Chapter 96 Fame and Crisis

Amid cheers and a great commotion, all eyes turned from the stage to Lin Xiushui.

She showed no sign of panic, wearing a green narrow-sleeved shirt, a pinkish-purple butterfly collar, and a white pleated skirt with green floral patterns, looking bright and flamboyant.

Walking along the narrow path of the stands, with a smile on her face, she said, "Thank you all for supporting Butterfly Love Flower, and you are also welcome to come to our Shui Ji Clothing store to get your clothes made."

"Was it done well or not?" a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

Lin Xiushui replied loudly, "Whether it's good or not isn't up to me to decide; it's up to everyone to see if it looks good on them."

Someone deliberately nitpicked, saying, "What if I don't want to do it here?"

Lin Xiushui reacted quickly, took out a stack of previously printed invitations from her bag, and handed them to the woman who had spoken. "It's alright. Through wind and rain, through cold winter and scorching summer, Shuiji is waiting for you to change your mind."

"You want one too?" Lin Xiushui turned to look at the middle-aged woman who was laughing so hard she was bent over, smiled sweetly, and handed one to the woman. "Share is shared."

Amidst the uproarious laughter, everyone quickly reached out to ask for a card. The card read, "Raw and uncooked clothes, all available at Shui Ji Complete Clothing."

The sixth shop on the east street of Nanhuofang, Sangqiao Ferry.

This is easy to pronounce. Someone thought about it and realized that clothes worn in summer are called "raw clothes," while clothes worn in spring, autumn, and winter are called "ripe clothes." "Raw clothes" also sounds like "business," so the slogan is good.

"Well said!" Wang Erniang led the applause.

Winning a few cheers, Lin Xiushui showed no fear at all, making a lasting impression on everyone and attracting a lot of business.

After sending out the invitation, she calmly walked to the exit, bowed gracefully to the crowd, and left the scene, leaving behind the gathered gazes. Everyone looked at her straight back, their eyes falling on her collar and then slowly moving down to her back.

I was so focused on her talking that I forgot about her clothes.

The butterfly wings on its back were actually openwork, with purple silk threads embroidered with patterns. The original butterfly tails had turned into two long pink ribbons that swayed in the wind, like butterflies transforming into a collar and resting on the shoulders.

As Lin Xiushui walked further and further away, one had a vague feeling that a butterfly might fly out from her green dress.

Beauty is evident in every movement, catching everyone's eye.

Compared to the unforgettable and stunning effect of the butterfly-themed costume changes, this ingenuity in ordinary clothing is something never before seen.

The collar design immediately caught the eye of many people.

Lin Xiushui had already walked out, but dozens of women were still standing on tiptoe to watch. The woman sitting at the front looked down at her clothes. She was wearing a blue and white raccoon-sleeved shirt with sleeves that reached her elbows. The shirt was covered with copper coin patterns. She was quite satisfied when she came. But after seeing what Lin Xiushui was wearing, she wondered what she was wearing.

She immediately stood up and rushed out without a second thought. You see, she had inflated the price and spent eight hundred coins to buy that front-row seat.

"Young lady, young lady," the woman called out breathlessly. She remembered the name, "Master Lin, wait for me."

Lin Xiushui wanted to say something to the steward Wang Li, but she was almost scared to death by the wailing. She took a deep breath, turned around and said, "You've begged me, so why don't I take mine off and let you wear it first? After all, the one who tied the knot must untie it."

Tang Niangzi was amused by her and shook her head repeatedly, pointing to her neck, "Do you think I'm missing something?"

"We're missing a collar like yours."

"Sell me one."

Lin Xiushui took off her butterfly collar and said, "No problem, no problem, but our collars cost between five hundred and one string of cash. This one is five hundred cash."

Five hundred coins for a collar is indeed a bit pricey, but when Madam Tang touched the fabric, she forgot all about the price.

When I looked at it from inside the room, I noticed that the fabric had a lustrous sheen. When I touched it, I found that there was actually silk mixed in with the wings. The openwork design of the lower wings was very bold, giving it a feel similar to dragonfly wings, which was surprisingly harmonious.

"Why don't you sell this collar to me first?" Madam Tang chuckled twice. "I have plenty of room in my neck."

She really liked it so much that she couldn't sleep at night without it.

