RGL – Chapter 138

“Qingqing.”

Zhang Qingqing had just stepped onto the street when she heard someone calling her name.

“Zhao Liang?”

Zhang Qingqing stared blankly at the young man standing before her.

Ever since Zhao Liang got married, they hadn’t seen each other again. She hadn’t expected to meet him again like this.

Zhao Liang was also quite happy to see Zhang Qingqing.

Back when they were dating, he had thought she was a steady and reliable girl—definitely the kind of woman who would make a good wife. But unfortunately, his family was too poor, and he was the eldest son, meaning he would carry a heavy burden in the future. His family didn’t approve of the match.

Later, he heard that Zhang Qingqing had gone to the city to work and could earn money. Now, seeing this version of her—completely transformed—he realized that she had even become somewhat attractive.

Zhang Qingqing noticed Zhao Liang staring at her in a daze, and it made her uncomfortable. “I’ve got something to take care of at home, so I won’t talk with you any longer.”

With that, she hurried off.

Zhao Liang watched her leave and couldn’t help but feel emotional. They had once been on the brink of marriage, and now they were practically strangers.

When Zhang Qingqing got home, she no longer felt as upset as she had earlier.

She had already come to terms with everything. No matter what had happened in the past, Zhao Liang was now married, and there was no reason for them to stay in contact. What mattered most now was making money to support her family and improve their living conditions. She absolutely couldn’t let things like this affect her mood and delay her work like it had last time. If she lost her job, she’d really be letting her family down.

The Zhang family’s house was nearly finished. The workers were all uncles from the nearby area. The Zhangs had one of the worst living conditions in the village, so when they said they were going to build a house, many people didn’t believe it at first. Some even worried they might not get paid. But surprisingly, the Zhangs didn’t say a word and paid everyone up front.

With money already in their pockets and no longer needing to worry about not having cash for the New Year, the workers were highly motivated. Especially since the Zhangs were generous with food—every meal had plenty of oil and substance, enough to keep them full for half the day.

Of course, people also gossiped quietly about where the Zhangs got the money. Both Zhang parents were honest, hardworking farmers who rarely even went to town—how much could they realistically earn? No matter how they calculated, the only possible source of income was their eldest daughter.

It had been rumored that she went to the city to work in fashion. Every time she returned, she brought back large bags of things, and during holidays, the Zhang family could even wear some stylish new clothes. That alone made people envious.

While taking breaks from building, some of the women helping out casually asked the Zhang couple about it.

“Second Sister-in-law, tell us, what exactly is your daughter doing in the city? It hasn’t even been that long, and now you’re building a house already.”

Zhang’s mother was an honest woman, not one for scheming. Hearing everyone ask made her quite pleased. “She’s doing embroidery for someone—it was Panpan who helped her find the job. The boss runs a store in a big city and pays well.”

“Oh? Embroidery? You can actually earn money doing that?”

Everyone in the countryside knew a little about embroidery. No one had expected it could actually be profitable.

Zhang’s mother smiled. “Exactly. They say our Qingqing is really skilled. It’s all thanks to her grandmother, who passed the craft down. Now she can earn money with it—that’s a good thing.”

Once everyone heard that the skill came from her maternal side, they understood. Zhang Qingqing’s embroidery wasn’t something just anyone could match. Previously, people in the village had asked her to help embroider things and paid her with a few snacks—but who would have thought that in the city, she was earning real money.

Thinking of her embroidery skills, some were already considering asking her to make something in the coming days so they could sell it elsewhere for a profit.

News that Zhang Qingqing had earned enough money to build a house quickly spread through the village via these women. Some families with unmarried sons even began thinking about sending matchmakers over. If they could bring such a capable wife into their family, maybe they could build a house next year too.

In no time, the Zhang household became lively.

With so many people coming to propose marriage, Zhang Qingqing couldn’t stay at home any longer. After entrusting her father with matters related to the house construction, she made an excuse about being busy with work and hurried back to the city.

Sun Yan, who was close to Zhang Qingqing now, laughed so hard she trembled after hearing all this while watching the shop. “I think you’d be better off staying at home. If you’re not there, your parents might just randomly agree to a marriage proposal. Then you’d have no one to cry to.”

“That won’t happen. My grandma wouldn’t let them do something like that. She’d at least insist I meet the guy first.”

Zhang Qingqing wasn’t too worried. As long as her grandma was around, her parents wouldn’t make any rash decisions.

Sun Yan grinned. “Sister Qingqing, tell me honestly, are you really not thinking about getting married?”

“Not right now. I just don’t have that mindset yet.”

