The design sketch was detailed, even lightly colored.
It showed a dress styled like a blazer cardigan, but in one-piece form. A belt wrapped around the waist and tied at the front, creating shape. The collar was a structured lapel, and the skirt fell in a straight silhouette.
Not blue-and-white checks this time, but pale green vertical stripes.
Su Jinle explained carefully, “Tying the belt like this can hide the stomach area. Your skin is fair—light green will bring that out. Do you like it? If you do, I can go home tonight and finish it. It’ll be ready tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry for making you wait a day. That was my fault. I can lower the price by two yuan.”
Then she asked softly, almost nervously, “Is that okay?”
Qiao Fengxia stared at the drawing for a long time without speaking.
After waiting a while, Su Jinle slowly lowered her head. “I-I’m sorry. I just thought this would suit you better. I’ll return your deposit… and I’ll compensate you double. Please don’t be angry.”
“Don’t return the money!” Qiao Fengxia suddenly looked up, her eyes rimmed red. “I trust you. I want the one you designed.”
The girls around them were stunned.
Just a drawing—no sample, nothing tangible—and she agreed?
Curiosity got the better of them. They crowded around to look at the notebook in Qiao Fengxia’s hands—and were immediately amazed.
The dress was beautifully drawn.
Someone flipped through the notebook and realized it wasn’t just one design—it was filled with sketches of dresses in all kinds of styles.
And that wasn’t even the main point.
The main point was that they were gorgeous.
Forget the supply cooperative or the department store—even the Friendship Store that specialized in imported goods didn’t carry styles this fashionable.
The girl flipping through the book stuttered worse than Su Jinle ever had. “Th-these… these can all be made? Custom? F-for twenty yuan?”
The more the other girl stuttered, the steadier Su Jinle became.
“Yes. Twenty yuan.”
At first, everyone had thought twenty yuan for a dress was expensive.
Now it felt cheap.
Custom-made. Design included.
How could those repetitive floral dresses at the department store compare?
They couldn’t.
Not even close.
But once the excitement settled, hesitation crept in. There were no finished samples. What if the actual dress didn’t turn out as beautiful as imagined?
Twenty yuan wasn’t small change.
Unlike the department store, they couldn’t see the fabric or finished cut beforehand.
At that moment, Qiao Fengxia closed the notebook and handed it back to Su Jinle, her gaze earnest.
“Tomorrow at this time—you’ll definitely have it ready?”
“Yes.” Su Jinle answered firmly.
Qiao Fengxia nodded decisively. “Alright. I trust you.”
After the first wave of girls left, her stall finally cleared. A few people came asking about keychains—but she had already sold out.
Aunt Pang clicked her tongue in worry. “You should make more keychains!”
Su Jinle sighed helplessly. “That’s all I can manage.”
Aunt Pang waved her hand. “Are you silly? Get your mom, your aunts, your sisters—everyone to help. Isn’t that better than raising chickens at home?”
Su Jinle looked at her seriously. “Then will Auntie help me? I’ll split the profits.”
Aunt Pang immediately shook her head. “Forget it. I can’t fiddle with that stuff. I’d rather raise chickens.”
Her kids were grown; she wasn’t short on money. At her age, she didn’t want to exhaust herself. She was very clear-minded about that.
With nothing left to sell, Su Jinle packed up early and headed to the market to buy fabric. Pale green striped cloth wasn’t rare, so she found it quickly. She also bought small pieces of solid-color scraps to make more keychains.
The sky was still bright. She wasn’t in a hurry, so she walked leisurely.
Behind her, a tall figure followed at an unhurried distance, watching the slender, almost fragile silhouette ahead. His brows furrowed unconsciously, and for some reason he thought again of the fleeting glimpse from last night.
Song Shixu took a few long strides and caught up.
“Why are you walking so slowly?” he coughed lightly.
Su Jinle jumped in surprise, then relaxed when she saw him. “Brother Song? Why are you here?”
For the past few days, Song Shixu’s task had been to protect her—but that had to remain secret. So he said casually, “Same direction.”
“Oh.” She didn’t doubt him.
Then she frowned slightly. “Brother Song, did you fall? Your chin is hurt.”
It was from falling off the wall last night.
The moment Song Shixu thought of it, his handsome face darkened. It was a humiliating low point in his life. A decorated soldier—falling off a wall. Utter disgrace.
Seeing his expression turn grim, Su Jinle instinctively moved a little farther away and stopped asking.
She wasn’t one to pry anyway. Her mind was busy calculating how to increase keychain production. Clothes brought in money, but they didn’t sell every day. Keychains were different—she had a feeling she could sell dozens daily.
Lost in thought, she suddenly felt her collar tugged from behind.
Song Shixu stared at her thin frame. “Do you always walk this slow? No energy at all?”
She looked puzzled. What did walking have to do with energy?
“I mean the five-kilometer weighted run I told you to do every day. You didn’t do it?”
She nodded honestly. “I… didn’t have time.”
And she didn’t want to run. Sweating was uncomfortable.
“No excuses.” His tone brooked no argument. “Start running now. From today on, I’ll come every morning to supervise.”
His current mission was to protect her anyway. Training her frail body was a bonus. She was his friend’s younger sister—basically his own. He simply couldn’t stand seeing someone so delicate and weak.
Su Jinle frowned. “I don’t want to run.”
“You have to!” When Song Shixu’s face darkened, he looked intimidating. “That’s an order.”
She was a little scared—but she still gathered her courage.
“If I don’t run… will you hit me?”
His face went black. “Why would I hit a woman? I’m not a scumbag.”
That was reassuring.
She relaxed and continued walking at the same slow pace.
As long as he wouldn’t hit her, she wasn’t worried.
Song Shixu’s one step equaled two of hers. His teeth practically ground together in frustration. “Do you have to be this delicate?”
She replied gently, “Brother Song, you should head back. I don’t think we’re going the same way.”
Song Shixu: “…”
He came to a conclusion.
Su Jinle wasn’t just delicate—she was good at talking her way out of things.
By the time she reached her front gate and turned around, he had disappeared at some unknown point.
Truly like a ghost—coming and going without a trace.