"What's going on?" Yao Shiling asked.
Wen Peng stared wide-eyed ahead, let out a burp, and looked on in bewilderment.
Wen Qing's first reaction was, who's causing trouble? How should we handle it?
"Wen Qing!" Sister Liu suddenly appeared from the crowd.
Wen Qing was slightly taken aback.
Sister Liu walked up with a beaming smile: "Wen Qing, you've finally arrived! We've been waiting for you for so long!"
"Wait for me?" Wen Qing asked, puzzled.
Yao Shiling and Wen Peng both looked at Sister Liu.
Sister Liu laughed: "You don't know? You're quite the celebrity in the county now. Everyone says you're incredibly capable for your young age. Whether it's clothes or shoes, you can calculate the size just by looking at them. They also say the clothes and shoes you make are exceptionally comfortable." As she spoke, Sister Liu pointed to the group of people in front of Aunt Xiao's tailor shop and said: "See these people? They're all here to have clothes made."
It's red? How did it become red?
Yao Shiling didn't understand.
Wen Peng looked completely bewildered.
Wen Qing understood slightly. Obviously, the subsequent development of Ji Ningzhi's matter was beyond her expectations, but it was also reasonable. Whether in the 1980s or the 21st century, people are very curious, and hype is conducive to becoming famous.
"I'm here to have clothes made too. You're offering a 50% discount on the labor fee, right? I'll give you a 50% discount too." Sister Liu knew she was in the wrong. She had been blinded by greed yesterday and had taken Ji Ningzhi's money, then relentlessly framed Wen Qing. She was supposed to go to the police station, but Wen Qing not only let her go but also told her to be a good person. After discovering how good Wen Qing was, she felt guilty and grateful. She also heard that people in the county were praising Wen Qing for handling the situation well, so she couldn't help but go along with the incident and vigorously promote Wen Qing's goodness.
"Everyone who comes is a guest, and we'll give you a 50% discount on the labor costs," Wen Qing said.
Sister Liu was overjoyed.
After Wen Qing understood the situation, she breathed a sigh of relief and went to open the door. As soon as she opened the door, customers poured into Aunt Xiao's tailor shop. Some came to buy fabric, some brought fabric to make clothes, some bought shoes, and so on. The shop was busy from early morning.
Fortunately, Yao Shiling and Wen Peng came to help today.
Wen Qing spent the whole morning taking notes in her notebook, while Yao Shiling busied herself with selling fabric and shoes, cutting fabric, and greeting customers. Wen Peng assisted her.
It wasn't until noon, when all the guests had gone home for lunch, that Wen Qing, Yao Shiling, and Wen Peng could finally catch their breath.
Wen Peng had never seen so much money before and exclaimed in surprise, "Big sister, we've made so much money! You can go to school now!"
Wen Qing laughed: "This money isn't ours yet. We'll have to wait until Aunt Xiao comes back and we'll calculate it before we know."
Yao Shiling looked at Wen Qing.
Wen Qing explained, "Aunt Xiao's son had an accident, and she left in a hurry. Even if I were to take over the shop, I would have to complete all the formalities first. Besides, she's going through a tough time, so we should help her as much as we can. Therefore, we'll leave the money for the fabric and clothes here for now, and after deducting three cents from each pair of shoes, the rest is mine."
Hearing this, Yao Shiling nodded. Wen Qing was so sensible, and she trusted her more and more. At the same time, she said, "But, you're cutting the labor fee in half, losing so much money. Won't Aunt Xiao be angry if she finds out?"
Wen Qing said with a smile, "How could we lose money? It's precisely because of this gimmick that we sold more than twice as much fabric as usual today."
"So many?" Yao Shiling exclaimed in surprise.
A "gurgle" interrupted their conversation.
Wen Qing and Yao Shiling looked at Wen Peng.
Wen Peng clutched his stomach: "Mom, eldest sister, I'm hungry."
The two of them laughed.
Wen Qing said, "Aunt Xiao has pots and pans here. She usually lets me cook here. I'll cook here today, and I'll tell her again later."
Yao Shiling said, "Didn't we bring coarse flour steamed buns and soybean paste?"
"Cook another dish."
"Don't waste it, just make do with this."
Wen Qing disagreed, saying that the purpose of earning money was to ensure her parents had a good life, and they shouldn't be so stingy. So Wen Qing took the cloth bag and went to the vegetable market.
