Art troupe: Turning grief into strength.
The sewing machine was carried into the room. It was the newest Butterfly-brand model, said to have been carefully selected by Grandpa Jiang himself. The old man had gone to buy a sewing machine in all seriousness, and when the shop assistant asked about it, Grandpa Jiang said confidently:
“It’s for my grandson’s wedding.”
“Your granddaughter-in-law is really lucky.”
Grandpa Jiang thought to himself: of course she is.
When he brought the machine back, quite a few old comrades from the retirement compound came to watch the excitement.
“Old Jiang, why did your family get another sewing machine?”
“Are you planning to return to your old trade?”
…
“Go, go, go—” Grandpa Jiang chased the old busybodies away. “It’s for my granddaughter-in-law. You haven’t seen her yet, have you? She’s very beautiful.”
“We’ve seen her, of course we have! Didn’t you take her out to buy groceries yesterday?”
Old Wang next door sighed deeply. Ever since that rascal Old Jiang’s grandson joined the army, Wang Xun’an hadn’t even had time to feel pleased before Jiang Ruojun changed tactics—no longer bragging about his grandson, but now about his granddaughter-in-law.
“My granddaughter-in-law is so beautiful.”
“My grandson and granddaughter-in-law have such a good relationship—I’ll be holding a great-grandchild soon.”
“My granddaughter-in-law likes her grandma very much, just like a real granddaughter.”
“When is your grandson getting married? I’m telling you, kids should marry early. We’re not young anymore—who knows how many more years we’ve got left? Of course we want to see them settle down sooner…”
…
Wang Xun’an held a cigarette in his mouth, thinking: so you’re the only one in the world with a granddaughter-in-law?
His family didn’t have one—but he had granddaughters.
Hmph. This Old Jiang was definitely getting back at him. Back then, he’d been eyeing Wang’s granddaughter for years, even wanted to adopt her as a god-granddaughter—what a joke.
Now that he had a pretty, gentle, beautiful granddaughter-in-law, he just had to flaunt it nonstop.
Wang Xun’an felt a sourness rise in his chest—no, not just a little, but very much so.
Why couldn’t heaven just give him a smart grandson and a beautiful granddaughter-in-law too?
What if Old Jiang really got a great-grandchild first?
When Yang Meixing came back inside and saw him sighing again, she said, “Why are you sighing all day? What happened next door at Old Jiang’s place? Aren’t you going to join the fun?”
Wang Xun’an rolled his eyes. “Join what fun? Listen to him go on about his granddaughter-in-law again? Like he’s the only one with one?”
Yang Meixing burst out laughing. “Well, he does have one! That Xiaoman really is beautiful—our girls can’t compare. And his grandson—how did he grow up like that? So handsome.”
“Did you see him in that military uniform the other day? Did you see it?! So handsome—”
Wang Xun’an snorted loudly. “Pretty boy. Definitely can’t endure hardship.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. He’s impressive—smart, great memory, strong. I’ve seen Old Jiang train his grandson with my own eyes. Haven’t you?”
The more she spoke, the more sour Wang Xun’an felt. “You know, when Old Jiang was young, he didn’t even look as good as me! I was the most handsome young man in ten villages around. And now his grandson looks like that… and mine… sigh.”
“I called my grandson and told him to hurry up and get married. He just hung up on me. Useless kid.”
Yang Meixing waved her hand. “Why do you have to compare yourself with Old Jiang? You’ve been competing for decades. Aren’t you tired? I am.”
“In a few days, let’s invite them over.”
“I’ll call my granddaughters too—several of them. He has a pretty granddaughter-in-law—don’t I have pretty granddaughters too?”
Yang Meixing clicked her tongue.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaoman and Grandma Jiang were studying the new sewing machine. Grandma Jiang wasn’t very skilled at sewing and hadn’t liked using machines when she was younger, but now she was very interested and wanted to learn from her granddaughter-in-law.
So Su Xiaoman taught her, while Grandpa Jiang stood nearby with his hands on his hips, watching.
The more he watched, the more he frowned. Finally, he told Grandma Jiang to step aside and demonstrated it himself. Even after so many years, he was still very familiar with it.
Grandma Jiang and Su Xiaoman exchanged a glance and held back laughter.
“Back then, I kept the clothes your grandpa made for me. I’ll take them out and show you.”
