Free Web NovelChapter 106: Chapter 106: Showing Off
Qin Shanshan returned after her classes on Friday, arriving home late in the evening without anyone noticing.
But early the next morning, she eagerly put on her school uniform and went out to show it off.
Qin Shanshan was already quite attractive, and the uniform accentuated her features, elevating her overall appearance by more than just a level or two.
From the moment she appeared at the entrance to the village, no one who saw her could look away.
"Is that Caihua?"
"A skirt! Shanshan is actually wearing a skirt!"
"She’s so stunning, I almost didn’t recognize her!"
The villagers all started to gossip, some with praise and others with criticism.
"How indecent! Shameless! Those pale legs of hers... Unbelievable!"
"She might as well not wear anything at all. Just take it all off..."
The ones voicing their objections were all women, their hearts filled with envy, jealousy, and hate.
Who doesn’t love beautiful things? The more viciously they scolded, the more they actually liked what they saw.
While some women continued to scold, most of the men simply stared, their eyes glued to her.
The uniform Su Li had designed wasn’t revealing at all. The skort reached her knees, making it even longer than a typical skirt. It was just that skirts were uncommon in the village, so people weren’t used to seeing them.
Qin Shanshan savored the attention. Whenever people asked about her clothes or she noticed them staring, she would explain, "This is our school uniform." frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
This was a source of pride for Qin Shanshan. Others couldn’t wear one even if they wanted to.
Since every household went out to work early in the morning, half the village had already run into her.
Who doesn’t love pretty clothes? All the young girls in the village came to marvel at the sight. Even those who normally wouldn’t speak to her started conversations with her one after another.
Qin Shanshan chatted and laughed with everyone, becoming the center of attention in the village.
Meanwhile, Su Li had also left her house.
She had meant to leave earlier, but something came up, so she got a slightly late start.
As she reached the old apricot tree in the center of the village, Su Li saw a circle of people laughing and talking.
Su Li shook her head to herself. ’Countless rumors start right here. This is the favorite gathering spot for all the village busybodies.’
Su Li had planned to walk right by, but it seemed the others weren’t going to let her.
"...Our principal had these uniforms custom-made. They’re one of a kind—you can’t even find them in the county. All the important officials came to take a look."
When Qin Shanshan saw Su Li approaching, her voice suddenly grew louder.
"There’s a huge gap between high school and middle school. It might seem like a small difference, but it’s actually massive. Even between different middle schools, the disparity can be enormous."
As she spoke, she called out to Su Li, who was walking past. "Isn’t that right, Teacher Su?"
She called her "Teacher Su," but her tone was strange, laced with mockery and contempt.
The moment she spoke, everyone turned to look at Su Li. Su Li stopped and faced Qin Shanshan.
Qin Shanshan’s hands tightened. She smiled and asked, "Teacher Su, did you have a school uniform back when you were in school?"
Su Li replied languidly, "No."
Qin Shanshan’s face brightened. She pointed to her own outfit. "This is my school uniform. What do you think, Teacher Su?"
Su Li: "..."
’How could the uniform *I* designed not be beautiful?’
Qin Shanshan pressed her relentlessly. "It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Everyone says so."
Her tone, her expression, her eyes... everything about her was unbearably smug.
Su Li’s lips twitched. "It’s beautiful."
’Qin Shanshan’s thick skin and mental fortitude are truly beyond those of an ordinary person.’
’The old saying about a centipede never falling over even in death must be about people like Qin Shanshan. To think she’d still have the gall to come up and talk to me.’
As it turned out, Qin Shanshan didn’t just have the gall to talk to Su Li—she could do so with a proud smile.
"I think it’s beautiful too. I love it, I really, really love it. Our principal said these uniforms are one of a kind! And the bookbag—I love this bookbag, too."
Qin Shanshan was positively beaming, smugly showing off her uniform and bookbag.
Su Li: "..."
