Chapter 158: Naivety, and the Unsettled Heart (Part Two)

**Recommendation: She’s a True Professional**

As Bian Changxi walked through the handicraft workshop, she watched the female workers, heads down and hands flying, their voices ringing out crisp and lively as they worked. She turned to Gu Xu and said, “You’re really impressive.”

Gu Xu replied without a hint of modesty, “Oh? How so?”

Bian Changxi smiled, “If we were walking down the street right now, do you know what I’d see? The men would all look worried and bitter, the women just as anxious and troubled. Those who are a bit more capable act like they own the place, ready to lash out at anyone who annoys them. Women with some looks either cling to the strong and act arrogant, or live in constant fear of being snatched away. Even the kids can’t rest easy—they’re out scavenging or begging, and the elderly are living in utter misery.”

She sighed. “But look at the people here—how fulfilled and secure they are.” They worked hard, smiles hard to hide, and even those with more reserved expressions exuded a quiet confidence, knowing they had a safety net.

There weren’t just women here, but also some child workers—diligent and clever, working with a sense of gratitude.

With a glimmer in her eyes, Bian Changxi looked at Gu Xu and said with admiration, “You haven’t just given these people jobs—you’ve given them hope for life.”

No wonder he wasn’t in a hurry to expand outward. With such a large group, so much negative emotion would have built up along the way. If you sent them out to fight before their attitudes and emotions were adjusted, it would be like building a skyscraper on an unstable foundation—the risks would be impossible to predict. So much crime and violence comes from this kind of anxiety and helplessness, leading people to lash out in brutal ways.

They say you have to secure your home before dealing with external threats. Gu Xu was clearly addressing the root of the problem, so future growth and strength would come naturally.

Gu Xu felt as if something inside him had been stirred.

His slow, methodical approach was something many people couldn’t understand. Many took the opportunity to stir up trouble, but he remained unmoved, because he didn’t want constant chaos and crime under his rule. He had many things to do, and what he needed was a stable environment. A logistics department without constant worries—better to lay a solid foundation now than to rely on bloody crackdowns later, and to foster a positive atmosphere from the start.

Besides, perhaps he really did want to provide these people with the best possible living environment.

He lowered his gaze to hide the emotion in his eyes, and said calmly, “The entire factory, including the security teams outside, has fewer than ten thousand people. If you count the outside workers we employ, the total number of people on payroll is only about twenty-five thousand. That’s not even a fraction of Jiangcheng’s population.”

“You can’t look at it that way,” Bian Changxi said, experienced and worldly. “These people all have families, right? It’s not like they’re all single. If you assume each worker supports two family members, then you’re actually supporting seventy-five thousand people. That’s no small number. And that’s not even counting the broader impact or your efforts in other areas.”

She gave him a look that said, “Boss Gu, you don’t need to be so modest.”

Gu Xu just smiled and shook his head.

He’d come today for other business, but decided to check in on things. Bian Changxi had insisted on touring the handicraft workshop—“You can see the whole from a single part,” she’d said. They didn’t alert the managers, just quietly walked through the corridors. At the last workshop, they heard the rhythmic clatter of sewing machines and the crisp sound of fabric being cut. A woman’s calm voice spoke up: “Tighten it a bit more here. Under the armpit—if it’s too loose, it’ll affect movement.”

“Liu-jie, this snakeskin is so tough, I’ve already broken two pairs of scissors. I’m just worried about cutting it wrong. If it’s too big, we can trim it, but if it’s too small, there’s no fixing it,” came a reluctant female voice.

“Let me take a look…”

Bian Changxi paused at the doorway.

The workshop wasn’t large—two worktables, two sewing machines, piles of fabric against the wall, and all sorts of odd materials hanging up. You could tell some were animal skins and feathers.

A woman, mature and intellectual in appearance, was bent over a worktable, using a tool to rip out stitches, then sketching lines with a pencil.

After finishing, she called out to a male worker, “Xiao Li, come here. You’re strong—cut along this line for me.”

Only then did she notice people at the door. Looking up, her expression immediately turned formal as she came out to greet them. “Captain Gu, I didn’t know you were coming—please, come in and have a seat.”

Everyone inside turned to look. They saw a man and a woman standing at the door—the man tall and handsome, the woman slender and elegant. Their presence seemed to brighten the whole workshop.

Everyone recognized Gu Xu, and even those who didn’t immediately know Bian Changxi could guess—any woman standing beside Gu Xu, unless she was the famous doctor, could only be her. In fact, Bian Changxi’s reputation was even greater than Gu Xu’s in some circles.

The workers were excited, putting down their tools and standing at attention, unable to hide their emotion. Gu Xu gestured for them to relax, then glanced at Bian Changxi, wondering why she’d stopped here.

