RGL – Chapter 142

“Mm.”

Liao Zhaodi nodded and quietly sat to the side, lost in thought.

After a while, Su Min finished drawing her design, tidied up the desk, and turned around—only to see Zhaodi staring off into space.

Puzzled, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

Liao Zhaodi came back to her senses and sighed. “Su Min, I miss my mom. And my sister too.”

“Huh?” Su Min was taken aback for a moment. She guessed that maybe seeing Su Min’s whole family had reminded Zhaodi of her own.

She asked, “So what do you plan to do?”

“I don’t know.” Liao Zhaodi shook her head. “I just miss them. Back during New Year’s, my sister and I would help Mom with the chores. They always protected me because I was the youngest. Back then, Mom treated us really well.”

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but sigh deeply. “I really want to go see my mom. See how she’s doing. I thought I was angry at her, that I resented her, but deep down, I still can’t help missing her.”

After all, she was her birth mother, and they’d been together for so many years—how could she not miss her?

Su Min understood this feeling, but she didn’t want to persuade Zhaodi to go back. She remembered how hard Zhaodi’s life had been in her past life, likely because of the Zhu family. So she didn’t want Zhaodi getting too close to them again.

If only Zhaodi’s sister were around—it’d be different. At least she’d have someone by her side, and wouldn’t miss her family so much.

But where exactly had Zhaodi’s sister gone? It had been years, and she hadn’t come back to see her. Even if she couldn’t find Zhaodi, she should’ve been able to find the Zhu family. And even if she didn’t want to deal with the Zhu family, she could’ve found Rongfang Supermarket. It seemed she really hadn’t returned all these years.

After Sun Hai’s family came back on the third day of the new year, the house became lively again.

With Doudou needing care, Zhaodi didn’t have the time or mood to dwell on other things, and she soon felt better.

Until the sixth day, when the tutoring classes resumed, Zhaodi didn’t bring up missing her family again.

On the first day of class, Zhang Panpan told her about her grandmother coming to the city.

“My sister probably called you already—Grandma’s packed her things and wants to come visit. She said she never imagined her skills would still be useful in this lifetime. But her fingers aren’t what they used to be, so she can’t help much now.”

“She can be a teacher, just guide from the sidelines,” Su Min said thoughtfully. Zhang Panpan’s grandmother was an expert in her field—if her skills were still intact, she was practically a living relic.

That saying—‘the real masters are among the common folk’—was perfect for describing someone like her. Su Min was already thinking that if they could promote the old lady properly, it would greatly boost the Xiuse brand.

“By the way, is that Mr. William still in the city?”

Zhang Panpan suddenly asked.

Su Min was slightly surprised and shook her head. “Not sure, he probably went back to City B. Why, do you need something from him?”

“No, he left something at our house. My mom asked me to bring it.” She pulled a Swiss watch out of her backpack as she spoke.

A watch is not something people just casually take off when there’s nothing going on. William leaving a watch behind was probably intentional—he likely had another reason.

Su Min didn’t want to expose his motives, so she smiled and said, “He’ll probably be back soon to talk business with me. I’ll give it to him then.”

“Alright, but it does look really expensive.”

Su Min thought for a moment. “Then I’ll keep it here for now. I’ll give it to him when the time is right.”

“Okay, I was worried I’d lose it if I kept carrying it around.”

Zhang Panpan carefully handed the watch to Su Min.

Just by looking at it, you could tell it wasn’t cheap.

Su Min had arranged for Zhang Qingqing and her grandmother to come over, so she gave Qingqing a few days off to come after the Lantern Festival.

Meanwhile, she and Sun Yan were discussing renting a place specifically to teach embroidery. This space could serve both as a classroom and a studio.

Previously, the two-bedroom apartment that Sun Yan’s family had was used as a studio. Whenever they had to produce a lot of clothes, they’d use that place. But it was really too small, and not practical in the long run. Plus, being in a residential area, it wasn’t ideal to have too many people coming and going.

Su Min thought about it and decided to renovate the shop, clearing out half of the display area originally used for showcasing clothes and turning it into a small classroom. “We’re doing high-end customization now. A few garments on display outside are enough—the focus should be on the workspace.”

Sun Yan usually just managed the shop and didn’t interfere much with its direction, so she let Su Min handle things as she saw fit.

On Saturday, Su Min took advantage of her half-day off in the afternoon to discuss the shop layout with Sun Yan.

Sun Yan didn’t raise any objections. Only after Su Min finished talking did she say, “Minzi, I want to take some time off in a while to go back home.”

“What’s up? Something going on at home?”

“Yeah, I need to help my dad with the orchard. He planted a bunch of fruit trees. With the weather warming up in a couple of months, it’ll be time to take care of them. We’ll see if they bear fruit this year.”

