Tang Momo did not agree immediately but looked at Aunt Huang. “Aunt, are there a lot of people coming to your place to make clothes?” 

Aunt Huang replied proudly. “Of course, in the past, our ancestors even made clothes for noble people. Our skills are passed down through generations, and a lot of people come to me for clothes.” 

Tang Momo nodded to express her understanding. She glanced at the drawings and then said gently, “Aunt Huang, how about this: I’ll give you my answer after you finish making the clothes, is that okay with you?” 

Tang Momo originally wanted to say that this drawing couldn’t be given to her, and that she could draw another one. 

But then she thought it over. Currently, people don’t have much awareness about copyrights, and most people can make clothes. Even if she didn’t give Aunt Huang the drawing, others could make a similar style just by looking at it when she wore it out, so there was no need to be too protective of this drawing. 

Aunt Huang also seemed quite sincere. If it were someone else, they might still make the same style for others after making her clothes without asking for her permission. With this in mind, her impression of Aunt Huang improved greatly. 

“Then I’ll wait for you to decide after I finish.” 

Aunt Huang agreed readily, guessing that Tang Momo probably wanted to see her skills, and she was very confident in them. 

“Thank you, Aunt Huang. I’ll give you an answer when I come to pick up the clothes in two days.” 

After settling the clothing matter, the next focus was on the practice.

 *** 

After Gu Chengze sent the package, he felt a bit anxious. Would she think he made a decision without asking her? For a moment, Gu Chengze regretted his actions.  

“What are you thinking about? Don’t you feel tired?

Yang Dajun spoke while catching his breath. They had just finished training and were still recovering. 

Gu Chengze was still breathing heavily. Then he glanced at Yang Dajun and asked, “What did you give your partner for her birthday?” 

Gu Chengze had heard about Tang Momo’s birthday from Tang Jianan before. He purposely sent the package after her birthday, hoping she wouldn’t be too opposed to it.  

“It’s so far away; what can I give her? I sent money back and asked her to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some clothes she likes.” 

Having said this, Yang Dajun couldn’t help but sigh. He didn’t know when he would go back next time. 

Gu Chengze glanced at Yang Dajun, envy flashing in his eyes, envious that he could give gifts openly. 

Yang Dajun couldn’t stand the look in his eyes, so he stretched out his hand to push his face away. “Okay, don’t look at me like that. It’s not my fault you’re not trying hard enough.” 

“She said she has no plans to get married for now and doesn’t want to delay me.” 

Gu Chengze’s tone was a little low. 

“Then you first have to understand whether this is her excuse for rejecting you or her real intention, and then ask yourself, can you wait that long? If these are not a problem for you, then go for it. But if this is a problem, just give it up.”

Yang Dajun patted Gu Chengze’s shoulder, thinking that the girl was probably just making excuses.

Thinking of this, he looked at Gu Chengze with quite sympathetic eyes, never expecting that Gu Chengze would also be rejected one day. 

“She doesn’t lie.” 

Gu Chengze said directly without thinking. He never thought that she’s just making an excuse. 

“Then what does she mean by ‘for now’? Is there a time frame? And what about you, how long do you think you can wait?” 

At this time, Yang Dajun couldn’t understand why Gu Chengze was so interested in that girl. 

“I can wait as long as it takes, as long as she gives me a chance.”  

Gu Chengze wasn’t sure if he would ever meet another woman who made him feel this hopeful after missing out on Tang Momo. 

“You don’t have to say that. Didn’t the deputy’s wife suggest introducing you to someone? Why not meet her and see how it goes?” 

Yang Dajun thought that maybe if Gu Chengze met other women, he wouldn’t be so interested in that girl anymore. 

Gu Chengze shook his head. “I already refused.” 

If he really went, such behavior would be disrespectful to Tang Momo or the other girl. 

“You’re so stubborn. That reminds me, you sent those things the other day, right?” 

Yang Dajun looked at him with a mix of frustration and disappointment. 

