Shen Jiao had always thought her own skin was thick enough, but apparently there were people even more shameless than she was.
Looking at Wang Xiangxiu standing in front of her, Shen Jiao truly wanted to pry open the woman’s skull and see how her brain was put together.
Wang Xiangxiu had already tried to steal her husband. Why on earth would Shen Jiao teach her a valuable skill?
It was not as though Shen Jiao had a hole in her head.
“I’ve already accepted enough apprentices. I don’t plan to take any more. If there are too many people, I won’t be able to give everyone enough attention.”
Wang Xiangxiu had not expected that after lowering herself and approaching Shen Jiao so carefully, Shen Jiao would still refuse to teach her sewing.
She raised her head and stared at Shen Jiao’s face.
“Shen Jiao, you don’t dare accept me as an apprentice, do you? You’re afraid that once I learn the skill, I’ll become more capable than you, and Brother Xinguo won’t want you anymore. Isn’t that right?”
Was there something wrong with this woman?
She believed Shen Jiao was afraid that she would learn sewing and steal her husband, yet somehow still expected Shen Jiao to teach her.
There was definitely something wrong with this girl.
Diagnosis complete. No objections would be accepted.
“Since you’re openly planning to steal my husband, why should I teach you anything? I’m not an idiot.”
“You feel guilty, don’t you? You don’t dare compete with me fairly because you’re divorced and already second-hand goods. If I knew how to sew like you, Brother Xinguo would definitely divorce you and marry me. You don’t dare take that risk, do you?”
Shen Jiao sneered.
“Gu Xinguo is already unquestionably my husband. I’d have to be stupid to compete fairly with you. Your attempt to provoke me won’t work.”
Wang Xiangxiu gained no advantage from Shen Jiao. When she left, her face was twisted with resentment.
She had not expected Shen Jiao to be so difficult to deal with. Neither soft persuasion nor harsh provocation worked on her.
Humph!
Wang Xiangxiu refused to believe that Shen Jiao was her only option. Even without Butcher Zhang, people could still eat pork.
Shen Jiao was not the only person who knew how to sew.
She was determined to learn the skill. She would show Brother Xinguo that she was no worse than that second-hand woman Shen Jiao.
“Jiaojiao, what did that girl from Wang Naozi’s family come here for? I’m warning you, don’t become too close to anyone from that family. They’re full of schemes. One moment of carelessness and they’ll calculate against you.”
Grandma ultimately did not mention Wang Xiangxiu’s feelings for Gu Xinguo.
The young couple had only recently married, and their relationship was not yet completely stable. Grandma feared that telling Shen Jiao might create unnecessary suspicion between them.
Still, she warned Shen Jiao not to associate too closely with Wang Naozi’s family.
“Grandma, you truly see things clearly. There’s something wrong with that woman’s head. She came here and immediately demanded that I teach her sewing. Isn’t that ridiculous? I don’t mind teaching other people, but I can’t accept absolutely everyone.”
Grandma felt immensely relieved.
Fortunately, after her grandson’s divorce, he had immediately remarried Shen Jiao. Otherwise, with Wang Naozi’s family constantly interfering, who knew how long his marriage would have been delayed?
“That’s right. How can you casually teach other people a skill that supports an entire family?”
After comparing Shen Jiao with Wang Xiangxiu, Grandma found Shen Jiao increasingly pleasing.
People truly did fear comparison.
Although Shen Jiao had been married before and had no maternal family to support her, she was outstanding in both ability and appearance. Her grandson had certainly not suffered by marrying her.
Grandma did not ask to go out again that day.
Shen Jiao still had work to finish, and this was the first paid commission she had ever accepted. She needed to complete it as perfectly as possible so that she could build a reputation.
Shen Jiao spent the entire morning making clothes.
Her five newly accepted apprentices had all gone to the commune’s supply and marketing cooperative to buy the necessary sewing tools: measuring tapes, tailor’s chalk, pencils, and rulers.
They would even need to draw clothing patterns, so those supplies were essential.
They could only officially begin studying under Shen Jiao that evening. After all, they still had to work during the day to earn work points.
