Wei Yin thought that her second brother and his wife were a very difficult couple to understand.
A few days ago, her second brother's face was as rotten as an egg, but last night, her second brother was full of joy and happiness, smiling at everyone he met. Especially to her second sister-in-law, they just separated in the morning, but he came back at noon.
Wei Nian said to Wei Yin, "I have something to do with your second sister-in-law. I will be back soon. You can look after the store."
Before Wei Yin could ask what was going on, her second sister-in-law put on her thick coat and walked away arm in arm with her second brother. Well, seeing how affectionate these two were, Wei Yin knew without asking that the couple must have made an appointment to go out.
Wei Yin was already an eighteen-year-old girl, and it was impossible for her to say that she had never thought about getting married. However, seeing her second brother and his wife being so loving all the time, Wei Yin had very high requirements for marriage.
Chen Xuan and Wei Nian took a rickshaw to Longfu Temple to ask the master to match their horoscopes. Chen Xuan had to give the master a red envelope, and Chen Xuan had prepared a red envelope with one dollar. Wei Nian gave Chen Xuan two dollars, and Chen Xuan didn't say much because she was focused on the master. The master looked at their horoscopes, said some auspicious words, and then filled in three auspicious days on red paper.
Wei Nian quickly took it with both hands, as if he had found a treasure, and happily took Chen Xuan out. The two stood under an old locust tree and looked at the date first. Wei Nian saw that the nearest date was the eighth day of the next month, and thought that this old monk was indeed very capable. He discussed with Chen Xuan with great expectation, "How about this date?"
Chen Xuan: "I will listen to Brother Anian."
Wei Nian put the big red card in his arms, held Chen Xuan's hand and went out to eat lunch. Chen Xuan said, "Brother Nian, we all have to go to the shop in the afternoon, let's eat at the noodle shop." This was the ramen shop that the Wei family ate at the first time they went out together. The boss was from Gansu and was very skilled in making noodles. The noodles were thin and chewy. Wei Nian asked the boss for two bowls of noodles and asked Chen Xuan to sit down first. Wei Nian went to the mutton shop opposite and bought some braised mutton. Then he cooked mutton noodles with the ramen. They both loved it.
After eating mutton noodles, the two went to the tailor shop next door to get their measurements made. Wei Nian made two sets of clothes, one a Chinese long gown and a dark suit. Chen Xuan also made two sets of clothes, one a cheongsam and the other a cheongsam.
Chen Xuan originally wanted to make two red dresses. When Wei Nian was helping to choose the material, he saw a nice ivory-white satin with a dark flower pattern and said to Chen Xuan, "Foreigners wear white wedding dresses when they get married. You have a lot of red cheongsams. I think this piece of material is good. Why don't you make a plain one? It will also look good when you wear it everyday."
After ordering the new clothes, Wei Nian first sent Chen Xuan back to the store. Chen Xuan got out of the car, stood on the steps and waved to Wei Nian. Wei Nian smiled and then left.
Wei Yin could smell the sweet scent of love in the store. As the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, their store was a little busy. When she was free for a while, Wei Yin quietly asked Chen Xuan, "My second brother's nose was not a nose, and his face was not a face. Second sister-in-law, how come you are so good all of a sudden?"
Chen Xuan couldn't tell Wei Yin the truth. She couldn't say, "I'm getting married to your second brother." Chen Xuan changed her words, "I've been married to Brother Anian for more than two years. It's almost been three years. Yin, I'm telling you, don't tell anyone."
"I will definitely not tell anyone." Wei Yin vowed.
Chen Xuan was also happy, and whispered to Wei Yin, "Brother Anian and I just went to the tailor shop to make two sets of clothes. We thought about finding a suitable day to celebrate. Don't foreigners pay attention to wedding anniversaries? Anyway, that's what it means."
Wei Yin smiled, "You two are really romantic."
Chen Xuan's face was a little hot. She usually had no one to say these words to, but she felt embarrassed to say them out loud. Wei Yin had experience in making clothes, and said, "Second sister-in-law, you should have told me earlier. By the way, why don't you work in our store? I can also help you think of ideas."
