Chapter 94

Chapter 94

"Teacher, she was happy because she was looking forward to working with me in the Textile Department and getting one-up on me through the job."

Having competed against Fang Wenyu multiple times, and having beaten her every time, Jiang Yiwei had left Fang Wenyu with a chip on her shoulder—she was determined to get ahead of her at work.

Now that Yiwei wasn’t going to work in textiles, Fang Wenyu was the only one left. Her grand plan was ruined—no wonder she was pissed!

"Yiwei, are you really not going to reconsider?"

The teacher thought it was a shame that Yiwei was giving up the opportunity to work in the Textile Department, so he tried to persuade her not to make such a hasty decision, telling her to sleep on it.

He hoped she would think it through again—he was worried she’d live to regret it.

"Teacher, this is my answer after thinking it through."

Yiwei’s reply didn’t change—she was dead set on turning down the position in the Textile Department.

Suddenly, the teacher had a thought.

He wavered, shooting Yiwei a few looks, unsure whether to ask what was on his mind.

Finally, he asked, "Yiwei, if you’re not planning to work in the Textile Department… are you thinking of settling down?"

Since Yiwei had only told her teacher that she had something else she wanted to do, he figured she meant she wanted to get married and have kids.

"Teacher, where’d you get that from? Or is someone feeding you nonsense?"

To think I’m settling down—*as if!*

"If you're not planning to get married and settle down, what could possibly be worth giving up such a great job at the Ministry of Textiles?"

If the teacher were Jiang Yiwei and had the opportunity to work in the textile department, he would definitely take it.

But for Jiang Yiwei to walk away from it so easily, aside from getting married and starting a family, the teacher couldn't imagine any other reason.

"Teacher, I'm not getting married or settling down."

"If not, then what are you planning to do?"

The teacher's mind raced through various possibilities.

"Teacher, I want to open a custom clothing design shop. I've had this dream since before college."

This had been Jiang Yiwei's goal ever since she came into this world.

She had always wanted to run her own custom clothing design business.

"A custom clothing design shop?" The teacher had never considered that Jiang Yiwei would give up the Ministry of Textiles job to start her own boutique.

But thinking it over, the teacher still believed working at the Ministry would be the smarter choice.

He tried to persuade her again: "Yi Wei, you know I'm not trying to stop you from opening a shop, but compared to that, the Ministry would be a better option for you."

Especially for a woman.

The teacher knew Jiang Yiwei had competed in many contests — he knew she was strong-willed.

But in the class teacher's view, it would be a great opportunity for a girl like her to join the Textile Ministry.

"Teacher, I really don’t want to go."

She knew the teacher meant well, but she didn’t want to go to the Textile Ministry.

"Teacher, it’s true that I’m a girl, but I have things I want to do."

"Being a girl doesn’t mean I want a safe, predictable life. Life’s full of possibilities, and I hope I’m not stuck in the Textile Ministry. I want to experience more."

Jiang Yiwei didn’t want her identity as a girl to define her or limit what was possible.

No way did she want that! She felt such a life would be so dull.

Life’s short—only about 30,000 days. What’s the point if it’s all the same?

Why not open her own shop and be her own boss?

She hated the idea of being tied down.

Seeing Jiang Yiwei wouldn’t budge, and knowing he was just her teacher, the class teacher finally had to accept her choice.

"Thank you, teacher."

Jiang Yiwei gave a small smile as the teacher watched, disappointed, and then she returned to the classroom.

Back in the classroom, she noticed some classmates grinning, others sulking.

Zhou Hongmin and Peng Dilai were total opposites.

"What’s up, Hong Min?"

Zhou Hongmin’s eyes were red. "Yi Wei, I don’t want to go back to my hometown."

"But you always talked about missing them."

Before, Zhou Hongmin often told Jiang Yiwei how much she missed her family. She’d been assigned to a textile factory in her hometown.

Jiang Yiwei and Fang Wenyu were assigned to the Textile Ministry, mostly thanks to their competition wins.

Otherwise, she’d have ended up in a factory too.

Assigned jobs didn’t always mean good ones.

Factories swallowed up most grads.

Some, however, were sent to rural counties, working as minor clerks in various departments—which Jiang Yiwei didn’t mind.

"My mom always thought I’d land a key city job. If she finds out I’m just going to work in a factory, she’ll yell at me for wasting tuition."

