Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Chen Songzhi was currently stressed about repaying debts—a stark contrast to Jiang Yiwei’s mood.

Jiang Yiwei's state of mind could be described as joyful.

If you looked closely, you’d notice her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Exposing Chen Songzhi’s fake friendship and even demanding repayment from her—wasn’t that just sweet revenge?

She hummed cheerfully, practically bouncing with each step.

As soon as she entered the house, Jiang Yiwei saw Jiang Yuexin sitting on a stool, snacking on sunflower seeds.

"Elder Sister, didn’t you go to work today?"

Just as expected, the temporary landfill job had finally come through for Jiang Yuexin before she was due to go to the countryside, sparing her from becoming an *educated youth*.

However, unlike what might have happened in a storybook, this time the landfill job fell to Jiang Yuexin, who despised it—finding it dirty, smelly, backbreaking, and soul-crushing.

If not for her aversion to becoming an *educated youth*, Jiang Yuexin would never have taken on such filthy and laborious work.

Now, she nagged Zhang Cuifen and Jiang Sanjie nonstop to find her a new job.

But jobs didn’t grow on trees.

If it were that easy, why had Jiang Sanjie and Zhang Cuifen only managed to secure one in those few months—and that one was rejected by Jiang Yuexin herself?

Now that she complained about the landfill job being too hard, she still had to keep doing it.

Otherwise, she could always go to the countryside as an *educated youth*. This time, they refused to baby her.

In fact, Jiang Sanjie even believed it was good for Jiang Yuexin to work at the landfill—it might knock some sense into her.

Seeing how Zhang Cuifen and Jiang Sanjie were acting, Jiang Yuexin just played hooky constantly, refusing to work.

But Jiang Sanjie wasn’t having it. He made it clear to Jiang Yuexin that if she didn’t want to work, that was fine—nobody could hand her a dime. If she wanted anything, she’d have to rely on her own wages.

Jiang Yuexin, however, couldn’t care less. She knew Zhang Cuifen doted on her and would give her money if she asked, so she remained unbothered.

Jiang Yuexin shot Jiang Yiwei a dirty look. "What’s it to you?"

"It’s none of my business."

Indeed, Jiang Yiwei had no say in her affairs.

Jiang Yuexin eyed Jiang Yiwei, who was about to return to her room. "Yiwei, I never thought you could be so two-faced."

Jiang Yiwei turned around, her gaze settling on Jiang Yuexin’s face.

"If you’ve something to say, spit it out. No need to beat around the bush."

She couldn’t read minds—she had no idea what Jiang Yuexin was scheming.

"Acting clueless? Fine, I’ll say it straight." Seeing how fake Jiang Yiwei was, Jiang Yuexin cut the crap.

"I always thought you and Chen Songzhi were thick as thieves. Who knew the moment money was mentioned, you turned on her and outright denied being her friend. Don’t you think you’re two-faced as hell?"

She had genuinely believed Jiang Yiwei and Chen Songzhi were inseparable friends. Yet, the moment money came up, Jiang Yiwei had flipped, even demanding old debts back.

I really couldn’t tell Jiang Yiwei was such a total fake.

Jiang Yiwei was aware Jiang Yuexin had caught every word she said to Chen Songzhi.

“Nah, I’m good.” Lending money wasn’t out of the question, but someone like Chen Songzhi? No way!

“Such a hypocrite.” Jiang Yuexin simply thought Jiang Yiwei was two-faced.

“Second sister, I reckon you’re just upset Chen Songzhi couldn’t con me out of any cash.”

In her eyes, Jiang Yuexin was mad that Chen Songzhi could no longer fleece her for cash.

“Exactly, I won’t get to watch you act like a sucker anymore.”

Not being able to see Jiang Yiwei get played anymore, Jiang Yuexin really felt a bit disappointed.

Suddenly, Jiang Yiwei paused, stunned, remembering how Jiang Yuexin had wheedled and grabbed cash from the original owner in the past.

“Second sister, from childhood till now, you’ve taken quite a bit of money from me—more than Chen Songzhi did, twenty-six yuan, five mao, and two fen.”

“Second sister, shouldn’t you give it back?”

“When did I ever borrow money from you? You handed it over yourself!” At the mention of repayment, Jiang Yuexin instantly grew agitated.

She had never borrowed money from her—Jiang Yiwei had given it willingly. Now she wanted it back? Not a chance.

“Second sister, was I really willing to 'give' it to you? The nerve of her!”

If she hadn’t pressured the original owner, the original owner would never have handed over a cent.

Jiang Yiwei set down her army-green bag and walked up to Jiang Yuexin, her eyes cold. “Third sister, you’re no fool—in fact, you’re sharp. You should be able to tell I’m not the same Jiang Yiwei who let everyone push me around anymore.”

She believed Jiang Yuexin could see she was completely different from the original owner, though Jiang Yuexin wouldn’t guess she truly wasn’t the original owner.

Panic flickered in Jiang Yuexin’s eyes, but she stubbornly insisted, “You’re still you.”

She just refused to admit that the current Jiang Yiwei wasn’t a doormat anymore.

The idea grated on her. If only Jiang Yiwei were still like before, she wouldn’t have to work as a temp at the trash yard. Working at a textile factory would be much better—at least it carried a better rep and lighter work.

