Chapter 89 Shuiji Garment Shop Seeks Tailors

“I recognize this self-portrait. My sister ordered three outfits from you, do you remember?”

The woman's name was Fang Xing. She was tall but not thin, with a slightly round face. She waved one hand while holding the big yellow dog that was trying to run away firmly with the other. She hooked her foot around the dog's foot and scolded, "Lai Fu, if you chew up the fabric, I won't pay for it! Not only will I not pay for it, but I'll also drag you out and parade you through the streets."

Laifu, that big silly dog, tilted its big yellow head, let out a long bark, shook its legs, and grinned foolishly.

The tailor was startled by it, while Lin Xiushui thought that although they were both big yellow dogs, Huang Sanjin, who liked to wear oilcloths, and Fang Laifu, who was crazy, were truly different.

She recalled Fang Xing's sister, who ordered three sets of clothes. She couldn't think of anyone else for a moment. There were quite a few people who would order three sets of clothes at once. She could think of eight people, and the most she had ever ordered was eight sets of clothes.

At this moment, Ayun walked up behind her, covered her mouth with her hand, and whispered a reminder, "It's Fang Dan, the eldest daughter of Fang Dangtou in the Fang Family Restaurant across the street. Young lady, you should talk to the tailor Jin and have a dress made for her called Orange Yellow and Green."

Even though Ayun mentioned Fang Family Restaurant and Fang Dangtou was the cook, Lin Xiushui's memory was still vague. She tried to compare Fang Xing and Fang Dan's appearances, but when she heard the words "orange and green," she remembered everything.

At that time, Lin Xiushui also bought a bag of yellow oranges and a bunch of tangerines, not just green tangerines and mandarins, but anything that was related to green or blue.

Fang Dan was asked to choose her favorite color. She liked orange-yellow, which was more like the color of an orange that has just ripened, not the color of a ripe persimmon peel. The green she liked was the slightly translucent green of the bottom of a green tangerine.

There weren't many requirements regarding style or embroidery pattern; only the color had to match. The pay was also high, and Lin Xiushui could earn two strings of cash and six coins for a single outfit.

Green is easy to dye; there are many dye shops on the streets that dye green. In Sangqing Town, green is dyed using indigo and locust flowers in combination. You can get the desired green by adding or subtracting dyes a few times. However, orange is not commonly dyed. Lin Xiushui visited several dye shops and finally used gardenia and sappanwood, experimenting repeatedly until she achieved the desired color. By the time the orange was finished, it was already wrinkled.

Later, Lin Xiushui cut the orange cloth to make a blouse, the green cloth to make a pleated skirt, and the yellow and green mixed dye to make a jacket. The colors were bright and playful when worn. She also used the leftover fabric to cut into diamond shapes and piece them together to make a diamond-shaped silk handbag, which she gave to Fang Dan.

Lin Xiushui thought of this business deal. She glanced at Fang Xing. The two sisters looked nothing alike. Fang Dan was more delicate, while Fang Xing was much more lively.

Only then could she answer Fang Xing's question after he entered the room, "I remember, first we ordered orange-yellow and tangerine-green, then we ordered two more outfits, one in sky blue after rain, and another in grape color, right?"

“Yes, yes, I was at my maternal grandparents’ house back then, and I was so envious of the clothes she wore,” Fang Xing hugged Fang Laifu, who was eager to run away, and then turned his head to look for the old cat Chen Laigui. He saw that it was already curled up in the corner by the stove, with its two front paws tucked under its belly, drowsy. When called, it would just turn its head and ignore him.

Fang Xing huffed, "I should have known better than to say I'd make these two dowry dresses for them. All you do is annoy me. I should have tied one to the left and one to the right with red string."

But she couldn't bear to part with it. She had raised the big yellow dog for three years, and the person who walked it every day had become much stronger. If she had a cleaver in her hand, she could chop up a big bone. Although she had known the old cat for a year, it always gave her a sour look when they met and wouldn't come over, but its tail was always held high, and its ears would immediately twitch at the sound of her footsteps.

