Chapter 17: Selling Shoes (Part 1)

The next day, Zhao Ruhua finished crocheting that pair of shoes.

On this pair, one shoe bore the character pattern He Jia (“Whole Family”), and the other bore Xing Fu (“Happiness”).

Together, the message read: Whole Family Happiness.

The shoes were primarily light blue, accented with soft pink yarn.

The combination of these two colors made them fresh and bright, and they were very beautiful.

Zhao Ruhua slipped them onto her feet and walked a few steps around the room, feeling very satisfied.

She hadn’t expected that crocheted yarn shoes would be so comfortable to wear.

The material was soft and very warm—perfect for keeping her feet cozy in winter at home.

Yun Shiyue came in from outside and saw Zhao Ruhua proudly showing off her new shoes. A trace of surprise flickered in his eyes.

She had finished a whole pair since yesterday?

He stared at the shoes on her feet, finding them unusual and fresh.

He had truly never seen shoes like these before.

“Well? Don’t they look good?”

Zhao Ruhua asked Yun Shiyue with a beaming smile.

Yun Shiyue turned his head away and said, “They’re average.”

Zhao Ruhua was not discouraged.

She knew very well whether they looked good or not.

When she made a few more pairs, she planned to bring them to town to sell.

She just wasn’t sure how much a pair like this should go for.

“You men don’t understand these things. I won’t blame you.”

After saying that, she took off the yarn shoes and changed back into her old shoes.

Crocheted shoes were only suitable for wearing at home. They weren’t practical for farm work outside.

After putting the shoes away, Zhao Ruhua started crocheting another pair.

This time, she was making a man’s style.

Since Yun Shiyue had bought her yarn and crochet hooks, she would make him a pair in return.

Before she started, Zhao Ruhua asked him how much he had spent on the materials. She wanted to pay him back.

Yun Shiyue thought for a moment, then said, “Not much. You don’t need to pay me.”

He didn’t mention the exact amount.

Zhao Ruhua smiled, happily accepting his kindness.

“I can crochet many things—shoes, hats, even sweaters. I’ll make them all for you in the future.”

She loved doing this kind of handwork.

Since there wasn’t much to do at home, working on these crafts helped pass the time—and might even bring in a little extra money.

Of course, she first needed to see if anyone would actually buy her shoes.

Yun Shiyue gave her a glance and said, “Whatever.”

“I’m going to the mountain.”

After gathering his things, he headed out.

Zhao Ruhua asked whether he would return for lunch. Yun Shiyue said he wasn’t sure, and told her to eat on her own. If he returned, he would cook something himself.

She agreed easily.

Being home alone suited her just fine.

That day, Zhao Ruhua spent the entire day at home, working diligently. By evening, she had already finished half of the second pair of shoes.

She was fast. When Yun Shiyue left in the morning, she had just completed the first pair.

After only one day, she was nearly done with the second.

After dinner, Yun Shiyue noticed a single shoe on the table and picked it up.

“Try it on, see if it fits,” Zhao Ruhua said.

Yun Shiyue really did slip it onto his foot.

As soon as he wore it, he examined it from every angle, his eyes revealing clear satisfaction.

This shoe looked very nice. Its pattern was made of square grids, black and white in color, which perfectly suited his temperament.

Zhao Ruhua noticed his pleased expression and secretly found it amusing.

This morning, he had said her shoes were “average.”

But now that it was his shoe, he was obviously delighted.

Are all men this fickle?

“Well? Not bad, right?” she teased.

Yun Shiyue nodded. “It’s not bad.”

The stitches were exceptionally neat and dense, giving an impression of meticulous craftsmanship.

Zhao Ruhua said that she would finish the second shoe the next day. Once winter came, Yun Shiyue could wear them and keep his feet warm.

Though his face was full of satisfaction, not a single word of praise came out of his mouth.

Zhao Ruhua worked quickly. By the next day, she had completed Yun Shiyue’s pair of shoes.

When he tried them on, a faint smile finally appeared on his face.

“They’re quite nice,” he said.

Satisfaction glimmered in his eyes.

He turned the shoes over in his hands, carefully looking at them from every angle, and then found a proper place to store them away.

Seeing his behavior, Zhao Ruhua couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

This man… She didn’t even know how to describe him.

If he liked the shoes, he could just say so. Why act so reserved?

Wasn’t he usually so capable and decisive?

After finishing Yun Shiyue’s shoes, Zhao Ruhua still had plenty of soles and yarn left.

Over the next ten days or so, she crocheted all the remaining soles into finished shoes.

There were both men’s and women’s styles, with a variety of patterns—

Little girl motifs, swans, hearts…

When all the soles were done, she still had some leftover yarn.

One morning, Zhao Ruhua packed the completed shoes into a burlap sack and set off for town.

The trip from Baishi Village to town was long.

After walking for nearly an hour, she was so tired she almost collapsed, but finally, she arrived.

The sun was already high in the sky, and many vendors were selling their goods.

Zhao Ruhua walked along a street, observing the flow of pedestrians, and finally chose a secluded spot to set down her shoes.

All the good spots for stalls had been taken, so she had to settle for the edge of the market.

To her left was an auntie selling eggs; to her right, an uncle selling sweet potatoes.

When Zhao Ruhua laid out her shoes, the egg-seller auntie looked over curiously.

“Girl, those shoes of yours are really unusual. I’ve lived this long and never seen shoes like that!”

Zhao Ruhua smiled. “I made these myself. Of course you haven’t seen them before.”

Shoes like these didn’t exist in this era.

In the era she had lived before, however, they were extremely popular—

There were countless tutorials online.

A simple phone search would bring up dozens.

“You have such clever hands, making shoes this pretty,” the woman praised, then hesitated before asking,

“How much silver for a pair?”

Zhao Ruhua hadn’t decided on a price yet.

After thinking for a moment, she said, “Twenty wen a pair.”

It should be cheap enough.

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