Chapter 46: Waiting for Three Years
Catholic doctrine prohibits contraception, and contraceptive products were very backward in that era, so finding a Chinese person was indeed a more appropriate approach. After all, the Chinese people are not religious.
Irene swallowed, but her throat was still dry and tight. In this situation, it seemed that no matter what she said, it would have the same effect.
She tilted her head and kissed Leo's cold, stiff fingers encouragingly.
There are some things that need no explanation; he will understand them naturally.
"Then how should this be used?" Leo studied the translucent object in his hand with a rigorous academic attitude, and he turned the small film over and over to observe it.
The cold wind blew in from outside. Irene looked at Leo who was studying the sheep intestine with a frown on his face, and she felt a chill in her heart.
Is this the downside of dating someone younger than you?
Irene said almost weakly: "Didn't the boss teach you how to use it when you bought it?"
Leo answered obediently: "I did, but I couldn't understand his English. Then he waved his hand and said that any man would know how to use it. Just soak it in water before use. I have been soaking it for a whole day."
Soaked... all day? Did Leo think about what might happen tonight when she put on her skirt in the morning?
Irene felt as if she was having difficulty breathing. "How did you know that this contraceptive method could be used tonight?"
"Because of the way you looked at me this morning," Leo said naturally, "I bet you had thoughts about me then."
Irene couldn't help but twitch her lips. She rarely began to reflect on herself. Did she really act impatient this morning? She didn't think so...
Even if there is, it would be at most 10 to 20 percent, probably, probably, impossible...
The more Irene thought about it, the less confident she became. After all, she knew exactly what kind of person she was.
Fortunately, I woke up in the morning and saw Leo wearing a skirt.
If I'm not awake...
Erin glanced at the fish-gut condoms that she had only seen in museums in her previous life.
Maybe this thing will come in handy in the morning.
"So can you use it now?" Irene asked in a faint voice.
Leo looked at Irene innocently, "I have some clues, but not much."
Irene was defeated, "Then let me see."
She is a modern person. Even if she has never eaten pork, she must have seen pigs running. This sheep intestine is just a place to put it on.
but……
"Where's the mouth?" Irene searched for a long time and asked her soul, "He wouldn't have sold you an unopened one, would he?"
"There shouldn't be intestines without openings," Leo said after a moment's hesitation, "It doesn't conform to biological structure."
"You are just surprised because you haven't seen much. You have never heard of Pixiu. It just doesn't open its mouth."
Pixiu? What kind of species is this? Leo had never heard of it. Just as he was about to ask, Irene suddenly slapped her head and said, "I understand. If you soak it in water, it will swell up and you can see where the mouth is."
When she found the opening of the fish intestine, Irene suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen, and her face turned pale in an instant.
It can't be such a coincidence, Irene took a deep breath, and a familiar warm current flowed out along her body.
She rolled out of bed, quickly put on her pants and put on the simple menstrual belt she had prepared earlier. A faint smell of blood filled the air.
Leo lit the seldom-used kerosene lamp, filling the room with a dim light.
Originally, her waist and abdomen were only slightly sore, but since Irene realized that her period had come, she felt as if a pair of large hands were holding her tightly and twisting her, and she felt a pain in waves.
Irene huddled in the thin blanket, gasping in pain, "Why is it so cold all of a sudden?"
"Then I'll go close the window."
Leo closed the doors and windows, carefully blocked the places on the windows where air might leak with cloth, and took out two relatively thick pieces of clothing from the cupboard and put them on the quilt.
Irene curled up in the quilt, feeling the moisture from the seaside city seeping in through the cracks between her bones. The pillow was filled with the damp smell of moss. She felt as if she was moldy, and she huddled in the quilt, not daring to move.
My mood suddenly fell, like a bird that was about to spread its wings and fly but had six wing feathers chopped off.
She turned sideways silently, facing the wall, and the pillowcase against her face gradually became wet.
Leo quietly hugged her from behind, and pressed against Irene's cool body like an octopus. The quilt was still cool, and only Leo's body was still warm. Irene moved back and pressed closer to him.
The two people were very close to each other, yet seemed to be separated by a very long distance. Thinking of this, Irene couldn't help but sniff.
Maybe it was because of her menstrual period, her emotions became particularly fragile. Just thinking that she might never see Leo again made her very sad, and her hands and feet were cold and she shivered.
Leo didn't know why Irene was so sad all of a sudden, but it was always his fault. If he had done everything well, why would Irene be sad?
The quilt gradually warmed up, but Irene's hands were still cold.
"Are you still cold? Or should I find two more thicker clothes?" Leo kissed the back of Irene's neck.
Leo's voice suddenly rang in my ears, like a strand of hair scratching my ears, causing a bone-chilling itch.
Irene shook her head and looked at the wall in front of her. Most of the previous residents of this house had children. There were four small portraits crudely painted on the wall, which looked like a family of four.
