Chapter 31: Apprenticeship and Intercepting

Yu Miaomiao, without hesitation, picked up her pen and began to draw.

She didn’t need to think about the design; she could directly draw a finished product in a modern style.

Considering the relatively conservative social atmosphere at the time, Yu Miaomiao chose a conservative route. She drew a long-sleeved polka-dot shirt paired with a black fishtail skirt.

Simple and elegant, classic and fashionable. It caught Teacher Qin’s eye: “Not bad, not bad. My dear girl, you have real talent!”

“If the teacher likes it, I have more designs,” Yu Miaomiao said humbly and respectfully.

Teacher Qin praised her work and then proactively extended her hand, saying, “Qin Xian, a professor from the Provincial University’s Design Department, but I’ve already resigned.”

“Teacher Qin, my apologies!” Yu Miaomiao quickly shook her hand.

Highlight: A firm handshake.

The etiquette training of a drama student wasn’t for show; Qin Xian liked it even more.

“Teacher Qin, you…”

Shen Mingzhu’s eyes reddened with grievance, tears welling up, on the verge of tears, perfectly embodying the phrase about to weep.

She had always been Teacher Qin’s most favored student. How could she suddenly be replaced by a village girl?

She was unconvinced!

“Alright, go back! Don’t come again,” Qin Xian said, looking at Shen Mingzhu without a smile.

Shen Mingzhu knew that if she stayed any longer, the teacher would get angry, so she had to leave: “Professor, take care!”

Shen Mingzhu arrived looking radiant and left looking equally radiant.

Su Tang smiled radiantly.

They had defeated the female lead! Yes!

“And who is this?” Qin Xian looked curiously at Su Tang.

These two girls came together, both beautiful, and might be from the same major.

Then she could take on two excellent apprentices at once!

“Teacher Qin, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Yu Miaomiao, and she is my third sister-in-law, Su Tang. We are both villagers from Chahe Village.”

“You’re married?” Qin Xian was disappointed.

It was because Shen Mingzhu was busy with her love life that she had given up on her!

After living in seclusion in this small county for so long, she had finally met two suitable girls, and they were both married.

“Teacher Qin, although we are married, we don’t plan to have children within two years. We want to focus on our careers,” Su Tang said.

Qin Xian didn’t believe it.

Whether or not to have children wasn’t something a woman could decide alone.

It also depended on the husband’s wishes, the in-laws’ attitude… Since ancient times, women’s career paths have not been easy. How many talented women have ultimately been swallowed up by marriage?

“Teacher Qin, I heard your student say that the Provincial Cultural Troupe is forming a modeling team. If possible, we would also like to try,” Yu Miaomiao, taller and with a cooler temperament, was perfectly suited to be a model.

Qin Xian was somewhat hesitant, but her life experience told her not to easily trust young people.

After thinking for a while, she said, “I’ll take your design drawings first, but the polka-dot shirt fabric is difficult to find, so it can’t be made into clothing yet. Draw a few more, and I’ll pay you five yuan for each drawing.”

“Okay.”

Yu Miaomiao nodded. After bidding farewell to Qin Xian, she went to buy paper and pens.

Five yuan per drawing! They could easily draw hundreds of them!

But that would be too conspicuous; they needed to earn money slowly. The most important thing was to gain Qin Xian’s trust and get her recommendation to the Provincial Cultural Troupe!

“Tangtang, do you remember Qin Xian’s storyline?” Yu Miaomiao asked.

Su Tang shrugged: “I don’t know, the script didn’t mention her.”

“She’s probably the female lead’s assistant, and we’ve now snatched her away. Maybe we can really defeat Shen Mingzhu,” Yu Miaomiao said forcefully.

“Go, go, go! Defeat the female lead, and it’s the world of us female supporting characters!” Su Tang was also excited.

More and more things were being changed by them; maybe they could become the biggest NPCs.

Full of motivation, the two went to the supply and marketing cooperative and spent 15 cents to buy pencils, notebooks, and erasers.

