Chapter 82 – Busy with Our Own Things, Finally Made a Sale

Xie Zhi hugged the girl, his fingers constantly rubbing her pale, cold hand. Her skin felt like silk in the summer, addictive to the touch.

“Why say such formal things? My money is yours, isn’t it?”

The two played around on the swing for a while, and then Xu Jiaojiao laid in Xie Zhi’s arms, falling into a sleepy haze. Despite waking up early that morning, their usual midday nap routine kicked in, and they ended up napping on time.

It was the hottest part of the day, so they planned to rest for a bit before heading out to buy some flowers to decorate the shop.

The clothing store was almost renovated, and with some added ambiance, it would be complete. Xu Jiaojiao decided to make a few clothes to display outside the shop to attract customers. After all, if there was nothing to see, no one would come in.

At 3 PM, the chubby boss arrived on time, bringing the sofa. It was a bit old, but it wasn’t a big deal; all it needed was a new cover.

The two of them went out for a stroll down the street. If no one sold something here, it probably wouldn’t be available anywhere else.

There was only one flower shop, with a small selection of flowers. Some of the flowers Xu Jiaojiao had never seen before. She chose a few white, yellow, and green ones, along with some butterfly-shaped leaves.

Fresh flowers weren’t cheap, and these cost a total of one yuan fifty. Xie Zhi used fabric scissors to trim the stems before arranging them in a vase. Following simple flower arrangement principles, he arranged the flowers from dense to sparse.

“I didn’t expect you to know how to arrange flowers,” Xu Jiaojiao said, surprised.

“I learned a bit when I was a child. I’d watch my grandmother with the flowers. After arranging them, they last longer,” Xie Zhi explained slowly.

By the time they were done with the flowers, it was almost 4 PM. The bus back to the village was about to arrive. They bought some snacks to bring back, locked up the shop, and left.

When they arrived, the bus had already arrived. They got on, and as Xu Jiaojiao thought about waking up early every day, her heart ached. “Honey, do you think we should buy a bed to put there? That way, we can stay there sometimes. It feels like such a waste of time commuting back and forth every day.”

Seeing her pitiful expression, Xie Zhi felt an indescribable emotion, but he was selfish. He’d rather let her come back every day than let her stay there alone. After all, he couldn’t quit his job at the school.

“Jiaojiao, I’m not comfortable with you being there alone, and I can’t be with you.”

Xu Jiaojiao felt a bit disappointed, but her mood lifted the next second. “Alright then, it’s still early to leave the shop. I’ll make five outfits before we go.”

And so, Xu Jiaojiao began her routine of running between the village and the shop. She woke up early every day, took the bus to the store, and worked on her clothes. She bought lots of cool, breathable, and stylish fabrics, including a large box she’d sent from Yun City and Qing City, enough to make dozens of outfits.

She displayed each fabric next to its respective type, and on the other side, she planned to make some basic styles. She also put up a few photos on the wall, which were before-and-after images of the older women from the military that she had redesigned. Her older brother had developed and mailed the photos.

Looking at everything, she realized the shop needed a vanity, proper lighting, and a large mirror. She could get these from the hair salon, along with some equipment like curling irons and blow dryers for styling.

Her feet kept pressing the pedal on the sewing machine, making a squeaking sound, and soon, she finished a set. All that was left was an ironing machine to smooth out the wrinkles in the fabric.

After finishing the clothes, she hung them on a rack. Xu Jiaojiao began cutting the fabric for the sofa. She chose a dark green patterned fabric, which she loved, and made a few throw pillows. Then, she used nails and needle and thread to secure them to the sofa.

The old sofa looked brand new, and with the pillows and quirky shapes, it was particularly comfortable.

She planned to go with Xie Zhi to buy the necessary items over the weekend and make some more changes to the shop. As she was deep in thought, there was a knock at the door.

“Hello, is this the clothing store?” A girl in her twenties opened the door and entered. From outside, the sunlight had obscured the view, but once inside, she was surprised by how beautiful the store was, like a piece of art.

The girl stared around the shop, her eyes fixing on the swing chair. She tentatively asked, “Can I sit on that?”

“Of course, please go ahead,” Xu Jiaojiao hurriedly responded.

The girl sat on it carefully at first, and then, after confirming its safety, she became bolder and even rocked it a bit.

“This store is amazing! Is it really for selling clothes?”

Xu Jiaojiao explained, “Yes, but I haven’t finished the renovations yet. It might take at least another half month.”

The girl smiled and, after some hesitation, took out a dictionary from her bag, clearly struggling with a decision.

“I was planning to go to the library, but the water pipes burst, and I couldn’t get in. The coffee shop is too expensive, so I thought I’d come here to read instead.”

“Feel free to stay, but it might get a bit noisy.”

“No problem, I’m just here to read. You do your thing.”

That afternoon, the girl, Lin Lin, stayed in the shop, slowly reading her dictionary, silently preparing for the upcoming college entrance exam a year later.

Meanwhile, Xu Jiaojiao was focused on making clothes, pedaling the sewing machine rapidly, while occasionally adding little decorative touches. They both enjoyed their time together.

Xu Jiaojiao finished a headband to go with an outfit and a modified old hairpin.

“Are you leaving now?” Lin Lin asked regretfully.

“Yes, I have to go back. The bus leaves at 4:00. If I miss it, I won’t be able to get back.”

Lin Lin looked at the time and saw it was almost 3:30. She packed her dictionary into her bag and, looking at the finished outfits, asked, “How much is this set? I really like it.”

Xu Jiaojiao hesitated, “I haven’t decided yet. I haven’t figured out the cost.”

“Can I buy it from you? I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Lin Lin’s question caught Xu Jiaojiao by surprise, and she suppressed her excitement, replying calmly, “Sure. You can come here to read. After the shop opens, it will only be open to women, though. It might get a bit noisy.”

Lin Lin beamed, “No problem! I actually memorized several words here. I really like your shop.”

“You decorated it so beautifully. I wish you could help me decorate my room.”

Xu Jiaojiao’s eyes lit up, “Sure, but I’m not an expert in decoration. I can only do some design sketches.”

“It’s okay. But I might have to wait until next month. I don’t have enough money yet.”

“That’s fine.” Xu Jiaojiao replied, delighted.