Chapter 224: What Reward Do You Want to Say?

The next day was Sunday, and the two of them finally slept in until they woke up naturally.

When they woke up, it was already almost nine o'clock.

"What time is it?" Su Ruan asked groggily.

Jiang Ran glanced at his watch: "Ten past nine. Where are the kids?"

"They should be downstairs with Mom and Dad."

After washing up and going downstairs, sure enough, the children were already having breakfast.

Li Huijuan saw them and smiled, "Awake? It's rare for you two to sleep in."

"Mom, why didn't you call us?" Su Ruan said, a little embarrassed.

"Let you sleep a bit longer," Jiang Jianguo said, "you haven't slept well these past few days."

An'an saw Mom and Dad, waved happily, "Good morning, Mom and Dad!"

"Good morning, sweetheart."

Jinjin also whispered, "Good morning."

The family sat together for breakfast, the sunlight warm and the atmosphere cozy.

After the meal, Jiang Ran suggested, "The weather's nice today; let's take a walk in the park. An'an can ride in the stroller, so she won't get tired."

"Sounds good!" An'an replied immediately.

So the family set off for the park. The autumn park was beautiful, with golden leaves and clear lake water. An'an sat in the stroller, Jinjin walked beside her, occasionally pointing out scenery to her sister.

"Sister, look, a squirrel!"

"Where? Where?"

"There, on the tree!"

Su Ruan and Jiang Ran pushed the stroller, watching the two children, their hearts full.

Li Huijuan and Jiang Jianguo walked behind them, while Jiang Nainai rested at home.

The elderly woman had unsteady legs and wasn't fit for a long walk.

They played in the park all morning and had lunch at a nearby restaurant at noon.

On the way home, both children grew tired and fell asleep in the stroller.

"Did you have fun today?" Jiang Ran asked softly.

"It was fun," Su Ruan said, leaning on his shoulder, "just feels… days like this are really nice."

"We'll do this often from now on," Jiang Ran said, holding her hand, "no matter how busy work gets, we must spend time with family."

"Mm."

Back home, they lifted the children onto the bed for a nap. Su Ruan and Jiang Ran were also tired and rested on the living‑room sofa.

"Starting next week, you'll be busy again," Jiang Ran said, "the Memory Realm series, Fashion Week preparations…"

"I know," Su Ruan said, leaning in his arms, "but this time it's different."

"After what happened, I feel… design is not just design; it's expression, it's documentation."

"I want to blend the feelings from this period into my work as well."

"Alright," Jiang Ran kissed her hair, "do whatever you want; I'll always support you."

On Monday morning, Su Ruan returned to the office.

The moment she stepped into the Design Department, she sensed a different atmosphere.

"Good morning, Sister Su," Design Assistant Lin Xiao stood up, "how is your health?"

"I'm fine, thank you for asking," Su Ruan smiled, "you've all worked hard these past few days."

"Not at all," Lin Xiao handed over a stack of documents, "these are the fabric samples for the Memory Realm series; Master Wang and Master Sun said they're waiting for you to approve them."

Su Ruan took them and flipped through.

The textures, colors and patterns of the various fabrics were all sourced according to her specifications.

"Where are Master Wang and Master Sun?"

"In the pattern room."

Su Ruan went straight to the fifth floor.

Inside the pattern room, the two senior masters were discussing the craftsmanship of a Sample Garment.

"RuanRuan is here," Master Wang said upon seeing her, setting down the flexible ruler, "how's the child?"

"He's fine now, resting at home," Su Ruan said as she walked over, "thank you for your concern, Master."

"That's good," Master Sun adjusted his glasses, "a healthy child is more important than anything."

The three of them quickly fell into work mode.

"I want to create a Rebirth sub‑series," Su Ruan drew on the blueprint, "not sad, but warm and hopeful. The fabrics should be in soft colors, yet the cut must feel powerful."

Master Wang examined the Sketch closely, "The treatment of this shoulder line… resembles a hospital patient gown, but refined."

"Right," Su Ruan nodded, "what I want to convey is that illness can alter our appearance, but it can't change our core."

"Like this jacket, it looks soft, yet its frame is rigid."

Master Sun stroked his chin, "We can play with the craft here. For example, the splicing uses two completely different fabric textures, but the transition should be natural, like a healing scar."

"That's the feeling!" Su Ruan's eyes lit up, "Master Sun understands me."

The three discussed all morning and tentatively settled on three designs. At noon, Jiang Ran came to fetch Su Ruan for lunch.

"How's it going? Still adjusting?" Jiang Ran asked in the car.

"It's great," Su Ruan said, leaning on his shoulder, "Master Wang and Master Sun gave me a lot of inspiration. And… coming back this time feels different."

"How so?"

"When I used to design, I always thought about succeeding, being popular," Su Ruan said softly, "now I feel design is first and foremost expression, it's documentation."

If it happens to succeed as well, that's great. If not, at least I've expressed what I wanted to express.

Jiang Ran squeezed her hand: "That's a good idea. Being your true self is more important than anything."

The two ate a light meal near the office. After the meal, Jiang Ran escorted Su Ruan back to the company, while he went to the Shanghai boutique to start a video conference.

In the afternoon, Su Ruan continued working. She called Lin Xiaoyu and explained the new design concept.

"Teacher Su, this idea is fantastic!" Lin Xiaoyu said excitedly over the phone. "May I take part? I'd like to shoot some photos about Rebirth, such as… a dead tree meeting spring, a cocoon breaking into a butterfly…"

"Of course you can," Su Ruan smiled. "Come to the company whenever you're free, and we'll discuss together."

When she got home that night, the children had already finished dinner. An'an was especially lively today, running around the living room.

"Mom! I drew a picture today!" she ran over, holding up a drawing.

Su Ruan took it; the picture showed four people holding hands, with the sun and a rainbow in the background.

"Is this our family?" she asked.

"Yeah!" An'an nodded. "Dad, Mom, big brother, me. The rainbow means… that the illness is cured."

Su Ruan felt warmth in her heart and hugged her daughter: "It's a wonderful drawing. When Mom's design is finished, we'll use An'an's picture as a print, okay?"

"Really?" An'an's eyes lit up. "Can my drawing be printed on clothes?"

"Of course it can." Su Ruan kissed her daughter's little face. "An'an is a little designer."

Jinjin also came over, handing her workbook: "Mom, I got five stars today."

Su Ruan opened it; it was a math worksheet, all correct, with neat handwriting.

"Jinjin, you're great!" she patted her son's head. "What reward would you like?"

Jinjin thought for a moment: "I want… to go to the bookstore."

"Alright, I'll take you this weekend."

After dinner, Su Ruan played with the children for a while, then checked the homework again.

She waited until they fell asleep before returning to her own room.

Jiang Ran had finished washing up and was leaning against the headboard, reading documents.

When Su Ruan entered, he put down the documents: "Tired?"

"A little," Su Ruan said, sitting at the dressing table to remove her makeup. "But I feel at ease. Work and family are both on track."

Jiang Ran walked over and took the makeup remover cotton from her hand: "I'll do it."