The growth system comes at the age of 30

Chapter 227 My Mom Isn't Home Today (5K)

For rural families, owning a car can at least provide shelter from the wind and rain.

No more hitching a ride with other people, and no more braving the freezing winter wind to ride a small electric scooter to visit relatives.

The brand, whether it's a new car or a used car, are secondary.

Of course, if you have the money to buy a new car, it's even better to buy a luxury brand.

Only those who come from rural areas and have lived in the countryside know that rural areas are not necessarily simple and honest; what is simple and honest is the people. There are too many snobs, and sometimes you really need a car to speak for you.

A widely circulated saying online goes, "The Mercedes-Benz isn't just a symbol; it represents the backs that parents have been unable to straighten for years." In the context of rural areas, this actually makes some sense.

If you drive an entry-level 34C, people might think you're a bit of a show-off; if you drive a 56E worth over 40, your gatherings with family and friends will be harmonious; if you drive a 78S, the car emblem will silence all gossip.

Chen Jingle doesn't care about other people's opinions or views; if he doesn't like something, he just ignores it.

The problem is that his parents might not be able to do it.

My parents are the kind of people who care a lot about what others think, and they are not very determined. Often, if others say a few words, their ideas will start to waver.

Chen Jingle, on the other hand, was used to observing everything with a detached eye.

However, as long as people are still bound by family ties, it is impossible for them to live entirely according to their own will; they will more or less need to consider the thoughts of other family members.

An entry-level BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Audi is just right for him and his parents—neither too flashy nor too understated.

Liu Yuehua doesn't know much about cars, but she has heard of brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi. Sitting in the passenger seat, she happily touched this and that, feeling that the car looked good no matter how she looked at it, and it was comfortable to sit in.

"It must be very expensive, right?" she couldn't help but ask.

Chen Jingle replied with a smile, "It's not expensive. With the fierce competition from domestic new energy vehicles in the market, these foreign brands and joint ventures have to drastically reduce their prices, otherwise no one will buy them. It's a good deal to buy one now."

"No matter how cheap it is, it's still an Audi; it can't be discounted by half."

My mom sighed, feeling a little heartbroken that buying a car would cost so much money.

However, considering that his son could afford it, he was very pleased.

Chen Jingle smiled and said, "Who cares about the price? A car is for driving, not for showing off. Having a car at home makes it convenient to go anywhere. In the future, if I want to go out for fun, I can just buckle up and set off. My activity radius can be expanded from 15 kilometers to 150 kilometers. If I have enough time, I can go further to the provincial capital or Nanning."

My mother nodded repeatedly: "It's indeed convenient for travel. Going to the provincial capital or Nanning is too far. On weekdays or holidays, it's fine to just wander around and have fun in the surrounding area."

"It's a bit far, but there aren't many tourist attractions in Jiangbei. At most, you can eat and drink, and if you add the surrounding cities, it's barely acceptable. The provincial capital is different; the food and entertainment are much better than in Jiangbei. When Dad comes back, we'll go out and explore together," Chen Jingle said with a smile.

My mom kept saying "yes," her face beaming.

Well, over the past few years, I've witnessed my family's life getting better day by day, which has given me more confidence.

It's clear that this confidence comes from her child.

For parents, is there anything more gratifying than seeing their child succeed?
……

Fasten your seatbelts, let's go!

Chen Jingle's driving skills are beyond question. Even if he can't compare to professional race car drivers, he is better than many veteran drivers with decades of experience. He is both fast and steady.

In just over ten minutes, we arrived at my uncle's house.

"It's definitely much faster than riding an electric scooter, and you don't get dizzy sitting down, plus you don't even need to wear a mask." That's what Mom is most satisfied with.

The car smelled nice; I don't know if it was perfume or air freshener.

She didn't really understand, she just knew it smelled nice, not too strong or too weak, just right.

Chen Jingle replied with a smile, "Yes, that's why we didn't choose the tram, because we took that into consideration."

The regenerative braking system on trams is really unpleasant for people who get motion sickness.

The person who designed this feature certainly didn't consider the feelings of people prone to motion sickness.

After parking the car and getting out, I saw my uncle smiling and coming to greet me.