“Jiaojiao, should I prepare some things too? I don’t have anything at all. Will I fall behind?”
When Gu Xinmin returned from her morning work and heard that everyone else had gone to the commune to buy sewing supplies, she immediately became flustered.
She had prepared absolutely nothing.
“I didn’t think it through properly. At first, you were the only person I was teaching, so you could use my tools. Now that there are more people, I might not be able to take care of you.”
“I’ll take the afternoon off and go to the commune to buy everything.”
Gu Xinmin was decisive by nature.
It was already generous enough that Shen Jiao was willing to teach her a valuable skill. How could she expect Shen Jiao to prepare her tools too?
She did not have skin that thick.
True to her word, Gu Xinmin took the afternoon off and went to the commune to buy supplies.
Meanwhile, several more people came to the Gu residence hoping to study sewing under Shen Jiao.
She rejected them all.
She already had a ready-made excuse: Grandma was in poor health, and Shen Jiao could not teach too many people by herself.
The families who were rejected naturally felt unhappy.
After returning home, they began spreading gossip about Shen Jiao throughout the village. They claimed she was a snob who only taught members of the Party secretary’s and brigade captain’s families while ignoring everyone else.
They even brought up the fact that Shen Jiao had been divorced and repeated the rumour that she had refused to save someone’s life.
After all, only a few days had passed since those rumours first spread, so everyone still remembered them.
However, Shen Jiao had not accepted apprentices for nothing.
The Party secretary’s family and the brigade captain’s family immediately stepped forward to suppress the rumours.
So what if Shen Jiao had been divorced? She had not eaten their family’s rice, so why were they sticking their noses into other people’s affairs like dogs chasing mice?
As for the claim that Shen Jiao had refused to save someone, who had witnessed it?
If no one had seen it, then it was slander.
Serious slander was a criminal offence and could send someone to a labour reform camp.
The two families joined forces with Eldest Grandma’s family and Wang Chengjun’s parents. Before the rumours could truly spread, they were firmly suppressed.
This showed just how successful Grandma’s strategy had been.
There was a reason people said that having an elderly person in the family was like possessing a treasure.
After dinner, representatives from the Party secretary’s family, the brigade captain’s family, Zhao Zhi’s family, and Eldest Grandma’s family brought the younger women who would be studying sewing to the Gu residence.
They did not arrive empty-handed.
Each family brought ten jin of white flour, two jin of brown sugar, and twenty eggs as apprenticeship gifts.
It appeared that the families had discussed the matter beforehand.
Although the gifts were not particularly expensive, they represented the families’ sincerity.
Shen Jiao was willing to teach their younger generation a skill that could support a household. That was an enormous favour. In their opinion, these gifts were far too little.
From now on, Shen Jiao would be treated like a biological daughter of their three families.
As long as those families remained in Shuanma Village, they would never allow anyone to bully her.
“Xinguo’s Grandma, Jiaojiao, you must accept these things. Jiaojiao is willing to teach the younger members of our families a valuable skill, so we cannot allow her to suffer a loss.
“Consider these their apprenticeship gifts. From now on, we’re entrusting these girls to Jiaojiao. Whenever you need something done, just tell them to run errands. If they can’t handle it, then you still have us. Don’t be polite with us.”
Eldest Grandma spoke as the representative of the three families.
Her household had the largest number of people studying sewing, and she was also the closest relative to Shen Jiao’s family, making her the most suitable person to speak.
“They’re all good children. You can safely entrust them to Jiaojiao. None of us are outsiders, and Jiaojiao isn’t one of those old-fashioned masters from the old society who deliberately work their apprentices to the bone.
“However, I’ll say the unpleasant words first. As the saying goes, a master opens the door, but cultivation depends on the individual.
“Jiaojiao will teach all of them equally. As for how much they learn and how skilled they eventually become, that will depend on their own understanding.
“Don’t let someone perform poorly and then turn around and accuse Jiaojiao of favouritism.”
Grandma had voiced Shen Jiao’s exact concern.
Teaching people sewing was supposed to be a good deed. Shen Jiao did not want to spend all her energy helping them only to receive resentment in return.
