Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Zhang Jiahui paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "You're right. The current you is completely different from before."

The current Jiang Yiwei and the old Jiang Yiwei were like night and day.

If Jiang Yuexin dared to yell at her now, Jiang Yiwei would fire right back.

For some reason, Zhang Jiahui felt a lot better now.

Jiang Yiwei smiled faintly. Of course, she knew her personality now was nothing like the original’s. It was impossible for no one to notice. At first, she held back, not daring to be too open, gradually letting Zhang Cuifen and the others slowly realize her changes.

Little by little, they got used to the new her.

But for Zhang Jiahui and the others, her sudden change was jarring—they were bound to feel confused or hesitant.

They might wonder, but it’d never cross their minds that she was a completely different person now.

Once Zhang Cuifen was done making small talk with others and waited until most people had left, she finally asked Jiang Yiwei about the sewing machine.

"A decision this big—why didn’t you talk to me or your dad first?"

When Zhang Cuifen learned that Jiang Yiwei had bought a second-hand sewing machine, she was shocked. A huge deal like this, and Jiang Yiwei kept them completely in the dark, not even consulting them.

She had some nerve, going behind their backs like that.

"It’s just a used sewing machine. No big deal, so I didn’t bring it up."

Jiang Yiwei genuinely believed it was a trivial matter, not worth mentioning.

Of course, the truth was, Jiang Yiwei had deliberately kept it to herself. If she had told Zhang Cuifen, Zhang Cuifen would’ve shut it down. If she had mentioned it to Jiang Sanjie, he would have given her money to buy a brand-new one.

And if Jiang Yuexin had found out, she’d have thrown a fit until Jiang Sanjie handed her the cash.

Not to mention, with such a large sum involved, it was unlikely Jiang Haolin and Huang Manjun would have no objections.

So, after some thought, Jiang Yiwei decided to say nothing at all.

"Not a big deal? Jiang Yiwei, you’ve got quite the nerve. Soon enough, you’ll be the one running this household." Jiang Yuexin refused to believe Jiang Yiwei truly thought it was insignificant—she was sure Jiang Yiwei was pulling strings.

She did it on purpose to get a rise out of everyone.

Just look—everyone they ran into couldn’t stop gushing about Jiang Yiwei.

Jiang Yiwei had set this up, milking the admiration.

Jiang Yiwei shot her a look. "What, jealous I’m getting all the praise?"

"Just because no one praises you, does that mean others can’t praise me? Real mature."

Jiang Yiwei saw right through her—the jealousy was written all over her face.

So, her words struck right at Jiang Yuexin’s heart.

Jiang Yuexin flew off the handle. "That’s bull! What’s so great about her? You’re just a nobody seamstress—can’t even hold a candle to Jiang Ningning!"

Jiang Yuexin would never admit she was green with envy.

Truth was, she thought Jiang Yiwei was beneath her—just some sweatshop seamstress, not even comparable to Jiang Ningning. What’s so great about her?

"Oh! I'm not as good as Jiang Ningning, so you think you can?"

She’s just jealous that Jiang Ningning can be a dance performer in the troupe and perform on stage.

Saying she's not as good as Jiang Ningning—what about Jiang Yuexin herself? She isn’t any better herself.

Like putting her down would suddenly make her as good as Jiang Ningning.

"You!"

Jiang Yuexin angrily knocked everything off the table and glared at Jiang Yiwei. "Just wait. One day, I’ll make sure every one of you looks up to me."

"You—who do you think you are? Worry about yourself first!" Jiang Yiwei looked down on Jiang Yuexin.

She’s got her own problems, yet still has time to lecture others.

"Mom, look! She’s picking on me again!"

Instead, Zhang Cuifen turned on Jiang Yuexin. "Yiwei’s not wrong. Worry about yourself first."

"I told you to stay away from him."

Just thinking about Fang Guohua made Zhang Cuifen’s blood boil.

Out of all her kids, Jiang Yuexin was the biggest headache. She wouldn’t cut ties with Fang Guohua despite being told to focus on work so that Zhang Cuifen and Jiang Sanjie could arrange an easier job for her in the future. She stubbornly insisted on staying with Fang Guohua.

The whole thing had Zhang Cuifen and Jiang Sanjie at their wits’ end.

"Guohua’s a decent guy. Why should I break up with him?"

Jiang Yuexin absolutely refused to separate from Fang Guohua.

Because of Fang Guohua, mother and daughter started arguing again.

Jiang Yiwei dusted off her sewing machine, shook her head, and continued cleaning it.

After finishing, she began tinkering with the machine and noticed a few issues—some parts tended to jam while sewing, and sometimes the pedal would suddenly stop working, requiring adjustments to continue.

No wonder Hong Su was always stopping to fiddle with the machine.