She looked at the four or five short hairs on top of each of the little people on the wall and asked slowly, "Have you ever made plans for the future?"
The woman's ink-like hair separated them. Leo picked up a strand of soft and tough hair and wrapped it around his fingertips. He couldn't help but kiss the tip of Irene's ear.
"I never imagined the future before. Who knows if I will be killed in a corner? The future is too far away for me. There is no need to think about it."
Leo's tone was calm, as if he was telling someone else's story.
Irene's heart trembled when she heard this. Before she could say a few words of comfort, she heard Leo say:
"But it's different now. I'm going to go to school, learn tailoring and drawing, and I want to help you open a shop. I want to have a future with you."
Leo has no future of his own. Leo's future plans completely revolve around her. Irene seemed to be pushed off a hundred-meter-high cliff. The cold wind whistled across her cheeks, and a damp and cold dizziness enveloped her.
Irene closed her eyes tightly. "This is what I want. What about you? What do you want?"
"What I want is already in my arms."
The air became quiet. Irene closed her eyes tightly but tears flowed out from the gaps. She didn't know how long she had been crying. She was too tired during the day and she fell asleep while crying.
After she fell asleep, Leo carefully wiped her face with a hot towel. Irene suddenly muttered something, then reached out and unconsciously grabbed the corner of his clothes. She curled up her legs like a child, rested her head on his chest, and looked like she was extremely dependent on him.
Maybe because her nose was blocked, her lips were slightly open when she slept and the sound of her breathing was clear.
He lay motionless on the bed in Irene's position. Leo was reluctant to pull Irene's hand away. He liked the way Irene depended on him.
Even though my legs were gradually becoming numb from maintaining the same posture for so long, the hot towel in my hand had completely cooled down.
He was reluctant to move.
Hearing his lover's peaceful breathing, Leo looked up at the kerosene lamp that flickered in the wind.
The sea breeze was howling outside the window, and Irene's breathing was heard inside the window.
He felt a peace he had never felt before.
I even feel that I can be a good person in the secular sense.
As long as Irene always holds the corner of his clothes like this.
Even though Irene didn't respond to his confession.
The next day, Irene's menstrual cramps became even worse. Leo borrowed Mrs. Soi's kitchen and cooked ginger juice, brown sugar and an egg according to Irene's instructions. After he was done, he filled a kettle with hot water for Irene to hug. He screwed the cup lid tightly and wrapped it with two pieces of cloth for fear of scalding Irene.
While he was cleaning the kitchen, Mrs. Soey could not resist talking to Irene.
"It's rare to see such a thoughtful man," Mrs. Soi smiled and handed Irene a stool, "But can this sugar water really relieve menstrual cramps? My eldest daughter always has menstrual cramps."
Irene held the bowl and sipped the brown sugar water. "My family always uses this method. I think it is somewhat useful."
"Then I'll try it next time."
Before the two of them could chat for a few words, there was a hurried knock on the door and Mrs. Soy quickly got up and opened the door.
There were two maids standing outside the door, with their hair tied up in a bun and wearing identical long dresses. The older one looked more solemn. She exchanged a few words with Mrs. Soy and her eyes fell on Irene.
Irene was a little confused. She had no impression of these two ladies, but she felt vaguely that they looked familiar.
But she didn't need to recall it. Two maids quickly stepped forward and saluted Irene. The older one said:
"Hello, Miss Irene, we are Princess Song En's personal maids, the ones you talked to about custom-made clothes last night."
She gave a brief description and Irene's mind suddenly popped up with the image of the little princess. It was said that she was a Spanish princess who came to New Orleans to study. She heard several ladies talking about this princess last night.
The two maids in front of him were following the princess at that time.
Irene quickly stood up and returned the greeting, "Excuse me, Princess, what do you want to talk to me about?"
"The princess wants to order some dresses for her coming of age ceremony, and she came to ask us to have you come to her mansion to tailor them for her."
"Of course," Irene was delighted. The dysmenorrhea that had tortured her to death seemed to have eased a lot at this moment.
This was such a blessing from heaven that even the princess came to her to order a custom-made dress. Once the name got out, Irene couldn't even imagine how many orders she would receive.
"Then please pack your things. For safety reasons, you may have to stay in the princess's mansion for a while."
After hesitating for a moment, Irene said, "I have two apprentices. Can they come with me? There are many tasks that I cannot complete alone."
"Of course," the maid smiled and reminded, "Please don't bring any weapons. We will check your luggage when we arrive."
"Okay," Irene's eyes lit up with excitement. She quickly packed her luggage, took Hannah and Leo, and followed the maid to where the princess was.
She had a feeling that this was her chance to become famous. Irene held the tape measure tightly in her hand, looking at the magnificent mansion in front of her, her pupils gleaming.
*
Irene and the other two were settled in a corner of the mansion. All the necessary fabrics and equipment were available, even the latest sewing machines.
