Su Jinle picked up the white shirt. She almost threw it away, but stopped herself—not because she couldn’t bear to part with it, but because she suddenly remembered how she had woven countless bamboo baskets to save up three yuan for the fabric.
Gu Jingxiu wasn’t worth anything. But the fabric was.
From outside came Lin Yun’s gentle voice: “Lele, Mom’s heading to work. I’ll bring back your favorite meat buns tonight, alright?”
Su Jinle quickly stood up. “No.”
Lin Yun understood what she meant and smiled, patting her on the head. “It’s payday today. The whole family will eat.”
Only then did Su Jinle force a smile and nod. “Okay.”
Seeing that her daughter seemed fine, Lin Yun felt relieved. Yet for some reason, although her daughter still looked twenty, something about her felt different. Was it because the Gu family had come to propose marriage?
Just then, a faint cough came from the east room. Snapping back to attention, Lin Yun was about to take water in when Su Jinle took it from her. “I’ll go.”
The east room was slightly larger than hers, with mottled green paint on the window frames. Bits of sunlight filtered in. Half-reclining on the bed was a tall young man with a pale face. Handsome, and bearing a slight resemblance to Su Jinle, one of his legs was in a cast.
It was her brother, Su Yi’an.
Hearing movement, he opened his light brown eyes and gave a gentle smile. “Lele.”
Seeing her young brother again felt like a lifetime apart. Su Jinle stepped forward, heart aching, and helped him sit up. “Ge.”
A few months ago, Su Yi’an had nearly lost his life on a mission. He was now recuperating at home. Though he had survived, his leg still had no strength. After visiting several hospitals, the doctors all said he might limp for the rest of his life.
The Su siblings had both been blessed with exceptional looks. Now one was crippled, the other stuttered. Who knew how many people mocked them behind their backs? Su Jinle had secretly cried over this many times.
Yet Su Yi’an himself was optimistic. Being alive, he said, was already good fortune.
In her previous life, she had been immersed in the joy of marrying Gu Jingxiu. It wasn’t until much later that she realized the family had already been struggling financially to pay for her brother’s treatment. But her parents had feared she would be looked down upon by the Gu family, so they scraped together their savings to prepare a proper dowry for her.
Her brother’s leg had once had a chance to heal. But the medical costs were too high, and he gave up treatment. He kept it from everyone. She only found out years later.
Back then, she had cried until her eyes were red. And he had only smiled gently. “It’s alright.”
How could it be alright?
Thinking of this, Su Jinle hurriedly asked, “Ge, when you saw the doctor last time… how much did he say treatment would cost?”
Su Yi’an was surprised. He had returned from the army with an allowance of eight hundred yuan, but after these days of treatment, little remained. The doctor had said there was hope for recovery—but it would cost at least another thousand yuan.
For a family like theirs, a thousand yuan was a mountain. Rather than let his family fall into debt gambling on a slim hope, he would rather leave the remaining money for Lele. He would sooner die than drag the whole family into an abyss because of his leg.
He hadn’t told anyone. How did Lele know?
“For now, no need for treatment.” Su Yi’an smiled and changed the subject. “I heard Dad say the Gu family came to propose.”
Su Jinle pressed her lips together. “Not. Marry.”
Su Yi’an frowned slightly, then relaxed. “Mm. You’re still young. There’s no rush.”
Suddenly remembering the white shirt, Su Jinle thought—why had she only thought of Gu Jingxiu? Her brother was so handsome; he would look good in it too. She hurried to her room. “Ge, shirt. For you.”
Five minutes later, she dejectedly set the shirt aside.
Her brother was taller and broader than Gu Jingxiu. And after being bedridden, though thinner, his frame still didn’t suit it. The sleeves were short, and the body too tight.
Su Yi’an chuckled. “You said it was for me—are you trying to annoy your brother?”
Since returning from her previous life, she had held back her tears. But now, seeing the ill-fitting shirt, she couldn’t anymore. She had always been soft-natured; when she cried, there was no sound—just silent tears streaming down, painfully pitiful to watch.
It had only been a joke. Su Yi’an panicked. He patted her shoulder, coaxing softly, “Brother was wrong. My fault. Don’t cry, alright?”
She cried fiercely, unable to speak, as if all the grievances of her past life were pouring out. She didn’t even know how long she cried.
Only when her throat turned hoarse did she finally stop. With swollen red eyes, she picked up the shirt and said haltingly, “Ge… not wrong. I wrong. Three yuan. Fabric cost three yuan. Wasted…”
Giving the shirt to Gu Jingxiu was a waste. Giving him her sincere heart had been a waste too.
To make it look nice, she had starched and de-starched the fabric at home so it would shine more and wrinkle less. It was different from anything sold outside.
After marriage, she had happily made clothes for Gu Jingxiu to wear. Though not bought from a department store, they were well-fitted and good-looking. Even teachers had asked where he bought them. But he never once said his wife had made them.
Her labor might not be worth much. But she cherished those three yuan.
Since her brother returned from the army, only their father earned a salary. Their mother washed dishes at a restaurant every noon to help support the family. After half a day’s work, she earned only one yuan.
Three yuan was three days of her mother’s wages. A week of her brother’s medicine.
And she had wasted it.
Su Yi’an wiped her tears. “Don’t cry. It’s just a shirt. But Lele—why don’t you want to marry Gu Jingxiu anymore?”
Her liking him had never been a secret. She was never good at hiding her feelings.
Su Jinle sniffed. She looked utterly aggrieved. She nodded, then shook her head. “Don’t. Like.”
She would never like Gu Jingxiu again.
It wasn’t worth it.
Seeing her expression, Su Yi’an stopped asking. He patted her slender shoulder. “Alright. If Lele doesn’t like him, then she doesn’t.”
After crying a little longer, her eyes swollen like a rabbit’s, she finally calmed down. Holding the shirt, she stared at it for a while before suddenly saying, “Sell.”
“Hmm?” Su Yi’an raised an eyebrow. “What?”
She pointed at the shirt. “Sell it. Money.”
She would never give it to Gu Jingxiu again.
Better to exchange it for money.