Chapter 91: Each Harboring Ulterior Motives

Li Yanhong struggled in the hospital for several days; although it was extremely dangerous, fortunately the child in her womb was finally preserved.

The female doctor stood before the bed, face stern, scolding: "What's wrong with you as a couple? Didn't we tell you last time that the fetal qi is unstable and you need rest? How dare you still sleep together, so unrestrained—do you even want this child or not?"

Li Yanhong was scolded by the doctor in front of so many people, and over this matter her face instantly flushed red.

Beside her, Li Zeyu's expression was also very bad, but he wasn't upset because of the doctor's scolding; rather, he was annoyed that despite all this, the child hadn't been lost.

Li Zeyu clenched his fists tightly; he knew that missing this chance would make it hard later to get rid of Li Yanhong's child, so his heart was full of resentment and unwillingness.

The Battalion Commander's wife only now learned that her daughter had almost miscarried, and it was actually because the young couple slept together, making her furious inside.

During this period she had been carefully attending, fearing any mishap to her daughter, worrying so much that her hair turned white.

But Li Zeyu, as a husband, was fine—even at this point he still couldn't control his lower half.

The Battalion Commander's wife was furious inside, but since the son-in-law was ultimately an outsider, she couldn't say much; she could only console herself, thinking that Li Zeyu and her daughter were newlyweds, a vigorous young couple, and it was normal for their blood to be hot, so she ended up swallowing her anger.

But she had formed an opinion about Li Zeyu, deciding that after this hospital discharge she would move in to live with her daughter, and absolutely not give them any chance to misbehave until the daughter finished giving birth.

Li Zeyu was still thinking about how to find a chance to strike at Li Yanhong again, unaware that the Battalion Commander's wife had already completely cut off his retreat.

The Battalion Commander wasn't as easily fooled as Li Yanhong and her mother; over the years managing the village, he'd seen all kinds of dirty business.

Li Zeyu was about to take the College Entrance Exam when he nearly caused the loss of his daughter's child; claiming it was a momentary rashness, the Battalion Commander didn't believe it, suspecting it had been premeditated.

It seems some people have grown reckless, wanting to abandon his daughter and fly off on their own!

Thinking this, the Battalion Commander's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness—his daughter was not someone to be bullied so easily.

Li Zeyu wanted to go to university, then abandon his wife and child, but that would depend on whether they agreed.

The Li family all wore worried faces, full of schemes, while Su Ruo was busy bustling about.

With the opening of the College Entrance Exam, the nation also sounded the horn of reform and opening-up; Su Ruo knew that thereafter private traders would sprout up like bamboo shoots after rain.

Many seized this opportunity to go into business, becoming the first to taste the crab, and in the days ahead they made profits overflowing.

Su Ruo and her group were lucky to catch this opportunity; she knew that doing business, if managed properly, they would certainly make money.

Li Zhaodi originally liked making clothes; now she let loose and produced garments that were quite novel and beautiful.

Bai Xinya also occasionally offered suggestions or drew patterns for Li Zhaodi; her advice was like the finishing touch that made Li Zhaodi's clothing designs even more outstanding.

Li Zhaodi originally wanted to open a clothing shop in the village, so she could earn money while taking care of Su Ruo and An'an.

But Su Ruo directly rejected it, noting that the rural consumption level was still relatively low at present.

The clothes Li Zhaodi made were not only novel and beautiful, but also finely crafted and of good quality; if taken to the county, they would certainly fetch a good price.

Li Zhaodi trusted Su Ruo almost blindly, and immediately made a dozen or so garments to take with Su Ruo to set up a stall in the county.

The two of them pushed their bicycles early in the morning, carrying a large bundle of finished clothes and the prepared rack, and set off.

Su Ruo chose the stall location at the gate of the steel mill, because the mill had many people and high workers' wages, so the corresponding consumption level would be somewhat higher.

After Su Ruo arranged the clothes, the old lady selling breakfast nearby came over; although the state no longer regulated business, most people still sold food, and stalls like theirs selling clothes were still rare.

