Chapter 160 I'll Listen to You
Zhou Shufen was standing in front of the mirror, still wearing a sewing apron.
"I... overslept, so I rushed here as soon as I woke up in the afternoon."
When she saw him return, she hurriedly began to explain.
Guo Zhenyi looked into her tired yet bright eyes and his heart softened.
He had just sat down on the sofa when Zhou Shufen turned around and spun around, displaying her new dress in front of him.
"Look at this, what's wrong with it?"
She stared at him with bright eyes.
Guo Zhenyi has never been a designer, but he has seen many high-end custom-made garments in large companies over the years.
He stood up, circled her once, and looked her up and down, examining her shoulders, collar, cuffs, and back.
"The shoulder line is half an inch too high, and it will make my neck feel cramped when I wear it."
He pointed.
"The neckline is too narrow, making it inconvenient for elderly people to put on and take off. It needs to be loosened a bit."
He then reached out and gestured to her back.
“We need to add some pleats here, otherwise it will feel tight and uncomfortable when I raise my arm.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Shufen's eyes immediately lit up.
Without saying a word, she immediately grabbed the scissors and chalk, and went back into the small room to get busy.
She was busy until 10 p.m. before she finally stopped.
I'm finally satisfied with the alterations to these three pieces of clothing; they're both practical and aesthetically pleasing.
She pondered to herself, planning to take it to Lao Si's house tomorrow and let Qin Guifang try it.
Qin Guifang was her sister-in-law for many years. She was honest, straightforward, and always spoke her mind.
The key point is that she herself is almost sixty years old, which is exactly the target group, so her opinions are the most accurate.
Zhou Shufen began to prepare for the opening of the business.
She rummaged through her old memories, recalling the wildly successful opening events of later generations.
Raffles, discounts, performances, gifts...
There are many ways to do it; the key is the word "lively".
She came up with an idea.
Organize a grand opening promotion, with dragon and lion dances on site, and it would be best to hire a loudspeaker team to make it so lively that it can disturb half the street.
Add a few baskets of fresh fruit and offer free samples on-site, making it so appealing that people won't want to leave once they arrive.
Having made up her mind, she carried a bag of apples and pears and knocked on Guo Zhenyi's office door.
She knew that Guo Zhenyi's words carried weight in the neighborhood office.
If we could get his support, hanging up a banner or setting up a stall wouldn't be a problem.
Guo Zhenyi has been working non-stop these past few days.
He had just caught his breath when he noticed Zhou Shufen standing at the door.
"Captain Guo, are you still busy?"
Guo Zhenyi quickly stood up, grabbed the enamel mug on the table in a flurry, and took two steps toward the water dispenser.
"You've just stopped to rest, and you already know how to pick your time..."
He kept his head down, not daring to look at her.
"Don't call me Captain Guo anymore, it sounds too formal. If you keep calling me that, I'll really be unhappy."
There was indeed no one else in the room.
He quietly moved closer to her, and finally couldn't resist reaching out to hold her hand.
"Then...Zhenyi?"
She finally spoke.
He chuckled softly.
"It should have been called that a long time ago."
He released her hand and gently smoothed the few stray strands of hair that had been ruffled by the wind.
"You used to call me by my name so easily, why are you being so polite today?"
Guo Zhenyi stared at her, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Have I been too busy lately and neglecting you? Are you unhappy about it?"
Zhou Shufen's cheeks flushed as he asked her question after question.
She raised her hand and tucked a stray strand of hair, damp with sweat, behind her ear.
"No way."
"I was busy clearing out inventory the other day, and I was in the warehouse every night checking accounts with the lights on and the abacus clicking away. I was even checking the numbers in my dreams. I didn't have time to think about these things."
She leaned back, her back gently against the wall.
Guo Zhenyi dared not look directly at her face, his gaze slowly moving upwards and stopping at her hair.
The silver hairpin she's wearing today was brought back from Yangzhou by someone he asked last year.
The silver hairpin was not ornate; it was made entirely of plain silver, with fine cloud patterns engraved on its body.
I heard that it was handcrafted by an old craftsman who specializes in old-fashioned hair accessories, doesn't follow trends, and doesn't accept bulk orders.
He went through many inquiries to finally find this one, just to give her a surprise.
"You look like you've turned back the clock."
Guo Zhenyi tapped the edge of the table unconsciously with his fingertips.
He was taken aback when he said it; his tone was too soft.
Unlike his usual decisive and sharp-tongued Guo Zhenyi.
Zhou Shufen lowered her head and smiled.
"I'm so busy that I've even forgotten how old I am."
She smiled openly, without the slightest affectation.
"You haven't been eating properly these past few days, have you? You've lost weight."
She looked up at him, her brows furrowed slightly.
His cheekbones were more prominent than before, and there was a bluish tinge under his eyes, clearly from staying up late.
She remembered that he used to never mistreat himself, and he would always stop working to eat when it was mealtime.
But in the last few times we met, he would just eat biscuits and drink strong tea to get through it.
After saying that, she took out a paper package from her net bag, opened it layer by layer, and the aroma of butter filled the room.
Guo Zhenyi didn't take the pastries; instead, he reached out and gently patted the lint off her shoulder.
"Wear the lake-blue fabric I sent you on opening day."
It was a piece of fine cotton cloth, light, soft, and breathable, with a faint sheen.
He specifically chose it, saying it matched her skin tone and wouldn't make her look old.
When she received it, she wondered why she had to be so particular about opening a shop.
Zhou Shufen was taken aback.
She hadn't expected him to remember such details.
Last month, he sent me a piece of clothing, saying it was a new pattern from Haicheng.
"Wouldn't that be too conspicuous?"
She looked down at her old clothes that she had worn for years, the collar of which was slightly faded.
Even if your clothes are old, you shouldn't lose your spirit.
She has always believed in this principle.
But that lake-blue fabric was too eye-catching.
"It's better to be conspicuous."
Guo Zhenyi stared at the corner of her lips.
"Let everyone in Ningcheng see how respectable the owner of Zhouji Supermarket is."
He spoke the word "decent" with utmost seriousness.
Zhou Shufen's heart tightened, and when she looked up, she met his eyes.
She suddenly dared not move, afraid that the dream would shatter in the blink of an eye.
"Then... I'll listen to you."
"You have to promise me that on opening day, you won't have a long face, you have to smile."
Zhou Shufen was willing to wear that new dress for him and to stand in front of everyone, becoming the focus of everyone's attention.
But she had one condition.
Guo Zhenyi gave a soft "hmm" and casually grabbed a piece of pastry and stuffed it into his mouth.
The cake was soft and sweet, but he couldn't taste any flavor at all.
His mind was completely on her; even his swallowing seemed unconscious.
Zhou Shufen and Zhou Dajun were betrothed by their families.
That was many years ago, when she was a little girl with pigtails.
He, on the other hand, was a quiet and reserved young man.
The two families were old friends, and the parents hit it off immediately. They even checked each other's birth dates and said they were a match made in heaven.
At that time, she didn't understand love and only felt that marrying him seemed like a natural thing to do.
There was politeness and responsibility between them, but no attraction between them.
When I was young, I never even dreamed of other men.
Her heart had long been filled little by little by the Zhou family's stove, the children's crying, and her mother-in-law's nagging.
Zhou Shufen looked up and met his gaze.
"Zhenyi".
She suddenly spoke.
"No one has ever looked at me like this in my entire life."
She herself never expected that these words would come out of her mouth.
“I used to be a daughter-in-law of the Zhou family, a mother of my children. But I… am not myself.”
She spoke very softly.
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