She's very shrewd; she pretends not to care, but she's actually extremely attentive, just like the person she's going to marry.

As the tailor greeted the other customers who entered, Lin Xiushui squatted down and petted the cat, saying, "Let's go somewhere else to talk."

After moving to the back room, Fang Xing told her fiancé Chen Shan to leave quickly, and Lin Xiushui then noticed this taciturn man who was practically invisible.

He called the cat and the dog by name, not Chen Laigui and Fang Laifu, but "Eel and Big Bone".

Clearly, the cat and dog preferred the name and left obediently, definitely not because Chen Shan had food in his pocket.

Fang Xing coughed and tried to explain himself, "You know, after all, we raised it ourselves, so we should give it a proper name. Have you ever heard the saying 'dogs bring wealth, cats bring nobility'? Our name is alright, isn't it?"

“This cat will grow strong from eating eels, and dogs love to eat bones, so it’s perfect as a nickname,” Fang Xing said, his voice growing louder and his eyes shining. “It just so happens that our Fang Family Restaurant makes bone-in rice porridge and boneless eel. Do you like them or not? I won’t charge you, you can eat as much as you want.”

Lin Xiushui smiled and said, "I've heard of these two dishes before. I'll definitely come to support them. How can I let you treat me? Even if you want to treat me, you should see if my clothes are good enough before you treat me."

"Oh right, speaking of clothes," Fang Xingcai suddenly remembered the important matter. She easily forgot about one thing after another. She moved the stool and said, "I will have two children at home, one with a big bone tied to him and the other with an eel. They also need to be dressed in bright red. I am not satisfied with the ones made by other families, so I will have you make them. The price is negotiable."

"How about this number?" Fang Xing held up two fingers and shook them. "If it's not enough, we can add more."

“If there are two children, if they are only three or five years old, plus cats and dogs, twenty strings of cash can make a very good deal,” Lin Xiushui replied. “The cotton lining of the jacket can be layered with an extra layer of silk floss, and an extra pair of thick trousers can be made.”

Fang Xing generously replied, "Yes, we're not short of money."

Hearing the commotion outside, she curiously looked back and could only see a wooden wall. She stood up and said, "Your shop is doing very well. I hear there are quite a few people. Let's go back first and come back in the afternoon. There should be fewer people then."

"Guess how I know? This afternoon, the butcher shop had a batch of very cheap pork skin for sale. Everyone was going to rush to buy it. It's the best for making crystal sashimi."

Lin Xiushui got up to see her off, deliberately saying, "How do you know I won't try to steal it?"

"You want it?" Fang Xing took it seriously and hurriedly said, "I'll give it to you. Don't bother trying to take it from me, it's too much trouble."

In the afternoon, she brought over two children, about five or six years old, carrying a large bowl of crystal-clear sashimi. She invited Lin Xiushui and the tailor to eat, saying, "Don't be shy, eat as much as you like."

Jin the tailor said she was naive, but Lin Xiushui really wanted to say, like master, like pet.

We'll take their measurements later. The girl is five years old, and the boy is four. They're both very cute. The older one is called Xiao Tuan, and the younger one is called Xiao Yuan. They're not siblings.

Xiao Tuan was very outgoing. She plopped down on the embroidered stool and said, "I want a big tiger. I like tigers. Sister, are you born in the Year of the Tiger?"

“No, I’m a money person,” Lin Xiushui said with a smile as she slowly straightened the small cloth ruler in her hand.

Xiao Tuan was quite surprised, her mouth agape. She scratched her head and asked, "Then why didn't we find you, sister, when we were picking up money?"

She then asked, "Sister, what kind of money are you born in the Year of the Pig? Copper coins, silver, or gold ingots?"

Lin Xiushui told her to stretch her arms, unscrew her sleeves a little to reveal her inner garment, and then wrap the measuring tape around her chest. As she pulled it up, she laughed and said, "I think it belongs to the gold ingot."

"Can you share some with me?" Xiao Tuan stretched out her arms straight and long, tilting her head as she asked.