“That’s fine. Honestly, with your skills and circumstances, if you’re going to find someone, it better be someone with decent conditions. I think you should marry someone from the city—it’d be a waste of your talent to stay in the countryside.”

Though Sun Yan was from a rural background, she didn’t deny that city life was better. If there was a chance to live in the city, it was surely better than going back to the village.

Zhang Qingqing blushed and smiled. “I don’t dare think like that. Back home, I was already looked down on. If I married someone from the city, they’d probably treat me even worse. I’d rather marry someone who truly cherishes me—not someone who thinks I’m beneath them.”

“You’ve really thought this through,” Sun Yan chuckled, then sighed. She suddenly thought of her own mother. Her dad had adored her mom, but her mom still didn’t appreciate it. After years of struggle, she finally couldn’t take it anymore and left.

People really need to learn how to appreciate what they have. Being too greedy only leads to trouble.

“Sister Qingqing, you’ll definitely marry a good man one day.”

Zhang Qingqing had only just returned when Su Min received a new order that Ke Wan had helped secure.

This time, it was for a men’s outfit, and the client was quite tall. To complete this piece, Ke Wan had postponed several other orders.

“This client is really demanding. At this rate, you’ll all be working until the New Year.”

“Six foot three… yeah, that’s a big size,”

Su Min frowned as she looked at the specifications. She had always worked on women’s clothing. Women’s clothes, being smaller, could feature intricate patterns in small areas. But men’s garments were different—each design had to be scaled appropriately. And this client wanted traditional patterns, which would take a lot of time just for the embroidery.

Seeing her troubled expression, Ke Wan smiled. “It’d be great if you could take on this order. Shu Jing helped land this client and specifically said that if you pull this off, it’ll be great for your business. It might even significantly raise the value of your brand.”

When Ke Wan said this, Su Min was intrigued. “Sister Wan, what exactly is going on? What does this person do?”

“He’s a friend of Shu Jing’s from abroad. He’s very interested in our domestic culture. He previously saw the clothes Shu Jing and Zhang Ning were wearing and wanted to buy them at a high price but couldn’t get them. Later, when he heard from Shu Jing that you could custom-make them, he specifically asked her to place an order here. I actually turned him down twice, but the price he offered was very tempting, so I agreed.”

Su Min laughed, “If even Sister Wan is tempted by the price, then the design must be really attractive.”

Shu Jing raised six fingers and smiled. “Six thousand.”

Hearing the amount, Su Min gasped.

That price was definitely not low.

Previously, the highest price for women’s clothing she made was a suit Shu Jing paid 3,300 for. This time, the offer had gone straight to 6,000.

Ke Wan smiled and said, “Actually, the money is secondary. I heard from Shu Jing that this person is also in the clothing business abroad. He has some standing in the high-end fashion scene there. If your design impresses him, then when you go to B City in the future, you won’t need anyone to advertise for you—clients will come on their own. And the price will definitely be no less than 3,000 per piece.”

Su Min was deeply moved upon hearing this. She trusted Ke Wan’s business instincts and her sharp eye for fashion. If her designs really could make it internationally, it would be a rare and valuable opportunity.

Even if they didn’t make it abroad, the commission this time was already quite substantial.

She smiled. “Alright then, thank you so much, Sister Wan. Please also help me let Sister Jing know—I’ll try to deliver the clothes before the New Year.”

“Sure.”

This was Su Min’s first time designing traditional men’s clothing. After returning home, she immediately began flipping through books, looking for styles of modern traditional wear and patterns suitable for men.

When it came to popular men’s attire, the Zhongshan suit (Mao suit) still reigned. Although Zhongshan suits looked similar, just a few modifications combined with high-quality craftsmanship and delicate embroidery could elevate a basic design into something with real value.

After selecting two Zhongshan suit styles, Su Min sketched them out on paper. She also recalled a few versions she’d seen in her previous life—those had slight changes on the lapel, button shapes, and cuff patterns. She remembered once seeing someone on TV at an important meeting wearing a Zhongshan suit underneath with a loose, buttonless robe over it—it looked great. Since New Year was in winter, she thought a double-layered outfit would visually appear warmer. So she decided to go with a set.

After spending ten days finalizing the designs, Su Min immediately sent the blueprints to her shop, asking the master tailors to begin cutting and embroidering right away.

She promised that if the clothes were done well, everyone would get an extra 200 yuan during the year-end bonus.

Upon hearing about the bonus, everyone was instantly full of enthusiasm.

