Chapter 54: To Spring

Before the New Year, Wang Jiexiang received her salary along with fifty yuan as a New Year bonus.

The business at the seafood factory still showed no signs of improving, and the boss told her not to come back after the holidays.

Earlier, she had already prepared herself mentally for this, but the older sister who taught her how to knit sweaters was reluctant to see her go.

“Why won’t I be able to see you anymore? Your sweater still isn’t finished.”

Wang Jiexiang gave her a hug and comforted her in return.

“I’m almost done, just a little flower left. Even if I’m not working here anymore, I can still come visit you. We’ll have the chance to meet again.”

Speaking of that little flower.

Originally, Wang Jiexiang planned to knit the flower directly into the sweater like her mother did for the sweater she made for her, changing the color of the yarn in the middle to add the flower.

But that approach seemed complicated, and she worried that Yin Xian might not like wearing a sweater with flowers on it.

In the end, she decided to knit the flower separately and sew it onto the sweater.

“Have you thought about where you’re going to work next?” The older sister knew a little about Wang Jiexiang’s family situation. Losing this job would make her life even harder.

“I saw a restaurant nearby looking for dishwashers, offering daily wages…”

Wang Jiexiang truly hadn’t found a good solution and didn’t elaborate further.

The first snow fell on New Year’s Eve.

At that time, Wang Jiexiang, wearing plastic gloves, was squatting in the kitchen of a restaurant. The noise around her was deafening as she scrubbed a mountain of dishes.

Yin Xian was working overtime at the lighting company, rushing to go over documents and check proposals. The bowl of instant noodles on the table had been there for some time, and he hurriedly took a few sips of the cold soup.

After the New Year countdown, fireworks bloomed in the sky above the city.

Wang Jiexiang looked out the kitchen window at the sky, and Yin Xian looked out from the office building. It was only then that they realized it was snowing.

In the silver, swirling snow, brilliant fireworks shot up into the sky.

The fireworks reached their peak, bursting into scattered, sparkling stars; then, with a silent fall, the ashes drifted down like snowflakes.

They both gazed at the night sky, watching others celebrate the New Year, and simultaneously thought of each other’s faces.

Yin Xian smiled and lowered his head, returning to his work.

Wang Jiexiang sniffled and continued scrubbing the remaining dishes.

On the morning of the first day of the New Year.

Yin Xian finally received his new sweater from Wang Jiexiang.

The sweater was a special smoky blue color.

It was neatly folded and placed beside his pillow.

A note was placed on the sweater, with Wang Jiexiang’s round and chubby handwriting:

【For my dearest Yin Xian: This is the sweater I knitted myself. Wishing you a Happy New Year.】

After reading those words, he sat up, took the sweater in his hands, and unfolded it carefully.

The sweater was a round-neck, long-sleeve style, soft and comfortable to the touch.

He ran his fingers over every inch of the sweater, unable to imagine that it was knitted by her, the stitches were so neat and even.

When his finger touched the hem of the sweater, he felt a small raised bump. Turning the hem over, Yin Xian saw a small yellow-white pom-pom flower made of yarn.

Just then, Wang Jiexiang walked back into the room.

Seeing him awake and looking at the sweater she had made, she immediately felt embarrassed.

“If you don’t like the flower, you can cut it off.”

She awkwardly scratched her head, reluctantly admitting that adding a 3D flower inside the sweater felt a bit out of place.

“What kind of flower is this?” he asked.

Wang Jiexiang smiled without answering.

Next time they had a chance to meet, she’d show him the flower, and then tell him the name.

“Try it on,” she said.

Yin Xian agreed.

Without taking off his pajamas, he slipped the sweater over his clothes.

“…”

Seeing him struggle to put it on, she came over to help him.

The sweater fit, but it wasn’t quite right. It was supposed to be loose-fitting, but it clung tightly to his body. The neckline was too small, and the sleeves were a little too short.

“It’s because I’m wearing clothes underneath.”

Yin Xian took off the sweater, unbuttoned his pajamas.

When he put the sweater back on, the same issues persisted.

Wang Jiexiang sighed.

“No, the sleeves are too short.”

She cursed herself inwardly for being so careless—she had thought of this and that, but hadn’t measured the most important thing: the size.

“Take it off. I’ll fix it and make it a bit bigger.”

“No need.”

Yin Xian tugged at the sleeves, trying to create the illusion that it fit better.

“It’s fine. After wearing and washing it, it’ll stretch out.”

“Ugh, how can you wear this?”

She walked over with a frown and started helping him take off the sweater.

“It’s wearable.”

He hugged her, lifting her slightly.

