The young tailor’s declaration left both the old tailor and his wife stunned.
This was the first time their son had ever clearly stated that he wanted to marry a particular woman.
The old tailor’s wife, however, was delighted. She had been longing to hold a grandson, and Wang Xiangxiu looked like the sort of woman who would have no trouble bearing children.
“Tao, have you thought this through? Wang Xiangxiu’s father specialises in bleeding his sons-in-law’s families dry.”
“I’ve thought it through, Father. Once a woman marries, she belongs to her husband’s family. As long as we keep a close watch on the household, it won’t be easy for Wang Naozi to take advantage of us.”
The young tailor’s attitude was extremely firm.
It appeared that he truly had taken a liking to Wang Xiangxiu. No one knew when he had first become interested in her or why he had only spoken up now. Had he said something sooner, their family might already have had a grandson by now.
Still, bringing Wang Xiangxiu into the family would not embarrass them.
There was no need to mention her appearance. She had fair skin, large eyes, and looked lively and attractive. She had also attended junior secondary school and was educated.
Thinking about it carefully, aside from her father, Wang Naozi, she did not seem to have any other major shortcomings.
“This is your own choice. You know perfectly well what faults her family has. Whether your future life is good or bad, you’ll have to bear it yourself. Don’t blame your parents later for failing to choose a good wife for you.”
“Father, I understand. Once Wang Xiangxiu marries into our family, I’ll keep a tight hold on our money. I won’t give her any opportunity to take it back and support her maternal family.”
Once the old tailor’s family had reached an agreement, they began discussing whom they should ask to act as matchmaker.
Wang Xiangxiu would never have imagined that merely visiting the old tailor’s house had made the young tailor decide he wanted to marry her.
Had she known, she would never have stepped through their doorway even if she were beaten to death.
Meanwhile, Gu Xinguo had already brought Shen Jiao into the county town.
They first visited the department store to buy gifts before heading to Master Lin’s home.
“You came to visit, so why did you bring all these things? You’re treating us like strangers.”
Director Jiang was extremely happy to see Gu Xinguo and Shen Jiao and hurriedly welcomed them inside.
Usually, only she and her husband lived in the house, so it was always rather quiet and lonely. Having guests brought some much-needed liveliness.
“I was married from your home. In my heart, this place is practically my maternal family’s home. This is the first time your new son-in-law has visited. How could he come empty-handed?”
“This isn’t merely like your maternal home. From now on, if Little Gu ever bullies you, come and tell me. I’ll stand up for you.”
“Brother Gu, did you hear that? I have a maternal family supporting me now. Let’s see whether you dare bully me in the future.”
“Even if you didn’t have a maternal family, I still wouldn’t dare bully you.”
“Hahaha! Little Gu, that sentence has exposed your position within the household.”
Master Lin had come over to welcome the young couple and happened to overhear Gu Xinguo.
He laughingly teased him, but the moment he finished, Director Jiang ordered him to go to the canteen and buy several good dishes.
Gu Xinguo gave him a knowing look.
Master Lin merely chuckled twice, picked up the money, and left.
“Auntie Jiang, I’ve finished the outfit I made for Comrade Jiang Ailian. When would be a convenient time for her to come and look at it? If there’s anything she doesn’t like, I can alter it.”
“You finished it that quickly? All right. When Xiaojuan comes back later, I’ll ask her to fetch Ailian.”
Lunch was extremely plentiful.
Master Lin bought a braised fish and a serving of red-braised pork from the canteen. Director Jiang also prepared several delicious vegetable dishes.
“Sister Jiaojiao, you should visit more often. My mother only cooks delicious food when you come. Normally, she fobs us off with whatever she can throw together.”
“It’s not as though you’ve ever gone hungry. Hurry up and eat. Once you’re finished, ride your bicycle to your Grandma’s house and call your cousin Ailian over. Tell her that her clothes are ready.”
“Were Sister Ailian’s clothes made by Sister Jiaojiao? I want to see them too! Sister Jiaojiao, you don’t know how many people asked me where I bought the outfit you made for me after I wore it to school. They all wanted one.”
“Since they want one too, tell them your Sister Jiaojiao made it. At least help introduce some customers to her.”
“Of course! Sister Jiaojiao, are you going to become a tailor? The clothes you make are so pretty. My classmates will definitely come to you. Then I’ll ask you to make all my clothes in the future too.”
