Hearing the female shopkeeper's reply, Ning Zhiheng was not discouraged. Instead, he turned to the old tailor and said, "We would like to choose a blue and white woolen fabric with a peony pattern. Do you have any here?"

Upon hearing this, the old tailor quickly said, "You have peony-patterned blue and white fabric? You have excellent taste! This is high-grade fabric that just arrived from Shanghai. It's very expensive and rarely seen here. Most small shops don't carry it. Luckily, we have some in stock. Please wait here!"

After saying that, he led his assistant into the back warehouse, and came out a short while later, with the assistant carrying a bolt of cloth.

The female shopkeeper glanced at it and quickly nodded, whispering to Ning Zhiheng, "Sir, that's the material!"

Ning Zhiheng was overjoyed and decisively said, "This is the material we'll choose!"

After saying that, he looked around and saw that there were still two female customers in the tailor shop. Not wanting to make too much noise, he smiled and said to the old tailor, "Master, let's talk inside. I have something to ask of you!"

The old tailor looked at Ning Zhiheng. Although he didn't understand what he meant, he nodded in agreement, and the two of them went into the next room.

Ning Zhiheng casually closed the door, took out his military officer's ID from his pocket, and said with a smile, "This time, besides asking you to tailor the clothes, we also need your cooperation. We want to investigate whether your shop has ever made a cheongsam for someone else with a similar size to my sister's, using that kind of blue and white fabric with peony patterns that was just imported from Shanghai?"

Upon hearing Ning Zhiheng's words, the old tailor finally understood the true intentions of these people.

He took Ning Zhiheng's military officer's ID and examined it carefully. Finally, he said helplessly, "Alright, I'm getting old and can't remember some things. But for any custom-made clothes, the customer's name or address must be recorded. I'll go check!"

At this point, he turned around, took out a thick ledger from the drawer, placed it on the table, and slowly began searching through it.

Ning Zhiheng asked, "Are there many customers who want to make cheongsams?"

The old tailor didn't look up, but continued to search carefully, replying, "I've been a tailor all my life. Beiquan Tailor Shop has a great reputation, and of course, many people order clothes from me, including many cheongsams."

"But it's not hard to find out. This blue and white fabric with the peony pattern is new material; it just arrived in Nanjing from Shanghai not long ago. Besides, your sister's size is rare, so we'll be able to find it quickly. Please wait a moment."

Ning Zhiheng didn't say anything more. After a while, the old tailor finished searching and said to him, "I only have one customer here who meets your conditions. The others either have the wrong material or the size is too different."

Ning Zhiheng took the ledger and, following the old tailor's directions, found the name.

After looking at it, he hesitated. The label indicated that she was the wife of a municipal government official. He asked again, "How old is this Chen Yalan?"

"She's probably not even forty years old. She's a regular customer of our shop. She's been ordering all kinds of clothes from us for over ten years, and she only trusts my craftsmanship!" the old tailor said confidently.

Ning Zhiheng was very disappointed when he heard this. The female shopkeeper was talking about a very young woman, which obviously did not match the description.

However, Ning Zhiheng still wrote down the name and address. He was always careful and meticulous, and it was not impossible that Chen Yalan might look very young.

Ning Zhiheng stepped out of the inner room, followed by the old tailor carrying a thick ledger. He said to Wu Ruyun, "The fabric and size have been ordered. Please sign your name and address, Miss!"

Wu Ruyun was taken aback when she heard this. She had always been following Ning Zhiheng's orders. Did she really want to make cheongsams?

She instinctively said, "I don't want a cheongsam, why would I sign anything?"

The old tailor was stunned by her words and looked at Ning Zhiheng.

Without saying a word, Ning Zhiheng took out a few US dollars from his pocket and put them in the old tailor's hand, saying, "Consider the extra as an apology for disturbing you today!"

Then he turned to Wu Ruyun and said coldly, "Sign your name!"

Under his gaze, Wu Ruyun knew she couldn't disobey him, so she took the pen, hesitated for a moment, and signed her name as "Tian Caixia".

However, she didn't notice that the moment she wrote her name, Ning Zhiheng, who was standing to the side, and Yu Cheng, who had been watching coldly, both narrowed their eyes, but neither of them said a word.

Just as she was about to put down her pen, the old tailor spoke again: "And your home address?"

Wu Ruyun was startled, and immediately pretended to be displeased, saying, "Why is it so troublesome? Do you need my address?"

The old tailor smiled and said, "People who order custom-made clothes usually leave their address. If the clothes don't fit, you can give us a call and we can come to your home to make alterations. That way, it won't take up your time!"

"Write!" Ning Zhiheng's voice grew increasingly cold!

Helpless, Wu Ruyun had no choice but to rack her brains and write down a fake address before putting down her pen. The old tailor carefully put away the ledger and said with a smile, "You can come and pick it up in ten days. If it's inconvenient for you, we can also deliver the cheongsam to your home for you to try on and alter on the spot!"

After Ning Zhiheng finished his business, he waved and the group left Beiquan Tailor Shop.

He turned to the couple who owned the Anhe Shop and said, "Go back now. Keep quiet about what happened today and don't tell anyone, understand?"

When the shop owners heard that Ning Zhiheng had really let them go, they were overjoyed. They had escaped a disaster and even gained some money for nothing. It was a great joy after great sorrow. They nodded repeatedly in agreement and left quickly.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!