"Before, I was embarrassed to tell you. You see, my face turns red when I talk about it." Chen Xuan rubbed her face, "It's mainly for Brother Anian. Brother Anian wants to make a suit. Our store doesn't make suits, right?"
That's right, a western suit needs a skilled craftsman. Although Wei Yin's craftsmanship is good, he mostly makes women's clothing. If he can't make a good suit, he simply doesn't make it. Otherwise, it will damage his reputation. Wei Yin asked Chen Xuan in detail what kind of cheongsam she made. Chen Xuan told Wei Yin everything. Chen Xuan also said, "I originally wanted to make two red ones, one bright red and one light red. There is a piece of ivory white satin, which is particularly beautiful. Anian said that foreigners wear white wedding dresses when they get married, and that satin is good. He asked me to make an ivory white one, which is also very good."
Wei Yin suddenly had an idea, "I'll make a wedding dress for my second sister-in-law."
"No, no, I've already made two new ones." Chen Xuan waved her hands repeatedly, "I don't dare to make any more."
Wei Yin held Chen Xuan's hand and smiled, "This is my gift to my second brother and his wife for their third anniversary."
Wei Yin said and the matter was settled.
While the aunt and sister-in-law were talking, Mrs. Cheng came over.
The two of them stood up quickly. Seeing that Mrs. Cheng was supported by Cheng Su, Wei Yin gave the largest sofa to the two of them and said with a smile, "Just let A Yan come up and let us know. Brother Su, you can come up too. Why did you ask your sister-in-law to come up?"
Chen Xuan asked Sun Yan to heat a cup of milk. Cheng Su was the only child in the Cheng family, so you can imagine how precious Mrs. Cheng was to this baby. She had tea and coffee. Mrs. Cheng used to follow the trend and often pinched her nose to drink bitter coffee, but now she doesn't touch any drinks except milk. Others drank tea. Mrs. Cheng smiled, "It's not that precious, just be careful in the first three months. The doctor at Tong Ren Tang said that I'm a little fat, so I still need to eat a proper balance of meat and vegetables. Even if I eat food, I dare not eat a lot of supplements."
Chen Xuan was still thinking, isn't it necessary to nourish the body? However, Tong Ren Tang is a famous pharmacy, so what the doctor said is reasonable. Chen Xuan asked, "Sister-in-law, is the milk okay?"
"It's okay. The doctor at the French hospital said that drinking a glass of milk every morning and evening is good for the body." Cheng Su helped his wife sit down and said with a smile, "My mother is too cautious. I don't want her to go out. It's not good for a good person to be so bored all the time. It happens that I'm not busy today, so I'll bring her to your place for a stroll. Now that she's starting to show her pregnancy, some of her old clothes can't fit her anymore, so I'm thinking of making a few more clothes. Ah Yin, take out any good fabrics you have, and don't save money for Brother Su." Cheng Su said, looking at his wife's slightly pregnant belly, his face full of joy.
Mrs. Cheng smiled at her husband and said to Wei Yin, "It's just for when you're pregnant, as long as it's comfortable."
Wei Yin and Chen Xuan have the same view on doing business, that is, if the customers are rich, as long as they are not the ones who do not know the business and only look at the price, both of them do business with conscience and will never cheat people. Moreover, he is very familiar with Cheng Su and his wife. Wei Yin took out several soft silk cotton materials to show Mrs. Cheng, "They are all new goods this year. Didn't my second brother go to Shanghai a few days ago? These are shipped back from Shanghai. To be honest, they are not more expensive than the materials we bought from Tianjin. I feel that they are very soft and they don't fade after washing. Sister-in-law, if you wear them at home, it would be nice to make a few sets of these silk cotton materials. If you wear them outside, here are a few more materials, which are also new materials for winter, German printed materials from Tianjin. Sister-in-law, you choose the materials first, and then we will discuss the styles."