“Certainly. Since Xiaojuan is so enthusiastic about introducing customers to me, you can have your clothes made for free from now on as a reward.”
“Jiaojiao, don’t spoil her. Making clothes takes time and effort. Why should you do it for free?”
“Mother, Sister Jiaojiao already said it was my reward.”
“Auntie Jiang, how many outfits can Xiaojuan possibly have made in a year? Besides, it only costs me a little time and effort.”
“You’re far too generous. I’m not interfering in whatever agreement you two sisters have made.”
Shen Jiao and Lin Juan exchanged smiles and silently reached an understanding.
Lin Juan would help attract customers, while Shen Jiao would repay her by making her clothes free of charge.
After lunch, Lin Juan stopped by her maternal Grandma’s home on her way to school and called Jiang Ailian over.
Jiang Ailian arrived very quickly.
As soon as Lin Juan summoned her, she came immediately. Since her wedding was approaching, she had taken leave from the factory, which was why she was free to come so soon.
By then, Gu Xinguo and Master Lin had already gone out.
Master Lin had returned to work, while Gu Xinguo went around the county town to investigate whether any nearby properties were available. If he found a suitable one in advance, it would be more convenient when Shen Jiao eventually moved into town to open her tailoring shop.
Jiang Ailian tried on the outfit Shen Jiao had made.
She looked extraordinarily fashionable in it.
After examining herself in the mirror, she was extremely satisfied.
She was particularly surprised by the pillow towels and handkerchiefs Shen Jiao had made for her, all embroidered with flowers.
“I didn’t expect you to know embroidery too. Is there anything you can’t do?”
“These flowers were embroidered using a sewing machine. They don’t have the same spirit as hand embroidery. As long as you don’t dislike them.”
“I don’t dislike them at all!”
Jiang Ailian happily ran her fingers over the pattern of mandarin ducks playing in water embroidered onto the pillow towels.
It was extremely difficult to find a skilled embroiderer these days. With this pair of pillow towels, she would certainly have something impressive to display at her wedding.
Consequently, she was very generous when paying.
She gave Shen Jiao twenty yuan in total.
That was almost equivalent to a temporary worker’s monthly salary.
This was the first money Shen Jiao had earned since arriving in this era.
In her excitement, she decided they had to celebrate.
Naturally, the Chinese way of celebrating was to eat an enormous meal.
Most of their meat coupons had already been used during the wedding, but they could always buy meat from the black market.
With money in her hands, Shen Jiao did not feel anxious.
Having money meant she could be wilful.
When the couple returned home carrying bags of various sizes, several people were already sitting inside, laughing and chatting with Grandma.
Perhaps seeing so many young people had improved Grandma’s mood, because she looked much more energetic.
These women were all Shen Jiao’s newly accepted apprentices.
There was no need to reintroduce the two women from Eldest Grandma’s family.
The others were Zhang Qiaoying, the youngest daughter-in-law of the Party secretary’s family; Li Chunhong, the eldest daughter-in-law of the brigade captain’s family; and Wang Juying, Gu Xinmin’s younger sister-in-law.
They were all young women in their twenties.
Since their families had specifically chosen them to study sewing, they were naturally clever and favoured members of their households. They were also all reasonably attractive.
Among them, Zhang Qiaoying, the Party secretary’s youngest daughter-in-law, was the prettiest.
She had large eyes and red lips, and she always seemed to carry a hint of a smile even before she spoke. Talking to her naturally made people relax.
Although the brigade captain’s daughter-in-law, Li Chunhong, was not as charming as Zhang Qiaoying, she also knew how to speak well. She did not talk much, but whenever she did, she went straight to the heart of the matter.
Wang Juying, the only unmarried girl present, appeared considerably more shy.
Perhaps because Wang Meili and Li Xiaoyu were closer relatives of Shen Jiao, they had naturally taken responsibility for enlivening the atmosphere and entertaining everyone, saving Grandma a great deal of energy.
“Our master has returned! Look at all those bags. Did something good happen?”
Zhang Qiaoying smiled and stepped forward to help.
When Shen Jiao saw that nearly all her apprentices had arrived except Gu Xinmin, who was still working, she was rather impressed by their enthusiasm.
That was a good thing. Enthusiastic students would be easier to teach.
“I delivered the clothes I made for someone in town. She was satisfied and paid very generously. Since this was the first money I earned from my work, I thought we should celebrate.”
