Chapter 60

Jin Xiuzhu departed on the second. Before she left, she entrusted Liu Liu to Fang Min's care.

Fang Min was more than willing. Liu Liu was well-behaved; all she needed was to be fed a few times and have her diaper changed during the day. At noon, He Yan and Yan Yan would come back to play with her and put her to sleep. In the evening, Jiang Mingchuan would pick up the child.

She had nothing else to worry about.

On the day of departure, Jiang Mingchuan woke up before dawn to send Jin Xiuzhu to the city's train station, where they met up with the arrangements made by Wang Ling.

Wang Ling had arranged for two veteran employees from the factory, one male and one female. The man was named Liu Hongshan, and the woman was named Zhang Mei. Both were around their forties or fifties, known for their honest and down-to-earth nature.

Liu Hongshan and Zhang Mei were still in disbelief when they arrived at the train station. The factory director hadn't been around recently, seemingly occupied with something important. It seemed unlikely that he would attend the Fabric Exhibition Conference. Several leaders in the factory had been trying to find out where the director was, hoping to contact him and send themselves in his stead. If they ended up in the newspapers, it would significantly help their future promotions.

As for Liu Hongshan and Zhang Mei, though they were long-serving employees, they weren't particularly proactive. They had spent most of their lives as ordinary workers due to their passive personalities. They no longer harbored any ambitions, only wishing for the factory to thrive so they could work until retirement and enjoy a pension afterward.

Unexpectedly, just two days ago, the factory director suddenly contacted them, asking them to accompany the factory's mysterious artist, who had never shown her face, to represent the county's textile factory at the Fabric Exhibition Conference. Their main task was to escort her there for learning purposes and take care of her, following her instructions once they arrived.

Upon hearing the news, Liu Hongshan and Zhang Mei were overwhelmed with excitement. Their families rejoiced for them as well, spending these past two days preparing for their departure and even buying them new clothes.

Following Wang Ling's instructions, they booked the train tickets and obtained the letters of introduction. On the morning of the second, they waited at the city's train station.

After a short while, they saw a man and a woman approaching them. The man wore military attire, tall and robust, carrying two large bags effortlessly. The woman had a beautifully crafted small bag slung across her shoulder, dressed comfortably yet elegantly. She wore a short jacket with three-quarter sleeves and loose blue trousers, paired with black cotton shoes. Her long, jet-black hair was held together with what appeared to be a chopstick but looked remarkably stylish and charming.

The woman, especially, was strikingly beautiful, with delicate features.

She approached them gracefully, smiled, and said warmly, "Are you Master Liu and Master Zhang? I'm Jin Xiuzhu. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Liu Hongshan and Zhang Mei were surprised, not expecting the factory director's artist to be so young and beautiful.

They quickly responded, "Hello, hello."

"It's also a pleasure to meet you."

Jin Xiuzhu checked her watch, noting that it was already eight-thirty. "It's almost time. Let's talk more on the way."

They nodded in agreement. "Alright."

Liu Hongshan handed a ticket to Jin Xiuzhu, who took it and followed them inside.

Jiang Mingchuan accompanied Jin Xiuzhu to her seat on the train. Liu Hongshan had purchased sitting tickets, allowing the three of them to sit together. They courteously offered Jin Xiuzhu the window seat.

Jin Xiuzhu didn't hesitate, walking in and taking her seat. Jiang Mingchuan placed the two large bags beside her feet and told her, "Call me when you arrive."

Jin Xiuzhu agreed.

Jiang Mingchuan disembarked and watched her from outside.

Jin Xiuzhu leaned out of the window to bid him farewell.

During the journey, Jin Xiuzhu introduced herself to the pair. She humbly spoke about her background, mentioning how she learned painting from her elders since childhood and now worked at a newspaper.

Hearing this, they no longer dared to underestimate her. They were impressed that the factory director could invite such a talented artist to design patterns for the factory, which likely contributed to its growing success.

First, they arrived at the provincial capital's train station and then transferred to s city.

Jin Xiuzhu wasn't familiar with the Fabric Exhibition Conference, so she asked them about the details.

Zhang Mei and Liu Hongshan weren't entirely clear either. To be honest, this was Zhang Mei's first time leaving the province, and Liu Hongshan hadn't ventured far either. They were both nervous and timid, still wondering why the factory director chose them.

Zhang Mei said, "The factory director instructed us to follow your lead once we arrive. He also asked us to bring some of our best-selling fabrics. Would you like to take a look?"

