Xu Chenghuai paused. “What did you say?” Almost instantly, he thought of how she had inexplicably asked about the project earlier. “You asked me about the project for this reason?”
Jiang Hua did not expect him to be this perceptive. She hesitated, did not dare meet his eyes, and nodded slightly. “Yes.”
“The project ran into trouble because of Director Chen?” Xu Chenghuai asked.
To be honest, his seriousness was something Jiang Hua had not expected. Her reason was absurd and far-fetched, yet Xu Chenghuai’s first reaction was not doubt. Instead, he followed her line of thought and gave her complete trust.
Jiang Hua’s long eyelashes trembled slightly as she roughly recounted what she knew from her previous life. She then explained, “In the dream, everything was from my perspective. Most of it was things I heard from you and other people, so it wasn’t very specific.”
Xu Chenghuai’s gaze grew even deeper, as if a pool of ink had gathered within it, making it impossible to see through his thoughts and emotions.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”
He agreed very quickly.
Jiang Hua, however, still felt uneasy. There was nothing else she could do. She could only hope that Xu Chenghuai would keep it in mind.
After thinking for a moment, she asked, “If what happened in the dream really comes true, will Yunkai and Yunshu be affected?”
Xu Chenghuai paused. “I understand.”
The weight of his reply was much heavier than before.
Jiang Hua thought to herself that it really did take bringing the children into it for him to take it seriously.
However, she did not see that Xu Chenghuai’s gaze lingered on her for several seconds.
After Jiang Hua’s half-true confession, it was as if she had cast off a burden. Her whole body and mind felt lighter.
Perhaps because of the changes in Jiang Hua, Auntie Chen began coming to talk to her more often.
Xu Chenghuai went to work at the research institute. While Jiang Hua had time, she measured the two children and planned to make new clothes for them.
Just after she finished measuring, there was a knock at the courtyard gate. Auntie Chen had arrived.
She walked in and saw the fabric Jiang Hua had placed on the chair. Her eyes immediately lit up, and she said with a smile, “I guessed you were going to make clothes. Coincidentally, so am I.”
Auntie Chen put down the basket she was carrying and took out needles, thread, and fabric from inside.
Jiang Hua smiled. “Both children’s clothes have gotten short by a good bit. Don’t be fooled by how small Yunshu is. She really loves looking pretty. If I don’t make new clothes soon, she’ll start making a fuss.”
Auntie Chen looked at Yunshu again. “It’s normal for little girls to love being pretty.”
Yunshu smiled shyly, then did not forget to make her request. “I want pink. A pink top and pink pants.”
Her pair of round eyes was moist and bright. Her childish voice was soft and adorable.
Both adults could not help smiling.
Jiang Hua said helplessly, “Alright, alright. Pink it is. I’ll even sew a flower onto it for you.”
Yunshu’s mind worked quickly. “Brother wants one too. Brother wants a big tiger.”
Jiang Hua said, “Alright. I’ll sew a flower for you and a big tiger for your brother.”
Hearing this, anticipation surfaced in Yunkai’s eyes, which were the same as his sister’s. The corners of his lips lifted slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Jiang Hua and Auntie Chen cut the fabric, while Yunkai squatted in the courtyard playing house with his sister.
“Oh dear.” Auntie Chen caught sight of Jiang Hua’s movements and could not help exclaiming.
Jiang Hua looked over at her. “What’s wrong?”
Auntie Chen frowned, clearly feeling distressed. “Such a large bolt of fabric. You could make at least three sets of children’s clothes from it. Cutting it like this, I’m afraid you might not even get two sets.”
Jiang Hua looked at it and said, “Making three sets would be too tight. Children grow fast. It’s more comfortable to make them looser.”
Auntie Chen did not understand. “As long as it can be worn, that’s enough. What does comfort matter?”
Their values were different. Jiang Hua could not understand Auntie Chen, and naturally did not expect Auntie Chen to understand her either. She smiled and said, “It’s already cut. I’ll pay attention next time.”
Only then did Auntie Chen stop saying anything.
When one focuses on doing things, time seems to slip by unnoticed. By the time Jiang Hua lifted her head, the wall clock had already reached nearly eleven o’clock. Without realizing it, two hours had passed.
Auntie Chen suddenly let out a sigh.
Jiang Hua looked up at her and, out of courtesy, asked, “What’s wrong?”
Auntie Chen stopped what she was doing and sighed again. “I’m not afraid you’ll laugh at me, but Director Chen’s father is sick, and recently, the people in the hometown keep calling to ask for money, saying the treatment costs money.”
Jiang Hua froze for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
But clearly, Auntie Chen was not asking her to give advice. She simply needed an outlet to vent.
She said, “Director Chen is the youngest in his family. Back then, the whole family poured everything they had into supporting his education. Now he’s considered successful, so those people back home always use this as an excuse. Who knows how many things they’ve asked for openly and secretly? Not only that, every month we only keep twenty yuan from the salary. All the rest is sent back.”
Jiang Hua blinked, not quite sure she had heard correctly. “Only keep twenty?”
Auntie Chen looked at her, her face instantly showing grievance and resentment. “That’s right. Only twenty. I’m even ashamed to say it. But even so, those people back home still aren’t satisfied. They think we must be hiding who knows how much money.”
Jiang Hua: …
“Then what does Director Chen say?” Jiang Hua asked.
“What can he say? When people ask him for money, he tells me to send it. I don’t know what he’s thinking. He sends all the money back every month. Where are we supposed to get money from?”