Not huge issues, but fixing them early would be better so she wouldn’t keep getting interrupted mid-stitch and annoyed.

She gave the sewing machine a once-over.

Looks like she’d need to get someone to fix it.

Jiang Yiwei knew just who to ask.

The next morning, heading to the First Garment Factory, she brought up the issue with Liu Minhua.

"Brother Minhua, can you fix a sewing machine?"

"Fix a sewing machine? Never tried. Doubt I can."

Liu Minhua had never repaired a sewing machine and was afraid he might not manage.

Truth was, he could probably manage—he just didn’t want to mess it up.

Liu Minhua knew about Jiang Yiwei’s sewing machine purchase.

He knew the sewing machine was used and that Jiang Yiwei had spent a lot of money on it. If he messed it up while trying to fix it, it would be disastrous.

So Liu Minhua had to turn her down.

"Oh, really?"

Yi Wei had assumed Brother Minhua knew something about fixing things, but his refusal was surprisingly firm.

Guess she’d have to keep looking. But no hurry—it still worked; it just needed frequent adjustments during use.

Liu Minhua glanced back at Yi Wei, taking in her frown and worried look.

"Yi Wei, I’ll ask around at my factory to see if anyone knows how to fix sewing machines."

With that many people at his factory, surely someone skilled in sewing machine repairs could be found.

"You think you’ll find someone?" Yi Wei asked, doubtful.

"Relax! Someone’s bound to know how. Even if we can’t find an expert, they’ll surely be better than me."

Liu Minhua reassured her confidently.

"Thanks, Brother Minhua—I appreciate it," Yi Wei said. "I’ll also ask around at my own factory."

Yi Wei was thankful but figured she’d ask around too. Ideally, she could find a professional repairman to fix it, as they were the real experts.

Third Auto Works.

Liu Minhua and the other workers stepped out of the cafeteria after finishing their meal, his eyes darting through the crowd outside for someone.

Not seeing who he was looking for, he moved on to check elsewhere.

Finally, by a big tree, he found the one he sought.

"A Ye."

Liu Minhua called to him.

The man called A Ye spotted Liu Minhua right away and greeted him warmly, "Brother Minhua."

"A Ye, I’ve been looking for you for a while. I had a feeling you'd be here."

"Brother Minhua, what do you need from me?" A Ye waved a hand-sized leaf to fan Liu Minhua.

Ever since A Ye joined the Third Automobile Manufacturing Plant, Liu Minhua had been showing him the ropes, so the two were very close, often acting like brothers.

Recalling Liu Minhua’s words just now, A Ye started wondering what had made Liu Minhua so eager to find him.

"A Ye, you've always got the best intel. Do you know anyone in our factory who can repair sewing machines?"

Since A Ye was the most well-informed and the two were the closest, Liu Minhua immediately thought of him first.

"Repair sewing machines? Let me think."

Hearing this, A Ye stopped to think, trying to recall if anyone in the factory could fix sewing machines.

But after running through everyone in his mind, A Ye couldn’t remember anyone who could.

Under Liu Minhua's hopeful gaze, the young man hesitated and said, "Minhua, I can't recall anyone who knows how to fix a sewing machine."

"No one?"

Since no one could fix it, Liu Minhua's face fell.

However, the young man next to A Ye elbowed him and said, "Minhua, don’t give up, and don’t listen to him. I know someone who can."

Liu Minhua and A Ye immediately looked right at the young man.

Seeing their surprised looks, the young man grinned smugly. "What? Just because you don’t know doesn’t mean I can’t know more than you."

Liu Minhua brushed off his joking and pressed, "Daniu, who is it? Who can fix the sewing machine?"

Li Daniu crossed his arms and grinned. "Minhua, why are you so eager to find someone who can repair a sewing machine?"

They'd known each other for years, and Li Daniu rarely saw Liu Minhua this anxious before.

"It’s for Yi Wei."

A Ye and Li Daniu both knew Jiang Yiwei, after all.

"What does it have to do with Yi Wei?" A Ye was completely lost about the connection.

Liu Minhua then explained that Jiang Yiwei had bought a used sewing machine, but it was faulty and needed someone to repair it.

A Ye and Li Daniu nodded knowingly.

"Hurry up and tell me who can fix it. I need to ask if they can help."

Liu Minhua pushed him, eager to find the person.

But Li Daniu hesitated.

"Minhua, I think you should find someone else."

Li Daniu suggested Liu Minhua look for another person.

"Why?" Frustrated at being told to find someone else despite already knowing a potential repairman, Liu Minhua had no other leads.

Li Daniu didn't want to say, making Liu Minhua even more impatient. "Daniu, just say it!"

"It’s Engineer Fu."

Li Daniu didn't want to say it because he knew the person who could repair it was Fu Xunian.