Grandpa Jiang immediately jumped away from the sewing machine to stop her. “No need, no need—what’s there to see? Why keep those old things for so many years?”
“No point, no point, really no point.”
“You should be grateful you married a poor soldier like me—wearing military uniforms every day. Otherwise, people would’ve disliked you for not even knowing how to make clothes.”
Grandma Jiang sighed. “That’s true. When his uniforms tore, he’d patch them himself by oil lamp. When the children were young, he made their clothes too.”
Su Xiaoman thought to herself—Grandpa sounds quite capable.
She wondered if Xie “dog” Mingtu had inherited that skill.
Grandpa Jiang: “…” This kind of thing didn’t need to be mentioned in front of his granddaughter-in-law.
“His stitching is also very neat. Do you want to see? That old quilt we use—when it tore recently, he fixed it himself with his reading glasses on…”
Su Xiaoman smiled. “Sure, Grandma, let’s go take a look.”
Grandpa Jiang: “…”
These two women were about to turn the house upside down.
Grandma Jiang calmly added, “You should teach Xiaotu later too. Didn’t you say he’s the most like his grandfather? He must have talent.”
“Then we can watch grandfather and grandson both using the sewing machine.”
Hearing this, Grandpa Jiang felt annoyed—he almost wanted to throw both of them out.
Making Jiang family men use sewing machines?!
Su Xiaoman laughed. “Mingtu is very talented. He even knows how to repair sewing machines.”
“Oh? Really?” Grandma Jiang was surprised. “Xiaotu can repair sewing machines too?”
Su Xiaoman nodded and told them how they got their old machine at home.
“He can repair tractors, sewing machines—even factory machines.”
Grandma Jiang nodded thoughtfully. “He really is like his grandfather. His grandfather could repair machinery in a quilt factory too.”
“Xiaotu has surpassed his master.”
Grandpa Jiang: “…”
Su Xiaoman secretly laughed. She hadn’t expected to hear so many unknown stories—Grandpa Jiang was quite talented.
Seeing he couldn’t stop them, Grandpa Jiang solemnly warned Grandma Jiang, then went out for a walk.
*I mustn’t let my image be ruined in front of my granddaughter-in-law.*
With the sewing machine, Su Xiaoman made a set of clothes for both grandparents. As soon as they were finished, Grandpa Jiang happily put them on and went out to show them off.
Who would have thought that when his old comrades saw him, they pretended to be puzzled:
“Old Jiang, are you sure you didn’t make these yourself?”
Jiang Ruojun nearly spat at them.
“Bah! These were made by my granddaughter-in-law!”
Su Xiaoman made several pieces of clothing for Grandpa and Grandma, but unexpectedly, this sparked a clothing trend among the elderly residents of the retirement compound. She ended up helping a few other elderly people make clothes too, earning a small amount in tailoring fees.
“Your Xiaoman makes such beautiful clothes.”
“They’re so comfortable to wear.”
“Xiaoman can embroider too. Look, I asked her to sew a red star on mine. It looks wonderful.”
“The lotus-patterned little bellyband she made for my grandson is so adorable.”
…
Usually, she also embroidered her own wedding dress. The pattern was a phoenix passing through peonies, with layered petals, delicate stamens, and lively gold and silver threads. She was not in a rush; she would not need it until a year later, so she worked very carefully.
At night, Su Xiaoman wore her sleepwear and draped a thick cotton coat over herself. After doing a little more embroidery, she put the red wedding dress into the cabinet.
Her long hair was completely let down, spreading across her back to her waist. At this time, there was no longer anyone secretly lifting a strand of her hair and kissing it in his palm.
Pressed beneath the folded wedding dress was a small item: a little bellyband she had made from leftover red fabric, embroidered with twin lotus flowers.
After making it, every time Su Xiaoman saw this little garment, she felt extremely embarrassed. She felt as if she had gone mad. It was all because Grandma Ge had previously asked her to sew a red bellyband for a child, and on a sudden impulse, she had made one too.
Blushing, Su Xiaoman hid the little bellyband away, thinking she would keep it for her future child and quietly take it out later.
Anyway, she definitely had not made it now!
She was not in a hurry to have children.
With a snap, she shut the cabinet and walked toward the bed wrapped in the cotton coat. The coat she was wearing was not hers. It had previously been worn by Xie Mingtu. It was a little too long for her, almost dragging on the floor, but it was warm enough.
