He walked to the house of the woman in the plaid shirt, and she was already waiting outside the door. Seeing the old tailor and Ruan Xiren arrive, she smiled and hurriedly came over to greet them: "Oh, you're finally here."

She hasn't gone anywhere yet, waiting for the old tailor to come and make clothes.

Of course, she didn't plan to do anything else these two days, and she would stop working in the production team for the time being. She would stay at home to take care of this matter. After all, her son's marriage was the top priority in the family.

Two men put down the sedan chair in front of the door, and the other two carried the sewing machine into the house, said hello and left.

The woman in the plaid shirt invited the old tailor into the house, and Ruan Xi followed quietly behind with two schoolbags on her back. She came to learn the job from the old tailor. All she had to do was pass things around and do odd jobs, so she didn't talk much.

The woman in the plaid shirt took a long bench and placed it behind the sewing machine, and the old tailor walked over and sat down. He didn't like dealing with people, so he didn't greet the woman in the plaid shirt and directly asked Ruan Xi to take out the album.

Ruan Xi took out the picture album from her schoolbag and handed it to the woman in the plaid shirt.

The old tailor smoked his pipe and said, "I have drawn a few simple patterns based on the girl's facial shape and body shape, as well as the patterns and materials of the pieces of cloth you have bought. Take a look at them yourself, and I will cut the cloth when you have made your choice."

The woman in the plaid shirt flipped open the album, unable to conceal the joy in her eyes. As she flipped through the album, she said, "How fashionable."

When she had finished flipping through all the pictures drawn by Lao Chafeng, her future daughter-in-law appeared at the door.

The woman in the plaid shirt was delighted by the pictures and said with a smile, "You came at the right time. Come quickly and take a look and choose. Mr. Song has drawn many styles for you. Once you choose, we will make it right away."

Even in normal times, if one could make a new piece of clothing to wear, one would be happy for half a year, not to mention that this was also related to the happy event of marriage. The girl smiled, pinched her braids, and came to look at the album in the woman's hand.

The two of them looked at and discussed at the same time, without getting too entangled or arguing over differences in aesthetics, and they easily decided on their three favorite styles.

After the woman and her daughter-in-law had decided on the style, the old tailor put down his pipe and stood up.

In order to allow the old tailor to make clothes, the woman's family borrowed a large board from the production team, placed it against the wall, and wiped it clean so that the old tailor could draw lines on the board, cut, iron, etc.

The old tailor walked over to the big board and sat down. Ruan Xi took out pencils, rough paper, scissors, chalk and other necessary tools from his schoolbag and placed them on the board in order so that the old tailor could reach them within reach.

The old tailor spread the paper out in front of him and sketched on the marked dimensions.

Ruan Xi watched him paint from the side, pretending to be studying seriously. The woman and her future daughter-in-law were also standing nearby watching. They had different feelings. They were completely looking forward to the appearance of the finished clothes.

The old tailor finished drawing the sketch, threw down his pen, turned to Ruan Xi and said, "Cut out these carefully, put them on the cloth, trace along the edges with chalk, and then cut out the traced pieces of cloth. You do it."

If you calculate carefully, Ruan Xi didn't spend a long time learning the craft from the old tailor, only a few days. This was her first time to come out with him to make clothes. If she was really a novice, she would probably hesitate for a long time before accepting this task.

But she was no novice, so she simply agreed, "Okay."

The woman in the plaid shirt looked at her future daughter-in-law, and it was obvious that she was still not so reassured about Ruan Xi. However, they had been scolded by the old tailor before, so they remembered the lesson and endured it this time without saying anything.

They were very nervous at first, but when they saw Ruan Xi come back after washing her hands and start to work according to the steps, the nervousness in their hearts gradually disappeared. Because Ruan Xi's work is very meticulous, not only is the cutting good, but the fabric is also extremely economical.

Seeing Ruan Xi cutting out most of the pieces, the woman in the plaid shirt looked relieved and said with a smile, "Master Song, your apprentice is really good at teaching. He does things in a methodical manner. It's reassuring to see him."

The old tailor was willing to praise Ruan Xi this time, and continued, "She is smart. I won't teach stupid people."

The woman in the plaid shirt echoed, "Yes, the little girl looks smart."

Ruan Xi smiled as she cut the cloth and flattered the old tailor, "Master taught me well."

After finishing the cutting, Ruan Xi put down the scissors and took the sewing machine body out of her stomach and set it steady.

After washing his hands, the old tailor sat down in front of the sewing machine, stepping on the pedal to skillfully sew the fabric. Ruan Xi, the woman in the plaid shirt, and her future daughter-in-law were still standing by and watching as the scraps of cloth were pieced together to make clothes.

