Although selling clothes had been quite fortunate these two times, luck couldn’t always be that good in business. Even though she had bought new fabric again, without anyone placing orders in advance, she could only make standard sizes. When hanging them out for sale, it would be even more selective about customers.
Lin Yun smiled and said, “You’re already doing great. You’ve earned dozens of yuan in just a few days. Since the weather is hot, it’s good to rest at home these two days.”
“I’m going to keep making them.” Su Jinle pointed at the new fabric, regaining her motivation: “And I’ll sell other things too.”
The small gifts she gave out had given her some new ideas. Clothes were expensive, and she couldn’t always be so lucky to find customers, but small accessories like hair ribbons, keychains, and cloth pouches were different.
They weren’t expensive, and unlike clothes, they didn’t come in sizes—if you liked them, you could buy them. The only downside was that the profit wasn’t as high as with clothes.
These small items could sell for at most a few cents each, and cloth pouches for one yuan. Even if she sold over a dozen in a day, she’d only earn a few yuan. But the advantage was that they were low-cost and easy to make. Su Jinle thought about making more so she could spend more time at her stall.
In the evening, when Su Weihua returned from work, he walked in cheerfully and said, “The factory director came to see me this afternoon. He said the quality inspection issue was probably a misunderstanding and has notified the team leader to recheck the registration forms. They’ll reissue the bonus to me later.”
He was an honest man and truly believed yesterday’s incident was just a misunderstanding: “Lele, I told you this had nothing to do with you. The factory director isn’t that kind of person.”
Su Yi’an smiled faintly: “Dad, since it’s a misunderstanding, it’s good that it’s cleared up.”
Su Jinle couldn’t help but glance at her brother and noticed his calm expression, with no intention of telling their parents about the union’s involvement. She quickly understood. Although they had indeed sought help from the union, it was only to urge the factory to reissue the bonus. Nothing else would come of it.
Whether the canned food factory director truly knew about this didn’t matter. What mattered was that no one would be punished.
Yang Muqing was the factory director’s daughter. With just a word from her, plenty of people would cover for her.
This was already the best possible outcome.
Su Jinle still felt somewhat frustrated. She took the initiative to help in the kitchen: “Today, I’ll cook to celebrate!”
Lin Yun was also in a much lighter mood and said with a smile, “Lele’s cooking is delicious. I’ll go wash the vegetables.”
That night, Su Jinle didn’t work overtime and went to bed early. The next morning, she got up early again to make clothes.
She couldn’t finish the clothes in just one morning, so she only drew the design sketches and made samples without cutting the fabric. She planned to go sell the small accessories in the afternoon to test the waters. But after lunch, the sky outside darkened.
Drip, drip—the rain began to fall. Su Jinle had no choice but to continue making clothes.
Su Yi’an sat on a stool watching her work. As a man, he couldn’t tell what clothes looked good or not. He picked up a pink lamb keychain and asked, “Is this stuffed with cotton? It looks quite interesting.”
Su Jinle handed him a ball of cotton: “Brother, help me out.”
She had already hemmed these small keychains with the sewing machine, but she needed to stuff each one with cotton—making them plump and even, with the edges fully filled out. Despite their small size, it was delicate work.
Su Yi’an’s slender fingers twitched, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, your brother won’t be freeloading.”
Hearing this, Su Jinle’s little face turned serious. “Of course you’re not!”
Before her brother was injured, most of his military allowance was sent home every month. Back then, their mother didn’t need to work outside and stayed home to take care of her and handle household chores. If anyone had been freeloading, it was her in the past.
Seeing his sister getting a bit upset, Su Yi’an smiled good-naturedly. “Alright, I misspoke.”
Outside, the rain continued to fall, but the siblings worked with enthusiasm.
Su Yi’an had never done this kind of work before, and his refined face showed a hint of embarrassment. Looking at his giggling sister, he sighed helplessly. “It took half an hour just to stuff one cotton doll. Selling this little thing for fifty cents is such a loss.”
Su Jinle replied, “But the cost is only five cents.”
A few scraps of fabric, some old cotton, and a few pieces of wire—it was meticulous work, but each one earned forty-five cents in profit. In terms of profit margin, it was actually more lucrative than making clothes.
Su Yi’an took a deep breath, furrowed his brows, and continued working.
Outside, the sound of rain gradually softened, and someone knocked on the door. Su Jinle quickly stood up. “I’ll go see who it is.”
Opening the door, she saw a round-faced girl wearing a long-sleeved shirt, with two braids hanging over her chest. She glanced at Su Jinle and asked, “Is this Su Yi’an’s home?”
Looking for her brother?
Su Jinle frowned slightly. “Yes.”
The round-faced girl narrowed her eyes and looked at Su Jinle. The young girl before her had a petite face, large eyes, and fair, rosy skin—the kind of appearance that easily stirred a protective instinct in men.
Her tone carried a hint of hostility. “What’s your relationship with Su Yi’an?”
Su Jinle was taken aback but, thinking she might be her brother’s friend, answered obediently, “I’m his sister.”
The round-faced girl paused, visibly delighted, and warmly took her hand. “So you’re Yi’an’s little sister! I’m your brother’s blind date.”
Blind date? Chen Chunxin?
Su Jinle suddenly remembered. Two months ago, her brother had been rushed to the hospital covered in blood. At the time, it felt as if the sky had fallen. Every night, she could hear her mother’s stifled sobs, only for her to put on a brave face the next morning, insisting everything would be fine.
After a full month in the hospital, he finally pulled through. Back then, the doctor said he might have to walk with a cane for the rest of his life. Somehow, this news had spread.
The Chen family didn’t even show their faces, merely sending a message to say it was as if the two had never met.
Lin Yun had been furious at the time. The two had only met once, and after Su Yi’an returned, his attitude had been indifferent, not particularly enthusiastic. Yet, Chen Chunxin’s side had been pushing for an early engagement.
Lin Yun had said they should wait until Yi’an returned from the military to see how he felt. But as soon as news of Su Yi’an’s injury spread, the Chen family hurriedly distanced themselves, as if afraid they’d cling to them.
Now, why was Chen Chunxin showing up again, calling herself a blind date? And she came alone—wasn’t she afraid of damaging her reputation if others saw her?
Chen Chunxin had already stepped inside. “Where’s Yi’an?”
Thinking she and her brother were actually in a relationship, Su Jinle obediently pointed to her room. “He’s inside.”
Chen Chunxin gave an “oh” and walked in gracefully. Seeing Su Yi’an sitting there, her expression immediately softened. “Yi’an.”
Su Yi’an looked up, thinking for a moment before recalling her name: “Chen Chunxin?”
Chen Chunxin was holding several packages of pastries in her hand. She placed them on the table and smiled at him: “I came today to discuss our marriage.”
Upon hearing this, not only Su Jinle, but even Su Yi’an was stunned. To begin with, the two of them had only met through a matchmaking arrangement and had not formally settled anything. Moreover, the Chen family had previously sent word to distance themselves, which had infuriated Lin Yun.
Besides, what kind of girl would come to a man’s house on her own to talk about marriage?
A faint blush appeared on Chen Chunxin’s face: “I heard earlier that you were injured, but I was too busy at the factory to come until now. Today, I finally found some free time.”
Su Yi’an’s expression remained indifferent: “A young lady shouldn’t visit a man’s house so casually. It doesn’t look proper. You should go back now.”
Chen Chunxin bit her lip: “Are you still upset about what my parents did before? I apologize for that. What they did was wrong, but I’ve taken a liking to you. Even if your leg doesn’t heal properly, I’m still willing to marry you.”