Chapter 182: I Wove It

Chapter 182: I Wove It

Jiang Yu's first day at work had a few hiccups, but overall, it went smoothly.

In the evening, she lay on the heated bed with her hair loose, waiting for it to dry.

He Tingyue walked in, and she brought up the matter of Zhou Xue, her new colleague.

"I hadn't met her before, but for some reason, she seems to have some hostility towards me."

He Tingyue was casual, "Even though you two are colleagues, you're also in a competitive relationship, so it's normal for there to be some hostility."

Having been at the Second State Cotton Mill for a long time, he gave her a rundown of the people in the publicity department.

Department Head Jin was nothing special—just an old-fashioned stickler for rules who disliked innovation.

As long as you followed the rules, he wouldn't give you any trouble.

Lan Raoping's husband was the factory director of the First State Cotton Mill, a position even more prestigious than that of Factory Director Zheng.

That's why she dared to openly crack sunflower seeds in the office.

Her personality was exactly the type Department Head Jin disliked—unruly.

But Department Head Jin couldn't do anything about her, so he could only show his displeasure openly.

"Wu Jinshun has been in the publicity department for many years, neither rising nor falling, but he's very reliable in his work."

As for Zhou Xue, she was Mrs. Zhou's niece, though the two families hadn't been in contact for many years.

It was only after Zhou Xue's parents passed away and relatives refused to take her in that Mrs. Zhou took her in.

"At that time, Lan Raoping's eldest son had died, and Zhou Xue, being sweet-tongued, was sent to stay with her for several years."

However, during the time Zhou Xue stayed with her, Lan Raoping's only daughter was kidnapped by human traffickers.

Lan Raoping was devastated and no longer had the heart to raise children, so she sent Zhou Xue back to the Zhou family to be raised by her grandfather.

The bond formed over those years was strong, and Zhou Xue, being resourceful, used her connection with Lan Raoping to get into the publicity department of the Second State Cotton Mill.

Jiang Yu yawned lazily, "She's quite lucky then."

"There's an element of luck, but it's also her skill."

She only stayed with Lan Raoping for a few years, but earning Lan Raoping's admiration wasn't easy.

Jiang Yu snuggled closer to him, "I'll just focus on doing my job, and it's best if we get along peacefully. But if she provokes me, I won't let her push me around."

He Tingyue patted her back, "Of course, otherwise, what good would I be?"

On workdays, waking up early was the hardest part.

Jiang Yu hadn't had such a regular schedule before, and sleeping in under the covers was her favorite thing.

Now, that was no longer an option.

She groggily washed up, had breakfast, and then saw He Tingyue holding a red scarf.

"Wear this scarf from now on," he said. Jiang Yu took it, pleasantly surprised, and turned it over in her hands.

"It's so soft, is it pure wool? When did you buy it?"

He Tingyue touched his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"I made it myself."

Jiang Yu widened her eyes, "You made this scarf yourself!"

She knew He Tingyue was capable, but she never knew he could knit!

He Tingyue looked unusually embarrassed, avoiding her intense gaze.

"I didn't know how before, but I learned recently."

Previously, Jiang Yu had given her scarf to He Xing and had to use He Feiyan's old scarf, so he thought of knitting her a new one.

The yarn was soft, but at first, he found it tricky to work with.

He later got tips from Old Wang's wife, the guard, and slowly got the hang of it.

"Do you like it?" he asked, wrapping the scarf around her.

Jiang Yu stood on her toes and gave him a big kiss on the cheek, beaming with joy.

"I love it! I absolutely love it! He Tingyue, you are the first person to knit a scarf for me. I feel so ashamed—I’m your wife, and I haven’t even knitted a scarf for you."

Her liking it was He Tingyue's greatest joy.

His eyes filled with tenderness as he gently stroked her hair.

"We're husband and wife; it doesn't matter who's good to whom, it's all the same. You made clothes for me; should I feel guilty for not knowing how to sew?"

