"Hayley! I just had a burst of inspiration! I’m going to sketch some designs for you right now. You should go get some rest. Go on, go on, let me get to work." Grace Winslow shook her head, quickly chasing the thoughts from her mind and using the excuse to send Hayley away.

Back in her room, she sat at her desk but couldn’t seem to calm down.

She rested her chin on one hand, gazing at the messy pile of books on her desk. After a long while, she sighed.

’Just as I thought. Emotions only get in the way of my studies. Forget romance, forget love. Seal up my heart, seal up my heart...’

After chanting this for a while, Grace Winslow finally calmed down.

A number of designs flashed through her mind. She quickly seized the opportunity, picked up her pen, and started to draw.

After returning from abroad, it was the winter holiday, which lasted for twenty days.

Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase didn’t need to go back to school, so they both took advantage of the rare free time to stay at home.

Joanne needed to digest the knowledge she had gained on their trip abroad, while Grace had to rush to finish the design drafts for Hayley and the others.

Since she was now partnering with Dylan Lockwood, Grace naturally hoped to earn more money. No one ever complained about having too much money. In the future, if a situation arose where money was needed, you would truly feel its value.

She shut herself in her room and drew for seven straight days.

Joanne Chase brought all three of her daily meals to her room.

Seven days later, Grace Winslow stretched, let out a long breath, and felt that she had finally squeezed every last drop of inspiration from her brain.

Combined with the rough drafts she had drawn while studying abroad, she now had over a thousand design sketches in her possession.

This was enough material to last for the next few years; at least she wouldn’t need to draw any more in the short term.

Once she had some free time, Grace realized that the New Year was just around the corner.

Irene Lynch had already started the big New Year’s cleaning, and the shop had closed for the holidays.

Business had been very good all year, and Irene Lynch’s personal savings had grown quite a bit. When the holiday break started, she even gave each of her apprentices a big red envelope containing fifty yuan.

The apprentices were overjoyed, happily taking the money and heading home for the New Year.

Irene Lynch had already prepared all sorts of pastries for the New Year, as well as the gifts for visiting friends and family.

This was their second New Year in Coronet.

Grace snuck over to steal a pastry, then sat on a chair, swinging her legs. Watching Irene Lynch bustle about filled her with a sense of happiness.

"Mom, let’s go for a walk later. The economy in Coronet should be doing pretty well now, right? Are there markets selling New Year’s goods?"

Irene Lynch shot her a look. "You come back and don’t even think to help me with the work, only about going out shopping. You little ingrate."

Grace let out a mischievous chuckle. "I’ll help, I’ll help right now!"

With that, she stood up and went to help with the cleaning.

In the afternoon, Nolan Winslow and Brandon Winslow came over. The two of them helped with the heavy lifting, and they finally finished cleaning the entire house.

Exhausted, Grace collapsed into a chair. "No wonder wealthy families in the old days hired so many servants. Our house isn’t even that big, but cleaning it is exhausting. Maybe next year we should pay someone to help us clean."

"Is that a good idea? It’s not that much work. If our family all pitches in, we can get it done quickly." Nolan Winslow wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking hesitant.

He had seen what happened during the denunciation of landlords. Those families with servants had been treated quite miserably. He was afraid his own family would suffer the same fate.

"Nolan, Brandon, have you two finished cleaning your own houses yet?" Grace turned to look at them.

The two of them immediately fell silent.

They had also bought houses, and they weren’t small—several hundred square meters with multiple rooms. Cleaning them was just as exhausting.

If they didn’t help, their wives would be left to do all the work alone, and it would probably take them several days to finish.

So, the two of them simply shut their mouths, tacitly agreeing to the idea of hiring help to clean next year.

When the work was done, the family gathered to chat, eat pastries, and drink tea. In the evening, they ate and drank together. Grace couldn’t remember the last time she had experienced such a happy family reunion.

Time always passed so quickly. In the blink of an eye, another year was gone.

After the New Year, she would be a junior in college and would have to start her official internship at a work unit.

By her senior year, she would have to start preparing for graduation.

Grace felt that time was passing both very quickly and, somehow, very slowly.

Returning to school after the New Year, Grace felt that not much had changed.

They were all just a year older, and a new class of underclassmen had arrived.

After more than two years, the college entrance exam policy had been fully reinstated. The exam date had been moved from December to June, and the school year now started in September again.

Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase looked at all the fresh, young faces and the growing number of students at the university. Every one of them wore an expression of hope and longing for the future.

After graduation, the state would assign them jobs. For countless children from poor families, this was the one and only chance to change their destiny.

During the first semester of their junior year, they still had classes to attend. Starting in the second semester, they would be assigned to various work units for internships.

Grace’s position had been reserved for her from the start.

At the beginning of the second semester, Claire Dunn found her and told her to report directly to the Ministry of Diplomacy, where she would be working under Leon Rhys.

On their trip abroad, they had brought back a batch of incredibly precious experimental data for the country, helping to advance national scientific research by a great leap.

The original plan was to give them a public award, but there was a fear that foreigners would find out, which could be disadvantageous for Grace and Joanne. So, they were each given a private reward of two thousand yuan and a Third-Class Individual Merit, and that was considered the reward. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Both Joanne Chase and Grace Winslow entered the Ministry of Diplomacy, though they were not in the same department.

With their job assignments settled, everyone was about to start their real work.

Grace and Joanne both bought two sets of work clothes. Every day, they would sling a small satchel over their shoulder and ride their bicycles to their work unit.

Besides the two of them, quite a few others were also assigned to the Ministry of Diplomacy. After all, there were many high-achieving students in the foreign languages department.

Grace didn’t pay much attention to the others and didn’t interact with them often. They were merely nodding acquaintances. Even working in the same organization, they rarely socialized outside of work.

Everyone was very busy.

Every day, they not only had to work but also had to study and improve themselves.

Grace never passed up a single opportunity to learn. She knew that time had a way of leaving people behind; if you didn’t work hard, you’d be left in the dust.

Even though she never planned to stay at the Ministry of Diplomacy long-term, she still put one hundred and twenty percent of her effort into her work.

Time passed even more quickly once she started working.

There was only one day off a week. Every day, there were countless people to deal with, many documents to process, and a large amount of material to translate.

Grace was busy almost every single day.

Hayley and Lily Callahan’s shop was doing better and better. The collaboration with Dylan Lockwood was also going smoothly. When the first batch of ready-to-wear clothing was launched, it bore their own brand label. Many people who couldn’t afford or couldn’t get custom-made pieces flocked to the store.

Amidst all the hustle, bustle, and success, the Spring Festival of ’81 arrived quietly.