Going to the County Office
April responded right away and took a look at what Belle handed her. It was a tear, about the size of a fingernail.
April thought for a moment and said, "That's no big deal. Just patch it up with some thread and it'll be good as new."
As she spoke, April rummaged through her sewing box and got right to work. Her fingers were quick and nimble, and in no time, she had the little patch sewn up perfectly.
Belle took a look—it was as good as new! You couldn't even tell there'd ever been a hole. She couldn't help but gush, "April, your sewing is amazing!"
April blushed at the compliment, giggling sheepishly. After chatting with Belle about the accounts for the new academy, she grabbed the ledger and headed back to her room.
On her way, April couldn't help but picture Nathan Ye outside, fretting over his bald spot. She sighed, thinking, "Such a good man, and he's troubled by something like this. What a shame."
Then, suddenly, April remembered how she'd just patched Belle's dress. A lightbulb went off in her head: "Hmm, if you can fix a hole in fabric with matching thread, maybe you can patch up a bald spot with hair? What if I make a hairpiece and clip it on his head?"
The idea startled April, but the more she thought about it, the more it seemed doable!
So, April hurried back to her room, grabbed some black thread from her sewing box, and started planning how to craft a patch for Nathan's forehead. She took a deep breath, untied her long hair, and snipped off a small lock...
Following her plan, April carefully began making the hairpiece.
First, she wove the black thread into a little net. Then, strand by strand, she threaded her own hair through the net, securing each one carefully...
Time flew by, and before she knew it, it was late at night. April rubbed her tired eyes, feeling a bit sleepy, but the thought of Nathan Ye worrying about his appearance tugged at her heart. She powered through, determined to finish the hairpiece under the lamp's glow.
It wasn't until dawn broke, painting the sky pale, that April finally finished the hairpiece in her hands.
Standing before the mirror, April fiddled with the hairpiece on her forehead, feeling like something was missing. She rummaged in her dressing box, found two tiny black hair clips, stripped off all their decorations, and attached them to the hairpiece.
She clipped the hairpiece onto her own hair, checked herself in the mirror from every angle, and muttered, "Hey, this actually looks pretty real."
Then she tucked the hairpiece into a little box. Glancing at the sky outside, April yelped, "It's morning already! I need to hurry up and get ready for the Public Works Department. Can't mess up the task my sister gave me! It's my first day—being late would be a disaster."
After washing up and changing clothes, April grabbed a quick breakfast, took the ledger and the box with the hairpiece, and set off for the Public Works Department.
The Public Works Department was right next to the Palace of Qin—just a few steps from the palace and she was there.
April arrived early. The office was quiet, hardly anyone around yet.
For now, all the officials were bunking in the courtyard behind the office. Conditions were pretty basic, but everyone made do—after all, it was just a bunch of bachelors, no families to worry about, so roughing it wasn't a big deal.
April sat in the main hall for a while, then saw Nathan Ye shuffle out, bleary-eyed, rubbing one eye and fumbling with his belt. He didn't even notice April—just wandered straight to the outhouse next to the hall, not bothering to shut the door, and turned his back to her as he relieved himself.
April's cheeks flushed bright red and she quickly turned away. When the sound of water faded, she snuck a peek and saw Nathan Ye, half-awake, pulling his pants up and sleepwalking toward the back courtyard—clearly not expecting anyone, let alone a girl, to be there so early.