"Did the princess require any particular style?" Irene carefully asked the female supervisor who was in charge of this matter.
"Of course, please follow me."
Irene was led to a bookshelf filled with all kinds of fashion magazines. The female supervisor took out seven or eight of them with familiarity, flipped through several examples and said, "These are the styles that the princess prefers."
As the supervisor flipped through the additional marked pictures, Irene couldn't help but gasp.
The princess's favorite styles range from exquisite French to rural pastoral, from retro Baroque to simple natural style. How should I start?
Irene asked, "Can I take these with me?"
"Of course, this is specially prepared for you. The princess attaches great importance to this coming-of-age ceremony. In addition to you, there are six very famous tailors in total. The princess will choose a skirt from the ones you have made. It doesn't matter if you are not chosen. We will pay the labor fee according to the market price."
She casts a wide net but catches fish accurately. She is worthy of being a royal princess and is not afraid of spending money.
"How many skirts do we need to make in total?"
"There is no upper limit. You can make as many as you want, but the deadline is fifteen days later. The princess will choose her favorite skirts to keep and we will make suitable clothes according to her size."
The supervisor paused, then added: "Whoever has the most skirts left at the end will be hired by the princess as the royal tailor."
"The selected dresses are worth $5,000 each, but they are not allowed to be reproduced or sold again. There is only one such dress in the world."
Irene's eyes sparkled, she understood this, this was high-end custom-made!
*
"So, our goal is to make all the styles that the princess likes, and then become the royal tailor, and get the status and bonus at the same time!"
Irene slammed half a stack of magazines onto the table. "The first step is to sort out all the elements and styles that the princess likes."
"Hannah, you are responsible for tearing off all the folded pages and sorting them by style."
"Leo, work with me to sort out the repetitive elements in each style and rank them in order of importance."
“Start working now!”
This was the first time Hannah saw Irene like this. She adjusted the structure of the garment on Leo over and over again until even the most ordinary fabric could give her the feeling she was looking for.
Irene completely gave up drawing the design this time. One reason was that she didn't have enough time, and the other reason was that when Leo stood in front of her, countless ideas would naturally emerge in her mind. Moreover, she was the only one who could do everything from design to cutting and sewing, so there was naturally no need to draw.
The lights in the studio were on from morning to night. Irene worked day and night and only ate a few bites of food in a hurry. Her body was visibly getting thinner, but her mental state was obviously getting better.
The waist, collar, and shoulders were adjusted countless times, and in the end, Irene carefully made three skirts - two party-length skirts and one knee-length skirt.
The expensive fabric shimmered in the sun, and Erin made final adjustments, adding a lace cape to one of the gowns.
"This is so beautiful," a female voice full of amazement came from behind.
Irene was startled, and when she turned around, she found that it was the female supervisor, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, we are not in the same industry.
"Thank you for the compliment," Irene said modestly, but a bit of pride could not help showing on her face.
This is a piece of clothing that she made using her signature skills, how could it not look good?
The butler smiled slightly, "I am here to inform you that according to the original plan, the princess will choose a dress in the flower hall at 7 o'clock tonight. Please prepare the dress on time."
"But I think your chances of being selected are very high."
The butler blinked at her, his expression obviously no longer as cold as when he first met her, and turned to go to the next tailor.
After finishing all the finishing touches on the skirt, it was already dark. After so many days of hard work, Irene finally had some time to relax. She collapsed on the sofa, and Leo rubbed her shoulders skillfully.
"Is this strength okay? Do you want it to be a little harder?"
"It's just right like this," Irene sighed with satisfaction.
Ever since her period came that day, she had no chance to have any sweet contact with Leo.
"When we're done with this, how about we rent a house by the sea and live there for a while?" Irene stirred the coffee in her hand. "We can never finish our work in our lifetime, and we haven't had a few days to ourselves yet."
Leo's Adam's apple rolled twice, and the strength in his hands unconsciously increased. He cleared his throat and said, "Then wait for me to buy some more sheep intestines."
"I'm telling you to take a break, what are you thinking about?"
Irene glared at Leo, and as soon as she finished glaring, she couldn't help laughing.
Who wouldn’t be greedy? She would be greedy too because her young and handsome boyfriend is in front of her every day.
There was a knock on the door.
"Miss Irene, the princess invites you to the flower hall."
"Here we go," Irene said, picking up the bag containing the skirt with high morale. "It's time to show down the winner."
According to the rules, Irene can only go alone this time, and Hannah and Leo have to stay in the house and wait for her.
Before leaving, Irene suddenly whispered in Leo's ear:
"Whether you can get the first prize today or not, I will compensate you tomorrow."
*
Leo still clearly remembers the way Irene's voice tightened when she spoke, her long brown hair brushing against his shoulders, her eyes smiling.
But he waited for three years for this compensation.
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