Fang Xing was already laughing so hard he almost fell on his bottom and landed on the chubby little round boy. He waved his hands and shouted, "It's not a stool, it's not a stool, you sat on my head!"

Lin Xiushui laughed until her stomach hurt, and she even reached out to cover Xiao Tuan's mouth. She laughed so hard that she was about to swallow a cold draft.

After a whole afternoon of fussing, they finally figured out the two children's preferences. Xiao Tuan liked big tigers, so Lin Xiushui planned to make another tiger-head hat. Xiao Yuan told the truth: "I like to eat them."

However, both of them liked red. The children's clothes were similar to but different from the adults'. There was not much difference between the men's and women's clothes. They both wore robes with diagonal collars and cross-fronts, which reached the insteps and had raccoon sleeves with the cuffs only reaching the elbows, or a jacket with a pair of long trousers.

Lin Xiushui pondered what to do. The next day, Fang Xing brought cats and dogs again. Lin Xiushui also brought Guang Hui, a special "cat trainer." After learning to draw portraits for a while, the boy didn't want to do it anymore and went to Cat Alley to build cat sheds and make cat food.

“Don’t tell me I quit every job I do,” Guanghui said, tucking his hands into the sleeves of his black robe. “It’s freezing cold here.” He sniffed. “I’ve loved cats from the very beginning.”

What I meant to him from beginning to end was that I would care for the cat from the moment we met until it left this world.

He spent all the money he earned this year from painting cat dolls at Lin Xiushui's place on cats, accompanying many cats on their final journey.

Seeing the dog lying on the ground, Guanghui said against her will, "We love cats, but we also love dogs. We love everything. Cats and dogs are one family. This is true harmony in the world."

Lin Xiushui chuckled twice, and Fang Xing clapped and cheered him on, "You're right, cats and dogs are family."

The two reached an agreement on this point, but disagreed on what color the cats and dogs should wear. Lin Xiushui chimed in, holding up the red and green slips in her hand, "Whatever color you choose, that's what you wear."

A long, thin tabby cat completely ignored it. It had a stern face, its eyes downcast, and lay on the table. A big fat dog swept its tail across the jar, and two skewers popped out with a thud. It circled around the jar, biting both skewers and running around the room with them in its mouth. Fang Xing forcibly pulled one off; it was red.

Lin Xiushui noted down the red cat and green dog. Then she measured the big fat dog. It was such a strong dog that it was impossible to move it. It took three people to hold down one dog. The dog almost became a noodle maker. It was trying to twist itself into a braid.

The cat was completely limp and could be moved around as it pleased; you could lift its arms and legs as you pleased.

A cold wind was blowing outside, but Lin Xiushui was sweating profusely. She blew on the cat and dog hair on her hands and said, "I should be able to finish the pattern in about five or six days. As for the other embroidered skirts, we have them made by outside tailors, trying to make them different from others."

"If you've had it made by us, we can make any alterations if you're not satisfied. The children's clothes will be a bit bigger so they can wear them next year as they grow taller."

Lin Xiushui explained in great detail, specifying even the exact dimensions, the amount of fabric used, and the type of silk floss, etc. Fang Xing listened with great interest, nodding along with the others, and the big fat dog she was leading also nodded repeatedly.

In the afternoon, Lin Xiushui had another job to do: make a red wide-sleeved shirt with particularly wide cuffs. The fabric used was fine red cloth. She originally wanted to make it sleeveless to save on fabric, but the tailor Jin completely rejected the idea.

The reason is that you can't have a cut sleeve, and you can't have a short sleeve either.

After the tailor Jin finished taking Wang Niangzi's measurements, he handed her a packet of white beads. Wang Niangzi examined the needle eye against the light; her eyesight was failing due to her age. She asked Lin Xiushui, "What's missing?"

Lin Xiushui, clutching her cuff, replied without looking up, "It will be fine soon."

“As long as I sew the beads to the cuffs, sew around the cuffs, sew two red ribbons, sew on the four white-edged collars embroidered with red peonies, and add the shawl… I can finish it.”

