A Young Woman's Heart

The sun seemed determined not to rise.

Even at noon, the sky was still a hazy gray.

The temperature didn't rise, but going outside for a bit of cold air still sent shivers down my spine.

Of course, this was no problem for the boys at all. During lunch break, they still went to the playground and played hard. When they came back, they were all covered in sweat, which made the temperature in the classroom rise a bit.

"Who else hasn't returned to the classroom?" Ye Wen sat on the podium early and waited until the bell for the indoor lunch break rang before asking, "Gao Yuan, do you know where Liu Xiaowei is? Call him back. An Ruosu, check if Chen Cheng and Li Hongran are on the basketball court. Duanmu Ji, wake up Le Tingfeng."

A few more minutes passed, and the students who hadn't returned to the classroom were called back, while the sleeping students were shaken awake one by one.

Ye Wen stood up, seemingly having something important to announce.

"Time flies, there are less than three months left until the college entrance examination in July. This month is almost halfway over. Everyone must cherish the time and not regret not studying hard in the last few days." Ye Wen cleared her throat. "However, our senior year of high school will not always be so intense. We need to relax our tense nerves."

Upon hearing this, the students immediately perked up. Yue Tingfeng, who had been feeling a little sleepy, immediately opened his eyes wide.

Everyone knows that there's a holiday for Labor Day, right?

"How many days?" Liu Xiaowei shouted excitedly. "Seven days?"

"Of course, and it lasts for more than seven days."

Holy crap!

"Long live the principal!"

"Long live Yukong High School!"

Gao Yuan and Zhou Yong both joined in the commotion.

"Ahem, be quiet." Ye Wen cleared her throat and raised her voice a little. "However, this holiday is for the entire senior class to go on a study trip together."

"what?"

"Actually, it's just that you've been allowed to relax and have some fun for the past few days. After that, you'll be studying in a quiet place, just like in regular classes."

"Oh? Wen, can we not go?"

"Sure~" Ye Wen tilted her head and gave a sweet smile. "Those who don't go can stay at school and attend classes as usual. The head of the teaching department will personally tutor you."

"Never mind then..." Yue Tingfeng, who was about to ask a few more questions, quickly backed down.

"Many of you may not have heard of school trips. Actually, such activities are not very common in modern China. You can think of them as agricultural learning activities that require classes, but of course, there are many differences." Ye Wen tapped a white dot on the blackboard with chalk. "Chen Cheng, be quiet!"

Chen Cheng, who had just been chatting and laughing with the people around him, immediately fell silent.

"The whole period is one month, the same as the previous batch of senior high school students, from May 1st to 31st. So everyone must make sure to convey this notice to your parents. Please bring spring bedding, not too thick or too thin. Although the weather will definitely get warmer by then, it will still be a bit chilly in the mountains at night. In addition, please bring a change of clothes. Girls, don't forget to bring your own menstrual products..."

Next came a long list of precautions, which were much longer than what was covered during military training or agricultural work.

Ye Wen's own meeting notes alone filled two pages.

She had to pick up her notebook every now and then to check if there was anything she had forgotten to mention.

"Just bring your own things. The school provides free room and board. Don't bring too many snacks, so you won't be able to carry them. If your parents don't agree to your participation, just let me know and I'll call to discuss it. If you really can't participate, you can stay at school and attend classes and tutoring sessions with other students who are not participating in the study tour."

"Alright, that's all. Wanyan, Xiaoxue, distribute the notices. Raise your hand if you have any questions."

……

Chapters 234: The Tailor Shop and That Man

(One)

Li Wanyan's mother's tailor shop has finally opened.

When Mo Xueyao returned for dinner, she saw four tall standing flower baskets at the entrance of the shop, and the signboard was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, with celebratory messages hanging on it.

Adults don't always consult with children before making decisions. In fact, even Li Wanyan only knew that the store might open soon, but she didn't know it would open today.

If they didn't have to attend evening self-study later, they probably would have taken the bus home directly and wouldn't have seen the tailor shop that just opened today.

The store wasn't big, half the size of the noodle shop next door, and less than half the size of Mo Xueyao's fruit shop, but it was big enough for a tailor shop.

Similarly, a smaller storefront means lower rent.

Unlike Lao Chen's partnership, Pan Jiexiang paid all the rent for this shop herself, and naturally she also chose the name of the shop herself, so it was not that vulgar and ordinary "Lao Mo" shop.

"Yan Yao Tailor Shop..." Mo Xueyao tilted her head up and read the words on the sign carefully, using the light from the early-lit streetlights, "...I have a feeling that they added my name to it?"

"My mom suggested several names, and I chose this one."

"Huh? Wanyan chose it? Ugh." She shrugged. "It's nice to prove our friendship, but it feels so cheesy for some reason."

"...?"

"Why are you looking at me like that... cough, okay, it's nothing, you'll get used to it. After all, my family didn't invest in this store. Is it okay to use my name?"

