Sewing Machine

In the back of the truck lay more than ten bolts of various fabrics, several sacks of scraps, and a brand-new Butterfly sewing machine.

Shen Jianan froze on the spot. "My heavens! Th-this..."

He was stammering outright. Turning to stare wide-eyed at Bai Yun and Su Chen, he asked, "A-all of this is for me?"

Bai Yun nodded, laughing. "Yes! It's all for you."

Then she added, "Hurry and move everything into the courtyard first. We just ran into a group of villagers, and they looked rather..."

She trailed off vaguely, unwilling to put it too harshly, but Shen Jianan understood what she meant. Not daring to delay, he called Gu Yu and Su Chen over to help.

"Quick! Get the sewing machine up the mountain first."

Everyone present was smart. The moment he finished speaking, they sprang into action. Taking turns, they carried the sewing machine down from the truck, then the driver and Su Chen hauled it into the little courtyard.

Meanwhile, Shen Jianan and Gu Yu each carried two bolts of fabric up to the halfway point, setting them in the grass by the roadside before returning the way they came. They planned to carry all the fabric up first, then move it into the courtyard piece by piece.

However, just as Su Chen and the driver carried the sewing machine into the courtyard, and Shen Jianan's group made their third trip, Zhao Qiancheng and his son came rushing toward the foot of the mountain with a crowd of villagers.

Trailing far behind them were Zhao Gang and several other cadres, all looking reluctant, along with Lu Xiaoyue and Feng Yi from the Educated Youth Station, as well as Cheng Hu's family of three and Chen Ming.

Sure enough, the moment some people saw the fabric that had yet to be moved, greed flashed across their faces. One after another, they turned into red-eyed monsters.

"My goodness! Look! So much fabric!!"

"Heavens! Those patterns are far too pretty!"

"If only I could have a bolt like that."

"I wonder if Shen will have any leftovers after making the clothes? If he does, I'd like to trade him for some scraps to make a hair flower for my daughter."

"Oh, trade for what? He bought those fabric scraps for our brigade. Six yuan gets you a whole huge bag, and a hair flower barely takes any fabric. Why not just ask him for a piece!?"

"That's true! He's such a nice person, he'll probably give us some!"

"I want some too..."

The overlapping chatter made all of them frown in displeasure. Gu Yu's face darkened at once, and he directly raised his voice, waving Chen Ming and Cheng Hu over from the rear of the crowd to help carry things.

"Coming!"

The two answered readily, quickly bringing Cheng Guang and Xiang Haiyan over. Together with Gu Yu, Shen Jianan, Su Chen, and the driver, they silently shouldered the remaining bolts of fabric and sacks and headed up the mountain.

From start to finish, Shen Jianan and Gu Yu had not asked a single outsider for help, nor had they spoken a word to them. Zhao Qiancheng and the brigade villagers, who had come over full of excitement, were left deeply awkward. They had wanted to curry favor with a few words, but now they did not even know how to begin.

Feng Yi and Lu Xiaoyue, who were relatively sharp, instantly realized they had overstepped. They hurriedly pulled away several educated youths they were close with. As for Zheng Lei and Huang Qimei, they were once again excluded.

Those two were cut from the same cloth as Jiang Hongmei. They did not walk the same road and could not make common cause, so there was no need to associate too much with them and invite trouble that would cling like a foul stench.

When Zheng Lei and Huang Qimei saw themselves excluded again, they were furious and resentful. They felt Feng Yi and the others were sick in the head. They had all been sent to the countryside together, yet instead of being united, friendly, and getting along properly, they had formed their own little clique and isolated the two of them. It was simply too much.

When they studied that evening, they would definitely go speak properly with the Brigade Secretary and brigade chief. Otherwise, those people would only grow more and more full of themselves.

The two kept muttering under their breath, without even bothering to avoid being overheard. In the end, Li Shuqin and Bai Qiulian heard every word.

