When Su Youfu woke up in the morning, he felt full of energy.
It was sunny outside. Last night, he had felt a little scared when his daughter said the morgue was next door, and he had felt uneasy. But now, looking out the window, there was a tree and birds chirping, and the sunshine had come out too, which made him feel the weather was very nice.
In the past, on rainy days, his legs would still hurt a little, but this morning, he felt much better right when he woke up, and his legs didn't hurt at all - he felt very relaxed.
Sheng Juanhua got up, washed up and got ready, but didn't make breakfast since it was very cramped here and she didn't know where she could cook. She went out and bought some breakfast food in a very casual manner. After all, they were staying at little aunt Xiao Qi's place, and it wasn't good to have little aunt Xiao Qi prepare food for them again.
The two of them ate breakfast from the city in the room - soy milk, fried dough sticks, steamed buns. It was a little unusual, since breakfast at home was usually rice or porridge, mostly rice because they had to go do farm work after breakfast, and porridge wasn't filling enough, let alone things like soy milk.
But this morning Su Youfu felt very spirited, and the breakfast also tasted pretty good.
After the two of them finished eating and cleaned up, Su Youfu listened to his wife and changed into the clothes Xiao Qi had sent them.
The Chinese-style clothes, pants and cloth shoes fit very well unexpectedly.
After putting them on, he felt very spirited, and when he sat there you couldn't tell he was disabled.
The outfit looked very sophisticated, with a kind of indescribable temperament. Anyway, it was different from usual - the fit was very nice.
Sheng Juanhua had thought her husband wearing this outfit might look like a landlord's long-term farmhand or something. She didn't expect that after putting it on, while she wouldn't say he looked like a landlord, he had the air of a shop owner - he didn't look like a junior clerk at least.
His shoulders were broad, he looked spirited himself, and the tailoring of the clothes and pants was very sharp.
Her daughter had spent a lot, over 7000-8000 yuan, on this set of Chinese-style clothes. Xiao Qi herself wouldn't spend that much on her own clothes, but for her parents she always wanted the best.
Sheng Juanhua was dressed very breezily. She had a sturdy build and was tall, so bodycon A-line skirts would have actually suited her very well, paired with close-fitting knit tops on top. But with a daughter her age, she was shy to wear skirts, so she wore pants today - khaki pants, paired with a shirt on top. Under the shirt she wore a thin camisole. Her outfit looked quite capable.
The khaki pants paired with the slightly dark red shirt, against her fair skin and with her small bag on her back, looked well-coordinated.
Sheng Juanhua didn't have much artistic sense when it came to outfits, but she had good intuition when choosing clothes for herself. She was born with sensitivity for color schemes.
Her outfit today looked very harmonious and capable, as well as good-looking.
The couple went out together, earlier than the agreed-upon time. At the barbershop outside the hospital entrance, Su Youfu got a haircut.
His hair had gotten quite long, with a lot of white hair that he normally didn't take care of.
The barbershop at the hospital entrance charged over twice as much as the village, 20 yuan versus 5 yuan in the village. But in the city, it was considered very affordable. More upscale boutique salons would charge at least 50-60 yuan for a haircut.
The city barbers were much better than the village ones. Sheng Juanhua felt it was worth 20 yuan. Her husband looked more spirited after the haircut, though the white hair was even more noticeable now. But nowadays some young men deliberately dyed their hair grayish white.
At 11 o'clock sharp, Sheng Juanhua and Su Youfu arrived at Tianyuan Restaurant.
Liang Huaying had chosen a mid-range restaurant with a nice environment and semi-private rooms suitable for chatting. She was worried that choosing somewhere too high-end would make Xiao Qi's parents uncomfortable.
In her mind, Xiao Qi's parents were peasants from Gumula Village. Xiao Qi's mother was probably quite good-looking when she was young, otherwise she couldn't have given birth to someone like Xiao Qi. But after all they were peasants, and Gumula Village was famously destitute. She had mentally prepared herself that even if she saw a very shabby-looking rural couple, she wouldn't look down on them. After all, regardless of their current state, they had given birth to such an outstanding daughter, so their future couldn't be too awful.
As a result, when this couple walked in, Liang Huaying was so stunned that she almost wondered if they had come to the wrong place.
A very refined middle-aged man in Chinese clothing, with an air of dignity. An extremely tall and spirited woman, dressed very properly and carrying a Chloé bag, wearing small red high heels.
