RGL – Chapter 110

Ke Wan looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes sparkling. She reached out to touch her collar, the finely made buttons, and the embroidered patterns on her chest.

“Shu Jing, why do I feel like this isn’t just a piece of clothing—it’s a work of art? I don’t even dare to wear it. What if I damage it?”

“If you damage it, just buy another one. It’s not like Wu Zhe doesn’t have the money. But you have to tell me quickly who made this outfit for you. I need her to design something for me too. It’s stunning!”

She then pulled Zhang Ning over. “Zhang Ning, you should get one too. Oh, and I need to order one for my mom. Ah, such a shame, her birthday is just around the corner—there won’t be time.”

Hearing even the always-picky Shu Jing praising her outfit like this, Ke Wan smiled contentedly. “It’s not like you only wear nice clothes for birthdays. With so many social events, I’m sure there’ll be plenty of chances to wear it.”

Zhang Ning nodded. “We can definitely order one for Auntie. I remember she really likes embroidery. Didn’t she get an embroidered silk scarf last time that she couldn’t even bear to wear?”

“Yeah, I think the embroidery on your outfit is even better than that scarf,” Shu Jing said through gritted teeth. “How did you end up with all the good stuff?”

Zhang Ning said, “Could we ask the designer to come here? We can pay more to save Auntie from traveling back and forth.”

Ke Wan looked troubled. “That might be hard. She’s not a professional designer—just an amateur. I got her to make this because I helped her find her lost backpack. She made the clothes to repay the favor. And she’s still in high school.”

“She’s still a student?”

Both Shu Jing and Zhang Ning were shocked.

“Mhm,” Ke Wan nodded.

Both Zhang Ning and Shu Jing were surprised and slightly skeptical that the designer was only a high school student. But knowing that Ke Wan wasn’t someone who made things up, they had no choice but to believe it.

Shu Jing began thinking: once summer break came, she’d invite this young designer over to visit and maybe have a few custom outfits made. She had never noticed it before, but now looking at Ke Wan’s outfit, she realized how much depth and elegance traditional styles carried—it gave a person substance.

Zhang Ning, on the other hand, wasn’t overly interested. She’d never been too particular about clothing. As long as it was comfortable, clean, and appropriate, that was enough. But she was impressed by the girl’s talent. If she kept improving, she might have a bright future in the domestic fashion scene.

Ke Wan even twirled in front of her husband and her mother-in-law, making everyone green with envy.

When she heard Wu Zhe had only paid two thousand yuan, she frowned. “Only two thousand for something like this? This is art! Do you even understand what art is? It’s priceless!”

Wu Zhe coughed lightly, thinking to himself that he did know it was good—but he had already calculated the value. Without a brand, even the best products can’t fetch high prices.

Still, with Ke Wan scolding him like that, he didn’t dare argue. “Okay, okay, I was wrong. I’ll send her more money when we get back. I did say before, if you liked it, we’d pay more.”

“Good, at least you were smart about it this time,” Ke Wan said, gently stroking her dress.

Ke Wan’s mother-in-law’s birthday banquet was held at home, a self-serve cocktail party attended by familiar acquaintances.

The moment Ke Wan walked out in her dress, the women were captivated. Some even gathered around to ask where she’d bought it.

When they heard it was from Jiang City, disappointment settled in. A few even began plotting to make a trip there, hoping to get a few tasteful pieces of their own to avoid falling behind.

Unbeknownst to Su Min, Ke Wan had already done a lot of advertising on her behalf.

After Zhang Qingqing joined the shop, Su Min had all the garments embroidered with the artistic brand name “Xiuse” (秀色). She also added matching embroidery patterns, having Zhang Qingqing stitch them piece by piece into finished products for sale. With the addition of Su-style embroidery, the shop’s status instantly rose several levels.

Su Min even considered adding ink wash painting elements for Zhang Qingqing to embroider as well. Her only worry was that if Zhang Qingqing got too good, she might stop working for the shop. But Su Min wasn’t one to cut off possibilities just out of fear. After all, you can’t guard against everything. If Zhang Qingqing really wanted to leave one day, there’d be more chances in the future. It was better to find out now whether she was someone worth investing in long-term.

