Chapter 318: Chapter 316: I Just Took Off My Jacket and All the Girls Went Crazy with Envy!

Beijing University entrance.

The wind was like a knife.

Every student passing by had their necks hunched, hands tucked in their sleeves, wishing they could retract their heads into their bodies.

Everyone dressed in gray cotton-padded jackets, blue tunics, and black overcoats.

It was like a dull gray cloud.

Suddenly.

Within this gray cloud, a flame ignited.

Lin Wan Yi walked over pushing a bicycle.

The dark red labor cloth in the sunlight wasn’t particularly luxurious, but the cut was simply perfect.

The waist was cinched tight, with the hem slightly flared.

The white furry collar around her neck made her entire being glow.

Most crucially, she walked briskly.

Others wrapped up like rice dumplings, walking with their legs straddled.

And her?

She walked with poise, each step full of vigor.

“Who is that?”

“From which department? I’ve never seen that outfit before.”

A male student on a bicycle turned his head to look too intently.

“Bang!”

Both he and the bike crashed into a roadside poplar tree.

The wheel was still spinning, and he sat dumbfounded on the ground, eyes fixed on that splash of red.

Lin Wan Yi, without looking sideways, locked her bike and headed straight to the Agricultural College.

“Oh, isn’t this Lin Da’s school beauty?”

A sour voice came from beside her.

Zhang Cuilian was wrapped in a military green padded coat, with a piece of straw rope tied around her waist, making her look as wide as a barrel.

She sniffed loudly, looking at Lin Wan Yi’s thin clothes, eyes full of envy.

“Wearing so little in the dead of winter, aren’t you afraid of freezing to death?”

Zhang Cuilian came closer, deliberately shouting loudly.

“Is this how the capitalist daughters behave? To seduce people, they’re even willing to risk their lives.”

A few female students gathered around, pointing and whispering.

“Yeah, it’s way too thin.”

“Looks nice, but in this weather, you’d freeze your jaw off. She’s just putting on a brave face.”

Lin Wan Yi stopped in her tracks.

She glanced at Zhang Cuilian’s purple lips from the cold and then at her bulky outfit.

“I’m not cold.”

Lin Wan Yi tossed the words and walked into the teaching building.

Zhang Cuilian spat.

“Keep it up! Let’s see how you cry once you’re in the classroom!”

…

Inside the classroom.

Not much warmer than outside.

The wind whistling through the window cracks.

Students sat in seats, continuously stamping their feet, blowing warm air into their hands.

Holding the pen, it kept slipping.

Zhang Cuilian sat behind Lin Wan Yi, staring at her back the entire time.

She was just waiting to see Lin Wan Yi shiver, waiting for this “proud peacock” to make a fool of herself.

Ten minutes passed.

Twenty minutes passed.

Lin Wan Yi sat upright, even taking notes.

It was Zhang Cuilian whose teeth were chattering from the cold.

Suddenly.

Lin Wan Yi put down her pen.

She reached up to undo the button at her collar.

Zhang Cuilian’s eyes lit up.

Can’t take it anymore, huh? Going to borrow clothes?

The next moment.

Lin Wan Yi stood up, took off the dark red coat, and casually draped it over the back of her chair.

The whole class froze.

Underneath the coat, Lin Wan Yi was only wearing a Dacron white shirt.

Not even a sweater.

“Whew…”

Lin Wan Yi fanned herself with her hand, even having a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.

“It’s a bit warm with so many people in here.”

She said it casually.

“Clatter.”

The pen of the boy in the front row dropped to the ground.

Zhang Cuilian’s mouth hung wide open, her jaw almost dislocated.

“You…you…”

She jumped up and grabbed Lin Wan Yi’s wrist.

Scalding hot.

Like a small furnace.

Then comparing with her own hand, it felt like ice.

“Impossible!”

Zhang Cuilian shrieked.

“Did you stick on some heating patches? Or do you have a hot water bottle hidden on you?”

She didn’t believe it, reaching out to grab the coat on the back of the chair.

Extremely light to the touch.

As light as a layer of gauze.

Absolutely no heavy cotton inside.

“This is just a layer of fabric!” Zhang Cuilian shook the coat, “This thing can keep you warm? You’re cheating ghosts!”

“Give it back to me.”

Lin Wan Yi took back the coat and put it on again.

With the drawstring tightened, the warmth was instantly locked in again.

“It’s not cotton.”

Lin Wan Yi patted her sleeve.

“It’s down.”

“Down?”

“Yeah, the finest feathers from a duck’s belly.”

Lin Wan Yi looked around at the long-necked students.

“Why don’t ducks get cold swimming in icy water in winters? It’s all thanks to this layer of feathers.”

“I washed the feathers clean, stuffed them into the clothes, warmer than ten pounds of cotton.”

“Bang!”

The classroom exploded into chaos.

A few female classmates rushed over, throwing caution to the wind, and started feeling Lin Wan Yi’s clothes.

“Oh my God! It’s so soft!”

“Is it all fur inside? No wonder it’s so light!”

