16. Spring Wine Town

When Ye Rui stood up, she felt a slight soreness and numbness around her ankle, causing a subtle tremor in her waist. She bit her lip softly as she took a gentle breath. However, it was all within a bearable range; otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered going out in the first place.

Ye Rui’s long lashes fluttered as she looked toward Huo Fang and smiled. “Big Brother, no need. I can walk.”

Huo Fang responded with a hum, and the two of them stepped outside the main hall. Ye Rui walked slowly, and Huo Fang matched her pace, not rushing either. Then, naturally, he extended his left arm behind her waist, offering a protective, albeit slight, support.

His arm was muscular and well-defined, with a clean, strong wrist bone. When his left arm reached around her waist, it appeared even broader than her slender waistline.

Ye Rui’s long lashes twitched, and she quickly averted her gaze, not daring to look any longer.

Perhaps it was the glaring sunlight that day, but walking in the courtyard, Ye Rui felt stifling heat.

She licked her lips and lightly brushed her forehead with her hand.

Huo Fang’s eyes shifted toward her. “Hot?”

Ye Rui tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and answered softly, a bit embarrassed, “A little. The temperature is high today.”

Since she was going to the tailor’s shop to pick up a cheongsam and had twisted her ankle, Ye Rui chose to wear a cotton long skirt for convenience in trying on the dress at the shop. The skirt was plain-colored, made of thin, soft fabric—not heavy at all—which should have been suitable for the hot weather.

Yet, unexpectedly, she still felt warm.

Huo Fang’s gaze briefly passed over her delicate, fair earlobe. His tone dropped slightly, “It’ll be cooler once you’re in the car.”

Ye Rui blinked and smiled in agreement.

Stepping out of the Ye family courtyard, a black SUV was parked just outside in the open space.

Today, only she and “Big Cousin” were going out to Yunhe Town, so Ye Rui instinctively prepared to sit in the back seat.

But before she could move, the man beside her took a long stride and promptly opened the front passenger door.

Huo Fang, tall and upright beside the car door, stood bathed in sunlight. His pearl-gray sports jacket outlined the powerful, solid contours of his chest, exuding strength.

Undeniably, Big Cousin was a world apart from her pale, slender fiancé—a completely different type of man. Sometimes, Ye Rui felt too shy to look at him for long.

She quietly glanced at the open front passenger door and softly said, “Big Brother, I’ll just sit in the back.”

Huo Fang’s tone was matter-of-fact, “Sit up front; it’s easier to give me directions.”

Hearing this, Ye Rui’s ears flushed, and she hurriedly nodded, lightly clasping the hem of her skirt with slender, fair fingers before bending to get into the front passenger seat.

Huo Fang closed the door, politely greeted Wang Fang under the eaves again, then took the driver’s seat and started the car.

---

Springjiu Town and Yunhe Town were about twenty kilometers apart. Riding an electric bike there took over half an hour—neither short nor particularly convenient.

Yet, Yunhe Town was renowned for its skilled tailors who crafted custom garments, attracting many visitors. It was no exaggeration to say that no young girl from Springjiu Town hadn’t been to Yunhe.

As the car headed toward Yunhe, Ye Rui gazed out the window at the scenery.

Her delicate eyebrows lifted slightly, and a few dimpled smiles appeared softly on her sweet, gentle cheeks.

Huo Fang’s strong arm rested on the steering wheel. Catching the smile in his peripheral vision, he casually asked, “Do you go to Yunhe often?”

Ye Rui smiled, “Not very often. Only when I need to have clothes custom made do I go.”

Huo Fang asked, “Are the tailors in Yunhe really that good?”

Ye Rui’s eyes sparkled, and she nodded earnestly, “Very good. They’re all experienced craftsmen. Whether it's the design or the fabric, the quality is outstanding.”

Growing up cherished by her parents in the Ye family, Ye Rui was a kind-hearted girl, pretty and lively, and even when working at the distillery, she was diligent and steady.

