"I originally wanted to prepare something for Xiaoman, but now that I'm spending money, it's all Jin family's money, and I'm afraid others will be unhappy..." Yan Susu said weakly.
She couldn't understand why her husband was so concerned about the child she had with another man.
However, this did not stop her from taking the opportunity to sow discord among her son's rivals.
The children Mr. Jin had with his ex-wives all had their eyes glued to Mr. and Mrs. Jin, as if they were afraid that they would steal all of the Jin family's money.
Jiang Xiaoman was, after all, the child she had before she married into the Jin family. It was perfectly justifiable for her to give Cheng Jie gifts, but if the money was spent on unrelated people, those people would definitely go to President Jin and speak ill of her.
Yan Susu is only average in other areas, but she has quite a talent for palace intrigue.
"Forget it, don't worry about it. I'll have someone send it over."
Jin Yonghua was somewhat disappointed in Yan Susu.
Yan Susu was indeed very obedient and always behaved herself in front of him, but she lacked the demeanor that a matriarch should have.
Jin Yonghua was worried that if he entrusted this matter to Yan Susu, what if the things she sent to Langshan were different for Chengjie and Xiaoman? In that case, their relationship would not be maintained, and instead, it would create a rift between the two brothers...
Jin Yonghua grew angrier the more he thought about it. He used to think that marrying a slightly stupid wife would make her easier to control, but when it came to actually needing someone's help, his wife's stupidity was enough to drive him crazy!
Although he had never met Jiang Xiaoman, based on the things he had investigated, he could tell that Xiaoman was very well-educated by her adoptive father. She was smart, hardworking, kind, grateful, and filial to her elders. If Yan Susu was really smart, she would have made sure that Chengjie got along well with Jiang Xiaoman.
Xiaoman is a child who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. She may still resent Yan Susu, her biological mother, but she will never take her anger out on Chengjie.
Cheng Jie has no siblings. If he can develop feelings for Jiang Xiaoman, wouldn't he have an extra helper in the future?
Seeing Yan Susu's expression, as if she wished Cheng Jie and Jiang Xiaoman would stay far away from each other and never see each other again, President Jin was really driven crazy by his wife's stupidity.
Fortunately, even though his wife made a foolish mistake, there was still hope for his son.
Jin Yonghua took the time to call Jin Chengjie and told him to stay in Langshan and try to achieve some results on the project before coming back.
“I think Xiaoman is good at business. You should learn from him more often. Don’t listen to your mother’s nonsense! You are brothers from the same mother after all. If you don’t believe him, who will you believe?”
Mr. Jin tried hard to brainwash his son, hoping he would make a name for himself in Langshan. Little did he know, his son was about to give him a grandson...
Two days later, the Jin family sent a car over. In addition to delivering things to Jin Chengjie and Jiang Xiaoman, they also sent a designer to assist them in designing spring/autumn and winter school uniforms for Langshan Elementary School.
The Jin Yan Group's extravagant purchase of all the school uniforms for all students throughout the year left Jiang Baichuan somewhat puzzled. Could it be that Mrs. Jin had finally had a change of heart?
"I think it's because Mr. Jin saw our promotional plan and wants to get involved in the school uniform industry."
Jiang Xiaoman did not believe that Yan Susu had already seized control of the Jinyan Group's decision-making power.
He felt that this must have been Jin Zong's doing.
Don't be fooled by the fact that school uniforms aren't as expensive as Jin Yan's mid-to-high-end fashion brands. The number of primary and secondary school students in China is huge! Even if they only secure the qualification to supply school uniforms to primary and secondary schools in one province, it's still a considerable profit.
After all, adults can buy fewer clothes, but would children dare not wear school uniforms to school?
The designer sent by the Jin family was a middle-aged woman with black-rimmed glasses; you could tell from her eye bags that she was definitely a seasoned night owl!
Ji Huanhuan has been working at Jinyan Design Department for almost ten years, dedicating almost her entire youth to Jinyan. This time, President Jin sent her here, which is a good thing for Jiang Xiaoman, whether it is because he values the new project or his son Jin Chengjie.
It's not that he's obsessed with "famous designers," but a senior designer does have more say in the company, and no leader can arbitrarily change her design drafts.
Jiang Xiaoman does have her own ideas about the design of the new school uniform.
