Chapter 26.2

After dinner and a bath, Wen Yue was still excited and couldn’t sleep.

She decided to take out some paper and start drawing designs, planning to make the accessories tomorrow according to her sketches. She got so absorbed in it that she lost track of time until she heard a knock on the door.

“Knock knock.”

“Hmm? Who is it?” Wen Yue’s thoughts were interrupted.

“It’s me,” Zhou Yao’s voice came from outside the door, sounding a bit tired as he urged, “It’s late. Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Is it really that late?

Wen Yue looked up at the sky outside the window. The night was deep, the sky like ink, making the moon and stars appear even brighter.

It did seem quite late.

Wen Yue realized it was indeed late, put down her pencil, stretched, and responded, “I’m going to sleep now, right now.”

“Don’t stay up so late,” Zhou Yao reminded, and then his footsteps faded away.

Pulled out of her focused state, Wen Yue finally felt the drowsiness. She yawned, got up, turned off the light, and went to bed.

…

Having something to do made Wen Yue feel much more energetic.

Early the next morning, she washed up, had a quick bite to eat, and then sat in front of the sewing machine, busy working on the designs she had drawn the night before. She covered a large bow with colorful gauze, threaded a few plastic beads through the middle, and glued it onto a hair clip.

One finished!

Wen Yue smiled, admiring her handiwork for a moment before moving on to the next one. She strung the smallest beads into bead strips, knowing that girls loved these dangling, chain-like accessories. She had loved them when she was younger, and though her interest had waned as she grew older, it was mainly because she had seen so many beautiful accessories over the years. In this era, such items didn’t exist.

Wen Yue beamed, glancing at the finished products beside her, feeling quite proud of herself.

The next few days were busy for both Wen Yue and Zhou Yao, their schedules packed and fulfilling.

However, as Wen Yue finished making all the products and started on the second batch, she finally understood what Li Nianqiu had meant earlier. Making crafts as a hobby in her spare time was enjoyable, but when that hobby became work, it was torturous!

Wen Yue sighed, leaning over the sewing machine.

Nianqiu was indeed amazing to have anticipated this. No wonder she became the richest woman with a fortune.

But since she had started, she had to finish it and do it well. Quitting halfway was not an option.

Wen Yue stood up, stretched her body, took a deep breath, and sat back down to continue working on the sewing machine.

The sound of the sewing machine echoed as she worked.

When Li Nianqiu returned after her final exams, Wen Yue had already made a whole basket of finished products.

“Is your man not home again?” Li Nianqiu asked casually, seeing only Wen Yue in the house when she arrived with her sister.

“He went to the city to sell goods. Let’s not talk about him,” Wen Yue said, pulling Li Nianqiu’s wrist excitedly. “Come and see the accessories I made~”

Seeing Wen Yue so happy, Li Nianqiu smiled and quickly followed, “I don’t even need to look; I know they must be beautiful.”

The three entered the house, immediately noticing the sewing machine’s table top almost covered with items and a basket full of finished hair accessories.

“I also made a few necklaces and bracelets. These beads are quite pretty. I think they might sell too. Take a look,” Wen Yue said eagerly. She had been waiting to show off her work. Zhou Yao had been leaving early and returning late every day, and she was busy during the day and too tired at night to chat with him. She had hardly found a chance to boast!

Li Nianqiu looked at the beaded bracelets and necklaces Wen Yue pulled from the basket and praised without hesitation, “They’re beautiful. We’ll sell them together.”

“Nianqiu, do you know how to use a sewing machine?” Wen Yue asked sheepishly. “I’ve been getting a bit tired of it these past few days.”

Li Nianqiu shook her head, “I can learn. You can teach me.”

“Great!”

Before teaching Li Nianqiu to use the sewing machine, Wen Yue showed Li Xiangdong how to string the beads beautifully, using finished products as references. She also encouraged her to follow her own ideas if she thought of better combinations.

“I got it, Sister Wen Yue,” Li Xiangdong responded obediently, moving a stool next to the basket of beads and starting to work diligently.

Wen Yue began teaching Li Nianqiu to use the sewing machine.

Using a sewing machine wasn’t too hard but not too easy either. If the stitches were too fast, they would be loose; if too slow, they would be too tight, making it difficult to control.

Wen Yue was familiar with it because she had often used a sewing machine in her previous life.

An hour later…

Li Nianqiu sighed as she stood up from the bamboo chair, speaking in a resigned tone, “I guess I’m not talented in this area.”

“…,” Wen Yue looked at the piece of practice fabric on the table and sighed deeply, “I’ll continue doing it myself. You can just keep me company and chat with me.”

She had thought Nianqiu was capable of everything, but it seemed even she had things she couldn’t learn.

“Sister Wen Yue, can I try?” Li Xiangdong volunteered, raising her little hand.

Wen Yue turned to her, “Sure, you can sit here.”

