However, after stepping out of the supply and marketing cooperative, she didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she waited patiently outside.
When she had entered the cooperative earlier, she had noticed a middle-aged woman inside browsing through clothes.
The woman’s attire was far from ordinary. Although the style of her clothes was conventional, it had been modified, and she wore a quartz watch on her wrist.
That was a true luxury item!
In short, this woman was undoubtedly wealthy. Moreover, she had been picking through the clothes with an impatient expression, clearly unimpressed by what she saw.
She had, however, glanced at Jiang Yingying more than once…
Sure enough, after waiting just a short while, the middle-aged woman emerged from the cooperative, a bag slung over her arm.
Jiang Yingying smiled and approached her. “Sister, couldn’t find anything suitable?”
Recognizing Jiang Yingying, the woman’s eyes lit up with delight. “Young lady, did you really make that dress yourself?”
Jiang Yingying nodded. “Of course. You won’t find this style anywhere else.”
Hearing this, the middle-aged woman took her hand. “I’m at least twenty years older than you. You can call me Auntie. My surname is Jiang. Would you like to come chat with me in my car?”
“Don’t worry, Auntie Jiang isn’t a bad person.”
Parked not far down the street was a sedan—a Red Flag brand car. Passersby couldn’t help but steal glances at it.
At this time, cars were rarer than beauties!
Jiang Yingying was stunned. She had guessed the woman was wealthy, but she never imagined she would own a car! In this era, anyone who could drive a car was undoubtedly someone of importance.
“Auntie Jiang, you look so young! I thought you were only a few years older than me!”
Jiang Yingying followed her into the car and began showering her with compliments. “This car is so beautiful! It’s the first time I’ve ever seen one up close!”
Auntie Jiang was indeed well-preserved. She chuckled lightly. “Here’s the situation: my daughter is about to get engaged, and I promised to buy her a dress. But I haven’t found anything I like after looking everywhere. The one you’re wearing, however, is quite nice.”
Jiang Yingying covered her mouth and laughed. “Auntie Jiang, it must be fate! I happen to have another new one right here!”
As she spoke, she pulled another dress from her bundle and unfolded it in the car. “The only difference is the color of the buttons. The tag hasn’t even been removed!”
“Tag?”
Auntie Jiang looked at the dress in her hands, puzzled. “What tag?”
Jiang Yingying explained, “This dress is from the brand ‘Unique,’ symbolizing that every woman is unique and remarkable! As Chairman Mao said, ‘Women hold up half the sky!’”
“So, every dress I design and make comes with its own tag.”
She turned the dress inside out, revealing a small white fabric label sewn on the inside with the word “Unique” embroidered on it.
Auntie Jiang was genuinely surprised.
She was familiar with the concept of brands, but most were foreign labels. When it came to clothing in the country, people usually referred to which factory or cooperative sold them.
Now, this young girl was talking about brands!
Jiang Yingying carefully folded the dress and looked earnestly at Auntie Jiang. “May I ask how tall your daughter is and what she weighs?”
Auntie Jiang thought for a moment. “She’s about 1.6 meters tall and weighs around 45 kilograms.”
“Then this size should be just right for her.” Jiang Yingying packed the dress neatly. “Auntie Jiang, could this dress be exchanged for a sewing machine?”
Even though she had just started to feel a bit of goodwill toward Jiang Yingying, Aunt Jiang’s expression darkened at this moment. “Young lady, are you joking with me?”
A sewing machine cost at least 120 yuan, while the finest cotton fabric was only one yuan per meter! Even if this dress was made of unique fabric and had a beautiful design, it couldn’t possibly be worth that much!
The clothes she was wearing weren’t cheap either, yet they only cost a little over ten yuan…
Jiang Yingying remained calm and unhurried, still wearing a smile. “Aunt Jiang, of course I know one dress isn’t enough. But what if there were more?”
“More?” Aunt Jiang frowned. “No matter how pretty the dress is, no one would buy several of the same style.”
“What if I have different styles?” Jiang Yingying lowered her voice. “Aunt Jiang, I guarantee they’ll all be beautiful.”
In a clothing market dominated by shades of blue, black, and gray, a vibrant, stylish dress was an irresistible temptation for women. Although she had brought back some clothes for her daughter from abroad, those styles were more suited to Westerners and looked somewhat awkward on petite Asian women. Moreover, the designs this young woman had shown her weren’t even seen overseas.
Women are naturally drawn to beauty, especially when her daughter was about to get engaged and would meet many new people. Thinking this, Aunt Jiang’s expression softened. “How many dresses are you planning to trade?”
“Five.” Jiang Yingying said seriously, “Aunt Jiang, if you think it’s acceptable, let’s meet again in three days, at the same time and place, to make the exchange. How does that sound?”
Aunt Jiang hesitated. “It’s just… I’m not sure how the other styles will look…”
Jiang Yingying lowered her long lashes. “Aunt Jiang, why not bring your daughter along to choose then?”
She was confident that any young girl would fall in love with the clothes she made at first sight.
After settling the time with Aunt Jiang, Jiang Yingying had just stepped out of the car when she was surrounded by two younger girls. “Where did you buy that dress you’re wearing?”
Jiang Yingying tugged at her skirt and smiled. “I made it myself.”
With that, she said no more and swayed her hips as she walked toward the opposite side. The two girls were about to follow when they saw a tall man with a dark expression standing in front of her, and they immediately stopped in their tracks.
Shen Yao was so furious he could have strangled her. “Didn’t I tell you not to wander off?”
He had been searching for her for a long time and was so anxious he was nearly sweating. Even though they had no feelings for each other, she was still his wife in name.
Jiang Yingying cooed softly as she wiped the sweat from his brow. “Brother Yao, don’t be angry. I was just taking a little stroll…”
Shen Yao glanced down at her, but his gaze froze. He had always known Jiang Yingying was beautiful, but the woman in the dress took his breath away. Her beauty was almost jarring against the backdrop behind her—and jarring next to him as well…
Suddenly, he understood why the older folks in the village called her a seductress. It wasn’t just because of her behavior. She was truly enchanting, like a legendary fox spirit who could steal a man’s soul with just a flick of her finger…
“Why did you change your clothes?” Noticing the lingering glances from men around them, Shen Yao shifted to block her from view, his expression growing even darker. “Who said you could wear something like this?”
Jiang Yingying nonchalantly put on her blue coat. “This is what I call a marketing strategy.”
Shen Yao gritted his teeth. “How do you plan to sell these clothes?”
Jiang Yingying held up two fingers: “Twenty!”
Shen Yao gritted his teeth: “You’d be lucky to get ten for it!”
Tilting her head with a smile, Jiang Yingying replied, “I’ve already sold five pieces! Now come with me to buy fabric and sewing supplies.”
Usually unflappable, Shen Yao widened his eyes in disbelief: “Five pieces?”
Instead of answering, Jiang Yingying smiled at two girls watching from nearby: “Pretty ladies, I’ll be back at this same time three days from now!”
The two girls exchanged puzzled glances—what did she mean by that?
Yet they firmly committed the time and place to memory.
As children of factory workers, their families weren’t wealthy but lived comfortably above the poverty line, with some disposable income for daily necessities—far better conditions than those in rural villages.
With a stern expression, Shen Yao led Jiang Yingying back into the alleyway. He gripped one of her hands and tucked it into the crook of his arm, his dark cheeks flushing slightly: “Hold on tight. When it gets crowded, don’t get separated when we run.”
He added sternly: “And no taking your clothes off inside!”
Jiang Yingying rolled her eyes while clinging to his arm—as if she were some kind of female hooligan…