“What kind? Can it grow in just a year?”

“He planted some orange trees. Some of the ones he bought were already tall saplings. My dad wants to give it a try. During New Year’s, my uncle came back and talked to him about leasing the fishpond near the village entrance. He’s going to raise some fish there. The lease isn’t expensive. My dad even brought the village chief two jin of pork over New Year’s to finalize the deal.”

Hearing that Sun Bing was taking initiative at home made Su Min genuinely happy.

This life, aside from the hardships with his wife, her uncle was definitely doing much better than in his past life.

“That’s great news! If you’re busy, just go back home. There’s not much going on here anyway. I’m not taking orders until after the college entrance exams. Just doing a couple of small jobs to get by for now.”

Sun Yan laughed. “Anyway, when you’re busy, I’ll be back. Worst case, I’ll have my dad hire someone to help out. Now that our life at home is better, I’m not worried anymore. I just don’t feel at ease leaving my dad alone at home.”

Su Min thought of her uncle being all alone and sighed. “Your mom didn’t even come home for New Year’s?”

“Why would she? She’s not part of this family anymore.” Sun Yan’s face showed a hint of resentment. “We’re already separated. I don’t care how she lives now. As long as my dad and I keep our home running well, I’m not worried. If my dad finds someone new later on, I won’t mind.”

“You say that now, but second marriages are never the same as being together from the start. And uncle’s doing so much now—if he really makes money in the future, imagine what kind of woman he could find.”

She wasn’t as simple as Sun Yan imagined. Su Min had seen too many similar situations before—any time people got married again later in life, especially when both sides had children of their own, there were bound to be many issues.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, just a day after the Lantern Festival, Zhang Qingqing arrived in the city with Granny Zhang.

After school ended at noon, Su Min took the time to meet with Granny Zhang.

According to Zhang Qingqing, the elderly lady was already sixty-five years old, but she looked very aged, with a full head of white hair. Fortunately, she seemed very kind and amiable, and Zhang Qingqing did bear a resemblance to her.

“I was well-known for my embroidery skills when I was young. But over the years, I haven’t practiced much. I don’t even know if I can still do it. If you don’t like it, just say it straight. We’re all honest folks here, no need to beat around the bush,” the old lady said cheerfully.

Su Min smiled and said, “Just use the skills you taught Qingqing. That will be enough.” In truth, she only worried that the old lady might hold back her true abilities.

Granny Zhang laughed, “As long as someone’s willing to learn, I’ve got nothing to hide. At my age, with one foot already in the grave, taking these skills with me wouldn’t mean much. If anyone wants to learn, I’ll teach them properly.”

“With your word, I’m relieved,” Su Min said sincerely.

Now that Granny Zhang had arrived, Su Min arranged for her to live in the same room as Zhang Qingqing.

She let Liao Zhaodi and Sun Yan share another room.

“It’s a tough time right now. Everyone will have to make do for now. Once the shop grows and business is better, we’ll upgrade the living arrangements.”

Granny Zhang had already seen the room Zhang Qingqing lived in. When she heard Su Min’s words, she waved her hand with a smile and said, “I’ve never lived in such a good room my whole life. Just having a place to shelter from wind and rain is enough. At this age, it’s good to still feel useful.”

Her eyes reddened slightly as she spoke.

“No matter what age we are, as long as we don’t give up, things will keep getting better. Don’t worry, things will definitely be better than now.”

Granny Zhang nodded emotionally.

After a lifetime of hard work and wandering, she had once thought she’d take her embroidery skills to the grave with her. She never expected to see this day.

Su Min didn’t rush to put Granny Zhang to work after she arrived. Instead, she had Zhang Qingqing take her around the city to get familiar with the surroundings, while she began thinking about recruitment.

This time, they were recruiting apprentices. That meant Granny Zhang’s embroidery skills would soon be taught to others. So, Su Min was extremely cautious in selecting the new recruits. She wanted people who were not only smart and capable, but also had good character. Even though there was no guarantee they would work for her forever, she hoped that the value she gained from them would far outweigh what she put in.

After thinking for several days, Su Min decided to recruit from a welfare home.

To learn this craft, the recruits couldn’t be too old, nor too delicate. But young children were generally not allowed by their families to go out and work. The older ones often had too many thoughts, and might quit partway through training.

Su Min discussed this idea with Ke Wan, who supported her decision.

“If you can really find someone from the welfare home, it’ll be a good deed too. And considering your conditions, it really is hard to find people.” She thought for a moment and said, “Zhang Ning’s welfare home has a few suitable people. Want to try there? Her home is in City B, and since you’ll be heading there soon anyway, it might be a good fit.”

