Grandma told Shen Jiao what she had in mind. Shen Jiao’s nose immediately stung with emotion.
She had only been married into the Gu family for a few days, yet these few days had brought her more care and affection than she had received across both of her lifetimes combined.
“Grandma, you know Shuanma Village better than I do. You can decide how to arrange everything. I’ll listen to you.”
Seeing that Shen Jiao understood what she meant, Grandma nodded approvingly to herself once again.
It was always better to be perceptive when dealing with people than to be a wooden block who understood nothing. Although Shen Jiao could sometimes be rather stiff when handling personal relationships, she listened to other people’s advice and understood when something was being done for her own good. That was enough.
It was certainly better than putting on airs and pretending to be too noble for everyone else.
Shen Jiao glanced outside and saw that the sun had already climbed high into the sky. She even stepped outside to test the temperature herself. The sunlight felt warm and pleasant against her skin, so she found Grandma’s padded jacket, helped her put it on, and prepared to push her outside for a stroll.
“Let me wear that new jacket you made for me.”
“All right. I’ll go and get it for you now.”
It was a purplish-red jacket.
When she married Gu Xinguo, Shen Jiao had made Grandma two sets of clothing. One was dark blue, while the other was this purplish-red set. The purplish-red one was superior to the dark-blue one in its design, fabric, and workmanship, but Grandma had complained that the colour was far too bright and had stubbornly refused to wear it. In the end, she had worn the dark-blue outfit instead.
Now that Grandma had suddenly asked for the purplish-red jacket, Shen Jiao hurried to fetch it, afraid that if she was too slow, Grandma might change her mind.
After putting on the purplish-red jacket, Grandma ran her rough hands over the fabric, her eyes filled with memories.
When had she last worn such a bright colour?
It had been so long that she could no longer remember. She only recalled that when she married her old man, he had bought her a piece of fabric redder than the couplets pasted up during the New Year.
That had been the prettiest outfit she had ever worn.
“It’s been so many years since I wore such a bright colour.”
“Grandma, you should dress like this more often. This colour complements your complexion and makes you look much healthier. You look at least ten years younger.”
“Hahaha! My face is already as wrinkled as old tree bark. How much difference can a colour possibly make? Still, this colour does look festive. Why didn’t I wear it on the day you married Xinguo? The older I get, the fussier I become.”
Grandma truly regretted it.
It was only a brightly coloured outfit. Other people could say whatever they pleased. She did not have many days left to live anyway. Why could she not spend them doing whatever made her happy?
“Grandma, you were only being modest and thrifty. Besides, Xinguo and I have only been married for a few days. We’re still newlyweds, and the festive atmosphere in our family hasn’t faded yet. This outfit suits the occasion perfectly.”
Grandma smiled and pointed at her.
This girl’s mouth really could not produce an unpleasant sentence.
Still, that was a good thing. Her grandson rarely spoke, so the two of them complemented each other perfectly. Otherwise, the house would be so silent that it would feel cold and deserted.
“Oh my! Xinguo’s Grandma, you’ve finally decided to come outside. And look at how smartly you’ve dressed today! You’re already as dried-up as old tree bark. Are you thinking of remarrying?”
The speaker was an elderly woman around Grandma’s age and of the same generation. She looked somewhat healthier than Grandma, although she walked with a cane.
“Bah! You’re already halfway into your coffin, yet you still can’t speak seriously.”
The woman did not get angry. Instead, she approached and reached out with her thin, withered hand to touch Grandma’s jacket.
Grandma immediately raised a hand to stop her.
This was a brand-new outfit. What if the old woman ruined it by touching it?
“Jiaojiao, this is Third Grandma from the Li family.”
“Hello, Third Grandma!”
“Good, good. This young wife is much prettier than the one before her. Your Xinguo—”
“Cough! Cough, cough! Third Li’s wife, I still have other places to visit. You can stay here and bask in the sun by yourself.”
Grandma truly did not want to deal with this old woman anymore.
She had lived an entire lifetime and still did not know what she should and should not say. What did she mean by mentioning An Qing right in front of Jiaojiao? Was she trying to cause trouble between Jiaojiao and Xinguo?
No wonder none of her daughters-in-law treated her well. She had spent her entire life muddle-headed and tactless.
“I’ll go with you.”
“You’d better not. Your legs aren’t steady. If you fall by accident, who will be held responsible?”