Bian Changxi gave him a look that said, “Wait a moment,” then walked in with interest, examining the garment being altered. It was a vest, the outer layer made of python skin, cleaned and polished until it was smooth, with a silky white lining sewn inside. It was finely stitched so it wouldn’t scratch the skin, and the edges were finished with great care.

It was basically a finished piece—only the armholes were a bit large, and the new lines were just a few millimeters narrower.

She glanced at “Liu-jie,” who stood politely to the side, eyes lowered, not meeting anyone’s gaze. Bian Changxi felt a pang in her heart and said in a familiar tone, “Auntie Liu, you’re just as meticulous as ever.”

The woman started, looked up in surprise, and then her smile became more genuine. “Xiao Xi, you still remember Auntie Liu?”

“Of course. I have a good memory.”

“Heh, you were so little back then.”

Bian Changxi lowered her voice. “I saw you at my parents’ funeral, too.”

Auntie Liu flinched again, her eyes turning melancholy. “It’s been so many years.”

Bian Changxi raised her voice again, “Are you still working in clothing, Auntie Liu?”

“Yes, I don’t really know how to do anything else,” she said calmly. “But it’s not bad—having a skill is still a way out. Some of my old colleagues, with all their talent, have had to do manual labor instead.” And even those jobs were hard to get, she added with a bitter smile, bowing slightly to Gu Xu in gratitude before turning back to Bian Changxi. “How are you doing now?”

“How could I not be? My name’s pretty well known these days.”

“Fame comes with its own troubles, and obscurity has its perks,” Auntie Liu shook her head. “Just take care of yourself, that’s all.”

When Bian Changxi left the workshop, she couldn’t say whether she felt heavy or relieved. She volunteered, “Auntie Liu’s full name is Liu Xiangjie. She was classmates with my parents in high school and college. She visited our house a few times when I was little. I used to dislike her, because every time she left, my parents would have a cold war for days. I even secretly discussed with Bian Kuang whether she had a crush on my dad.” She laughed at the memory, then continued, “She’s a very dedicated and professional clothing designer, absolutely obsessed with tailoring and making clothes. She hates using connections, is indifferent to fame, and never fights for anything, so her career has always been rocky. But she’s never anxious—she’s happy as long as she can design and make clothes.”

Gu Xu nodded. “I could tell.”

She’d even pretended not to recognize Bian Changxi just now. If Bian Changxi hadn’t spoken up, she would have kept up the act.

Gu Xu recalled what he’d just learned. “She used to have a small clothing shop on Dongqing Road, but business wasn’t good. Should I…”

There was also the Xu family’s clothing store on Dongqing Road—Xu Qingyang, Bian Kuang’s friend, ran it. They’d been the top clothing business in Jiangcheng, and even here, they were leaders in the industry. Naturally, Liu Xiangjie’s business had been squeezed out.

Bian Changxi knew this well—she’d even worked at Liu Xiangjie’s shop for a couple of days in her previous life.

Back then, she was down and out, having just arrived at the base, surviving for days on two white cores given by a kind person. She’d found the Bian family, but things hadn’t improved much—she had a place to sleep, but still had to figure out food, water, and clothing herself, or else go hungry and wear rags.

Her wood ability hadn’t recovered yet, and she was desperately researching the green core Bian Kuang had given her, while also looking for work. She ended up on Dongqing Road, where Auntie Liu’s shop was hiring an assistant—meals included, no lodging, one first-level white core every three days. That was a decent wage, so there were plenty of applicants, many with relevant experience, but she was the one chosen.

At the time, she didn’t connect this Auntie Liu with the one from her childhood—they’d only met a few times. She just thought the lady boss was kind and easygoing. Even though all she could do was measure fabric and hand over tools, not only did Auntie Liu not mind, she even gave her a raise.

But she only worked there for two days—her wood ability was starting to recover, and she realized that a fixed salary wouldn’t get her far. The Bian family knew what she was doing and how much she earned, so she couldn’t keep any money. She quit the stable job and started taking mercenary missions, embarking on a dangerous but lucrative path.

Later, she realized who Auntie Liu really was, and that she’d made an exception to “pull strings” for her.

It might have seemed like a small thing, but Bian Changxi remembered it for a long time. She’d wanted to repay her for ages, but never found the right opportunity.

She smiled. “I really do want to help her, but if I did it the usual way, she’d probably resent me for it. Remember those iron dogs from yesterday? I collected all their corpses—their materials must be valuable, especially the skins. You don’t have any skilled tailors yet, right? I recommend Liu Xiangjie.”

Gu Xu understood. “But we have to put her through the proper assessment.”

“Test her however you want—she’s a true professional.”

Thanks to anna0626 for the peace charm!

Thanks to aquazl for the pink ticket!