RGL – Chapter 145

“You tell him, I was actually worried that he might get bullied. Grandpa and Grandma haven’t come looking for him again, have they?”

“They haven’t. Last time when Su Can got married, your dad didn’t go back. They got the message about your dad’s attitude and probably won’t come looking for us anymore. These past two years, your grandpa seems to have come around a bit and has been more considerate toward your dad.”

“That’s not being considerate. That’s just him eyeing my dad’s money,” Su Min said knowingly. She understood her grandfather all too well—he was the most realistic kind of person. Back then, he thought her father was useless, so he never liked him and often exploited him. Now that he sees her father doing well, he suddenly remembers all his “good qualities.”

If Second Uncle’s family was doing better than theirs, Grandpa would absolutely be treating things the same way he used to.

Sun Qiufang, however, was more open-minded. “Doesn’t matter what the reason is, as long as our family can have peaceful days, that’s what counts. But what about you? Did you bring anything to old lady Xue? When I talked to her on the phone yesterday, she didn’t even mention you visiting her.”

Su Min was surprised. “You talked to her on the phone?”

“She called me. Asked where you were. I gave her your address. She said you were already over there, so why didn’t you go see her?”

At this, Su Min immediately realized that Xue Mian’s mother had never told the old lady that she had visited, nor had she passed on the gifts her mother had prepared so thoughtfully—probably just tossed them aside casually.

Thinking of her mother’s heartfelt gesture being treated like that made Su Min furious.

She already knew Xue Mian’s mother was hard to deal with. But now she realized—it wasn’t just difficult. The woman was practically impossible to get along with.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Sun Qiufang’s voice rang out from the other end of the phone.

Su Min quickly replied, “It’s nothing, I just forgot. I’ll go visit her when I’m off this weekend. Mom, don’t you trust me to handle things?”

“I was just worried you’d be too busy and forget. And sure enough, you did. But you must go, alright? Grandma Xue dotes on you so much. You can’t be ungrateful, got it?”

Sun Qiufang reminded her over and over again.

“I know, I know. Don’t worry,” Su Min replied.

After hanging up, Su Min was still thinking about the gifts being discarded.

If those had just been store-bought things she paid for, she might not care as much. But those included the fermented tofu her mother had made by hand. For someone to treat those carefully prepared things like trash—it made her feel a deep sense of indignation.

But she couldn’t confront Xue Mian’s Mother, nor could she go to the old lady and complain. No matter how uncomfortable it made her, she could only swallow it.

Looks like she’d have to visit that house as little as possible from now on.

After a week of military training, the weekend finally came.

Su Min and Zhaodi tidied themselves up, bought meal tickets for the upcoming week at school, and then planned to check on the shop and see how Sun Yan and the others were doing.

Even though the store was now on track, it had only just gotten established in the area. Su Min still felt uneasy, worried that if anything went wrong, the whole Xiuse (Elegant Flavor) brand might be ruined.

Just as the two stepped out of the school gate, a military-green jeep suddenly stopped at the entrance.

A man in military uniform got out. He had a tanned face, a tall and strong figure, and his uniform was neat and sharp—attracting the gazes of many female students.

Su Min and Liao Zhaodi also glanced over. The man was scanning the crowd as if he were searching for someone.

Suddenly, after looking around and not spotting anyone, he rushed back to the car and said, “Bro, I didn’t see your wife.”

“Han Lei, stop talking nonsense.” Xue Mian, who had been looking around too, was just about to look away when his eyes locked with Su Min’s.

The window of the car was closed. He could see Su Min, but she might not be able to see him. Still, his heart pounded uncontrollably.

It had been over two years since they last saw each other. Su Min had changed a lot.

She looked taller. Her student haircut had grown out, and now she had a ponytail. It made her look even more delicate and pretty.

Han Lei noticed him spacing out and followed his gaze. After one look, he froze. “Wow. She’s really pretty.”

Hearing that, Xue Mian immediately got angry. “You can’t go after a friend’s girlfriend. Even if we’re not together right now, you’re not allowed to think about her like that.”

Han Lei had seen Su Min’s photo before, so he clarified right away, “I wasn’t talking about your girl. I meant the one next to her. Who is she? She’s really pretty. Her eyes, that little mouth—she looks like a gentle and considerate type.” As he spoke, his eyes were filled with admiration.

When he realized Han Lei was actually interested in Zhaodi, Xue Mian felt relieved.

“That’s her best friend. They’re as close as sisters.”

“Ah, forget it then,” Han Lei chuckled. “That’s the problem with liking someone your friends know. If it doesn’t work out, it drags everyone into it. I don’t want to step into that mess.”