Grandma had no intention of letting the old woman follow them. Who knew what other foolish things she might say and how badly she might anger her?
She gestured for Shen Jiao to continue pushing her forward.
Grandma wanted to visit the river on the southern side of the village. She had washed clothes there for several decades, and the people she wanted to see today would also be there.
“Where are you going, Sister-in-law?”
They had not gone far when they encountered another familiar person.
Shen Jiao recognised this woman too. She was Gu Xinguo’s Eldest Grandma, Gu Xinjun’s biological Grandma, Li Xiuhong.
She was two years older than Grandma, yet she was in much better health. She could still eat well, drink well, and earn work points with the production team.
She was also sturdily built and lacked Grandma’s delicate, attractive features.
The two women had been sisters-in-law for an entire lifetime and had competed with each other frequently when they were young. Even now, their relationship remained rather distant. Fortunately, they could at least sit together and speak calmly these days.
“Eldest Sister-in-law, you didn’t go to work today? I’m just taking a casual stroll.”
“I haven’t been feeling very well today, so I decided to take the day off. But I couldn’t sit still at home, so I thought I’d dig up some wild vegetables.”
“Don’t go today. Let the two of us sisters-in-law sit down and have a proper talk. I have one fewer day left every day that passes. We’ve been sisters-in-law for an entire lifetime, but we’ve hardly ever had a proper conversation.”
Grandma’s words suddenly made Eldest Grandma’s eyes sting.
They were old now and no longer possessed the fierce pride of their youth.
Looking back on the lives they had lived, neither of them had been willing to yield when they were young. Now that they were old, they no longer had the strength to fight. Yet they had fought so fiercely in their youth that when they eventually wanted to improve their relationship, neither of them knew how to begin.
They had delayed it again and again.
Now her younger sister-in-law was clearly nearing the end of her life. Although Eldest Grandma could still move around, she also suffered from one ailment after another.
If they did not reconcile now, they truly might never have another opportunity.
What exactly had they spent their entire lives fighting over?
“All right, I won’t go. The two of us sisters-in-law will sit down and have a good talk. Come on, why don’t we go to my house? You haven’t visited in a long time. Xinjun recently built a new red-brick room, and you haven’t seen it yet.”
“All right. Let’s go and have a look.”
Grandma abandoned her plan to visit the river and directly asked Shen Jiao to push her to her elder brother-in-law’s house.
No one was at home at that hour. The adults had gone to work, the older children had gone to school, and no one knew where the younger children had run off to play.
Not only did Eldest Grandma’s family have more rooms than Gu Xinguo’s family, but their courtyard was also larger, with both a front and a rear section.
Eldest Grandma had given birth to two sons and a daughter and lived with her eldest son. Her eldest son had also had two sons, and the family had not yet divided the household. However, they had already separated the courtyard into front and rear sections. When the time came to divide the family, they would only need to open another entrance.
“Eldest Sister-in-law’s house is still so spacious and bright.”
Originally, the two families had only quarrelled over trivial household matters. That alone would not have caused their relationship to become so distant.
Ultimately, the real source of their conflict had been the house.
Eldest Grandma’s house was the family’s ancestral home. It had many rooms and a large plot of land. When the household had been divided, both families had wanted the old residence, but it had ultimately gone to the eldest son’s family.
The eldest household belonged to the firstborn son and also had more children, so they naturally held the advantage.
Grandma understood the reasoning, but she had still been unable to accept it.
The ancestral house was so much better. Although it was not new, it had been built from grey bricks. More importantly, the land was large and there were many rooms.
Their own new residence had also been built from grey bricks, but at the time, it had consisted of only five main rooms. No matter how she calculated it, they had received the worse end of the bargain.
That was how resentment had formed between the two families. Their relationship had remained strained for many years, and after Grandma’s husband passed away, the families had almost completely stopped visiting one another.
Now, as Grandma looked at the residence that had caused the two families’ relationship to freeze over, she honestly still felt a little uncomfortable.
But it was only a little.
So many years had passed, and she herself would soon be gone. What was there left to hold on to?
Only when people truly grew old did they understand that material possessions were the least important things in life.
What mattered was that the family remained safe, healthy, and united.
“You! After all these years, you’re still thinking about this house. I’m not criticising you, but our household belonged to the eldest son. We were naturally supposed to inherit the ancestral residence. Yet you stayed angry over it for all these years.”
