RGL – Chapter 106

Gao Hong looked at her like this, feeling both worried and distressed. Ever since she got pregnant, her daughter had become more and more disobedient. This couldn’t go on.

She wanted to go over and console her, but after glancing at her own belly, she ultimately could only support her waist and return to her own room.

In the room, Su Wenwen lay on the bed, crying.

“Why does everyone treat me like this? Wuwu…” As she cried, she threw things off the bed onto the floor.

Thinking of Su Min whom she saw during the day, she felt even more upset. Someone she used to believe was inferior in every way was now living a freer and more comfortable life than her. And she herself was now relying on others for shelter— even her mother didn’t seem to want her anymore.

Su Wenwen wiped away her tears. It seemed she really couldn’t rely on anyone. She could only rely on herself.

Su Min was still thinking about her bag, so after school in the afternoon, she went to check again.

“Someone did come by with a bag and asked about it. Later, when she heard someone had lost one, she told me to let you know to go over to her place to get it.”

Hearing that her bag had been found, Su Min felt a surge of joy and asked excitedly, “Really? Do you know where she lives?”

The newspaper stand attendant said, “Yes, she left her address before she left.”

As she searched for the address, she muttered, “I even told her to leave it with me, but she didn’t seem to trust us. I mean, we’re all government workers here. Would we really do something so immoral?”

Su Min smiled but didn’t respond.

After taking down the address, she thanked the woman and hurried home.

The place was over in the western part of the city, quite far from her house. If she went now, it would be too late. And since she didn’t know who the person was, going alone wouldn’t be safe. She decided to go home and call the number first to confirm, then arrange a time to go.

When she got home, Sun Qiufang was already cooking.

The shop in the city was gradually stabilizing, so Sun Qiufang was starting to let go a little. Usually, Su Changrong would stay until the shop closed, while she came home early to cook.

Seeing Su Min come back later than usual, she asked with concern, “Why are you home later today?”

“It’s nothing. I went to ask at the park newsstand about the bag I lost.”

“Did you find it? It’s hard to recover lost things these days,” Sun Qiufang said skeptically. Times had changed; people weren’t as honest as before.

But Su Min replied, “Actually, it was found. But I have to go pick it up myself. It was getting late, so I didn’t go. I’ll call her now.”

Changing her shoes, Su Min hurried off to make the call.

Watching her rush off, Sun Qiufang shook her head with a smile. “This child…”

Su Min dialed the number. After several rings, the call was finally answered.

Just as she was about to speak, a soft female voice came through the line. “Wu Residence. May I ask who you’re looking for?”

A residence?

Su Min was stunned for two seconds before quickly saying, “Hello, I lost a backpack at the city park earlier. The newsstand attendant gave me this contact number and said you found it.”

“Oh, it’s you!” The voice on the other end now sounded pleasantly surprised. “Yes, I found it. When would you like to come pick it up?”

Hearing the person respond so readily, Su Min was slightly surprised. There really were good people in the world.

Since she had classes, she arranged to go on Saturday morning.

The woman readily agreed.

After hanging up, Su Min was still thinking how lucky she’d been—encountering a good person even after losing her bag. Otherwise, she’d probably never have gotten it back.

Feeling relieved, she quickly told her mother the good news and asked if she could accompany her when she went to retrieve it.

On the other side, Ke Wan hung up the phone and smiled at her husband Wu Zhe. “The owner of that backpack really did contact me. I must have that designer create a custom evening gown for me. At Aunt Shu’s birthday banquet, I want to look better than everyone else.”

Liu Zhe chuckled at her excitement. “As long as you like it. But are you sure the fashion sketches in the bag belong to the bag’s owner?”

“Of course! Why else would she carry them around? But she sounded quite young… and the backpack looked like a student’s.” Ke Wan herself sounded a little uncertain.

“Never mind. We’ll find out Saturday morning. I’m not going to waste energy guessing,” she said, rubbing her belly. “Being pregnant is tough— even thinking takes extra effort.”

Wu Zhe laughed. That saying about “pregnancy brain” really wasn’t just a myth. But of course, he didn’t dare say that out loud.

On Saturday morning, Su Min got up early, had breakfast, tidied up a bit, and headed out with Sun Qiufang.

She hadn’t really been to the western part of the city much. It was far from home, and she’d heard it used to be where all the city’s wealthy lived. Most of the houses were ancestral homes. Although they were empty for years, the improved policies of recent years brought many people back from abroad, so now quite a few rich families were living there again.