Seeing that Su Min and Liao Zhaodi were about to leave, he nudged, “Hey, she’s about to leave. Aren’t you going to talk to her?”

Xue Mian’s fingers trembled nervously. “She’s with someone. Forget it.”

“Oh, I see—you want to meet her in private,” Han Lei said, looking like he had figured everything out.

He grinned and said, “Man, you’ve really been through a lot. Going abroad for school back then was so tough, and you still managed it. Now you’ve graduated earlier than most people. What’s there to be shy about? If you like her, go after her! I’m telling you, if I like someone, I don’t care about my pride—I’ll chase her no matter what.”

“You don’t get it,” Xue Mian leaned back in the seat. Su Min wasn’t just anyone. He knew her personality better than anyone. All those persistent tricks boys use on girls? They didn’t work on her at all. If anything, they might even ruin the friendship.

Besides, the way she looked at him—it wasn’t like she was looking at a classmate or a friend, let alone a man.

As long as he wasn’t sure he could get into her heart, he wouldn’t dare say anything out loud.

“Su Min, who was that just now? He looked like a soldier. So dark-skinned too,” Liao Zhaodi said after they got on the bus.

Su Min laughed. “Why? You thinking of dating someone like the girls on campus?”

“Of course not! I’m just chatting with you,” Zhaodi blushed. “You know my situation—I’m not thinking about that stuff.”

“It’s fine even if you are. There are plenty of options in college. As long as you keep things in check, it’s all good.”

Su Min herself didn’t want to date right now, but she didn’t think it was a bad time for it either. After all, they were already nineteen years old. This was the most youthful and emotionally stirring time of life. If they just let it pass, who knows if they’d regret it later?

In her previous life, she hadn’t even had the chance to regret it. If her life hadn’t been so impoverished back then—if she’d had the time to dream and think—maybe she would’ve regretted it too.

It was just a pity that even though she had the chance to relive everything now, she truly didn’t have the heart to think about romance. Especially not at this age. All these boys seemed way too immature—like little brothers. She just couldn’t bring herself to accept it.

Liao Zhaodi noticed that Su Min hadn’t responded, so she probed tentatively, “Su Min, I actually think Xue Mian is quite good. And also Wen Heping, both of them treat you really well. I didn’t say anything before because you were too busy in high school. But now that we’re in college, you’re really not going to consider them? They’ve both been chasing you since middle school, especially Wen Heping. I’ve noticed it over the years, but you were always so cold toward him that he didn’t even dare to speak.”

“Don’t mention Wen Heping. He’s in the same school as Tang Man now.”

Su Min couldn’t help but laugh when she said this. In her heart, Wen Heping was just an ordinary classmate—well, maybe one she had a deeper connection with.

“You mean Tang Man and Wen Heping? No way!” Liao Zhaodi’s face was full of disbelief.

“Wen Heping’s personality is so gentle and slow, and Tang Man’s is so fiery. How could they possibly get along?”

“I’m not sure if they’re actually together or not, but they seem to get along well. Haven’t you seen how funny Wen Heping looks when Tang Man orders him around? It’s pretty amusing.”

As Liao Zhaodi heard this, she couldn’t help but recall how Wen Heping and Tang Man used to interact.

Still, she found it hard to believe they’d actually end up together. “I think being at the same school will just lead to constant fighting. Back then, at least we were around to intervene. Thinking about it now, Wen Heping is actually kind of pitiful.” Her face was full of sympathy.

Su Min covered her mouth and chuckled.

By the time the two of them arrived at the shop, work was in full swing.

The apprentices trained by Granny Zhang were now able to handle some simple embroidery tasks. So for this batch of custom clothing, Su Min assigned the basic orders to them, with Granny Zhang supervising on the side. Initially, Su Min just wanted to test how well they’d improved, but to her surprise, the kids were progressing quite fast. While their embroidery couldn’t compare to Zhang Qingqing’s, it was already quite good.

Granny Zhang couldn’t help but praise them. “These kids are smart. I barely have to say anything before they figure it out. I think it won’t be long before they catch up to Qingqing’s skills.”

Su Min smiled and nodded, though she knew Granny Zhang was being polite. Zhang Qingqing had been honing her craft for years—these kids wouldn’t catch up anytime soon without several years of practice.

Still, their current level of skill was already enough for what Xiuse needed. As long as Granny Zhang approved the embroidery, the garments were considered complete.

With the help of these apprentices, custom orders were being fulfilled much faster than when they were still operating in the city.

In just over a month, they had already completed six sets of clothing. Each item was personally reviewed by Granny Zhang and the quality control supervisor before being sent to the clients.

“Yanyan, once this batch is done, for the next round of orders, tell clients that we’re too busy right now and can’t take any more. If they’re still interested, they’ll have to wait until next month.”