Jin Xiuzhu shook her head. "Not right now. We can look at them when we get to the guesthouse."

"Alright."

Zhang Mei nodded, appreciating Jin Xiuzhu's thoughtful consideration. With many people on the train, it would be better to avoid any potential theft.

Beforehand, Liu Hongshan had inquired about the conference, but as the county was a small place, he couldn't gather much useful information. He explained, "It seems that each participating textile factory will receive a designated area to display their fabrics. Many industry professionals will visit, and if they like what they see, they might sign orders on the spot."

"I see."

Jin Xiuzhu nodded. "That sounds interesting."

"Yes, even if there are no orders, attending such an exhibition is quite an honor."

Jin Xiuzhu considered this, forming an idea in her mind.

In her previous life, she dealt with the women in the inner quarters, where status was often reflected through clothing and accessories. Jin Xiuzhu was among the elite in terms of her lifestyle, as Lord Marquis doted on her and was generous with her. She had her own wealth, no children, and thus spared no expense on herself.

The top tailors in the capital would regularly send their best embroiderers to her residence to present the latest designs and high-quality fabrics. However, after seeing so many options, she realized that the best materials were all similar, differing mainly in color.

The reason these fabrics and tailors became famous was largely due to their reputation.

Similarly, the purpose of this exhibition was to gain recognition.

By six o'clock in the evening, they arrived in s city.

Initially, according to Wang Ling's plan, Liu Hongshan and Zhang Mei were supposed to guide Jin Xiuzhu. However, Jin Xiuzhu soon realized that they were less familiar with the area than she was.

Feeling helpless, she led them to the bus stop, figured out the route, and boarded Bus No. 11 with them, heading to the guesthouse first.

By the time they reached the guesthouse, it was already seven-thirty in the evening. Fortunately, there was a state-owned hotel nearby. After settling in, they went to the state-owned hotel for dinner.

Initially, Zhang Mei and Liu Hongshan were hesitant to eat there, considering the state-owned hotel too expensive. They usually only visited it during festivals to buy a couple of dishes.

Jin Xiuzhu smiled and said, "I won't let you pay. I'll ask the factory director to reimburse me later."

Hearing this, Zhang Mei and Liu Hongshan were finally convinced.

The two followed Jin Xiuzhu to have a good meal. That night, Jin Xiuzhu and Zhang Mei slept in one room while Liu Hongshan had his own.

Jin Xiuzhu asked Zhang Mei to take out the materials for the competition. It was the factory's first time participating in such an exhibition, so they didn't know much about it. They selected ten of the best-looking bolts of fabric from the factory, five of which were their best sellers, and the other half were newly woven and hadn't been sent to the department stores yet.

Jin Xiuzhu picked up the fabrics and looked at them, then asked, "How many days will this exhibition last?"

Zhang Mei replied, "Three days in total."

Jin Xiuzhu hummed in acknowledgment. She examined the bolts of fabric, comparing them. The fabrics were all high-quality with exquisite patterns, but there would surely be many other fine fabrics at the exhibition. To stand out, they needed some creative ideas to catch people's attention.

She then asked, "Did the factory manager mention anything about what we should do before he left?"

Liu Hongshan and Zhang Mei shook their heads simultaneously. Seeing Jin Xiuzhu frown, Liu Hongshan added, "The manager told us to observe how others do things and learn from them. Do you have any suggestions?"

Jin Xiuzhu shared her thoughts, "I heard from the manager that the participants in this exhibition are mostly large factories. They have more opportunities, and attending this event is just icing on the cake for them. But for our factory, this opportunity is rare. If we can use this event to spread our name, we'll receive a steady stream of orders. We might even surpass the city's textile factories. Therefore, we shouldn't just participate passively; we need to think about making a splash."

Hearing this, Zhang Mei and Liu Hongshan felt a slight stirring in their hearts. Who wouldn't want their factory to thrive? The average salary for workers at the county's textile factory was 28 units, while those in the city earned 35 units, not to mention various benefits. Everything paled in comparison to the city's factories. However, due to good performance last year, although their salaries didn't increase, the benefits did, and the factory manager gave everyone two pounds of meat during the New Year.

Naturally, they hoped the factory would continue to improve.

Jin Xiuzhu added, "Although it's our first time participating in an exhibition, I personally believe that the first day is the most important. We need to make a splash early, or else others might copy our ideas later."

Zhang Mei, being more quick-witted, sensed that Jin Xiuzhu had a plan and hurriedly asked, "Do you have any ideas? We'll follow your lead."