“Xinguo’s Grandma, Jiaojiao, all our families are present today, so let us make this perfectly clear.
“Jiaojiao only needs to teach them. Whatever they manage to learn will depend entirely on their own ability.
“If anyone ever blames Jiaojiao over this matter, then the Shuanma Village production brigade will have no place for such a person.”
The Party secretary’s and brigade captain’s families established the rules together.
They also sternly warned the five women who wished to study under Shen Jiao.
“We would never blame Comrade Shen Jiao. How much we learn will depend on our own ability.”
After all five women declared their position, Shen Jiao officially accepted them as apprentices.
No, there should actually have been six apprentices.
Gu Xinmin was also one of them.
When she saw the other families arriving with apprenticeship gifts, she immediately hurried back home to prepare her own.
She had already prepared the gifts the previous night and had originally planned to bring them over that evening.
However, she had gone to the commune to purchase sewing tools. After returning, she had excitedly headed towards Shen Jiao’s home, eager to show her what she had bought.
Who would have expected her to spot several families carrying apprenticeship gifts from a distance?
She immediately turned around and went home to fetch hers.
By the time she returned to the Gu residence, the Party secretary, the brigade captain, and the others had already gone home.
They had agreed that formal lessons would begin the following evening. Tonight had mainly been for the apprenticeship ceremony.
“They’ve all left? I thought lessons were starting tonight.”
“We agreed to begin officially tomorrow evening. Sister, why did you bring so many things?”
“They’re my apprenticeship gifts, of course. Everyone else studying sewing brought gifts. How can I be treated differently?”
“Why can’t you be treated differently? You’re my own sister. Why would I need those formalities to teach my sister a skill?”
“It isn’t as though I lack these things. Besides, my family of four has been eating here every day. Shouldn’t I at least contribute some grain?”
Shen Jiao tried to refuse again, but Grandma made the decision to accept the gifts.
Since Xinmin was coming to learn a skill, giving apprenticeship gifts was appropriate.
Moreover, regardless of the reason, her family had indeed eaten at the Gu residence for many days.
Even close brothers had to keep clear accounts.
They could not allow such trivial matters to damage the affection between the siblings.
After Gu Xinmin’s family left that evening, Shen Jiao did not rest or sit and talk with Grandma as she usually did.
Instead, she worked late into the night to finish Jiang Ailian’s outfit.
Gu Xinguo would return the following day. If he brought back the defective fabric she had asked him to find, she would become busy again.
There was still some fabric left after making the clothes Jiang Ailian had requested.
Shen Jiao planned to use it to make two pairs of pillow towels and several handkerchiefs. She would then embroider flowers onto them with the sewing machine.
As her first customer, Jiang Ailian naturally deserved some special treatment.
Whether Shen Jiao could attract more business before opening her tailoring shop would largely depend on how effectively Jiang Ailian promoted her.
After finishing the clothes, Shen Jiao slept directly beside Grandma on the kang.
Perhaps because Grandma had spent the previous day outside, her health seemed to have worsened again.
At dinner that evening, she had eaten nearly half a bowl less than the previous day.
Under such circumstances, how could Shen Jiao feel comfortable leaving Grandma to sleep alone?
In the middle of the night, Shen Jiao suddenly heard a faint rustling sound coming from the courtyard.
She jolted awake, and every trace of sleep immediately vanished.
Only she and Grandma were at home.
Grandma was ill, but even if she had been perfectly healthy, the two women would not have been able to resist a thief.
What should Shen Jiao do?
Her gaze landed on the scissors inside the sewing basket atop the sewing machine.
She quietly climbed out of bed, picked up the scissors, and hid behind the door.
If the thief broke in, she planned to stab a bloody hole into him.
She listened silently to the movements outside.
The person first went into the eastern side room. He did not appear to stay there for long before heading towards the main room.
Shen Jiao’s entire body tensed.
She held her breath, waiting to strike the moment the thief entered.
Gu Xinguo had not expected that after rushing home as quickly as possible, he would be welcomed by his wife’s scissors.