Looking at the gloating Qin Shanshan, Su Li didn’t have the heart to tell her that the uniform and bookbag were both her own creations.
Su Li hesitated for a second, on the verge of speaking, but ultimately said nothing. She gave Qin Shanshan a cold glance and walked away.
’I don’t have time for her verbal sparring. Out of sight, out of mind!’
Seeing Su Li’s reaction, Qin Shanshan assumed she was jealous, envious, and utterly helpless. She was so thrilled her face flushed red.
’I finally put Su Li in her place! I finally got to look down on her!’
’So what if she’s a teacher? She can’t hide that rustic air about her. She’ll only ever have a middle-school education. She’ll never be my equal in this lifetime!’
’This elegant, beautiful uniform I’m wearing... Su Li can’t even dream of touching it. She’ll never, ever get to touch it!’
Watching Su Li’s retreating back, Qin Shanshan felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
Su Li truly didn’t understand Qin Shanshan’s mindset, nor did she have the time or energy to try.
She had a big business to attend to.
Principal Zhang was an excellent partner. The advertising he’d done was, simply put, incredible.
When people asked about the uniforms, Principal Zhang did exactly as he had promised Su Li. He spared no effort to justify the price and even advertised for her. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
On this trip to the county, Su Li planned to properly thank Principal Zhang.
Full of energy, Su Li walked at a brisk pace. She hurried along and managed to reach the county and find Principal Zhang by the afternoon.
She had only just met with him when another business deal landed right in her lap—the county’s middle school also wanted to order custom uniforms.
The number of students at Fengcheng Middle School was nearly double that of the high school.
There were over 550 students. The ninth graders were about to graduate, so they wouldn’t be ordering any, but uniforms needed to be prepared in advance for the incoming seventh graders.
After reviewing the middle school uniform designs that Su Li had perfected over this period, the principal of Fengcheng Middle School waved his hand and placed an order for six hundred sets at once.
Including the bookbag, each set cost nine yuan.
Su Li closed this major deal in record time. By the time she finished signing the contract, it was four in the afternoon.
"It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Principal."
"The pleasure is mine." The principal looked at Su Li, filled with emotion. "The new generation really does surpass the old. You young people have such bright futures."
"You’re too kind," Su Li replied humbly.
Striking while the iron was hot, Su Li thanked Principal Zhang, said her goodbyes, and, without even stopping to eat, headed straight for the county’s Number One Elementary School.
’I’m past the point of being hungry anyway,’ she thought. ’I’ll just wait and have dinner later.’
Phoenix City had two elementary schools, both with about the same number of students.
Su Li visited both elementary schools but only managed to secure a deal with one, adding another order for four hundred uniform sets to her list.
The elementary school uniforms were smaller. Including a smaller, custom cartoon bookbag, each set cost six yuan.
As the sun began to set, Su Li took these two large orders and hurried to their temporary office.
Li Hongqin and Yin Cuihua were already waiting for her. When they saw the two large orders, they were so impressed with Su Li they could have bowed down in worship.
"Su Li... I ordered the fabric from the mill," Yin Cuihua said. She had been under a lot of pressure but had gone ahead and ordered all the fabric she had picked out.
"Su Li, I’ve hired twenty people," Li Hongqin said. "I had them all sign their contracts with a fingerprint, with the village chief as a witness."
Li Hongqin handed a stack of contracts to Su Li. "I was worried I’d hired too many people, but it looks like I didn’t."
"Not too many. In fact, it’s not enough," Su Li said. "Li Family Village has a population of about a thousand, right?"
"That’s right. A lot of the younger girls and newlywed women wanted to work, but I didn’t dare commit," Li Hongqin said with a nod.
"You’ll have to step it up when you get back. We need to produce one thousand uniforms in the next three months."
Su Li took all the dividends she had brought back last time out of her pocket and placed the money on the table. "The business is getting bigger and costs are rising. We need to increase our investment."
