Storm at the Xiuzhuang

Lu Xiaojing let out an "Ah," somewhat surprised that Jiang Nian was actually married.

Even more surprising was that she had become a widow at such a young age, and she immediately felt a bit of sympathy for her.

Hu Zhongming also looked at Jiang Nian in surprise. Lu Yu glanced at Hu Zhongming, a cold chill emanating from the depths of his eyes that made Hu Zhongming’s back turn cold. He retracted his gaze and continued talking to Lu Xiaojing.

Lu Yu stayed by Jiang Nian’s side and didn't leave. It wasn't until Sister Ge arrived after finishing her lunch that he stood up. Glancing at Hu Zhongming, who was still sitting there, he said to Jiang Nian, "If anything happens, call me. I'll come to see you in a few days."

Jiang Nian nodded gently. "Safe travels, Sir."

Lu Yu cast another cold glance at Hu Zhongming, his voice sharp and icy. "Still not leaving?"

Hu Zhongming froze for a moment before realizing the other man was speaking to him. He wanted to argue back, but seeing the frigid cold in Lu Yu’s eyes, he inexplicably shrunk back. Still, trying to save face, he said, "Whether I leave or not, what does it have to do with you?"

Then he said to Lu Xiaojing, "I'll come find you tonight."

As the two walked out, Ge Mai first greeted Lu Yu, then said to Hu Zhongming, "This is a place for us women. Don't come running over here if you have no business."

Hu Zhongming replied, "I know, I know."

Lu Xiaojing whispered to Jiang Nian, "My partner is just like that, don't mind him."

Jiang Nian replied, "Mhm."

Ge Mai led Jiang Nian into the private room, with Lu Xiaojing following behind. Sitting by the window with a small embroidery hoop, Lu Xiaojing began her work. Ge Mai glanced at Di Beibei, who was sitting on a bench focused on her embroidery, not even looking at Jiang Nian as she entered. Ge Mai smiled and said, "Sister Di, this is the new female comrade at our Xiuzhuang, Jiang Nian."

Di Beibei didn't look up, her needle and thread moving through the fabric as she replied, "Understood."

Out of politeness, Jiang Nian called out, "Sister Di."

The other woman gave a lukewarm "Mhm" in response.

Sister Ge smiled somewhat awkwardly and said to Jiang Nian, "That’s Lu Xiaojing. I saw you two sitting together just now, so you must have met already."

Jiang Nian smiled. "We have."

Ge Mai then told her, "Sit over there. I’ve put the blueprints in the cabinet. Once you’re familiar with them, you can start working."

Jiang Nian took the blueprints from the cabinet and spread them on the table. She carefully studied the drawings before sitting on the bench to organize her silk threads and begin. Di Beibei and Jiang Nian sat on opposite sides, neither speaking. However, Lu Xiaojing frequently leaned over to watch Jiang Nian embroider, asking about this and that.

Jiang Nian felt a bit of a headache but patiently answered her.

Di Beibei seemed unable to stand the noise anymore. She turned her head to glare at Lu Xiaojing, her tone clearly impatient. "Can you stop talking? You're noisy enough to kill someone."

Jiang Nian quietly glanced at Di Beibei and pursed her lips without saying a word.

Lu Xiaojing huffed, gestured to Jiang Nian, and turned back to sit by the window to continue her embroidery.

The state-owned Xiuzhuang of this era wasn't large; usually, two or three embroiderers were enough. Currently, few people had the leisure or money to buy embroidery to hang in their homes. Most people were worried about their daily survival. Although living in the city was good, an entire family squeezed into one room felt suffocating just thinking about it.

Therefore, the state-owned Xiuzhuang's business wasn't particularly booming. Half of the orders came from Gang Cheng. Ge Mai was always running around negotiating these deals, and the embroidery pieces they worked on were personally selected by her.

As the sky gradually darkened, Lu Xiaojing pulled the light cord. Under the bright light, Jiang Nian embroidered for a while longer before stopping. Di Beibei left first, followed by Lu Xiaojing and Hu Zhongming. Only Jiang Nian, Ge Mai, and Zhang Xiao remained.

On the way back to the dormitory, Ge Mai told Jiang Nian about the Xiuzhuang. There was a rule at the state-owned Xiuzhuang: they weren't paid a monthly salary but rather a commission based on the pieces they produced, similar to the two payments Jiang Nian had received before.

As for Zhang Xiao, she was Ge Mai’s new apprentice, responsible for receiving guests. She earned twelve yuan a month. Although Ge Mai didn't say it, Jiang Nian could guess that Zhang Xiao was likely a distant relative of hers.

Jiang Nian realized that Di Beibei’s grievance toward her was likely because of those two embroidery pieces.

The second piece paid more, and Di Beibei had wanted to take it, but Ge Mai had given it to Jiang Nian instead.