Looking at the woman's face, you could see the resemblance to Xiao Qi and understand why Xiao Qi was so beautiful - she took after her mother. And on closer inspection, the graceful middle-aged man walked with a slight limp.
Liang Huaying stood up with a warm smile. "You must be Xiao Qi's parents? Please, come in and sit down!"
Sheng Juanhua took in the woman at first glance by her outfit - wearing a floral shirtdress, if not for the faint crows feet, she could have passed for 28 years old with her pointed stiletto heels in off-white, fluffy permed hair casually tied up, with a shiny accessory in her hair band.
There were traces of subtle makeup on her face, and her nicely shaped eyebrows were likely tattooed.
Overall, she gave the air of a sophisticated, confident city lady of good means, carrying a generous handbag.
On her wrist there was a flashy silver watch, very tasteful.
Su Youfu felt somewhat nervous. He rarely interacted with women like this, let alone such fashionable city women.
He was never good at making small talk to begin with, so occasions like this made him even more tongue-tied.
Sheng Juanhua spoke first, her voice bright and cheerful. "You must be Ms. Liang. I'm Xiao Qi's mother, Sheng Juanhua. Please call me Xiao Sheng. This is Xiao Qi's father, Su Youfu. Please call him Lao Su."
Liang Huaying ushered them to their seats, saying: "You're too kind. I'm a bit younger than you two. Please just call me by my name, Huaying. I'll call you Sister Sheng, Brother Su."
After they sat down, Liang Huaying ordered over some tea and snacks like melon seeds.
Su Youfu and Sheng Juanhua were still somewhat reserved. To be honest, they rarely interacted with such candid people.
They felt this Miss Liang they met today seemed much more reliable than the son of Shushu (paternal uncle), who claimed his business was worth tens of millions. There was a clear contrast when compared to the woman before them now.
Miss Liang gave off an air of being extremely capable and efficient - a strong, successful woman.
Almost at first glance, she had planted the seed of a role model in Sheng Juanhua's mind, as if suddenly she had found something to aspire towards - to become like the woman before her eyes would be wonderful.
So bold, so imposing, so candid!
"We just want to open a small shop, doesn't need to be at a prime location, the rent doesn't need to be too expensive. My husband's craftsmanship is pretty good, so we were thinking of selling some things like this. We don't expect to make big money, just enough to cover the shop rent and make ends meet."
After a couple sips of the tea, Sheng Juanhua eagerly spoke about their needs and hopes right away. Mainly because she felt the other woman was very formidable, she addressed things directly.
For his part, Su Youfu took out some of the small fine handicraft items he had made that were so exquisite he normally couldn't bear to sell them, and arranged them on the table.
There were small nest-shaped bamboo baskets, flat bamboo baskets, bags, and extremely intricate, vivid bamboo animal figurines. They were truly delicate and pleasing to the eye.
Liang Huaying had intended to help them from the start. But now, seeing these items, her eyes lit up in real delight.
She picked them up and examined them closely one by one. They were very well-made, and she even felt a personal desire to buy one of each herself.
She wouldn't have imagined bamboo could be crafted into such intricate, delicate things with a sense of style.
The bamboo felt smooth to the touch, with a pronounced artisanal vibe.
Whether used to hold flowers around the home or carry items, they seemed fitting for a range of purposes - or simply pleasing on their own merits if left out for display.
Bamboo carried a sense of history and tradition.
As Liang Huaying looked over these items, her quick mind spun thinking about the optimal place for them to be sold. She had been thinking to lease out one of the many storefronts she owned to Xiao Qi's parents for a small rental fee, for them to open a little shop. That should work fine, she figured.
But now, seeing these items and also getting a feel for this couple with the capable wife and craftsman husband who didn't talk much but gave off an educated, grounded vibe unlike her imagination of peasant farmers - Liang Huaying suddenly thought of something else. Wasn't there currently some Intangible Cultural Heritage application process going on in the city, along with recognition for Inheritors of Intangible Cultural Heritage? This man seemed like the perfect candidate!
Where else nowadays could you find such a legitimate master craftsman from this very city, whose work was so outstanding, and who himself made an upstanding, reliable impression that would look good promoted?
If the application went through, they could get a discounted storefront with an exhibition-like nature next to the city museum, with very affordable rent and high profile.