“Nianqiu, your sister is much more talented in this area than you,” Wen Yue said with a smile, watching the little girl work.

Li Nianqiu smiled, patting her sister’s head gently, her voice soft, “My Xiangdong is indeed more capable. You teach her, and I’ll string the beads.”

“Just the three of us, our pace is still too slow. In the next two days, I’ll find a few more people to help. I’m thinking we can sell each finished product for one to five yuan. For simple bead stringing, we can pay ten cents per piece. For items that need sewing, we can pay fifty cents… What do you think?”

Li Nianqiu juggled three tasks at once, sitting on a small stool, stringing beads, thinking, and discussing her ideas with Wen Yue.

She spoke quickly.

Wen Yue was also stringing beads, but those words went in one ear and out the other. She blinked, her eyes dazed for a moment, then smiled sweetly and said, “Sure, let’s do it your way.”

“You don’t have any thoughts on this?” Li Nianqiu raised an eyebrow.

Wen Yue shook her head honestly, “None.” She couldn’t think of so many things, or rather, she didn’t want to. She had grown accustomed to an easy life.

This heavy trust made Li Nianqiu feel a bit pressured, but she loved challenges and confidently said, “Alright, you just wait to collect the money.”

Wow, that was such a cool statement. Was this the domineering female CEO?

Wen Yue’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

Zhou Yao, who had just returned home, was greeted by this scene.

His wife was gazing brightly at another girl, both of them smiling at each other.

This picture looked strange no matter how you saw it.

“…What are you two doing?” Zhou Yao took a couple of steps forward into the room, his tall figure blocking their line of sight.

“You’re home early today?” Wen Yue said with some surprise, “Can’t you see we’re busy?” She shook the beads in her hand, her eyes curving into crescent moons with her smile.

“This batch of goods sold really well,” Zhou Yao said as he casually pulled a small stool nearby and sat next to Wen Yue.

The stool was too small for him, and with the room crowded with people and things, his long legs had nowhere to go, so he had to sit with them together neatly. He rested his hands on his knees and leaned slightly forward, a posture that was barely comfortable.

But it looked somewhat pitiful for him.

The room was already small, and with the materials piled up, the space was even more restricted. Wen Yue was constantly being bumped by Zhou Yao’s arm. She winced and frowned, “Move over a bit.”

“I can’t, there’s no room,” Zhou Yao straightened his back and leaned back, gesturing for Wen Yue to see the clutter beside him, helplessly spreading his hands.

Wen Yue blinked, “Then why don’t you leave? Nianqiu, Xiangdong, and I can manage here. It’s too cramped with you around.”

Zhou Yao: “?”

Isn’t this his house?

He clicked his tongue, a lazy smile tugging at his lips as he responded, “No, I like being here.”

Zhou Yao stretched out his long arm, grabbed a handful of beads, and slowly started threading them. The tiny beads looked especially small in his large hands, and some slipped through his fingers, falling to Wen Yue’s feet.

He bent down to pick them up, the stool creaking as it moved.

His tall, solid figure loomed over Wen Yue, his strong presence filling the space.

She could feel the heat of his hand through the thin fabric as it rested on her leg, sending a tingling sensation straight to her heart.

Today, Zhou Yao was wearing a tank top, his back muscles flexing with his movements, catching Wen Yue’s eye.

She didn’t dare to move, holding her breath for a moment. It wasn’t until Zhou Yao stood up that she let out a long sigh of relief. Then she noticed that the bracelet she had just finished threading was now undone because she had gripped it too tightly, squeezing the beads off the string.

Wen Yue’s brows furrowed instantly. She poked Zhou Yao’s waist. The first poke was soft, but the second poke met with resistance. She changed her tone, “You haven’t rested properly these days. It’s still early, why don’t you go to the room and sleep for a bit? I’ll call you when it’s time to cook?”

“Are you worried about me?” Zhou Yao’s lips curled into an uncontrollable smile.

Wen Yue nodded, her voice filled with emotion, her eyes showing genuine concern, “Yes, you’ve been so tired these past two days, leaving early and coming back late. If you don’t rest well and your health suffers, what will I do? Don’t make me worry.”

“Alright, I’ll go take a nap then.” Zhou Yao was easily swayed by her concern and was indeed a bit tired. He stood up cheerfully.

Just as he turned to leave, he seemed to remember something. He reached into his pocket and tossed two tube-like items into Wen Yue’s lap, “Seeing how much those girls like them, I saved two for you. Have fun with them.”

Then he walked out of the room.

The room instantly felt much more spacious.

Wen Yue picked up the items in her lap and opened the cap, finding they were lipsticks. She smiled and carefully placed them on the bedside table.

Turning back, she met Li Nianqiu’s meaningful, smiling gaze, and her cheeks immediately turned red.

…She had forgotten there were still people in the room.

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