The dormitory and the state-owned Xiuzhuang were two streets apart, not too far. There were four beds in the dormitory. Lu Xiaojing and Di Beibei’s beds were close to each other, while Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao were neighbors. After Ge Mai settled her in, she went home, telling Jiang Nian to be at the Xiuzhuang by 8 AM the next morning.

Di Beibei returned from the canteen, washed up, and lay down in her blankets to sleep, acting as if she hadn't seen Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao enter.

Zhang Xiao and Jiang Nian went to the hot water room. Zhang Xiao said, "We came back late today and missed the canteen meal. We’ll have to make do with steamed buns tonight."

Back in the dormitory, Zhang Xiao took out corn cakes and pickled vegetables from a cloth bag and asked Jiang Nian, "What are you eating?"

She thought if Jiang Nian hadn't brought food, she would share some.

Jiang Nian took out some homemade pastries she had brought from the Family Compound and gave a piece to Zhang Xiao. "I'm eating this."

Zhang Xiao looked at the pastry Jiang Nian gave her. It wasn't just beautiful; it smelled exceptionally fragrant. Her mouth watered, and she said shyly, "Thank you, Sister Jiang."

Jiang Nian glanced at Di Beibei, who was already in bed, and hesitated but didn't call out to her.

The other woman already had a problem with her; there was no need to rush in and meet a cold shoulder. So, after eating with Zhang Xiao and washing up, she returned to the dormitory to rest. Lying in the unfamiliar room, Jiang Nian looked at the dark rafters above and whispered to Zhang Xiao, "I have a bad sleeping posture. If I bump into you, please wake me up."

She pursed her lips shyly after saying that.

Zhang Xiao thought Jiang Nian’s "bad posture" just meant kicking the blankets or snoring. She never expected that after a whole night of torment, she would never think that way again.

This wasn't just a bad sleeping posture.

This was clearly fighting a war in her dreams.

One moment she was rolling left, the next right, or she was clinging to her, arms and legs wrapped around her. Luckily Jiang Nian was thin; otherwise, those limbs would have smothered her.

Looking at the dark circles under Zhang Xiao’s eyes the next morning, Jiang Nian felt embarrassed. "I'm so sorry."

Zhang Xiao laughed. "It's nothing to be sorry about. Everyone has flaws. Look at you—you're beautiful, your embroidery is great, and you're gentle. Having a bad sleeping posture is only natural. Otherwise, if you had all the good traits, God would be too unfair."

Jiang Nian was amused by Zhang Xiao’s words.

By the time she and Zhang Xiao got up, Di Beibei had already washed up and left, but Lu Xiaojing was still sleeping. No one knew what time she had returned last night. Zhang Xiao called out to her, but Lu Xiaojing just rolled over and mumbled, "You guys go ahead, I'll be there in a bit."

Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao finished washing and went to the canteen first. The Mianzhi Factory was near the state-owned Xiuzhuang, and its canteen was large. Ge Mai had arranged for them to eat there using money and coupons.

During breakfast, Jiang Nian learned about Di Beibei from Zhang Xiao.

Di Beibei was nearly fifty and had a son and a daughter. Her daughter had married a worker at the Mianzhi Factory but didn't have a job herself, staying home every day to care for the children. Her son-in-law seemed reluctant, feeling that since he had paid a bride price to marry her, he shouldn't have to spend so much money supporting her. The two often argued over this.

Di Beibei was close to her daughter, so she frequently went over to mediate. She had just returned from her son-in-law's place yesterday, which explained her foul mood.

After breakfast, the two washed their aluminum lunch boxes at the water room and headed to the Xiuzhuang. On the way, they met several men walking together. One of them was Lu Xiaojing’s partner, Hu Zhongming. Seeing Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao, Hu Zhongming greeted them, "Jiang Nian, Zhang Xiao, just finished eating?"

Jiang Nian didn't consider herself acquainted with him, let alone close enough for him to use her name, so she didn't respond and kept walking.

Back at the canteen, Zhang Xiao had also told her about Lu Xiaojing and Hu Zhongming. She said Hu Zhongming was restless and tried to strike up conversations with every girl he saw. Every time he came to the Xiuzhuang, Zhang Xiao ignored him.

Furthermore, both were getting older. Lu Xiaojing had been pushing for marriage and wanted to meet his parents, but Hu Zhongming always made excuses. Because of this, they had argued many times at the Xiuzhuang entrance.

Hu Zhongming was clearly just playing around with Lu Xiaojing.

Jiang Nian despised people like Hu Zhongming the most; even a single glance made her uncomfortable.

Seeing Jiang Nian walk away with a cold face, Zhang Xiao only nodded to Hu Zhongming before quickly following her. Once they were far away, the man next to Hu Zhongming asked, "Brother Zhongming, who was that girl? She’s so beautiful, but she didn't give you any face at all, didn't even acknowledge your greeting."