Thinking of the name “Wu Residence” that she’d heard yesterday, she figured anyone with a place called a “residence” was definitely wealthy. No wonder the woman didn’t care about the few hundred yuan in her backpack. But she still didn’t get why the woman didn’t just leave the bag at the newsstand—would’ve saved both parties some trouble.

When they arrived in the residential area, even Sun Qiufang was a little awed.

Originally, they thought their family’s life was already pretty good—that their house was big enough. But after coming out and seeing this, they realized just how far behind they really were.

Following the house numbers listed on the address, the two of them looked at each house one by one until they stopped in front of a two-story building.

“This should be it,” Sun Qiufang checked the number.

Su Min also took a look and nodded, “Yes, this is the place.” She noticed a doorbell next to the door and pressed it, causing a shrill sound to ring out.

Soon, a neatly dressed middle-aged woman came to open the door.

She looked at Su Min and Sun Qiufang with some confusion. “Who are you looking for?”

Su Min said, “Excuse me, is this the Wu residence? A lady named Ke Wan arranged to meet me here to return my bag.”

“Oh, it’s you two. Please come in, we’ve been waiting.” The middle-aged woman smiled warmly.

Following the woman into the house, Su Min noticed that this family wasn’t just wealthy—they had taste too. The layout and decor of the house gave off a refined and elegant feel.

They had barely sat down on the sofa when the sound of footsteps came from upstairs.

Su Min turned to look and saw a very beautiful woman walking down the stairs. She held the railing with one hand and supported her belly with the other, each step taken gently and gracefully.

Su Min stood up politely.

“You’re Su Min?”

Ke Wan smiled as she walked over and said, “Please sit, no need to be so formal here.”

Su Min sat back down and brought up the matter of the bag right away.

“I did find your backpack. That day, I wanted to wait, but the weather was a bit hot, and since I’m not in the best condition, my husband and I went home first. But there’s something you should know—I went through the bag to try to find the owner.”

Su Min smiled, “I’m already very grateful that you helped return it. It’s fine—there were only a few sketches and a wallet inside, nothing secret.”

Hearing Su Min clearly describe the contents, Ke Wan was convinced the bag was hers. “Sister Ping, please go bring the backpack.”

“Okay.”

The same middle-aged woman who had answered the door hurried upstairs.

Seeing she was about to get her bag back, Su Min started thinking about how to express her thanks. Normally, she would buy something or give a small gift, but with a family like this, she wasn’t sure if they would accept that. Maybe just offer sincere thanks?

Once the bag was brought down, Ke Wan generously handed it to Su Min. “Check if anything’s missing.”

Su Min took it, opened it, and glanced inside. “Everything’s here. Thank you so much for your help.”

Sun Qiufang also smiled and thanked her, though this was her first time interacting with someone like this, so she appeared a bit nervous.

Ke Wan smiled and said, “No need to thank me. Actually, I wanted to ask you something.”

Su Min raised an eyebrow in surprise. “What is it?”

“Well,” Ke Wan said, “when I looked through your bag that day, I noticed a few clothing design sketches. One of them, a loose-fitting one—did you design that?”

Hearing her ask about her sketches, Su Min recalled the Korean-style maternity evening gown she had casually designed in frustration earlier. She nodded, “That was just something I drew casually.”

Ke Wan smiled, “I really like that gown. Coincidentally, I have to attend a birthday banquet for an elder soon and wanted to find a suitable gown.”

From the way Ke Wan was speaking, Su Min guessed she wanted her to design a dress. Curious, she asked, “You couldn’t find a suitable designer?”

Ke Wan shook her head. “When I was abroad, I always used foreign designers. But since returning home, it’s not as convenient. I’d prefer to work with a local designer, but fashion design here doesn’t seem as developed. I’ve searched the city for a long time without finding the right fit.”

Su Min hesitated. “I’m still a student, not a professional designer. It’s just a hobby.”

Ke Wan smiled, “I believe that whether amateur or professional, as long as you can design beautiful clothing, you’re a good designer. Of course, if it’s inconvenient for you, I won’t force you. Let’s just say our meeting through the lost bag was a happy coincidence.”

Seeing how open and respectful Ke Wan was, Su Min felt it would be rude to reject her.

