Jiang Mei only felt that Jiang Hua was inexplicable. She did not take her words to heart and turned around to leave.
The sun climbed high into the sky. Blue skies, white clouds, and scorching, blazing sunlight.
At noon, Xu Chenghuai returned and brought Jiang Hua a piece of news. Old Li Clothing Shop was actually opened by Li Qingran’s sister-in-law from her natal family.
“They should have reached an agreement with the supply and marketing cooperative. The fabric wouldn’t be sold to you, forcing you to be unable to continue running your shop,” Xu Chenghuai said.
Jiang Hua frowned and looked up at him. “What relationship does the supply and marketing cooperative have with Li Qingran’s family?”
A trace of approval appeared in Xu Chenghuai’s eyes. He shook his head and said, “They have nothing to do with the Li family, but the director of the supply and marketing cooperative is a distant relative of Ma Yuanhang.”
Jiang Hua was so angry she laughed. It really was an age-old truth. With connections, you can go anywhere. Without them, you cannot take a single step.
She lay back in the rocking chair, her fingers lightly tapping the armrest. One look at her expression made it obvious she was brewing something mischievous. “But Li Qingran sent the fabric to her natal family before I even opened Alley End. Could it be that they were already planning to open a clothing shop back then?”
Xu Chenghuai washed his hands and took the cloth hanging on the wall to dry them. “It doesn’t look like it. If you want to know, I can arrange for someone to look into it.”
“No need,” Jiang Hua refused. She could not rely on Xu Chenghuai for everything.
Xu Chenghuai had always respected her decisions. Hearing this, he said nothing more.
The two children were still outside playing and would not be back until later. Jiang Hua went to the kitchen to take a look. The weather was too hot, and she had little appetite, so she wanted to change things up.
“Shall we eat noodles for lunch?” she asked Xu Chenghuai.
Xu Chenghuai had no objection. He automatically went to take the flour from the cupboard, holding the measuring cup in his hand. With the flour in front of him, he turned his head and asked Jiang Hua, “How much should I put?”
Jiang Hua thought for a moment. “About one and a half large bowls.”
Xu Chenghuai kneaded the dough in the kitchen. Jiang Hua squatted under the eaves outside, washing eggplants. After washing them, she brought them to the chopping board and cut them into long strips. She then divided the pork belly she had bought in the morning into two portions. One half was saved for dinner, and the other half was chopped into minced meat.
There were also two cucumbers in the vegetable basket, which Shi Fangfang had specially brought for her. Jiang Hua quickly made a cold cucumber dish and had Xu Chenghuai lower it into the well first to cool slightly.
By this time, the dough had rested enough. Xu Chenghuai boiled water. Jiang Hua rolled the dough into thin sheets with a rolling pin, then cut them into wide noodles with a knife and tossed them into the pot of boiling water.
The two of them worked together with great tacit understanding.
In the kitchen, there was only the “gurgle gurgle” of boiling water and the faint “crackle” of burning firewood.
Xu Chenghuai pressed his lips together and broke the silence between them. “What are you thinking now?”
Jiang Hua was startled and instinctively asked, “What?” Only after saying it did she react. Last time, she had said she was not ready yet. She had originally planned to sleep with Yunshu, but later she became too busy, and Xu Chenghuai did not bring it up again, so she forgot about it.
Before Xu Chenghuai could explain, she thought for a moment and asked in return, “Aren’t we doing pretty well now?”
Xu Chenghuai’s movement of feeding firewood into the stove froze instantly. He looked at her with grievance. “I’m a normal man.”
Jiang Hua almost choked on her own saliva. She was still rather shy and could not be as frank as Xu Chenghuai. It was not that she resisted, but saying it so openly was really too embarrassing.
“It’s not like I didn’t allow you to,” she said, turning her face away, her tone carrying a hint of embarrassed irritation.
Xu Chenghuai paused. His gaze lingered on her with a meaningful look. The long fingers holding the fire tongs rubbed lightly against each other, and then he let out a soft chuckle that seemed to carry hidden meaning.
That magnetic voice drilled into her ears. Jiang Hua felt her scalp was about to explode, her cheeks burning hot, as if her whole body were about to catch fire.
Fortunately, the two children came back in time and successfully rescued her from this suffocatingly awkward ambiguity.
“Wow, it smells so good.” As soon as the little girl entered, she exaggeratedly sniffed the air, then ran into the kitchen, craning her neck to look around. “Mommy, what are we eating for lunch?”
Before Jiang Hua could answer, Yunkai, who had already inspected everything, curled his lips and said in disappointment, “There’s no meat.”
Normally, Jiang Hua would definitely glare at Yunkai unhappily, but at this moment, she somehow found his words very cute. She smiled and nodded. “Right. We’re having mixed noodles for lunch.”