“Wasn’t I young and hot-headed back then? Only after growing old did I realise there was no point fighting over those things. What matters is using your own two hands to build a good life.”
“Hahaha! I had to wait until we were old before I finally heard a few soft words from you. But you’re right. Being able to build a good life through your own ability is what truly counts. Why couldn’t we understand that when we were young?”
As she spoke, Eldest Grandma took Grandma’s hand. Her eyes grew moist.
“We’ve competed against each other for our entire lives, but we’ve never spoken so peacefully before. We’ve only just untied the knot between us, so you must take good care of yourself. I haven’t spent enough time with you yet.”
“All right, I’ll take care of myself. You must take care of yourself too.”
The two sisters-in-law, who had fought for an entire lifetime, finally achieved their historic reconciliation.
Shen Jiao was happy for them.
She did not interrupt their conversation and quietly faded into the background, listening as the two elderly women reminisced about the past.
As they continued talking, the topic eventually turned to her.
“Xinguo’s wife is a good girl. Not only is she capable, but she is also filial towards me. She’s generous too. When she saw how difficult life was for Xinmin’s family, she actually offered to teach her sewing skills to Xinmin. Who doesn’t keep a valuable skill hidden so they can preserve it for their own family? Yet when she says she’ll teach, she teaches without holding anything back.”
Shen Jiao smiled as she listened to Grandma praising her.
Someone else might have blushed, but unfortunately, blushing was not a skill she possessed.
How could Eldest Grandma fail to understand what her younger sister-in-law was doing? She was merely showing off her granddaughter-in-law.
Still, considering that Grandma did not have much time left, Eldest Grandma unusually played along and offered Shen Jiao a few words of praise.
“Eldest Sister-in-law, don’t say I forget you whenever something good comes along. You’ve already seen how generous our Jiaojiao is. If anyone in your family wants to learn sewing, have them come to our house and study under Jiaojiao. Jiaojiao definitely won’t keep anything secret.”
After all that talking, it was these final few sentences that truly moved Eldest Grandma.
The members of her family were all hardworking, but there were too many mouths to feed. They had also built a new room this year and accumulated a considerable amount of debt.
Recently, the family had been worrying about how to earn more money. If someone in the family could truly learn sewing, they would gain another source of income.
“Really? Jiaojiao is willing to teach?”
“Eldest Grandma, just send them over. I promise I won’t hold anything back. However, whether they can learn and how much they manage to master will depend on their own effort and understanding. My energy is limited, so I can’t teach too many people. How about one person from each uncle’s household?”
After receiving Shen Jiao’s promise, Eldest Grandma stood up excitedly and took Shen Jiao’s hand, repeatedly praising her as a good child.
“Merely calling her a good child is useless. You have to truly remember Jiaojiao’s kindness in your heart.”
Eldest Grandma shot Grandma an exasperated glance.
Did she think she could not understand what she was trying to accomplish?
Eldest Grandma turned to Shen Jiao and spoke with particular sincerity.
“Jiaojiao, you are a daughter-in-law of our Gu family. If anyone in the village dares to bully you, come and tell Eldest Grandma. I’ll stand up for you!”
“Thank you, Eldest Grandma. With those words from you, I’ll practically be able to walk sideways through the village from now on.”
“Is that all the ambition you have?”
Grandma smilingly scolded Shen Jiao.
Half of her goal for today had already been achieved, and Grandma felt extremely pleased.
She could come out again in the afternoon and draw a few more people to their side.
Eldest Grandma’s family had to be won over. In terms of blood relations, they were among the closest relatives, and the family’s character was also reasonably decent.
Several years ago, when Xinguo was still young and fought with other boys in the village, everyone else had brothers who would join the fight, while he had always been alone and suffered countless losses.
Later, Xinjun and his brothers could no longer stand watching it. They helped Xinguo in several fights, and only then did he stop being the one who was constantly bullied.
Once Grandma was gone, Xinguo and Shen Jiao would still be young. Without an elder nearby to guide them, they could easily take the wrong path. Moreover, Xinguo had no brothers, so when something happened, he would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
If two places among Shen Jiao’s sewing students could win the support of Eldest Grandma’s entire family, then it was a worthwhile exchange.
“It’s getting late. We should go home for lunch. Eldest Sister-in-law, once your family decides who will learn sewing, have them come directly to our house and find Jiaojiao.”
