Chapter 88.2

As dawn broke, Ruan Mingfu unconsciously reached out her hand to the outside but quickly withdrew it. She lay in bed with her eyes closed, inadvertently waking up Xie Yanzhao beside her.

He opened his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Ruan Mingfu looked troubled. “Why do people have to get up?”

Xie Yanzhao chuckled softly, gently stroking her hair.

Perhaps her hair had been cold outside the covers all night; the strands felt icy. A lock of hair brushed against Ruan Mingfu’s neck, making her shiver.

“Will it be as cold back home as it is here?”

“It will be colder than here.”

Upon hearing this, Ruan Mingfu felt deflated.

The weather in Beijing was already so cold that a thin layer of ice had formed on the water surface. She couldn’t imagine how much colder it would be in Wancheng. Ruan Mingfu was already afraid of the cold. She figured she would have to stay bundled up in bed every day.

What a pity!

She glanced out at the sky.

The weather in Beijing has been nice for the past few days, with plenty of sunshine. The glaring sunlight streamed in from a distance, and Ruan Mingfu seemed to feel its warmth, squinting her eyes.

“Don’t worry,” Xie Yanzhao said, finding her expression amusing. “I’ve made sure there’s a chimney, so when we heat the stove, the room will warm up.”

That’s how they did things in Wancheng.

Some people even heated the kang, allowing them to sleep on it at night without needing covers.

“Really?”

Xie Yanzhao nodded.

“The family housing courtyards are all designed this way to make winter easier for everyone.”

Ruan Mingfu’s eyes brightened, and she almost wanted to return to Wancheng right away.

“That sounds wonderful,” she said, attempting to pull back the covers but was pushed back by the cold air outside. “Since we’re leaving soon, what do your second and third uncles plan to do?”

From what she could see, her third uncle seemed like a good-natured person. Xie Ming was like her father, the type to stay quiet and not say much. Compared to him, Xie Donglou had too many schemes up his sleeve.

He really thought she didn’t know. She saw the way he scrutinized her when they first got out of the car… If it weren’t for her wealthy brother’s foresight in intimidating Xie Donglou from the start, he probably wouldn’t have stood up for Xie Yanzhao when Xie Yin came looking for trouble.

Bah!

Such a snob.

“Don’t worry,” Xie Yanzhao naturally knew what was going on in Xie Donglou’s mind, “We don’t come to the capital often.”

Xie Donglou was a shrewd person who avoided conflicts. At least, before the other members of the Xie family made a name for themselves, he wouldn’t easily offend a pampered man like Xie Yanzhao.

Ruan Mingfu nodded.

After the two finished breakfast, Guan Jiu finally informed her about Director Huang.

Ruan Mingfu was very pleased.

If it weren’t for the current policies, she would have seriously considered taking Guan Jiu with her.

He was so useful!

When the two saw Ruan Mingfu again in the flower hall, an hour had passed.

As time went by, Director Huang became increasingly restless. He pressed against the window, hoping to see Ruan Mingfu’s figure, but was continually disappointed. Each time he asked Guan Jiu about her, he was met with the same reply: “Comrade Ruan is resting.”

Director Huang: “…”

What a waste of time—why spend it sleeping when there are better things to do?

Sister Hu, usually calm and composed, was now anxious because of Director Huang. If they hadn’t caught a glimpse of Ruan Mingfu’s figure, they might have rushed in to find her.

When Ruan Mingfu entered, she saw Director Huang sitting upright.

“I’m late. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s not late at all,” Sister Hu replied a bit awkwardly. “We arrived early, so don’t worry about it, Comrade Ruan.”

Ruan Mingfu smiled, her beautiful face lighting up.

“Sister Hu, did you bring the things for my sister-in-law?”

“I did, I did,” Sister Hu quickly replied, taking out the items. “This is the sauce my mother specially prepared for you. Thank you for taking the trouble.”

“No need to be polite.”

As Director Huang listened to their back-and-forth, he grew increasingly anxious. He desperately gestured to Sister Hu, but she seemed oblivious. Just when he couldn’t hold back any longer, Sister Hu finally spoke up.

“Comrade Ruan, I noticed your outfit is quite unique. Did you make it yourself?”

Director Huang nervously tightened his grip on the armrest.

“Yes, but it’s not very well made.”

Ruan Mingfu was modest in her words, but she felt a sense of pride inside. If the two weren’t there, she would have had a hard time hiding her satisfaction.

Hearing this, Director Huang was so excited that he was almost breathless.

“Comrade Ruan, you know our Fourth Factory is going through tough times,” he quickly said, unable to sit still. “I’m wondering if you could help us. Rest assured, I won’t treat you poorly.”

Sister Hu, fearing she might offend Ruan Mingfu, quickly added, “It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t work out, we can just consider it as making friends.”

“Right!”

Though that’s what they said, Director Huang placed all his hopes on Ruan Mingfu this time. He looked at her expectantly, holding his breath.

“Really?”

Ruan Mingfu’s eyes lit up.

Since she had arrived here, her family of four had all found meaningful things to do, while she had just been idling away.

Ruan Mingfu felt it was time for her to take action.

She wanted to impress her father and Qi Yangyan, but more importantly, she wanted to win Mrs.Ruan’s respect!