Lin Xiushui shook her head, "It has to be suitable. We have a hundred butterfly paintings in our shop. You can pick one you like, my lady."

Although Madam Tang was somewhat disappointed, her fondness for the butterfly collar quickly cheered her up. Before she could speak, more than a dozen women who had followed her swarmed around Lin Xiushui.

"We'll do it too!"

An old lady held up the invitation card and said loudly, "Everyone who sees it gets a share!"

Of course, one or more servings per person is fine; Lin Xiushui wouldn't turn down money.

I found a place, borrowed paper and pen, and wrote down the needs of a bunch of people. The collar is from the neck to the shoulder, with the front and back taking up half of it. It doesn't require much fabric, but it does require a lot of craftsmanship. It takes at least five days to make one collar.

Lin Xiushui hired ten more tailors and eight embroiderers, and also hired two assistants in the shop. This is why she dared to send out dozens or even hundreds of invitations.

Fifteen people made thirty-six collars. Some people made three collars so they could take turns wearing them. Lin Xiushui received a large deposit, more than ten strings of cash, mostly in silver coins. She borrowed a steelyard from Wang Li to weigh them, with a little copper mixed in.

When Lin Xiushui was making butterfly wings, she thought of butterfly collars. Once the pattern is drawn, the fabric and embroidery pattern to be used are clear, and the appropriate size is cut, there are many people, so it won't take too much time to make.

She was convinced that the butterfly collar would sell well.

She walked out with her money bag, her steps light and brisk, her face radiating a triumphant air.

“Ah Qiao,” the tailor called to her from the pavilion.

Lin Xiushui stopped and looked towards the pavilion. She saw several unfamiliar yet kind faces and quickly walked over, somewhat puzzled.

The tailor took her hand. "Come on, let's have dinner with us old folks."

"Hello, ladies," Lin Xiushui greeted them all with a smile, then asked curiously, "What kind of meal are you inviting me to?"

She immediately added, "Old Jin, are you serious? You just saw I made money and want me to treat you? Just say so! I'm rich, let me be the host."

"You brat, you've made me feel old," the tailor said, laughing and joking at the same time, as if he was about to hit Lin Xiushui.

Grandma Tang covered her mouth and laughed, "You're quite an interesting girl, no wonder you can make such extraordinary clothes."

How did you come up with that?

Lin Xiushui walked behind them and said upon hearing this, "It's just something I came up with randomly. The other tailors follow the right path, while I spend my days thinking about unorthodox methods."

"After putting all my effort into it, I finally heard some ripples."

Tailors deal with rulers a lot in their profession, and there can be no slight error. The shapes and sizes of clothes are all fixed. Even if a person is usually lively, they become very meticulous when it comes to clothes.

Especially for elderly seamstresses like them, who used to make clothes for wealthy families, the ladies of noble families were specially rewarded with xiapei (a type of shawl), and when wearing wide sleeves, they would wear horizontal and vertical shawls. During festivals, they would wear wide sleeves and long beizi (a type of jacket), and when receiving guests, they would mostly wear beizi. Young ladies would wear ruxiaqun (a type of skirt), etc. They had long since mastered a set of rigid and error-free methods.

There are very few tailors as innovative as Lin Xiushui.

The group of old ladies adored her and praised her repeatedly on the way to the restaurant.

The tailor hosted a party to celebrate Lin Xiushui's outstanding performance, which concluded successfully.

"Ah Qiao, you're about to become famous," said Grandma Tang, patting Lin Xiushui's shoulder. She was thinking ahead, "You're still too young. If there are any troubles or storms later, you can come to us."

Tailor Xu said, "Being famous has its advantages and disadvantages. If you're unsure, we can give you some advice."

Everyone, including the tailor, believed that young people who achieve early success are bound to become arrogant and fail to take their path properly.

Grandma Tang held Lin Xiushui's hand with her warm hand and said very seriously, "How about you join our Caiyun Society? Don't look down on us old folks, we old folks have our advantages."

Lin Xiushui did not refuse at all; she knew how good the tailor Jin was to her.

“That would be wonderful,” she said without any pretense. “I don’t mind at all. This isn’t called being old. It’s called having decades more of tailoring and decades more of needlework. I can’t compare to that.”

She said very sincerely, "I am indeed very young, but I think it doesn't matter if I stumble a few times. At least life is a long journey, and I can't avoid taking any detours."

