Song Shixu went to see her brother. The two of them seemed to be sharing some secret—whatever they said, Su Jinle didn’t know.
She took out the pink and yellow dresses, same style but different colors, and carefully ironed them on the table. After thinking for a moment, she used the leftover fabric to make a few small accessories. Although she had already given the two girls small gifts that day, she still felt uneasy earning that much money from just one dress.
Pink and yellow were bright colors—probably too bold for hairbands. After pondering for a while, she began working. Half an hour later, two adorable little lambs appeared before her. She stitched two tiny black dots for the eyes—simple, yet vivid.
She stuffed them with cotton, soft and squishy in the palm, about half the size of her hand. She bent some wire into a hook and wrapped it with scraps of cloth, turning them into little charms that could hang from a cloth bag zipper or a keychain.
They didn’t use much fabric. She made five in one go. The more she looked at them, the more she liked them. In the end, she kept a粉嫩 little pink lamb for herself and hung it on her bag.
By the time she finished, it was already noon.
She peeked her head out of her room and heard her brother’s amused voice. “Why are you sneaking around in your own house?”
Her cheeks flushed. Seeing he was alone in the sun, she relaxed. “He left?”
“Back to the unit. There are things to handle.” Su Yi’an sat outside soaking in the sunlight. After recuperating for so long, the tan he’d gotten in the army had faded, and his skin looked almost translucent in the light.
She brought a small stool and sat beside him. “Ge… do you think Yang Muqing will come cause trouble again?”
“No.” He smiled. “Don’t overthink it.”
Her brows were still knitted. “Maybe I make clothes… apologize to her.”
“Lele, no.” His tone was firm.
After lunch, she went out to earn money.
Today she wore a long skirt she’d made herself—remodeled from one of her mother’s old dresses. A plain blue checkered cotton, turned into an A-line skirt, paired with a white short-sleeve top. She looked like a university student who hadn’t yet graduated.
Things went much more smoothly today. The two girls who had paid deposits were already waiting. The moment they saw her, their eyes lit up.
“Are the dresses ready?”
Su Jinle immediately handed over the paper bags. The bright, beautiful dresses still carried a faint fragrance. The girls didn’t hesitate—paid the rest happily and could barely wait to try them on.
But just as they were about to leave, Su Jinle tugged one of their sleeves and took out two little lambs from her bag. She smiled, her eyes curving like crescents. “This.”
“So cute!”
Their eyes shone even brighter—but they shook their heads reluctantly. “We already overspent this month buying the dresses. Better not…”
Such delicate little things couldn’t be cheap.
Su Jinle blinked. “Gift. For you.”
“Really?!” Now they were thrilled. Spending twenty yuan in one go had hurt a bit. But now? Totally worth it. Buy a dress, get hair ties and cute charms? The supply co-op and department store didn’t give freebies!
She nodded and pointed to the pink lamb on her own bag. “Hang here… or keys.”
Only then did the girls notice her speech—slow, halting, with long pauses. Such a pretty, young girl… and she stuttered.
The girl who bought the yellow dress pressed her lips together, suddenly sniffed, and hugged her. “You’re really wonderful. And talented. Just as cute as the lamb.”
If someone could make such beautiful dresses and be this kind, what did a stutter matter?
Warmth flooded Su Jinle’s chest.
In her previous life, she had been afraid of people—afraid of mockery, of disdainful looks. Even the husband she trusted most had often looked at her with impatience, as if speaking slowly were some unforgivable sin.
Now she understood—yes, there were bad people in the world. But there were good ones too.
Like the egg-selling auntie.
Like her first customer.
Like these two girls.
The egg auntie didn’t come today. The dresses sold out within ten minutes. Without samples, no new orders came. She now had thirty-five yuan in hand—a huge sum.
She spent ten yuan on several kinds of fabric before heading home.
Passing by the Industrial University, she paused—not because Gu Jingxiu taught there, but because across the street stood a Xinhua Bookstore.
If she wanted to make clothes, she had to learn more.
She had finished high school—at this time, that wasn’t bad. Yet in front of Gu Jingxiu, a university lecturer, she had somehow become “illiterate.”
The bookstore near the university catered mostly to students. She had just picked up a book on clothing design when she overheard voices nearby.
“Our Professor Gu is amazing—so young and already published a paper. Once he completes his required hours, he’s basically guaranteed a professorship, right?”
“That would make him the youngest professor. I wonder if he has a girlfriend?”
“Someone asked him last time. He said he has a fiancée!”
…
Su Jinle’s gaze flickered.
In her previous life, Gu Jingxiu published his paper after marrying her. At twenty-six, he became a professor—already impressive. But now, it seemed to have happened two years earlier.
And his fiancée?
Yang Muqing?
She pressed her lips together. Whoever it was no longer mattered to her.
In her last life, when she secretly liked him, she had racked her brain for chances to see him. Now she didn’t want to see him at all—yet he kept appearing.
Gu Jingxiu approached with a faint smile, as if he’d expected her to show up. “Why not come into the campus to look for me? Trying your luck in a bookstore instead?”
She walked past him, heading to the counter.
He followed and paid for her book—eight mao. She didn’t want to argue in public, so she simply took the book and left, face expressionless.
That made him more intrigued.
“Playing mute again?” He chuckled. “You’re livelier now than before. But once we’re married, don’t be so temperamental.”
She ignored him and quickened her steps.
Only when they reached a small alley not far from her home did he grab her wrist.
“Enough. How long are you going to vent your past-life anger? Fine if you take it out on me—but why make things hard for Muqing? She was spoiled growing up. Why bother competing with her?”
“Let go!” She turned and glared at him. “You and I—won’t marry!”
He lazily held onto her wrist. “That diary was my fault. You can be angry. Just don’t say things that hurt feelings—I don’t like hearing them.”
Just like in their previous life, when she wanted a divorce—he had refused.
To him, Su Jinle was like his possession.
He would never allow another man to touch what was his.
She struggled again, but he continued,
“With your family’s situation, are you still talking about pride? Be good. I’ll speak to Muqing for you. She won’t target your father anymore.”