After lunch, Ye Wenxi eagerly pulled out her new colored pencils.
She carefully redrew the cover design, filling in the colors meticulously.
With the Spring Festival approaching, this was likely meant to be a gift box design for the holiday.
She also sketched an alternative version, tweaking the fonts, color palette, and decorative elements, so that each design had its own focus while remaining festive and appealing.
Looking at the two finished colored drafts, she felt fairly satisfied.
The style wasn’t overly avant-garde, fitting the era’s aesthetic norms, but the layout and color choices added a fresh, lively touch.
Next, she neatly wrote a self-recommendation letter, explaining that she could collaborate long-term and including her preliminary ideas.
For the contact information, she hesitated for a moment before temporarily writing down the Lu family’s address.
Everything was ready—except she suddenly remembered: she hadn’t bought envelopes or stamps!
She got up and knocked gently on Lu Weihua’s door.
“Weihua, are you in?”
The door opened almost immediately. Lu Weihua peeked out, curious.
“Second sister-in-law, what’s up?” She still insisted on using that term.
“I wanted to ask if you have any envelopes and stamps. I want to mail a submission.”
“You do? And you already finished drawing?” Lu Weihua’s eyes lit up with surprise, stepping aside.
“Come in, I have everything you need!”
They had heard Ye Wenxi mention the gift box cover design at breakfast.
After their shopping trip, seeing the pile of new art supplies, Lu Weihua assumed Ye Wenxi was just experimenting at first.
And yet, she had finished in just one afternoon?
Ye Wenxi handed over the two drafts, drawn on the plain white paper Lu Weihua had given her.
The moment Lu Weihua unfolded them, her eyes widened.
The designs radiated festive, celebratory energy.
The main motif was a plump, fragrant-looking pastry silhouette, simplified into an auspicious symbol.
The background was a large swath of warm red, rendered with subtle shading in colored pencil that resembled brocade or swirling clouds.
The lettering was the highlight. The title wasn’t in the standard block print of the time, but rounded, handwritten-style art letters with small embellishments of wheat or traditional motifs, festive and unique.
The second version was a revised take, with adjusted colors—more stable red and gold tones, a simpler, more modern pattern—essentially giving two options.
Her skill… far surpassed the typical covers seen in the market!
The fresh, creative elements were eye-catching, entirely new to Lu Weihua.
“This second sister-in-law… she really has talent. She can make a living with this for sure!”
“Mom! Big sis! Come see!”
Excited, Lu Weihua dashed downstairs, holding the drafts like precious treasures.
“Look at what second sister-in-law drew! It’s amazing!”
“Hey, Weihua!” Ye Wenxi, a little embarrassed, reached to stop her.
But Lu Weihua was like the wind, sprinting down with the drafts and heading to the living room.
“Second sister-in-law, I didn’t know you had this skill!” Lu Weihua shouted, excitement in her voice.
Liu Xiuyun and Li Shufen followed, curious, taking the drafts from her hands.
“Ah! Wenxi drew this?” Li Shufen’s eyes lit up as she examined the designs.
Li Shufen was the principal of a military district elementary school, familiar with promotional art and publications; her eye for quality was sharp.
One glance, and she could tell: the composition, color, and lettering were clever, innovative, even more so than many professional artists.
The craftsmanship was excellent.
Liu Xiuyun nodded, praising enthusiastically: “Really well done! Festive, elegant, instantly appealing!”
Though she smiled, inside she felt a twinge of worry.
So capable… She knew first aid, understood design, had a clear mind, and carried herself with confidence…
This hardly seemed like a rural girl who had barely attended school and suffered abuse.
Today, she had already asked her husband to check with the authorities; the background verification would take at least until tomorrow.
Her heart was conflicted.
On one hand, a nerve of suspicion tightened, fearing her hunch might be true.
On the other, seeing these lively, spirited designs, she couldn’t help but feel joy.
If this daughter-in-law was truly competent, regardless of her background, she would be excellent.
Independent, aiming for university, and with real skills.
Judging by these designs alone, if the food factory staff had any eyes, they would almost certainly select her work.
With family connections helping along the way, she could soon have a stable income of her own.
Holding the drafts, Liu Xiuyun’s mind raced, though her face remained composed.
Ye Wenxi, surrounded by praise, felt a little shy, unaware of the storm of thoughts in her mother-in-law’s mind.
“Second sister-in-law, wait! I’ll get envelopes and stamps for you!”
Lu Weihua ran back to her room at full speed.
Big sister-in-law Li Shufen also offered help warmly: “Wenxi, I know someone at the Second Food Company. I can ask if they need any designs, and put in a good word for you.”
“Thank you so much, big sister-in-law,” Ye Wenxi said sincerely, her heart warmed.
She carefully placed the drafts and self-recommendation letter into the envelope and affixed an eight-cent stamp.
Wearing her new dark gray coat, she headed out to mail the submission.
No more than a few steps from the Lu family building, she ran into Lu Weidong returning from his errand.
At the gate, their eyes met. In that instant, both recalled the awkward, heated encounter on the bus yesterday.
Their gazes flickered, and the air hung in a moment of silence.
“You… finished?” Ye Wenxi broke the quiet first.
“Yes,” Lu Weidong nodded, voice calm.
“I already arranged the temporary ID and situation report. Once the marriage certificate is issued, you can formally settle at the military post.”
Ye Wenxi’s face lit up: “That’s wonderful!”
“Going out?” Lu Weidong noticed the envelope in her hand.
“Yes, I want to mail the designs.”
“I’ll go with you,” he almost said instantly, then added quickly, “You wouldn’t know where the mailbox is anyway.”
Ye Wenxi nodded: “Okay.”
The two walked side by side along the neat, quiet roads of the family compound.
Suddenly, a woman’s voice called from behind, trembling yet forcefully restrained:
“Brother Weidong.”
They turned.
A few steps back stood Xu Miao.
Her face was deathly pale, dark bruises under her eyes, eyes red like a rabbit’s.
She stared fixedly at Ye Wenxi.
Her gaze was ice, wrapped in unhidden hatred and rage.
Ye Wenxi’s heart sank.
The visitor’s intentions were clearly not friendly.