Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The more He Xiaofeng thought about it, the more amazed she became. She truly wanted to be like Jiang Yiwei—able to make money—and soon made her decision.

"Yi Wei, do you think I can make money?"

"Xiaofeng, have you ever heard the saying? The early bird catches the worm. Latecomers get the scraps."

"You may not be the first to try this, but right now, not many are doing it. You can still get a piece of the action."

Right now, there aren’t many small vendors, but that might not be the case later. Over time, the profits might not even be as good as they are now.

He Xiaofeng’s heart raced with excitement.

Like Jiang Yiwei, she wanted to earn extra money besides working as a factory girl. Her family was comfortable, but they weren’t truly wealthy. More importantly, she genuinely wanted to make more money.

As for things like hair ties, looking over the ones in her hand, He Xiaofeng already had a rough idea of how to make them.

She grabbed Jiang Yiwei’s arm. "Yi Wei, give me some pointers later. I don’t know much about this since it’s my first time. Just help me work things out, okay?"

This was her first time being a small vendor, and she’d have to make these things herself. He Xiaofeng had never done it before and worried she might mess up—or even fail—so she hoped Jiang Yiwei could guide her.

With Jiang Yiwei by her side, as her guide, she felt confident enough to take on these tasks.

Otherwise, she’d be too scared.

"Of course," Jiang Yiwei said yes because she saw He Xiaofeng lacked confidence. Truthfully, Jiang Yiwei didn’t have much experience either, but He Xiaofeng needed someone to support her, and she was willing to be that person.

Because of Jiang Yiwei’s reassurance, He Xiaofeng’s nerves instantly calmed.

Her confidence in becoming a small vendor grew.

Now that she had decided to do it, He Xiaofeng dove right in, pulling Jiang Yiwei along to linger at every vendor’s stall.

Pretending to shop, she then casually pumped the vendors for information.

From a few loose-lipped ones, she actually managed to get some useful tips.

Watching He Xiaofeng’s excitement, Jiang Yiwei couldn’t help smiling to herself.

Her gaze swept over the goods on display.

With supplies being scarce, He Xiaofeng was unlikely to lose money—but she had to time it right. Otherwise, there really was a chance of loss.

Looking at He Xiaofeng’s focused, earnest expression, Jiang Yiwei felt glad for her.

Then, as her eyes wandered, Jiang Yiwei froze.

She hadn’t expected to run into Jiang Ningning here.

"Ugh, just my luck," she thought to herself.

For Jiang Yiwei, encountering Jiang Ningning never brought anything good.

She had absolutely no desire to cross paths with her.

Immediately, she pressed closer to He Xiaofeng, using her figure to block herself from view, hoping to avoid Jiang Ningning spotting her and launching into a bragging spiel.

Who knows why Jiang Ningning always loves to show off what she has in front of her.

Especially since joining the theater troupe, Jiang Ningning often says things in front of her and others that make Jiang Yiwei feel a bit of a "tea flavor" (a Chinese slang term for fake sweetness or passive-aggressive behavior).

Sometimes, Jiang Ningning even speaks in a condescending tone—like she’s better than everyone.

Jiang Yiwei pursed her lips—she had no interest in listening to all that nonsense and tried to stay out of sight.

"Yi Wei, what's wrong?"

He Xiaofeng, who had been looking at the hair ties, noticed Jiang Yiwei's odd behavior and thought something was wrong.

"Nothing, my legs fell asleep from crouching. Let me move a little."

Jiang Yiwei made up an excuse.

"Then get up quickly." He Xiaofeng grabbed Jiang Yiwei's arm, trying to help her up.

Seeing this, Jiang Yiwei quickly pulled He Xiaofeng back. "It’s gone now. Look, this one is really special." She grabbed a random hair tie from the stall.

If He Xiaofeng stood up, she would’ve been spotted by Jiang Ningning.

"Oh!"

Though He Xiaofeng looked doubtful, she trusted Jiang Yiwei completely, so she naturally believed her and went back to checking out the hair ties.

Seeing He Xiaofeng refocus on the hair ties, Jiang Yiwei let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Noticing that He Xiaofeng didn’t suspect her and continued examining the hair ties intently, Jiang Yiwei peeked again at Jiang Ningning.

She narrowed her eyes—Jiang Ningning and the guy beside her.

Wasn’t Jiang Ningning’s target originally Jiang Liling’s love interest in the novel? Why was she so close to this guy next to her?

Could he be the male lead, Qu Zhenxin? No, probably not.

She watched as Jiang Ningning smiled flirtatiously at the man beside her, their bodies leaning close. Whatever she’d said made the man’s ears turn beet red, and the way he glanced at her was full of admiration. Yet Jiang Ningning acted oblivious, still making ambiguous gestures toward him.

Jiang Yiwei raised an eyebrow.

Thinking about Jiang Ningning’s behavior in the novel and her own interactions with her, she realized this was just Jiang Ningning’s usual style.