“Younger Sister-in-law, stay and eat lunch here. Why go home? You’ll only have to start cooking from scratch.”
“No. Xinmin’s family has been eating at our house these past two days, so we have to go back and prepare food for them too. Next time. I’ll definitely taste your cooking then. It’s been so many years since I last had it.”
Unable to persuade them to stay, Eldest Grandma personally saw Grandma and Shen Jiao out.
Grandma was tired after spending so long outside. When they returned home, Shen Jiao immediately helped her onto the kang to lie down while she went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Gu Xinmin’s family returned from work at the usual time. As soon as she arrived, Xinmin asked whether Shen Jiao had pushed Grandma around the village that morning.
“Yes. The weather was nice today, and Grandma was getting bored at home, so I pushed her out for a walk. We later ran into Eldest Grandma and visited her house for a while.”
“I was wondering why everyone was talking about Grandma’s clothes after work. Those idle old women are just jealous and can’t say a single pleasant thing. If Chengjun hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve torn their mouths apart.”
“What did they say? Grandma only wore a new outfit. How does that affect them?”
“They simply can’t stand seeing other people doing well.”
Shen Jiao was speechless.
These people truly had nothing better to do. Someone else could not even wear a new outfit without them stirring up trouble.
She was thoroughly impressed by their ability to create conflict out of nothing.
She also finally understood why Grandma had not dared to wear anything brightly coloured on the day of the wedding.
“Let them say whatever they want. Their words won’t tear a piece of flesh from us. What matters is that we’re comfortable and happy.”
“Jiaojiao is right. Our own comfort is what matters. If I didn’t get filthy working in the fields every day, I’d wear new clothes constantly and make them die of jealousy.”
Although Gu Xinmin was furious with those troublemakers, she did not mention the matter at all during lunch because she did not want to upset Grandma.
“Grandma, you should have dressed like this long ago. Not only does this purplish-red colour make you look much younger, but it also looks wonderfully festive. Now that you have a clever granddaughter-in-law like Jiaojiao, you’ll never lack new clothes again.”
“Even food can’t stop your mouth. I’ll wear whatever I please. Is it any of your business?”
Gu Xinmin inexplicably received an annoyed glare from Grandma and was completely baffled.
How had she offended Grandma?
She looked towards Shen Jiao for help, but Shen Jiao gave her a helpless look. She had no idea what was wrong with Grandma either.
In truth, Grandma felt irritated whenever she looked at Gu Xinmin.
Wearing a new outfit had suddenly reminded her that although she had raised this granddaughter for so many years, she had hardly ever worn clothes personally made for her by Xinmin.
Of course, the padded jackets and trousers Xinmin normally made for her did not count.
However, after snapping at Gu Xinmin, Grandma regretted it.
This granddaughter had always been quite filial to her. Grandma had grown too old to sew, and nearly all her padded jackets and trousers had been made by Xinmin, who always used good-quality cotton.
Therefore, when Grandma spoke again, her tone softened.
“Xinmin, your mother-in-law came by this morning. She heard that you were learning sewing from Jiaojiao and also wanted your younger sister-in-law to study with her. I haven’t agreed yet, although Jiaojiao did say she was willing to teach her.
“I thought that since Jiaojiao is going to teach, she may as well teach several people. Once they have a master-and-disciple relationship, Jiaojiao will have more people in the village willing to support her. For now, I have given your Eldest Grandma’s family two places. I’m also considering giving one place each to the Party secretary’s family and the production brigade captain’s family.
“I’m telling you this because once Jiaojiao teaches more people, it may affect your future business. But you mustn’t blame Jiaojiao. I made this decision.”
Gu Xinmin froze.
She had only gone to work for one morning, yet so many things had happened.
However, she had no objection to Shen Jiao teaching sewing to several more people. The skill belonged to Shen Jiao in the first place. She had the right to teach whomever she pleased.
Besides, Shen Jiao was her own younger brother’s wife. No matter what happened, she would never treat Xinmin unfairly.
“Grandma, why would I blame Jiaojiao? The skill belongs to her. She has the right to teach anyone she wants. Besides, she didn’t forget me. I was still the first person she taught.
“As for affecting my future business, I haven’t even thought that far ahead. If there isn’t enough work in the village, we’ll go to the city. Look at Jiaojiao. Because her skills are good enough, people from the city personally come looking for her.”