The old tailor first sewed a simple version and asked the woman's future daughter-in-law to try it first.

You can only know the specific effect after trying it on yourself. You can see at a glance where the tailoring is not suitable or where it can be done better. After trying it out, make some minor changes and then continue with the detailed work.

I would try to modify a set of clothes like this, and then try again until the end.

Because it was a wedding dress, the production of this dress was slow and it was not completely finished until the evening. The next day, he had to make two sets of clothes for daily wear, so Ruan Xi stayed with the old tailor that night.

Living there can only be considered a makeshift residence, after all, no one has that much house. But the food is still better than what the mountain residents usually eat, as it is not just pickled cabbage and white porridge.

The woman in the plaid shirt cooked some dishes for the old tailor and Ruan Xi separately and let them eat separately.

After eating, I would just stay overnight and continue working the next day.

The old tailor still drew sketches in front of a large board. After finishing, he threw away the pencil and used chalk to trace the paper onto the cloth. He also let Ruan Xi do the work of cutting along the lines, which did not require much technical skills.

After Ruan Xi finished cutting the cloth, she gave it to the old tailor, but this time the old tailor refused to accept it.

He looked too lazy to move, and suddenly said, "You watched all day yesterday. You saw how a garment is made from start to finish, every step and detail. Today's two pieces are simple, so you can do them."

After hearing this, before Ruan Xi could react, the woman in the plaid shirt stopped working.

She glared at the old tailor, "Uncle Song, this won't do!"

The old tailor then asked, "Why not?"

Isn't this a nonsense question?

The woman in the plaid shirt frowned slightly. "These are all new cloths. I spent real money and walked four days on the mountain road to buy them from the commune. The clothes I made are for weddings. How can I give them to your apprentice to practice?"

Everyone knew that this was the first time he took his apprentice out to make clothes together. I've only been employing this apprentice for a few days. No matter how smart he is, it's impossible for him to be able to use the machine to make clothes by himself, right?

Ruan Xi could fully understand the worries of the woman in the plaid shirt. She didn't want to be in the spotlight, so she said to the old tailor, "Master, how about I learn for a while before I can use the machine?"

The old tailor said, "Just do what I tell you to do."

He knew in his mind that his apprentice could definitely make these two simple everyday clothes.

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere in the room froze.

The woman in the plaid shirt knew and had experienced the old tailor's personality and temper. Everyone on this mountain knows his character and temperament. He is mean, old-fashioned and inhuman, like a moldy, stinky stone.

If he didn't have skills, I'm afraid no one would even want to talk to him.

There was no other way. The woman in the plaid shirt took a deep breath and held her breath. Finally, she looked at the old tailor and said, "Mr. Song, if you insist on letting your apprentice do it, then I'll make it clear. If it's not done well, you won't pay me and you'll have to compensate me for the cloth."

The old tailor said "hmm" easily: "If it goes wrong, let her pay for it. Her father is an officer in the army."

Ruan Xi was stunned and looked at him: "???"

The old tailor ignored her gaze and nodded at the sewing machine: "Finish your work as soon as possible and go home as soon as possible."

Ruan Xi withdrew her gaze and said nothing. She took the cut pieces of cloth and sat down in front of the sewing machine.

Making clothes of this simple style was not a big deal for her, so she was very relaxed. But the woman in the plaid shirt and her future daughter-in-law standing by the sewing machine were not at ease. Their faces seemed to be weighed down by tons of dark clouds.

In order to quickly relieve their psychological pressure, Ruan Xi did not hesitate and decisively pulled out the thread from the sewing machine, picked out a suitable thread to wind a bottom thread, and then threaded the thread and led the lower thread. All the actions were done in one go.

Seeing how skillfully Ruan Xi did these things, the woman in the plaid shirt subconsciously looked a little better. But she didn't relax either, especially when she saw Ruan Xi pressing the cloth under the press plate, her heart beat so fast that it blocked her throat.

When she thought about the fact that this was the cloth that his family had saved money from and had to travel over the mountain road to buy from the commune, she felt even more breathless. The moment Ruan Xi turned the wheel and stepped on the pedal, she almost rolled her eyes and fainted.

But when Ruan Xi successfully stepped out a straight line of equal distance on the edge of the fabric, she suddenly steadied her breathing and stood still. Then the dark clouds on her face gradually dissipated, and a look of surprise slowly appeared on her face.

The old tailor was smoking a pipe nearby, watching the changing expressions on the plaid-shirted woman's face. He deliberately chose this moment to ask her, "What do you think of my apprentice?"

The woman in the plaid shirt came back to her senses after hearing this, and said with a shy look on her face, "You taught me really well."

The old tailor said without any modesty, "Of course."