Zhang Qingqing, however, hadn’t thought that far. She was quite content with her current life. Although she wasn’t wearing expensive clothes anymore, she could earn a few yuan for each embroidered piece, and the patterns weren’t even complex—it wasn’t too exhausting. She did the math: if she sold a few dozen garments a month, she could earn over a hundred yuan monthly. That was already great. Compared to farming in the village, this was much easier—and no sun or wind to endure. Very comfortable.

Once she and Sun Yan finished discussing follow-up plans for the shop, Su Min began focusing on preparing for final exams.

Lately, she had stayed on top of her studies despite being busy with Ke Wan’s outfit, but she was starting to feel a bit stretched. So, she decided to drop everything else and focus solely on the finals.

That evening, while reviewing at home, she suddenly remembered that Xue Mian had mentioned he was taking the college entrance exam this year—in just a few days.

“No wonder he hasn’t written lately,” she muttered, tapping her head. She pulled out some stationery and carefully thought through a letter of encouragement for him.

After writing the letter, she couldn’t help feeling nervous. She knew he had good grades, but the national college entrance exam was life-changing. With so many top students, who knew if he could get into his ideal school? Xue Mian was proud—if he didn’t do well, he’d definitely take it hard.

“Mianmian, do you feel confident about this exam?”

At the Xue household in City B, Old Master Xue was asking Xue Mian about the same thing. Frankly, he hadn’t supported his grandson taking the exam early. The boy was still young. University life would be out of sync with his peers. Worse yet, if he hadn’t fully grasped the basics, a poor performance now could impact future chances.

Xue Mian was home revising, having created his own study schedule instead of going to school.

He pushed up his glasses, his refined face serious. “Grandpa, I’ve made this choice, and I’ll take full responsibility for it. Please don’t worry.”

“Sigh… then what university do you plan to attend? How about applying to a military academy? Zhao Xue is taking the exam too, and he’s applying to a military school. You two could go together.”

Old Master Xue only had one grandson. He naturally hoped he’d follow in the family’s footsteps. In his view, a man who didn’t serve in the military hadn’t truly lived.

But Xue Mian shook his head. “I don’t want to be a soldier. I have my own plans.”

When his grandson rejected the military, Old Master Xue’s face darkened. “You unambitious brat. What’s wrong with being a soldier?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it. But I have my own goals. Grandpa, you shouldn’t impose your dreams on me. How often has Dad come home over the years? He’s always on duty during holidays. If I join the military too, who’ll be here to keep you and Grandma company?”

It was peacetime now—there was no need for him to become a soldier. Instead, he wanted to help develop the economy and benefit the country in other ways. He’d already planned to apply to foreign universities after the exam, hoping to bring back advanced technologies in the future.

Of course, he didn’t dare say that to his grandfather. If the old man found out he not only refused to join the military but also planned to go abroad, he’d probably chase him down with a cane.

As for Su Min, he wasn’t worried. When he started university, she’d only be in her second year of high school. She wouldn’t date during such a crucial period—no one would “steal her” away.

By the time she entered university, he might already have graduated early thanks to good grades.

That was the benefit of studying abroad—graduate early if you’re good enough. Then he could return home.

Thinking of Su Min again, he realized it had been over a month since their last letter. He wondered what had been keeping her busy.

Ever since his grandfather and aunt had warned him during New Year’s, he didn’t dare express his feelings openly at home, afraid they’d blame Su Min. So, he kept it all to himself, waiting for the day he was grown up enough to act.

Just imagining a future with Su Min made him grin like a fool.

Old Master Xue looked at him and muttered, “Little rascal.”

Xue Mian never expected that just days after thinking about Su Min, he’d receive a letter from her.

Thrilled, he took it to his room, flopped onto the bed, and read it. After finishing, he rolled around on the bed with joy.

“She remembered my college entrance exam even though I didn’t remind her.” He sighed with satisfaction. “Guess I’m still in her heart.”

While Xue Mian was giddy with joy, Su Min was chatting with Ke Wan at her home.