Yesterday, she earned 600 yuan from Tang Quan, gave 70 yuan to Aunt Xiao, and bought 460 yuan worth of cattle. She had a full 70 yuan left. In addition, she just sold four pairs of cloth shoes for 5 yuan each. After deducting 30 cents per pair as commission, her income today was 18.8 yuan. The cost was four pairs of white leather-soled shoes, which she had already paid for.
All told, she now has nearly eighty yuan in her hands. Eighty yuan is enough for her and Wen Liang and Wen Peng's tuition for the new semester. If she earns more in the next month or so, not only will her living expenses for high school be no problem, but the house at home can also be repaired so that it won't leak oil on rainy days anymore.
Thinking this way, Wen Qing felt that life was full of hope and that things would definitely get better and better.
She went to the market, strolled around, and bought a whole chicken weighing three and a half pounds for 4.2 yuan. The chicken was priced at 1.2 yuan per pound. Back at Aunt Xiao's tailor shop, Yao Shiling started nagging, "Why did you buy a chicken? It's so expensive! This one meal would last our family half a month! How can you be so wasteful..."
Yao Shiling kept nagging, determined that she would never let Wen Qing buy groceries next time. "Chicken, potatoes, and rice—how much money will that cost?"
Wen Peng really wanted to eat it.
Lunch wasn't ready yet, and someone else came to make clothes.
So Yao Shiling cooked, while Wen Qing continued operating the sewing machine.
After the meal was prepared, Wen Qing asked Yao Shiling to leave half a white porcelain jar of braised chicken and potatoes to take back to Wen Liang for dinner. Wen Qing was too busy, so she ate lunch hastily and continued working.
Wen Qing was busy until dusk before closing Aunt Xiao's tailor shop and heading back to Shuiwan Village with Yao Shiling and Wen Peng on the dirt road.
Before long, it was completely dark, and the stars and moon came out. The summer night breeze rustled the poplar trees beside the dirt road, making the surroundings especially quiet.
Only then did Yao Shiling have time to speak to Wen Qing: "Wen Qing."
Wen Qing: "Hmm?"
"I think I heard today that Ji Ningzhi came to the store and caused a scene. What happened?"
After thinking for a moment, Wen Qing casually recounted the story and then said with a smile, "Actually, her making such a fuss is a good thing, otherwise our business wouldn't be so good."
Upon hearing this, Yao Shiling remained silent for a while, the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat for a long time before she finally spoke: "Their family still looks down on our family."
Wen Qing: "Mm."
"Then are you still willing to marry him?" Yao Shiling asked.
Wen Qing calmly said, "I won't get married."
Yao Shiling was taken aback. Ji Yanjun had always been a sensitive topic for Wen Qing. No one could speak ill of Ji Yanjun. Last time, because of her obstruction, she even had a conflict with Wen Qing and hit her. Now, Wen Qing was so calmly saying that she would not marry him. This was undoubtedly an encouragement to Yao Shiling. This time, she cautiously asked, "Then when can we go to the Ji family to explain this matter?"
After speaking, Yao Shiling couldn't help but tense up, waiting for Wen Qing's response. Wen Qing had already become so good, and she didn't want to hurt her mother-daughter relationship for the sake of the Ji family.
"No need to explain," Wen Qing said.
"Why?" Yao Shiling asked, puzzled.
"They don't take it seriously at all."
"Then we should at least be honest and open about our stance."
Wen Qing was silent for a moment, then said, "When Ji Yanjun comes back, our two families will arrange a time. When everyone is there, we can talk everything out, and then there will be no more relationship." Yes, there would be no more relationship. She and Ji Yanjun would also have no more relationship. At this moment, Wen Qing was very calm.
Yao Shiling was astonished. Had Wen Qing really let go of Ji Yanjun? She didn't dare to ask, afraid of getting an answer she didn't want to hear. Since Wen Qing had already made her stance clear, she shouldn't pressure her too much. It would be better to wait until Ji Yanjun returned so that both sets of parents and the parties involved could have a clear discussion all at once.
“Alright, let’s wait for Ji Yanjun to return.” Yao Shiling didn’t ask any more questions.
Wen Peng suddenly spoke up: "Big sister, when is Ji Yanjun coming back?"
"What are you doing, interrupting adults?" Yao Shiling scolded Wen Peng, then said, "We'll be in the village soon," changing the subject.
Wen Qing understood Yao Shiling's intention and didn't bring it up again. As for when Ji Yanjun would return, Wen Qing remembered that in her previous life, he said he was going to Dongzhou, but then he took a job and went to Xizhou instead. By the time he returned, two months had passed. This time, she even had a fight with Ji Yanjun, saying that they had been separated for too long.