Mrs. Cheng picked out four or five pieces of fabric and asked Cheng Su to help her look. She also discussed with Wei Yin what style to cut.
Wei Yin drew a pattern first, showed it to Mrs. Cheng, and then measured the size for her. The Cheng couple did not stay any longer, they decided on clothes and touched up their cosmetics. Mrs. Cheng thought of something and asked the two sisters-in-law, "A Su's lips become dry and flaky in autumn and winter. I always put some sesame oil on him at home, but he hates the smell. Do you have any lipstick without color?"
"I really don't have that." Wei Yin glanced at Cheng Su's lips. Cheng Su looked a little embarrassed and complained to his wife, "Beijing is dry in autumn and winter, and I'm not the only one with dry and chapped lips. Come on, it's not a big deal, you have to bring it up specifically."
Mrs. Cheng said, "Ayin and Axuan are not outsiders."
"Brother Su is just like my second brother, always trying to save face." Wei Yin smiled. Cheng Su's car was parked outside the store, and the aunt and sister-in-law saw him and his wife out. Cheng Su carefully let his wife get in the car first, put away the things, and then got in the driver's seat and waved goodbye to the aunt and sister-in-law. Before leaving, Cheng Su thought of something and said to the aunt and sister-in-law, "Your advertisement will be out next week."
After watching the couple leave, Wei Yin smiled, "Now it's as sweet as honey."
Chen Xuan also found it funny.
In the afternoon, Xu Ning came to deliver a sweater. After Wei Yin checked it, he paid Xu Ning immediately. He asked Xu Ning if she wanted to continue knitting sweaters. Xu Ning smiled and said, "Yes. If there are any scarves or gloves, just give some to me. Some students don't like to knit big pieces. Although the money for small pieces is small, they are willing to knit a few stitches when they are free."
The knitting needles were all at home. Wei Yin wanted to go home to get them for Xu Ning. Chen Xuan said, "I'll go back and get them for Ning. By the way, Yin, I won't be back. I'll talk to the old lady for a while. If Shu comes over in the evening, you can also bring Shu back to the old house for dinner."
Wei Yin agreed.
Chen Xuan took Xu Ning to the old house to get paid for work. On the way, Xu Ning asked Chen Xuan if the store needed winter vacation workers. Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Yes, if you are free, just come over."
Xu Ning was very happy. "In fact, we can't work for a few days. Although we have an early holiday, our store also has to be closed for the Chinese New Year. We officially start on the 16th of the first lunar month. In total, there are only about 20 days before and after the New Year."
Chen Xuan thought that Xu Ning had no one to rely on after leaving home, otherwise she wouldn't have worked so hard to earn money outside. Chen Xuan said, "A Ning, I heard that you can make a lot of money by writing articles in newspapers. Why don't you try writing?"
"I write sometimes, but most of my writings are about women's rights liberation. These kinds of articles are okay in mainstream newspapers, but the most popular ones are not the kind I'm good at. The most popular ones now are the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School novels, which are really worth a lot of money." Xu Ning sighed and laughed, "But I also make money from writing articles. Most of my tuition last year was earned from writing articles. I'm thinking of studying abroad after college, and going abroad costs a lot of money. What I'm worried about now is not the college tuition, but the expenses after going abroad."
When Chen Xuan heard this, she was very impressed and said, "A Ning, you are really ambitious." She also asked Xu Ning about how to get into a foreign university.
The two talked all the way, and did not take a car, but walked back to Ganyu Hutong, which was not far away anyway. After weighing the wool materials for Xu Ning and giving her a few new knitting needles, Chen Xuan thought of Xu Ning's ambition and admired such a girl. She said to Xu Ning, "A Ning, there is another way to make money. I wonder if you are interested?"
Xu Ning's eyes sparkled, and she said, "As long as it's about making money, I'm interested."
Chen Xuan thought so. She said to Xu Ning, "You know, our store has its own brand, which is the 'Siqing' brand that was in the newspaper last time. Our own brand of lipstick sells well in the store. If you are interested, you can take some to promote it. I will give it to you at 70% of the price. If you give it to a classmate, you can give it a slightly cheaper price, but not too much. Whatever profit you make is yours."