Chen Jingle took out the gift he had prepared from the trunk, and there was another round of polite exchanges.

Today isn't a big holiday; it's just that my mom hasn't seen her siblings in a long time, so we all came together for a meal.

Therefore, apart from my uncle and aunt, no one else in my maternal uncle's family was home.

My aunts haven't arrived yet, and my uncle has to wait until he gets off work at noon.

Chen Jingle's family always arrives early.

My uncle said, "Look, it's so much more convenient to have a car. It only takes about ten minutes to get there. You don't have to ride a small electric scooter and have your face hurt from the cold wind."

Mom smiled broadly: "Yes, that's what everyone says."

Uncle: "Now that we have a car, and the house we have is pretty good, all we're missing is a partner. We need to work on that."

Liu Yuehua smiled but remained silent.

She thought of the hair she found on the rocking chair yesterday, and felt a mix of anticipation and fear that it might be a misunderstanding.

Well, let's see what our son thinks.

Chen Jingle listened from the side, could only manage a forced smile, and sighed inwardly.

He knew that this topic would always come up at family and friends gatherings, and even if he got married someday, they would still say that he was missing a son and urge him to have one soon.

They're always urging me, it never ends.

He quickly said, "I won't stay here any longer. The studio has been incredibly busy lately. Uncle, I'll be going now. I'll come back to pick up my mom this afternoon."

My uncle asked in surprise, "Are you that busy? Why don't you come over for lunch?"

"No, no, I'll just grab something quick for lunch. Mom, I'll come pick you up this afternoon."

After saying that, Chen Jingle quickly ran away.

His uncle couldn't help but grumble a few words from behind, but compared to being surrounded and tortured by everyone at lunchtime, he would rather be nagged a few words now.

……

Chen Jingle's statement that he has been busy with work recently is not an excuse.

When he and Li Beixing went to that private custom tailor shop to buy clothes before, he wondered if he should learn the skill of tailoring.

A tailor, as the name suggests, is someone who cuts and sews.

These are two steps.

Cut out suitable patterned fabrics, then sew these fabric parts together to get a finished garment.

For example, a T-shirt.

Cut out two pieces of fabric, two sleeves, and a collar, and sew them together with needle and thread. That's how you make a finished T-shirt.

If you just want to make basic clothing, mastering these two skills is indeed enough.

But if you want it to look good, you'll need to learn more about fashion design.

Chen Jingle had previously thought that making her own clothes would save her a lot of money, but after learning more, she found that this was not the case.

If you want to do it yourself, you'll need to buy fabric, paper patterns, a sewing machine, various rulers, scissors, water-soluble pens, elastic zippers, lace, and ribbed buttons.

If you want to make a fitted dress, you need to buy a mannequin.

Before even seeing the finished product, a significant amount of money had already been spent.

Before ready-made clothes became widespread, people would buy fabric and make their own clothes using home sewing machines. They didn't have high requirements for patterns and styles, and since time wasn't valuable, they said it saved money.

Chen Jingle's family used to have a foot-operated sewing machine, which his mother used exclusively. He also used it to mend clothes. Now it's kept in the old house, and I guess many young people have never seen this thing before.

The problem is that after entering the industrial age, the production cost of assembly lines is obviously much lower than that of small handicraft workshops.

Don't you see the clothing wholesale market in the provincial capital? Clothes are sold by weight, averaging two or three yuan a piece. How can you compare with them?

Therefore, at this stage, sewing clothes by hand does not save money.

The biggest advantage of making it yourself is that you can choose the fabric colors you like. Also, the measurements you take yourself will fit perfectly, unlike one-size-fits-all.

Furthermore, the sense of accomplishment gained from turning one's imagination into a tangible object far exceeds the value of the clothes themselves.

If you're planning to make a garment to give as a gift, that's also a good option.

The value of handmade items, imbued with heart, is even more precious in this fast-paced era.

……

The history of clothing making in China can be traced back to Leizu in ancient times. Today, it has developed into a mature industrial production process.

However, mastering the skill of tailoring is not so easy.

Especially for someone like Chen Jingle who started learning from scratch, he could only begin with the simplest things.

For example, unit conversion, the difference between domestic and international sizes; and various English codes, such as bust, waist, and hip measurements.