Jin Xiuzhu directly took out three bolts of fabric she favored. "Cut each bolt in half. Start with these three. We'll make three outfits temporarily and wear them on the fifth. We'll also turn the remaining bolts into finished garments and display them that day."

"Also, we should hang a sign with our factory's name, address, and contact information, making it convenient for people to reach us."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mei and Liu Hongshan exchanged glances. Liu Hongshan, being more conservative, felt that these fabrics were specially selected by the factory for the exhibition. Cutting them and turning them into clothes for themselves seemed wasteful.

However, Zhang Mei was bolder, though she was still hesitant. Her hesitation stemmed from the fact that Jin Xiuzhu's idea was ambitious. "We're unfamiliar with this place. Where can we find someone to make clothes for us? Besides, we only have two days. How can we finish so quickly?"

Jin Xiuzhu believed her idea was feasible. Every year in the Great Jing Dynasty, there were dragon boat races. During that time, various small stalls lined the riverbanks, prominently displaying their shop names and signature dishes. Nobles who enjoyed the food would send people to buy from the shops afterward.

While fabrics and food were different, the principle remained similar. Clothes needed to be worn to truly stand out.

Jin Xiuzhu smiled and said, "No problem. I can make clothes. Two days is enough. I'll draw the designs tomorrow morning, and you can cut the fabrics according to the designs in the morning. I'll handle the rest."

Zhang Mei and Liu Hongshan had worked at the textile factory for decades and could certainly handle cutting clothes.

Jin Xiuzhu took out scissors, rulers, and drawing pens from her bag and let them get to work while she took out a drawing pen and started recalling the clothing styles she saw at the department store last year. After all, they were long-sleeved tops and pants, so some adjustments could be made.

Zhang Mei glanced at Jin Xiuzhu, who was already engrossed in drawing, and seeing Liu Hongshan's conflicted expression, decisively said, "Let's follow Master Jin's advice. She knows better than us."

Liu Hongshan nodded reluctantly.

The next morning, Jin Xiuzhu handed over the design sketches to Zhang Mei and bid them farewell before heading out.

Jin Xiuzhu first went to the state-owned hotel to buy a few steamed buns. As she ate, she walked towards the nearby bus stop and took a bus to the department store in the city center. She focused on observing the characteristics of each counter but found nothing particularly noteworthy. Then, she carefully studied the ready-made clothing stores and memorized a few unfamiliar styles.

Afterward, she went downstairs to buy calligraphy brushes, ink, and white paper before returning.

Back at the guesthouse, Zhang Mei and Liu Hongshan were busy cutting clothes. Their movements were skilled and nimble, and they didn't need to compare each piece. They could cut the fabrics smoothly along the drawn lines.

When they saw Jin Xiuzhu return, they realized how much time had passed.

Jin Xiuzhu noticed they hadn't eaten yet and handed them the buns and steamed bread. She then picked up the fabrics and said, "Very good. Keep going, I'll handle my part."

She laid the paper on the table, moistened the brush, shook off the excess water, dipped it in ink, hesitated for a moment, and then confidently wrote several large characters on the paper.

After finishing, she wrote a row of smaller characters beneath the large ones, which contained the contact information for the textile factory.

Zhang Mei stole a glance and was instantly amazed. Although she wasn't well-versed in these matters, she could tell it was impressive.

Regaining her composure, she sped up her cutting, convinced that Jin Xiuzhu was a person of great ability and that following her guidance was the right choice.

After completing her task, Jin Xiuzhu told them, "You should be done around noon. Go out and treat yourselves to a nice meal. Don't worry about money; you can get reimbursed when you return. If you run short on cash, let me know. I'm going out for a bit and will be back in the afternoon. You don't need to wait for me. Leave the paper there; the ink hasn't dried yet, so don't put it away."

Zhang Mei nodded. "Go ahead with your business. We have money on us."

"Alright, I might be back a bit later in the afternoon."

"Okay."

Jin Xiuzhu picked up a large bag in the corner and headed out. This time, she went straight to the bus stop and asked around before boarding Bus No. 19.

It was 11:20 when she arrived. Following her arrangement with Bai Jingzhi, she went straight to the school cafeteria entrance. Classes hadn't ended yet, so there weren't many people eating in the cafeteria. She waited at the entrance for a while, about five or six minutes, and then heard the bell ring. Soon after, many students ran over.

Jin Xiuzhu quickly spotted Bai Jingzhi among the crowd.