Liang Huaying thought to herself as she organized her language to tell this couple about this matter.
Sheng Juanhua and Su Youfu listened in bewilderment. It was just about selling things, yet it was also connected to culture.
At this time, Zhou Meiling from the Cultural Palace was calling Xiao Qi.
She was so surprised to receive a box of YueLan lipstick. This brand had not yet been sold in Lüshan City, and buying it online did not seem reliable. YueLan products looked nice in every way, and were also quite expensive. Although she was not short on money, she still felt a bit reluctant to buy a whole set.
She herself had a lipstick collecting obsession. She did not expect that brat Xiao Qi would know her so well, giving her a whole set.
Xiao Qi went to school. She paid a lot of attention to this student, knowing from the beginning that she had broken records in the marathon. She did not expect to receive such a valuable gift.
They usually exchanged WeChat messages and calls from time to time, maintaining contact, almost like old friends.
She accepted this gift feeling reassured. It was from her own student, not asking her for any favors, fair and aboveboard. She had even bragged about it to her husband several times, making him jealous.
Zhou Meiling did not think as much as Ms. Liang did, about needing to help Xiao Qi return the favor. She casually asked, and Xiao Qi talked about her parents' situation. Zhou Meiling did not take it to heart either.
She did not expect that Liang Huaying was a practical person. After lunch, she took the couple to sign up, going to the Cultural Palace, as it was said the registration was there.
As it turned out, the staff said it was a bit late to register. Liang Huaying asked them to make an exception, and was about to stuff them money, when she happened to run into Zhou Meiling who rarely had to work weekends overtime. Zhou Meiling curiously asked, they chatted, and it turned out the other party was Xiao Qi’s parents.
No need to stuff money. As soon as the staff heard it was Vice Director Zhou’s friend, they immediately signed them up, even carefully taking pictures of the things Su Youfu brought and uploading them, writing up information.
Things went smoothly beyond imagination.
Su Youfu felt that he had always been a somewhat unlucky person all his life. Things that others could easily accomplish required much more difficulty for him.
Yet he did not expect his luck today would be so good, not to mention meeting a patron, everything went smoothly, feeling as if the times were changing, as if he was not the same as before.
When Su Youfu woke up in the morning, he felt full of energy.
It was sunny outside. Last night, he had felt a little scared when his daughter said the morgue was next door, and he had felt uneasy. But now, looking out the window, there was a tree and birds chirping, and the sunshine had come out too, which made him feel the weather was very nice.
In the past, on rainy days, his legs would still hurt a little, but this morning, he felt much better right when he woke up, and his legs didn't hurt at all - he felt very relaxed.
Sheng Juanhua got up, washed up and got ready, but didn't make breakfast since it was very cramped here and she didn't know where she could cook. She went out and bought some breakfast food in a very casual manner. After all, they were staying at little aunt Xiao Qi's place, and it wasn't good to have little aunt Xiao Qi prepare food for them again.
The two of them ate breakfast from the city in the room - soy milk, fried dough sticks, steamed buns. It was a little unusual, since breakfast at home was usually rice or porridge, mostly rice because they had to go do farm work after breakfast, and porridge wasn't filling enough, let alone things like soy milk.
But this morning Su Youfu felt very spirited, and the breakfast also tasted pretty good.
After the two of them finished eating and cleaned up, Su Youfu listened to his wife and changed into the clothes Xiao Qi had sent them.
The Chinese-style clothes, pants and cloth shoes fit very well unexpectedly.
After putting them on, he felt very spirited, and when he sat there you couldn't tell he was disabled.
The outfit looked very sophisticated, with a kind of indescribable temperament. Anyway, it was different from usual - the fit was very nice.
Sheng Juanhua had thought her husband wearing this outfit might look like a landlord's long-term farmhand or something. She didn't expect that after putting it on, while she wouldn't say he looked like a landlord, he had the air of a shop owner - he didn't look like a junior clerk at least.
His shoulders were broad, he looked spirited himself, and the tailoring of the clothes and pants was very sharp.
Her daughter had spent a lot, over 7000-8000 yuan, on this set of Chinese-style clothes. Xiao Qi herself wouldn't spend that much on her own clothes, but for her parents she always wanted the best.