Jin the tailor scoffed, "If I asked you to go boating, you'd be saying you'd already reached Qinghewu by the time you've left Sangqiao Ferry."

"You've eaten up the whole road in the middle."

“Then I’m really amazing,” Lin Xiushui said, changing a needle and shaking her head. “I can even eat the road.”

Jin the tailor picked up the scissors, having already calculated her options, and asked, "Why hasn't Xiao Chen come over these past few days?"

Lin Xiushui finally looked up and glanced at Old Madam Jin, "What would you like to eat?"

Chen Jiuchuan was quite adept at currying favor; he could curry favor with four people at once: first Lin Xiushui, then Wang Yuelan, Xiao He, and finally the tailor Jin.

For example, the crucian carp were particularly fat a while ago, and there was a saying in the town that crucian carp should be eaten in winter. Chen Jiuchuan bought a bunch of winter crucian carp, gutted them, and gave them to Wang Yuelan, taking the opportunity to ask her for cooking tips.

Wang Yuelan had virtually no culinary skills, but if someone who couldn't play chess was called a "chess idiot," then she could be called a "food idiot."

It's somewhere between unpalatable and not tasty; it's not very tasty.

However, Chen Jiuchuan was happy to learn from Wang Yuelan. While learning, he prepared the meal and tidied up the dishes. Wang Yuelan was satisfied, Lin Xiushui got to eat, and Xiaohe and the tailor Jin benefited from the meal.

Jin the tailor denied it, saying, "I have bad teeth, why would I be greedy for food? I was just asking."

“He went to do business,” Lin Xiushui said. “It seems to be a shipping business to Mingzhou.”

She lowered her head and continued sewing, holding the needle tightly. The stitches were still neat, but something quietly crept up and she lost her grip on the bead.

After embroidering a beaded chain around her wedding dress, Wang Yuelan returned home and used a bamboo board to beat the two newly made silk quilts. They were very thick and would keep her warm.

Two quilts and two mattresses were made, which took half a month to make and cost three strings and six coins. They were all very thick and warm from head to toe. Unlike before, when the bed was cold as iron when I woke up.

Of course, in the old winters, Wang Yuelan would have taken out the quilts and blankets made five or six years ago, untied the clumps of silk floss, added some new floss, and continued to use them as blankets, as long as they didn't freeze to death.

This year, Lin Xiushui used the thickest quilt and wore a warm coat. She even bought two extra hot water bottles. Wang Yuelan felt bad about it, since it cost her a month's wages at the brocade workshop, but those brass hot water bottles, filled with boiling water at night and tucked into the quilt early in the morning, were really warm.

At least she didn't have to warm up the bed first before calling Xiaohe to bed.

You don't realize how good life is when it's hot, but once it gets cold, you realize how comfortable it is.

Wang Yuelan wore thick-soled shoes stuffed with cotton, which made a thumping sound as she walked. She put away her bamboo clappers and walked towards Lin Xiushui, saying, "I bought a goose. Geese are really expensive this year, six hundred coins a goose. I'll kill it for you to make you feel better."

"Invite Sang Ying to come and eat too. It's just that A Chuan isn't here. What did he say last time? He said it would taste better if we put some spices in and stewed it."

Wang Yuelan, carrying the goose, muttered, "Tell me, what kind of business did he go to do? I heard he was suddenly called in the middle of the night, saying he couldn't delay and left overnight. I only found out the next day when Sang Ying came over. What's wrong with leaving during the day?"

Lin Xiushui changed into a sky-blue coat. Upon hearing this, she suddenly felt a little guilty and could only agree, "Yes, you left in such a hurry."

Actually, she found out that night.

She couldn't help but recall that night before he left, when Chen Jiuchuan seemed very troubled, and finally said that he had something to say to her when he returned.

Lin Xiushui slept in the soft quilt, but inevitably suffered from insomnia. She closed her eyes and wondered what she was thinking, but she didn't want to say.