Seeing Gu Chengze go out of his way like this, it was only natural for the other person to be hesitant. 

Noticing Yang Dajun’s expression, Gu Chengze suddenly felt that he had probably found the wrong person to tell his problem. 

*** 

At the same time, Tang Momo was unaware of Gu Chengze’s worries and doubts. She had just picked up the clothes Aunt Huang made for her. 

Aunt Huang’s craftsmanship did not disappoint her. She looked at Tang Momo with a proud look on her face. “How is it? I didn’t lie to you, right?”

Tang Momo agreed with her and then took the initiative to bring up the drawing. “Auntie, I agreed to your suggestion last time, so I’ll leave this design with you.” 

“Then you don’t need to pay me for this work.” 

Aunt Huang looked like she was handing over the money and delivering the goods. 

“I have other drawings here. Do you need any more, Aunt Huang?” 

Tang Momo couldn’t help but lower her voice at the last sentence 

Aunt Huang raised her eyebrows. It seemed that she had underestimated this girl. She nodded, “As long as the style is good, I’ll take them.” 

“Okay, I’ll send you a few more when I have time. You can choose then.” 

Tang Momo had already planned everything yesterday. 

There were still more than three years left before the reform and opening up, and many things couldn’t be made public yet. This was a good opportunity to accumulate some experience. 

By then, this would be a great business opportunity. She remembered a saying she had seen somewhere: Never underestimate a woman’s purchasing power. 

Later generations even concluded that women and children were the easiest to sell to. Perhaps her first pot of gold after the reform would come from starting a clothing business. 

After leaving Aunt Huang’s place, Tang Momo was in an extremely good mood, since this could be considered as extra income for herself. 

Busy time always passed quickly, and the day of the event came in the blink of an eye. Tang Momo held the promotional brochure in her hand and let out a breath. She seemed a little nervous. 

Yang Jianlin noticed her reaction and smiled slightly. “Nervous?”  

Tang Momo nodded and admitted honestly. “Well, a little bit.” 

“If you’re really nervous, just think of the people down there as cabbages.”  

Yang Jianlin’s tone was calm and very reassuring. 

Hearing this sentence, Tang Momo burst out laughing. She remembered that when she was a child, the teacher told her the same thing when she first came on stage. So this saying had been around for quite some time! 

Although Yang Jianlin didn’t understand why she was laughing suddenly, he guessed she wasn’t nervous anymore. 

At this moment, the twins found an opportunity and rushed over. “Sister, you look really good today.” 

Tang Yangyang was wearing the same woolen suspender skirt as Tang Momo, and the two of them attracted a lot of attention standing together. 

“What are you doing here?” 

Tang Momo pinched Tang Jianan’s cheek. 

“Mother and Brother are over there.” 

Tang Jianping pointed in the direction behind; Zhang Xiaoli and Tang Jianan stood there while looking at her with smiles on their faces. 

After the twins finished speaking, they realized that the person next to them seemed to be with their eldest sister. Thinking of this, Tang Yangyang couldn’t help but look up at Yang Jianlin and ask softly: “Brother, are you also going on stage later like big sister?” 

Meeting the little girl’s bright eyes, Yang Jianlin was stunned for a moment, then smiled and nodded, “Yes, your sister and I will go on stage together later.” 

“Then good luck to you as well!” 

The little one raised her fist as if to cheer them on. 

This was the first time Yang Jianlin realized how adorable children could be. 

“Momo, good luck! We’ll all be watching you here.” 

Seeing many eyes on Tang Momo in the audience, Zhang Xiaoli looked proud.  

She had just heard them saying that they were going to take photos of Momo on stage later. 

Soon, it was time for them to go on stage. Tang Momo and Yang Jianlin walked on together, and the audience erupted in thunderous applause.   

Yang Jianlin was a great partner. He helped Tang Momo get into the right mood, making her forget her surroundings as she seriously explained the safety knowledge to everyone. 

“Is that the girl Tang Xiaoxue mentioned last time?”  