Recalling how Mrs. Ruan had looked down on her before, Ruan Mingfu felt a surge of determination to make this happen.

“Do… do you really believe I have that ability?”

“You’re close with Sister Hu, so you must know the current situation at the Fourth Factory,” Director Huang said, looking dejected. “The leaders at the Ministry of Commerce have already decided to shut down the Fourth Factory by the end of the year. I don’t mind so much, but there are so many workers here.”

Sister Hu gasped, “Director, why didn’t you say something about such an important matter?”

Once she said it, she realized.

The decision from above must have been made after careful consideration. If Director Huang couldn’t change anything, they were even more powerless. If the news got out, it would only cause panic.

But Ruan Mingfu understood now.

This was like treating a dead horse as if it were alive—at worst, it would end up like what the Ministry of Commerce planned…

“Comrade Ruan, I can tell from the clothes you’re wearing that you know how to design.” Director Huang rubbed his hands awkwardly, “So, can you help me design a few sets of clothes?”

“This…”

Seeing Ruan Mingfu hesitate, Director Huang pressed on.

“We’ll base it on market feedback,” he said, gritting his teeth. “For one winter outfit, I’ll give you fifty. If the feedback is good, I’ll raise the price.”

Sister Hu opened her mouth in surprise.

Fifty for one outfit? That’s too high…

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Thinking of the diverse designs in the future, she realized she could easily sketch fifty designs for Director Huang right now!

Seeing that Ruan Mingfu was still silent, Director Huang doubled down.

“Considering your situation, you won’t need to come in regularly. Just send the sketches through the mail, and we’ll keep in touch by phone. I’m willing to give you an additional fifty as a fixed salary for this.”

With such generous terms on the table, why not make it even better?

Sister Hu sat to the side.

Her heart was no longer racing. This was such a great deal—should she also learn how to make clothes?

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

If she didn’t agree now, it would seem like she didn’t appreciate the opportunity.

A guaranteed fifty every month, plus extra for designing clothes? If she worked diligently, wouldn’t that be more than Xie Yanzhao’s allowance?

Clearing her throat, she slowly nodded under Director Huang’s hopeful gaze.

The money didn’t matter; what she enjoyed was the feeling of being valued.

“Wonderful!”

The happiest among the three was definitely Director Huang.

“Comrade Ruan, what do you think…” he said eagerly, rubbing his hands, “could you give us three outfits first? We need them for production, and I think this one you’re wearing is quite nice.”

Ruan Mingfu tugged at her clothes, feeling a bit shy.

This was a cotton jacket she had made under Hu Wanning’s guidance, and aside from the design, it was lacking in every other way. If Director Huang took it, thinking of how the experienced workers at the factory would critique the craftsmanship, made her uneasy…

Ruan Mingfu quickly shook her head.

“I have something better.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Director Huang’s eyes lit up like searchlights.

“However… I need to catch a train, so time is a bit tight,” Ruan Mingfu thought for a moment. “I’ll draw three designs for you on the way to the train station and have Guan Jiu deliver them to you later.”

Director Huang quickly confirmed, “Great, it’s settled then!”

Once they have the designs, they can find someone to rush the work. If they hurry, they can have the garments ready in half a month. Fortunately, Director Huang had already prepared for the transition and had stored many contacts for clothing parts.

As soon as the designs arrive, he’ll start calling them one by one!

After everything was decided, both Director Huang and Sister Hu breathed a sigh of relief.

They looked at Ruan Mingfu with unprecedented warmth in their eyes, almost as if they wanted to treat her like royalty. After Ruan Mingfu declined their offer to take her to the train station, they reluctantly left.

The two left with large bags, having come with light travel gear but now heavily loaded.

They had already sent items for Father Ruan, Qi Yangyan, and the idiot Gu Yilin. Otherwise, they would have had even more to carry.

Guan Jiu loaded their things onto the train. “Don’t worry, Comrade Ruan, I’ll take good care of Aunt Zhang.”

“Thank you so much.”

Aunt Zhang was also reluctant to see them go and made a lot of pea cake for them the night before their departure, filling up seven or eight boxes. Not only her, but the brothers Xie Donglou and Xie Xilou also came to see them off.

Once the train started moving, Ruan Mingfu finally opened the small box given to her by Xie Donglou.

A heavy gold bracelet came into view.

Estimating its weight, it was about forty or fifty grams. She looked at Xie Yanzhao in surprise. “What’s this all about?”

Did the notoriously stingy man actually spend money?

Xie Yanzhao shrugged, “Just accept it.”

Ruan Mingfu didn’t press for more information.

Since the dog man said so, she simply accepted it.

The train sped along, and after two days and one night of travel, they finally arrived in Wancheng. As soon as Xie Yanzhao helped Ruan Mingfu off the train, they spotted Xu Zhu waving enthusiastically at them.

He quickly ran over to take the items from their hands.

“Wow, Old Xie, I’ve missed you like crazy!”

Xie Yanzhao turned his head in disdain.

“Alright, let’s go quickly.”

After two days and one night, even the toughest person could use a break. When Ruan Mingfu got off the train, the cold air hit her face, making her feel much more awake. Otherwise, she might have fallen asleep while still awake.

Once they reached the family compound, Ruan Mingfu finally felt a sense of stability.

“Wait a minute, what’s all that noise up ahead?”