She glanced around as she recalled that in the novel, there was a guy in Jiang Ningning’s troupe who liked her. Jiang Ningning knew he had feelings for her, and though he was well-off, she wanted to be with Qu Zhenxin—one of the male leads and Jiang Liling’s original love interest. So, she led him on, never outright rejecting him.

After all, the guy often gave her gifts, which Jiang Ningning never refused.

Seemed like this guy was probably that admirer from the troupe.

While Jiang Yiwei was lost in thought about Jiang Ningning, by the time she snapped out of it, Jiang Ningning and the guy beside her were already gone.

Just then, He Xiaofeng pulled Jiang Yiwei along toward the next stall selling hair ties.

The evening sky in the capital had long darkened, and the streetlights gave off a soft light, illuminating the road for people heading home.

A bicycle stopped in front of the Jiang family’s courtyard, and the moment it halted, Jiang Yiwei hopped off the bike.

"Yi Wei, I’m heading back now."

Liu Minhua, who had brought Jiang Yiwei home as usual, was about to ride away when Jiang Yiwei stopped him.

"Wait up, Brother Minhua!"

"What's up?"

Liu Minhua thought Jiang Yiwei needed his help with something.

Jiang Yiwei didn't answer, simply pulling out a light yellow shirt from her military-green bag. Upon closer inspection, the collar was adorned with lace trim.

"Brother Minhua, since I got this job, thanks to you driving me to and from work every day, I've saved a bundle on bus fare. I didn’t know how to thank you."

"Not long ago, I happened to hear Sister Fang Miao mention to someone that she wanted a light yellow top to match her white sweater. There was some factory-second fabric at the factory, so I made one for Sister Fang Miao."

Liu Minhua being a married man, and given the conservative era, Jiang Yiwei knew it wouldn't be proper to make clothes for him directly as thanks. But making something for his wife, Fang Miao, was acceptable.

As luck would have it, she had overheard Fang Miao wanting a light yellow garment.

The factory had a flawed batch of light yellow fabric, which she bought on the cheap.

After sewing the shirt, Jiang Yiwei decided to give it to Fang Miao as a gesture of gratitude.

"I can’t take this. If I do, my grandma would chew me out."

"Besides, I see you as my little sister. Driving you to work is only right."

Liu Minhua refused without hesitation.

Of course, he couldn’t accept anything from Yi Wei.

After all, it was Old Lady Xu who had arranged for him to drive Yi Wei to work. Moreover, having grown up together, Liu Minhua regarded Yi Wei as a younger sister. Given their bond, how could he possibly accept gifts from her?

No, absolutely not.

"I’m not giving this to you—it’s for Sister Fang Miao."

Jiang Yiwei pushed the shirt at him and insisted, "Remember to pass it to her for me."

"Yi Wei."

"Yi Wei."

Holding the shirt, Liu Minhua called her name repeatedly, trying to make her take it back.

If he brought it home, not only would his grandma give him an earful, but his wife would too.

At that moment, Yi Wei turned back to face him. "Brother Minhua, remember to give it to Sister Fang Miao. If you don’t, I’ll go tell her bad things about you."

With that, she slammed the gate in his face.

Liu Minhua stared at the closed gate, then down at the shirt in his arms. Scratching his head, he couldn't help but laugh before finally tucking the garment into his bag and took off for home.

Once he was gone, the gate slowly opened again, revealing a head peeking out to look around before breaking into a satisfied smile.

Confirming that Liu Minhua had left, Jiang Yiwei muttered, "Think you're so clever? I've got your number."

The truth was, she had known all along that Liu Minhua wouldn’t easily accept gifts from her. That’s why making the blouse for Fang Miao was the whole point—

just so he couldn't say no.

She'd actually made Granny Xu an outfit, but she planned to personally deliver it to her later.

Pleased with her little scheme, Jiang Yiwei clapped her hands and was about to step inside when someone suddenly popped out in front of her, startling her.

"Yi Wei."

"Ah!"

The one who'd startled her spoke.

Squinting in the dim light, Jiang Yiwei recognized the face and blurted out, "Sis?"

Indeed, the woman standing before Jiang Yiwei was Jiang Lingxin, the eldest daughter, who was already married—Jiang Sanjie and Zhang Cuifen's firstborn, and Jiang Yiwei's elder sister.

Jiang Lingxin glanced at her, then peered outside, her eyes clouded with confusion.

"We heard someone calling for you inside. Did you hear it too?"

"You mean Brother Minhua? He was calling me from outside, but I ignored him."

It dawned on Jiang Yiwei—they had heard Liu Minhua calling her earlier.

"Why?"

"Did something happen?"

Jiang Lingxin knew that Jiang Yiwei and Liu Minhua worked at factories close to each other, and since Liu Minhua had a bicycle, he gave her daily rides.

Earlier, while inside the house, Jiang Lingxin had heard Liu Minhua calling urgently for Jiang Yiwei and figured something was wrong.

Jiang Yiwei then explained to Jiang Lingxin why Liu Minhua had been calling her out in the yard.