“Congratulations to Master Shen on such a successful beginning! With a master as capable as you, we apprentices certainly can’t be too poor. Everyone must study seriously and work hard. We can’t disgrace our master’s reputation.”
Everyone immediately agreed with Zhang Qiaoying’s words and hurried to declare their determination.
Shen Jiao smiled and offered them a few encouraging sentences before asking Gu Xinguo to carry the shopping into the kitchen.
She kept only two bags of hard candy and some sunflower seeds outside.
“Have all of you eaten? If you haven’t, stay and eat dinner here.”
“Not yet, but we merely finished work early and wanted to come over for a look. Master, you should attend to your own affairs. We’ll go home to eat now and return immediately for the lesson.”
Seeing that it was already getting late and almost time for dinner, Li Chunhong took the opportunity to suggest that they leave.
They could not possibly accept Shen Jiao’s invitation.
Shen Jiao had purchased many things that day, so dinner would certainly be good. They could not take advantage of her hospitality.
If Shen Jiao or her family remembered that they had come merely to eat for free and later became less willing to teach them properly, the loss would far outweigh the meal.
That evening, Gu Xinmin was overjoyed when she learned that Shen Jiao had earned nearly an entire worker’s monthly salary in only a few days.
She could not help thinking about her own future.
Once she mastered the skill, she would be satisfied even if she earned only half as much as Shen Jiao.
As a result, she listened extremely attentively during the evening lesson.
Shen Jiao did not only teach them how to cut fabric. She also tested their sewing ability.
Apart from Li Chunhong, whose skills were passable, everyone else’s performance was unsatisfactory.
“When making clothes, cutting is not the only important thing. The workmanship is equally important.
“Sewing is the most fundamental skill a tailor must possess. Your families should all have sewing machines. When you return home, take a few scraps of fabric and practise properly.
“I do not want to see my apprentices making clothes with crooked, chaotic rows of stitching.”
Shen Jiao’s expression was extremely stern as she spoke.
The young wives all flushed with embarrassment.
After watching Shen Jiao demonstrate her sewing technique, they felt even more ashamed of themselves.
All of them possessed pride and ambition. Each silently decided that after returning home, she would practise diligently.
None of them wanted to rank last among the group.
Gu Xinmin was particularly ashamed.
She had begun studying sewing under Shen Jiao earlier than everyone else. Shen Jiao had also told her more than once to practise sewing, yet she had never taken the advice seriously.
Now she had embarrassed herself.
She would begin practising the moment she returned home.
As Shen Jiao’s elder sister-in-law, she absolutely refused to come last. That would not only embarrass her, but also make Shen Jiao lose face.
And so, the first lesson of Shen Jiao’s small sewing class came to an end.
All six apprentices had learned something to varying degrees.
When their families questioned them after they returned home, they all spoke favourably of Shen Jiao.
They were not three-year-old children. They could naturally tell whether Shen Jiao was sincerely teaching them or deliberately holding back.
After learning that Shen Jiao had taught them without concealing her knowledge, the families developed an even better impression of her.
From then on, they strongly defended Shen Jiao whenever anything happened in the village.
With the protection of the Party secretary and the brigade captain, Shen Jiao could finally be considered firmly established within the Shuanma Village production brigade.
Everything on Shen Jiao’s side was progressing smoothly, but the atmosphere in Wang Naozi’s household was rather stifling.
Of course, the only person who felt stifled was Wang Xiangxiu.
Wang Naozi and his wife were both overjoyed.
The old tailor’s family had visited that day to propose marriage, and the first bride price they offered was five hundred yuan.
That was the largest bride price anyone had ever offered for one of their daughters.
Their decision to allow Wang Xiangxiu to attend school had indeed been correct.
Their previous daughters had been wasted.
At the time, each had brought them only a little over one hundred yuan in bride price.
Look at the difference!
Thinking about his other daughters, Wang Naozi suddenly felt that he had suffered an enormous loss.
His cheerful mood immediately turned gloomy.
He was so distressed that he tossed and turned throughout the night, unable to sleep.
When his wife asked what was troubling him, he explained his thoughts.
She immediately felt the same painful regret.
Thus, what began with one person unable to sleep ended with both husband and wife lying awake.
They lay on the kang, sighing one after another.
Why had they never thought of sending their earlier daughters to school?
The married couple could not sleep because of their lost profits, while Wang Xiangxiu could not sleep either.