The two women were both cadres' family members and upright people. They had followed the crowd over partly out of curiosity, but more because they feared Zhao Qiancheng might cause trouble for the two youngsters and wanted to lend a hand.

But after arriving, they discovered they had worried for nothing. Those youngsters were clever! They could easily solve their problems without anyone else interfering.

The two women did not want to delay their work any longer and were about to leave when they unexpectedly overheard the pair's scheming words. Their tempers flared at once.

"I'm asking you two, can't you do something proper for once? Why do you only know how to stir up trouble and spread rumors?"

Li Shuqin pointed at them and cursed openly. "Instead of wasting time making a mess, why don't you think carefully about why nobody likes you?"

"Exactly. I think Educated Youth Feng and the others are quite good. But you two..."

Bai Qiulian raised her eyes to appraise them, then let out a cold snort. "No one welcomes you wherever you go."

Their words were exceptionally harsh, leaving no room for dignity. Not to mention Zheng Lei—even Huang Qimei, who was usually strong-hearted, could barely take it. Eyes reddening, she trembled as she glared at the two women. "Y-you..."

"What about us? Aren't we telling the truth?"

Li Shuqin loudly cut her off, sweeping her gaze over the crowd still lost in their "dreams." She sneered in disdain. "Every day, all you think about is taking advantage of others. You're getting more and more shameless!"

The moment she said that, even the dumbest person knew she was pointing at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree. Everyone felt both hot-faced and angry, but none dared respond. Otherwise, would they not be indirectly admitting that they were exactly those kinds of people?

For a moment, everyone fell silent, standing there like old ducks with their necks pinched, breathing heavily as they glared at the two women, their eyes nearly spitting fire.

Li Shuqin and Bai Qiulian were not afraid either. They ignored them outright, called their own children over, and turned to head back to the brigade, not even acknowledging their own husbands or the rest of their families.

The crowd became even more embarrassed, especially Zhao Qiancheng. After all, he had allowed them to come watch the commotion. In the end, not only had they failed to see anything, they had offended Shen Jianan and Gu Yu, and he had lost face as well. He had tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to bait it.

Bang!

The sudden sound of a door slamming was not especially loud, but it was enough for everyone at the foot of the mountain to hear clearly. Looking at the tightly shut courtyard gate, they felt even more ashamed.

Zhao Gang expressionlessly looked them over, then mocked, "Since every one of you is so capable, why don't you go secure the brigade's orders from now on?"

After saying that, he clasped his hands behind his back and left. Zhao Hongjun and the other cadres hurried after him, leaving Brigade Secretary Zhao Qiancheng standing there alone, so embarrassed he wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

He was furious and resentful, feeling that Zhao Gang and the others were becoming more and more disrespectful toward him. Now they had even slapped his face in public. Just wait—he would make those fools pay the price.

Zhao Jianguo, standing nearby, was equally dissatisfied. He could not understand why those two people, who clearly had status and standing, would give things to Shen Jianan. He was just some pretty boy who could not tell the five grains apart and would not lift a finger. What was there worth associating with?

As for Gu Yu, he looked down on him even more. Every day, Gu Yu followed Shen Jianan around like a lapdog, doing whatever he was told without a shred of backbone. No wonder Hongmei did not like him anymore!

It had to be said, this father and son were truly skilled at gilding their own faces.

With no excitement left to watch and having offended people besides, the crowd no longer had the mood to stay. They left in twos and threes. Before Zhao Qiancheng departed, he cast a meaningful glance at the little courtyard, his eyes full of calculation.

Seeing that expression, the gloom in Zhao Jianguo's heart instantly dispersed quite a bit. He knew that whenever his father wore that look, someone was about to suffer misfortune.

He had probably forgotten, however, that nobody in that halfway-up-the-mountain courtyard was a fool. And while his father was thinking of playing tricks, he had already stepped into a trap they had laid in advance.

