He pretended to come into the house to look for something, taking the opportunity to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Besides that, that young master Su has been sending people to keep an eye on our clothing store all the time. It doesn't feel like surveillance, it's more like..."
Shen Wan thought for a long time before she could come up with a word.
"Protect."
Yes, that's it. Although I don't know why, I always feel like he's casting a huge net to catch fish.
"You're overthinking it. Protecting him? He's obviously just angry that we stole the costume business from the performing arts troupe. Plus, I haven't been in the store lately, so he thinks the cooperation we talked about before was a lie to get his trust and then he'll run away."
If he really did that, what would happen to his reputation as a young master?
While helping her analyze the situation, Jiang Yu took out some fabric from home, intending to take it to the shop tomorrow. She also put away any remaining scraps of fabric, thinking they could be used to make decorations or buttons on the clothes later—it wouldn't go to waste.
After the two of them had been busy for a while, Shen Ying heard them talking about other things, so he didn't linger in the room any longer and went off to do other things.
While working, he felt increasingly uneasy and decided to find an opportunity to ask Shen Wan about it later.
A short while later, Zhao Meiyun entered the house carrying a pile of handicrafts. Her two children, also carrying a considerable amount, followed her in, panting.
Shen Wan was the first to see them, and she was startled when she saw the colorful balls of yarn in her hands.
Where did you find these things, and what are you going to use them for?
Because of their family's poverty, when the three Shen siblings were young, Zhao Meiyun would often go to the gullies in the mountains to collect discarded items, wash them, and reuse them. These included countless items such as buttons on clothes and zippers on pants.
So, in Shen Wan's view, her mother must have picked up some unwanted thread from somewhere and was preparing to make clothes for the two of them.
"What do you mean 'found'? I got this from the village chief."
Zhao Meiyun was displeased upon hearing her daughter's words. Looking at her anxious expression, had she forgotten how her family had survived hardship years ago by using salvaged items?
"Mom, why are you getting so many things from the village chief's house? There aren't any holidays lately, why are they giving out welfare benefits?"
When Jiang Yu got up, Shen Suisui and Shen Niannian had already placed the ball of thread they were holding on the bed. At a glance, one could easily recognize that the pieces of fabric mixed in were cross-stitch patterns.
"Grandma said that Mom and Aunt are very busy every day. She has nothing to do at home and wants to find some work. We just went to Dongdong's house, and Aunt Cuihua was doing these things. After asking around, we learned that recently, the educated youth who went to the countryside have returned to the city, and the village's economic level still has not reached the expected level."
The authorities then contacted factories to arrange for women at home to do some handicrafts to earn money for vegetables.
Shen Suisui described the whole matter clearly and deliberately, word by word. When she talked about the educated youth returning to the city, she couldn't help but steal a glance at Jiang Yu to see if her mother would be worried about it.
Fortunately, nothing happened, and she gradually felt relieved.
"Mom, you're already working so hard at home taking care of the kids and cooking. You could use that time to stroll around the village and have some fun. Besides, making this stuff hurts your eyes. Listen to me, send it back and don't make it anymore."
Shen Suisui talked a lot, but Jiang Yu's attention was solely focused on the cross-stitch injury to her eyes. Their lives were getting better and better, and after signing a contract with Qingyun Clothing Store, they would make a fortune every time new clothes were sold.
Life is better now, so don't suffer unnecessary hardships at home.
"I'm always at home, and I get bored, so I look for something to pass the time. When I want to go out, I can take this cross-stitch with me, and we can chat and work at the same time without it bothering us."
Zhao Meiyun insisted on this, and in the end there was no other way, so Jiang Yucai instructed Shen Niannian to stay home and supervise his grandmother.
"receive."
Shen Niannian readily agreed, which made everyone burst into laughter.
After dinner, Jiang Yu asked Shen Wan to cover the vegetables in the cellar before continuing to draw on her paper. Shen Wan went out and, feeling her way in the dark, carefully made her way to the backyard. On the way, a large hand grabbed her, startling her so much that she was about to scream when the person made a sound.
"It's me."
Worried that her shouting would disturb the whole family, the other party whispered his identity in her ear.
"Brother? What are you doing here?"
Shen Wan was confused about what her brother was performing tonight, so she asked him out of curiosity.
"Never mind what I'm doing, answer the question first: Who is Su Yujing? Is he the son of the Su's Fabric Shop owner in the city?"
He wasn't very familiar with the name, but he knew it if it was related to Su Ji.
"Let me go first."
Shen Wan was pinned against the wall in a twisted, pretzel-like position by the man, which not only felt awkward but also extremely uncomfortable. Seeing this, Shen Ying released her.
After stretching her limbs and glancing around to make sure no one was coming out, she spoke softly:
"He's the young master of Su's Fabrics. But why are you asking this? Are you trying to cause trouble for me?"
Thinking of this, Shen Wan visibly tensed up. Knowing they were no match for the Su family, and worried that her brother would suffer, her only option was to ask her sister-in-law if there was any way to help.
After all, she and Su Yujing are now in a cooperative relationship.
"He has absolutely no contact with me, so stop daydreaming. I'm asking you now, what's his relationship with your sister-in-law? Why would he let her design clothes, and why would he protect the clothing store?"
At this point, Shen Ying's jealousy intensified. Shen Wan noticed this and covered her mouth, chuckling to herself. He had previously said that he was only with his sister-in-law for convenience, but now, upon hearing just one name, he was already rushing to question her. The tension in her voice was no longer something she could feign.
He stopped laughing halfway through, but under Shen Ying's sharp gaze, he swallowed it back and told him everything about the deal between the two of them.
Hearing that nothing was wrong, the man breathed a sigh of relief and walked back into the house as if nothing had happened. Shen Wan couldn't help but roll her eyes at his back.
'Seriously, they've come all this way, and they don't even bother to help.'
......
The next morning, after breakfast, Jiang Yu and Shen Wan were about to leave. Seeing them about to go, Shen Ying casually remarked:
"I'll pick you up after I finish my work this afternoon."
He thought to himself, "I'll see what this man looks like when the time comes, and how he dares to steal my girlfriend away."
"No need for that trouble."
Jiang Yu instinctively refused. Seeing this, the man coughed lightly twice unintentionally. Shen Wan seemed to realize something and hurriedly spoke:
"Sister-in-law, let my brother pick us up instead. I've heard there are a lot of human traffickers in the city lately, it's not safe."
"???"
Jiang Yu looked at her in confusion. Human traffickers? Weren't they arrested a long time ago? Besides, their journey was perfectly safe, and there was no need to allocate an extra person to specifically oversee their safety; it would be too much trouble.
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