"Sister Huanhuan, as you know, Langshan is a famous old revolutionary base area in China, so I think it would be best to incorporate the Chinese red, which is represented by the national flag, into the school uniform color scheme."
"There is also our Langshan embroidery. Many people may not know that the embroidery in different parts of Langshan actually has subtle differences, especially for several major surnames. Their ancestors worshipped totems, and the patterns embroidered on their clothes are mostly tribal totems and auspicious patterns."
“I see… No wonder I always felt that the style of your Langshan embroidery was not very consistent. If it’s because the totem worship of different tribes is different, then it makes sense.” Ji Huanhuan suddenly realized.
However, Jiang Xiaoman only knew the general idea of this totem worship. She needed to consult professionals to learn the specifics and what the different patterns represented.
So, where is this professional?
Jiang Xia, a "professional," is currently packing up and on his way back.
Jiang Xiaoman had only called him to ask for advice and didn't dare to disturb Jiang Xia's pursuit of her idol.
After all, his last post was about going abroad with film star Jiang Yuan.
But I never expected Jiangxia to be so generous. When he heard that they wanted to promote Langshan embroidery, he actually traveled all the way back from abroad!
At this moment, Jiang Xiaoman thought that it wouldn't be bad if their new priestess was Jiang Xia.
To Jiang Xiaoman's astonishment, Jiang Xia returned with a large number of bags and even asked for the phone number of the contractor who had built his house, saying he wanted to repair it.
So, you're not following your favorite movie star anymore?
"Am I not a native of Langshan? What's wrong with returning to one's roots?" Jiang Xia said angrily.
Huh? Why does this sound like a die-hard fan has been hurt and is leaving the fandom?
Jiang Xiaoman was secretly surprised and dared not provoke Jiang Xia again, as he still needed Jiang Jiwu.
Jiangxia's return has been a great help in designing the school uniforms for Langshan Elementary School. Despite his seemingly carefree attitude, he is very knowledgeable about the totem culture of the various tribes in Langshan in earlier years.
With Jiang Xia's assistance, Ji Huanhuan quickly produced the first draft of the spring and autumn school uniform design.
Because most children in the mountains have to walk along mountain paths to get to school, Ji Huanhuan changed the most commonly used white fabric of the school uniform to bright red. The upper left corner is decorated with a white auspicious cloud pattern surrounding the four artistic characters "Langshan Primary School". The back of the shirt is decorated with the five-petaled wild gardenia, which is the most common flower in Langshan. Different auspicious totems are drawn on the five petals, representing kindness, diligence, courage, loyalty and eagerness to learn.
It is said that these are the totems of the five most populous tribes in Langshan before the founding of the People's Republic of China. They were often embroidered on clothes. Now Ji Huanhuan has used them on her school uniform. Against the backdrop of red and white flowers, they look perfectly natural and even carry a hint of historical significance and the mystery of the mountain people's culture.
"Great! It looks good! I think it looks better than those foreign school uniforms sold online." Jiang Baichuan was very satisfied after looking at the design draft.
Jin Yan truly lives up to its reputation as a national brand rooted in China. In terms of school uniform design, in addition to conforming to local culture, it also avoids the flashy decorations of foreign school uniforms. The few embellishments on the school uniforms are also very practical.
Tear off the auspicious cloud pattern in the upper left corner to reveal a blank writing area. Here you can write the child's name, parents' phone number, or even blood type to quickly find the child's personal information in case they get lost or encounter any accidents.
The trousers have two pockets, one open and the other decorated with a zipper. When the zipper is closed, you can put some spare change inside so it won't easily fall out.
To Jiang Baichuan's surprise, after rolling up the trousers, there were actually two straps with buttons on the inner leg, which could turn the trousers into shorts!
"Spring and autumn can be quite hot sometimes. If the children are too hot after PE class, they can roll up their trouser legs to make shorts, which will prevent them from getting heat rash."
Ji Huanhuan is also a mother. Her child is in the third grade of elementary school. What she hates most is the school uniform. Not only is the quality bad, but the fabric is also not breathable. In the fall, the child often gets heat rash all over his body. She is so angry that she wants to buy a little doll and stab those merchants to death!
So when the group leaders asked for help designing school uniforms, others lost interest as soon as they heard it was a charity event. But Ji Huanhuan volunteered without hesitation. Since the group was paying for it anyway, and it was a charity project, there was no need to worry too much about profits. The fabric used wasn't anything expensive, but it was comfortable and breathable.
