Chapter 143: Making Bags
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Su Wen filled Zhou Hengyang with disgust; it was why the words written behind the photo enraged him so much. Yet, for reasons inexplicable, he tucked the small photo in his wallet as he left the house in the morning.
Even now, Zhou Hengyang could not understand why he had done so.
It was food for thought. He fished out the photo and stared at the words written on the back. Was this Su Wen’s true personality?
“What are you looking at? You haven’t moved since I left!” Liu Chun asked as he stepped into his friend’s office.
Zhou Hengyang stowed the photo back in his wallet with a deft hand. “It’s nothing. I’m going back for a while.”
“Where to? Are you going home? It’s been a while since you did. You’ve been in the capital for so long, but you’ve never visited home, have you?” It was something Liu Chun had always been wondering about. The last time he had met Hengyang’s sister, he had been too shy to introduce himself. Perhaps this was an opportunity?
Whenever Liu Chun thought of dropping in, he shuddered at the possibility of what Hengyang’s sister would ask: ‘Why won’t Hengyang come home?’ Hence, he never mustered the courage to do more than fantasize.
“No, I’m heading to Clear Water County.” Zhou Hengyang paused. “Su Wen’s caused some trouble, and I’m returning to deal with it.” Sun Dahai and Old Man Sun were vicious people Su Wen could not handle.
While he and Su Wen were still married, and she was not with Zhao Jiangang, he would protect and care for her as was his duty.
Liu Chun bounced excitedly when he heard Zhou Hengyang’s plans.
“Sister-in-law? Trouble? What did she do?”
“She broke someone’s arm,” Zhou Hengyang said softly.
Liu Chun was speechless. Was his sister-in-law that ferocious?
He had long heard that Clear Water County was the home of coarse, boorish folk who populated the poor, mountainous regions and turbulent rivers. They were hardy people. Still, Liu Chun could not reconcile the image with that of his beautiful sister-in-law.
Liu Chun’s good impression of Su Wen grew. At the same time, he could not help but feel jealous of Hengyang’s good luck. To think he would encounter such a prime opportunity to be a live-in son-in-law.
Su Wen did not let Su Qing go to the tailor’s place because the situation at home was too chaotic for her liking. She told her sisters to stay home in case the Sun family took advantage of her absence to exact vengeance.
She may not have feared the Sun family, but she still had to look out for her younger siblings.
The downside was that she could not bake cakes at home – they had insufficient raw ingredients. With the atmosphere in the village at a boiling point, no one would buy her cakes, so it was not a good time to sell them either.
Su Wen decided to wait till the storm passed.
Since she had nothing to do, Su Wen took an afternoon nap. By the time she got up, it was almost three in the afternoon, so she had Su Qing and Little Sister help her bring out all the leather she had bought from He Changming. It was time she dealt with it.
Tanning the leather took up the rest of the afternoon. She even set aside some time to experiment with a few dyes and their effects on the leather. The results were promising.
A few pieces she had been experimenting with came out rather well. Su Wen was particularly happy with the vibrant shade of red that had taken a few tries to get right. It took a while, and she had to dye the leather several times, but the end product was well worth the effort.
Su Wen told herself that she would buy more materials and better tools if she had a chance to visit the provincial capital.
The sisters had congee for dinner, with a side of pickled vegetables and a light stir fry. The food was simple but delicious, perfect for the hot weather they were experiencing.
After dinner, Su Wen took advantage of the clear skies and the pale light of dusk to cut and stencil the treated leather. It was for the bag she was hoping to make.
‘I’ll test it out and see if the effects are good. If they are, I can start selling them…’
Her bags were handmade out of good quality leather, which would fetch a high price.
Su Wen had never intended to take the route of mass-produced products – her aim was the luxury market!
“Big Sister, what are you doing with so much leather?” Little Sister Su squatted in front of Su Wen, her hands cupping her chin as she asked. “You’ve been busy all afternoon! People have come by to ask you out, but you refused all of them.”
Little Sister Su found it strange how her older sister had not gone out to have fun in a long time. She used to love going out all the time.
“I heard someone from Canter village is putting up a movie.. Aren’t you going to have a look?”