Had he not previously served in the army and retained fairly good reflexes, he would already have been injured.
“Brother Gu, you frightened me to death! I thought you were a thief.”
Shen Jiao threw herself into Gu Xinguo’s arms. She raised her small fists and struck his chest several times before finally stopping.
Gu Xinguo allowed her to vent her fear.
Holding his wife’s soft, fragrant body, he suddenly realised how much he had missed her.
While travelling for work, apart from worrying about Grandma’s health, the person he had missed most was Shen Jiao.
Gu Xinguo finally had someone to miss and a home where he could safely rest.
The woman in his arms had given him everything he had always longed for.
Every time he thought about her during the two days he had spent away, his heart had filled with warmth.
That was why, after returning to Linqing County, he had not stayed overnight at the transport team as he usually did, even though it was already late.
Instead, he had ridden his bicycle home through the darkness.
Now that he was holding her in his arms, he knew he had made the right decision by returning.
However, he seemed to have frightened her badly.
“Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid.”
Gu Xinguo did not know how to coax people.
Faced with his young wife’s complaints, he could only mechanically pat her back and repeatedly tell her not to be afraid.
“Brother Gu, did you find a good doctor in City A?”
Gu Xinguo sighed.
“I took Grandma’s medical records to several hospitals and consulted a few famous doctors, but none of them could do anything. Has Grandma been all right these past two days?”
After Shen Jiao explained Grandma’s condition, Gu Xinguo’s heart sank.
He tightened his arms around Shen Jiao and lowered his head into the curve of her neck, drawing in a deep breath as though trying to absorb strength from her.
“From now on, let Grandma eat whatever she wants and do whatever she wishes. Don’t restrict her because of her health anymore. I don’t want her to spend the final days of her life feeling stifled.”
“All right. Grandma has always wanted to eat savoury tofu pudding. I’ll make some for her tomorrow.”
Because Grandma’s health was poor, Gu Xinguo remained in her room with Shen Jiao.
He went outside to fetch water and wash away the dust from his journey. Then he returned, lay down on the kang, and held Shen Jiao’s soft body.
Only then did the heaviness caused by Grandma’s condition ease slightly.
“Brother Gu, did you manage to buy the fabric for me?”
Shen Jiao still remembered what she had asked Gu Xinguo to do.
The fabric was not essential to opening her tailoring shop, but if she obtained it, she could earn additional money from it.
Although the country was beginning to show signs of reform and opening up, the situation remained unstable.
As an ordinary citizen with neither authority nor influence, she could not make any large moves yet.
Otherwise, when circumstances changed, she might not even know where to go and cry.
For now, she needed to accumulate her initial capital.
Once the situation became clearer, she could spread her wings and establish a business of her own.
“I bought several bolts, but the defects are fairly serious. I’m afraid they can’t be used to make clothes.”
“Thank you, Brother Gu! You’re amazing!”
What did serious defects matter?
The most important part of making clothes was emphasising strengths and concealing weaknesses.
That principle did not only apply to a person’s figure. It also applied to fabric.
Everything depended on the tailor’s clever design.
Although there were only a few bolts, they would be enough for Shen Jiao to make sample garments.
Her wife’s eyes sparkled brightly, filled with admiration for him.
Gu Xinguo immediately felt his blood heat.
Had they not been inside Grandma’s room, he would certainly have loved her properly.
Shen Jiao then told Gu Xinguo about the five new apprentices she had accepted.
When Gu Xinguo heard their names and realised they were all well-behaved women who did not cause trouble, he relaxed.
He did not care about anything else. He was only afraid that someone might create problems for his wife.
After all, she was an outsider who had married into the village and had no maternal family to support her.
What if someone bullied her while he was away?
“Since you’ve accepted them, carry the favour through to the end and teach them properly. It doesn’t matter whether you teach them your greatest secrets, but at the very least, they should be able to make several garments independently.
“Only then will the families behind them sincerely protect you.”
“I understand. Since I’ve decided to do a good deed, I might as well see it through to the end.”
Seeing that Shen Jiao understood what he meant, Gu Xinguo tightened his arms around her.