Ruan Xi stepped on the sewing machine with a smile on her face, "I am still smart."

The woman in the plaid shirt praised her again, "Girl, you are really smart. I underestimated you."

Having said this, all the worries in her heart disappeared. She was completely relieved and relaxed. She no longer stood in the room watching. She just asked her future daughter-in-law to wait here and let her try on the clothes and talk about her ideas when necessary.

After that, the only sound in the room was the sound of the sewing machine.

After the last piece of clothing was finished, Ruan Xi sat in front of the sewing machine and sewed buttonholes by hand. After sewing the last buttonhole, ironing it and nailing the button on, the task for the day is completed.

While Ruan Xi was ironing clothes, the woman in the plaid shirt brought a gutted and featherless chicken into the house and said to the old tailor, "Mr. Song, I've slaughtered a rooster for you. You can take it home and eat it."

The old tailor did not refuse and accepted it directly.

This was always the case when he went to make clothes for others in the past. He would always receive some food. Some people would give him peach cakes, honey cakes, etc., some would give him eggs or slaughter some livestock, and during the Chinese New Year, they would also give him some pork when they slaughtered pigs.

Of course, if you give away something, I don’t mind if the wages are a little more or a little less.

When the clothes were finished, the old tailor took the rooster and his wages and left.

After packing up the things, four strong men still took them back.

The old tailor sat in the sedan chair and asked Ruan Xi: "Do you want all the money, or do you want this chicken?"

Ruan Xi was a little surprised, "Do I still get paid?"

The old tailor said, "Of course you will be paid for the work you have done. It's up to you to choose."

Ruan Xi thought about it, looked up at him and said, "Then I want half a chicken."

In the Ruan family’s small kitchen.

Ruan Changgui was lighting a fire behind the stove and cooking pig food, while Sun Xiaohui was sitting beside him chopping chicken food.

Ruan Changgui grabbed a handful of straw and stuffed it under the stove, then asked Sun Xiaohui, "Did Xiaoxi not come back last night?"

Sun Xiaohui knew about this. She chopped the chicken and said, "I heard that he went with the old tailor to make clothes for others."

Ruan Changgui looked at Sun Xiaohui and said, "The old tailor has never taken anyone out to make clothes, right?"

Sun Xiaohui smiled indifferently, "No, so what?"

Ruan Changgui looked anxious, "What's wrong? It means the old tailor values ​​her. Don't you care?"

Sun Xiaohui kept wielding the kitchen knife in her hand. "What's so special about me? Don't you know what the old tailor is like? He is a miser. In the past, many people came to him to learn the craft, and every one of them gave him something. What did he get? The most generous thing he got was just a bunch of grapes."

She stopped her knife and took a breath. "He just treats people as tools. He takes Xiaoxi out to make clothes just like he takes someone to his side to do odd jobs. It's probably because Xiaoxi is easy to use that he takes her as his apprentice."

He raised the kitchen knife and continued chopping. "Your mother spoiled her like this, letting her learn a craft. She put in half a basket of eggs in exchange for a bunch of grapes? What good can a bunch of grapes do? Not to mention that she lost half a basket of eggs, this girl was raised in vain. She didn't do any housework when she was raised, but went out to work for other families. In the end, she didn't learn any craft, so what did she get?"

Ruan Changgui thought about it and nodded in agreement, "That's right. She went to learn a craft from someone and asked them to take the trouble to teach her. She is not cut out for this job, so how could they still pay her?"

Sun Xiaohui sneered, "Wages? I might have to kill another chicken and send it over in a while."

Just as Sun Xiaohui finished speaking, she suddenly heard Ruan Xi's voice coming from outside: "Grandma, I'm back!"

Sun Xiaohui shook her head when she heard the voice. "The loser is back."

Liu Xinghua's voice came again, "Hey, where did you get the chicken?"

chicken? What chicken?

Ruan Changgui and Sun Xiaohui raised their heads and pricked up their ears at the same time.

Ruan Xi: "The family that made the clothes killed it and gave it to us. My master and I each got half."

Outside the side room, Ruan Xi took out a banknote from her schoolbag after she finished speaking. Unable to suppress her joy, she continued, "Ting ting ting ting... In addition to half a rooster, there is also a one-dollar bill. This is the salary I earned from making clothes with my master this time."

The moment she saw the banknote, Liu Xinghua's eyes widened: "One dollar?"

In the small kitchen, Ruan Changgui and Liu Xinghua almost exclaimed at the same time: "One dollar?"

You have to know that he worked hard for a month, and the work points he earned were only about five yuan. Women like Sun Xiaohui did light work in the production team and earned only about three or four yuan in work points a month.

And Ruan Xi went out for two days and easily earned half a rooster and a dollar? ?