RGL – Chapter 89

He had begun to miss the benefits Su Min used to bring to the factory.

But Su Min was now studying in the city, and it wasn’t easy for her to come back. She couldn’t even make it to meetings.

“Director, something happened in the production workshop.”

Director Xiao came rushing in.

Ye Yongfu was startled. He stood up from his chair and quickly walked out. As he walked, he asked, “What happened?”

“For this batch of clothes we’re making, the design department gave the wrong blueprints. Everyone ended up cutting one centimeter too much off the fabric meant for the jackets. It wasn’t until production began today that the design department realized they’d sent the previously scrapped designs.”

“How could such a major mistake happen!”

Ye Yongfu felt a rush of blood to his head.

The fabric was all cut wrong—not only wasting the workers’ time, but also causing significant financial loss for the factory. They had bought expensive materials for this batch. Where were they going to get more on such short notice?

“Why wasn’t anyone watching this closely?” The more Ye Yongfu spoke, the angrier he became, until he felt dizzy from the rage. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to clear his head.

“There’s a way to fix this, but I don’t know how well it will work.”

When Su Min said she had a solution, Ye Yongfu’s face lit up with joy. He was about to ask what it was, but seeing all the people gathered around, he held back. “Let’s talk in the office.” Then he turned to Director Xiao and said, “Alright, put a stop to this batch for now. I’ll make new arrangements later.”

Director Xiao said worriedly, “But we’re really short on time.” He was thinking about the deadline with Li Hua’s side. Now that Su Min was back, he feared things might go sideways.

“You don’t have to worry about this. We’ve already lost a few days. If the products aren’t good, releasing them would only be a waste of time.” With that, Ye Yongfu took Su Min to the office.

Once inside, Ye Yongfu poured Su Min a glass of water and brought over some fruit and snacks.

“I really don’t know how something like this could’ve happened,” Ye Yongfu said, still puzzled by the blunder. Nothing like this had ever happened at the factory before.

With a hint of hope in his voice, he asked, “You said you have a solution—did you come up with a revised design?”

Su Min nodded. “Yes, I thought of some styles. I can sketch out a basic outline, but as for the embellishments, the design department can add those themselves.”

Ye Yongfu was overjoyed. “That’s no problem. If they can’t even manage that, there’s no point in keeping them at the factory.” Given how serious this mistake was, he was already planning to hold some people accountable.

“So, when can you finish the designs?”

“I’ll sketch them out in a bit. There are only three styles—just rough drafts—so it won’t take long.”

“That’s fantastic.” Ye Yongfu finally felt some relief. The anxiety of the past few days eased a little. He had always trusted Su Min’s ability. “The profit-sharing terms—let’s keep them the same, alright?”

Su Min smiled. “Yes, we’ll stick to the agreement we discussed before. But I do have another favor to ask, Director Ye.”

“Go ahead.”

“I want to produce a batch of clothes myself and would like to ask Sanye to help with the manufacturing.”

Hearing that Su Min wanted to produce her own clothes, Ye Yongfu was surprised. “Why not stick to the plan and sell the designs to us?”

Su Min shook her head. “I’m not sure if this batch will sell well. And I also want to create my own brand. Director Ye, you must know deep down—I can’t rely on Sanye forever. Not everyone is like you, someone who believes in me and recognizes my worth. And I can’t stay in this small town forever, either.”

Hearing this, Ye Yongfu thought she might still be upset about his daughter, Ye Ling, offending her before. He quickly said, “Lingling may be a bit immature, but she meant no harm. She just doesn’t understand how a clothing factory works, so she doubted your abilities. But over time, I believe she’ll come to understand you.”

He still hoped someone as talented as Su Min would stay with Sanye. That way, the factory wouldn’t be pushed out by competitors. He knew he was being selfish, but for the sake of the factory’s future, this was the best option.

“It’s not because of her. I simply have my own plans.”

“Won’t you reconsider? I can even offer you a higher price,” Ye Yongfu said, ready to grit his teeth and raise the payment.

Su Min shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know all that much. Even if I continue designing clothes in the future, it’ll just be something I try out on my own. I can’t guarantee I’ll do better than before.” She had initially wanted to make money through design, but over time, she truly fell in love with the craft. Even if she didn’t make a living from it and did something else for work, she would still keep designing clothes.

It had become her passion.

In two lifetimes, it was rare to come across a hobby she was truly interested in—naturally, she wouldn’t give it up.

“Sigh, I thought we could keep working together,” said Director Ye, a little disappointed.

Su Min didn’t respond. She was grateful for Director Ye’s trust in her, but no matter how she looked at it, she couldn’t stay at Sanye for long.