Sheng Juanhua was dressed very breezily. She had a sturdy build and was tall, so bodycon A-line skirts would have actually suited her very well, paired with close-fitting knit tops on top. But with a daughter her age, she was shy to wear skirts, so she wore pants today - khaki pants, paired with a shirt on top. Under the shirt she wore a thin camisole. Her outfit looked quite capable.
The khaki pants paired with the slightly dark red shirt, against her fair skin and with her small bag on her back, looked well-coordinated.
Sheng Juanhua didn't have much artistic sense when it came to outfits, but she had good intuition when choosing clothes for herself. She was born with sensitivity for color schemes.
Her outfit today looked very harmonious and capable, as well as good-looking.
The couple went out together, earlier than the agreed-upon time. At the barbershop outside the hospital entrance, Su Youfu got a haircut.
His hair had gotten quite long, with a lot of white hair that he normally didn't take care of.
The barbershop at the hospital entrance charged over twice as much as the village, 20 yuan versus 5 yuan in the village. But in the city, it was considered very affordable. More upscale boutique salons would charge at least 50-60 yuan for a haircut.
The city barbers were much better than the village ones. Sheng Juanhua felt it was worth 20 yuan. Her husband looked more spirited after the haircut, though the white hair was even more noticeable now. But nowadays some young men deliberately dyed their hair grayish white.
At 11 o'clock sharp, Sheng Juanhua and Su Youfu arrived at Tianyuan Restaurant.
Liang Huaying had chosen a mid-range restaurant with a nice environment and semi-private rooms suitable for chatting. She was worried that choosing somewhere too high-end would make Xiao Qi's parents uncomfortable.
In her mind, Xiao Qi's parents were peasants from Gumula Village. Xiao Qi's mother was probably quite good-looking when she was young, otherwise she couldn't have given birth to someone like Xiao Qi. But after all they were peasants, and Gumula Village was famously destitute. She had mentally prepared herself that even if she saw a very shabby-looking rural couple, she wouldn't look down on them. After all, regardless of their current state, they had given birth to such an outstanding daughter, so their future couldn't be too awful.
As a result, when this couple walked in, Liang Huaying was so stunned that she almost wondered if they had come to the wrong place.
A very refined middle-aged man in Chinese clothing, with an air of dignity. An extremely tall and spirited woman, dressed very properly and carrying a Chloé bag, wearing small red high heels.
Looking at the woman's face, you could see the resemblance to Xiao Qi and understand why Xiao Qi was so beautiful - she took after her mother. And on closer inspection, the graceful middle-aged man walked with a slight limp.
Liang Huaying stood up with a warm smile. "You must be Xiao Qi's parents? Please, come in and sit down!"
Sheng Juanhua took in the woman at first glance by her outfit - wearing a floral shirtdress, if not for the faint crows feet, she could have passed for 28 years old with her pointed stiletto heels in off-white, fluffy permed hair casually tied up, with a shiny accessory in her hair band.
There were traces of subtle makeup on her face, and her nicely shaped eyebrows were likely tattooed.
Overall, she gave the air of a sophisticated, confident city lady of good means, carrying a generous handbag.
On her wrist there was a flashy silver watch, very tasteful.
Su Youfu felt somewhat nervous. He rarely interacted with women like this, let alone such fashionable city women.
He was never good at making small talk to begin with, so occasions like this made him even more tongue-tied.
Sheng Juanhua spoke first, her voice bright and cheerful. "You must be Ms. Liang. I'm Xiao Qi's mother, Sheng Juanhua. Please call me Xiao Sheng. This is Xiao Qi's father, Su Youfu. Please call him Lao Su."
Liang Huaying ushered them to their seats, saying: "You're too kind. I'm a bit younger than you two. Please just call me by my name, Huaying. I'll call you Sister Sheng, Brother Su."
After they sat down, Liang Huaying ordered over some tea and snacks like melon seeds.
Su Youfu and Sheng Juanhua were still somewhat reserved. To be honest, they rarely interacted with such candid people.
They felt this Miss Liang they met today seemed much more reliable than the son of Shushu (paternal uncle), who claimed his business was worth tens of millions. There was a clear contrast when compared to the woman before them now.
Miss Liang gave off an air of being extremely capable and efficient - a strong, successful woman.
Almost at first glance, she had planted the seed of a role model in Sheng Juanhua's mind, as if suddenly she had found something to aspire towards - to become like the woman before her eyes would be wonderful.
So bold, so imposing, so candid!
