ten o'clock in the morning.
But I was worried about having a stranger in my precious walk-in closet, so I got up around 7 a.m.
The maid was sprawled on the sofa outside the dressing room, fast asleep. Mrs. Fang glared angrily and pushed open the dressing room door.
Qin Xiaoyu fell asleep on the shoe bench, her notebook scattered on the floor. She was dreaming of something wonderful, a sweet smile playing on her lips.
Mrs. Fang shook her head, sighed, and gently closed the door. Without calling the servants, she went back to her bed.
"When people get old, they worry about everything. Children and grandchildren have their own lives, let them be," she said to herself.
Qin Xiaoyu was woken up by A Lei shaking her. She raised her arm and found that it was numb from being pressed down.
"You can't even sleep somewhere nice! This shoe stool is a limited edition, custom-made piece, brought back from England by Grandma herself. It's a Charles Worthy design. Look at all this drool!" A Lei dragged Qin Xiaoyu out of the dressing room, eager to destroy the evidence.
"My notes! Don't mess them up!" Qin Xiaoyu crawled under his arm to protect her precious notebook.
"Come out quickly, it will be troublesome if Grandma sees you!" Of course, A Lei knew his grandmother's sensitive spots, and he was afraid that Qin Xiaoyu would ruin her impression by being abrupt.
"What trouble?" Mrs. Fang appeared at the door.
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