Chapter 11 Go back and buy her a skirt

Lan Yuchu noticed that Lin Qiyue was still zoning out even as all the dishes were being served. He figured she must be exhausted.

“Time to eat?” he gently reminded her. Only then did Lin Qiyue snap out of it at the sound of his voice.

“Oh,” she murmured, then looked down and picked up her chopsticks. Neither of them spoke during the meal. After eating and paying, they headed home.

When they got back, Shen Qingmiao still hadn’t returned—most likely off at her parents’ trying to borrow money.

Lin Qiyue was eager to start sewing clothes. Most of the original host’s old clothes no longer fit. It had been a while since she’d made clothes, and she wasn’t sure if she was still as skilled.

The sewing machine in the room was actually a gift from Qian Xiuying when Lin Qiyue got married.

As soon as she entered the room, Lin Qiyue began setting things up, and Lan Yuchu didn’t ask questions. He simply went to the kitchen with a cup in hand.

She pulled out the thread, scissors, and sewing tools from the cabinet, moved the sewing machine out, laid the fabric on the table, and began measuring and sketching patterns.

By the time Lan Yuchu came back with the cup, Lin Qiyue was already cutting the fabric. Her speed genuinely shocked him.

“Drink your milk first?” he said, seeing she’d already started working. While she was focused on sewing, he had gone to prepare her milk.

“Just leave it there. I’ll drink it later,” she replied. She didn’t like the taste—it made her nauseous.

“No, I used warm water. It’s not hot. Drink it now,” Lan Yuchu said firmly, leaving no room for refusal.

Lin Qiyue glanced up at him, defiant, but didn’t dare disobey. She took the cup, mentally prepared herself, and downed it in one go. Afterward, milk bubbles lingered on her lips. She handed the cup back, puffing her cheeks in frustration.

Lan Yuchu found her expression rather cute. He pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the milk from her lips.

“Don’t move~” he warned gently when she shifted, holding her shoulders to keep her still.

Lin Qiyue obediently froze. As Lan Yuchu leaned closer, her heart began to race with nervousness. Once he finished wiping her mouth, his cheeks reddened slightly, and he quickly turned and left.

Lin Qiyue waited until he was gone before letting out a long breath and returning to her work. Her hands moved quickly—she didn’t need any fancy designs. She cut the fabric, sewed along the seams with the machine, added a zipper on the side, and soon, a light blue, simple yet elegant dress was finished.

Though it looked modest, it fit her perfectly when she tried it on. The waist was slightly loose but still flattered her figure.

“Thank goodness I still have the skill… otherwise, I’d starve in this era!”

After changing out of the new dress, she went on to make a few more outfits.

Lan Yuchu sat outside, occasionally hearing the hum of the sewing machine. He didn’t interrupt her. When he saw it was already noon, he figured his little sister would be home in another half hour.

The movie was at 2:30 p.m., and it wasn’t far—they could walk there in ten minutes. Their house was in the city center, conveniently close to shops and businesses.

Lin Qiyue, after making herself a few dresses, thought of how tired Lan Yuchu must be today, and how he’d paid for everything.
“Lan Yuchu, come here a second,” she called. She figured she’d make him a couple outfits too, as a way to thank him.

Not knowing his measurements, she’d have to take them herself.

Hearing her call, Lan Yuchu walked into the room from the living room and asked curiously, “What is it?”

“I want to measure you so I can make you two outfits.”

“No need. I’ve got clothes,” Lan Yuchu quickly refused. “The fabric was bought for you. I don’t need any.”

“What? You think my sewing’s terrible?” Lin Qiyue didn’t let him off, and even sarcastically jabbed at him for being picky.

“No,” Lan Yuchu answered honestly.

Even though he said no, when she started measuring, he stood up straight and cooperated.

“Can you crouch a little? You’re too tall—I can’t reach.” She was trying to measure his shoulders.

Lan Yuchu obediently bent his knees, allowing Lin Qiyue to measure properly.

The moment her hands brushed against his neck, Lan Yuchu swallowed hard. The tension showed in his expression and body language.
He started sweating—especially when she moved on to measuring his waist. When she wrapped her arms around him from behind, he felt like he might explode.

Totally unaware, Lin Qiyue simply focused on getting the right measurements.

“All done!”

“Mm~” Lan Yuchu immediately bolted out of the room.

Seeing that he didn’t even say thank you, Lin Qiyue muttered to herself, “What the heck? If you didn’t want it, you could’ve just said so. Why wait till I finish measuring and then walk out?”

He was always so serious and loved to make people do things they didn’t want to do.

Lin Qiyue reassured herself, “Forget it, just a typical emotionally constipated man. Nothing to fuss about.”

She even seriously doubted whether guys like him could ever find a girlfriend.