"Why would there be a problem?" Li Wanyan asked back, grabbing Mo Xueyao's hand from her pocket and walking towards the store.

Although it has just opened, the tailor shop is different from other stores; customers can't always come in droves.

Compared to buying fruit or eating noodles, the price of making a piece of clothing is much higher, so the sales volume is naturally not as large.

Pan Jiexiang seemed to just want to do business properly. Although it was the first day of business, she did not offer any discounts to attract customers, so it was rather quiet.

Stepping into the store, you see various fabrics of different colors and materials hanging on the walls. A round rug is laid on the old tiles. Although the store is not big, it doesn't feel crowded.

The walls were covered with something similar to wallpaper, but the material was fabric, which felt soft and cozy to the touch.

The counter was in the corner opposite the door, where a second-hand sewing machine and a square table for cutting fabric were placed.

All the tools were neatly arranged in their respective compartments.

Pan Jiexiang was wearing a pair of lace-trimmed reading glasses and was looking down at a fashion magazine.

"Mom." Li Wanyan quickly stepped forward, placed her hands on the table, and put on a slightly coquettish expression. "How was business today?"

"Hmm—not a single deal yet." Pan Jiexiang put down the magazine in her hand and took off her reading glasses. "Back for dinner?"

"Hmm, Mom, would you like to eat together later?"

"Mom has to watch the shop."

"Shall I get you one?"

Pan Jiexiang glanced at Mo Xueyao, who was wandering around aimlessly, and nodded with a smile: "Okay."

"Xiaoyao, how about it? Do you have any fabric you like? Would you like Auntie to make you a new dress?"

"Ah, no need, no need, I was just looking. I already have enough clothes at home..." Mo Xueyao quickly shook her head, "Let's talk about it later."

"I'll make one for both of you after you graduate."

“That’s fine too…” Mo Xueyao didn’t refuse again, because sometimes being too resistant to other people’s kindness is actually disrespectful to them.

"Wow, what kind of pattern is this? It's so trendy..."

"Excuse me……"

As they were talking, a slightly overweight man walked to the door and hesitated before peering inside.

"Do you need any clothes made to order?" Pan Jiexiang stood up slightly and looked at him.

"Um... can you make custom-made suits?"

"A suit? Sure," Pan Jiexiang replied confidently. "What style of suit do you need? Something casual or business formal?"

"For business formal attire, it's best not to be too formal; it's also appropriate for some events."

"Formal with a touch of casualness, is that right?"

"right……"

"Then I recommend you choose a dark blue fabric. If you want to look younger, you can choose a plaid fabric."

"Price?"

"Suits and trousers can be custom-made, and the price varies depending on the fabric you choose." Pan Jiexiang took out her calculator and quickly pressed a few keys. "If we use mid-range fabric, a set will cost about five hundred yuan. Any cheaper and it will look cheap."

"Okay... let me see." The man finally came in.

He happened to meet Mo Xueyao's gaze as she turned around.

"Ah! It's you!" He suddenly stepped forward excitedly, then probably realized that his action was a bit impolite, so he took half a step back.

"You are...?" Mo Xueyao opened her sky-blue eyes, somewhat bewildered.

The man scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly: "Ha... it was before, when I... was thinking of jumping off a building, that you saved me."

"Before? Ah... before, that... oh, it was you." Mo Xueyao had completely forgotten what he looked like.

"Yeah... Phew, life is still pretty tough, but we've managed. I'm going to meet a big client in a few days, so I came to buy some nice clothes, but the suits in the mall are just too expensive, starting at one or two thousand..."

Mo Xueyao deeply agrees with this.

Because I had been to those kinds of shopping malls with my godfather before.

You have to understand that these days, there aren't many people who earn more than a thousand a month.

"In addition, prices have risen sharply recently, but wages haven't increased much. I still have to be careful with my spending until I make a lot of money."

"Of course! Aunt Pan will definitely make clothes for you without any problem!" Mo Xueyao stood on tiptoe and patted his shoulder hard, as cheerfully as if chatting with a good buddy. "Haha, you can rest assured!"

"Yes, what a coincidence, what a coincidence."

"It's not exactly a coincidence, after all, my shop is right here."

"Oh, it's an acquaintance. And the first customer of the day at all. I'll give you an even better discount later."

"No need, no need. Everyone works hard to earn money."

"This, this is alright..." These words made Pan Jiexiang a little embarrassed.

"Let's go eat then." Although the time until evening self-study was a little longer than before, it wasn't by much. Besides, it wouldn't be good to delay business here, so Mo Xueyao walked to the door, waved, and pulled Li Wanyan out as well.

"Okay, you guys go ahead and eat." Pan Jiexiang had already taken out a measuring tape, seemingly intending to measure the man's bust, waist, and hip measurements to get more accurate data.

"Let's go, let's go have dinner!"

……

(two)