After Xie Mingtu left, whenever she felt cold, she wore this thick coat.
She had added an extra quilt to the bed. When she and Xie “dog” slept together before, one quilt had been enough. With a warm little furnace sleeping beside her, Su Xiaoman would burrow into his arms and never feel cold at all.
He would warm her feet too, endlessly murmuring, “Manman, Manman,” while holding her in his arms. Whenever he found a chance, he would steal a few kisses before he was satisfied.
She used to think this noisy dog calling “Manman” all day was annoying. Now she missed that voice terribly. She wanted to hear him call her Manman.
Sleeping alone, even under two quilts, she still felt cold. Su Xiaoman’s hands and feet were icy and hard to warm. Yesterday, she had been cold all night and had not slept well, so tonight she boiled a kettle of water before bed, filled a hot-water bottle, and tucked it beneath the quilt.
She curled up under the two quilts, but even wrapped tightly, she still felt cold. Deep down, she longed to be surrounded by something warmer.
Clearly, she had slept alone for more than twenty years without feeling uncomfortable before. Yet now, she always felt as if something was missing.
—She missed him very much.
Every day’s training was extremely hard. During the day, there was physical training; at night, there were cultural lessons. Xie Mingtu studied very seriously and did not think it was bitter. Only before sleep and in his dreams, the person he thought of was Manman. In his heart, he looked forward to seeing her seven days later.
Here, there were no restrictions on food; they could eat their fill. During the day, there was also a huge amount of training. After only a few days, Xie Mingtu already felt his body had grown much stronger. While others were exhausted and crying for their parents, he felt he could still add more.
Because his performance was too outstanding, after three days, he was transferred to Team One. The difficulty of the training multiplied several times, and the instructor specially “looked after” this promising talent. Xie Mingtu began gritting his teeth and persevering every day.
The thought of seeing Manman was what kept him going.
After a week passed, when he finally got half a day of rest, Xie Mingtu did not get to see his beloved Manman. Instead, he received devastating news.
“Boy, since you’ve gone, train properly. Grandpa and Grandma will help you look after Manman. Wait until three months later to meet again.”
Grandpa Jiang snorted inwardly. He thought, you’ve only been gone a few days and you already want to see your beloved girl? How could there be such a beautiful thing?
First, endure a few months of longing.
A tender home is a hero’s grave.
Grow into a man on your own first.
…He could not see Manman.
When Xie Mingtu learned this news, it was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. That bolt of lightning seemed to tear his soul out of his body.
He was only a half-grown nineteen-year-old boy. In ancient times, he would barely be of age. He had never tasted the pain of separation. And what was even crueller now was that just a few days before parting, he had tasted that soul-stirring pleasure.
If he had never tasted it, then not knowing would have been fine. But his body remembered that feeling with perfect clarity. Once tasted, it had sunk into his bones. It was like a lovesickness poison had been planted in both his body and heart.
Now that it could not be relieved, the attack was deadly.
After one afternoon of rest passed, Instructor Chen saw the person he had been paying special attention to: Xie Mingtu. He had gone out with the excited, foolish look of a simple dog. When he came back, his eyes were red, his expression fierce, as if anyone who dared provoke him would be destroyed.
A walking lone wolf.
Instructor Chen raised his brows, greatly interested. It seemed life had already taught this boy a heavy lesson.
Kid, don’t be too naive.
In the days that followed, Xie Mingtu transformed grief and anger into strength. He seemed determined to vent all his energy. He became like a walking powder keg, ready to explode.
His physical potential was pushed to the extreme. His once slightly youthful, gentle face became sharper and more defined day by day, his edge fully revealed, and his personality began to change.
He also made a few friends. In the eyes of his newly made brothers, Xie Mingtu was someone from the countryside, with no parents, only grandparents. He had no powerful family background, did not talk much, but had exceptional talent, was extremely clever, cold, proud, and loyal. Most importantly, he was ridiculously handsome. Luckily, there were no girls here, otherwise it would cause chaos.
Some people wanted to introduce their younger sisters to him, but he said he was already married in the countryside. If anyone asked whether it had been an arranged marriage and whether he would consider divorcing her to marry a city girl… they could prepare to be beaten.
The woman he had married was the girl he loved.
