Chapter 18: Her Frequent Appearances

A few more days passed.

Tao Yu continued her daily routine of delivering meals to the building. Gradually, she grew more familiar with everyone there.

Her demeanor remained consistently calm and gentle, making her seem approachable and friendly to all.

Even the two male secretaries in the office had started treating her like an old friend.

Tao Yu now frequented Song Hecheng’s office more often.

Sometimes, when he was busy and didn’t notice her, she would quietly leave the meal and depart.

Other times, if he paused to rest, she would offer a faint smile from a distance before leaving without initiating conversation.

It seemed that the skirt’s vibrant edge often caught Song Hecheng’s eye in his bustling office.

But each time he looked up, the skirt had already disappeared around the corner.

Occasionally, he did catch sight of its owner—her gentle smile—and would nod politely in return.

Yet she never spoke to him again.

Leaning back in his leather chair, Song Hecheng rubbed his nose thoughtfully and chuckled to himself.

They barely knew each other. Why did these moments cross his mind?

Perhaps it was just the fatigue of his workload.

……

At Tao Yu and Li Juan’s new home, the front room had been transformed into Li Juan’s tailoring workspace, just as Tao Yu had suggested.

Apart from preparing three meals a day for her daughter, Li Juan spent all her time making clothes.

The sewing machine hummed under her fervent operation, echoing throughout the house.

Meanwhile, Tao Yu stayed busy as well.

Though she didn’t know how to use the sewing machine or make clothes, she contributed by sketching numerous summer outfit designs for her mother to reference.

After her day at the factory, she helped around the house, organized the finished garments, and took care of the chores.

Time flew by, and in no time, a week had passed. The weather was growing warmer, and Li Juan’s second batch of ready-made clothes was completed.

For this batch, following Tao Yu’s advice, Li Juan didn’t use high-cost materials. Instead, she went to the textile factory and bought a few cartloads of affordable, comfortable, and attractive fabrics.

Tao Yu had explained to her, “When the first batch of clothes came out in early summer, we could charge more because other sellers hadn’t started offering summer clothes yet. But now that the weather is hot and the streets are full of summer clothes, one little stall like ours won’t make much difference unless we stand out with our style and pricing.”

Taking Tao Yu’s sketches as inspiration and after some discussion, Li Juan created four new designs, making dozens of garments in total.

Once the clothes were finished, the mother and daughter wasted no time. They rented a fixed stall at the local individual entrepreneur market.

Li Juan managed the stall during the day, and Tao Yu came to help after work.

In the bustling market, Li Juan’s stall stood out for its trendy designs and affordable prices. Neatly arranged in rows, the well-matched colors and stylish patterns of the clothes attracted a constant flow of customers.

After selling part of the batch and earning some money, Tao Yu suggested that Li Juan hire an assistant and reinvest in fabric to keep their workshop running.

Li Juan didn’t hesitate, trusting her daughter’s advice completely. She decided to hire Aunt Chang.

“Like me, Aunt Chang is from the countryside,” Li Juan explained. “She doesn’t have a stable job or food rations here in the city and relies on odd jobs. Plus, she’s reliable and discreet—who better to help us?”

The day after Tao Yu’s suggestion, Aunt Chang arrived for work, beaming with excitement.

“You two have really established yourselves! I’m so happy for you!” she said warmly.

Li Juan smiled back, joking, “Well, I won’t stand on ceremony then. We’ll pay by the piece, but you’ll have to wait until the end of the month for your wages. Don’t worry—I won’t run off!”

Aunt Chang playfully swatted Li Juan’s arm. “Oh, come on! Look at you, all smiles. Even if you did run, you couldn’t escape me. If nothing else, I’d take Tao Yu home as my daughter, haha!”

Their laughter echoed through the yard, and even Tao Yu, busy organizing clothes inside, couldn’t help but smile faintly.

With Aunt Chang helping and a new sewing machine bought for 190 yuan, production sped up. Li Juan only added two new designs to the original set, but with the variety of fabrics and colors, they created the most appealing garments possible.

The workload kept Li Juan, Aunt Chang, and half of Tao Yu busier than ever, but it was a fulfilling kind of exhaustion.

However, success rarely comes without challenges.

Some neighbors in the shared courtyard started noticing Aunt Chang’s daily trips outside and her late returns. Gossip quickly spread.

“Have you heard? Li Juan must be making a fortune—she’s even hired help!”

“Of course. Aunt Chang will take any work she can get. Her husband’s bedridden and needs medicine, and her daughter’s marriage isn’t far off—she needs money.”

“Maybe Li Juan only gave her work out of pity.”

Such talk didn’t bother Li Juan, who knew she valued Aunt Chang for her character and work ethic, not charity.

Naturally, the news also reached Mrs Mao, the neighborhood busybody. That evening, she crouched outside Li Juan’s house, peeking through a crack in the door, trying to spy on their success.

Inside, Li Juan and Aunt Chang were hard at work on their sewing machines, completely unaware of the prying eyes outside.

As Tao Yu returned home, the warm glow of the setting sun casting long shadows, she immediately noticed Mrs Mao crouched at their door.

An icy glint flashed in Tao Yu’s eyes as her mood darkened. She had tolerated this nosiness for too long.

Without making a sound, she approached Mrs Mao like a cat stalking its prey. The woman remained oblivious.

With a swift motion, Tao Yu slammed the heavy wooden door inward, sending Mrs Mao sprawling into the yard with a startled scream.

Hearing the commotion, Li Juan and Aunt Chang stopped their work and turned toward the noise.

When they saw Mrs. Mao lying on the ground, Li Juan and Aunt Chang’s faces turned dark, and they quickly surrounded her.

Mrs. Mao, realizing she’d been caught red-handed, didn’t even have time to cry out before she tried to get up and run.

But how could Li Juan and Aunt Chang let her escape? Both of them, used to hard labor, rushed to grab her.

Mrs. Mao, however, wasn’t easy to deal with. She spun around and started fighting back, grappling with both women.

The courtyard was soon filled with Mrs. Mao’s loud, wailing cries.

Tao Yu noticed Mrs. Mao wildly swinging her filthy hands, her long nails—covered in mud—leaving scratches on Li Juan’s arms.

Tao Yu’s patience finally ran out. Her gaze fell on the firewood stick lying in the yard, and she calmly walked toward it.