There are also drawing calculations, etc.

Chen Jingle's junior high school math level was barely enough. In order not to hold others back, he had to spend time improving his math skills back to a high school level.

Then there are some techniques that only skilled craftsmen can master, such as heat application and heat return.

In short, tailoring can be a very simple skill or a very difficult one.

It depends on how far you want to learn. As mentioned before, a simple one, like a T-shirt, can be made by sewing several sides together.

Take a difficult example, a handmade suit.

First, you need to measure the proportions and then cut out the fabric according to the proportions. This step is called the proportion method. Then, you need to make pins. The purpose of the pins is to use them as a reference and mark. Then, you need to sew the cut linen lining, chest lining, etc. together. Next, you need to hand-sew the lapel. The lapel is an industry term, which is commonly known as the collar. Then, you need to sew pockets, sew the facing, attach sleeves, etc.

A fully handmade, custom-made suit like this usually takes about a month to complete, going through various steps.

In comparison, semi-custom orders are much simpler and can be completed in about 7 days.

In short, tailoring is a very complicated job that requires a lot of patience.

However, it can help improve concentration.

Chen Jingle didn't get carried away and immediately buy sewing machines and various fabrics; instead, he focused on learning professional knowledge first.

Only when one's professional knowledge reaches a certain level will one take action and transform knowledge into practical skills.

The advantage of the information explosion era is that you can easily find the content you want to learn online.

Every course he studied was like that; otherwise, it wouldn't have been easy to learn.

After reviewing a lot of materials, Chen Jingle decided to refer to the student training program of China Textile University.

Their fashion design program is ranked A+, and its courses include fashion illustration techniques, a series of fashion design courses, structural design and garment technology, hand-dyeing, clothing color, and clothing accessory design.

That's enough for him to study for a long time.

Moreover, he has an advantage in learning this; there's no need to worry about his aesthetic sense, and his drawing skills are sufficient.

I am fully confident that I can become an excellent clothing designer and manufacturer.

He has been looking through relevant materials for the past few days, but time is limited, and he will have to wait a while before he can actually produce a finished product.

He wanted to make his first piece of clothing well, a high-quality gift that he could give away, rather than just a practice piece.

I'm learning this out of interest, not hoping to make money from it.

At the very least, when buying clothes, one can use the knowledge learned to identify which clothes are made of qualified materials and have good workmanship, thus buying a piece of clothing that is both good-looking and comfortable, and also inexpensive.

There are far too many merchants selling inferior goods these days.

……

Chen Jingle spent the whole morning learning about clothing design and production, until his eyes were dizzy and his head was swollen.

There are negative effects to frantically absorbing new knowledge, but fortunately they are not serious and can be relieved with a little rest.

We couldn't leave after class because Teacher Li had finished and was on her way.

After lying on the sofa for a while, Li Beixing finally arrived.

Seeing Chen Jingle sprawled motionless on the sofa, he immediately approached her with a smile.

Why that look? It's like you don't really want to see me.

"No, I just read for two hours and my head is a little throbbing, so I'm taking this opportunity to rest." Chen Jingle opened his arms to the outside.

Li Beixing leaned closer, finding a comfortable position to snuggle into Chen Jingle's arms: "Are you very tired?"

"A little, but it'll be fine soon. Teacher Li taught two consecutive classes, that must have been tough. *kiss*"

"It's not hard work, hehe."

The two heads leaned together.

Chen Jingle said, "My mom isn't home today. She went to my uncle's house to have dinner with my uncles, aunts, and cousins."

Li Beixing's eyes lit up immediately, and he looked up: "Then I'll go to your house later?"

Chen Jingle's lips curled up slightly: "It's up to you. If you don't want to go, I won't force you."

Li Beixing rolled her eyes at him, pouted, and snorted, "Don't I want to?"

Chen Jingle laughed out loud: "Yeah, it's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't dare. What a coward."

Li Beixing lost her temper and became enraged. She waved her little fists, ready to fight, but Chen Jingle held her down with one hand, easily suppressing her, while his other hand pinched her chin and his legs restrained her.

Revolt?

There's absolutely no way to resist!
After playing around, they hugged each other again. Li Beixing was still a little upset and secretly pinched him twice.