As for whether it is wear-resistant?
Just kidding! The group plans to donate school uniforms to Langshan Primary School every year. Why would the fabric need to be so sturdy?
If the uniforms don't wear out until next year, what excuse will the group have to donate new school uniforms to schools?
Since the principal had agreed, Ji Huanhuan immediately took the school uniform design drafts back to the company so that the new school uniforms for Langshan Elementary School could be made before the holiday.
The car that came to pick up Ji Huanhuan also delivered the things that President Jin had given to his son and Jiang Xiaoman on the way.
In addition to some food and drinks, each person also received a laptop and two sets of high-end sportswear from Jinyan.
Mr. Kim's assistant also spoke very eloquently.
"The chairman said that the young master is spoiled at home. If he does anything wrong, Mr. Jiang, as his older brother, should punish him without hesitation."
Jin Chengjie shrank back and surprisingly did not refute his assistant.
The assistant had been by President Jin's side for many years and knew this pampered young master better than his own child. He was slightly surprised to see him so honest, but his attention was quickly diverted by Jiang Xiaoman's return gift.
When guests arrive with particularly valuable gifts, the mountain people will not let them leave empty-handed.
Moreover, the person who gave the gift might be his own mother who abandoned him.
Jiang Xiaoman simply couldn't believe that these things were a gift from President Jin. Who would treat their wife's child with another man so well?
That laptop alone costs 20,000 yuan!
He assumed that Yan Susu had sent these things using President Jin's name.
What? You can't acknowledge him as your son, so you want to make up for it with material things?
Although Jiang Xiaoman didn't want to acknowledge this woman, her behavior still annoyed him.
Jiang Youliang thought so too, but he felt a little guilty because he didn't want to give Xiaoman to his biological mother. So, he also planned to make up for Yan Susu's lack of material things.
The father and son took down the two largest hams in their house from the kitchen rafters.
She also brought out several bottles of this year's newly harvested royal jelly, local honey, and smoked wild rabbit and pheasant that others had given her, filling several woven bags with all sorts of things. The assistant's eyes started twitching at the sight.
He had been with President Jin for so many years, and this was the first time he had ever received such a simple and unpretentious gift.
Because he was so shocked by the return gift, the assistant successfully missed the guilty look on Young Master Jin's face.
His dad gave him a new computer, clearly hoping he'd get a good job in Langshan, but... but he'd already fallen in love!
The mountain girl is generous and enthusiastic, and Jin Chengjie's appearance is top-notch, even in Langshan.
Moreover, he also has the family shortcoming that the mother and daughter of the mountain sparrow most wanted to make up for: his height!
The mother and daughter looked Jin Chengjie up and down a few times as he visited for the first time, and were quite satisfied with his height.
Shan Yun, the mother of the titmouse, also specifically instructed her daughter: This man is good, hold on to him, and have two more children!
Poor young master Jin thought his mother-in-law coveted the Jin family's wealth, but little did he know that she only coveted his genes.
By the time Shan Yan discovered that his cousin had found a husband and was living with her, Shan Que was already pregnant.
Shan Yan was so angry that he almost attacked Jin Chengjie, but Jiang Xiaoman and Jiang Yu held him back on either side.
Shan Yan didn't dare to be fierce with Xiao Yu, so he could only glare at Jiang Xiaoman fiercely: "Are you also biased towards your brother?"
Jiang Xiaoman rolled her eyes, thinking to herself, "What kind of brother is he to me?"
Besides, he might not even look at his adopted brother.
"Can you calm down? Get this straight. It's obvious that your aunt and Shanque want to have a child while they're still young. Xiaoman's younger brother is handsome and tall. Hasn't your aunt been saying she wants to find Shanque a tall man?"
Shan Yan was stunned.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a little guilty and didn't dare to look at Jiang Xiaoman's face.
My cousin toyed with Jiang Xiaoman's younger brother's feelings and doesn't even plan to get a marriage certificate or take responsibility. Sigh... As a family member, I feel a bit ashamed.
Chapter 241
At Turtle Ridge, in the mountain village, watching the mother and daughter overjoyed after confirming their pregnancy, Jin Chengjie felt uneasy and guilty.
The mountain girl was enthusiastic and proactive; how could a womanizer like Jin Chengjie possibly resist her?
What's more, Tit was a type of girl he had never met before.