She had already helped her—just thanking her felt too shallow. Besides, since Ke Wan had asked, and it was within her capabilities, Su Min felt she should at least try. Whether Ke Wan ended up using it or not didn’t matter as much.

Thinking it through, Su Min agreed. She smiled and said, “If you don’t mind, I’ll adjust that design to suit your figure.”

Hearing her agree, Ke Wan smiled brightly. “Great! The banquet is in a month—will that be enough time?”

Designing a dress in one month was totally doable for Su Min. But she didn’t want to sound too confident, since she wasn’t a professional and worried her design might not match Ke Wan’s aesthetic. “I’ll draw up a few drafts over the next few days and see what works.”

Next, Su Min took Ke Wan’s measurements and gave her the address of her store, telling her she could visit anytime.

Hearing the name Xiuse Fashion Boutique, Ke Wan smiled. “We really are fated—I’ve actually been to your store before. I just didn’t see you there.”

Su Min remembered what Sun Yan had said about a pregnant woman visiting the store but not finding a suitable outfit. She felt the world was indeed small—to meet again under such circumstances.

After they left the Wu residence, Sun Qiufang worriedly asked, “Minzi, do you think you can handle this?”

Su Min shook her head. “We’ll only know after I try. I’ll do my best.”

Ke Wan, excited to have found a design she liked, made a call to B City. When the call connected, she smiled and said, “Shujing, this time I’ve found a domestic designer. I guarantee you’ve never seen this dress before.”

Whatever was said on the other end made her laugh, “Don’t worry. It’s Auntie’s birthday banquet—I won’t be late no matter what.”

Although Su Min wasn’t 100% confident, since she had agreed to help Ke Wan, and she had always been someone who put her full heart into anything she committed to, she began working on the dress design as soon as she got home.

Ke Wan, though pregnant, only had a slightly rounded waist and a prominent belly. Her face wasn’t very round, and while her arms weren’t slim, they looked normal compared to the average person.

Su Min casually sketched on paper for a while and drafted a basic template. She realized the dress wouldn’t be too difficult—after all, Ke Wan was beautiful. No matter what she wore, she’d look good. Of course, that was also the challenge. Because she was beautiful, people would focus on her looks, not the dress. They’d think she looked good in anything, not that the dress itself enhanced her appearance.

To make the dress truly stand out, the design had to be eye-catching.

Su Min compared it with some of her previous sketches but found none of them suitable. The only one that might work was that Korean-style maternity gown—but even that didn’t quite satisfy her.

That night, Sun Qiufang brought in a glass of milk.

“Get some rest soon.”

She knew her daughter had agreed to this, but she felt that these rich people probably had very high standards. It was likely they wouldn’t be satisfied with what her daughter designed, and she didn’t want to see her working hard for nothing.

Su Min drank a few sips and smiled, “Mom, it’s not my first time staying up late.”

“Still, take care of your health. Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you shouldn’t cherish your body.”

“I know. I’ve always cherished the life I have now,” Su Min said with a smile. Life was good. Working hard for learning and work felt great. It was far better than the constant struggle for basic survival in her past life.

Seeing her daughter so happy, Sun Qiufang didn’t say anything more. Her grades were still stable, and she didn’t want to pressure her unnecessarily. She leaned over to look at the sketch on the desk—it was already colored in.

“This is the dress for that lady you met today? It’s really nice.”

Sun Qiufang smiled and added, “People today sure are particular. Back when I was pregnant with you, I wore your dad’s clothes. Life was tough back then. We wouldn’t have dared dream of anything like this.”

“Mom, what kind of clothes did you like back then?”

Sun Qiufang laughed, “Back then, I’d never even seen any pretty clothes. At most, I’d think of buying two meters of fabric to make a jacket. But we didn’t have any coupons, and we could barely eat. Who would dare think about clothes? I’d have been scolded by your grandma the moment I stepped out.”

Su Min had originally wanted to ask what her mom would’ve liked to wear while pregnant, but hearing this, she knew there wasn’t much hope there. She’d have to rely on her own ideas.

Seeing her daughter’s gloomy expression, Sun Qiufang worried she was under too much pressure and comforted her, “Don’t stress too much. That woman’s been abroad—she’s worn all kinds of fancy clothes. Even if she doesn’t like yours, it’s not a big deal.”

“Abroad?” Su Min looked up, a spark flashing through her eyes.