Jiang Hua was left speechless.
Who would have thought that Director Chen would be this kind of person? And yet Auntie Chen, who looked so capable and shrewd on the surface, was actually even more submissive than she herself had been.
Jiang Hua pressed her lips together. What exactly had she been feeling inferior about in her previous life?
But with the Chen family being so short on money, could this be the reason Director Chen took someone else’s money?
Jiang Hua’s brows knitted slightly, her thoughts in a mess.
The scorching sunlight poured down mercilessly. The green leaves at the treetops curled slightly from the heat. The noisy cicadas chirped endlessly, and from time to time, a cool breeze passed through, faintly dispersing the stifling heat.
Recently, Jiang Hua no longer delivered meals to the research institute, so Xu Chenghuai could only go to the canteen himself.
Under the gossiping gazes of the crowd, he finished his lunch with elegant movements.
The new project had been assigned by the organization. The laboratory was set up in a small building behind the main research institute building. Security there was tight, and entry and exit could not be concealed. Someone would always see you.
The vigilance and awareness of the people in the research institute were beyond question, so it was almost impossible for unrelated people to sneak into the small building right under everyone’s watchful eyes.
The new project was at a critical stage. After eating, Xu Chenghuai returned immediately, wanting to find a breakthrough as soon as possible.
The laboratory was on the second floor of the small building, with only one staircase for going up and down. At noon, everyone had gone to the canteen, and the surroundings were very quiet. Every step he took echoed clearly.
But besides hearing his own footsteps, Xu Chenghuai also heard other sounds coming from upstairs.
He pressed his lips together. His steps paused for an instant. When he stepped again, his movements became extremely light.
The noise upstairs grew more hurried and closer. Xu Chenghuai’s expression remained unchanged, but the depth of his gaze intensified.
Suddenly, a figure in a white shirt appeared at the stairwell. As if startled by him, the figure swayed and let out a cry of alarm.
Xu Chenghuai restrained the emotions in his eyes. His steps stopped naturally. He frowned slightly and said in an ordinary tone, “You’re blocking the way.”
Ma Yuanhang’s face still showed lingering shock. Hearing this, his expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly recovered and complained, “Old Xu, how do you walk without making any sound at all? People scaring people can scare someone to death.”
Xu Chenghuai glanced at him. “Does everyone have to be as noisy as you?”
Ma Yuanhang choked and retorted unwillingly, “Alright, alright. We know you’re steady.”
Xu Chenghuai neither confirmed nor denied it. He lifted his foot and walked past him.
Ma Yuanhang rolled his eyes in annoyance and shifted his feet. He had originally intended to go downstairs, but suddenly thought of something and turned to follow behind Xu Chenghuai. “No, wait. You’ve already finished eating? That fast?”
“Otherwise?”
Ma Yuanhang: …
Talking to someone as tight-lipped as Xu Chenghuai, sooner or later, you’d be choked to death.
Ma Yuanhang left in a huff.
Xu Chenghuai glanced at his retreating figure, then withdrew his gaze and pushed open the laboratory door to go inside.
The laboratory for the new project was very large and empty. Apart from several instruments placed in the center, there were only filing cabinets against the walls.
Xu Chenghuai walked straight to the instruments. Beside them was a table covered with many documents and draft papers, extremely messy. His long fingers brushed through them a couple of times, pinched one document, and pulled it out.
It was marked with experimental data. Xu Chenghuai picked up a pen beside him and, expressionless, crossed out several numbers, then, as if casually, added a few more.
……
The clothes Jiang Hua made for the two children were finished very quickly, and the style had a strong retro Hong Kong feel.
Yunshu’s outfit was a loose camisole top paired with cropped wide-leg pants. A small flower was sewn onto each strap, playful and cute, carrying a simple, childlike sense of fashion.
Yunkai’s outfit had fewer decorative elements. It was an ordinary round-neck short-sleeved top, with a big tiger sewn onto the back. The pants were cargo pants with drawstring cuffs. Once worn, he looked like a cool kid walking at the forefront of fashion.
Both children were extremely satisfied with their new clothes and refused to take them off once they put them on.
Unexpectedly, not only did the two children like them, but other people in the compound were also pleasantly surprised when they saw them. The children, in particular, were filled with envy.
Yunshu, a little girl who loved to look pretty, showed them off to the other children.
“My mom made these for my brother and me. My clothes have pretty flowers, and my brother’s clothes have a big tiger. Yours don’t!”
The children immediately pouted, then went home one after another with tears in their eyes to make a fuss with their parents.
The adults in the compound: …
Recently, the Xu family’s courtyard gate was knocked on more times than in the entire previous year.
Jiang Hua had not expected things to develop this way, but it did stir something in her mind.
In her previous life, Jiang Hua had not gone out to work much, but she had enrolled in many interesting classes during her free time.
One of the Xu family’s relatives was a professor at an art academy. Jiang Hua studied under him for several years. She was actually quite talented. When she participated in competitions back then, her works even won awards. Unfortunately, her mind was not on her career, and later she let it all go to waste.
Fortunately, she had been given a chance to start over.
Jiang Hua went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy notebooks and pens. She also carefully counted the extra money she had on hand and deliberately chose an auspicious day to rent a storefront on the street.
She did not hide the fact that she had rented a storefront. People in the compound saw it, and before long, the news spread everywhere.
Song Jin also heard about it and came over out of curiosity to ask, “I heard you rented a storefront. Do you have some kind of plan?”