Li Lanyan was right. In Beicheng, the temperature started dropping in October. On the way back, the night wind was no longer cool and refreshing, but carried a slight chill.
After returning home, Jiang Qingmi began knitting the second shoe. She had also searched online for various styles and now had a general idea in mind.
Wool shoes for babies under one year old who couldn’t walk yet were the easiest to make. Jiang Qingmi crocheted a red strawberry pattern in the middle of the shoe. It took less than two hours to finish a pair, making it the simplest style.
If sold in the underground mall, a pair could go for seventy to eighty yuan.
Adult wool shoes required more effort. The process was slower, taking over three hours per pair. With some added designs, they could sell for more than two hundred yuan.
The most expensive wool shoes in the underground mall could sell for up to a thousand yuan per pair. Jiang Qingmi was stunned. The patterns were intricate yet extremely beautiful, decorated with small pearls and rhinestones. She actually saw a sense of dazzling luxury on a pair of wool shoes.
Sister Lanyan said those shoes were too labor-intensive and might not even sell. She had once seen someone sell a pair, only for the buyer to come back the next day demanding a refund. The seller refused, and the two ended up arguing loudly until the police were called.
Li Lanyan was an honest person, just an ordinary citizen. She avoided trouble and didn’t want to take risks. She stuck to making simple and reliable baby shoes, earning five to six hundred yuan a day, which already satisfied her.
Jiang Qingmi, however, was a bit tempted. If one pair sold for a thousand, making two pairs a day would bring in two thousand. After costs, she could earn around seventeen hundred. Of course, that was an ideal scenario. The biggest issue was that there was no guarantee they would sell.
So she decided to be practical and focus on making children’s shoes, which were easier to sell. After all, most people shopping in the underground mall were ordinary folks. Spending a thousand yuan on wool shoes wasn’t something they would do casually.
She would wait until she had more savings before considering that.
And so…
Over the next few days, she knitted shoes whenever she had time. When it was about time, she would start cooking. After work, Qing Yanshen would come over. After dinner, he would play with Jiang Tuantuan while she continued knitting.
Hearing Jiang Tuantuan’s soft and adorable laughter, Jiang Qingmi looked up. The two of them were playing hide-and-seek in the small living room. Qing Yanshen hid behind the curtain, deliberately shaking it, afraid that Jiang Tuantuan wouldn’t be able to find him…
Once again, Jiang Qingmi wondered if this man could really be Tuantuan’s domineering CEO father. No matter how she looked at him, he didn’t seem like it.
After they had clarified things that day, she thought he wouldn’t come anymore. Everything would wait until they had money to do a paternity test. But he still came every day, rain or shine, eating with them and playing with Jiang Tuantuan. His attitude toward them hadn’t changed at all.
Occasionally, when Jiang Qingmi looked up to stretch her neck, she would see the man silently cleaning, mopping the floor, wiping the table.
“You don’t have to…” Jiang Qingmi felt a little embarrassed. “I’ll do it later. I’m already very grateful that you play with Tuantuan. You should rest for a bit too.”
“It’s nothing,” Qing Yanshen said.
After that day, he began cleaning on his own initiative.
One afternoon, while she was still knitting, Qing Yanshen came early after work. Carrying a bag of groceries, he went into the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and said, “I’ll cook. You rest for a while.”
“Why did you get off work early today?”
“I finished everything.”
“Then I’ll finally get to try your cooking.”
Jiang Qingmi didn’t stand on ceremony. Qing Yanshen often helped her in the kitchen, and she felt that he knew how to cook.
She rubbed her neck. “You finally came. Tuantuan kept asking me today when ‘uncle’ would come. She even sat by the door waiting for you.”
“Really?” Qing Yanshen’s gaze softened as he rubbed Jiang Tuantuan’s hair. “Did baby miss uncle?”
Tuantuan reached out her little hands. “Uncle, hug~”
Qing Yanshen lifted her up high and played with her for a while. Jiang Qingmi leaned against the wall, smiling as she watched them.
For a moment, they really looked like a family of three.
“Be good and play here while uncle cooks, okay?”
“Okay~”
Qing Yanshen started cooking in the kitchen, while Jiang Qingmi continued knitting.
She planned to set up a stall tomorrow.
In six days, she had made thirty pairs of shoes. If each pair sold for 80 yuan and all of them were sold, she could earn 2,400 yuan.
2,400 in a week then in a month…
She was going to get rich!
She felt both excited and full of anticipation.
The aroma drifted out from the kitchen as Qing Yanshen brought dish after dish to the table.
Perhaps because of her expectations for tomorrow’s earnings, Jiang Qingmi’s smile grew brighter, and her voice carried a cheerful tone. “Wow, it smells amazing! It must taste great.”
There were three dishes and one soup on the table: mapo tofu, sweet and sour pork, garlic ribs, and winter melon meatball soup. They looked and smelled delicious.
Qing Yanshen also prepared baby food for Jiang Tuantuan, placed her in a child’s seat, and put on her bib. Only after watching her start eating did he sit down.
He looked at Jiang Qingmi nervously, unsure whether she would like the food.