Yang Zhiming looked at the people on the stage and asked softly. 

Zhang Yue nodded; her tone full of regret: “It’s a pity; I don’t know when Jianlin will wake up.” 

Hearing the discussion between her brother and sister-in-law, Yang Wenyun smiled, “If you like her, sister-in-law, you could invite the girl to your home for a visit.” 

“That would scare her. Isn’t her mother working at the shoe factory? Can you find out if that girl has a partner?” 

Zhang Yue said gently.  

“Don’t ask about it yet. You have to ask your son what he likes her first; otherwise, it will be embarrassing for the girl.” 

Although Yang Zhiming also thought Tang Momo was good, he knew that the protagonist of this matter was Yang Jianlin, and it was not enough for them to make the decision on his behalf. 

“Even if she doesn’t, by tomorrow, I bet her doorstep will be trampled from all the visitors.” 

Yang Wenyun remembered the first time she met Tang Momo. At that time, she knew that this girl was not simple. 

When she turned around to say a few words to her brother and sister-in-law, she realized that they were studying the camera and taking pictures of the people on the stage. 

Anyway, her brother was right, and that girl, Tang Momo, clearly had her own ideas, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to interfere. It would just depend on whether they had that fate. 

Hearing Tang Momo’s words on the stage, Zhang Xiaoli and the three children around her looked proud. 

“Mother, look, there are a lot of people taking photos, and they are all taking pictures of my Sister,” Tang Jianan said to Zhang Xiaoli next to him, noticing the cameras all around. 

“Let’s also go to the photo studio tomorrow and take a family picture.” What made Zhang Xiaoli feel regretful was that when Tang Dajun passed away, they didn’t even have a family picture.

“Are we taking pictures too?” 

When the two little ones heard about taking pictures, their voices were full of excitement. 

“Yes, we’ll all go.” 

Zhang Xiaoli rubbed their little heads. Momo was right; their life would only get better and better. 

This kind of explanation was a first for everyone, so they listened particularly attentively, especially considering that every winter there were injuries among the workers. This made them even more focused on listening. 

While listening, they couldn’t help but think that if it could have been avoided this way, why didn’t they think of it before? They looked at Tang Momo with even more admiration. 

This girl, despite her young age, was observant. If it could be widely used, the number of injuries would be greatly reduced. 

So when the two finished their discussion, the applause from below grew even louder. 

Tang Momo didn’t expect that today’s results would be so good. She turned her head, looked at Yang Jianlin beside her, and said warmly, “Thanks you Brother Yang for your help this time.” 

“No need to say thanks. This can also be considered a contribution to the factory.” 

Yang Jianlin glanced at the lively crowd. He thought that after today, the factory would be lively for a while. 

After the discussion, it was time to move on to other activities of the event. The venue chosen for today was the canteen of the food factory, which was big enough. Tang Momo heard that there would also be a dance later.

Tang Momo wasn’t interested in dancing, so after coming down from the stage and putting away her things, she went directly to where Zhang Xiaoli and the others were. 

“Sister, you’re so impressive.” 

The twins, as always, kept showering Tang Momo with compliments. 

“Mother said we’re going to take pictures tomorrow. Can I put on cosmetic too?” 

Tang Yangyang looked enviously at Tang Momo’s red lips. 

Everyone has a love for beauty. Tang Momo chuckled, nodded with a smile, and said in a pretend disappointed tone, “So that’s why you said so many nice things.” 

“No, what I just said is true. Sister you’re the best.” 

Tang Yangyang’s small face was filled with worry. She didn’t say those things just because she wanted to wear makeup. 

Seeing her anxious little face wrinkle up, Tang Momo couldn’t help but laugh. She reached out and gently smoothed her furrowed brows. “Okay, I was just teasing you.” 

Watching her children laugh and play together, Zhang Xiaoli’s lips curled into a smile. 

At that moment, a man suddenly came up to Zhang Xiaoli and said in a gentle tone, “Comrade Zhang, may I ask you to dance?” 

***

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