"Now they’re pushing me to marry."

Zhou Hongmin was fine with factory work. Even as a worker, she could become a team leader or transfer to another department—factory bosses favored college grads like her.

Besides, Zhou Hongmin could handle tough work.

But she didn’t want to go home only to face marriage setups.

The thought made her recoil.

"Then what will you do?"

If Zhou Hongmin didn’t want to go back, what about her job? Assigned jobs weren’t something you could just switch on a whim.

If people could switch jobs at will, it’d be chaos.

"Yi Wei, didn’t you say you were opening a shop? You need seamstresses, right? What about me? We’ve sewn together before."

"We made a good team."

Zhou Hongmin didn’t want to go back.

But if she didn’t, what would she do for work?

Then it hit her—Jiang Yiwei had mentioned wanting to open a shop and hiring a few seamstresses.

Zhou Hongmin’s mind went to Jiang Yiwei.

"I do need help, but are you sure about this? You won’t have second thoughts?"

Jiang Yiwei was shorthanded. She had considered asking Zhou Hongmin and Peng Dilai—they’d helped make costumes for theater performances before.

But then she remembered they already had assigned jobs. Even with better pay, Jiang couldn’t offer housing or other benefits.

So she dropped the idea, planning to put up a hiring notice or place an ad later.

But she never thought Zhou would refuse to go back—just to dodge a marriage.

"You gave up your Ministry of Textiles job too."

Next to the Ministry, Zhou’s factory job was nothing.

If Jiang could cut ties so easily, why couldn’t she?

"I can open shop whenever—I’ve got a fallback. Even if it flops later, I won’t regret it."

"But you’re in a different spot. Quit this, and you’re shutting doors."

Jiang could afford to quit because she had the means.

But Zhou’s situation wasn’t the same.

Once she walked away from the factory, getting another stable job would be tough—especially since she wasn’t from the capital.

"I won’t regret it. The main thing is I don’t want to go back and get married. Besides, my hometown’s just next door—closer than most people’s."

Zhou glanced around and leaned in to whisper, "And you know what? I took your advice—been scouring the papers. Jobs are everywhere now. Hell, even people starting their own businesses."

"It’s not like the old days—no more ‘can’t do this, can’t do that.’”

Now there were so many possibilities.

A classmate of hers once sold stuff at school. If she’d had the chance, she’d have jumped on it.

Losing the factory job wouldn’t leave her high and dry.

"Factories aren’t all that anyway. Hell, someday they might not even be a catch."

There were so many factories opening now—and more every day. More people were striking out on their own, selling things independently. Zhou figured landing factory work later would be a breeze.

Besides, she had worked with Jiang Yiwei before and knew that Jiang Yiwei wasn’t the kind of boss who’d nickel-and-dime you.

Otherwise, Zhou Hongmin wouldn’t have suggested becoming a tailor for Jiang Yiwei.

"Look at you, knowing so much."

She hadn’t expected Zhou Hongmin to be this sharp now.

Sure, factory jobs won’t be the golden ticket forever—there might even be big layoffs down the line.

But that’s in the future. At least right now, factory work is still a big deal.

"So, just let me come work as a tailor for you."

"I don’t want to go back home and get married."

Zhou Hongmin gave Jiang Yiwei puppy-dog eyes, waiting for the green light to join her shop.

"What about your family? Are they okay with that?"

Jiang Yiwei was okay with Zhou Hongmin joining the shop, but Zhou Hongmin’s family had to be cool with it too.

Zhou Hongmin shot back, "What about you? Did your family agree to you quitting the Textile Ministry?"

She guessed Jiang Yiwei’s family probably threw a fit over her decision.

If she were part of Jiang Yiwei’s family, she’d think she was crazy to give up that job.

"They didn’t agree. It took a lot to convince my dad, my sister, and my eldest brother, but my mom still won’t budge—she’s still giving me the cold shoulder."

Zhang Cuifen hadn’t said a single word to her from last night until this morning, not even looking her way.

It was like she didn’t even exist.

"Now I just have to wait for my mom to get over it."

All she could do was wait for Zhang Cuifen’s anger to blow over.

"No kidding—if I were your mom, I’d be pissed."

If she were in Zhang Cuifen’s shoes, she’d definitely be angry too.