She certainly had an open mind.
As long as the sisters-in-law did not develop resentment towards one another, Grandma was satisfied. The thing she least wanted to see was discord within the family.
However, after lunch, Gu Xinmin still pulled Shen Jiao aside and questioned her about taking apprentices.
It was not that she opposed Shen Jiao accepting other students. She was afraid that the whole thing had merely been Grandma’s wishful thinking and that Shen Jiao had agreed to teach so many people only because she had felt unable to refuse.
“Sister, you really can’t blame Grandma for this. She only made the arrangements after receiving my agreement. Grandma isn’t the sort of person who acts dictatorially. She’s doing this for me and for the good of the entire family.”
As long as that was the case, everything was fine.
Gu Xinmin sighed in relief, only for a new worry to arise.
Her younger sister-in-law was far too generous.
It was already enough that she allowed Xinmin’s entire family to eat and drink at their house. Now she was casually teaching other people a skill that could support an entire household.
No, Gu Xinmin would have to keep a closer eye on her in the future. She could not allow Shen Jiao to be taken advantage of.
On the way back to work, Gu Xinmin told her husband, Wang Chengjun, about the matter.
Wang Chengjun did not know whether to laugh or cry at her reasoning.
If her younger sister-in-law had been stingy, Xinmin would certainly have disliked her. Now that her younger sister-in-law was generous, she was worried again.
He truly did not understand what went on inside her head.
“Just put your mind at ease. Xinguo and his wife don’t look like people who act without planning. They certainly won’t let themselves suffer a loss.”
No matter what Wang Chengjun said, Gu Xinmin remained uneasy.
She decided that when she returned home, she would bring some grain to her maternal family. She could not continue eating her younger brother’s food every day while his wife taught her a valuable skill and offer absolutely nothing in return.
Moreover, she was Jiaojiao’s first apprentice. The later apprentices would certainly watch what she did. If she contributed nothing and the others followed her example, Xinguo and Jiaojiao would suffer a huge loss.
After lunch, Shen Jiao helped Grandma back into the wheelchair and pushed her out again.
That afternoon, Grandma wanted to find the wives of the village Party secretary and the production brigade captain.
Both women were older and had grandchildren who needed constant care, so they no longer earned work points with the production brigade. Instead, they remained at home and helped their sons look after the children.
In the mornings, they usually washed clothes beside the small river at the entrance of the village. That was why Grandma had originally wanted to visit the river earlier.
In the afternoons, the Party secretary’s wife and the brigade captain’s wife usually took the children to play at the threshing ground on the western side of the village.
Therefore, Grandma asked Shen Jiao to push her there.
“Xinguo’s Grandma, are you feeling better? We haven’t seen you leave the house in a long time.”
The speaker was Zhou Qing, the village Party secretary’s wife.
She belonged to the same generation as Gu Xinguo’s parents and had a fairly decent character. At the very least, no one had ever heard of her doing anything particularly objectionable.
When she saw Shen Jiao pushing Grandma towards them, she hurriedly greeted them.
After all, Gu Xinguo was one of the few successful young men to emerge from their village.
“My health is still the same. Jiaojiao merely saw that I was getting bored at home. Since the sunlight was good today, she pushed me outside for a walk.”
“Then you’re certainly enjoying the blessings brought by your granddaughter-in-law. Once she gives you a great-grandson, you can simply sit back and enjoy your good fortune.”
“Hahaha! May your auspicious words come true!”
While Zhou Qing was speaking, Cao Cuicui, the production brigade captain’s wife, also joined them.
Who would not want to maintain a good relationship with one of the village’s most successful men?
“Auntie, your outfit looks beautiful. Where did you buy it? It couldn’t have been cheap.”
Grandma had been waiting for someone to praise her clothes. Only then could she naturally shift the conversation towards Shen Jiao and mention that Shen Jiao was accepting apprentices.
“Hahaha! It wasn’t bought. Jiaojiao made it for me. You didn’t know, did you? Her hands are extremely clever, and she knows how to sew. The outfit she wore on her wedding day, along with the clothes our family and Xinmin’s family wore that day, were all made by her. Just yesterday, someone from the city even came here specifically to ask Jiaojiao to make clothes.”
“Really? Then she’s truly capable. Someone from the city actually came to her personally.”