At this moment, Lin Xiushui said magnanimously, "As for me, I believe in doing today's work well and dealing with tomorrow's problems tomorrow."

She felt from the bottom of her heart that she had achieved early success and had a bright future, and she did not hide her ambition.

Lin Xiushui picked up her teacup, thanked everyone for thinking of her, and then leaned close to the tailor Jin and said, "Aunt Jin, I am most grateful to you."

"Come on, just call me Old Jin," Jin the tailor said awkwardly, his words stubborn and seemingly unconvinced, but in reality, he really liked it.

"Okay, Aunt Jin."

The tailor said, "Eat more; even the best food can't shut you up."

Everyone burst into laughter, but Lin Xiushui wasn't annoyed. She went outside and borrowed a small blanket, which she then covered the tailor's legs. The group of tailors sat together in the room, listening intently as Lin Xiushui explained how she made the clothes, illuminated by candlelight. The waiter who came to serve the food only caught the details of how she made the clothes, and muttered to himself.

However, as they talked about clothes, the group of old ladies always managed to bring up one topic: matchmaking.

"Is there anyone you like?" Grandma Tang asked. "If not, I have a few very handsome young men in my know who would definitely be a good match for you."

Lin Xiushui frankly admitted, "Yes."

"I quite like it."

The tailor was not surprised at all. Old Mrs. Tang almost dropped her teacup, about to spill it on Old Mrs. Zhang next to her. The tailor laughed and asked curiously, "Why aren't you engaged yet?"

"I want to wait a little longer."

What Lin Xiushui actually wanted to say was that she wasn't afraid of love arriving late.

She needs to experience at least a vague, clear, and passionate emotional journey, until she feels it's right and she's happy.

No one found it particularly shocking; they appreciated Lin Xiushui's idea. They chatted and laughed until late at night, then left in twos and threes, inviting Lin Xiushui to Caiyun Society in mid-December.

After the excitement subsided, Lin Xiushui rubbed her cold hands, waved goodbye to the tailor, and waited until she could no longer see anyone before getting up and going home.

As expected, with the popularity of Butterfly Love Flower, Lin Xiushui and Shui Ji were repeatedly mentioned.

Her two most popular outfits are a cover-up with butterfly cutouts and gauze, and a butterfly collar.

It was early morning, before dawn. Lin Xiushui was still asleep, the alley at Sangshukou was sparsely populated, and even Wang Yuelan was still sound asleep.

She had already been called down, and wearing a coat, she looked sleepily at the six or seven people in front of her who were extremely excited. She hadn't heard a word they said. "Huh?"

She didn't know these people.

“I’ll buy ten of those butterfly collars,” a tall woman said excitedly, raising her voice so high that her spittle almost flew onto Lin Xiushui.

Another woman wearing a tall crown grabbed Lin Xiushui's hand and shook it vigorously. "Besides the butterfly collar, I also want the veil. Do you understand? I had two dreams last night, and they were full of butterflies. Make me another butterfly dress, and I want it fully embroidered."

"You do it first, and I can give you all the money. No deposit is needed. Just do it first!"

Lin Xiushui was startled and wiped her face. "I'll go open the shop. You two can talk slowly."

When she arrived at the shop, there were already more than a dozen people surrounding her. As she approached, they quickly gathered around, their voices drowning out Lin Xiushui.

Even when the tailor arrived, no one could get a word in edgewise. Ah Yun tried her best to make the loudest sound and try to intimidate everyone. The two newly recruited people had very loud voices and made everyone stand up straight so they could speak one by one.

"Did you understand?" Jin the tailor rubbed his ears and asked Lin Xiushui in a low voice.

“I understand,” Lin Xiushui said. “They’re all for me to do first.”

The trouble with being famous is this: business is booming.

Even five people couldn't resist everyone's enthusiasm, and Shuiji once again witnessed the grand occasion of mending clothes. Lin Xiushui also chose to draw lots to make clothes, which was relatively fair and allowed for a more accurate understanding of the needs.

Exhausted and parched, she slumped in a chair. Fortunately, the money was quite substantial; she had earned 110 strings of cash in one day, a huge increase from the previous 20 or 30 strings a day.

Seeing her smug expression, the tailor said, "Be more composed."

"Let Xiaoshui be smug for a moment," Lin Xiushui leaned against the pile of money. A whole bunch of money, and she could still make more!