That's right, it's two months.
Wen Qing thought about it and decided that meeting again in two months would be a good idea. By then, she would be studying in the city and her mindset would definitely be calmer than it is now. She would be able to face anyone with more composure then.
"Mom, Second Brother is waiting for us at the door," Wen Peng called out.
Wen Qing looked up and saw Wen Liang sitting in front of the fence, drawing and writing on the ground with a twig by the moonlight.
"Mom, my second brother is practicing his writing. He's doing really well in school. Just a few days ago, our math and language arts teachers were praising him in class, saying he's the smartest student they've ever taught," Wen Peng said proudly.
Wen Qing was happy to hear this. Thinking about how Wen Liang had dropped out of junior high school to earn money in his previous life in order to shoulder the heavy responsibility of his family, she felt sorry for him. She was determined not to let her family be as poor as they were in her previous life.
"Wen Liang, have you eaten?" Yao Shiling asked.
Wen Liang then looked up, dropped the branch, and stood up: "Mom, you're back. Have you eaten? I cooked porridge and heated up some coarse flour buns in the pot."
"Not yet. Second brother, there's still chicken here." Wen Peng grinned and held up the cloth bag, which contained a half-empty white porcelain jar of chicken.
Wen Liang frowned and looked at Wen Qing: "You're wasting money again."
Wen Qing laughed. Sometimes her younger brother was like a pedantic old man.
Wen Liang ignored her and went straight to the kitchen to get rice.
During the meal, Yao Shiling told Wen Liang about what happened at Aunt Xiao's tailor shop that day. Only then did Wen Liang stop having a long face. When Wen Qing put chicken on his plate, he ate it and kept putting it on Wen Peng's plate. Wen Peng's little mouth was all greasy from eating.
After they finished eating, Wen Qing quietly handed Wen Liang a new rural-style fountain pen and a bottle of black ink. Wen Liang's eyes lit up immediately, but then he said with displeasure, "Why are you spending money again?"
"Here, I can earn it back if I spend it, what's there to be afraid of? Let me tell you, I've already prepared your tuition for next semester, so study hard." Wen Qing pulled Wen Liang's hand and stuffed the pen and ink into it: "You're already in junior high, it's so embarrassing if you can't write nice penmanship."
Wen Liang took it without saying a word.
As Wen Qing turned to go back to her room, Wen Liang said, "I made you a table. You can draw on it."
When Wen Qing turned around again, Wen Liang had already run back to his room. When Wen Qing went into his room, he saw a small, square wooden table in the center of the room. Although it was extremely simple, the edges and the tabletop were planed very smoothly. Wooden wedges were added to the gaps, and wood shavings glue was applied.
Wen Qing moved a small stool over and sat down at the wooden table, the height of which was just right. Wen Qing liked it very much. This Wen Liang was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He looked like he hated her to death, but in his heart he still cared about and loved his older sister. Otherwise, why would he have made a table?
That evening, Wen Qing placed the kerosene lamp, wooden ruler, tape measure, and other items on the wooden table and began to draw and write. The wooden table was much more convenient than the bed.
Wen Qing painted until late at night before finally going to sleep.
The next morning, as usual, they went to Aunt Xiao's tailor shop. Wen Liang stayed home as usual, while Wen Qing, Yao Shiling, and Wen Peng went to the county town. At noon, Wen Qing cooked a bowl of chicken soup, put it in a white porcelain jar, and went to the city hospital to visit Aunt Xiao's son.
The Xiao family was so moved they almost cried.
Aunt Xiao's son's surgery was a success, and he will be able to be discharged from the hospital and recuperate at home in a few days. Aunt Xiao finally smiled.
Wen Qing brought her two yuan for shoe commission and ten yuan for visiting her in the hospital. Aunt Xiao kept refusing, but she had no choice but to accept it. After accepting it, she wiped away her tears. Aunt Xiao's mother-in-law said that Aunt Xiao must have burned incense in her past life to meet such a good girl as Wen Qing in this life.
Wen Qing comforted Aunt Xiao for a few words, told her about the situation at Aunt Xiao's tailor shop, and kept emphasizing that he would wait for Aunt Xiao to come back. He didn't say much else and then hurriedly returned to Aunt Xiao's tailor shop from the city hospital.