Jiang Qingmi took a bite of the mapo tofu, her eyes instantly lighting up. “Delicious!!”
She picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and put it in her mouth. “Oh my god! So good!”
Every dish received her sincere praise.
“Qing Yanshen, you should open a restaurant. Your business would definitely be great!”
Moreover, she felt like she had tasted these dishes somewhere before. The flavors were familiar, as if they had been made specifically for her taste.
She ate three bowls of rice and, unsurprisingly, ended up overeating again.
Qing Yanshen watched her the entire time, a faint smile on his lips. His hand under the table unconsciously tightened as he restrained himself.
He felt a strong sense of accomplishment and happiness.
He didn’t know why, but seeing Jiang Qingmi enjoy his cooking made him so excited.
So excited that his hands trembled slightly. A long-lost feeling, as if he had experienced it before, resurfaced in his body.
The next day, it rained, and work at the construction site was suspended.
The underground mall, however, was still lively and crowded.
Early in the morning, Qing Yanshen carried thirty pairs of wool shoes and a mat for their stall. Jiang Qingmi held Jiang Tuantuan, and the three of them entered the underground mall.
They paid a 50-yuan stall fee, found a spot, and began laying out the soft and adorable wool shoes one by one.
Jiang Qingmi placed a price sign beside them: Handmade wool shoes, 80 yuan per pair. She also set up her payment QR code.
Qing Yanshen spread a soft mat nearby, took out several toys, and placed Jiang Tuantuan on it to play.
Tuantuan was very well-behaved. She didn’t cry or run around. She just sat on the mat, her big, bright eyes full of curiosity as she watched the passing crowd.
Whenever she saw someone carrying a baby around her age, she would excitedly exclaim, “Baby!”
If someone walked by with a dog, she would point with her little finger. “Mama, doggy—”
Perhaps because Qing Yanshen was there, Jiang Qingmi didn’t feel nervous or embarrassed setting up a stall for the first time. With two adults watching over the baby, she felt steady and at ease.
A few minutes later, the first customer approached.
It was a woman in her thirties. She picked up a pair of black wool shoes with a red strawberry pattern in the middle.
She was decisive. After looking for a few seconds, she said, “I’ll take this pair.”
Suppressing her excitement, Jiang Qingmi said, “Thank you. Here’s the QR code.”
“WeChat payment received, 80 yuan.”
The woman glanced at Qing Yanshen. He looked back without expression. His sharp features made him appear somewhat cold when he didn’t speak, especially toward strangers.
The woman didn’t mind. She glanced at Jiang Qingmi and Jiang Tuantuan again. As she left with the shoes, she said, “Your family has very good looks.”
Jiang Qingmi paused. “…Thank you. Take care, and come again.”
Then she turned to the man. “You should just watch Tuantuan.”
For some reason, although her tone was normal, Qing Yanshen felt like he had been disliked.
He silently sat down beside Jiang Tuantuan, trying not to cause trouble.
After the first sale, more customers gradually came. Jiang Qingmi became more talkative, actively promoting her products.
“Auntie, take a look at this pair. The panda design is especially cute. Many babies like it.”
“WeChat payment received, 160 yua.”
“Miss, how about this two pairs for 150. Actually… You look just like my older sister. I really like you, so I’ll give you a special price of 140 for two. Shh… keep it down.”
“You’re quite something, girl. I have a younger sister about your age too. Alright, I’ll take two more pairs. Give me a discount too.”
“Of course, sister~”
“WeChat payment received, 280 yuan.”
After the customer left, she turned to the next one. “Miss, take a look. Two pairs for 150. I use the best yarn you can feel the quality…”
“WeChat payment received, 150 yuan.”
“WeChat payment received, 80 yuan.”
Jiang Qingmi took the water Qing Yanshen handed her and drank a large sip. There were five pairs left on the mat.
When people were making money, they didn’t feel tired at all. They were full of energy.
Her emotions ran high, and her originally fair face was now flushed with a rosy glow.
By afternoon, the crowd had thinned.
Selling twenty-five pairs already satisfied Jiang Qingmi. At first, she had worried about making too many and not selling enough.
They sold two more pairs before packing up, leaving with three pairs to sell next time.
On the way back, the rain had stopped. They bought some groceries and returned home.
She collapsed onto the sofa while Qing Yanshen went to cook.
She didn’t even bother with polite words anymore. She was too tired to move.
She hadn’t felt tired while working, but now the exhaustion hit her all at once.
After resting for a while, she counted the cash and checked the money received on her phone. In total, she had earned over 1,900 yuan.
So good.
“After dinner, get a good rest. Knit again tomorrow,” Qing Yanshen said.
“It’s fine. This isn’t tiring.”
She waved her hand casually. She was in the middle of her money-making momentum.
But reality proved that it was wise to listen to advice.
Qing Yanshen had reminded her several times this week to balance work and rest and not push herself too hard. But once she started knitting, she couldn’t stop.
Beicheng’s temperature kept dropping, and the original body was already weak. She hadn’t rested these past few days.
As a result…
The next morning, she couldn’t get up.
She had a fever.