Jiang Yu smiled sweetly, loving the soft, thick scarf.

"No guilt here, I'm just happy! Happy when you're good to me, and happy when I'm good to you!"

After wearing the scarf for a bit, Jiang Yu decided to check herself in the mirror.

The bright red scarf made her lips look redder and her teeth whiter, enhancing her beauty.

"It's so pretty, I almost don't want to wear it outside."

He Tingyue took the mirror, chuckling at her.

"Don't worry, I'll make more for you, in all sorts of colors."

When Jiang Yu stepped out of the south room, everyone noticed her red scarf.

Xu Lihua exclaimed, "Jiang Yu, is that a new scarf you knitted? It's wool, right? Looks high quality—you always treat yourself well. Not like me; with only my daughter-in-law earning, I can't afford such nice yarn."

Lin Donghua shot her a look, "Aunt Xu, don't be bitter. With your family's situation, even if you wanted good yarn, you couldn't afford it. Jiang Yu's different—she has a real job and earns her own money."

Aunt Xu was clearly bitter, almost oozing envy.

If Zhang Jiahua had taken the recruitment exam, Jiang Yu wouldn't have gotten into the Second State Cotton Mill.

"I'm not bitter. She always talks about being good to her sister-in-law, but this time she only made a scarf for herself, not even her husband. Time tells, and now her true colors are showing."

Jiang Ting sighed dramatically, siding with Xu Lihua: "Aunt Xu's right. My sister's always been selfish, not even kind to her own sister, much less others."

Xu Lihua was sour with envy, downright jealous.

In the dead of winter, when everything outside was frozen solid, she still had to brave the cold wind, getting up early to wash clothes outdoors.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yu could sleep in until breakfast, enjoy her meal, and then head off to work looking radiant.

When Jiang Yu stepped out wrapped in that red scarf, Jiang Ting was so dazzled she almost didn’t recognize her.

Since marrying He Tingyue, Jiang Yu had been eating well, dressing well, and her complexion had visibly brightened.

In winter, when everyone’s faces and hands were chapped and cracked, Jiang Yu’s skin stayed as smooth and moist as ever—something to envy.

Lin Hongxia chimed in, scolding a bit, though her words were aimed at He Tingyue.

"Little He, your wife needs to be reined in. No wife dares to spend money so freely."

He Tingyue pushed his bicycle forward, "Don’t trouble yourself worrying. I bought the yarn, and I knitted the scarf for Jiang Yu. My wife lost her scarf, so I made her a new one. What’s the fuss about? Why are all the aunties lining up to lecture me?"

His words left everyone stunned.

Even Lin Donghua was in disbelief, gaping at Jiang Yu in shock.

That gorgeous scarf was knitted by He Tingyue?

She’d seen He Tingyue nab troublemakers, his strong arms easily hoisting a loiterer.

Who’d have guessed a man like him could knit scarves too!

In all her years, she’d never seen a man knit a scarf before!

"Jiang Yu, are you pulling our leg? Little He can knit scarves?"

Lin Donghua shook her head repeatedly, absolutely unable to believe it.

Jiang Yu smiled, pulling the scarf over her mouth and nose.

"Lin Sister, it’s true. He knitted this for me—I wouldn’t know how to knit myself. No more chit-chat, we’ve got to get to work or we’ll be late."

She and He Tingyue rode off on their bikes, one after the other, leaving the stunned crowd behind.

But word of He Tingyue knitting a scarf spread like wildfire through the residential compound and even reached the Second State Cotton Mill.

Some even went to the security department to confirm, only to get a speechless reply from Lin Chang’an.

"Quit guessing—the scarf was knitted by none other than our famous Section Chief He! In all my years, I’ve never seen a man knit a scarf before!"

He grumbled a bit to Xie Feifei, only to get an earful in return.

Xie Feifei even thought he was useless for not being able to knit a scarf.

He was aggrieved—how many men in this world can knit scarves?!