However, this amount of force was just a tickle to Chen Jingle, so he let her have her way.

Li Beixing whispered, "Can you give me a little more time to prepare?"

Chen Jingle raised an eyebrow: "No rush. Do it whenever you feel it's appropriate. There's no need to put pressure on yourself. Like I said, just be natural and let things happen naturally."

Li Beixing breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, and grinned as she leaned over to continue sticking the stickers on.

She loves Chen Jingle to the core; it's a level higher than just deep affection. It's no longer just about possession; it has reached the level of responsibility and commitment.

However, her current state of mind is somewhat like pre-wedding jitters.

She is willing to go directly to get a marriage certificate with Chen Jingle, but she cannot meet Chen Jingle's parents now.

Li Beixing herself analyzed the reason for this mentality. It might be that she cared too much, fearing that Chen Jingle's parents would be even slightly dissatisfied with her, and even more afraid of losing Chen Jingle because of it.

in contrast,

As long as they don't meet Chen Jingle's parents, they will always be a close couple, with absolutely no possibility of breaking up, and they won't even have any conflicts.

However, once it involves both families, there are many more things to consider, and some things are no longer up to the two of them to decide. They can no longer love each other so simply and recklessly.

She didn't like this feeling of being out of control, especially when it involved her and Chen Jingle.

However, dragging this out indefinitely is not a solution.

As the old saying goes, an ugly daughter-in-law will eventually have to meet her in-laws. The key is how to make a good first impression on Chen Jingle's parents.
Li Beixing felt he needed to study this carefully.

……

at the same time.

At Chen Jingle's maternal uncle's house, his mother, Liu Yuehua, was preparing dishes and chatting with her siblings.

During the conversation, Chen Jingle inevitably came up.

"I've quit my job, so I'll just consider it retirement since I'm not young anymore."

"Yes, at our age, if we're not regular employees, it's very difficult to retire smoothly like people in urban areas."

"It's hard to find a job these days. Guanghai's company has started cutting salaries and laying off employees."

"Fortunately, Jing Le is now successful, so there's no need to worry about his retirement."

"If you're really bored, you can grow some vegetables at home. That hillside behind your house has been sitting idle for a while, which is a bit of a waste."

"Or maybe Jingle could go with you to set up a stall? Sell breakfast or fast food, I think that's a good idea."

"..."

Everyone started discussing it animatedly.

Liu Yuehua shook her head: "He doesn't have time; he has too many things to do."

Actually, after being persuaded by her own child yesterday, she had already accepted the fact that she was "retiring".

It's not like a few years ago when she had to worry about everything. Now the house is built, the car is bought, and even her daughter-in-law is in the works, though she's not entirely sure.

Overall, everything is fine.

In this situation, things like finding a new job are secondary; it's best to rest for a while first.

The older brother said, "It's a pity that he has such good cooking skills. He could easily make a lot of money by running a breakfast shop."

The younger brother countered tactfully, "Shopping at a breakfast shop is too tiring. You have to get up at two or three in the morning to prepare, and your body can't take it for long."

The eldest and second eldest sisters each had their own explanations.

Liu Yuehua laughed and said, "Let's study it slowly, there's no rush."

Farming definitely won't make you money; at most, you can grow some vegetables to eat with peace of mind.

As for opening a shop or setting up a stall, she had no experience in that. Although she had worked in a restaurant for several years, she had only helped out in the kitchen and had nothing to do with management or operations, so she didn't understand much about it.

However, my son's cooking skills are indeed very good. If we opened a restaurant, we would definitely not have to worry about not having customers.

It's just that cooking in the kitchen is hard work.

We'll see. She plans to rest for a while, since it's almost the end of the year and the Lunar New Year is just two months away.

As the year draws to a close, there are many things to do, so starting a stall or shop at this time might not be a good choice.

Moreover, we definitely need to ask Chen Jingle's opinion on this matter.

Compared to her older siblings, she was clearly more willing to trust her son's judgment.

After all, her son has gone to university and has years of work experience, so he's quite knowledgeable and capable. He's bound to have better ideas.

She probably never expected that Chen Jingle would bring his girlfriend home again while she was away.

(End of this chapter)