Chapter 2472: New Life of Female Naturalized Citizens (Part 3)

Many years later, He Xiaoyue still found it hard to forget the moment she stood on the runway wearing the outfit she had designed herself.

She couldn't quite remember what the two Senators had asked, only that the window was half-open, and a fresh breeze lifted the hem of her skirt. The hanging gauze fluttered, and the coolness on her skin made her nervous, yet it was also a form of encouragement—as if once she took this step, there would be no hurdle she couldn't cross.

"What was the inspiration for your design?"

She tried to maintain a smile, imitating the "posture" Guo Xi'er had taught her, trying to look a bit more upright.

"I once read a seven-character regulated verse by the Song Dynasty scholar Bai Yuchan. The line 'Fine rain spins sky-mist into woven snow, cold wind winnows water as the moon sifts through plum blossoms' inspired me. The shape of the clothes references the old styles of the Tang Dynasty..."

Sun Ying nodded with satisfaction. This girl was capable; there were many women who had read books these days, but few who could apply what they learned and showcase it. It was worth her special trip. Just as she wanted to express her affirmation, Fang Fei beside her suddenly spoke up: "The clothes are indeed nice, but there is one thing I can't figure out. The Design Department has received a pile of submissions from naturalized citizens, but this is the first time I've seen a skirt hem this short."

Sun Ying glanced at Fang Fei with dissatisfaction, then turned her gaze to He Xiaoyue. In fact, she had her own doubts. She knew this woman; she had been rescued from Guangzhou less than a year ago, and coming from a prominent family, her thinking should logically have been more conservative.

He Xiaoyue said, "I designed the skirt hem this way purely from an aesthetic perspective. A hem above the knee makes the legs look longer and better. Moreover, from a design standpoint, this outfit wasn't suitable for a mid-length cut to begin with."

"Then don't you feel it's too... bold?" Fang Fei rejoiced inwardly; she really was a good seed.

Sweat appeared on He Xiaoyue's forehead. She took a deep breath: "If it were in the past, I would rather die than wear such clothes. I would have felt ashamed even looking at them. But it's different now."

"I was originally a concubine-born daughter at home, hoping only to marry a good man and have support for the rest of my life. Unexpectedly, my husband died before the marriage was consummated. For the sake of 'family reputation,' my husband's family sent me to a Chastity Institute to maintain my widowhood. My maiden family didn't care or ask about me, never visiting even once. Living was no different from being dead."

"Later, I was fortunate enough to leave the Chastity Institute, but then I was blinded by lard—I misjudged a person and was deceived and sold into the Fragrant Spring Brothel." Speaking of this, He Xiaoyue was careful to exercise caution, not mentioning a word about Liu San. "Only there did I truly experience the suffering of being born a woman in the Ming Kingdom. I don't know how much bitterness I swallowed. If not for the Senate, I would already be a woman of the wind!"

"People in the Ming Kingdom often say the Australians are promiscuous and unruly, but the women here live so much more freely than in the Great Ming! Even if penniless, one can support oneself... one doesn't have to be sold back and forth like cattle or sheep. So what if the skirt is a few inches shorter?"

The clothing designed by He Xiaoyue finally passed the final review smoothly and went into production. Of course, the production volume of the short version was much smaller than that of the long version—no matter how advanced the concept, there was still the issue of market acceptance. And she herself got her wish, becoming a designer at Wanzi Pavilion.

On the day she received the formal notice, He Xiaoyue bought herself a beautiful "fashionable outfit"—after becoming a designer, she was no longer required to wear a uniform. She could wear whatever she liked.

After packing her personal items on the second floor and coming to the third floor, seeing the design desk assigned to her, her heart was filled with joy—even the design desk was larger than the ones downstairs, and there was a separate L-shaped desk for paperwork.

She carefully decorated her workstation. To celebrate her promotion, Guo Xi'er specially gave her a Ru ware beauty-shouldered vase as a flower vase—this was a trophy purchased by Liu Xiang. There was a bouquet of fresh flowers in the vase.

"This is a congratulatory gift."

"Sister, you are too polite!" He Xiaoyue said gratefully. "I have today all thanks to Sister's guidance."

"What are you saying? It's all because of your own great ability!" Guo Xi'er said. "My sister said that you are a talented person and will definitely be able to help me in the future, so she told me to get along well with you."

"Yes, yes, I couldn't ask for more," He Xiaoyue thought to herself. No wonder people said this Chief Designer Guo had no filter; she even spoke such private words aloud.

"Let's start working. This is the new project..."

Clothing designer at Wanzi Pavilion was one of the few white-collar professions in the roaring industrial machine of Hainan. He Xiaoyue no longer had to get up at 5:30 AM to wash and catch the commuter train, work tirelessly for ten hours, and then return to the dormitory exhausted.

Designers worked from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Although the working hours were only shortened by one hour, her disposable time increased significantly.

She now got up just after six to wash and make herself breakfast. After eating, she would leisurely return to her room to dress and make up, choosing the clothes she would wear for the day. She left at 7:30 and walked ten minutes to reach the cooperative. Her treatment was equivalent to that of a "senior executive" in a state-owned enterprise in East Gate Market; she could move into an eight-square-meter single room in the dormitory area, which was a very luxurious thing in Lingao, especially in the inch-of-land, inch-of-gold East Gate Market.