Still young, she wouldn’t turn twenty until the end of this year, so she retained some youthful temperament.

Talking about her interest in Yunhe’s tailoring, she became more talkative and relaxed in front of her Big Cousin.

Huo Fang smiled and continued, “What kind of clothes do you usually have made?”

Tilting her head to look at Huo Fang’s profile, her moist eyes curved like crescent moons, her voice lively and earnest as she replied:

“I’m having a red, traditional knotted cheongsam made. I really like the style. The tailor carefully measured my height and size with a tape measure, so it should fit perfectly.”

“Really?”

Huo Fang turned his head to glance at her, his Adam’s apple moving slightly, expression calm. “I’ve never seen anyone wear a cheongsam.”

Talking about the dress she longed for, Ye Rui’s rosy lips curled slightly, her fair and lovely face smiling openly. Without much thought, she blurted out:

“Big Brother, when we get to the shop, I’ll definitely try on the cheongsam. You’ll get to see it.”

Huo Fang’s eyes deepened slightly, and he smiled, giving a low hum in response.

—

Twenty minutes later, the SUV reached the outskirts of Yunhe Town.

Ye Rui sat in the front passenger seat, her eyes sparkling as she pointed outside the window toward a direction. “Big Brother, the tailor shop where I ordered the dress is called ‘Yao’s Tailoring,’ on the southwest street.”

Huo Fang nodded, turning the wheel as the car headed toward Yao’s Tailoring on Southwest Street.

Upon arrival, the SUV came to a halt. Huo Fang and Ye Rui got out, and he matched her slow steps as they entered the shop.

---

At this late afternoon hour, the street was sparsely populated.

The tailor shop’s door was open for business, but inside was no customer—only the slightly graying shop owner bent over a piece of patterned fabric, marking it carefully with a small piece of chalk.

Ye Rui’s gaze settled on him as she smiled, “Boss, I’m here to pick up the cheongsam I ordered here two weeks ago.”

Hearing her voice, the owner looked up.

Seeing Ye Rui’s lively, pretty face, the man in his fifties immediately recognized her as the young woman from Springjiu Town.

She had come to prepare for her engagement banquet and had commissioned an embroidered, knotted cheongsam from him.

The owner remembered measuring her: she had a small frame and slender waist, but was not skinny at all.

Moreover, her figure was shapely with just the right amount of curves—perfect for wearing a cheongsam.

So, after accepting the order, he had been looking forward to seeing how she would look in the dress.

The owner beckoned, “Miss, come with me to the back room and try on your dress.”

He then glanced at Huo Fang, assuming he was the young woman’s fiancé. “You wait out front for a bit.”

Huo Fang nodded, speaking naturally, “She twisted her ankle and is uncomfortable, so she’ll walk slowly.”

Hearing this, Ye Rui looked at her ankle, blinking lightly and feeling a little embarrassed as she pressed her lips together.

The shop owner smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

Inside the back room, the owner handed Ye Rui the neatly folded cheongsam. “The fitting room is over there. Try it on.”

Holding the red knotted cheongsam, which felt substantial in her hands, Ye Rui’s lips curved gently in response. She entered the fitting room, carefully removed her long skirt, and cautiously changed into the cheongsam.

Finally, she swept her hair to the side of her neck and slowly zipped up the back.

Stepping out of the fitting room, Ye Rui’s eyes shone brightly as she looked into the mirror. She then turned to the owner, her tone cheerful as she asked:

“Boss, how do you think? Do I look good in it?”

The owner smiled appreciatively, “You look beautiful.”

Then she reminded her with a smile, “There’s someone waiting outside. Let him see too.”

Ye Rui blinked, recalling her earlier words to Huo Fang in the car, and without hesitation, she nodded.

Then, wearing the cheongsam, Ye Rui walked from the back room and looked up at Huo Fang, asking, “Big Brother, does it look good?”