The old lady picked up a red cotton-padded jacket and said, "Miss, your clothes are really pretty—how much each?"

Li Zhaodi was immediately stumped by the question; she really hadn't decided how to sell these clothes.

Su Ruo smiled and said, "Forty yuan."

Li Zhaodi was instantly startled; the cost of fabric and materials for this one garment added up to only a little over ten yuan.

So in Li Zhaodi's mind, selling a garment for twenty yuan would already be the limit; she never expected the master to open his mouth and demand forty yuan.

Hearing that, the old lady was also startled; she immediately put down the cotton-padded jacket in her hand and said, "Good heavens, forty yuan equals a regular worker's wages for over a month—is this jacket made of gold? Selling it so expensive!"

Su Ruo wasn't angry either, continuing to smile and say, "Old lady, you don't know—these clothes of ours all come from Hai Shi, and their style and workmanship are the best.

Not that I'm boasting; these clothes of mine aren't even available in the county's department store, and we had to go through great trouble to obtain these few pieces.

Hai Shi's clothes are inherently expensive; we can only earn a little hardship fee, basically making no profit at all."

The old lady pursed her lips, but she also knew that goods from Hai Shi were very expensive, and these clothes indeed didn't resemble local styles—she had never seen such designs before.

But even if the clothes were gorgeous, in the old lady's heart they weren't worth forty yuan.

Nearby, a few nicely dressed girls had already noticed the commotion over at Su Ruo's side, but upon hearing Su Ruo say a garment actually cost forty yuan, they also thought it too expensive.

Although their family circumstances were decent, they were also reluctant to spend forty yuan on a piece of clothing.

But when they heard Su Ruo say these clothes actually came from Hai Shi, several people immediately regained interest.

They all gathered around to look; who would have thought that after this glance several people couldn't move away, because the clothes were truly too beautiful.

Unlike their own baggy, drab garments, these clothes were not only brightly colored and finely made, but when worn they perfectly outlined the figure, and even the floral and bird patterns on them were lifelike.

Seeing that several were tempted, Su Ruo hurriedly urged them to try them on; they had already been thinking of doing so, and upon hearing her they didn't refuse, immediately picking out their favorites to put on.

Su Ruo smiled and said, "Miss, you look truly beautiful in this outfit, matching flowers; if you miss buying it today, you'll probably never be able to get something this lovely again.

In just over two months it will be New Year; if you wear this outfit to pay New Year calls, you'll surely surpass everyone and become the most beautiful person in the crowd."

These girls were young, exactly the age when they like to compare; hearing Su Ruo's words, they were instantly moved, several fondling the clothes unwilling to take them off, but still feeling forty yuan a bit steep, so they asked, "Could this be a little too expensive? Can you make it cheaper?"

Su Ruo laughed and said, "Miss, let me tell you, forty yuan isn't expensive at all—look at the fabric and workmanship of this clothing, they're all the best; most importantly, this is Hai Shi clothing, which you can't buy around here, so wearing it makes you one‑of‑a‑kind, guaranteed not to match anyone else, and I only have these dozen or so pieces; once they're sold, there won't be any more."

Upon hearing that, the girl immediately decided to buy it; even if it's a bit pricey, she'd rather tighten her belt for the next two months—if she didn't purchase this garment, she would surely regret it.

The girl wearing the red cotton‑padded jacket spoke first: "I'll buy this clothing."

Upon hearing that, Su Ruo immediately laughed and produced a blue‑ground embroidered small cloth bag, folded the clothing neatly and placed it inside; the bag was made from the leftover fabric of the garments, and Li Zhaodi proudly added lace trim around its edges, making it look delicate and beautiful, instantly raising the clothing's status by several notches.

Su Ruo, who came from a later era, naturally knew the importance of packaging; the same item, placed in a box worth several hundred yuan or in a bag worth a few cents, would have a different perceived value in the customer's mind.

Sure enough, after seeing it, the girl's feeling of heartache instantly diminished by half; she thought the Hai Shi clothing was truly good, even the packaging was different.