Back at Aunt Xiao's tailor shop, Yao Shiling, Wen Peng, and others were busy all day, and it was dark before they returned to Shuiwan Village.
On the third day, the three of them went to Aunt Xiao's tailor shop. Aunt Xiao still hadn't returned, but Tang Quan unexpectedly showed up. He stood at the entrance of Aunt Xiao's tailor shop early in the morning, and when he saw Wen Qing, he smiled and said, "Wen Qing."
"Mr. Tang, you're here so early." Wen Qing said in surprise.
Yao Shiling also knew Tang Quan; he had spent 600 yuan to buy a drawing from Wen Qing, and Wen Qing had been drawing what he wanted for the past three nights.
"Mom." Wen Peng suddenly tugged at Yao Shiling's clothes and pointed to the roadside with his other hand, saying, "Mom, look, a car."
Yao Shiling followed Wen Peng's finger and saw a black car parked by the roadside. Yao Shiling was amazed.
Wen Peng was very curious and stepped forward, wanting to reach out and touch it, but Yao Shiling slapped his hand away: "Don't touch it randomly, if you break it, we can't afford to pay for it."
Wen Peng quickly withdrew his hand and stared intently at the car.
Not only Yao Shiling and Wen Peng stared at the black car, but passersby also turned to look.
"A little car!"
"Whose car is this? Who's so rich? How much did this car cost?"
"This is an imported car, a Fiat 126p, around ten thousand. I saw it in the newspaper."
"Ten thousand! My God, that's so expensive!"
"Hey, the driver looks like he's here to see Wen Qing. Maybe he's looking for Wen Qing to make clothes for him."
"They must have asked Wen Qing to make the clothes. Wen Qing's craftsmanship is excellent; she even attracted wealthy people with ten thousand yuan. This car is really beautiful."
"..."
At the same time, Wen Qing had already opened the wooden door of Aunt Xiao's tailor shop and invited Tang Quan in.
While Wen Qing was pouring water, Tang Quan looked around Aunt Xiao's tailor shop, his gaze lingering on the clothes hanging in the shop and the shoes displayed on the counter. He asked, "You can make these kinds of clothes and shoes too?"
Wen Qing handed the cup to Tang Quan and said, "Yes, middle-aged people love to wear this, so we make this to cater to them."
Tang Quan took the cup and nodded. He then noticed a cheongsam and asked, "Cheongsams are very difficult to make."
Wen Qing opened the cloth bag, took out her sketchbook, and replied, "It's easy to make a cheongsam, but it's really difficult to make one that is both comfortable and beautiful to wear."
Tang Quan stepped forward, lifted up a few garments, examined them closely, nodded again, and looked around the shop. He not only had confidence in Wen Qing's theoretical abilities but also recognized her practical skills even more. Then he pointed to an elderly woman's garment and said, "This garment was not made by you."
Wen Qing glanced at it and replied, "That was made by Aunt Xiao, the same Aunt Xiao from the hospital that day. This shop belongs to her."
Tang Quan grunted in response.
Wen Qing took out the sketch and handed it to Tang Quan, saying, "Mr. Tang, take a look. I have drawn three sizes of this garment: large, medium, and small, according to the proportions. I have also noted the size, fabric, and details. In addition, there are some minor differences in the materials. Please take a look and point out any problems so that I can make corrections in time."
Tang Quan took the sketch and glanced at Wen Qing. He hadn't expected Wen Qing to be so professional. When he opened the sketch, he couldn't contain his excitement. Yes, this was exactly the kind of clothing he wanted. With the proportions perfected, it would be even more attractive.
“No problem,” Tang Quan said excitedly after flipping through a few pages.
Wen Qing smiled: "That's good. Then we're even."
"Wait a minute," Tang Quan said.
Wen Qing asked, "What's wrong?"
"I have a request," Tang Quan said.
Wen Qing asked, "What are the requirements?"
"I would like to ask you to help supervise the completion of the first batch of production for this garment," Tang Quan said.
Wen Qing said, "There is no such requirement in our agreement."
Tang Quan smiled. He was increasingly realizing he couldn't underestimate Wen Qing, this young girl. She kept overturning his perception of her. She seemed harmless, but was actually extremely aggressive. She appeared innocent, but was actually very shrewd. Despite her young age, she acted with composure and restraint. Moreover, she occasionally revealed a touch of innocence. She was truly an extraordinary young girl.
“We can sign another agreement,” Tang Quan said.
Wen Qing raised an eyebrow at him: "Sign another one?"
