The three-day deadline was up, and the women from the performance troupe were extremely satisfied with Tang Jin’s clothes.
In fact, they all placed new orders for additional pieces.
Tang Jin immediately got busy again. She planned to embroider the qipao for Guo Suona, which was somewhat labor-intensive. She also made time in the morning to exercise. Every day for Tang Jin was busy but fulfilling.
That day, after finishing most of her tasks, she decided to visit the clothing factory again, both to give Shan Jie her completed marketing plan and to check whether the design samples were finished.
Not wanting to arrive empty-handed, Tang Jin had collected half a bucket of small crayfish from the river, carrying a half-bag of spicy crayfish. She arrived at the factory entrance.
“Grandpa Wang, remember me? I came by a few days ago. I’m here to see Shan Jie.”
Wang Da Ye saw Tang Jin and smiled warmly. “Of course I remember. Such a beautiful young lady is rare.”
“I’ll come in. Next time, I’ll bring you some cigarettes,” Tang Jin replied. She didn’t offer him the crayfish—older people probably didn’t like spicy food.
Tang Jin went straight to the office on the second floor. “Hello! Guess what tasty treat I brought for you?”
She noticed that in addition to Shan Jie and her husband, there was also a young man in the room. He looked handsome and had a bright, sunny aura.
“Little Tang, you came just in time. I was about to look for you,” Shan Jie said, immediately getting up from the sofa to greet her.
Yang Lifan’s eyes were glued to Tang Jin. Finally, he understood the saying “love at first sight.”
“What’s wrong? Was there a problem with the clothes?” Tang Jin asked, placing the crayfish on the coffee table.
“Of course not! Your design drawings were very precise, and the clothes turned out wonderfully. I have some good news for you. Next month, there’s a national fashion design competition, and I think you should participate.”
Shan Jie’s suggestion was sincere. She truly admired Tang Jin. The sample pieces Tang Jin had designed had already attracted many orders.
Hearing about the national competition, Tang Jin was naturally interested. In her previous life, she had participated in one and even won first place.
She had majored in fashion design in college, with minors in furniture and interior design. Before crossing over, she was already a somewhat famous designer with her own studio, focusing on high-end custom designs.
Now, she had the chance to make a name for herself again—of course she wanted to try.
“Shan Jie, this is really great news for me! I even brought some treats to celebrate.”
“I could smell the aroma from earlier! What did you bring? Just the smell is amazing,” Li Dawei said, already standing from his chair and walking toward the smell.
“Look at you! So obsessed with food,” Shan Jie rolled her eyes at her husband, then noticed her brother staring at Tang Jin without blinking.
She couldn’t help but smile secretly. Could it be that this boy had taken a fancy to Tang Jin? He usually had high standards—even blind dates weren’t enough to impress him. Truly, heroes find it hard to resist a beauty.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce. This is Tang Jin, the designer,” Shan Jie said.
“And this is my brother, Yang Lifan. He just graduated and is helping out at the factory.”
Tang Jin politely nodded at Yang Lifan and said with a smile, “Let’s eat together.”
Yang Lifan blushed slightly, smiling awkwardly. “Sure.”
Li Dawei poured the crayfish into a bowl, wondering what it was. It smelled amazing.
Shan Jie also looked puzzled. “Little Tang, what is this? Can we eat it?”
“Of course! These are small crayfish. I’ll show you how to eat them,” Tang Jin said with a smile.
She began peeling the crayfish—twisting off the head and sucking out the juices, then removing the meat from the tail, dipping it in the sauce, and putting it into her mouth with a look of pure satisfaction.
Li Dawei hurriedly tried one, imitating her. “This is insanely delicious!”
Everyone began eating the crayfish, praising how good it was, finishing it with a lingering desire for more.
“Where did you buy these, little lady?” Li Dawei asked. He had been to all the major restaurants in Nankun City but had never seen this dish.
“I made them myself,” Tang Jin said with a smile.
“Your cooking is incredible!” Li Dawei genuinely complimented. He had never eaten anything so delicious—once he started, he couldn’t stop.
“Li Ge, next time keep some chilled beer in the fridge. I’ll make more crayfish to bring, and beer with crayfish is the perfect combo. Pure heaven!” Tang Jin added, a little craving for chilled beer and cola herself. Her home didn’t even have a fridge, and in this hot weather, she longed for a cold drink.
Li Dawei, motivated by the thought of enjoying such delicious crayfish, perked up. “I’ll go buy beer right now.”
“Also get some cola,” Tang Jin said, not holding back. She could tell these two were easygoing people.
“Sure!” Li Dawei ran off happily.
Shan Jie laughed at Tang Jin. “This Li Ge… he only indulges in one thing—eating. When there’s delicious food, he moves faster than a rabbit.”
Tang Jin giggled, the kind of laugh that could light up a room.
Yang Lifan and Shan Jie were dazzled by her dimples and radiant smile. Both couldn’t stop staring.
Indeed, a beauty captivates both men and women alike.
“Shan Jie, I’ve finished the marketing plan. Take a look when you have time. Also, I want to check the samples in the workshop to see if any adjustments are needed.”
Tang Jin cared deeply about the finished designs—their quality would directly affect sales.
“Sure, let’s go to the workshop,” Shan Jie replied, handing the plan to Yang Lifan. “Study it carefully. You studied marketing, right? Compare her approach with yours.”
“Okay, Shan Jie, I’ll study it seriously,” Yang Lifan said, flipping through it and glancing back at Tang Jin. Her handwriting was beautiful, just like he had imagined.
This was his dream woman—smart, capable, beautiful, and sunny. He decided: one word—pursue. Three words—pursue relentlessly.
The three of them went to the workshop. Tang Jin examined the finished pieces—they were almost exactly what she wanted. She was very satisfied.
Looking at the pile of leftover fabric, an idea struck her. “Shan Jie, what do you usually do with these scraps?”
“The scraps? Some are used for fabric-covered buttons or decorative knots, but the rest are sold as waste. There’s too much; we can’t use it all.”
“How much do they sell for?” Tang Jin asked.
“Twenty cents per pound,” Shan Jie said, confused by Tang Jin’s sudden interest.
“Then sell all the scraps to me from now on,” Tang Jin thought happily. Twenty cents per pound was really cheap.
“Why? Take whatever you need, no need to pay.” Shan Jie was straightforward, never fussing over trivial matters.
“No, it must be a little fair. Too much without paying wouldn’t be right. Let’s go with twenty cents per pound. If you don’t want the money, I won’t take it either,” Tang Jin insisted.
“Alright, agreed. You’re quite principled,” Shan Jie said, liking her even more. She had another virtue—she didn’t take advantage of others.
Yang Lifan, too, liked her even more.