Hu Zhongming sneered, "A new female comrade at the state-owned Xiuzhuang. She's a widow."

The man said, "Brother Zhongming, I don't mind that she's a widow. Can you ask Sister Xiaojing to introduce us?"

Hu Zhongming didn't speak. He still remembered the man in the military uniform from yesterday, who seemed very protective of this widow. Moreover, she was a military widow. Although he was angry that Jiang Nian had embarrassed him, he didn't dare offend that man.

When Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao arrived at the Xiuzhuang, Ge Mai and Di Beibei were already busy.

Lu Xiaojing arrived late and was scolded by Ge Mai. After nodding her apology, she ran into the private room. She first glanced at Di Beibei, then at Jiang Nian, saying, "Why didn't you call me when you left?"

Jiang Nian: "..."

"Zhang Xiao called you. You told us to go first so you could sleep a bit longer."

Lu Xiaojing fell silent.

Jiang Nian focused on her embroidery, but she could frequently hear Lu Xiaojing making "hissing" sounds beside her. She turned to look and saw Lu Xiaojing’s index finger bleeding; she was wiping it with a handkerchief.

She only took a glance before continuing her work, but Di Beibei spoke up, "Can you stop making noise? It's annoying."

Lu Xiaojing snapped back, "This place doesn't belong to you alone. If you don't like it, you can leave."

She knew Di Beibei had been suppressed by her daughter’s situation for two days, but she was also harboring resentment.

She had talked with Hu Zhongming for a long time last night, wanting him to agree to take her to meet his parents, but he refused to budge, which had made her run back in the middle of the night in a rage.

Di Beibei stood up abruptly, glaring coldly at Lu Xiaojing. "Look at yourself. Your embroidery skills are neither here nor there. You're at an age where your standards are too high yet you can't get married. This is a workplace—don't take your emotions out on others. And your blood—if you stain the fabric, will your salary even cover the cost?!"

Lu Xiaojing flared up the moment her age was mentioned and immediately began arguing with Di Beibei.

Jiang Nian: "..."

Truly, there was drama everywhere.

She didn't intervene, simply keeping her head down to continue her work.

Zhang Xiao ran in to mediate, but the two ignored her completely. The argument escalated, and eventually, even Zhang Xiao was scolded. Lu Xiaojing barked at her, "What right do you have to interfere? You think you're so great? If you weren't Sister Ge’s distant relative, would you even be at the state-owned Xiuzhuang? Stop talking so much; my business with Di Beibei is none of your concern."

Lu Xiaojing had long disliked Zhang Xiao. She had entered the Xiuzhuang based on her skills, while Zhang Xiao relied on connections.

As for Lu Xiaojing’s own skills, she knew she was inferior to Di Beibei. Ge Mai didn't let her touch large-scale pieces; she could only work on small, cheap items. Her monthly commission was often less than half of Di Beibei’s.

Yet Zhang Xiao, who knew nothing, could stay at the Xiuzhuang. Ge Mai not only taught her the craft but also paid her a salary. Although Zhang Xiao did the cleaning and received guests, Lu Xiaojing felt it was unfair whenever she thought about it.

Zhang Xiao was silenced, her eyes turning red.

Di Beibei said to Lu Xiaojing, "How do you have the face to talk about Zhang Xiao? Isn't it Zhang Xiao who keeps this place clean? Isn't it Zhang Xiao who receives the guests? Her skills might not be much now, but I bet in two years, she’ll surpass you."

Jiang Nian looked at Di Beibei in surprise. There was some gray in her hair at her temples. Perhaps because she lived in the city, she looked a bit younger than Aunt Zhao.

She hadn't expected Di Beibei to speak up for Zhang Xiao.

Sister Ge had said she was proud and difficult to get along with, and Jiang Nian had felt the same yesterday, but this argument changed her perspective.

The bickering stopped when Ge Mai appeared.

Ge Mai scolded Lu Xiaojing, told Di Beibei to calm down, and finally called Zhang Xiao outside to comfort her. At noon, Lu Xiaojing left first. Zhang Xiao came in to call Sister Di, then went to the canteen with Jiang Nian.

Before leaving, Jiang Nian noticed Di Beibei was still embroidering. As she and Zhang Xiao walked to the canteen, they heard Lu Xiaojing’s voice from not far away, complaining to Hu Zhongming about Di Beibei and eventually accusing Ge Mai of being biased.

She turned her head and saw Hu Zhongming shoveling food into his mouth with an impatient expression.

As they were finishing their meal, Jiang Nian heard Lu Xiaojing ask, "When exactly are you taking me to meet your parents? We've been together for half a year. You can wait, but I can't. I'll be thirty this year."

