Song Shixu went to find his brother. The two seemed to share some secret—whatever they discussed, Su Jinle had no idea.
She took out the two dresses of the same style but in pink and yellow, carefully ironed them on the table, and after some thought, used the leftover fabric to make other small accessories. Although she had already given those two girls small gifts that day, she still felt uneasy about earning so much money from them for just one dress.
Considering that pink and yellow were too bright and might not be suitable for hair ribbons, she pondered for a while before starting to work. In half an hour, two adorable little lambs appeared before her. Their eyes were stitched with black thread as tiny dots, simple in design yet lifelike.
Stuffed with a bit of cotton, they felt soft and comfortable when held in the palm, each about half the size of a hand. Finally, she wrapped wire into a curved shape and covered it with fabric strips, turning them into decorations that could be hung on bag zippers or keys.
These little trinkets used very little fabric. She made five in one go, growing fonder of them the more she looked. She decided to keep one pink lamb for herself, hanging it on her cloth bag.
By the time she finished, it was already noon. She peeked out from her room and heard her brother’s amused voice: “What are you afraid of in your own home?”
Su Jinle’s face flushed slightly. Seeing that he was the only one sunbathing outside, she relaxed and asked, “Has he left?”
“He still has other matters to attend to in the army.” Su Yi’an sat outside basking in the sun. Due to his recovery period, his originally sun-tanned skin from the army had lightened, looking almost translucent under the sunlight.
Su Jinle brought a small stool and sat beside him, her heart filled with worry. “Brother, do you think Yang… Mu Qing will still cause trouble?”
“No,” Su Yi’an replied with a smile. “Don’t overthink it.”
Su Jinle’s face remained furrowed. “Maybe I should make her clothes as an apology.”
Su Yi’an said firmly, “Lele, there’s no need.”
After lunch, Su Jinle went out to earn money. Today, she wore a long dress she had made herself, altered from one of her mother’s old dresses. It was a simple blue-checkered cotton fabric, tailored into an A-line skirt, paired with a white short-sleeved top, making her look like a college student who hadn’t yet graduated.
The day went much more smoothly. The two girls, who had already paid their deposit, were waiting eagerly. Their eyes lit up as soon as they saw Su Jinle. “Are the dresses ready?”
Su Jinle immediately took out the paper bags. The two vibrant and beautiful dresses still carried a faint fragrance. The girls had nothing more to say—they paid promptly and couldn’t wait to go home and try them on.
But a small hand stopped them. Su Jinle took out two little lambs from her bag, her eyes curving into a smile. “These.”
So adorable!
The girls’ eyes sparkled even brighter, but they shook their heads reluctantly. “We’ve already overspent this month’s salary on the dresses. We’d better not.”
Such delicate little trinkets clearly weren’t cheap.
Su Jinle blinked. “Gifts, for you.”
“Really?” The girls perked up immediately. Spending twenty yuan—a huge sum—on clothes two days ago had honestly been a bit painful, but now it felt completely worth it. Buying clothes came with hair ribbons and little trinkets—the Gongxiaoshe and department stores certainly didn’t offer such things!
Su Jinle nodded and pointed to the pink lamb on her own bag. “Hang it here, or on keys.”
Only now did the two girls notice that Su Jinle spoke differently from normal people. She spoke slowly and paused for long intervals. Such a beautiful and young girl was actually a stutterer.
The girl who bought the yellow skirt pursed her lips, suddenly sniffled, and hugged her. “You’re very good, and very capable, as cute as a little lamb.”
Being able to make such beautiful dresses and being so kind—what did it matter if she stuttered?
A warm feeling surged within. In her previous life, Su Jinle had always been afraid of interacting with people because she truly feared those mocking words and contemptuous looks. Even her most trusted and dependent husband would often look at her with impatience.
As if speaking too slowly was some heinous crime.
Only now did she realize that this world had both bad people and good people. Especially in the past few days, everyone she had encountered had been warm-hearted—like the auntie selling eggs, her first customer, and the two girls before her.
Today, the auntie selling eggs didn’t come, and the dress sold in just ten minutes. Without samples, naturally, no one continued to place orders for dresses. Su Jinle now had thirty-five yuan in hand, which could be considered a small fortune.
She spent ten yuan to buy several types of fabric before preparing to head home. As she passed by the Industrial University, her footsteps paused—not because Gu Jingxiu taught there, but because there was a Xinhua Bookstore across the street.
Since she was going to make clothes, she needed to study more. In fact, she had completed high school, and in this era, a high school graduate wasn’t considered poorly educated. Yet, in front of Gu Jingxiu, a university professor, she felt like an ‘illiterate.’
This Xinhua Bookstore was located near the Industrial University, and most of its customers were university students. Su Jinle had just found a book on fashion design when, before she could even flip through a few pages, she overheard people talking nearby.
“Our Professor Gu is so amazing! He published a paper at such a young age. Once he completes his basic teaching hours, he’ll definitely become a professor, right?”
“That would make him the youngest professor. I wonder if he has a girlfriend?”
“Last time, a brave female student went to ask—he already has a fiancée!”
…
Su Jinle’s gaze flickered slightly. She remembered that in her previous life, Gu Jingxiu had published his paper only after marrying her, officially becoming a professor at twenty-six, which was already considered incredibly impressive. Now, however, the timeline for his paper publication had moved up by two years.
And his fiancée—was it Yang Muqing?
She pursed her lips. Whoever it was didn’t matter to her anymore.
In her previous life, when she secretly had feelings for Gu Jingxiu, she racked her brains trying to see him. Now, she didn’t want to see him at all, yet he seemed determined to appear before her.
Gu Jingxiu looked at her with a smile, as if he had long anticipated Su Jinle’s presence. “Why didn’t you come to the school to find me? Did you have to rely on luck to run into me at the bookstore?”
Su Jinle pursed her lips and walked past him, heading toward the front counter to check out.
Gu Jingxiu followed her and paid for the book—eighty cents. Su Jinle didn’t want to argue with him in public, so she simply took the book and left. Her face was stern and silent, which only made Gu Jingxiu find her even more intriguing.
“Playing mute again?” Gu Jingxiu chuckled softly. “Lele, you’re much more lively now than before. But if we really get married in the future, don’t be so temperamental.”
Su Jinle ignored him, quickening her pace until they reached a small alley not far from home. Gu Jingxiu grabbed her hand: “Alright, how much longer are you going to vent your anger from our past life? It’s fine if you take it out on me, but why must you go out of your way to upset Mu Qing? She was pampered and spoiled since childhood—what’s the point of picking a fight with her?”
“Let go!” Su Jinle turned to glare at him. “You and I will not get married!”
Gu Jingxiu lazily held onto her hand, refusing to let go. “That diary was my mistake. You can throw a tantrum if you want, but don’t say things that hurt our feelings. I don’t like hearing them.”
Just like in the final moments of their previous life, when she wanted a divorce, he would never have agreed.
To him, Su Jinle was like his possession—he could never allow another man to touch her.
Just as Su Jinle was about to struggle, she heard him say, “Given your family’s current situation, are you still going to talk to me about pride? Be good, and I’ll speak up for you in front of Mu Qing. I won’t target your father anymore in the future.”