Bai Jingzhi stood out in the crowd due to her tall stature and fair, beautiful appearance, making her somewhat distinct from the others.

Bai Jingzhi had been looking around when she suddenly met Jin Xiuzhu's gaze. Her eyes widened momentarily before crinkling in a smile. Her usually cool demeanor quickly transformed into a radiant grin as she hurried over with her books, greeting her affectionately, "Sister-in-law."

Jin Xiuzhu pinched her cheek. "Let's eat. I'm starving."

Bai Jingzhi happily took the large bag from Jin Xiuzhu. "The chicken legs in our cafeteria are delicious. You must try them."

Jin Xiuzhu casually took Bai Jingzhi's books and flipped through them, noticing pages filled with dense notes that made her feel dizzy.

Bai Jingzhi led her inside the cafeteria and found a seat. She told Jin Xiuzhu to wait there while she went to get their food.

Jin Xiuzhu glanced toward the serving window, where there were already many people, all crowded together with money and tickets in hand.

Bai Jingzhi joined a shorter queue and waited for about ten minutes before returning with two bowls of food. The bowls were large and blue, piled high with dishes, with a particularly noticeable chicken leg.

Bai Jingzhi urged Jin Xiuzhu to start eating.

Jin Xiuzhu took a taste and found that the flavor was indeed good.

After they finished their meal, the two of them returned to Bai Jingzhi's dormitory together.

The girls' dormitory was behind the teaching building, and it took some distance to get there. It had a total of five floors, and she lived in a sun-facing room on the second floor.

There were already people back in the dormitory. The door was open, and when Bai Jingzhi pushed the door open, she happened to bump into a girl. Upon seeing her, the girl immediately turned cold, "Can't you watch where you're going? Didn't you see someone was at the door?"

Bai Jingzhi really hadn't seen anyone there. After being startled for a moment, an apologetic expression appeared on her face, "I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

The girl's expression didn't improve upon hearing this. She gave Bai Jingzhi a disdainful look, stood in the middle of the path without moving, and only walked when Bai Jingzhi stepped aside. Just after taking two steps, she discovered that there was still someone behind Bai Jingzhi. Subconsciously raising her head to scold them, she met Jin Xiuzhu's icy gaze, "Why don't you say that you're blocking Jingzhi's way?"

The other party frowned and asked, "Who are you?"

Jin Xiuzhu: "Apologize!"

The girl's expression also darkened, "What did you say?"

Jin Xiuzhu's voice grew colder, "I want you to apologize!"

The girl's temper flared up, "And if I don't apologize? Who do you think you are?"

There were two other people in the dormitory who turned their heads simultaneously upon hearing the commotion. Bai Jingzhi hadn't expected her sister-in-law to be at a standoff with her roommate at the door. She felt somewhat anxious, wanting to say something but hesitating, as she thought about how her sister-in-law was standing up for her and didn't want to make things difficult for her.

Jin Xiuzhu nodded, "Alright, not apologizing then, huh? Fine."

Then she directly turned to Bai Jingzhi and said, "Go call your teacher over. Today, I'll ask him face-to-face how he manages his students."

Bai Jingzhi looked at her hesitantly and softly called out, "Sister-in-law."

Jin Xiuzhu wouldn't allow her to refuse, "Go. Are you not listening to me now?"

Bai Jingzhi thought for a moment and then ran toward the stairwell.

The girl standing opposite Jin Xiuzhu panicked. She looked at Jin Xiuzhu, then at Bai Jingzhi, who had run off, unsure of the identity of the person before her.

She remembered Bai Jingzhi mentioning that her brother and sister-in-law had come to visit her, but she hadn't taken it seriously. No matter how good a brother and sister-in-law might be, could they compare to one's own parents? They were probably just like any other relatives. Therefore, although she hadn't bullied Bai Jingzhi much since then, she hadn't been particularly friendly either.

Little did she know that today, she would run into them face-to-face. Looking at Jin Xiuzhu's attire and demeanor, it was clear that she came from a well-off family in the city.

She suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

Jin Xiuzhu sneered, "If you have the guts, wait for the teacher to come. But if you're scared and want to run, that's fine too. After all, Jingzhi knows you, and the surrounding classmates know you as well."

By now, many curious classmates had gathered in the corridor.

Upon hearing this, the girl's face flushed red. She raised her chin and loudly declared, "Who's afraid? I'm not afraid. If you dare, say it. Such a trivial matter and you're calling the teacher. Is your Bai Jingzhi a child?"