“Huh? Why? You’re turning down money?”

“It’s not about turning it down—it’s about earning more in the long run.”

Su Min planned to pause local orders for a month after this batch was done to focus on producing the items that William had ordered.

Besides, they couldn’t produce too many garments in B City all at once. Any proper brand values quality over quantity. If they satisfied everyone’s needs too quickly, Xiuse’s image would become too ordinary.

After Su Min explained her reasoning, Sun Yan finally understood.

“Got it. I’ll tell them we’re still working on international orders. Once those are done, we’ll open up for new orders again. When they hear we’re exporting, they’ll look at us even more favorably.”

Su Min nodded. “Exactly.”

She thought to herself that Sun Yan was becoming more and more skilled at sales.

After handling matters at the shop, Su Min asked Zhaodi to translate some export-related clothing documents into English. Zhaodi was currently attending a foreign language university, majoring in English, and had taken on this part-time job to assist with the William partnership.

By the time everything was wrapped up at the shop, it was already late afternoon.

Since she still had some time, Su Min remembered the task Sun Qiufang had mentioned. Though she didn’t particularly want to visit the Xue family, she still had to go see Grandma Xue.

“Did Su Min come to visit today? Did you see her?” Grandma Xue was eating watermelon while watching TV, complaining to her grandson. “That girl said she’d visit me, but she hasn’t shown up at all. You need to talk to her about this. Her mom even said she was bringing me some fermented tofu. I’ve been craving that taste lately. Tell her to bring it over—I hope it hasn’t spoiled.”

At the Xue household, Grandma Xue sat watching TV and chatting away, while Xue Mian slouched on the sofa looking disheveled. He had just gone to see Su Min but didn’t manage to face her, and the frustration ate at him. He dragged Han Lei to the training grounds for a fight to vent, and now he was drenched in sweat and his carefully styled hair looked like a bird’s nest.

Hearing his grandmother complain, he pursed his lips and said, “I didn’t see her. She’s probably busy.”

“Well, that makes sense. She’s in college now—going to be a scholar. Of course she’s busy.” Grandma Xue finished her watermelon and reached out for more.

“Grandma, you can’t eat any more. Your stomach’s been acting up, and eating too much cold stuff isn’t good for you.”

Xue Mian frowned as he pushed the watermelon plate further away.

Grandma Xue was unhappy. “I’m old already. Who knows how many days I have left? I should enjoy myself while I still can. Let me eat what I like while I’m still up and about.”

“Grandma, don’t say things like that,” Xue Mian said, clearly uncomfortable with such talk.

But Grandma Xue didn’t care. “Your father doesn’t worry, so you don’t have to either. Back in the day, most of my war buddies already passed away. I know my time is coming too.” Talking about the past clearly brought a wave of sorrow to her heart.

Just then, Li Aiyun came downstairs and caught the tail end of Grandma Xue’s monologue. Her mood soured. Why bring up such gloomy things, especially in front of the child? It could make him develop a pessimistic mindset.

“Mian, come out with me for a bit.”

Xue Mian got up from the sofa and, seeing the unhappy look on his mother’s face, felt a bit uneasy. After all these years, nothing had changed at home.

“Mom, is it something important?”

“I want to get some custom clothes made. Come with me, and I’ll get something for you too.”

Hearing it was just about clothes, Xue Mian didn’t want to go. “Mom, if it’s just shopping, I’d rather not. I just got back and wanted to shower and rest.”

“Then go upstairs. Don’t just sit around down here.”

“What, my grandson can’t sit with me anymore? You’re not happy about that?” Grandma Xue stood up, her old face wrinkled with anger.

She’d been trying not to argue with her daughter-in-law since her grandson came back, but now even watching TV with him was an issue?

“Li Aiyun, what kind of daughter-in-law are you? All these years, you haven’t done your duty, and now you don’t even let my grandson be close to me.”

Li Aiyun laughed coldly. “Old lady, you’ve never even acknowledged me as your daughter-in-law. Weren’t you the one who stopped me from being with Xue Jun back then? Weren’t you the one who said I’d never be a good wife? Those words came from you. You’re the one who looked down on me first.”

“Mom, please don’t argue with Grandma,” Xue Mian said angrily as he moved to stand beside Grandma Xue, gently supporting her. Then he turned to his mother. “If you want to go out for clothes, go ahead. I’ll take Grandma to her room to rest.”

He bent down and said to Grandma Xue, “Grandma, I’ll go upstairs with you. I’ll tell you all about what I did abroad.”

“Oh, okay! Let’s go upstairs then.” Grandma Xue, not one to hold grudges, was easily coaxed and happily ignored Li Aiyun.