After returning from City B, Ke Wan had called and invited Su Min over for the weekend. Su Min figured it was probably because she was happy with the outfit, and she was curious about her feedback too—so she brought some fruit and went over.

“I meant to come back sooner, but I wasn’t feeling well, so I stayed to rest a while. Your design was really beautiful, and the workmanship was excellent. So many people loved it when I wore it out. I even brought back a few orders for you. I told them you’re busy with school, so they can’t rush the delivery. Just do it when you have time.”

Su Min hadn’t expected not only to earn money from the outfit, but to receive some custom orders as well. It seemed what people said was true: custom work spreads through wealthy social circles—these women loved to compare and imitate. If they liked something, they’d follow suit.

She was glad she hadn’t given up on the outfit after Ke Wan left for City B. Instead, she had taken it seriously, which not only brought her profit, but also helped her build a valuable connection and path for future business.

She smiled and said, “Mrs. Wu, I really appreciate your help.”

Ke Wan smiled and shook her head. “No need to thank me. I should be thanking you for making such a beautiful outfit. Actually, that was my first gathering with domestic friends after returning to China, so it was important. Thanks to your work, I left a great impression.”

In this social circle, appearance and style mattered a lot. She’d known from the start that she couldn’t wear foreign clothes or she’d be criticized by traditional elders. That’s why she had turned to Su Min. In fact, she’d also asked another designer for a sample just in case, but after one glance at their design sketch, she dismissed it. She never expected such a young girl could deliver such high-quality work—it had truly impressed her.

The orders Ke Wan brought back already had measurements and photos. She asked Su Min to use the photos to guide her designs.

As soon as Su Min saw the pictures, she knew these women were wealthy. She mentally calculated how much she could earn from the orders and felt elated. But with final exams looming, she didn’t have time to work on them yet. She’d have to wait until summer break.

Ke Wan didn’t mind. She’d already told the clients not to expect a quick turnaround, so as long as it wasn’t delayed too long, they wouldn’t have an issue.

Originally, Ke Wan had intended to give Su Min extra payment for the last outfit. But when the time came, she held back. If Wu Zhe had paid more upfront, it wouldn’t matter—but since it had already been paid, she didn’t want to make it look like she was trying to cover for him. So she decided to consider it settled and pay extra next time.

After sitting a while, Su Min noticed Ke Wan looked tired with her baby bump, so she found an excuse to leave. Just as she was leaving, Mr. Wu returned home carrying a work bag, looking full of energy. He greeted Su Min politely and strode toward Ke Wan.

As Su Min stepped outside, she heard their conversation:

“You’re home early.”

“I was worried you’d be bored alone, so I came back to work from home.”

Listening to their warm, affectionate voices, Su Min smiled. Once outside, she glanced back at the house and thought, She really is a lucky woman.

Back home, Su Min studied the photos again, trying to memorize them for when it was time to start designing.

After going through them a few times, she suddenly realized one of the women looked incredibly familiar.

She stared at it for a long time before remembering—that proud-looking woman was actually Xue Mian’s mother. She’d only seen her once during a visit to the Xue household, and had nearly failed to recognize her.

The thought of making clothes for Xue Mian’s mom left her with complicated feelings.

She never thought she’d one day earn money from her. But she’d also heard from Xue’s grandmother that she was notoriously picky. Would she like Su Min’s designs?

Looking at the photo, Su Min’s mind drifted to Xue Mian’s upcoming exam. There weren’t many days left. She wondered if he had received her letter and how his preparation was going.

For every senior student, the college entrance exam was something both eagerly anticipated and deeply feared.

As exam day approached, the entire school grew more hectic. In fact, during the exam period, the entire city seemed to tense up.

As a lower-grade student, Su Min got three days off.

To focus on revision, Liao Zhaodi didn’t go to the shop either. Instead, she came to Su Min’s house to study together.

“Just thinking about how we’ll go through this in two years keeps me up at night,” Liao Zhaodi said after doing homework for a while.

Su Min smiled. “What’s there to be afraid of? Everyone has to go through it. As long as we study well, we’ll be fine. Zhaodi, you have to believe in yourself.”