Jin Xiuzhu: "Whether our Jingzhi is a child or not, I don't know, but I do feel that you're even worse than a child. At least children are taught by their parents. Do you not have parents? Don't you even have basic manners?"

"Who are you insulting!"

Jin Xiuzhu didn't bother with her and directly walked past her into the dormitory. She looked around and found Bai Jingzhi's bed. Her bed was easy to recognize; it was right by the entrance, and the bedding was neatly arranged. There were many books on the bedside table, and three pairs of familiar shoes under the bed, all of which she had bought.

However, her gaze soon fell on a girl across from Bai Jingzhi's bed, finding the clothes she wore somewhat familiar. If she wasn't mistaken, that dress was one she had made for Jingzhi.

The girl met Jin Xiuzhu's gaze and looked somewhat guilty. She quickly turned away, pretending not to notice.

Jin Xiuzhu furrowed her brows and sat down on Bai Jingzhi's bed, already formulating a plan.

After a while, Bai Jingzhi returned. The teacher was a middle-aged man. Seeing the girl at the door and Jin Xiuzhu sitting on the bed inside, he greeted Jin Xiuzhu, "Hello, I'm their teacher. My name is Guan Ye."

"Hello, Teacher Guan. I'm Bai Jingzhi's parent. My name is Jin Xiuzhu. I came here this time because I had business elsewhere, but I also wanted to specifically visit my younger sister. Originally, I planned to talk to you after visiting my sister, but something happened even before entering the dorm. This made me realize that my sister's living conditions might be even worse than what she told us, so I called you over."

Teacher Guan was about to ask what had happened, but Jin Xiuzhu didn't give him a chance to speak. She directly questioned him, "Since you are responsible for the students' daily affairs, I assume you have the authority to manage conflicts within the dormitories. This should fall within your duties, right? My sister has been in university for several years now. How could you not know that she was being bullied by her roommates? Isn't this a case of negligence on your part?"

Teacher Guan hastily replied, "I've heard about it before and dealt with the situation."

"Dealt with it? How did you handle it? Can you tell me?"

Teacher Guan was momentarily speechless. He had merely given a vague reminder during class meetings, telling everyone not to bully others.

Jin Xiuzhu sneered, "When my sister entered the dormitory just now, she bumped into another roommate. Neither of them saw each other, yet it was my sister who apologized first. Why did she apologize? Clearly, she's been bullied so often that she automatically apologizes. Even so, the other party still didn't show any kindness. From this small incident, we can infer that in places I can't see, isn't she treated even worse?"

"Furthermore, I heard that my sister was once excluded by her roommates and locked out of the dormitory. Did you know about this? If you knew, why didn't you intervene? Why did you leave her in the same dormitory? What punishment did you give to the others involved? Is this dormitory theirs to control, allowing them to lock the door whenever they please? We pay tuition fees. Why aren't we allowed to let my sister stay here?"

"If you claim you didn't know, how can you be a teacher when your job is to manage student affairs and you didn't even know about this? Don't tell me you intervened. If you truly intervened, why would the girls in her dormitory be wearing my sister's clothes? That dress was made by me, and she didn't even want to wear it herself. How could she lend it to someone else?"

Hearing this, Bai Jingzhi realized something and rushed into the room. Seeing her roommate wearing her dress, she became visibly upset, "Qin Zhenzhen, why did you steal my clothes?"

Qin Zhenzhen, seeing everyone staring at her, turned red and then pale, finally becoming enraged. She rudely tore off the dress and threw it on the ground, "Who wants your lousy clothes? Here, take them back."

Bai Jingzhi picked up the dress heartbrokenly and angrily exclaimed, "You went too far."

Jin Xiuzhu glared at the male teacher, "Teacher, don't you have anything to say? If you don't, I'll go straight to your principal."

Upon hearing this, Teacher Guan became anxious. Realizing that this parent was not someone to be trifled with, he hurriedly said, "Ms. Jin, getting along in the dormitory can indeed be challenging, as everyone has different personalities. If you have any suggestions, please let me know, and I will try my best to accommodate them if reasonable."

Jin Xiuzhu directly stated her request, "Fine. To compensate for the bullying my sister experienced, I hope you can arrange a separate dormitory for Jingzhi. Additionally, I want these students to be disciplined."

Jin Xiuzhu: Today, I'll show you what it means to mess with us.

Jiang Mingchuan: My wife is mighty.

He Yan: Mom is amazing.

Fu Yanyan: Learned something.