Cheng Su tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep because of a dress, feeling utterly frustrated.
Qi Taiguo said, "Since you’ve started doing business, I’ve never seen you suffer over money or struggle because of an item. Now, just because of a dress, you can’t seem to let it go, even losing sleep over it?"
Cheng Su sat up, hugging the quilt, and said, "You should know that I don’t fret over money or material possessions, so you should understand that what I can’t stand isn’t about this dress. It’s that we all live in one big courtyard, and someone is doing such sneaky things; isn’t it shameful?"
Qi Taiguo also sat up and said, "Alright, alright, don’t be angry anymore. Maybe someone was just careless and picked it up by mistake?"
Cheng Su snorted and set her face, "You and I both know that excuse doesn’t hold up!"
"Then shall I buy you a new one?"
"Your money is my money," said Cheng Su as she pinched a muscle in his arm, but it was so tough that she couldn’t even squeeze it and just let it go, adding, "My dress was tailored for me; you can’t just buy another one like that. Besides, it’s not like I lack for dresses, it’s just that I..."
I know, I know, you’re just disappointed with people’s hearts," Qi Taiguo finished for her.
"Good that you understand!" Cheng Su sighed deeply, "Let me tell you, with this kind of thing happening, the person who took the dress either became greedy or simply doesn’t like me. Either way, it’s disgusting. If it’s greed, that’s one thing, but if they don’t like me, they should just come out and say it."
"That’s human nature. In the army, there are plenty who don’t like me, Qi Taiguo, who think I don’t have enough experience or don’t deserve my achievements. There are many who hate and resent me! We’re just one person; we can’t be liked by everyone," Qi Taiguo sighed.
Cheng Su raised an eyebrow, "Oh, even Commander Qi is preaching to me!"
"I’m just telling you not to take it too much to heart. Whether it was deliberate or not, someone has already taken it. If you lose sleep over this, isn’t that the real loss?"
"I know that all too well," Cheng Su pursed her lips, "I’m just momentarily upset. As you say, we all live in the same courtyard, and our families are all military people. We should be closer than others out there, but still, such things happen."
Qi Taiguo fell silent for a moment: "With societal progress, people’s hearts aren’t as pure as before!"
Cheng Su didn’t respond. Human hearts were already not as pure as before, and in the future, there would be even more pettiness.
"Let’s sleep," she lay down again, and in the darkness, she added, "That dress, I’d like to see her steal it and dare to wear it!"
The next day, Cheng Su deliberately left the house late, when most people were around, took some transparent tape, and posted the complaint she had written the previous night on the most conspicuous part of the bulletin board at the gate.
Some people, curious, came to look. On it, she had written about her missing pink embroidered dress, asking whoever had taken it by mistake to hang it back on the railing. If it wasn’t a mistake, she asked the dress’s "current owner" to cherish it dearly, as it was designed by Cheng Su herself, a one-of-a-kind piece.
Beneath the elegant text, there was also a picture of the dress.
This notice created a stir among the people. What did it mean, Cheng Su’s dress wasn’t stolen? After all, it was unique; how could it be picked up by mistake so easily?
And with Cheng Su openly discussing this dress, whoever stole it probably wouldn’t dare to wear it. Not to mention whether they dared to wear it or not, after this statement, anyone who wore it would be labeled the thief.
This was exactly what Cheng Su meant by saying she dared not wear it even if she stole it!