Once she had made money, she would first give bonuses to everyone who had worked hard, then order materials, draw up blueprints, and make all the necessary arrangements. She wanted to buy a large house.

When Wang Yuelan returned home late at night, she looked around at the alley entrance. The night was cold and windy. When Lin Xiushui saw her, she put on her hood, which she didn't usually wear, and walked over with some food in a few steps.

"aunt."

Wang Yuelan responded with a "yes," took the food box from her hand, and handed her the steaming hot water bottle she was holding. "Let's go home."

The lights were still on inside. Xiao He was half asleep on a stool, not fully awake yet. She said, "Sister, you're back." She stood up unsteadily and then bumped into Lin Xiushui's arms, falling fast asleep.

Wang Yuelan pulled her up and muttered, "I told you to go upstairs to sleep, but you wouldn't. You just had to suffer."

After Xiaohe went upstairs to sleep, Wang Yuelan came downstairs, and Lin Xiushui laid out the food and said, "Aunt, let's buy a house to live in."

"Buy a better one, with a bigger yard and a bright, spacious house. Xiaohe is seven years old and needs to have her own room to sleep in."

Lin Xiushui didn't dislike the house; it was very noisy, both in the morning and at night. It was only separated from the houses on both sides by a wooden plank. Lin Xiushui didn't dare to make too much noise while sleeping. When Xiaohe snored, she would always think, in her half-awake state, that some cow had run up to her bedside.

Wang Yuelan was silent for a while before saying, "Have you thought it through?"

"How much do you want to spend?"

She didn't want to stop her. Lin Xiushui's business was doing very well, and there were too many people coming and going. There were even people knocking on the door in the middle of the night. Moving to a better residence would indeed be a good idea.

Lin Xiushui opened a jar of chicken soup, threw out the oil paper, and said, "I've thought about it for a long time. I asked Zhang Yalang. There are a few better ones with good orientation, bright, with a yard where trees and flowers can be planted, and they are also by the river with private boat pavilions. They cost around two hundred strings of cash."

Hearing this price made Wang Yuelan's eyelids twitch. Even though the price had increased from three strings of cash to four strings at the brocade weaving shop, the twenty-odd strings she had saved up could only afford a fraction of the amount.

“How about I sell this house? I can get fifty taels of silver,” Wang Yuelan said with great difficulty. She found it hard to make this decision. In order to buy this house, she used to work from morning till night in the dye shop without a single day off. She had finally paid off her debts on her own and was now planning to sell it.

Lin Xiushui pressed her hand down, "Aunt, don't sell it. We made a promise. I have no mother anymore. You and Xiaohe are my only relatives. You are good to me, and I will take good care of you, Aunt."

She works very hard and strives to climb higher, not because anyone forces her, but because she wants the people she cares about to live a good life.

“I have money in hand, and I’m waiting for my partner to receive the deposit so we can buy a house.”

Lin Xiushui said with such certainty that she had two hundred strings of cash, half of which was to be used for various expenses. The remaining one hundred strings of cash, the fifty strings from the tailor's work and the thirty percent of the profit from Manchijiao, had not yet been credited to her account, but she was already looking for a house and would definitely be able to move in before the spring.

Wang Yuelan stroked Lin Xiushui's hair, thinking to herself, "How come she gets to enjoy all the blessings her sister never had in her life? Sister, oh sister, your child is truly accomplished."

The word "promising" became the phrase Lin Xiushui heard most often.

As she walked towards Nanwazi, she was no longer a stranger to others. Many people greeted her, asked about her clothing, and even struck up a conversation with her, offering a high price to have her make another dress with the theme of butterflies and flowers, saying that everything was negotiable.

She refused all offers of service, but when she went into Wang Li's room, Wang Li said warmly, "I've never seen a tailor like you before. Where do you get so many ideas?"

“Then what you’ve seen now,” Lin Xiushui pointed to her head, “is what you’ve come up with.”

As the manager of the Tuanyuan Wazi in Nanwazi, Wang Li has many famous performers under her wing. Now she has also deeply felt Lin Xiushui's abilities and wants to get along well with her.

“You are quite famous in our Nanwazi area right now, especially among so many entertainers,” Wang Li said, looking very composed and speaking steadily. “Twenty or thirty people have asked me to give them some advice. Money is no problem, ten strings of cash per person as a starting point.”

