Chapter 231 Zhang the Tailor

Since the start of the Winter Games, Sheng Xiping and Zhou Qinglan have had few opportunities to meet, let alone get along well.

Now that they've finally come down the mountain, and the two are about to get married, what's wrong with the young couple being affectionate?

Of course, Zhou Qinglan was a shy girl, and she felt embarrassed and ashamed when Sheng Xiping kissed her on the street, even if it was evening and no one saw it.

So he reached out and pinched Sheng Xiping's waist.

"Go ahead and be as wicked as you want. There are people coming and going on the street. If other people see us like this, what will happen to our reputations?"

These days, everything is strictly regulated, and even couples are not allowed to have very intimate behavior in public.

Even when the two are walking together outside, the wife has to stay behind, as far away from her husband as possible, for fear of being pointed at and gossiped about.

"Tch, why so many stupid rules? It's my own wife, I can kiss her however I want, who cares?"

Sheng Xiping, shameless as he was, didn't care about any of that. He still held Zhou Qinglan's hand and said with a grin.

Zhou Qinglan glared at Sheng Xiping, but couldn't help but smile as she looked down.

The young couple was deeply in love and wanted to be together every day, so how could she really dislike Sheng Xiping?

It's just talk; I actually quite like it.

The two walked hand in hand, chatting as they went, and soon arrived at Zhang the tailor's house in the forest farm.

Zhang the tailor, whose real name is Zhang Caifeng.

This man was in his forties, from Zhangdian. His family used to own a cloth shop, and his father was a tailor.

Zhang Caifeng started working as an assistant in the shop when she was a child, and learned some skills through observation and experience.

Later, the cloth shop failed, and the family fell into poverty. Someone introduced her to a forestry worker in Northeast China, and she married him.

After marrying into this family, Zhang Caifeng often made clothes for others because of her good craftsmanship.

She doesn't want money, just food, eggs, meat, or something like that, and no one can find fault with her.

If someone does care, just say it's all help, and that the gifts are just a way of returning a favor.

Zhang Caifeng makes clothes for others in exchange for goods, and since her husband has a job, they live a pretty good life.

A few years ago, Zhang Caifeng bought a sewing machine, which made making clothes much easier. Whenever someone in the forest farm needed a decent piece of clothing made, they would go to Zhang Caifeng.

"Aunt Yang, are you home?" Sheng Xiping called out as he walked into the Yang family's gate.

Zhang Caifeng's husband's surname is Yang. In this day and age, once a woman gets married, she has to be addressed by the man's name.

Normally, you would address someone as "sister-in-law," "aunt," or "elder sister-in-law," preceded by the man's surname. Therefore, you can't call Zhang Caifeng "Aunt Zhang," you have to call her "Aunt Yang."

In another twenty or thirty years, most of the time we'll have to call her Aunt Zhang.

They were tidying up the table inside, preparing for dinner, when they heard someone calling for Aunt Yang from outside. They knew someone had come to have clothes made.

Zhang Caifeng came out of the house and glanced at the front door. "Oh my, it's Xiping and Qinglan here."

"Come on in, have you eaten yet? It's almost time for dinner, eat at home."

This is just a ready-made polite remark. When guests come to visit during mealtime, they will say something like, "It's just a token gesture, don't take it seriously."

"No, Auntie, we've come to you to have our clothes made."

The other person was just being polite, and Sheng Xiping naturally didn't take it seriously. He was too lazy to beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose.

"Is this for a wedding dress? What kind of material is it? Let me see it."

Clothes made by tailors must be made of exceptional fabrics and require a high level of craftsmanship.

If it were ordinary cotton cloth, any housewife could cut it and make it; there would be no need to hire a tailor.

"Come in, let's talk inside." Zhang Caifeng ushered Sheng Xiping and his companion into the inner room.

Sheng Xiping took two pieces of cloth out of his pocket and handed them to Zhang Caifeng.

"Auntie, take this piece of wool-polyester blue and make me a uniform. Take a look at this piece of wool fabric and make a coat for my wife."

Actually, this fabric would look good on a suit dress, but these days, how many people wear dresses? It's too bourgeois, and people would criticize it.

Sheng Xiping thought, why not make a fitted coat? Zhou Qinglan is tall and slim, so it would definitely look good on her.

"Oh dear, these two pieces of cloth aren't cheap."

Zhang Caifeng picked up the fabric and examined it closely, especially the woolen fabric, which she really admired.

"Xiping, you really dote on your wife, even buying her things. A dress made from this fabric will last for at least ten or eight years, won't it?"

She loves what she does. Zhang Caifeng is a tailor and is very knowledgeable about all kinds of fabrics. When she comes across a good fabric, she really likes it from the bottom of her heart.

"Come on, let me take your measurements. If you have any requests, just tell me, and I'll make sure you get the most satisfactory clothes."

As Zhang Caifeng spoke, she quickly took out a tape measure, a pen, and a notebook from the sewing machine drawer. She measured Zhou Qinglan's dimensions while recording the measurements in the notebook.

"Auntie, the hem of her coat should be about ten centimeters above her knees. It should be fitted at the waist to look better."

A large lapel, slanted pockets, and if there's any fabric left, make a belt.

Sheng Xiping carefully recalled what the women's trench coats he had seen in his previous life looked like and tried his best to describe them.

"The pants shouldn't be too baggy, they should fit well, just big enough to wear under thermal underwear or thin cotton pants."

Making a set of clothes at this time of year is not easy; you wish you could wear it in both winter and summer.

Therefore, most of the clothes and pants were made to be loose and baggy, so that a cotton-padded jacket and trousers could be worn underneath.

Sheng Xiping didn't like those clothes; they looked terrible on him. It wasn't like he couldn't afford the fabric or make his own clothes, so there was no need for his wife to dress so plainly.

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