The next day, it got even colder, and Lin Xiushui tucked her hands into her sleeves. She even sewed herself a hand warmer that she could stuff inside, but hardly anyone would buy it.

People felt it was undignified and preferred to rely entirely on shivering, saying that a strong sense of righteousness was enough to get through the winter.

When she gets cold, her fingers become stiff, and she is unwilling to sew. She always warms her hands over a brazier first, then bends her fingers to loosen them and continues to sew slowly.

The tailor came over, picked up the long-sleeved shirt that Lin Xiushui had placed on the table, and looked at the beads around the cuffs. The collar was white with red peonies and twin lotus flowers embroidered on it.

This wasn't too surprising. She turned the shirt over and found something interesting. On the back of the red, wide-sleeved shirt, there was a pattern of clusters of flowers, which gathered at the back and gradually spread down to the waist and below. Flowers of various colors gathered together.

Sewn onto these flowers is a colorful butterfly sachet, with three strings of beads hanging down from the end of the sachet, and two red embroidered ribbons hanging down from the beads.

If you walk behind the bride, your eyes will definitely be drawn to her back, and the more you move, the better the effect.

Wang's wife, who rented a shop next door, was attracted by the wide-sleeved dress and looked at it over and over again. At this moment, she was too preoccupied with regret to care about anything else. What had she said last time? No one could afford a good wedding dress, and she would never do this deal.

She chuckled dryly, her upper teeth almost sticking to her parched lips, and barely managed to look away from her flowing robes. She bent down slightly to discuss with Lin Xiushui, "Young lady, what do you think about us doing a business deal?"

“Sell me these long-sleeved shirts. I want a lot, how about twenty? I’ll give you five strings of cash for each one. We’re doing business together, you make a profit and I make a profit too.”

Wang Niangzi was afraid that Lin Xiushui would not agree, so as soon as she finished speaking, she hurriedly said another sentence, "Our Wang family's shop rental business is very big. We deliver to places inside and outside the town. When the time comes, we will deliver some bridal sedan chairs and clothes. If anyone wants to make clothes, we will introduce business to you. We will not mention any other company's name."

Lin Xiushui had no reason to refuse. She could earn one string of silver from Wang Niangzi for a single long-sleeved shirt, and wedding dresses were a seasonal business. She would only earn money for two or three months, so there was no need for her to make many wedding dresses herself.

“Of course, we can discuss everything,” Lin Xiushui placed the long-sleeved shirt in Wang Niangzi’s hands. “Wang Niangzi, you can go and hang it up there and see if anyone wants to rent it.”

“I don’t even need to look,” Wang Niangzi said, revealing her true feelings. “I would like to rent it myself.”

"Hurry up and do it, I can pay you fifty strings of cash first."

Lin Xiushui readily agreed. She had already prepared the materials, and the contract would be signed once the money was in her hands.

With this deal settled, besides her tailoring work, she only has Fang Xing's orders lately.

Children's clothes are the easiest to make, especially boys' clothes. Dog and cat clothes are the most difficult to make. Lin Xiushui's drawing was a mess. She crumpled the paper and then flattened it. She sat until her legs were numb but still couldn't come up with a solution. Fortunately, she had enough time.

She discussed it with the tailor, who found it a headache to listen to. She had never seen cats and dogs wear clothes before, so she could only say, "I'll tell you next time I'm a cat or a dog and can speak dog language."

"But didn't you say last time that you were going to hire a few tailors?"

“Yes, we really need to hire tailors. With so much work, we have to give it all to the tailors, which is a real hassle,” Lin Xiushui nodded. As the shop’s business grew, she used to transfer the work to the tailors in the tailoring workshop, but she plans to move that out and stop giving all the work to the tailors in the future.

She was doing better and better at tailoring, and it was no longer appropriate for her to share the work with others in the shop.

She wanted to hire tailors and gradually build her own tailoring workshop.

We are now hiring five tailors and three embroiderers.

Needless to say, there was five strings of cash plus various festival gifts. However, the embroiderers had to bring embroidery patterns, and the tailors had to wear clothes they made themselves.