When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds-Chapter 28: Tingting 26

This left Han Guangzhi feeling rather inadequate in front of Han Tingting. He thought the whole situation was rather pointless. Since Han Tingting wasn’t close to him, he figured he wouldn’t be able to benefit from her good fortune in the future anyway.

’Besides, she’s so young but already knows how to plan for her future. She’s got her whole life mapped out, and it’s clear her father isn’t part of it. So why should I go out of my way to curry favor?’

Having come to this conclusion, Han Guangzhi didn’t want to stay in his hometown any longer. On the fourth day after his arrival, he started making arrangements to leave. Of course, Tan You had no intention of asking him to stay. Before the group had even left the house, Tan You was already whispering with Han Cunming.

"It just so happens I have tomorrow off. I’ll bring back a couple of nice side dishes for you when I get home in the evening."

"I’ll make you some old duck soup tomorrow..."

Han Cunming beamed. "Oh, that’s wonderful! I’ve been craving your cooking."

Han Guangzhi’s heart sank as he listened. He hadn’t accomplished a single thing he’d set out to do on this trip back home. ’And what does she mean she has tomorrow off? Does that imply that if we had stayed, she would have kept going to work at the factory every day?’

Li Xiaomei was also left with a bitter taste in her mouth. She had known Han Tingting didn’t like her from the moment they first met. ’Among all the stepmothers and stepdaughters she’d ever seen, how many of them actually had a good relationship?’

’But even if their relationships were bad, they’d at least be polite to each other on the surface. Her stepdaughter, on the other hand, treated her like the plague and refused to get anywhere near her.’

’And then there was the old man. Her son was his grandson too, but he wouldn’t even spare the boy a single glance. It was as if her son wasn’t a part of the Han family at all, with all of his attention focused solely on Han Tingting.’

Regardless of what Han Guangzhi and Li Xiaomei thought, Tan You and Han Cunming were happy. The next day, Tan You took her day off and specially made two hearty dishes to cheer up the old man.

Han Guangzhi’s visit these past few days had really stifled him.

After lunch, the old man was contentedly sprawled on the living room couch, while Tan You frowned at a pile of clothes. The neighborhood aunties had been too generous, and Tan You had accumulated a lot of clothes over the summer, most of which were in near-new condition.

It would be a waste to throw them out, so Tan You thought about altering them.

Han Cunming said with his eyes half-closed, "If you can’t wear them, just use them for practice. We can’t afford good fabric, so start by practicing on these clothes. You’ve always been clever; you’ll get the hang of it with a little practice."

Tan You squinted back. "I know. Grandpa always says I’m smart, diligent, and hardworking."

"Of course," Han Cunming said. "The family values you, and you value yourself. That way, you won’t be easily deceived by a few sweet words from others. When you value yourself, others won’t dare to treat you as anything less."

He had taken the words of the boarding house landlady to heart. He was counting on Han Tingting to take care of him in his old age; how could he let some outsider easily trick her and take her away?

Tan You mulled over his words and slowly got lost in thought. In her real life, she had been a very ordinary girl. She hadn’t seen much of the world and hadn’t met many people.

But after coming to this world, Tan You had seen so much in other people. It made her realize it wasn’t that her old self had been a bad person, but rather that she hadn’t been surrounded by good people.

"Your factory director is quite generous, huh? Letting you bring home a sewing machine that looks this new?" Han Cunming glanced at a sewing machine by the window. It was the industrial type commonly used in clothing factories, one that would cost at least two or three thousand yuan.

Tan You snapped out of her daze. "This is one of the machines the factory was getting rid of. You should see the new ones; this one is a far cry from those. But I’m not picky. As long as it works, it’s fine."

"It didn’t cost much, anyway. The machine was just sitting in a warehouse gathering dust. If I want to learn fashion design, I need to master the craft."

’At that moment, Tan You was thinking that if she learned to make her own clothes, she wouldn’t need Cheng Wenhui to buy so many for her when she eventually went back. She had a lot of unworn clothes at home too; she could just alter them herself.’

The original Han Tingting had worked in the clothing factory for over a decade, and Tan You had spent the last few days gradually absorbing all of those memories. So, while her movements were a bit rusty when she first started using the sewing machine, she quickly became more and more proficient.

Han Cunming said, "See? I told you you were smart. You got the hang of the sewing machine right away. In the old days, a master would have to teach you step-by-step."

Tan You practiced on some fabric scraps. "Mhm. It seems I’m the best in Grandpa’s eyes."

"Of course you are," Han Cunming said proudly.

The grandfather and granddaughter chatted idly as Tan You fussed with the pieces of fabric she had cut out. As evening approached, Tan You finally finished making a polo shirt.

Han Cunming found it fascinating. "Not bad! I can’t quite put my finger on what’s so good about it, but it just looks different."

Tan You pursed her lips. "It’s mainly the tailoring. Want to try it on?"

She had made it to fit Han Cunming’s figure perfectly. He was a ready-made model; how could Tan You pass up the opportunity? Besides, the old man just rotated between the same two undershirts all day, and he was too frugal to let her buy him new ones.

Han Cunming was overjoyed. "Alright! Let me see my granddaughter’s handiwork!"

He changed into the shirt Tan You had made right there in the main room, then went to a mirror to get a good look. "Not bad! It looks sharp!"

Tan You smiled. "I’m glad you like it. I’ll make a couple more. This one has a few small flaws, but the next ones will be better."

Now that the prototype was done, the rest went much faster. Summer clothes were quick to make anyway, and by nine o’clock, a pile of five or six polo shirts had stacked up beside Han Cunming.

The old man was ecstatic. "I never thought I’d see the day I’d be spoiled for choice! Girls really are more thoughtful. That useless father of yours didn’t even buy me a single shirt when he came back."

Tan You pursed her lips. "I’ll make them for you from now on. When I have money, I’ll buy nice fabric and make you styles you can’t find anywhere in the market, I promise."

Han Cunming’s heart swelled with joy at her words. "Then I’ll be waiting. My granddaughter is the truly filial one."

The old man didn’t even let Tan You rinse the new clothes. He ignored the late hour and washed them all himself by the well, hanging them up to dry so he could be sure to wear one the next morning.

Tan You didn’t stop him; it was good for an old man to stay active. But as she looked at the leftover fabric scraps, she grew troubled. ’What on earth should I give to Mr. Qin and the others?’

’How about a suit? Thinking of the male leads in sharp suits she’d seen in idol dramas through Han Tingting’s memories, Tan You’s eyes lit up. She loved that kind of crisp, well-tailored suit.’ 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

’A suit...’ Tan You’s head drooped, thumping against the sewing machine. ’That’s way too difficult. Maybe I should ask my master tomorrow? I wonder if he knows how to make a suit.’

"A suit? For your teacher?" Master Hu heard Tan You’s question as soon as he arrived at work. He slid his reading glasses down his nose and peered at her over the rims.

"Mhm. I thought a handmade gift would be more sincere," Tan You nodded. "Unfortunately, I’ve never read any books on suit design, so I don’t know where to begin."