“Jiaojiao, look what I brought back for you!”
The moment Gu Xinguo stepped into the tailoring shop, he eagerly began showing off to his wife, completely ignoring the fact that there were customers present.
Shen Jiao was utterly defeated by him.
Thinking about how worried she had been over the past month, she rolled her eyes at him. No gift could possibly make up for the anxiety he had put her through.
“So you still remember where the door to your home is? Your wife is heavily pregnant, yet you disappeared for an entire month without sending any news. Aren’t you impressive?”
Seeing that her sister-in-law was angry, Gu Xinmin feared that the young couple might return home and have a serious argument.
She immediately began scolding her younger brother first, allowing Shen Jiao to release the anger in her chest.
Her brother had indeed been in the wrong.
In truth, Shen Jiao was not the only one who was angry. Gu Xinmin had also been holding back a great deal of resentment.
Gu Xinguo had returned home in high spirits, eager to present his wife with a treasure, only to receive the combined disdain of both his wife and older sister.
His expression visibly stiffened.
“Something happened. I couldn’t help it.”
“Humph! No matter how busy you were, you could’ve found time to call home. Didn’t you know your wife was already far along in her pregnancy? If something had happened to her because she was too worried, I would never have forgiven you.”
Gu Xinguo felt somewhat aggrieved.
Hadn’t he only wanted to surprise his wife?
However, when his gaze fell on Shen Jiao’s stomach, which had grown noticeably larger, all his grievance disappeared.
It seemed he truly had been wrong.
Seeing that he understood his mistake, Gu Xinmin stopped scolding him.
There were still customers in the shop, so she had to preserve some dignity for her younger brother.
Shen Jiao had the same thought.
Whatever punishment or argument awaited him could be handled after the couple closed the door behind them.
There was no reason to let outsiders watch the excitement.
She would never admit that she also wanted to preserve Gu Xinguo’s dignity.
“What did you bring back that was worth shouting so loudly about?”
How had he been shouting?
He had merely spoken slightly louder than usual.
However, remembering that he had made a mistake, Gu Xinguo lowered his head and accepted the accusation.
A man who had done something wrong had no rights.
“A Shanghai-brand overlock machine. Haven’t you always wanted one? I travelled to Shanghai during this trip and happened to run into a former comrade. He used his connections to obtain a purchase coupon for me. I queued for a long time before I finally managed to buy it.”
“An overlock machine?”
Shen Jiao, Gu Xinmin, and Wang Juying’s eyes all lit up.
An overlock machine would save them an enormous amount of trouble.
Although they could finish fabric edges with a sewing machine, it was far too slow. Sometimes, doing it by hand was even faster.
With an overlock machine, the tailoring shop could save a great deal of time and accept even more orders.
“Really? Hurry and take me to see it!”
When Shen Jiao went outside, several people followed behind her, including Wang Juying and some of the shop’s customers.
Gu Xinmin remained inside.
If everyone left and someone took advantage of the empty shop to steal something, what would they do?
“So this is an overlock machine. It looks different from a sewing machine.”
Wang Juying ran her hand over the body of the machine.
She had never seen an overlock machine in all her life.
Brother Xinguo treated his wife so well.
Thinking about her own marriage the following year, she could not help hoping that her future husband would be as thoughtful as Gu Xinguo.
“Comrade Shen, will you be able to finish the edges of our clothes with this machine too?”
Most of the customers were also seeing an overlock machine for the first time.
They immediately grew excited.
If their clothes were finished using such a machine, they would gain considerable prestige whenever they mentioned it to others.
“Of course. Why would we buy an overlock machine if we weren’t going to use it?”
Shen Jiao waved her hand grandly.
Although several more tailoring shops had opened in Linqing County during the past year, none of them possessed an overlock machine.
She could already imagine the sensation Xinjiao Tailoring Shop would cause after acquiring one.
It would completely establish their position as the leading tailoring shop in the county.
The result was exactly as Shen Jiao predicted.