Seeing that Su Min had made up her mind, Ye Yongfu had no choice. This young girl might not look that old, but her thinking was steadier than most adults, and once she made a decision, she rarely wavered.

He said, “I agree to the cooperation method you mentioned. From now on, Sanye can take your orders and help with your business.”

Su Min had come this time precisely to discuss the collaboration. With Ye Yongfu’s agreement, the next step was naturally to hammer out the terms.

That afternoon, Su Min quietly sat in the office sketching and improving the designs for this new fabric.

“Director, we can’t do it like this. The fabric’s already short—if we shorten it more, how will people wear it? Besides, once the scissors go down, there’s no going back. This whole batch will turn into scrap,” said Director Xiao from the production floor office, trying to reason patiently.

Ye Yongfu took a sip of cold tea. “Then what? Just sit here and wait? Old Xiao, this factory is my life’s work. Even if I have to gamble everything, I’ll see it through this rough patch.”

Hearing these words, Director Xiao suddenly felt a bit guilty. But thinking of the benefits Li Hua had promised him, he steeled his heart. Besides, he had already betrayed the factory once—backing out now wouldn’t save him from Ye Yongfu’s wrath. He might as well follow through with Li Hua’s plan.

By the afternoon, Su Min had finished several design drafts.

When Ye Yongfu saw the designs Su Min had drawn, his eyes lit up. Even though the final products weren’t ready yet, these new styles were clearly different from the usual plain, mid-length clothing. As soon as he got the blueprints, he ordered the factory to start making sample garments.

After trying them on with some female workers, the effect was indeed eye-catching.

To meet the deadline, Sanye decided to keep the production going through the night, working overtime to get the garments cut and ready for market.

At that time, Su Min didn’t know that her clothing modifications would soon spark a wave of padded-shoulder blazer fashion.

After wrapping up her work, Su Min went to the workshop to find Sun Yan.

Sun Yan was quite happy to see her. She had cut her long ponytail short, into a neat student-style haircut, looking very fresh and clean.

The workshop supervisor, knowing the relationship between Sun Yan and Su Min, gave her a short break so the two could chat.

“Qiangzi is already in school now. My mom originally wanted him to go work, but I didn’t agree. No matter how his grades are, I want him to at least finish middle school. As for whether he continues studying afterward, we’ll see. Actually, I’m thinking of having Qiangzi join the army—if he does well, he can get a job after being discharged.”

Hearing Sun Yan’s plans, Su Min felt supportive. Sun Qiang wasn’t as reckless as Su Can; he was a thoughtful and sensible boy. He just had some tension with his aunt, which made him act out sometimes. If no one guided him, he could easily rebel. Their family and the younger uncle’s family couldn’t manage him, but as his elder sister, Sun Yan had more authority.

“By the way, Yanzi, do you have any plans for yourself? Are you going to keep working at the factory?”

“I haven’t really thought about it yet. I’m still supporting Qiangzi through school, and I don’t have the money to do anything else. Plus, the factory provides food and lodging—it suits me just fine.”

“What if I open a shop in the city later? Would you be willing to come work with me?”

“A shop in the city?”

“Yeah, I’m planning to open a clothing store in the city. I’ll need someone to watch the store and handle alterations. If you’re willing, you can come with me. The pay won’t be any less than the factory. If you don’t want to, staying here is fine too.” Su Min had thought about this even before coming to the county. Whether or not things worked out with Director Ye, she wanted to bring Sun Yan along. Zhao Di could help too, but she couldn’t stay at the store all the time. Later on, Su Min also planned to start offering custom orders, and she’d need extra hands. She didn’t feel comfortable hiring strangers—if Sun Yan could help, it would be ideal.

Hearing Su Min’s plan, Sun Yan’s eyes lit up.

She understood more than before and knew that the city had better development prospects than the county. And now, she truly recognized Su Min’s capabilities. Even Director Ye valued her. If Su Min wanted to start her own business, she’d gladly follow along—there was no doubt their achievements wouldn’t be any less than what they had now.

With a slightly excited smile, she said, “Minzi, if you’re serious, take me with you.”

By the time they left the factory, it was too late to catch a ride back to the city. Besides, she still needed to discuss the details of future cooperation with Director Ye tomorrow. So Su Min simply called home and told them she wouldn’t be coming back.

After hanging up, Su Min headed straight to Sun Hai’s place.

Since she’d gone to study in the city, she hadn’t visited Sun Hai and Grandma Sun in a long time. Of course, the one she missed the most was little Dou Dou.

When Su Min arrived at the shop, it was bustling. The moment Sun Hai saw her, his face lit up with joy.

“Minzi, what brings you back? Sit down, I’ll make you something to eat.”