“Yay, I like mixed noodles.” The little girl clapped her hands, enthusiasm overflowing, then pointed at the bowl on the stove. “Brother, the meat is here.”
Yunkai had already seen it. There was only a small bowl, and it was minced. He smacked his lips. That was just enough to taste.
In any case, now that the two children were back, Xu Chenghuai no longer dragged Jiang Hua into talking about those shameless matters.
The blanched noodles were transferred to bowls and rinsed with cold water, which would make them more springy. Jiang Hua handed that task to Xu Chenghuai. She herself heated the pan, added the pork belly to fry until fragrant, then added the eggplants to braise together. When the sauce in the pan thickened and every strip of eggplant had absorbed the juices, the texture became soft and tender.
The noodles were divided into four portions and placed on four plates. Jiang Hua spooned the minced meat and eggplant over the noodles and poured the thick sauce.
The noodles were white and glossy. Mixed with the minced meat and eggplant, every strand was coated in sauce. Yunkai, who had been complaining nonstop about the lack of meat, ate until he was drenched in sweat, still wanting more.
Even Yunshu, who usually liked to leave food unfinished, emptied her plate this time.
Jiang Hua worried that the two children might eat too much, so she had them eat a few more pieces of the cold cucumber salad. She had added a bit of vinegar, which was perfect for aiding digestion.
After lunch.
Xu Chenghuai returned to the research institute. The two children went upstairs to read. When Jiang Hua went up, they had already lain down for their afternoon nap.
Jiang Hua also dozed lightly for a while.
In the afternoon, the streets of Qinhai City were baked by the sun. There were only a few pedestrians, and there were far fewer vendors under the eaves along the street.
When Jiang Hua walked into Alley End, she immediately felt a wave of coolness. She let out a comfortable breath, but when she lifted her head, she saw Shi Fangfang’s expression, full of anger yet tinged with hesitation.
Jiang Hua paused. “What’s wrong?”
Shi Fangfang’s eyes immediately reddened. “Sister Hongxue and Auntie Gui didn’t come to work today. I—I saw them go to Old Li Clothing Shop.”
“If they want to leave, then let them leave,” Jiang Hua said. She did not feel particularly surprised. “People move upward, just like water flows downward. That’s normal.”
Shi Fangfang was worried about something else. Seeing that Jiang Hua seemed not to have grasped the point, she stamped her foot anxiously. “Sister Hongxue and Auntie Gui both know how to make our clothing styles. Do you really not understand why they went to Old Li Clothing Shop, Boss Jiang?”
Jiang Hua indeed did not feel comfortable about it, but the situation was already laid bare. Besides, being copied was normal. Those clothing styles were not complicated to begin with. Anyone who knew tailoring could figure them out after a few days of studying. It was just that things had happened faster than she had expected.
Her gaze fell on Shi Fangfang’s face. It was rare for someone to stand firmly on her side. No matter what, she should not let the other party’s sincerity go to waste.
Jiang Hua thought for a moment, then waved her hand decisively. “Let’s go. We’ll go find out what’s going on.”
Shi Fangfang’s eyes lit up at once. She had not expected that someone who had been so restrained for so long would finally take the initiative. She asked uncertainly, “Really?”
“Of course.” Jiang Hua glanced at her. “Hurry up and put away that aggrieved expression of yours. We need to bring out one hundred percent fighting spirit.”
Shi Fangfang immediately smiled and nodded hard. “Mm-hmm.”
Old Li Clothing Shop was opened right at the entrance of the alley. It was obvious that it was deliberately competing with Alley End for business. Jiang Hua usually walked the other way, so she had never passed by it before.
Now that she came over to take a look, she could not help thinking that it was no wonder Shi Fangfang was so angry. Old Li’s decoration was basically a copy of Alley End’s setup. Anyone who did not know better would probably think this was Jiang Hua’s second shop.
The weather was hot, and there were not many people out shopping, so there were not many customers inside Old Li Clothing Shop either. Only two or three were browsing.
“Boss Jiang, you’re out shopping for clothes too?”
Unexpectedly, a customer in the shop recognized Jiang Hua and greeted her with a face full of anticipation for drama.
Jiang Hua recognized her as well. She had previously custom-made clothes at Alley End. “Yes. Business hasn’t been great lately, so I brought my staff out to relax a bit.”
Relaxing, yet relaxing in a competitor’s shop?
Only those who understood would understand. The people who had been picking clothes instantly seemed to grow roots under their feet. They did not leave. Their eyes were fixed on the clothes in their hands, but their peripheral vision and ears were all focused on Jiang Hua’s movements.
The one watching the shop for Old Li Clothing Shop was a man in his thirties. He looked somewhat similar to Li Qingran. As soon as he saw Jiang Hua, his expression changed, and his tone was far from friendly. “Isn’t this Boss Jiang from Alley End? What brings you here all of a sudden? Don’t tell me you’re here to steal techniques?”