To complete this outfit, Su Min threw herself into the task with the same energy she had when making her first outfit for Ke Wan. From the stitching to the embroidery proportions, she supervised everything personally. At lunchtime, she’d even take a cab to the shop to check in before returning to school.

Liao Zhaodi worried that she might overextend herself again and suffer a drop in grades like last time, so she advised her during class breaks, “The final exams are coming soon. Don’t bother with the shop for now—focus on your studies.”

Su Min smiled while doing her homework, “It’s alright. I’ll just do an extra hour of revision at night. I’ve got plenty of energy these days and don’t sleep early anyway.”

“Where are you getting all this energy? As soon as I get home, I feel like I could fall asleep instantly.”

Liao Zhaodi yawned. “No wonder they say senior year is the hardest. I finally get it. I’d rather do more work than go through this again. This time, we must get into university.”

“Where do you want to go?”

It was the first time they’d talked about their college aspirations. Su Min secretly hoped Zhaodi could go with her. After all, they’d been together for so long, and in Su Min’s heart, Zhaodi wasn’t just an ordinary friend—she was family. And since no one at home could really take care of Zhaodi, going to university together meant they could support each other.

Liao Zhaodi thought for a moment, then looked a little shy. “I want to go to a university in B City or S City. The provincial capital is fine too. What about you?”

“I want to go to Q University in B City. But honestly, it’s just a hope for now. There aren’t many admission spots each year, and I’m not in the top ranks at school. If I can’t get into Q University, I’ll apply to a tech university—anyway, I just want to study in B City.”

Hearing Su Min’s goal surprised Zhaodi a little. She just wanted to study in a big city and hadn’t thought much about how prestigious the school was. But Su Min was aiming for one of the top universities in the country.

“Su Min, I wish I had your confidence.”

Su Min shook her head. “It’s not confidence—it’s just setting a goal for myself. I don’t know if I can make it, but at least I can work toward it. Zhaodi, as long as you have a clear goal, you’ll be fine too. Even if we don’t hit the highest goal, it’s still better than setting a low one from the start.”

“You’re right—the further your vision goes, the further your path stretches.” Zhaodi suddenly felt enlightened. She laughed, “Su Min, wouldn’t it be great if we both got into a university in B City?”

“Let’s work hard together—we can do it!”

“We’re in too,” said Tang Man, who came over to ask about a question but overheard the conversation. She immediately joined in.

Su Min laughed, “Alright, it’s a promise—if we all get in, we’ll go to college together.”

Yin Jing and Zhang Panpan hadn’t decided whether they wanted to go to B City, but hearing Su Min and the others talk, they also quietly became more motivated, hoping not to fall behind in scores.

In the following month, everyone became busier than ever. They didn’t even have time to discuss questions during lunch.

After the final exams, the seniors got a three-day break, and only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief. But seeing the countdown written on the blackboard again quickly brought the pressure back.

Taking advantage of the three-day break, Su Min personally supervised the completion of the commissioned outfit by the master tailors.

Once the clothes were finished, all those involved carefully checked for defects—particularly on the seams, thread lines, and embroidery.

Once everyone confirmed there were no issues, they finally relaxed.

Su Min had the clothes carefully wrapped and took a taxi to Ke Wan’s house.

“No need to mail it—just leave it here,” Ke Wan said as she placed the clothes on the coffee table and asked Sister Ping to pour Su Min a cup of tea.

Su Min asked in surprise, “Why not mail it? Did they change their mind?”

If they no longer wanted it, wouldn’t all that work be in vain?

Ke Wan smiled. “No, it’s because Shu Jing is coming to the provincial capital for a project, and that gentleman is coming with her. They’ll be visiting our home, so he can try the clothes on in person. Oh, and please ask the embroidery master from your shop to come by too. The gentleman is very curious and wants to meet the one who did the embroidery.”

Hearing that, Su Min was finally reassured. “As for the meeting, I’ll have to ask Zhang Qingqing. She’s not very comfortable around strangers, so I’m not sure she’ll agree.”

Ke Wan smiled, “Of course you should ask. If she’s unwilling, we can’t force her. But if she can make it, that would be great. We ought to show some respect to Shu Jing’s friend.”

Su Min nodded, “I’ll do my best to persuade her.”

Ke Wan took a sip of tea, her eyes calm. “Su Min, there’s one more thing I want to tell you.”

“Hmm?” Su Min also put down her cup.

“Wu Zhe and I plan to move to B City after the New Year. Things change fast over there, and Wu Zhe is worried that if we delay, it’ll be harder to gain a foothold in the market. So we want to go as soon as possible.”