The restaurant now employed two head chefs and two helpers, so Sun Hai had more free time and worked out front preparing marinated dishes.

Su Min smiled. “I just came to visit. Where’s my aunt?”

“She’s over at your family’s shop. When your parents left, they put her in charge. She’s been super busy ever since and doesn’t even bother with the housework anymore.”

Hearing the slightly jealous tone in Sun Hai’s voice, Su Min couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll go take a look at the shop and come back for food later.”

“Go ahead, Dou Dou is there too.”

Sun Hai sighed. Ever since his wife started managing the shop, she took to studying management, even buying a pile of books to read. She was more diligent than he had ever been in his school days.

When Su Min arrived at the shop, she saw Li Meng feeding Dou Dou water, with Grandma Sun sitting on a bench nearby.

“Grandma, Auntie,” Su Min said cheerfully as she ran over.

Little Dou Dou immediately recognized her voice and stopped drinking, reaching out with his chubby little arms, fussing to be held. Su Min happily picked him up.

“Minzi, you’re back? Where are your parents?” Grandma Sun was overjoyed to see her granddaughter return.

Holding Dou Dou, Su Min replied with a smile, “They’re still in the city. I came back to take care of a few things.”

“I thought your parents had come back too.” Grandma Sun had missed her daughter and granddaughter these past few days. Back when they were in the countryside, she didn’t think much of it. But now in the city, seeing each other daily from upstairs and downstairs had become routine. Now the house felt empty and too quiet.

Seeing the loneliness on her grandmother’s face, Su Min smiled. “Grandma, you should come visit the city sometime. Dou Dou is big enough to travel now.”

Li Meng wiped the corners of Dou Dou’s mouth with a cloth and added, “Minzi’s right. It’s easy to get around these days. A little trip to the city would do you good.”

Grandma Sun shook her head. “Forget it. I’m an old woman. No need to make a fuss. I’m fine staying here and looking after Dou Dou.”

Dou Dou gave Su Min’s cheek a few kisses and giggled happily.

Looking at her grandson, Grandma Sun was filled with joy.

After sitting for a while, Su Min carried Dou Dou over to Sun Hai’s place for a meal.

Just as they reached the mall entrance, a middle-aged couple walked in from the square, heading toward the mall.

The woman was holding the man’s arm.

When they reached Su Min, the woman paused, her expression cooling slightly.

After they passed, Su Min also turned back to head toward her grandmother.

Thinking about what she had just seen, Su Min was a bit surprised. Her third uncle had remarried quickly, and now it seemed her former third aunt had found someone too. And this new guy looked even more presentable than her uncle.

“Did you know that girl just now?”

Gao Hong was spacing out when Wang Mingsong beside her asked the question.

She quickly shook her head. “No.”

Seeing that she didn’t want to talk, Wang Mingsong didn’t press. He simply smiled and said, “Gao Hong, when should we get our marriage certificate? My mom has been urging me.”

Gao Hong hesitated. Wang Mingsong had been her childhood playmate, but he had moved away. He had once pursued her when they were young, but back then, she had lofty standards and felt he was too hard to control. So she chose Su Changgui, who had nothing at the time.

Who would’ve thought that now, Wang Mingsong had returned? And after hearing about her divorce, he had started pursuing her again.

Gao Hong felt that at her age, love wasn’t the main concern anymore—what mattered was having someone to rely on.

“I’ll talk to my mom and see.”

“We’re adults—why do you need to ask your mom?” Wang Mingsong’s smile faded slightly. He had liked Gao Hong back then. When they lived in the same courtyard, she had been like a proud princess adored by everyone. She knew how to dress up and had plenty of admirers. He had been one of them.

But Gao Hong had chosen a poor country boy instead.

He had never found the right person afterward, partly because he just wanted to enjoy life for a while, so he never got married.

Now he had come back to start a business, and to his surprise, the Gao family had fallen on hard times and Gao Hong was divorced.

He didn’t have anyone suitable in his life either, and marrying Gao Hong seemed fitting. After all, she had once been the one he couldn’t win over.

“You know I didn’t marry all these years because of you. If you’re still going to act like before, then forget it.” Wang Mingsong’s expression turned firm.

Gao Hong panicked a bit. At her age, good options were rare. It was hard enough that Wang Mingsong still liked her and was willing to marry her—and even accept Wenwen. If she missed this chance, she might never get another.

Now she was already exhausted from taking care of her mother and daughter on her own.

“Don’t be angry, Mingsong. I just think marriage is a serious matter. You know I’ve failed once before, so now I’m just being cautious.”

“So you’re saying yes? If you are, I’ll tell my mom tonight to start preparing for the wedding. At my age, my mom’s been hoping for this day for a long time.”