At that moment, he felt incomparably grateful that he had accepted her proposal.
Otherwise, he would have missed the treasure currently lying in his arms.
Grandma awoke early the following morning.
When she saw that her grandson had returned, she was naturally overjoyed.
She held Gu Xinguo’s hand and refused to release it. Only when it was time to eat did she reluctantly let go.
Her grandson had a job and needed to earn money to support the family. He could not remain at home with her every day.
And with her body in its current condition, she naturally wanted to look at him as much as possible whenever he was home.
“Brother Gu, will you have to travel again after returning this time? How many days can you stay at home?”
Shen Jiao’s question was precisely what Grandma wanted to know.
She stared expectantly at her grandson, awaiting his answer.
Being watched by the two women he cared about most made Gu Xinguo’s heart soften. Even his voice became gentler.
“I applied for an internal position. I won’t be travelling for work for the foreseeable future.”
His answer caused both the older and younger woman to beam with delight.
Seeing them so happy also made Gu Xinguo happy.
His repeated requests to his superior had not been in vain.
Considering Grandma’s health, he truly could no longer drive to distant places without distraction.
Gu Xinmin’s family was also extremely happy that Gu Xinguo had returned.
Of course, the happiest people were the two little rascals, Xiaodong and Xiaobei.
Their uncle had brought them White Rabbit milk candies.
Those were rare treats they usually ate only during the New Year. Moreover, their uncle had bought them an entire bag, enough to last for a very long time.
“I’ll keep these for you. You’re only allowed two each day. If you eat too many, your teeth will hurt.”
“My teeth won’t hurt! My teeth are very strong. Look, Mother!”
Xiaobei could not accept that the White Rabbit candies he had only just received were being mercilessly confiscated by his mother.
He opened his mouth wide and displayed his white teeth.
His foolish expression earned him a slap on the back of the head from his mother.
“What’s so strong about them? By the time they start hurting, it’ll be too late to regret it.”
Seeing that his younger brother’s resistance had failed, Xiaodong did not attempt anything himself.
He could only watch helplessly as their mother placed the White Rabbit candies inside her own bag while saying something utterly heartless.
“Xinguo, when you travel for work in the future, don’t waste money buying things for these two little rascals. They never know when they’ve had enough. No matter how good something is, they’ll only waste it.”
Xiaodong and Xiaobei both wore expressions of complete despair.
Was this woman truly their biological mother?
Not only did she refuse to buy them delicious things, but she would not even allow their uncle to buy any.
“As long as it enters their stomachs, it can’t be considered wasted.”
“Uncle is right!”
Xiaobei never knew how to read the situation.
The moment he finished speaking, his mother struck him on the head again.
“Right about what?”
Xiaodong wanted to cover his face.
He truly did not know this idiotic younger brother.
Couldn’t Xiaobei understand that silence was golden at a moment like this?
Gu Xinguo then took out the fabric and floral water he had bought for Shen Jiao.
After Gu Xinmin learned what the fabric would be used for, she and Shen Jiao immediately began inspecting it inch by inch.
As for the floral water, Gu Xinmin did not even glance at it.
It was something that looked useful but was not.
Not only was it extremely expensive, but it did not even keep mosquitoes away properly. Its scent was also so harsh that it made people choke.
She truly could not understand why anyone liked the stuff.
Since Gu Xinguo happened to be home that day and Shen Jiao had completed Jiang Ailian’s clothes, the couple decided to enter the county town to deliver them.
Moreover, after getting married, they should have visited Master Lin’s family anyway.
They asked Gu Xinmin to take the day off and look after Grandma while they went into town.
“Go ahead. Leave everything at home to me.”
Gu Xinmin waved her hand readily and told them to attend to their own business.
She also understood how important this delivery was.
It would determine whether Shen Jiao could successfully open up the urban market.
This time, they did not take the bus to Linqing County.
Instead, Gu Xinguo rode his bicycle with Shen Jiao seated on the rear rack.
Sitting behind him, Shen Jiao truly wanted to wrap her arms around his waist like the young couples of later generations.