"We just want to open a small shop, doesn't need to be at a prime location, the rent doesn't need to be too expensive. My husband's craftsmanship is pretty good, so we were thinking of selling some things like this. We don't expect to make big money, just enough to cover the shop rent and make ends meet."
After a couple sips of the tea, Sheng Juanhua eagerly spoke about their needs and hopes right away. Mainly because she felt the other woman was very formidable, she addressed things directly.
For his part, Su Youfu took out some of the small fine handicraft items he had made that were so exquisite he normally couldn't bear to sell them, and arranged them on the table.
There were small nest-shaped bamboo baskets, flat bamboo baskets, bags, and extremely intricate, vivid bamboo animal figurines. They were truly delicate and pleasing to the eye.
Liang Huaying had intended to help them from the start. But now, seeing these items, her eyes lit up in real delight.
She picked them up and examined them closely one by one. They were very well-made, and she even felt a personal desire to buy one of each herself.
She wouldn't have imagined bamboo could be crafted into such intricate, delicate things with a sense of style.
The bamboo felt smooth to the touch, with a pronounced artisanal vibe.
Whether used to hold flowers around the home or carry items, they seemed fitting for a range of purposes - or simply pleasing on their own merits if left out for display.
Bamboo carried a sense of history and tradition.
As Liang Huaying looked over these items, her quick mind spun thinking about the optimal place for them to be sold. She had been thinking to lease out one of the many storefronts she owned to Xiao Qi's parents for a small rental fee, for them to open a little shop. That should work fine, she figured.
But now, seeing these items and also getting a feel for this couple with the capable wife and craftsman husband who didn't talk much but gave off an educated, grounded vibe unlike her imagination of peasant farmers - Liang Huaying suddenly thought of something else. Wasn't there currently some Intangible Cultural Heritage application process going on in the city, along with recognition for Inheritors of Intangible Cultural Heritage? This man seemed like the perfect candidate!
Where else nowadays could you find such a legitimate master craftsman from this very city, whose work was so outstanding, and who himself made an upstanding, reliable impression that would look good promoted?
If the application went through, they could get a discounted storefront with an exhibition-like nature next to the city museum, with very affordable rent and high profile.
Liang Huaying thought to herself as she organized her language to tell this couple about this matter.
Sheng Juanhua and Su Youfu listened in bewilderment. It was just about selling things, yet it was also connected to culture.
At this time, Zhou Meiling from the Cultural Palace was calling Xiao Qi.
She was so surprised to receive a box of YueLan lipstick. This brand had not yet been sold in Lüshan City, and buying it online did not seem reliable. YueLan products looked nice in every way, and were also quite expensive. Although she was not short on money, she still felt a bit reluctant to buy a whole set.
She herself had a lipstick collecting obsession. She did not expect that brat Xiao Qi would know her so well, giving her a whole set.
Xiao Qi went to school. She paid a lot of attention to this student, knowing from the beginning that she had broken records in the marathon. She did not expect to receive such a valuable gift.
They usually exchanged WeChat messages and calls from time to time, maintaining contact, almost like old friends.
She accepted this gift feeling reassured. It was from her own student, not asking her for any favors, fair and aboveboard. She had even bragged about it to her husband several times, making him jealous.
Zhou Meiling did not think as much as Ms. Liang did, about needing to help Xiao Qi return the favor. She casually asked, and Xiao Qi talked about her parents' situation. Zhou Meiling did not take it to heart either.
She did not expect that Liang Huaying was a practical person. After lunch, she took the couple to sign up, going to the Cultural Palace, as it was said the registration was there.
As it turned out, the staff said it was a bit late to register. Liang Huaying asked them to make an exception, and was about to stuff them money, when she happened to run into Zhou Meiling who rarely had to work weekends overtime. Zhou Meiling curiously asked, they chatted, and it turned out the other party was Xiao Qi’s parents.
No need to stuff money. As soon as the staff heard it was Vice Director Zhou’s friend, they immediately signed them up, even carefully taking pictures of the things Su Youfu brought and uploading them, writing up information.
Things went smoothly beyond imagination.
Su Youfu felt that he had always been a somewhat unlucky person all his life. Things that others could easily accomplish required much more difficulty for him.
Yet he did not expect his luck today would be so good, not to mention meeting a patron, everything went smoothly, feeling as if the times were changing, as if he was not the same as before.