Before 8:00, He Xiaoyue would use the time before work to study professional knowledge on her own. When Guo Xi'er arrived hurriedly by car from the Senate dormitory area, she would immediately go to greet her, chat with her, and "consult" her on many questions, letting Guo Xi'er fully feel her "respect."

He Xiaoyue was a concubine-born daughter; her cleverness had been squeezed out of her by being ostracized in a large household since childhood. She knew Guo Xi'er was her biggest backer, and only by sparing no effort to flatter her could she stay here long and comfortably.

Of course, she had practical uses for Guo Xi'er as well. The designers at Wanzi Pavilion not only had to design clothes but were essentially "Key Account Managers." Because before each haute couture set was made, they had to communicate fully with the client to understand their preferences and taboos. It was a test of one's communication skills. Guo Xi'er was quite lacking in this aspect. Although she had a personality that warmed up to people quickly, her humble background made it difficult for her to understand the needs of wealthy families, so she mostly served the family members of Senators and high-ranking naturalized cadres. Few local wealthy indigenous clients asked for her.

Since He Xiaoyue arrived, it was like providing her with an assistant. Suddenly, she felt that the originally difficult wealthy indigenous households were easy to "handle."

"Xiaoyue, Customer 36 is coming to pick up ready-to-wear clothes today, right?" Guo Xi'er used a thin green bamboo stick to poke at the haute couture garments in the wardrobe. These clothes were separated by carefully woven covers, and bamboo charcoal bags were placed in the wardrobe to regulate humidity and prevent the clothes from being damaged by moisture.

"Yes, yes. The first customer is Number 36." He Xiaoyue opened the logbook, which recorded the customer's information: "Name: Zhou Suniang, Female, 21 years old, Non-naturalized resident, Occupation: None, Home Address: Bigui Garden..." He Xiaoyue knew this place; it was the most expensive residential compound locally. All the residents were wealthy families who had moved from the mainland. The remarks noted that she was a concubine of the Qu family and was currently very favored.

"It's Zhou Suniang."

"It's that concubine from Master Qu's family, right?"

"That's right."

"Favored or not, she doesn't look happy at all to me." Guo Xi'er shook her head.

He Xiaoyue recalled the day Zhou Suniang came to Wanzi Pavilion a few days ago, frowning slightly. Usually, when the wives and young ladies of wealthy families came to Wanzi Pavilion to have clothes made, they would come in a sedan chair, bringing several family members and maids. Once inside the shop, they would wander around chatting and laughing, sit down to have some tea and snacks, and gossip with the shop assistants and designers. For them, it was more of a rare excursion.

Besides several male servants and older female servants, Zhou Suniang had two maids following her closely at all times. Apart from measuring, selecting fabrics, and discussing clothing matters, and occasionally giving instructions to the maids beside her, she didn't say a single extra word of gossip, and she absolutely never mentioned her own affairs.

"Hmm, she seems to have something on her mind."

"And her family watches her too closely! They even sent a maid to watch while she was being measured."

"She's so beautiful; it's normal for the master to keep a close watch..." Zhou Suniang had a beautiful face, with a teardrop mole at the corner of her eye adding a unique charm. She was so beautiful that He Xiaoyue remembered her deeply after just one look.

"Oh, you don't know. Before you came to Wanzi Pavilion, this Zhou Suniang used to come here to order clothes. The Zhou Suniang back then was completely different from now. She used to go out with just one male and one female servant. Although she didn't talk much originally, her expression was very lively. How did she become like this now..."

"Probably something unhappy happened at home. Even if she's favored, I hear the Qu family has many wives and concubines. It's probably not easy to get along. Maybe someone spoke ill of her in front of Master Qu, making him suspicious..."

"True." Guo Xi'er nodded, then suddenly remembered something and said excitedly:

"Speaking of the Qu family, there was a joke a few days ago." Guo Xi'er's gossip soul began to burn.

"What joke?"

"Their Lianjie ran away. In broad daylight, taking advantage of an opportunity to buy things, she just ran."

"Lianjie?" He Xiaoyue vaguely remembered seeing this name in the ledger.

"That's right. It's her. She wasn't favored in the Qu family, and it was rare for her to have clothes made here." Guo Xi'er got more excited as she spoke. "Let me tell you, this Lianjie originally had no chance to go out. But the First Wife of the Qu family looked down on the craftsmanship of local tailors and insisted that the concubines make them at home. Lianjie did good needlework, so the task of making clothes for all the female family members fell on her. I heard a few days ago that because Old Madame Qu was celebrating her birthday, the First Wife wanted to make a few new outfits, so she used the excuse of looking at fabrics to run away from the shop! By the way, you definitely know this shop!"

"What?"

"It's Ruihexiang."

Ruihexiang was one of Wanzi Pavilion's suppliers, and they had many dealings. They not only knew Manager An of Ruihexiang but were also quite familiar with him.