“Sister Ning runs a welfare home?”

“She funds it herself. Says she wants to accumulate some good karma. Shu Jing also visits often and says the kids there are all good, mostly girls. This is a common issue in the country now. Because of strict family planning policies, many baby girls were abandoned. Some of the kids have no living relatives. You can check it out when you’re there.”

“In that case, Sister Ning’s place sounds like the best choice,” Su Min agreed after thinking. “But I don’t have time to go personally right now. Can we ask Sister Ning to help choose the people?”

Zhang Ning and Shu Jing were both experienced businesswomen, with broader perspectives than Su Min, so she trusted their judgment.

Ke Wan laughed and shook her head. “You’re getting less polite by the day, always thinking about making people work for you. Fine, I’ll give Zhang Ning a call. It’ll be a good thing for her too. Not all the kids are suited for school. Learning a skill would be really helpful for them.”

With the recruitment matter now in hand, Su Min felt a big weight lifted off her chest.

That evening, she was in a much better mood when she returned home.

When she got back, Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang were already home. On the table lay a piece of red paper. Su Min picked it up and glanced at it.

“Su Can is getting married?”

Sun Qiufang came out of the kitchen holding a dish. “The wedding banquet is the day after tomorrow. This was mailed from the hometown.”

Su Min washed her hands in the bathroom and came out to see Su Changrong looking gloomy. She laughed, “Dad, what’s wrong? You want to go back?”

“Go back for what? I’m not going,” Su Changrong said angrily. “Just look at the family Cancan is marrying into. If it wasn’t chaotic enough already, now he’s marrying into trouble. The girl’s father is a notorious scoundrel in town. This is just adding more chaos to the family.”

“What’s it got to do with you who he’s marrying?” Sun Qiufang teased him with a smile. “I think Changfu and Yulan are probably thrilled. At least it’s a well-known family in the town.”

Su Changrong pursed his lips. Considering his younger brother and sister-in-law’s personalities, it was indeed very likely.

“Who knows what kind of girl she is. If she’s difficult, Changfu and Yulan will have their hands full. Anyway, I’m not going back. I’ll just send some money as a gift.”

“Your family matters are your own. I won’t say a word,” Sun Qiufang said cheerfully, heading back to the kitchen.

After all, it wasn’t her looking for a son-in-law—no need for her to interfere.

Speaking of son-in-laws, her daughter wasn’t getting any younger. It wouldn’t be many years now. She wondered what kind of man her daughter would end up with.

A few days later, before Su Min could even get a message from Ke Wan, William arrived by train with the few girls Zhang Ning had helped choose.

William appeared energetic this time, even more approachable than the last time he came.

He brought the girls directly to the shop. Su Min personally met the three girls who had come with him. They looked to be around sixteen or seventeen.

Granny Zhang took a close look at their hands and nodded in satisfaction. “These are all good materials.”

Su Min could tell that Zhang Ning had put effort into selecting them and quickly had the girls settle in. Since their arrival had been sudden, Su Min had Su Changrong help find them a rental nearby.

He soon found an old two-bedroom apartment in a nearby residential area. Since it was for the girls, the location had decent security.

After settling in, Su Min gave them a day to get organized, telling them to be ready to start work the next day.

Granny Zhang, now back in the role of master teacher, was clearly delighted. She liked the girls very much, and just talking about teaching made her visibly more spirited. Without waiting for Su Min to arrange things, she personally cleaned up the small classroom and prepared it for lessons the next day.

With everything set, William was still hanging around the shop, occasionally sneaking glances at Zhang Qingqing’s small office.

Seeing this, Su Min chuckled and pulled the Swiss watch from her pocket—the one Zhang Panpan had given her. “Mr. William, this is the watch you left at Qingqing’s house last time.”

“How is it with you? Wasn’t it at Qingqing’s house?” William looked quite surprised.

Su Min smiled. “Her family sent it over.”

Noticing William’s slightly disappointed expression, she added with a smile, “Mr. William, Qingqing and her family are very straightforward people. They don’t know how to play games. Qingqing is also someone who takes relationships very seriously.”

She didn’t plan to interfere with William liking Qingqing, but Qingqing was a good girl. She didn’t want her to get hurt. Especially since William, as a foreigner, had more power in this kind of relationship. He could leave anytime, but Qingqing would be left behind.

Hearing that, William’s expression became serious. “I won’t forget again next time.”

Since Su Min still had to teach classes, she didn’t have the time to manage these matters, so the teaching was left entirely to Granny Zhang. As for managing things, Sun Yan helped out—although she would be leaving soon and couldn’t do much. Fortunately, the girls had good temperaments, and there were no conflicts. So the first few days of lessons went smoothly.