Wang Jiexiang looked up at him.

Yin Xian patted her head and said softly, “Thank you.”

She blinked and smiled again.

“Alright, the flower? Do you want me to cut it off?”

He shook his head.

Wang Jiexiang’s heart settled, and she hugged him back, gently shaking him from side to side.

Throughout the entire winter, Yin Xian wore that sweater almost every day.

He wore it under his coat, over his shirt; when working overtime, feeling frustrated, or lacking motivation, he developed a habit: he would lift the hem of the sweater to look at the little flower hidden inside.

However, contrary to what Yin Xian had said, the sweater didn’t grow bigger after wearing and washing it.

The more it was washed, the smaller it became, until eventually, he could no longer fit into it.

After taking off the warm sweater and switching to light spring clothes, they held hands and stepped together into spring.

Yin Xian’s outstanding abilities and hard work were noticed by everyone at the company. In the new year, he was promoted to Engineer, and his salary tripled.

Wang Jiexiang and the older sister from the seafood factory kept in touch. The older sister’s daughter worked at a department store selling clothes and told her that the cosmetics counter was hiring. The older sister passed on this news to Wang Jiexiang.

“At my age and with my looks, I can’t sell cosmetics. You could try the interview. Maybe you’ll get the job.”

The older sister’s words made Wang Jiexiang seriously consider it. Working at a department store meant a nice environment, good pay, and regular hours.

What she was doing now—washing dishes—was only needed when business was good, and both the work and income were unstable.

“I don’t wear makeup, and I don’t know anything about skincare or brands. Do you think they’d hire me?”

The older sister glanced at her plain face, unsure of the answer.

“Think about it. There’s an opportunity.”

In the evening, when Yin Xian came home, Wang Jiexiang discussed it with him, and he believed she should give the interview a try.

“You’ve had experience selling oil, and you did a good job. Selling cosmetics is the same—it’s just selling things.”

She pouted. “How are these two things the same? Besides, I’m not confident when dealing with people.”

Yin Xian had heard about her previous experiences.

He clearly knew that she preferred physical labor for payment, that her nature wasn’t suited for being shrewd, and that she could easily be taken advantage of when interacting with people.

Encouraging her would only make her lack confidence more, so instead, he said, “If you don’t go for the interview, you’ll keep working at the restaurant; if the interview doesn’t go well, you can return to the restaurant. The best outcome is to get the job, but if it doesn’t work out, you lose nothing.”

Wang Jiexiang was immediately convinced by Yin Xian’s words.

The next day, she asked the restaurant for a few hours off and went to the department store for the interview.

As soon as she entered the department store, Wang Jiexiang urgently needed to use the bathroom. The bright lights, the large white marble tiles, and the expensive fragrance drifting from the cosmetics counter… She had been in City for several years, but this was her first time in a department store.

The person interviewing her was a slender female manager.

There was no designated interview space, so they stood face-to-face in the cosmetics sales area.

The manager asked questions that were unrelated to her background, education, or personal information. Instead, she presented various scenarios and asked how Wang Jiexiang would handle them.

After Wang Jiexiang answered, the manager neither nodded nor shook her head, offering no feedback on her answers and simply moved on to the next question.

Such an indifferent interviewer made the candidate uncomfortable, causing her to start questioning her own answers and become anxious.

Wang Jiexiang handled it well thanks to her boyfriend, Yin Xian.

Whenever she and Yin Xian had disagreements, she would often talk while he stood silently, expressionless. Over time, Wang Jiexiang had developed a speaking style that didn’t require much feedback. She didn’t know what he thought; she just focused on expressing her own opinions.

Maintaining a calm demeanor and a friendly smile, she responded well to the serious-faced manager.

Once the last question was asked, the manager asked for her phone number, saying she’d be notified of the result by text. Wang Jiexiang didn’t have a phone, so she gave Yin Xian’s number.

Three days later, at noon.

While she was washing dishes at the restaurant, the boss’s wife called for her, saying her boyfriend was looking for her.

Wang Jiexiang removed her gloves, puzzled. Shouldn’t Yin Xian be at his company at this hour?

She ran out to find him standing in the lobby.

Yin Xian seemed to have run there, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

“What happened?” Her heart raced.

He handed her his phone.

“Tomorrow, you start working at the department store.”

Wang Jiexiang stared wide-eyed.

She took the phone and read the message offering her the job, repeating “That’s great” twice.

Still wearing the soapy apron, she grabbed Yin Xian’s hand, jumping up and down.

“I’ll quit after work today.”

He smiled. “Silly, no need to wait until after work.”