Inside Half-Mountain Courtyard.

When Chen Ming saw the brand-new sewing machine, his eyes nearly popped out. "Th-that must have cost quite a bit, right?"

"Not expensive. One hundred and fifty yuan."

Bai Yun smiled and patted the machine's body, then looked at Shen Jianan as she explained, "Although I agree very much with the partnership arrangement you suggested before, I can't let you be the only one taking all the loss.

"So after your sister got home, I discussed it with your brother-in-law. We got you a sewing machine and a batch of fabric, which will count as my investment.

"From now on, I won't put in any more money, and we'll still split the profits as we discussed. But if we run into a time when we need to expand the business on a large scale, we can discuss it again then."

After thinking for a moment, she added, "Also, I won't take a share of the profits from the clothes ordered by the families from those compounds this time. After all, we only discussed working together after you closed the deal. But once you deliver the goods, we must follow the agreement."

Shen Jianan nodded at her words, but he did not fully accept her proposal. Instead, he insisted on giving her two hundred yuan for her trouble, or else he would feel too guilty.

After all, without Bai Yun's help, his clothing business could not possibly have received so many orders in such a short time, nor could he have built connections so quickly at the Public Security Bureau and among the people in several residential compounds.

Unable to refuse, Bai Yun accepted with a smile. Then she and her husband rose to say goodbye. They still had things to do, and the driver needed to hurry back to hand over his shift, so they could not linger.

"Alright! Then I won't keep you. Next time you come, I'll make dry pot for you."

Shen Jianan smiled at Su Chen and the driver. "Then I'll get some liquor for my brother-in-law and Brother Wang too."

"No need."

Su Chen waved his hand generously. "I'll bring my own liquor. You just need to make that dry pot."

"Alright, no problem."

The young man lifted his hand in invitation. "I'll see you out."

"No, no, you two keep busy."

Bai Yun waved with smiling eyes, then linked arms with her husband and left the courtyard with the driver. Shen Jianan and Gu Yu stood on the mountain path, watching them drive away before returning to the courtyard.

When Cheng Hu saw the two come in, he hurried forward and said he wanted to return half a month's rent.

Shen Jianan paused, then understood. Cheng Hu had seen the sewing machine Bai Yun had given him and thought he would no longer make clothes at their house, so he wanted to return the rent.

"No need to return it. Although I won't be making clothes over there anymore, I still need to keep things at your home for the time being."

The young man explained, "Before long, our brigade will receive a group of educated youths sent to the countryside. This little courtyard of ours will definitely need to house people, so we can't occupy the empty rooms.

"Besides, Brother Gu's and my room was not large to begin with. Now that we have fabric and a sewing machine in it, if we add anything else, there may not even be room to set our feet down. So we still need to continue renting your house. And besides..."

Looking at Cheng Hu, who secretly breathed a sigh of relief, the young man smiled. "Although your sewing machine won't be needed anymore, I have other work for your family."

The Cheng Household immediately perked up. They quickly straightened and asked, "What work? Just tell us. As long as I can do it, I absolutely won't refuse."

Shen Jianan nodded and said, "Good." Then he spoke seriously. "The orders I receive will only grow more numerous in the future. I definitely won't be able to handle them all alone.

"So I want to hire your family as assistants to help make clothing accessories. When the time comes, I'll cut out the styles in advance and make samples. You'll just follow the samples and draw a gourd from the gourd.

"For work such as attaching pockets and zippers, I'll pay three to five cents per garment, depending on the number of accessories. Fewer than three accessories will be three cents, while three or more will be five cents.

"If a garment needs flat embroidery added, it'll be six cents each. If it comes with designs such as a separate belt or three-dimensional floral decorations, it'll be ten cents each. Are you willing to take this work?"

"Willing! Of course we're willing!"

Cheng Hu nodded repeatedly in excitement. Then, looking at his equally delighted wife and son, he said to Shen Jianan, "Shen, don't worry. We'll definitely work hard and never hold you back."