“I’m still me, yes, but I’m not someone you can bully anymore.”

She continued warning Jiang Yuexin, “I’ll let the past slide, but if you don’t want me demanding repayment, keep your nasty comments to yourself.”

Jiang Yuexin seethed silently, only able to glare because Jiang Yiwei had nailed it.

She really was afraid Jiang Yiwei would demand money back. In the past, if Jiang Yiwei had said this, Jiang Yuexin would have laughed. But now, she believed Jiang Yiwei meant it.

A knock came at the door.

Jiang Yiwei and Jiang Yuexin turned toward the sound and saw Jiang Honghong standing at the door, holding a piece of fabric. Jiang Honghong hadn’t heard their conversation, only sensing the strange tension in the air.

“Honghong.”

Jiang Yiwei was curious why Jiang Honghong had come to their house.

“Jiang Honghong, what are you doing here?” Jiang Yuexin’s tone dripped with contempt.

Whether it was Jiang Ningning or Jiang Honghong, Jiang Yuexin simply didn’t like either of them.

"Why do you care? I didn't come here for you," Jiang Honghong snapped back.

Jiang Yuexin disliked Jiang Honghong, and the feeling was mutual—they couldn’t stand the sight of each other.

Besides, she hadn’t come for Jiang Yuexin anyway.

Her face brightened when her eyes landed on Jiang Yiwei.

She hurried over to Yiwei-jie (a respectful term for an older sister figure), clutching an armful of fabric, and blurted out her request.

"Miss Yiwei, that dress you made Jiaqi is gorgeous! Could you make me one just like hers? I absolutely love her dress."

Zhang Jiaqi was Aunt Mao’s youngest daughter, and like Jiang Honghong, the two had been thick as thieves since childhood.

A while ago, Zhang Jiaqi had worn a particularly beautiful dress and showed it off to everyone.

Jiang Honghong's eyes were glued to Zhang Jiaqi’s dress, gazing longingly as Zhang Jiaqi paraded in it.

She loved the dress so much that she kept asking Zhang Jiaqi where she had bought it.

Seeing how much Jiang Honghong liked it, Zhang Jiaqi initially refused to tell her but finally gave in after Jiang Honghong pestered her.

The dress had been made by Jiang Yiwei.

That’s why Jiang Honghong had come to Jiang Yiwei with an armful of fabric.

Turns out, she was after that dress.

Earlier, while helping Zhang Cuifen deliver something to Aunt Mao, Jiang Yiwei happened to catch Zhang Jiaqi and Zhang Jiahui arguing.

Zhang Jiahui was Aunt Mao’s eldest daughter.

Curious, Jiang Yiwei asked Aunt Mao what they were quarreling about, and Aunt Mao filled her in.

It turned out Aunt Mao had bought a piece of fabric for the sisters. DIY would save cash, so Aunt Mao and Zhang Jiahui had been discussing how to design the dress to make it look nice. But when Zhang Jiaqi found out, she objected—she didn’t want their amateur stitching to ruin what could be a beautiful new dress.

Zhang Jiahui, however, believed their skills weren’t *that* bad. Besides, paying a tailor was a waste, and the result wouldn’t be much better than if they made it themselves. So she insisted on doing it themselves.

One wanted to make the dress, the other refused—hence the sisters’ argument.

Aunt Mao’s head was spinning from their squabble.

But for Jiang Yiwei, she saw her chance.

She knew how to make and design clothes.

Though not a top-tier designer, before she’d found herself in this story, she had run an online clothing store where most of the designs were her own.

Business was steady, and regulars kept coming back—proof her designs hit the mark.

Even here, she had no intention of giving up this skill—it was her bread and butter.

She had even planned to develop this career path further in the future.

Though she had become a worker at the No. 1 Garment Factory, she wasn’t about to stay there forever. With layoffs looming, change was inevitable.

Better to strike while the iron’s hot.

This was a great opportunity to promote herself, and Jiang Yiwei was eager to make the most of it, so she took the initiative to offer her help in making the clothes.

Jiang Yiwei said to Aunt Mao, "Aunt Mao, you know I’m currently a worker at the No. 1 Garment and Textile Factory. If you don’t mind, I can help you make them."

"Really, Sis Yiwei?"

Before Aunt Mao could respond, Zhang Jiaqi grabbed the fabric excitedly and ran up to Jiang Yiwei.

She'd rather trust Jiang Yiwei than her elder sister’s skills—after all, Jiang Yiwei was a textile factory worker, so her craftsmanship couldn't possibly be worse than her sister’s.

"Of course! It won’t take me too long."

After glancing at the fabric, she estimated it would only make two pieces of clothing at most, so it wouldn’t take much time. Besides, she needed them to put in a good word for her.

"Sis Yiwei, thank you so much!" Zhang Jiaqi beamed.

While Zhang Jiaqi was delighted, Zhang Jiahui was fuming. She was upset that Zhang Jiaqi thought her skills were that bad.

"Zhang Jiaqi, do you really think my skills are that bad? I’ve made all your clothes since you were little!"

She had sewn all of Zhang Jiaqi’s clothes growing up, yet now her sister acted so disdainful. That little brat.

At that moment, Zhang Jiahui's fingers twitched—she really wanted to teach Zhang Jiaqi a lesson.