However, after glancing at the people around them, she decided against it.
If she truly did that, they might be invited to the police station for tea.
After the couple left, a slender and graceful figure emerged from the entrance of the village.
She stared painfully at their receding backs.
Brother Xinguo truly had been bewitched by that woman Shen Jiao.
She had heard that he had already visited Shen Jiao’s hometown. That meant he must have discovered Shen Jiao’s true nature.
How could he still treasure such a vicious woman?
Shouldn’t he have divorced her?
That was it.
It must be because Shen Jiao knew how to sew and could earn money for herself. That was why Brother Gu valued her so much.
If Wang Xiangxiu also learned sewing and could earn money, would Brother Xinguo finally notice her good qualities?
At that thought, she clenched her fists and made a decision.
She turned and walked towards the village’s elderly tailor’s home.
She had heard that the old tailor had learned his craft in a large city when he was young.
His proper, formally learned skill had to be better than the crude village methods Shen Jiao had picked up.
If Wang Xiangxiu could defeat Shen Jiao in sewing, Brother Xinguo would surely discover how wonderful she was.
She did not stop to consider that if the elderly tailor had been willing to accept apprentices, he and his son would not have remained the only two tailors in the village.
Without receiving an enormous price, why would he teach another person the skill that supported his household and create someone who could compete for his livelihood?
“Uncle Li, are you home?”
“Who is it?”
A slightly hunched old man emerged from the house.
When he saw Wang Xiangxiu, he assumed she had come to invite him to make clothes at her home.
In the countryside, families could generally hire a tailor to work in their own homes. They had to pay him by the day and provide lunch.
“So it’s Xiangxiu. Does your family need clothes made? Let me make this clear in advance. It’s two yuan per day, paid in full on the spot. No credit.
“You’ll also provide one meal. It can’t be poor food either. It must be noodles made entirely from white flour. Not one strand less.”
“Uncle, I didn’t come to ask you to make clothes. I wanted to ask whether you accept apprentices.
“I heard Shen Jiao from the Gu family has accepted six apprentices. She only learned some crude village methods. How could she possibly compare with you?
“You learned proper sewing skills in a large city. If even she accepts apprentices while you refuse, wouldn’t that make it seem as though you were inferior to her?”
Wang Xiangxiu was clever enough to use Shen Jiao as leverage.
Unfortunately, she had miscalculated.
The elderly tailor had guarded his skills closely for many years.
What sort of people hoping to learn from him had he not encountered before?
He saw through Wang Xiangxiu’s little trick at a glance.
“I don’t accept apprentices. The family’s sewing skills are passed down only to our own relatives.”
“Uncle Li!”
“Leave. Hurry up and go before I drive you out.”
Wang Xiangxiu left dejectedly.
However, she had no intention of giving up.
She had come too hastily today and had not prepared properly.
After returning home, she would think of a way to make the old tailor accept her.
“Old man, the daughter of Wang Naozi’s family hasn’t been promised to anyone yet, has she?”
“What are you suggesting? I’m warning you, I refuse to become relatives by marriage with Wang Naozi’s family.
“Everyone knows their daughter is like a rat. She specialises in carrying things away from her husband’s household to support her maternal family.
“Aren’t you afraid she’ll empty our entire home?”
“Then find our son a decent-looking girl yourself.”
Their son was the old couple’s greatest source of pain.
Their family possessed tailoring skills, so they had never lacked food or clothing, and their household circumstances were fairly good.
Logically speaking, their son should not have struggled to find a wife.
Unfortunately, he had suffered from polio and one of his legs was disabled.
He was their only son, and the family did not lack money. When he was young, they had even taken him to a large hospital in the capital.
Even the doctors there had been unable to help him.
Fortunately, he still had one leg capable of operating the sewing machine, and the family possessed a tailoring trade. They did not need to worry about how he would support himself in the future.
However, no genuinely good young woman was willing to marry a cripple.
Women with poor appearances and widows did not mind, but his family looked down on them.
After delaying year after year, their son was already twenty-five and still had not married.
“Father, Mother, I want to marry Wang Xiangxiu.”
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