The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 334: Chapter 334: Finding Closure

Wu Lingling spoke as she worked, using a small pair of scissors to snip loose threads from the clothes. Then the items moved to the next step: re-ironing, attaching tags, and repackaging according to size.

The fabric and styles of these clothes were already good, and after being packaged so carefully, they were completely transformed.

Because of Wu Lingling’s generosity, the ten women on her staff were incredibly meticulous. What could have been considered merely mid-range clothing immediately became high-end apparel.

The collection featured new pieces from many brands, all slightly modified to be stylish, attractive, and in line with Chinese tastes.

Wu Lingling priced the clothes at just seventy percent of what they would cost in department stores. With a membership card, they were effectively half the price of other high-end garments.

The four saleswomen she hired were beautiful and elegant, with fair skin and tall, slender figures.

”Today’s our grand opening! We need to keep smiling and provide great service! No matter who comes into the shop, treat them with courtesy.”

”Yes, Boss!” The work environment was great. Although the base salary was average, the commission was high.

For a salesperson, the commission is often more important than the base salary.

As long as the boss paid out commissions as promised, they could often earn more from them than from their salary.

Two of the saleswomen stood at the entrance handing out flyers, while Wu Lingling and the other two stayed inside the shop.

By 10 AM, more and more people were filling the mall.

The grand opening, with its many discounts, certainly drew in a crowd.

It was the weekend, so Wu Cuicui came by with her daughter in a stroller, planning to buy a few outfits to support her sister’s new business.

What a coincidence—Han Xiaorui had also come over with Han Xiaoqing, Pingping, and An’an.

Liang Xiaoyu, who was earning good money now and enjoyed looking stylish, could certainly afford to buy a few nice outfits for herself.

Wu Lingling was about to greet them, but Han Xiaorui waved her away.

”Go on, you’re busy! Have someone else help us. Otherwise, people will think we’re plants.”

Wu Lingling paused, then smiled. ”Alright then, just don’t blame me for neglecting you!”

”You have so many customers, go take care of them,” Wu Cuicui said with a smile. ”We’re practically family; no one’s going to think you’re neglecting us.”

Following a salesperson’s recommendation, Wu Cuicui signed up for a membership card and bought two outfits.

Since Wu Lingling was beautiful, it was no surprise that her older sister, Wu Cuicui, was as well.

How else would she have caught the eye of the handsome Yang Jianguo?

Han Xiaorui and Han Xiaoqing each bought two outfits, while Liang Xiaoyu picked out a trench coat perfect for spring and fall.

It fit perfectly, and the style was fantastic.

Han Xiaorui and Han Xiaoqing had the perfect figures for clothes. After changing, they came out to admire themselves in the mirror, turning this way and that.

When other customers saw how great the clothes looked on Han Xiaorui and Han Xiaoqing and noticed the high quality, they realized the prices were a real bargain compared to other stores.

With a membership card, you already got a 30% discount. But to celebrate the grand opening, there was an additional discount, meaning you could get clothes for 50% off the original price.

This was a huge draw for many people.

Many of the items were sold as coordinated outfits, personally styled by the fashion-conscious Wu Lingling herself.

Not only were the pairings sensible, they were also very stylish. At a glance, the outfits looked incredibly expensive!

Many people struggle to coordinate their own outfits and often feel like something isn’t quite right when they put them on.

As a result, most customers put their trust in the store’s styled sets, buying an entire outfit at once.

Fortunately, most people these days weren’t overweight—some were even on the slimmer side—so all they needed was a well-coordinated outfit.

Seeing that her sister’s business was booming, Wu Cuicui finally felt relieved and left with her child.

”Feeling reassured now?” Han Xiaorui asked with a smile.

Wu Cuicui nodded with a smile. ”Lingling’s grand opening went so smoothly. We really have you to thank for that!”

”Don’t thank me! Lingling is very capable on her own. Now that she’s doing what she does best, of course she’ll succeed.”

”The support from the Yao Family for this venture also shows they’re serious about Yao Ziqian’s pursuit of Lingling.”

Wu Cuicui was even happier to hear that. ”Yao Ziqian has been coming to our house a lot lately, and from our conversations, he seems like a wonderful young man.”

”As long as he’s willing to settle down in Shencheng and build a life with Lingling, we wouldn’t mind even if he didn’t earn any money.”

At noon, Han Xiaorui treated everyone to lunch in the city before they all headed home.

As soon as she returned, Han Xiaorui saw a minivan parked by her door.

Pingping and An’an had sharp eyes. ”Mom, Sister Jiaojiao is back!”

Han Xiaorui saw her too and hurried over. ”Jiaojiao, why are you alone? Where’s Yaoyao?”

”Yaoyao took my mom and our younger brother and sister back home,” Wu Jiao said with a smile as she unloaded her things. ”I was worried about Pingping and An’an, so I came straight over!”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”You really didn’t have to rush. Pingping and An’an are easy to look after these days!”

”No way,” Wu Jiao said, shaking her head. ”You have to manage everything, both at home and outside. It’s too much for you!”

”Oh, right, are your brother and sister planning on coming here?” Han Xiaorui asked.

”Yaoyao is taking our sister back to transfer her official residency,” Wu Jiao replied with a smile. ”Once that’s done, she’ll bring her here for school.”

”My younger brother isn’t coming for the time being. He has his martial arts training, and his master and senior brothers are all back home.”

”My mom doesn’t want to leave my dad’s grave. She feels that if we all left, there’d be no one to burn offerings and incense for him. We’ll see what happens when my younger brother is older.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Alright. Whatever you all decide, I’ll respect your choice.”

Wu Jiao said gratefully, ”Thank you, Sister Xiao Rui. It was because of you and Ye Feng that we were able to go see our older brother.”

”All these years, my mom missed my older brother so much she often had sleepless nights. After having a good cry at his grave this year, she’s finally found some peace.”

”When she saw that my brother was buried in a grand, solemn martyrs’ cemetery, where he is honored, praised, and will be remembered forever, she felt it was all worth it. That he hadn’t died in vain.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”A hero’s grave can be found on any green hill. Your brother and all those martyrs will live on forever.”

”Don’t just go this year. Go again next year. You should try to take your mother to visit him every year.”

”Yes!” Wu Jiao nodded, looking much more at ease. ”Ever since we paid our respects to my brother, I’ve gained a new sense of clarity. I’ve started to love life more and to cherish the family and friends I have.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”I know exactly what you mean. I can’t speak for anyone else, but ever since Ye Feng visited the graves of his comrades, he’s been sleeping much better at night.”

”Previously, the slightest sound would wake him. Even worse, he’d sometimes lie awake in the middle of the night, completely overwhelmed by anxiety.”

”I used to suggest he see a therapist, but now it seems he never needed one. He just missed his comrades and needed to go see them.”

Wu Jiao’s eyes grew a little red. ”Yaoyao and I were fine, but my mom was just like Ye Feng. She missed my brother so much this year that she’d lie awake all night thinking about him.”

”After visiting my brother’s grave, we went back to our guesthouse. That night, after dinner, my mom slept soundly through the entire night. When she woke up the next morning, she said my brother had even come to see her in a dream.”

”Her mind is at ease, her appetite is back, and she has so much more energy than before. She used to only ever have this sad, forced smile on her face, but now, she can finally smile for real!”