Tang Quan said, "Yes, let's sign another agreement. I'll hire you as a consultant for three days, and the three days' pay is one hundred yuan. How about that?"
Three days?
Wen Qing thought about it. The process of making her dress was not complicated. Even now, sewing machines are still operated by hand. But for someone like Tang Quan who has his own company, it is not difficult to produce the first batch of clothes in three days.
After thinking for a while, Wen Qing looked at Yao Shiling and Wen Peng outside the door and nodded: "Okay, but I need to discuss it with my mother first."
"No problem, I'll wait for you here for a while."
"good."
Wen Qing told Yao Shiling about this.
Yao Shiling exclaimed, "One hundred yuan for three days? This person is really rich!"
Wen Qing: "There probably isn't much money left."
"What's the meaning?"
"I felt like he wanted to grab my clothes and turn over. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been in such a hurry."
Yao Shiling didn't understand.
Wen Qing didn't intend to explain to Yao Shiling, figuring that Yao Shiling would need a while to process it, so she got straight to the point: "In a little while, I'm going to his garment factory with him, so you and Pengpeng will keep an eye on things here."
Yao Shiling said worriedly, "Why don't I go with you?"
"No need. You can stay here and take measurements yourself. Once you've taken the measurements, just write them down according to the format I wrote before," Wen Qing said.
“I’m worried about you going alone. Wenpeng should go with you.” Yao Shiling felt that it wouldn’t look good for a girl to go with a man.
Wen Qing roughly guessed what Yao Shiling meant, so he nodded and said, "Okay."
Wen Qing and Wen Peng then followed Tang Quan out the door, and Tang Quan walked towards the car parked by the roadside.
Wen Qing immediately recognized the car; it was a Fiat 126p, also known as a "big-headed shoe" or "little potato" in those days because of its simple structure, light weight, and almost nonexistent rear end. Wen Qing remembered that a "big-headed shoe" cost nearly ten thousand yuan, and owning one in those days was a status symbol of being a "ten-thousand-yuan household."
"Big sister, can I ride in the car too?" Wen Peng tugged at the corner of Wen Qing's dress.
Wen Qing looked down at him and saw that his dark, thin face seemed to have gotten a little chubby, and his bright eyes were filled with both tension and excitement as he stared intently at the big shoes.
"Yes, let's ride in the car."
"Really? I've never ridden in one before."
Wen Qing whispered, "Don't be nervous, I've never ridden one before either."
Wen Peng was less nervous at first, but he still tugged at Wen Qing's clothes.
"Get in the car." Tang Quan opened the door for Wen Qing and Wen Peng.
Wen Qing first bent down and sat in the car, then pulled Wen Peng in.
As soon as Wen Qing and Wen Peng got into the car, the shoe repairman, carrying the shoes that hadn't come with him, stood up and asked Yao Shiling, "Wen Qing's mother, where are Wen Qing and her brother going?"
Yao Shiling said with a smile, "I asked Wen Qing to help look after the clothes making."
"Did you drive all the way to pick them up?" the shoe repairman asked.
"right."
The shoe repairman immediately gave a thumbs up: "Wen Qing is going to be rich in the future!"
"No way," Yao Shiling said with a smile, "I'm just going to take a look."
Yao Shiling said this, but passersby didn't believe her, and soon the story spread.
Did you know that Wen Qing went to have clothes made in a car?
"I know! It was that same person who came specifically to pick her up!"
"Wen Qing is really amazing; even a wealthy man with ten thousand yuan came to her personally."
"That's because Wen Qing is skilled. Otherwise, the gas money for picking her up wouldn't even cover the cost. I heard that the cost of her running around in one day is enough to feed us for a month."
"Really?"
"..."
While everyone was discussing it, Tang Quan's car had already driven out of the county and headed towards Nanzhou City.
Wen Peng sat in the car with a tense posture.
Wen Qing laughed and reached out to pat his little head: "Don't be nervous, it's okay. Look outside, it's just like taking a bus."
Wen Peng looked at Wen Qing: "Big sister, I've never ridden a bus before."
Wen Qing: "...I'll take you on the bus when we get back in a bit."
"Okay," Wen Peng agreed.
After a while, the big-headed shoes arrived in Nanzhou City, and after many twists and turns, stopped in front of a factory.
Tang Quan, Wen Qing, and Wen Peng got off the bus.
Tang Quan pointed to the factory building and said, "This is it."
Wen Qing remained calm.
Wen Peng stared wide-eyed.
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