Jiang Yantang barely kept up with the pace. Although his body could not quite endure it, he still managed to get along smoothly. Before long, those in his dormitory knew about his family background. They called each other brothers, and he made a group of friends.
He secretly paid attention to Xie Mingtu in the neighbouring squad. Who knew that on the third day, Xie Mingtu would be selected and taken away, seemingly to a place with even stricter training.
Jiang Yantang wanted to go too, but was told his results did not meet the standard.
He did not quite believe that Xie Mingtu’s physical quality could surpass his own. Although he had not originally planned to join the military, he had still been trained by the older brothers at home. Even while he was now struggling to rebuild his strength, his results were still above average. How could he not meet the standard?
“That place only selects the very best. You’re not there yet.”
…
After finishing clothes for the grandparents, Su Xiaoman’s hands grew restless. She began thinking about making something more challenging and design-focused. But in this era, everyone dressed simply. Who would dare wear exaggerated or revealing clothes?
“The colours are all so plain too. It’ll take at least a few years before things open up.”
“What kind of people can wear unique clothes?”
…Hm?
After thinking about it, Su Xiaoman realised she could make stage costumes for an art troupe.
Stage clothes could be exaggerated and distinctive. The only problem was how she could connect with that line of work, and how to make others believe in her clothes.
Was the art troupe recruiting recently?
She was just afraid their costumes were specially ordered from factories.
While Su Xiaoman was considering this, Grandpa and Grandma Jiang brought her to a gathering at Grandpa Wang’s house next door. Today, several of the Wang family’s granddaughters and maternal granddaughters had come over. They said they wanted to introduce them to her, so the young girls could get to know each other.
Wang Xun’an had two biological granddaughters and one maternal granddaughter. There was also a maternal granddaughter from his in-laws’ side.
His eldest granddaughter was Wang Feifei, a round-faced girl in her early twenties, studying at a teachers’ college. When she smiled, she had two cute little canine teeth. His younger granddaughter was Wang Xuanxuan, thirteen or fourteen, still in middle school. She wore an honest student outfit, had an oval face, and looked quiet and well-behaved.
His maternal granddaughter was He Qingmei, around the same age as the eldest granddaughter, studying at a health school. Sitting beside He Qingmei was a pretty, delicate girl named Qin Chunxiu, a maternal granddaughter from the Wang family’s in-laws. She usually liked coming to the Wang household.
Including Su Xiaoman, the five young girls sitting together were pleasing to the eye. Seeing this, Yang Meixing smiled and joked, “Around us four old sticks are five delicate flowers.”
“Sit, sit. Xiaoman, get to know your sisters and younger sisters.”
“Let the young girls chat among themselves.”
Su Xiaoman sat beside the four girls. She did not know them yet. Wang family’s eldest granddaughter seemed very reserved when meeting her. The youngest, Wang Xuanxuan, however, warmly spoke the moment she saw her.
“Sister Xiaoman, you’re so beautiful!”
Her older sister Wang Feifei shifted slightly to the side and smiled at Su Xiaoman. Although they were close in age and she was even one or two years older than Su Xiaoman, Su Xiaoman was already married and was the granddaughter-in-law of the Jiang family next door. Wang Feifei was still an unmarried girl, so she did not know what to say.
This Su Xiaoman was indeed beautiful, but she had heard that she came from the countryside and had married early.
After they introduced themselves, they were not very familiar. The eldest, Wang Feifei, sat quietly to the side, drinking tea and listening to them chat, occasionally helping pour tea. Su Xiaoman chatted a little with Wang Xuanxuan, while He Qingmei spoke with Qin Chunxiu.
They talked about the selection exams for a certain art troupe in the Wenjing area.
“Sister Xiuxiu wants to take the art troupe exam. She’s still afraid she won’t pass.”
“Sister Xiuxiu is so pretty, and she dances beautifully too.”
“She’ll definitely pass.”
Qin Chunxiu smiled modestly. “There are plenty of young girls prettier than me. My dancing isn’t the best either.”
Su Xiaoman was curious. “Art troupe?”
She had just been thinking about art troupes earlier, but did not understand them very well. Now that she heard them mention the selection, she could not help asking.
Wang Xuanxuan hugged her arm and said casually, “Sister Xiaoman, you don’t have a job yet, right? You’re so beautiful—can you sing or dance? Do you want to take the art troupe exam too?”
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