The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 211 - 210: Getting an Outfit, Attending the Banquet
The debate competition began shortly. Several hundred people were seated in the audience, including the teachers in the front rows.
As expected, Wei Yuyang knew more than just the languages they usually studied. The opposing team spoke in Korean, and right from the start, Wei Yuyang began quietly translating for Xue Yue and the others.
Unexpectedly, the first person from their group to speak was Meng Ye. Her words were sharp as she spoke fluent English, even weaving in a few sentences of Italian.
Sure enough, the other team seemed a bit stunned, likely because they didn’t fully understand. However, some teachers in the audience were applauding.
Students from other groups also stood up to offer rebuttals.
This was finally Xue Yue’s chance to shine.
Her fluent Russian was exhilarating to listen to.
The debate went on for over an hour. At first, Xue Yue was nervous, but by the end, she was rebutting the opposing team the moment they finished speaking.
In the end, their team won, and it was a stunning victory.
All the students and teachers present stood up and applauded them. Even the usually stern Ji Cheng revealed a satisfied smile.
Hearing the announcement that their team had won first place and would represent the school to assist the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xue Yue happily grabbed Meng Ye’s arm.
She only realized what she’d done a moment later. Turning to look, she saw that Meng Ye didn’t seem angry, and the cold expression on her face had softened.
Xue Yue stuck out her tongue playfully and let go. Only then did Meng Ye let out a sigh of relief.
Ji Cheng told them that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was holding a banquet and a ball the next evening, which meant they needed to dress up in formal attire.
When Xue Yue got home from school, she happily told Mr. and Mrs. He the news.
"That’s wonderful news! You go ahead, we’ll take care of things at home," Mrs. He said.
"I’ll probably be back very late tomorrow, so you don’t have to wait up for me."
Mrs. He nodded. "Alright. Be safe."
The school gave them a day off to get their outfits ready.
Xue Yue went to her shop, but there were no formal dresses there, and she had never worn one before.
After she explained the situation, Guan Wenwen said, "How about I go with you to the Friendship Store to buy one? They sell formal dresses there."
Xue Yue thought for a moment. "Okay."
However, since she didn’t have any foreign exchange certificates, Xue Yue took Guan Wenwen to her brother’s place first.
Xue Xingzhou raised an eyebrow. "Going to a banquet at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? My, my, my little sister has really made something of herself."
Xue Yue tilted her head, giving her brother a smug look. "Of course! Not just anyone gets an opportunity like this."
Xue Xingzhou chuckled. "That’s certainly true."
In the end, Xue Xingzhou gave Xue Yue a stack of foreign exchange certificates. They were all from Zheng Guofeng’s work unit, which issued them to employees every month.
"What time does it end tomorrow night? He Lang isn’t home, so I’ll come pick you up."
"It starts at six, but I don’t know when it’ll end."
Xue Xingzhou nodded. "Alright, I get it. Don’t drink anything when you’re there."
"Mm."
Xue Yue and Guan Wenwen went to the Friendship Store together. On the second floor, they did indeed see many formal dresses, but Xue Yue felt they were too extravagant. They looked like the wedding gowns from movies, with huge skirts.
After looking around, Xue Yue still hadn’t found anything she liked. She was attending a ball, not getting married; there was no need for something so ostentatious. Besides, they were only there as translators. She wasn’t a fan of the style.
Guan Wenwen looked at Xue Yue. "What should we do? Don’t you need it urgently?"
Xue Yue thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you know if there are any shops nearby that sell qipaos?"
"I don’t know about nearby, but if we go a little further, there’s an old man in the alley near my house. His family has been making qipaos for generations. He should have some ready-made ones at home."
Xue Yue nodded. "Let’s go take a look."
They took a bus to the place Guan Wenwen mentioned. It was in a very narrow alley that would have been impossible to find without a guide.
The gate was half-open. They walked down a small path to a house in the back.
Guan Wenwen went up, knocked on the door, and called inside, "Is anyone home? Grandpa Zhang, are you there?"
With a CREAK, the door opened from the inside. An old man wearing reading glasses came out. He was dressed in a long blue robe made of coarse cloth. Seeing his attire, Xue Yue felt that this man definitely had some skill.
The old man adjusted his reading glasses and sized up Guan Wenwen. "Oh, it’s you, kiddo. Come on in."
Guan Wenwen glanced back at Xue Yue and led her into the house.
The moment she stepped inside, Xue Yue was stunned by the sight. The walls were covered with all sorts of qipaos. In a corner sat a sewing machine, along with some tailoring tools.
"Grandpa Zhang, we came today because we’d like to buy a qipao," Guan Wenwen said.
Mr. Zhang asked her, "Who’s it for?"
Xue Yue took a step forward. "It’s for me."
Mr. Zhang looked Xue Yue over and nodded. "Do you want to have one custom-made or buy one off the rack? The ready-made ones are all on the wall. If you want a custom one, you’ll have to wait a week."
"I need to wear it tonight, so I’ll buy a ready-made one," Xue Yue said.
Mr. Zhang pointed to the wall. "Take your pick. With your figure, you should be able to fit into any of them."
Xue Yue looked at the qipaos on the wall, thinking every single one was beautiful.
After agonizing over the choice for a long time, she picked a mid-length, lotus-root-pink qipao with a ruyi-shaped collar.
Back at her shop, she paired it with a pair of light-colored high heels.
Since it was October and the hot season was over, she wore a woolen coat over it.
Guan Wenwen advised her, "Boss, you’re already so pretty, you just need some light makeup. But if you’re wearing a qipao, you should probably do something with your hair."
"Mm," Xue Yue agreed. That’s what she was thinking too.
However, Xue Yue didn’t grab anything from the shop. She suddenly remembered the hairpin her mother had left her; that should work.
Around six in the afternoon, Xue Yue took the bus to the venue and saw Ji Cheng waiting outside. For a change, Ji Cheng was wearing a black suit. Seeing him like this, she realized their counselor was actually quite handsome. ’He must have been a real looker when he was younger,’ she thought.
He was the one leading their group this time as well.
"Counselor, you’re here early. Haven’t the other two arrived yet?"
Ji Cheng shook his head, then looked at Xue Yue. "Weren’t you all told to wear formal attire?"
Xue Yue patted her coat. "I am. It’s cold, isn’t it? I’ll take this off when I go inside. Has it started yet?"
Ji Cheng nodded. "It has, but the foreigners haven’t arrived yet. In a bit, I’ll take you to meet some people from the Ministry first."
Xue Yue nodded.
Before two minutes had passed, Meng Ye and Wei Yuyang arrived.
Wei Yuyang was in a white suit. ’Hmm, he looks good,’ Xue Yue thought, glancing at him briefly before averting her gaze. She then looked at Meng Ye, who was wearing a long black dress. With her short hair, she looked incredibly sharp.
Ji Cheng looked them over and nodded. "Alright, follow me inside. Everyone here today is a senior official, so watch what you say. And when you’re translating, listen very carefully. If you don’t hear something clearly, absolutely do not guess."
"Understood," they nodded.
Before entering, Xue Yue took off her coat, revealing the qipao underneath. Her hair was swept up and held in place at the back of her head with a golden hairpin. The sight was instantly stunning.
When Wei Yuyang saw Xue Yue’s outfit, his gaze faltered for a moment, but he couldn’t help but let his eyes linger on her.
Ji Cheng glanced at her. "Not bad."