But then, remembering his figure—he had the kind of physique that would be top-tier in the modern world’s “abstinence style” male aesthetic. Of course he’d be popular.

Not to mention, in this era, his family background was quite distinguished.

Even the female lead, from a powerful family, liked him that much.

“Not like it matters. I’m just the ‘doomed first wife’ anyway!”

She had no intention of shamelessly clinging to him. Making clothes for him was just a gesture of thanks.

She worked quickly, sketching out a shirt design. Pants and shirts would take a bit more time.

Right then, Lan Yusui came home, bouncing with joy and her schoolbag on her back.

“Second brother! When does the movie start? I’m back!”

She entered the courtyard, unable to hide her excitement.

She hadn’t been able to focus on school all morning, too hyped about watching a movie.

Hearing his sister’s voice, Lan Yuchu came out from the living room.

“It’s at 2:30 in the afternoon. Still two hours to go. Do your weekend homework first, and we’ll call you when we’re about to leave,” he said, thinking that Lin Qiyue was still sewing clothes anyway, and there was plenty of time until the movie started.

Lan Yusui said, “No need! I already finished it at school. The teacher didn’t assign much, and even if I hadn’t, I could finish it in an hour tonight.”

She was in no mood to do homework now.

After putting her schoolbag away in her room, she came to Lan Yuchu with a playful, coaxing tone and said, “Good brother, buy me a new dress, please?”

It wasn’t often her brother was back, and this was just a small request—he surely wouldn’t say no.

Lan Yuchu asked, “What kind do you want?”

Lan Yusui thought for a moment and said, “A pretty one. A floral dress like my classmates have. I begged Mom to buy one, but she said it was too expensive and refused.”

Her eyes were full of hope. She figured her brother wouldn’t say no.

“How expensive is it?” Lan Yuchu was curious—how expensive could a dress really be?

“Forty-five yuan,” Lan Yusui said with a smile, scratching her cheek as she stared at her brother nervously, afraid he’d refuse.

Lan Yuchu thought it was a bit much. When he wanted to buy a dress for Lin Qiyue earlier, she said it was too expensive.

But then again, he’d never really bought anything for his little sister. He took some money from his pocket, checked it, and realized he didn’t have any fabric coupons left.

“Wait here. I’ll go grab some from the room.”

He didn’t dare do it in front of Lin Qiyue—mainly because the dresses were so expensive. He was afraid she might feel bad.

As he stepped back inside and met Lin Qiyue’s eyes, he immediately felt guilty.

“I’m just coming in to get something,” he muttered, not daring to admit it was fabric coupons.

But he’d spoken so loudly—of course Lin Qiyue had heard.

“If you want to take something, just do it. It’s not like I’m stopping you,” she replied calmly. She wasn’t that petty—after all, it was his sister, and buying her clothes was a nice gesture.

Lan Yuchu grabbed the coupons and quickly left the room. Less than two minutes later, he returned and said to Lin Qiyue, “I’m heading out with my sister for a bit—we’ll be back soon to pick you up.”

By the time Lin Qiyue looked up, he and Lan Yusui had already left.

She didn’t pay it much mind. After almost an hour, she finally finished sewing Lan Yuchu’s shirt and pants.

The shirt was light green—not quite the same shade as his military uniform, but it would be fine as an undershirt. The pants were gray—casual and good for lounging at home.

She stepped out of the room with the finished clothes, but they still weren’t back.

So she went to wash the clothes first. Since they were done, she figured she might as well clean them. If the sizing was off, she could adjust it later.

As she was hanging the washed clothes in the back courtyard, she suddenly heard Lan Yusui’s cheerful voice.

“Sister-in-law! Come look! My brother bought you a bunch of dresses!”

Lan Yusui ran over, dragging Lin Qiyue to come see.

Lin Qiyue curiously glanced at the bag in Lan Yuchu’s hands.

Lan Yusui said proudly, “I helped pick these out for you! You don’t know—my brother almost bought some really ugly ones!”

She complained as she spoke, making a face of disgust.

Lan Yuchu looked a bit shy as he handed the bag to Lin Qiyue. “Try them on,” he said.

Lin Qiyue hadn’t expected that he would buy clothes for her.

Seeing Lin Qiyue a bit stunned, Lan Yusui quickly added, “Second sister-in-law, you must be super surprised, right? These dresses are really fashionable! Over forty yuan each! Brother bought you three different styles—go on, try them!”

Oh my god. Three dresses, over a hundred yuan total—that was like three months of her salary!

This man had money for that, but instead of giving it to her, he bought ready-made dresses. If he had just given her the money, she could’ve bought fabric and made several outfits herself!

It wasn’t that she was stingy—she was just really poor right now. Everything had to be carefully budgeted.