Qin He and Xu Wanwan were in the middle of a playful scuffle when she noticed Gu Ranran quietly peeling an orange to the side. Her brow furrowed, and this time she sensed something was truly amiss.
"Ranran, I'll be getting measurements taken tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?" Qin He invited.
Gu Ranran looked up at Qin He and, after a few seconds of silence, replied, "Okay."
Madam Gu, standing nearby, looked from Qin He to Ranran.
She understood her daughter's personality well. Gu Ranran felt she had wronged Qin He and was too embarrassed to say much.
Gu Ranran was like this; while she appeared overbearing, she had a hidden tendency to be a shrinking violet since childhood. When she felt she had deeply wronged Qin He, and an apology wasn't enough, she would subconsciously withdraw. This was one of Gu Ranran's significant flaws.
However, with Qin He around, Madam Gu optimistically believed her daughter's flaw could be managed.
Madam Gu and Ming Yuzhu finalized the date and then left in a hurry. She needed to return home to prepare for the engagement banquet and wedding ceremony. Preparing for two major events simultaneously required a lot of time, but the thought that her son's marriage would be settled in four months, and Qin He would be brought into the family, made Madam Gu feel it was all worth it. There was no better daughter-in-law in the world than Qin He; even if a princess from any country came calling now, she wouldn't consider it.
The next day.
Qin He received a call from Madam Gu early in the morning. Madam Gu's voice was cheerful and lively: "He'er, I've already spoken to Qi Chen and arranged for you to take the day off so you can get your measurements taken."
Qin He rubbed her sleepy eyes and moved the phone away from her ear, glancing at the time in the upper right corner. 5:40 AM! What kind of world was this? Were the emotions of middle-aged people this volatile?
Qin He brought the phone back to her ear. Madam Gu was still talking. "He'er, you won't be angry with me for taking leave for you without your permission, will you? Don't worry, this is just this once, and I won't interfere with you again."
Qin He let out a light laugh. Madam Gu was truly completely different from her former self. "No, Auntie, taking measurements was something we agreed on yesterday. It's just that this time... is it a bit early?"
Madam Gu on the other end chuckled, "Not early at all. Didn't you say yesterday you wanted Ranran to accompany you? I've already sent Ranran on her way. The old residence is quite far from the Qin family's home; it takes an hour to drive. After an hour, it will be 6:40. You two can have breakfast together at 6:40, and then head to the measurement place around 7:30. Nine o'clock is perfect. Hurry and get your measurements done, and I can send them to the client this morning."
Qin He agreed verbally, but in her mind, she recalled Xu Wanwan's question from yesterday, asking if Madam Gu had graduated with a degree in mathematics. She really should ask Gu Qi Chen about it someday. She continued to respond obediently, her mind still not fully awake.
After Madam Gu hung up, Qin He calculated the time. Since it would take Gu Ranran an hour to drive there, she still had at least forty minutes to sleep. Qin He flopped back onto the bed and slept.
Forty minutes later, Qin He was woken by her alarm. She was still very tired but forced herself to get out of bed. After washing up, Qin He put on some casual clothes and went downstairs. It was just for taking measurements today, no other important matters, so she didn't put on any makeup.
Within minutes of reaching downstairs, she heard the sound of a car stopping in the yard. Qin He checked the time; it was almost 7:00 AM. The sky was completely bright now. Gu Ranran got out of the car, and Qin He immediately went to the door: "Ranran's here, come and have breakfast!"
Gu Ranran blushed slightly when she saw Qin He. She responded obediently, "Okay."
Qin He looked at Gu Ranran with a hint of concern. Had Gu Ranran's personality completely changed?
The two sat down in the dining room. At this hour, no one in the Qin family was awake except Qin Yun, who woke up so early to go to the company. Qin Yun smiled, "It's rare for you to be up so early. Mom and Wanwan usually don't get up at this hour. I eat breakfast by myself every morning."
Qin He laughed. "Brother, why are you making yourself sound so pitiful?"
"Isn't it pitiful? Waking up early every morning, coming home late, working hard for our family," Qin Yun said with exaggerated drama. Qin He knew Qin Yun was just being playfully coy like a grown man. She personally picked up a steamed dumpling and placed it in Qin Yun's bowl: "Then you've truly worked hard, Brother. The good life I'm living now is all thanks to your efforts. I feel extremely fortunate." Her voice was melodious and a little sarcastic.
Qin Yun burst out laughing, "Naughty."
After the three of them finished breakfast, Gu Ranran was exceptionally quiet at the table. Whatever Qin He offered her, she ate. Qin He felt that something was seriously wrong. Had she truly scared Gu Ranran, the spoiled and domineering eldest daughter of the Gu family, into becoming as docile as a little chick?
After breakfast, Qin He took Gu Ranran out. Gu Ranran got into the car, and Qin He glanced at her, "It's such a long drive. Why didn't you bring a driver?" What she meant as a caring remark was met with Gu Ranran looking at her and blinking a few times, "Do you want a driver? I can call one over now."
"Never mind, I'll drive back," Qin He said with a smile.
The address Madam Gu had sent was in a very remote area, already part of Qingcheng's scenic region. Gu Ranran drove for an hour and a half, and that was with minimal traffic, before they arrived. The car stopped in front of a very antique Chinese garden.
Qin He knocked on the door and saw many bolts of fabric set up in the courtyard. The house directly opposite was wide open, with a row of electric sewing machines neatly arranged inside. Soon, someone came out to greet them. It was a very beautiful middle-aged woman, appearing to be around the same age as Madam Gu Ming Yuzhu.
"You must be the one introduced by Wang Yingzi, right? You're her daughter-in-law?"
Qin He smiled, "Yes." The woman smiled and led Qin He inside. The measurement process was very detailed, including arm circumference, bust, waist, thighs, and calves, all measured meticulously.
"Taking measurements is quite an art. Everyone's physique is different. For example, the back. If a person has a bit more flesh on their back, the tailoring needs to be adjusted accordingly. Otherwise, even if the overall measurements seem right, there will be wrinkles in the back when the clothes are worn, which looks very unsightly."
Qin He nodded. The woman looked at Gu Ranran beside her and smiled, "This must be Ranran, Yingzi's daughter. Your mother and I were classmates in college; we both studied garment cutting and design." Qin He thought to herself, so Madam Gu hadn't graduated with a degree in mathematics after all.