Chapter 144: Grand Opening
Upon hearing her daughter’s words, Ding Yuejun nodded with a smile and said, "Alright, we can open the store first, and then take things slowly afterwards."
Having made a decision, the mother and daughter moved quickly. After slightly arranging the small courtyard, they hung up an ancient-style plaque reading ’Junyue Clothing Store’.
On the opening day, Ding Yuejun was very low-key. She only invited Mo Xiaohong’s family and Mo Ping and Guo Ming. She didn’t inform anyone else. Beforehand, she had already talked to the owner of the small merchandise store and decided not to consign items there anymore. Now that they had their own clothing store, items would be sold there instead.
However, when Old Mrs. Jiang next door heard the sound of firecrackers, she also came over to offer her congratulations.
"Yue Jun, you’re really something. You didn’t even give me a heads up about today’s opening. It’s a good thing I came to take a look, otherwise, I wouldn’t have known your clothing store was opening today," Old Mrs. Jiang said while presenting a congratulatory gift.
"Aunt Jiang, you’re being too kind."
Old Mrs. Jiang smiled and said, "Just accept it. It’s just a small token to wish you prosperity."
"Thank you."
Seeing Old Mrs. Jiang’s kind smile, Ding Yuejun felt a bit touched.
After the firecrackers were set off and the rituals were completed, ’Junyue Clothing Store’ officially opened.
"Mom, congratulations. The clothing store will definitely bring in a lot of profits in the future," Mo Xiaohong happily said to Ding Yuejun. Their lives as a family of three were getting better and better and would surely continue to improve.
Zeng Jiahe also offered some congratulatory words and then stayed at the store to help by moving things around and cleaning up a bit.
After the opening ceremony ended, Ding Yuejun invited everyone to have a meal.
On this joyous occasion, Ding Yuejun was very happy, so she booked a big meal at a restaurant outside. Everyone ate lunch together in a lively and cheerful atmosphere. Afterwards, Mo Ping and Guo Ming returned to the pharmacy, and Mo Xiaohong’s family also went home, leaving just the mother and daughter, Yiyi, at the clothing store.
"Yiyi, you can go home. I can manage on my own here."
Yiyi quickly shook her head and said, "Mom, I’ll stay here with you. Besides, being here is the same as being at home."
"Then you can sit and read while I work on some embroidery."
"Sure."
The mother and daughter each had their own tasks to do, cherishing the tranquility, but soon this peace was disrupted by a knock at the door. Someone outside was asking, "Is anyone there?"
When Yiyi went to check, she found that it was Aunt Tang.
"Aunt Tang, what brings you here?"
Aunt Tang smiled and said, "Of course, I’m here to celebrate your store’s opening. It’s such a big event, but you didn’t say a word. Otherwise, I would have come to help." As she spoke, Aunt Tang entered the store, nodding approvingly when she saw the newly arranged display room, saying, "You’ve arranged this place nicely. The exquisite sample clothes catch the eye immediately."
Aunt Tang stepped closer to have a better look. When she noticed the exquisite embroidery on the clothes, she immediately fell in love with it. "Yue Jun, I want to order a long dress, just like this style."
Seeing Aunt Tang pointing at a pink-violet vase-patterned silk long dress, Ding Yuejun couldn’t help asking, "Aunt, do you really want to order this one?"
"Yes, I want this one," Aunt Tang confirmed.
Upon hearing Aunt Tang’s confirmation, Ding Yuejun felt a bit embarrassed and said, "For custom-made clothes, we usually require a fifty percent deposit first."
Aunt Tang responded generously, "No need for a deposit or anything. Just tell me how much this long dress costs, and I’ll pay right away."
Yiyi didn’t expect Granny Tang to be so supportive, but seeing that the old lady truly liked the long dress, she couldn’t help but smile, "Since Grandma likes it, my mom will definitely prioritize making it for you. Usually, a dress like this costs six hundred, but since today is our grand opening, we’ll give you a discount, so it will be five hundred."
The embroidery on the long dress was relatively simple, and while the fabric was nice, it wasn’t top-of-the-line, so it wasn’t too expensive, especially since Aunt Tang was such a caring neighbor, they naturally wanted to offer her a discount.
However, this price was already quite expensive for the current era, and they weren’t sure if Aunt Tang could accept it.
To their surprise, Aunt Tang cheerfully allowed Ding Yuejun to take her measurements and then paid the full six hundred, leaving without looking back, saying, "Since it’s six hundred, I can’t take such a big discount from you. I’ll come to pick up the dress in half a month, and for now, I’m heading back."
Watching Aunt Tang leave in such a hurry, Ding Yuejun couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.
Yiyi also found it a bit amusing, "Granny Tang really is supportive."
Seeing such kindness from their neighbor, Ding Yuejun’s eyes were full of warmth and smiling.
In the time that followed, Ding Yuejun diligently went to work tailoring the long dress for Aunt Tang.
Meanwhile, Yiyi sat on the side reading a book carefully. With only a few months left until the college entrance exams, she couldn’t afford to slack off.
As evening approached, Ding Yuejun put down her needle and thread and looked at her daughter, "Yiyi, let’s go home now. I’ll continue working on the dress tomorrow."
Yiyi put away her books and left with her mother, smiling as they headed home together.
However, since the next day was Monday, Yiyi went to school on time, and Ding Yuejun went to the clothing store to continue making clothes. In any case, the clothing store was now officially in business.
When Fei Erya saw Yiyi, she apologetically said, "Yiyi, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to Aunt Ding’s clothing store opening yesterday."
"Erya, your father was suddenly hospitalized, so of course, he’s more important," Yiyi, who had already heard about this from Fei Erya, didn’t mind at all and asked instead, "Erya, is your father feeling better?"
"My dad is much better now. He’ll be discharged tomorrow."
This time, Fei Zhangda had accidentally broken his leg, which required him to be hospitalized.
Yiyi nodded in response, "That’s good. However, since Uncle broke his leg, he’ll probably need to recuperate at home for a while, right?"
Speaking about this, Fei Erya looked at Yiyi a bit embarrassed and said, "Yiyi, my dad might need to recover for a month or two, so during this time, I might have to go back home at night. My mom can’t manage it all by herself."
"Erya, it’s okay on my end. You should go home at night and take good care of Uncle. But also take care of yourself and don’t wear yourself out. Aren’t your mom and your sister around to help too?"
Hearing Yiyi’s words, Fei Erya nodded hurriedly, "Okay, I’ll make sure to take care of myself."
Noticing the dark circles under Fei Erya’s eyes, Yiyi couldn’t help but shake her head. Erya definitely hadn’t been resting well, but Yiyi had said all she could, and it was up to Erya now.
The first class was Yang Liu’s English class. Recently, Yiyi’s English grades had significantly improved, and she could understand what the teacher was saying, making her even more attentive in class.
After the English class ended, Yang Liu found an opportunity to talk to Yiyi.
"Yiyi, after this semester ends, I’m going to be leaving Houshan Town."