Chapter 51: Help the lady make a cheongsam!
The woman glanced at her, her lips twitching slightly: "Just you? If the master I've worked with for a long time hadn't gone back to visit his family, why would I have come to try my luck with you? Do you think I'm easy to fool?"
After she finished speaking, she looked at her watch, then turned to the middle-aged woman and said, "Don't waste your time arguing with her. Let's go to the Chen's Tailor Shop you mentioned."
She walked straight out in her high heels. The middle-aged woman glared at the female apprentice and whispered, "You got a good deal." Then she followed her out.
Su Mengxue looked at the woman's departing figure and raised her voice slightly, saying, "You have a great figure, but you also have shortcomings. Your hips are wide and your arms are thick. I don't know who designed the cheongsam you're wearing, but it doesn't suit you very well."
Seeing the woman stop, she added slowly, "You should avoid cheongsams that are too tight or straight. Choose A-line skirts, high waists, or styles with vertical dividing lines. This will flatter your hip lines. Also, avoid large patterns or overly complex designs, as they will add visual bulk and make your hips appear wider."
"As for your thick arms, you can choose a cheongsam with puff sleeves or batwing sleeves. These sleeves can effectively cover up the problem of thick arms while adding a fashionable touch to the cheongsam."
After she finished speaking, the woman suddenly turned around, looked her up and down like a hawk, and asked, "What's your name? Do you really know how to tailor clothes?"
Su Mengxue straightened her back and blurted out, "Su Mengxue, I'm the tailor here."
The woman approached in high heels, looked at her for a few times, and then her eyes fell on the cheongsam she was wearing. She saw that the cheongsam she was wearing was well-tailored, with exquisite and unique buttons, especially the perfect pleats at the waist, which outlined her slender waist charmingly.
She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did you make what you are wearing yourself?"
For the first time, there was warmth in the woman's voice.
Su Mengxue met the other person's scrutinizing gaze and nodded in response, "Yes, if you are willing to give me half an hour, I promise to make a cheongsam that will satisfy you."
The woman raised her eyes and said with disdain: "Are you so confident?"
"Confidence comes from strength. If you think what I just said is wrong, why would you stay and ask me this?"
The woman crossed her arms at her side and sneered, "Then what can you promise me?"
Su Mengxue thought carefully and realized that she didn't have anything valuable on her that could be used as collateral.
Seeing that she was silent, the woman's eyes flashed with sharpness: "I'm telling you, if you screw up, you can forget about opening this store again."
She paused, then added casually, "It's done. From now on, all my clothes will be made here. You can name the price. Isn't this a fair offer?"
Although Su Mengxue was confident in her craftsmanship, this shop was the result of years of hard work by the master craftsman. If a woman deliberately made things difficult for her, she could not bear such a heavy responsibility. Besides, she had no right to agree to it.
After some thought, she replied frankly: "Sorry, I won't bet with you."
Seeing this, the middle-aged woman raised her eyebrows and sneered: "I knew she wouldn't dare. Madam, let's not waste time here. Let's hurry to Chenji."
Just as the woman was about to turn and leave, she heard the wooden door creak open and an old but unyielding voice came over: "Wait, we've got your business."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes turned to the door at the same time, and they saw Zhou Weidong walking towards them slowly.
He first walked up to the woman and said solemnly, "I bet you that I believe she can make a cheongsam that will satisfy you."
Su Mengxue hurried forward and winked at the old master, hoping that he would not be impulsive.
Zhou Weidong knew what she was worried about. He raised his hand to stop her and said in a deep voice, "Girl, you are the most talented and spiritual tailor I have ever met. I believe you can make a cheongsam that will satisfy her."
When the woman heard Zhou Weidong say this, she glanced at Su Mengxue with interest, turned around and sat on the sofa beside her, raised the corner of her lips and said, "Let's get started."
Su Mengxue knew that this woman was not someone who was easy to serve, and her dress was too gorgeous. Their aesthetic tastes might not match. Besides, this shop was the life's work of the master craftsman, and she was afraid that her mistakes would ruin his shop again.
"Master, I..." Before she could say no, Zhou Weidong's calloused hands had already stuffed a piece of paper with the measurements written on it into her palm.
He instructed, "This lady has an important banquet to attend tomorrow. These are her measurements. You can use whatever materials are in the cabinet. I know your ability, so go ahead and do it."
Su Mengxue looked at the master's confident and trusting eyes, and she suddenly felt courageous. She turned her head and glanced at the clock on the wall. Time was short and the task was heavy. After noting down the woman's size, she quickly picked out a piece of dark green silk fabric from the master's cabinet.
She quickly sat down at the sewing machine, her eyes sweeping over the woman's languid posture like a ruler. As her fingertips brushed against the silk, the fluffy curves of the puff sleeves and the curve of the waist had already taken shape in her mind. Without hesitation, she spread out the fabric and began to mark the points.
The scissors quickly drew smooth arcs on the fabric. After cutting, she deliberately left a few inches of material at the armhole to make puff sleeves.
When the middle-aged woman saw that Su Mengxue didn't even draw a blueprint, she sneered and said, "Who are you trying to fool if you don't even draw a blueprint?" Her eyes were full of contempt.
The woman on the sofa was stroking the jade bracelet with her fingertips, but she sat very steadily.
As the sewing machine made regular clicking sounds, the dark green silk fabric shuttled and spun in her hands. She first carefully sewed the slim body of the cheongsam, and then wrapped the buttons with silk thread of the same color to create an elegant pipa lapel.
Next, she kneaded and ironed the cut sleeves repeatedly to allow the fabric to naturally bulge and develop a fluffy curve, and then added half-inch wide puff sleeves of the same color along the cuffs.
As the needle flew, the stand-up collar and buttons gradually took shape, and the A-line skirt outlined an elegant curve. Half an hour later, a cheongsam that blended fashion and softness quietly took shape on the desk.
She didn't bother to wipe the fine beads of sweat from her forehead. After carefully checking the loose threads, she quickly stood up and shook out the cheongsam in her hand in front of them.
The middle-aged woman involuntarily moved closer. After seeing the workmanship and pattern of the cheongsam, her eyes widened and her contemptuous look froze instantly.
She stared at the cheongsam intently, pursed her lips, and exclaimed in amazement: "In such a short time... you actually managed to make such a delicate and beautiful cheongsam?"
Zhou Weidong walked forward, his fingers trembling as he stroked the buttons of his cheongsam. A look of satisfaction appeared in his cloudy eyes: "Girl, I knew you could do it. You really didn't let me down."
After he finished speaking, he turned to look at the woman sitting still on the sofa and asked, "Madam, do you think this craftsmanship is up to your standards?"
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