He was actually so shameless, turning the tables the moment he opened his mouth. Shi Fangfang immediately became furious. “What nonsense are you talking about? Who’s stealing from whom? You really have no shame!”
Li Qingbing cast a disdainful look at Shi Fangfang, pressed his tongue against his back teeth, and warned coldly, “Watch your mouth. What do you mean ‘no shame’? You come in here and start cursing. Who the hell do you think you are, you damn woman?”
After all, he was a man, and his gaze was vicious. Shi Fangfang was immediately intimidated and did not dare to speak.
Jiang Hua smiled and was not afraid of Li Qingbing deliberately showing off his toughness. “Boss Li, there’s no need to get angry. No matter who copied whom, the public’s eyes are sharp. But there’s one thing I have to say. Your methods are really despicable.”
A trace of hostility flashed across Li Qingbing’s face. “Boss Jiang, I advise you to watch your words. Our Old Li Clothing Shop opens its doors to do business. You’re welcome here as a customer, but if you’re here to stir trouble, don’t blame me for being rude.”
Shi Fangfang could not hold back anymore. She poked her head out from behind Jiang Hua. “Who’s stirring trouble? You poached the employees who make clothes at our shop. If anyone’s going to be rude, it should be our Boss Jiang to you.”
As soon as those words came out, the onlookers nearby all looked at Jiang Hua with some sympathy. No wonder she could not sit still. The employees who made clothes had all run off. If it were them, they would have gone crazy too.
Although everyone felt that Old Li Clothing Shop was not acting honorably and silently condemned the two employees for kicking someone when they were down, that was all. As Jiang Hua had said, people move upward. It was normal.
Just as everyone thought the two sides were about to clash, someone walked in from outside the shop.
The newcomer did not notice the tense atmosphere inside and went straight to Li Qingbing. “Boss Li, what’s going on with your clothes? I bought this and didn’t even get to wear it. When I turned it over, I found such a big stain.”
The woman speaking flipped the clothing open. On the inner underarm area, there was a large yellow-brown stain.
Her tone was very unpleasant. “If I hadn’t looked carefully, I really wouldn’t have noticed it. Even if I noticed it later, I would have thought it was my own sweat stain. Did you already know there was this stain and deliberately sew it here to sell it to customers at a high price?”
With her words and the evidence right there, the other customers in the shop exchanged looks and immediately began carefully checking the clothes in their hands.
Li Qingbing’s face instantly turned ugly. His gaze swept toward Jiang Hua. His eyes rolled, and he sneered coldly. “I was wondering why Boss Jiang came here. So you were waiting to pull a stunt like this?”
With that one sentence, he pushed all responsibility onto Jiang Hua, clearly implying that the woman in front of them had been sent by Jiang Hua to deliberately smear Old Li Clothing Shop.
Jiang Hua laughed.
The woman immediately flew into a rage. “Are you trying to shirk responsibility? Let me be clear. I have nothing to do with this Boss Jiang. I bought the clothes from your shop. Are you willing to take responsibility or not?”
Li Qingbing was not someone easy to deal with either. “Comrade, then let me also be clear with you. All the clothes sold in our shop have passed quality inspection. What you described is impossible. You say you bought it from our shop. What proof do you have?”
“The clothes came from your shop. You should know yourselves whether they’re your clothes or not.” The woman was so angry that she laughed.
Li Qingbing maintained an attitude of a dead pig not fearing boiling water. “This style of clothing isn’t something only our Old Li shop can make. If you want to smear our Old Li shop, I suggest you give up that idea.”
He absolutely refused to admit it.
Seeing this, the other customers in the shop were also doubtful. After all, they had not found any stains on the clothes they were holding, and what Li Qingbing said did make some sense. Not knowing the inside story, they did not feel it was unreasonable.
Being splashed with dirty water, Jiang Hua could not explain herself for the moment. Like the woman, she was so angry that she laughed.
She asked the woman for the piece of clothing and carefully examined the stain. The yellow-brown mark did not look like a factory defect. Instead, it gave off a strange, unsettling feeling.
Jiang Hua narrowed her eyes. Her sharp gaze pressed straight at Li Qingbing. “Where did your fabric come from?”
Li Qingbing’s eyes widened instantly. “What? You still want to pry into our business secrets?”
Some people truly did not know when to stop. Jiang Hua said bluntly, “What business secrets can a copycat have? Don’t tell me this fabric came from the supply and marketing cooperative.”
Li Qingbing’s face flushed red, then green. Under Jiang Hua’s direct stare, his eyes flickered evasively, looking tense and guilty.
“What business is it of yours where I get my goods? Why should I tell you?”