“Wanyi! Sister Wan Yi! Where did you buy this outfit? I want one too!”

“Money’s no object! I want to buy one for my mom, she has chronic leg pain!”

Just moments ago, Zhang Cuilian, who had been mocking, was now elbowing her way to the front.

She shamelessly grabbed Lin Wan Yi’s sleeve.

“Lin Wan Yi, we’re classmates, you can’t keep such nice things to yourself! Come on, tell me, how did you get this outfit?”

Lin Wan Yi pulled her sleeve back.

“You can’t buy it.”

The crowd groaned in disappointment.

“I made it myself.” Lin Wan Yi casually arranged her books, “The fabric is labor cloth from the supply and marketing cooperative, and the fur is waste hair collected from the meat factory.”

Everyone fell silent.

Their eyes were filled with admiration.

This is the difference.

She can turn waste into treasure, and make it look so good.

“Wanyi, dear Wanyi, please.”

The class president, a straightforward girl, pushed her lunchbox toward her.

“I’ll cover your hot water from now on! Can you help me make one too? I’ll provide the fabric! I’ll pay!”

“Me too! Me too!”

Lin Wan Yi tapped the table.

“Stop.”

The room quieted instantly, everyone looking at her eagerly.

“Making clothes takes a lot of work, and I still have classes. I don’t have that much time.”

A sigh swept through the crowd.

“However…”

Lin Wan Yi changed her tone.

“If you prepare the fabric yourself and help me gather and process duck feathers, I might find some time over the weekend.”

“No money involved, but I can’t do it for free either.”

She pointed to the bag of sun-dried sweet potato slices on Zhang Cuilian’s desk.

“I don’t take money, that would be profiteering. We’re talking mutual aid.”

“Anyone who has some local specialties or can help me jot down notes, that works.”

“No problem!”

“I have two pounds of walnuts!”

“My uncle works at the meat factory, I’ll get duck feathers!”

The same classmates who treated Lin Wan Yi as an outlier earlier were now ready to worship her.

Is this a young lady from a capitalist family?

No, she’s the savior of the class!

…

At the same time.

In the military compound.

The entrance of the Gu Family was more bustling than the market.

Gu Lan was surrounded by a group of older women, her head about to explode.

“Lan, sweetheart! Get your sister-in-law to make me one of those clothes too!”

“Look at Auntie’s waist, will it be as slim when I wear it?”

Even Aunt Wang, who had been scared to tears earlier, was shamelessly trying to join the outer circle.

“Well, Lanlan, Auntie may have been petty before. Do you think you can talk to your sister-in-law for me? I want one too. I’ll trade you eggs!”

Gu Lan clutched her outfit tightly.

“No way, no way! Sis is busy with school, she doesn’t have time to make clothes for you!”

“Oh come on, isn’t it nearly after school now?”

“Exactly, she could just light a lamp and work a little at night!”

The neighbors were all talking over each other, not willing to leave.

Gu Lan was sweating all over, feeling like she was a tasty piece of Tang Monk meat.

In the evening.

Lin Wan Yi pushed her bike back to the compound.

She hadn’t even entered the door when she was startled by the scene in front of her.

Gu Lan looked like a bullied kid, shrinking in the corner, surrounded by people eager to “place orders.”

Seeing Lin Wan Yi return, everyone’s eyes lit up, and they swarmed forward.

“Wanyi’s back!”

“Wanyi, oh, look at this freezing weather…”

Lin Wan Yi raised her hand to stop the group from speaking.

She glanced at these military wives who usually had time to chat under big trees and gossip.

And then at Gu Lan, who looked like a cornered animal.

An idea popped into her head.

There’s no way one person could possibly do it all, even if it killed her.

But in this compound, there was no shortage of idle hands or needlework experts.

Especially these military wives, who excelled at sewing soles and mending patches.

If the work process was broken down…

Lin Wan Yi parked her bike securely.

She didn’t rush to agree, nor did she refuse.

She walked over to Gu Lan, who was being jostled by the crowd, and handed her the school bag.

Then turned around, looking at those eager eyes.

“Want to wear this outfit?”

Everyone nodded vigorously.

“Okay.”

Lin Wan Yi pointed to the messy pile of duck feathers on the ground.

“If you want to wear it, bring your own stool and sewing kit, and gather in my courtyard tomorrow.”

“But I have a rule.”

She looked at Aunt Wang, her tone light and steady.

“Loose tongues, dirty hands, lazy bones — no garment.”

Everyone exchanged glances.

Some were happy, some worried.

Lin Wan Yi didn’t mind their reactions, pulling Gu Lan into the house.

“Sis, are you really going to make them?” Gu Lan worried as soon as they entered the house, “With this whole compound of people, you’d be working till who knows when?”

Lin Wan Yi took off her coat and hung it on the rack.

“Who said I’d do it myself?”

She looked through the window at those reluctant to leave outside.

“The duck feathers need someone to wash them, the fabric needs someone to cut it, the thread needs someone to sew it.”

“Free labor, no use wasting it.”

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