"Mhm."

Shen Jianan nodded. "Then it's settled. Go back to the brigade first, so nobody starts talking."

"Alright, then we'll head off first."

Cheng Hu knew Shen Jianan was thinking of their family. After all, everyone in the brigade had gone to work, while the skilled members of their family were absent. That would be hard to explain. So he did not delay, turning to leave with his wife and son. Chen Ming had wanted to go with them, but Shen Jianan called him back.

"Chen Ming, I've seen the hair accessories you make. The styles and color combinations are very good, and your stitches are neat and fine. So I'd like you to help with some work too. Would you be willing..."

"Yes, I'm willing."

Before Shen Jianan could finish, Chen Ming eagerly cut in. Shen Jianan shook his head and laughed before continuing.

"However... you don't have a sewing machine, so there's a lot of work you can't do. You can only help me iron clothes, cut fabric, thread elastic bands, sew on buttons, and things like that.

"Compared to the work the Cheng Household does, these tasks require much less skill, so I can't calculate the wages that way. I can only give you two cents per garment."

"No problem."

Chen Ming happily waved his hand. "As long as I can earn money, I'm willing no matter how much it is."

"Alright, then."

Shen Jianan tipped up his chin. "You should go to work too. When you return tonight, you can start working with me."

"Alright!"

Chen Ming pursed his lips in thanks, then left the two men's bedroom and raced down the mountain like a cheerful little sparrow.

Gu Yu smiled as he shut the bedroom door. When he turned around, he saw Shen Jianan opening the package delivered by the postman. Inside was a complete set of textbooks that his family had found for him.

The two were overjoyed. With this set of books, they were one step closer to their dream of university. Gu Yu pointed at the two letters on the table. "Are those from your family?"

"Oh! One is from my father, and the other was sent by the newspaper."

Shen Jianan smiled at him, casually opened the envelope from the newspaper, and found a twenty-yuan money order and a letter from one of the newspaper's editors.

As far as he was concerned, there was nothing special in the contents. It was all encouragement for the young man to continue writing and hopes that he would submit another piece soon. But the final line—"We hope for diversity in your works, and remuneration will be adjusted accordingly"—caught his attention.

Shen Jianan considered it. After the evening meeting, once he finished writing the next part of Hot-Blooded Struggle in the Seventies, he might as well try his hand at starting a wuxia novel.

Although Jin Yong, Gu Long, and others had already become famous throughout the country in this era, not everyone in the mainland had the opportunity to read their works. People in Hong Kong and Taiwan had more chances to encounter them.

So, based on his many years of reading experience, he could write a different kind of new-style wuxia novel.

Though his literary foundation was not as profound as those two masters', vernacular fiction was not without an audience. As long as he could attract this small group of readers—

He did not need to become a famous author. He should still be able to earn some manuscript fees. Of course, he could not neglect his proper work either.

He also had to continue submitting those short stories that answered the call of the times and carried a positive spirit. He could not let either side fall behind. The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, so he told Gu Yu about his idea.

"If you want to do it, then do it!"

Gu Yu raised a hand and lightly patted the air above his head, smiling as he said, "But you have to arrange your time reasonably. Don't wear yourself out, understand?"

"Of course."

The young man nodded proudly. "I'm not someone who wants money but not life."

Then he playfully bumped his head against Gu Yu's shoulder. Amid Gu Yu's amused laughter, he casually opened the other letter. The moment he read the contents, the smile on his face vanished abruptly, replaced by gloom and worry.

Seeing that something was wrong, Gu Yu hurriedly asked what had happened. Shen Jianan shook his head angrily and said in a low voice, "My wonderful eldest uncle reported my father for embezzlement and bribery at a crucial time when my father was about to be promoted.

"It got him suspended and investigated for more than half a year. Although nothing came of it in the end, it still affected his promotion.