“We’ve all seen Jiaojiao’s ability. Whenever we need clothes made in the future, we’ll come to Jiaojiao. But Jiaojiao, you’ll have to charge us a little less.”
“That’s right. Give us a cheaper price.”
“Don’t worry. Everyone is welcome to come. Jiaojiao certainly won’t treat any of you unfairly.”
The women continued praising Shen Jiao.
Although Shen Jiao considered herself thick-skinned, having so many people surround her and praise her from every direction eventually made her face turn red.
When the others saw her blushing, they burst into loud laughter.
Shen Jiao could not understand their peculiar enjoyment of making a new bride blush.
After Grandma spent the afternoon strolling around the western side of the village, news that Shen Jiao was an excellent seamstress once again spread throughout Shuanma Village.
The village already had two tailors, but both were men—a father and son.
Not only did they have bad tempers, but the styles of clothing they made were outdated. However, because there were no other tailors in the village, their business had always remained fairly good.
Now Shen Jiao had suddenly appeared to compete with them.
Needless to say, they were extremely displeased.
Setting them aside for the moment, not long after Grandma and Shen Jiao returned home, Eldest Grandma arrived with two young wives.
One was from the eldest son’s household, and the other was from the second son’s household.
Young wives were literate and quick learners. Once the two of them mastered the skill, they could return home and teach the other sisters-in-law.
The family had already discussed and agreed on this arrangement.
The two young women were named Wang Meili and Li Xiaohong.
Wang Meili was Gu Xinjun’s wife, while Li Xiaohong was the wife the younger son of the second household.
Both women were in their twenties, with delicate and pleasant features. They had also attended primary school and could read, which pleased Shen Jiao.
Although literacy was not directly related to sewing, there was no denying that literate students were easier to teach.
The two young wives were extremely excited about being allowed to study sewing.
Learning a useful skill meant they would be able to earn money. It also meant that their status within the family would improve significantly.
Perhaps because they valued this opportunity so highly, they appeared rather nervous and restrained when they met Shen Jiao.
However, today was only for introductions.
Shen Jiao briefly explained what they would need to prepare when they came to study sewing, then allowed them to leave.
No one knew what Grandma privately said to Eldest Grandma, but before departing, Eldest Grandma held Grandma’s hand and repeatedly promised that she would definitely accomplish the task.
Shen Jiao had no idea what Grandma was planning, but she did not think too deeply about it.
She had not yet finished Director Jiang’s niece’s outfit. She needed to complete it quickly.
This commission would be her first opportunity to make a name for herself in the city. No matter what, she had to make the outfit as close to perfect as possible.
That evening, Shen Jiao finally learned what task Grandma had entrusted to Eldest Grandma.
She wanted Eldest Grandma to quietly sound out the Party secretary’s family and the production brigade captain’s family.
Grandma had promoted Shen Jiao’s sewing skills at the western threshing ground that afternoon. There was no way the Party secretary’s and brigade captain’s families would remain unmoved.
As long as Eldest Grandma dropped a hint, Grandma did not believe they would resist coming to their door.
When that happened, Shen Jiao’s family would hold the initiative.
There was no such thing as a wall that did not let the wind through, particularly in the countryside, where privacy hardly existed.
Shen Jiao had only just accepted several apprentices, yet by dinnertime, the news had practically spread throughout the entirety of Shuanma Village.
Naturally, Wang Xiangxiu also heard about it.
She had previously tried to ruin Shen Jiao’s reputation, only for Gu Xinmin to discover what she had done and humiliate her thoroughly.
Feeling too ashamed to show her face, Wang Xiangxiu had been listless for the past two days and had not caused any further trouble.
Who would have imagined that Shen Jiao would quietly create such a major commotion?
Wang Xiangxiu had certainly never expected Shen Jiao to know how to sew.
Her eyes reddened with jealousy.
However, after hearing that Shen Jiao had begun accepting apprentices, Wang Xiangxiu’s eyes darted around as an idea came to her.
She would study sewing under Shen Jiao.
Not only would she learn a valuable skill, but she would also gain a perfectly legitimate reason to enter and leave the Gu family’s home.
That would allow her to stay close to Gu Xinguo.
Wang Xiangxiu believed that as long as enough time passed, Brother Xinguo would eventually discover how wonderful she was.
She happily lost herself in her own beautiful fantasy.
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