The minimum payment is ten strings of cash, not for making clothes, but solely for Lin Xiushui. If she takes on the work of twenty people, she can earn a net profit of two hundred strings of cash.

Lin Xiushui remained silent, gathering her skirt as she slowly sat down, placing her hands clasped on the table. She knew Wang Li still had something to say. Sure enough, Wang Li closed the door, turned around to make tea, and gently placed it on the table before saying, "Madam Lin, let's be frank. We in Nanwazi would love for you to do business with us."

“We have many tailors, but various plays and costumes require more outstanding costumes, preferably those that can rival those of the Butterfly Lovers. However, we are struggling to find a suitable candidate. I wonder if you, Madam Lin, have any ideas?”

Wang Li pointed to a number, "We can give you one hundred strings of cash a month."

Although Wang Li didn't think Lin Xiushui was unsophisticated, one hundred guan a month was a very high price. She glanced at Lin Xiushui's face, wanting to see her look shocked.

However, Wang Li was extremely disappointed, as the other person remained very composed.

Lin Xiushui picked up her teacup, took a sip, and remained unmoved.

“I can’t do it,” she said, putting down her teacup. “You want to conjure up a second Butterfly Love Flower? Impossible.”

"I'm someone who really likes money."

Wang Li thought to herself, "I didn't see that coming."

Lin Xiushui put the lid on the teacup and chuckled, "I would have agreed a long time ago, but I really can't do it now. There can only be one Butterfly Love Flower, and two hundred strings of cash won't sway me."

"However, I can promise you that I will help them change their clothes. Consider it as me borrowing your Nanwazi to promote my business."

Unfortunately, she had already seen and possessed a lot of money, which formed her confidence and broadened her horizons, allowing her to make choices and also to refuse some things.

She didn't want to be forced to create clothes that everyone would praise. She knew that doing it purely for money would stifle her inspiration and ultimately ruin her reputation. She also wanted to give Wang Erniang and the others some time to establish themselves; climbing up from the bottom wasn't easy.

Wang Li never understood why. However, she knew that once Lin Xiushui became famous, Nanwazi's plan to use money to win her over when she was relatively unknown was futile.

She was still unwilling to give up, so she asked, "Why? We have people here who are more outstanding than Wang Erniang and the others. If you can do it, they can spread the word for you, and the venues will be packed every time. We can give you not just one or two hundred strings of cash, but even three hundred strings of cash."

Lin Xiushui sighed, "I prefer sincerity to money."

She couldn't reason with Wang Li, so she said with a straight face, "But I must say, please be careful, replacing Wang Erniang and the others is the same as replacing me."

"You don't want to wear the same clothes forever, and you don't want to see your precious butterfly flower wither in your hands."

Wang Li didn't have any particular thoughts, but her superiors did think so. As long as the clothes and techniques were there, it didn't matter who came. They might as well promote a few famous ones and give them a makeover.

"I don't want to," Wang Li said truthfully. The person who was going to take the position wasn't one of her subordinates, so whether he was good or bad was none of her business. But she couldn't make that decision anyway.

Lin Xiushui is not famous enough.

“At most half a month,” Wang Li shrugged. “I want to keep the Butterfly Love Flower in my hands even more than you do, but I can’t. Even if you don’t want to make it anymore, other tailors can copy it.”

To be honest, though it sounds harsh, her clothing style was distinctive. At the time, for the sake of creating an image, it wasn't too difficult to make; as long as you followed the pattern, you could quickly make a set.

Lin Xiushui wasn't angry; she just stroked the teacup, which was rather amusing.

Once something becomes famous, the two options are to create substitutes or to have someone else take its place.

In fact, it wouldn't have much impact on her. If someone more famous were to take her place, as long as "Butterfly Lovers" is performed, her business would continue to thrive and her fame would continue to grow. As long as she's willing to give up and compromise, she can have everything she wants.

However, it's too easy to abandon one's conscience, but not easy to pick it up again.

She stood up, straightened her collar, and smiled, "Just you wait and see."

Author's Note: A new month has arrived, bringing new blessings. May everything go smoothly, may you enjoy good health, and may you receive lots of red envelopes! [hugs]

I'll be updating tomorrow night at 11 PM! [kissing emoji]