Because of the overlock machine, the shop experienced another explosion in business.
A single sewing machine was no longer enough.
Gu Xinmin made an immediate decision and brought her family’s sewing machine to the shop. She also asked Gu Xinjun’s wife, Wang Meili, to come and help.
Shen Jiao was responsible for taking customers’ measurements.
Wang Juying and Wang Meili operated the sewing machines, while Gu Xinmin worked on the overlock machine.
Even with that arrangement, they still had to work overtime until one or two in the morning every day.
Naturally, Shen Jiao was not allowed to stay late.
Even if the pregnant woman wanted to work overtime, no one else would permit it.
Every evening, after Gu Xinguo took Shen Jiao home, Wang Chengjun and Gu Xinjun would arrive at the tailoring shop to accompany the three women while they worked.
It was unsafe for several women to remain in the shop alone so late at night.
The overtime had actually been suggested by Gu Xinmin and the other two women.
Shen Jiao had originally decided to accept fewer orders because they could not keep up with the workload.
However, the three women refused.
Reducing the number of orders sounded simple, but every rejected order represented lost money.
Besides, the work was not especially heavy.
They only needed to stay a little later, and the money would be theirs.
Seeing how motivated they were, Shen Jiao agreed.
She also announced that she would give all three women large red envelopes during the New Year.
Naturally, this made them work even harder.
The three women had seen how profitable the tailoring shop was.
Shen Jiao had also encouraged them to open shops of their own and promised to provide support and assistance when they did.
As a result, they practically wanted to live inside the tailoring shop.
First, it allowed them to improve their skills.
Second, it gave them an opportunity to repay Shen Jiao’s generosity.
Shen Jiao had her own reasons for encouraging them to open shops.
Running a tailoring shop was not her long-term plan.
She was actually more interested in manufacturing and selling ready-made clothing.
However, the market had not yet completely opened, and there was also the problem of obtaining raw materials.
Producing ready-made clothing was entirely different from operating a tailoring shop.
It required enormous quantities of fabric.
Shen Jiao had no reliable purchasing channels and did not possess enough capital.
For now, she would keep the tailoring shop running and quietly bide her time.
First, she could earn money and accumulate start-up capital.
Second, she could wait for the right opportunity.
In the future, the tailoring shops opened by Gu Xinmin and the others could become the front lines for selling her ready-made clothing.
“Who is in charge of Xinjiao Tailoring Shop?”
It was another extremely busy day.
Business was flourishing, and Shen Jiao and the others were so occupied that they barely had time to drink water.
Just as everyone wished they could grow another pair of hands, several uniformed men entered the shop.
The moment they arrived, they demanded to see Shen Jiao.
Their expressions clearly showed that they had not come with good intentions.
Shen Jiao supported her large stomach and prepared to step forward, but Gu Xinmin moved ahead of her.
Jiaojiao was already more than seven months pregnant.
What if she was taken away and something happened?
Her younger brother’s marriages had already been difficult enough.
If anything happened to Jiaojiao now, Gu Xinmin did not dare imagine the consequences.
“I—”
“I’m the person who makes the decisions at Xinjiao Tailoring Shop.”
Shen Jiao had only managed to say one word before Gu Xinmin interrupted her.
Wang Juying and Wang Meili also hurried over and held Shen Jiao back when she tried to step forward.
This was not the time to fight over responsibility.
Even if Shen Jiao did not think about herself, she had to consider the child in her stomach.
However, Shen Jiao could not possibly allow Gu Xinmin to take responsibility in her place.
Besides, she was more than seven months pregnant.
Even if these men deliberately wanted to make things difficult for her, they would have to exercise restraint.
If they caused a death, they could forget about ever wearing those uniforms again.
“I am Shen Jiao, the person in charge of Xinjiao Tailoring Shop. May I ask what business you two comrades have here? Are you looking to have clothes made? Our Xinjiao Tailoring Shop—”
Shen Jiao pulled Gu Xinmin back and stepped forward while supporting her stomach.