If only she had been assigned to the Textile Ministry—then she’d have jumped at it without hesitation. But instead, she got assigned to a textile factory in her hometown, and going back could mean wedding bells real quick.

That left a lot more room for doubt—enough that she could bail without a second thought.

"So what do you say? Will you let me work in your shop? You really wanna see me stuck with a husband and kids right away?"

"I’ll let you come work here—I could use the help anyway."

If Zhou Hongmin was sure about working as a tailor in her shop, Jiang Yiwei was happy to take her on.

But she needed to make one thing clear upfront: "Also, about your pay—it won’t be like before when you worked at my place and got half the cut."

"But I promise I won’t stiff you."

Jiang Yiwei wanted to set the record straight early to avoid any misunderstandings later.

"I get it, and I know you’d never shortchange me."

Zhou Hongmin had zero worries about Jiang Yiwei screwing her over.

"Deal."

"Glad to have you."

Jiang Yiwei held out her hand, and Zhou Hongmin slapped it without hesitation.

"What’s going on here?"

Peng Dilai edged closer, eyeing them curiously.

Zhou Hongmin didn’t keep it from Peng Dilai—it wasn’t exactly a secret.

Peng Dilai gaped at them.

"You’re ditching your assigned jobs?"

They were really walking away from their placements—what a waste.

"I already bailed. Even told the monitor."

Jiang Yiwei had already made her decision.

"I’m gonna go tell them."

Zhou Hongmin hadn’t talked to their homeroom teacher yet, but she was ready to do so anytime.

"Nice."

Peng Dilai was low-key jealous—they could just say no, just like that, and Jiang Yiwei even had her own shop now.

But then she figured her own gig wasn’t half bad.

"You lucked out too—factory work’s solid."

Peng Dilai got a factory spot too, though hers was nicer since it was in the capital.

"We’ll all hustle."

Peng Dilai was pumped about what lay ahead.

"Yi Wei, what’s the shop’s name?"

Peng Dilai knew Jiang Yiwei had opened a shop but didn’t know its name yet.

"Wei Yang."

"It’s Wei Yang Fashion Design."

Jiang Yiwei had dubbed it Wei Yang Fashion Design.

She’d always keep her face to the sun.

Time flew, and soon Jiang Yiwei graduated, and her shop officially opened.

Sunlight poured through the shop’s windows.

Jiang Wei and Zhou Hongmin sat at their sewing machines, hands moving steadily as the rhythmic hum of the machines filled the shop.

"Wei."

"Wei."

Jiang Wei paused mid-stitch and glanced toward the door, where a familiar figure stood frozen in the doorway. The person’s eyes darted around until they landed on her, then hurried over.

"Wei."

Jiang Wei gave Gu Xiaolei a questioning look.

Squirming under the gaze, Gu Xiaolei couldn’t meet her eyes, her head sinking lower.

Jiang Wei narrowed her eyes and spoke slowly, “What are you doing here during work hours?”

Gu Xiaolei had a government-assigned job—Jiang Wei knew she was a low-level clerk at the state newspaper.

She’d often complained how mind-numbing it was—just reading newspapers all day, then twiddling her thumbs the rest of the time.

Nobody gave her real work, and no one even scolded her for daydreaming.

Jiang Yiwei figured it was her family pull that kept her there.

Still, right now, she should’ve been at work.

"I, uh, wasn't feeling great, so I took some time off," Gu Xiaolei stammered.

Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.

Jiang Wei propped her chin on her hand, giving her the "I know you're lying" stare.

"I just took some time off, okay?" Gu Xiaolei said more firmly.

"You're skipping work again?" Jiang Wei sighed. "In ten days, you've taken five off. If Jiang Yiwei ran the place, you'd be gone by now."

Gu Xiaolei lifted her chin defiantly. "Hey, I haven't walked out yet. That's already good enough."

Stuck in the office bored out of her mind, sometimes doing mindless copying, Gu Xiaolei was climbing the walls.

She’d even asked her supervisor for more work but got shut down—still stuck reading newspapers and doing nothing.

Since she wasn’t the type to sit still, she just took leave. Nobody would notice either way.

Her favorite escape was always Weiyang Fashion Design.

Dragging over a stool, she plopped down in front of Jiang Wei with a grin. "That office is sucking my soul dry. I just can't take it anymore."

"I swear I'll lose my mind if I have to go back," she added.