Xu Ning was a little surprised, but after all, she was born into a wealthy family and had the courage to refuse marriage and leave home to go to college. Xu Ning immediately understood what Chen Xuan meant. After a brief thought, without hesitation, Xu Ning said, "Okay! But not now. I'll go back to the store and buy a tube of 'Si Qing' lipstick to see how it works! If it works well, I'll take it over and discuss it with the first and second bosses in detail."
Chen Xuan handed the yarn to her and said, "This is just an idea that suddenly came to me. Let's do as you say."
Xu Ning picked up a bag of wool, said something to Chen Xuan, and said hello to Old Mrs. Wei in the inner room before leaving.
After Chen Xuan sent Xu Ning away, she went to talk to Old Lady Wei. Li was learning lacemaking from two female masters from Shanghai. She was fine except that she had some difficulty speaking. When Old Lady Wei saw Chen Xuan coming in, she said, "College students are quite efficient at work."
Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Yes, Ning is very skillful."
Chen Xuan discussed with Old Lady Wei about eating noodles in the evening. Chen Xuan smiled, "Brother Anian's birthday is at the end of June. He was on a business trip this year and couldn't celebrate it at home. I thought, I will roll noodles in the evening and make two kinds of stews, one with three fresh delicacies and one with braised lamb. Then I will invite my eldest sister-in-law and her family to come and eat together. My eldest sister-in-law also likes lamb."
Old Mrs. Wei said, "The birthday has passed, there is no need to make up for it." There are three fresh vegetables and braised lamb, how much does this cost
"Brother Anian often said that there is only one birthday in a year." Chen Xuan wanted to celebrate Wei Nian's birthday, so she had thought about it. "I've thought about it. The rice and flour will be paid for by the public. The old lady won't bother us about it. The vegetable money can't be paid for by the public. I have 1.5 yuan left in my pocket from the vegetable money that Brother Anian bought me a few days ago. If the old lady thinks it's okay, I'll go and prepare it."
Old Mrs. Wei squinted her eyes and looked at Chen Xuan, "You and A Yin run the shop and earn money, but you still ask A Nian for money to buy groceries?" This is too shrewd!
"Even if the shop is open, the money has to be managed by Brother Anian. Isn't that what the old lady always tells me?" Chen Xuan is now very good at dealing with Old Lady Wei. Old Lady Wei felt relieved and said to Chen Xuan, "You are right. Men have to manage the money at home! Okay! Just do as you say and go and buy it!"
Li originally wanted to help out, but Chen Xuan said, "Sister-in-law, you should continue to learn. This is much more important than cooking. It will be fine if I have my sister to help me."
Li didn't bother to be polite with Chen Xuan.
In the evening, Wei Nian went to the store to pick up Chen Xuan. As a result, he heard from Wei Yin that his second sister-in-law went home early from get off work, so Wei Nian took Wei Yin and Qin Shu back home. Wei Yin was full of gossip. She took a rickshaw with her brother and couldn't help asking Wei Nian about their third wedding anniversary. Wei Nian was so smart that he understood that Chen Xuan had told Wei Yin about it in a tactful way. He heard from Wei Yin that he would make a wedding dress for Chen Xuan. Wei Nian nodded in agreement, "This is good."
When the brother and sister returned home, they found out that Chen Xuan had come back early to make noodles for Wei Nian's birthday. The main reason was that Wei Jin had a loud voice, and after hearing the news from Old Lady Wei, he made the whole family know about it.
Throughout the entire evening, the corners of Wei Nian's mouth were upturned and never fell down.
The look Wei Nian gave Chen Xuan was so gentle that it could melt people's hearts. Chen Xuan was just shy and didn't know what to say. Wei Nian knew that Chen Xuan was just like that. She might not say those affectionate words, but her heart was in every little bit of their daily lives.
The author has something to say: ps: The second update is here, a little late, there will still be two updates today, good afternoon everyone~~~~~~~~~~