On their way back to the village, when Granny Sun saw them buying a lot of pork fat, she mocked, “What? Are you going to make soap again?”

“Yes.”

“You wasted several kilograms of lard yesterday, and you’re continuing to waste it today. Wasteful women!”

“It’s okay, my husband lets me waste it.”

“…”

One sentence silenced everyone.

Mu Lao’er and Mu Laosan were really outrageous. When they spent a fortune to marry their wives, the villagers had advised them countless times, but they didn’t listen.

Now they indulged their wives in not working, and that’s fine. But they even let them waste money like this!

In less than half a year, the old Mu family would be completely ruined by these two women!

Su Tang and Yu Miaomiao were used to being unconventional and didn’t care about the villagers’ gazes.

When they got to their doorstep, they heard a familiar voice.

“Second brother, did you really get married?” Shen Mingzhu’s sorrowful inquiry was like an arrow piercing Yu Miaomiao’s heart.

The white moonlight had finally drifted to Chahe Village.

She and Su Tang stopped in their tracks, their hearts pounding.

For a moment, they both forgot their previous wish: Let the white moonlight hurry back and help us get a divorce!

“Third brother, how are your wives? When I came, I heard everyone say that they are lazy and don’t work. Is it true?”

“Sigh! I’ve only been gone for half a year, and you don’t treat me as family anymore.”

“The burden of supporting the family is on you, it must be very hard, right? I still have some money here, for you…”

“…”

What a gentle and considerate white moonlight!

Su Tang couldn’t bear it anymore and was about to rush in, but Yu Miaomiao stopped her: “Don’t be impulsive, let’s see their attitude.”

Su Tang bit her lip angrily, enduring it!

“Mingzhu, we set our wedding date in a hurry. Even if I wrote you a letter, it wouldn’t have been in time. Since you’re here today, just stay and play. When your second sister-in-law and third sister-in-law come back, you can get to know them,” Mu Jingyun said.

His tone was calm, without a hint of regret.

Yu Miaomiao was stunned: Didn’t he regret it? If he had waited just half a month, he would still be single and could have proposed to Shen Mingzhu.

“Mingzhu, don’t listen to the villagers’ nonsense. Your third sister-in-law is weak and can’t do any work. But she eats little, so it doesn’t cost much to support her. Don’t worry,” Mu Jingzhou also spoke.

Su Tang’s eyebrows relaxed, feeling inexplicably warm inside.

“Second brother? Third brother?” Shen Mingzhu seemed surprised by their attitude.

But they couldn’t give her another chance to bewitch them.

Su Tang coughed lightly and called sweetly: “Third brother, are you home? Come and help me carry the meat, it’s so heavy…”

“Coming.”

Mu Jingzhou came out of the kitchen, took the pork fat from Su Tang’s hands, and then naturally went to process the pork pancreas.

Shen Mingzhu curiously followed, wanting to see what kind of vixen her second sister-in-law and third sister-in-law were, to have captivated her second and third brothers like that.

As a result, when she saw them, she was dumbfounded: “It’s you?”

“Eh? Aren’t you Teacher Qin’s student?” Su Tang feigned surprise, “Third brother, who is she?”

“Mingzhu, she stayed at our house for a while when she was sent to the countryside before,” Mu Jingzhou said without looking up, “Mingzhu, this is your third sister-in-law.”

Mu Jingyun also came out to care for his wife: “Your feet aren’t fully healed yet, why did you come to town? Just tell me what you need, and I’ll go buy it.”

Then he quickly moved a chair over: “Come and sit down, let me see if your foot is swollen.”

In front of the white moonlight, he squatted down and took off Yu Miaomiao’s shoes and socks, holding her foot to examine it.

Shen Mingzhu widened her eyes in disbelief: “Se-second brother?”

“It’s okay, not swollen. I’ll cut the pork fat, you sit and rest. If you stand any longer, it’ll swell…” Mu Jingyun seemed not to hear Shen Mingzhu’s call, whispering instructions.