Here she could actually talk, try on new clothes, and have fun with Jiang Wei.

"If you're really that bored," Jiang Wei replied, "why not write something—reports, stories, anything?"

Gu Xiaolei worked as a clerk at the newspaper office. They didn’t give her much work, so she could spend her days writing materials or stories.

She couldn’t keep taking time off just to hang around the shop.

She couldn’t just laze around all day.

She knew Gu Xiaolei wasn’t strapped for cash, but since she had a job, she should do it properly. If there was nothing to do, she could at least read more or write some materials.

Gu Xiaolei hung her head, looking a little upset. “I’ll try my best!”

Seeing Jiang Yiwei’s disapproval, Gu Xiaolei could only promise—she wouldn’t take leave next time and would listen to her advice, reading more and writing materials.

Gu Xiaolei rested her chin in her hands, watching Jiang Yiwei sewing at the machine before going to the back sewing machine to talk with Zhou Hongmin.

As they talked, a customer came into the shop with a piece of fabric, asking to have clothes made.

Jiang Yiwei stood up, walked the customer through the options, listened to their requests, and offered her own suggestions. Before long, the customer left a deposit and set a pickup date.

After the customer left, Jiang Yiwei started recording the order.

Just as she finished, another wave of customers entered.

Only after wrapping up her tasks did Jiang Yiwei finally get back to sewing.

“Yi Wei, your shop’s doing great.”

Gu Xiaolei had figured business would be slow for a while and had even planned to help bring in customers.

But it wasn’t necessary—Jiang Yiwei and Zhou Hongmin were already swamped.

There was hardly a moment to spare.

“Business has been steady since we opened. Yi Wei and I work from morning till night.”

Zhou Hongmin had initially thought the same as Gu Xiaolei—that a newly opened shop wouldn’t have much business. But instead, it’s been busy nonstop.

Jiang Yiwei then spoke up, “Mostly, it’s regulars. Occasionally, we get new ones, but they’re usually referred by our customers.”

Now, the majority of their business came from loyal customers, with only a small portion being new clients—most of whom were introduced by regulars. Sometimes, people passing by would spot the outfits in the window and come in.

There was also a small number of customers who learned about the shop from the newspaper.

After a pause, she asked, “Xiao Lei, doesn’t your paper run help-wanted ads? Could you list a recruitment ad for me?”

Jiang Yiwei’s shop was understaffed. For now, she and Zhou Hongmin could handle it, but as business grew, they’d definitely need more hands.

“You want to hire someone? I’ll get it done as soon as I’m back.”

Their paper always ran classifieds. If Jiang Yiwei needed help, Gu Xiaolei would take the ad straight to her editor.

Jiang Yiwei gave Gu Xiaolei the job requirements and the fee for placing the ad in the newspaper.

Gu Xiaolei pocketed the money without a word.

Jiang Yiwei and Zhou Hongmin both had fashion design backgrounds, so they handled the creative aspects. The new hire needed someone who could sew and, ideally, pitch in with ideas.

Once the ad ran, they found someone fast.

It was a woman in her forties.

Jiang Yiwei and Zhou Hongmin watched as the woman wrung her hands nervously, looking tense and uneasy. Jiang Yiwei asked her some questions and had her try using the sewing machine to make a piece of clothing.

After about two or three hours, the clothes were finally done.

Jiang Yiwei looked at the dress—the woman had decent skills. She had followed Jiang’s design, and made it well.

“You did a really nice job with this dress.”

“Yeah, this came out really well!”

Zhou Hongmin also thought she did alright.

Huang Yunxiang broke into a smile when Jiang Yiwei praised her. “I’m still a little out of practice—I haven’t used a sewing machine in two or three years. Once I get back into the swing of things, I’ll be faster and do even better than now.”

“Even after not practicing for years, you still made such a good dress. Sister Yunxiang, your skills are impressive.”

If Jiang Yiwei were in the same situation, she was sure her own work wouldn’t be as good as Huang Yunxiang’s.

“Boss Jiang, do you think I did well enough? Can I start working here?”

Huang Yunxiang asked Jiang Yiwei nervously.

Jiang Yiwei nodded. “When can you begin?”

“I can start right away!” Huang Yunxiang beamed.

“Then come in tomorrow.”

“Sister Yunxiang, the salary is 35 yuan a month, and there’ll be bonuses every three months.”