That crippled tailor, Li, had actually sent someone to propose marriage to her.
Where did he find the audacity?
He was merely a disabled man who knew a little tailoring, yet he dared dream of marrying her.
However, when she remembered the restrained joy her parents had tried to hide upon hearing the bride price of five hundred yuan, her heart turned painfully cold.
She understood her parents’ character perfectly.
She dared say that if Cripple Li increased the bride price slightly, her parents would eagerly deliver her straight onto his family’s kang.
No.
She had to find a way to save herself.
She could not marry Cripple Li.
Not only was he physically disabled, but he also had a violent temper.
She had once witnessed him beat a neighbour’s kitten to death merely because it had repeatedly cried during the spring nights and disturbed his sleep.
Remembering his twisted expression and bloodshot eyes at the time made her body involuntarily shudder.
She absolutely could not marry him.
Gu Xinguo rose early the next morning.
After eating the loving breakfast his wife had prepared, he reluctantly left for work in the county town.
He realised that he was becoming increasingly attached to home.
Every time he left, it felt like a test of his willpower.
“Brother Xinguo!”
He had only just ridden his bicycle to the village entrance when a figure suddenly rushed in front of him.
Startled, he hurriedly gripped the handlebars and stopped. Otherwise, he would have crashed directly into the person.
“What is it?”
When he saw that the person blocking him was Wang Xiangxiu, Gu Xinguo’s face immediately darkened.
He remembered his wife mentioning that this woman had feelings for him and instinctively retreated two steps.
He was currently happily married and had no desire to become entangled in any messy affair.
“Brother Xinguo, my parents want to marry me to Cripple Li. Not only is he disabled, but he has a bad temper and likes beating people. Once I marry him, he’ll beat me to death.”
The girl’s pitiful expression and grief-stricken tears could not move Gu Xinguo in the slightest.
Wang Xiangxiu might be pitiful, but he was not the saviour of the world.
Moreover, she had feelings for him.
If he helped her, he would invite endless trouble.
The happy life he had only just begun might also be destroyed.
He could not save this woman.
“If you’re unwilling, go to the commune and speak to the Women’s Federation. They’ll uphold justice for you.”
In the end, Gu Xinguo still pointed her towards a possible solution.
However, that was not what Wang Xiangxiu wanted.
She gazed at him through tear-filled eyes, her expression overflowing with affection.
“Brother Xinguo, you know that won’t work. They’re my parents. That alone means I can never escape from their control.”
“If even the Women’s Federation can’t save you, then I certainly can’t. Whether you follow my advice is your own decision. I still have to go to work.”
Gu Xinguo prepared to leave, but Wang Xiangxiu continued desperately blocking his path.
This was her final opportunity.
She could not give up.
“What exactly do you want?”
Gu Xinguo was becoming irritated.
If she had a problem, she should contact the Women’s Federation or the police.
He might once have been a soldier, but he was now only an ordinary citizen.
He truly had no authority over her parents.
“Brother Xinguo, can you truly not see how I feel about you?
“At first, I was too young, and you were already married. Although I liked you, I never dared think of anything more.
“Later, that woman failed to treasure you and divorced you. Before I even had time to feel happy, you immediately married Shen Jiao.
“Why have there always been so many unfortunate coincidences keeping us apart?
“Brother Xinguo, divorce Shen Jiao and marry me instead, all right? I’ll love you more than Shen Jiao does.
“If you think I’m less capable than her, I’ll learn sewing right now. I’ll study seriously. I’ll definitely become more skilled than her and earn more money.”
“Shameless! I’ve never encountered anyone who tried to destroy another person’s family while acting so self-righteous.”
Gu Xinguo was truly furious this time.
This woman had absolutely no shame.
She openly wanted to destroy someone else’s marriage.
With that thought, he immediately mounted his bicycle and sped away as though competing in a race.
What else could he do?
They were a lone man and woman. If anything happened, everyone would naturally side with the woman.
Then he would never be able to explain himself, no matter how many mouths he had.
In the future, he would certainly take a detour whenever he saw Wang Xiangxiu.
Her behaviour completely challenged his understanding of morality.
Wang Xiangxiu watched Gu Xinguo disappear rapidly into the distance.
Finally unable to endure it any longer, she collapsed onto the ground and burst into loud sobs.
Brother Xinguo had actually called her shameless.
She had loved him for eight entire years.