She deliberately pretended not to notice the hostility on their faces and began smilingly introducing her tailoring shop.
“Which one of you is actually in charge?”
The two men had clearly lost patience and asked again.
Gu Xinmin and Shen Jiao answered simultaneously.
“I am.”
“Take them both away!”
Those words stunned the two women.
This was not a good sign.
“Comrade, my sister-in-law is far along in her pregnancy. I’ll go with you. I know everything that happens in the tailoring shop, both large matters and small. Whatever you want to know, you can ask me.”
Gu Xinmin hurriedly blocked their path.
At this stage of Shen Jiao’s pregnancy, even a minor problem could become a serious emergency.
The Gu family had finally gained a descendant after so much difficulty.
Nothing could be allowed to happen.
“Stop talking nonsense. Take them both away!”
“Comrades, Xinjiao Tailoring Shop has always operated honestly. We haven’t committed any crime. Before you take us away, shouldn’t you at least tell us what offence we’re accused of? There must be a reason.”
Shen Jiao deliberately tried to delay them.
Wang Juying was young and quick on her feet. She had already left to find Gu Xinguo at the transport team.
Although Shen Jiao did not like admitting it, at a moment like this, having a man step forward made it less likely that others would bully them without restraint.
“You’ll naturally find out when we arrive.”
“You don’t dare say, do you? I have reason to suspect that you aren’t genuine public security officers at all. Perhaps another tailoring shop is jealous of our thriving business and sent you here to create trouble.”
The two uniformed men had not expected Shen Jiao to be so difficult.
Most women became too frightened to speak when public security officers came to arrest someone.
Yet this woman calmly presented arguments and demanded explanations.
“Someone reported that you are engaging in capitalist activities. Is that enough of a reason?”
The accusation was exactly what Shen Jiao had expected.
The success of Xinjiao Tailoring Shop had indeed attracted envy.
Someone had secretly found people to make trouble for them.
No matter how much the women delayed, Gu Xinguo did not return in time.
Likewise, no matter how strongly Shen Jiao and Gu Xinmin argued their case, the two uniformed men still took them away.
Naturally, the shop could no longer continue operating after such an incident.
The customers inside scattered in panic.
Some who had only just paid deposits began shouting that they wanted their money returned.
Wang Meili had never encountered such chaos before and immediately became overwhelmed.
Fortunately, Gu Xinguo returned in time and prevented the customers from swarming the shop and demanding their money all at once.
“Everyone, please calm down. Xinjiao Tailoring Shop is right here. We won’t steal anyone’s money.
“We have urgent matters to handle today. Once the owner returns, you may either request a refund or continue having your clothes made.
“Don’t worry. I always keep my word. If anything happens, come and find me at the transport team. My name is Gu Xinguo, and I’m a driver there. If you don’t believe me, you can ask anyone at the transport team.”
It was not that Gu Xinguo did not want to refund their money.
He simply could not do so now.
If other customers heard that refunds were being issued, they would also rush over.
His wife had worked so hard to establish this shop.
He would not allow it to be destroyed so easily.
Some of the customers genuinely recognised Gu Xinguo, which made his words even more credible.
Only then did the crowd finally disperse.
The craftsmanship of Xinjiao Tailoring Shop was indeed the best among all the tailors in Linqing County.
Their clothes did not always look especially impressive while hanging up, but once worn, they made the wearer look exceptionally smart and energetic.
Their prices were also reasonable.
Most importantly, the shop used an overlock machine to finish the seams without charging an additional fee.
It was far better than the other tailoring shops.
After the crowd finally left, Gu Xinguo instructed Wang Meili and Wang Juying to guard the shop carefully.
He then mounted his bicycle and rode away.
His wife would not endure this suffering for nothing.
This time, he would not only bring her back safely and unharmed.
He would also teach the person behind the incident a lesson.
He would make an example of them so that everyone in Linqing County understood one thing:
Xinjiao Tailoring Shop might be small, but it was not something anyone could bully.
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