"That was why my parents did not dare bring me back. They were afraid someone would set their sights on us again. They only dared write and tell me the truth now that the matter has passed."

"Your eldest uncle is truly rotten to the core."

Gu Yu's face darkened.

"Mhm!"

Shen Jianan spoke fiercely. "When I find the chance, I'll make sure his whole family dies without a place to bury their bones."

Gu Yu's gaze darkened slightly. "If something happens to them, will your father be upset..."

"Hmph! How could he be!?"

Shen Jianan turned to look at him. "I know my father best. He's kind, but he's no saint.

"In his heart, nobody is more important than my mother and me. Next comes himself. Whoever dares set their sights on him or us, he will never tolerate it in the slightest—not even my grandparents."

At that, amusement appeared in Gu Yu's eyes. "Alright, I understand."

"What do you understand?"

Shen Jianan tilted his head at him in confusion. Gu Yu smiled and shook his head. "Nothing."

Then he added, "Hurry and make the clothes. It won't be long before we have to deliver them."

"Right, right, hurry! There are over three hundred sets of clothes!"

Prompted by him, the young man panicked and hurriedly stood, grabbing his hand as he pulled him toward the sewing machine. "Brother Gu, hurry and help me! Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't finish in time."

Gu Yu tightened his hand around Shen Jianan's and answered with a curled smile, "Alright."

The two were busy beyond all measure in the little courtyard, while the Zhao Household had begun plotting against them. At first, Zhao Qiancheng had merely wanted Gu Yu to marry his daughter, then use the opportunity to make a huge profit and seize the connections of the Jiang and Gu Households.

But after seeing Bai Yun and her husband bring gifts over, he had set his sights on Shen Jianan as well. He planned to go into town and find his elder brother, Zhao Manjiang, asking him to bring over his second niece so they could work out a plan together.

Perhaps they could achieve double happiness and have his daughter Zhao Xiufen and his niece take down Gu Yu and Shen Jianan together. Then the old Zhao family would have power and money alike—what would there be to worry about when it came to prosperity!?

Listening to his father's calculations, Zhao Jianguo was displeased at the thought of Gu Yu and Shen Jianan becoming his brothers-in-law. But considering that both had wealthy and influential families, and could become his support in the future, he suppressed his dissatisfaction and volunteered to fetch his cousin.

Seeing his son be so sensible, Zhao Qiancheng's resentment toward him eased considerably. Still, he did not feel comfortable letting him go speak to his elder brother about this alone.

After all, his sister-in-law was not easy to deal with and held considerable opinions about their family. If his son failed to explain things clearly and made her misunderstand, that would be trouble.

After considering it, he said, "Come with me. That way, your uncle and aunt will see that we take this matter seriously. Otherwise, they'll think I'm casually finding just anyone to marry Xiao Jun."

Hearing that, Zhao Jianguo thought it made sense and readily agreed. Thus, father and son hurried out without even eating lunch.

Jiang Hongmei, who had been unable to get a word in from beginning to end, was frantic. The matter was slipping more and more out of control. If they really succeeded, would her lie not be exposed!?

Zhao Jianguo would be easy enough to coax, but she feared Gu Yu would contact Gu Lingwei and expose everything. By then, not only might her parents lose their jobs, she herself would likely be unable to bear Gu Lingwei and Luo Tianming's towering rage. What fucking dream of getting rich would there be left to talk about?

Thinking of this, she hurriedly got up and told Qin Fengying that she would return to the Educated Youth Station to gather some pretty clothes for Zhao Xiufen to dress up in, so the plan could go more smoothly.

How could Qin Fengying disagree? She immediately nodded. "Go and come back quickly. At noon, I'll steam eggs for you and Xiufen."

"Alright."

Jiang Hongmei nodded with a smile, but the moment she turned away, her face fell. Then she strode out of the Zhao Household and headed to the brigade to find Huang Qimei.