Chapter Four: The Checkered Shirt, Forever Divine

“What are you talking about, A-Ye?” Yun Niang was startled by Gou Ye’s sudden outburst and quickly tugged at his sleeve, questioning him.

“Yun Niang, Auntie, I’ve just thought of a great way to sell our clothes,” Gou Ye declared.

“Ah, Xiao Ye, if the clothes don’t sell, then that’s that. Let’s just hurry home,” Yun Niang’s mother urged, glancing at the sun already sinking in the west.

“Alright, I’ll tell you my plan once we get back,” Gou Ye replied confidently.

Yun Niang’s mother only smiled at his words, clearly not taking them seriously. She knew all too well what Gou Ye was capable of—or rather, not capable of. Just like earlier, when Yun Niang doubted his claim to make something tastier than candied hawthorn, she simply thought he was boasting.

Seeing the two women disregard his words, Gou Ye was a little disgruntled. “Hmph, just wait until we’re home—then I’ll show you with results and make you believe.”

Yun Niang’s mother hired an ox cart, and the three of them returned to the village without anything gained—no sales, and even the manuscript money had been stolen. It was a thoroughly miserable outing.

Still, a person destined for greatness does not fret over small setbacks. Gou Ye, after all, had faced countless rejections for his submissions in his previous life, yet he always forged ahead. In this life, even if his money was stolen, he’d just earn it back in a night!

But since he’d made a promise, Gou Ye decided to let Yun Niang witness it first.

The last blush of sunset bathed the village as cooking smoke curled from every home. Yun Niang’s mother, like all the others, began preparing dinner as soon as they got back.

Gou Ye was about to go home, but was pulled back by Yun Niang’s mother to stay for dinner.

“A-Ye, A-Ye, I want to see how you make something tastier than candied hawthorn!” Yun Niang pouted, her cheeks puffed in mock anger.

“It’s too late today—besides, I have writing to do. But tomorrow morning, I promise I’ll make you a believer.”

“Alright, but you’d better not fool me, bad A-Ye! If you dare trick me, I’ll wring your neck!” Yun Niang threatened, her face puffed up with an air of menace.

“My goodness, is she really just a little girl? Why is she so fierce?” Gou Ye muttered inwardly.

Gou Ye shook his head and found a spot to sit in the courtyard, waiting quietly.

Suddenly, a plump little black dog came running up to him from outside.

“Little Fatty!” Gou Ye’s eyes lit up. In his previous life, he’d loved dogs and had once tried to raise one, only for it to be stolen by a dastardly dog thief.

He didn’t know whose dog this was, but it wasn’t shy at all—wagging its tail, it settled right down at his feet.

“How fun!” Gou Ye began to play with the puppy, grinning foolishly like a simpleton despite being a grown man. The little dog was chubby and sturdy, the kind that might one day help its owner “borrow” a monk’s robe.

“Little Fatty! Little Fatty!” a woman’s voice called from nearby.

Gou Ye looked up and saw Aunt Wang searching for her dog.

“Auntie, is this your Little Fatty? He’s so adorable!” Gou Ye said, pointing.

Little Fatty, apparently pleased by the compliment, wagged his tail joyfully and bumped Gou Ye’s leg with his head.

“Yes, he’s only three months old and runs off all the time. I worry he’ll get lost,” Aunt Wang said fondly, stroking the puppy’s head.

“Xiao Ye, would you like to come eat dinner at my house?” she offered.

“Oh, no, thank you—I’m eating at Yun Niang’s tonight,” Gou Ye replied.

Aunt Wang gave him a knowing look and smiled. “You’d better cherish your chance, Xiao Ye. You’re not a child anymore—it’s time to settle your big life matters.”

With that, she scooped up her puppy and left, leaving Gou Ye and Yun Niang—who had just come out of the kitchen—awkwardly standing in the breeze.

Thanks to Aunt Wang’s talk of “life matters,” things between Gou Ye and Yun Niang suddenly became awkward. They stared at each other in silence, unable to find a single word to say.

In the end, it was Yun Niang’s mother who came out of the kitchen and called them in for dinner, finally breaking the uncomfortable moment.

“A-Ye, eat up!” Yun Niang’s mother said, constantly serving him food. There was no meat, but the three dishes and one soup were clearly prepared with care.

Even so, the meal was somewhat awkward. Normally, Gou Ye and Yun Niang would chatter endlessly, but tonight they both fell silent, which puzzled Yun Niang’s mother.

“A-Ye, Yun Niang, why aren’t you talking?” she eventually asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

“It’s nothing, Auntie. By the way, do you have any weaving thread?”

“Yes, why?”

“Could you show me?”

Gou Ye quickly finished the rest of his meal and spoke to Yun Niang’s mother.

“Alright, come with me.”

She led him, curiosity in her eyes, to the room where she usually spun and wove cloth. Inside were all kinds of silk threads. Typically, after the cloth was woven, the clothing had to be dyed and printed to be completed.

Earlier in the street, Gou Ye had noticed something: almost everyone’s clothes were plain and single-colored. For example, a blue shirt was just a blue shirt, with no pattern or embellishment. Only the children of the wealthy wore anything with more than one color or a hint of ornamentation.

Gou Ye’s idea was simple—he wanted to create a special outfit that would one day become iconic for programmers and writers: the plaid shirt!

Thinking back to his favorite thing to wear in his past life, it was always the plaid shirt. In fact, before he died, the last thing he wore was a thin plaid shirt.

While not considered stylish in modern times, to Gou Ye it was perfect.

Plaid shirts—eternally divine!

Gou Ye cheered in his heart.

As for how to make a plaid shirt, it wasn’t all that difficult. The trick lay in mixing together threads of different colors. Gou Ye didn’t have the skill to weave, but Yun Niang’s mother did! With her expert hands, weaving a few colors together would be a breeze.