Hu Zhongming said, "My parents are busy. I'll take you at the end of the year."

By the time Jiang Nian and Zhang Xiao left the canteen, the topic of meeting the parents hadn't ended.

Returning to the state-owned Xiuzhuang, she heard the sound of a bench scraping the floor as soon as she pushed the door open. She hurried into the private room. No one was there except Di Beibei. Jiang Nian looked at Di Beibei, who was bowing her head over her work, and saw a hint of panic on her face.

She pursed her lips and sat at her embroidery stand, checking the blueprint to see if it had been tampered with.

As if sensing her thoughts, Di Beibei spoke up irritably, "Don't worry, I'm not so malicious as to mess with your blueprints."

Jiang Nian: "..."

She admitted that assuming the worst of others wasn't good, but it wasn't wrong to be cautious when away from home.

Jiang Nian looked at Di Beibei, not showing any embarrassment at being caught. "Sister Di, I'm sorry."

She didn't speak further and focused on her work.

Di Beibei didn't reply.

Lu Xiaojing arrived late again, her face sour. It was obvious her negotiation with Hu Zhongming had failed again.

After an afternoon of embroidery, it was time to finish. Jiang Nian stretched her body and heard the "ring-ring" of the phone from outside. Zhang Xiao answered with a "Hello" and then ran in to call Jiang Nian, "Sister Jiang, a call for you."

Jiang Nian guessed it was Lu Yu.

Her heart inexplicably skipped two beats. She stood up, walked out of the private room, and put the receiver to her ear, whispering, "Hello."

"It's me."

Lu Yu’s voice came from the other end—a deep, masculine tone that tickled her ear through the receiver.

She suddenly felt that Lu Yu’s voice was very pleasant.

Jiang Nian asked, "Is something wrong?"

Lu Yu asked, "Are you settling in well over there?"

"Mhm, I am."

"Is the dormitory cold?"

"It's not."

A brief silence fell between them. Jiang Nian was the one to break it. "Have you eaten dinner?"

"Not yet, I'm going soon. What about you?"

Jiang Nian said, "I'm going soon too."

She paused and asked, "Are you used to the canteen food?"

Lu Yu seemed to chuckle softly. "I've been eating it for many years; it's always the same taste." He paused, then added, "It's still not as good as the food Sister-in-law makes."

For some reason, Jiang Nian’s face began to heat up.

She pursed her lips and smiled. "Once I finish these two busy months and return, I'll make you some good food."

Lu Yu’s light laughter came through the line. "Alright."

After hanging up, Lu Xiaojing came out and asked, "Jiang Nian, who called you?"

Jiang Nian said, "Family."

Lu Xiaojing and Di Beibei didn't know the relationship between Jiang Nian and Lu Yu, and Jiang Nian didn't want to say much. But since she didn't elaborate, Lu Xiaojing began to guess. Someone who could use a phone definitely wasn't ordinary. She probed, "Was it a comrade of your late husband?"

Jiang Nian replied, "Mhm."

Lu Xiaojing immediately became curious. "He’s so caring, does he like you? Since your husband is gone, he has a chance. Did he already have feelings for you before your husband passed away?"

Jiang Nian: "..."

She felt Lu Xiaojing was truly talking nonsense.

Lu Yu could like anyone but her, and she didn't want others to tarnish his reputation. She explained, "He and my late husband were brothers, so he looks after me a bit more. Don't guess blindly."

With that, she and Zhang Xiao headed to the canteen.

Lu Xiaojing watched Jiang Nian’s retreating back and curled her lip. "What’s there to hide?"

On the way to the canteen, Zhang Xiao said to Jiang Nian, "Sister Jiang, don't take Sister Lu’s words to heart."

She knew the relationship between Jiang Nian and Lu Yu but hadn't told Sister Di or Sister Lu.

Jiang Nian smiled faintly. "I'm not taking it to heart."

After dinner, they returned to the dormitory to wash up and sleep. For the next ten days, Jiang Nian’s life consisted of embroidery, eating, and sleeping, occasionally listening to Lu Xiaojing’s chatter. However, Di Beibei’s expression remained grim; perhaps she was still worried about her daughter.

Tonight, work finished after 6 PM. It was already dark. Di Beibei and Lu Xiaojing left first, but Jiang Nian stayed behind to finish the last section of her piece. Zhang Xiao came in once. "Sister Jiang, I'll go to the canteen and get your meal for you."

Jiang Nian smiled. "Thank you."

She bowed her head and continued. After a while, she heard the door open outside. Thinking Zhang Xiao had returned with the food, she said, "You eat first, I'm almost done."

"Sister-in-law, it's me."

The curtain was lifted, and Lu Yu’s deep voice sounded even more magnetic in the cramped embroidery room.