When she was ten, he had saved her, and from then on, his figure had constantly lingered in her heart.
Eight years of love had earned her nothing but the word “shameless.”
Shen Jiao knew nothing about Wang Xiangxiu stopping Gu Xinguo.
That morning, she had prepared savoury tofu pudding for Grandma.
Grandma finally had the opportunity to eat something she loved and accidentally ate slightly too much.
Her digestive system was already poor, so she soon began feeling uncomfortable.
Shen Jiao hurriedly used the stomach-massaging technique Doctor Zhang had taught her.
She continued massaging until the back of her clothes was soaked with sweat.
Only then did Grandma finally feel somewhat better.
“I truly don’t have the fortune to enjoy good food. I finally indulged myself today, yet my body couldn’t bear it. Good child, I’ve exhausted you.”
“I’m not tired. Having to eat those bland but nutritious meals every day is what truly feels painful. You’re simply considerate and endure it without complaining.
“If it were someone else, they would have already thrown tantrums until the entire household descended into chaos.”
Grandma greatly appreciated Shen Jiao’s attitude of helping without claiming credit.
When people grew old and could no longer work, what they feared most was that their descendants would consider them useless.
This fear became particularly strong when they fell ill. They worried constantly about becoming a burden and annoying their children.
Grandma’s life had been full of hardship.
She had never expected to finally become fortunate in her old age and gain such a filial granddaughter-in-law.
Unfortunately, the bond between them was far too short.
“Great-Grandma, hurry and save my brother! Mother is going to beat him to death!”
Near noon, Xiaobei ran over crying and shouting for help.
Grandma and Shen Jiao were startled and hurriedly asked what had happened.
After hearing his explanation, neither knew what to say.
That troublesome child truly deserved a beating.
Xiaodong had actually torn pages from his textbook to fold paper pistols.
If he was not beaten for that, who should be?
Textbooks were not something he could tear apart!
Although they were angry with him, they were still afraid Gu Xinmin might beat him too severely.
Grandma loved her great-grandson dearly, so she asked Shen Jiao to go and check.
By the time Shen Jiao arrived, Gu Xinmin had already finished beating him.
Xiaodong was lying face down on the bed, wiping away his tears.
“Sister, you’ve already punished him, and Xiaodong knows he was wrong. Don’t stay angry. It isn’t worth damaging your health over this.”
“I might as well let him anger me to death! He refuses to study properly and has never passed a single exam. Now he’s become even worse and actually tore up his textbook!
“Tell me, why do your brother-in-law and I work so hard every day to send them to school? Isn’t it because we want them to enter a good university and find a decent job in the future?”
“My uncle never attended university, yet he still became a driver. When I grow up, I want to join the army like Uncle.”
It would have been better if Xiaodong had remained silent.
The moment he spoke, Gu Xinmin’s anger, which had only just subsided, flared up again.
She moved to beat him once more, but Shen Jiao hurriedly stopped her.
“Xiaodong, since you want to follow your uncle’s example, wait until he comes home tonight and ask him whether joining the army or studying is better.
“If you want to imitate him, then you should at least listen to what he says, shouldn’t you?”
Shen Jiao did not know how to persuade or educate a child who hated studying.
Since Xiaodong admired his uncle so much, she could simply hand the problem over to Gu Xinguo.
“Auntie, Uncle will definitely take my side.”
Shen Jiao merely smiled without answering.
This child still did not understand adults.
No matter how much adults had hated studying when they were young, once they had children of their own, they still hoped those children would study properly.
Because of the incident with Xiaodong, the entire family looked forward to Gu Xinguo returning from work so that he could properly advise the school-hating boy.
Gu Xinguo left work at his usual time that evening.
He had not seen his wife all day and missed her terribly.
He wished he could make his bicycle fly.
Unexpectedly, while passing the river, he heard someone calling for help.
He frowned and followed the sound.
A young woman was struggling in the water.
Whenever her head broke above the surface, she shouted desperately for help.
Gu Xinguo had excellent eyesight.
He quickly recognised the woman splashing in the river as Wang Xiangxiu.
His face immediately turned black as the bottom of a cooking pot.
His wife had truly predicted it correctly.
This woman was apparently willing to use any method available to destroy someone else’s family.
He wanted to ignore her, but a human life was at stake.
He could not get past that barrier in his conscience.
In the end, he gritted his teeth and sprinted rapidly towards another location.
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