Chapter 74 They bought a shop!
There are many kinds of lotus-patterned fabrics. Tailors are used to seeing small floral and folded lotus patterned brocades, lotus and child patterns, and there are also techniques like gold-printed fabrics, where lotus flowers are carved and then gold-painted and colored onto the fabric.
But none of them are as eye-catching and striking as this lotus-patterned dress; all eyes are drawn to the dress.
There are three outstanding aspects to clothing these days: first, the fabric, such as silk, gauze, brocade, etc.; second, the craftsmanship, such as gold weaving, gold leaf, embroidery, beading, painting, tie-dyeing, etc.; and third, the color, such as pomegranate red, tulip red, canary yellow, lotus root pink, and light green.
However, none of them were particularly eye-catching in terms of design. They kept repeating the same styles: narrow sleeves, wide sleeves, straight sleeves, aprons, pleats, and stacks. There was basically no breakthrough. Instead, they focused on elaborate and unorthodox designs for the collar.
“I never knew that skirts could be made in the shape of flower petals,” a tailor with more than ten years of experience said with emotion. “We wish that every skirt pleat was the same width and the hem was straight, and instead we put all the patterns on the fabric and on the skirt ribbons.”
The tailor, still focused on the petal-shaped sleeves, muttered to himself, “That’s right. I never dare to break the rules. The width of the sleeves can be increased as much as possible, but everything else still follows the rules.”
After everyone recovered from their shock, they began discussing the clothes again. Zhang Lianhe, whose gaze was fixed on the dress, looked down at it closely, her hand gently stroking the gauze skirt. The skirt had an embroidery pattern of pink and white lotus flowers, green dragonflies, and light blue lotus leaves along the narrow edge. She stared at it closely, then raised her sleeve and brushed it across the skirt, the silk threads at the edge gleaming.
She stood there, there was a mirror frame in the room, but she didn't sit down. She didn't dare to sit down; such beautiful clothes would make her feel restrained.
When Lin Xiushui asked her, Zhang Lianhe spoke softly, no longer holding her head high and being as playful as she had when she called herself the Lotus Flower Goddess. She took two steps away and said, "I'm scared."
"This yarn is most prone to snagging."
The other tailors who came to watch the commotion laughed. Someone in the crowd pointed at Lin Xiushui and said, "Go find A Qiao. She can draw back the thread and add more thread. We always ask her to mend our torn dresses."
"Just sit down, I'll fix it for you if it's damaged," Lin Xiushui put her hand on her shoulder and asked her to sit down. "To see how she sits and walks, we'll have to ask these ladies to help us see where it needs to be changed."
Clothes are not simply made and worn; even if the measurements are accurate, the finished product may not fit perfectly. They need to be altered multiple times until the final garment is made and no further changes are made.
"Aren't you going to give it to me now?" Zhang Lianhe covered her skirt, her face filled with shock, completely disrupting her plans.
She plans to spend the day strolling around Sangling Lane, then head to South Street at dawn tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow go to Jinyinfang. She can pass by her home three times without entering. The day after that, she will let her clothes rest, and she will watch over them while they rest.
Lin Xiushui walked around to the front of her and said, "The strapless top needs to be altered; it's a bit too big, and the edges don't fit very well."
Zhang Lianhe immediately replied, "I'm only sixteen, I'll grow taller."
Lin Xiushui pretended not to hear and pointed to the waist of the skirt, "This side also needs to be altered; it's a bit tight when you sit down."
"I can lose weight by not eating or drinking."
After making everyone laugh, Lin Xiushui said helplessly, "I'll give it back to you after you've eaten six meals over two days."
"Actually, I can eat six meals a day."
"Give it to me sooner rather than later."
Finally, Zhang Lianhe changed out of the clothes, carefully put them on the hanger, and left, turning back every few steps. Lin Xiushui was afraid that she would say, "Goodbye, my clothes."
No sooner had the other person left than Lin Xiushui stepped out the door, with two apprentices carrying her clothes rack as they crossed three paths and went to the west backyard.
The tailors and managers from all over had arrived long ago. Sitting in the house, Lin Xiushui could hear the fierce commotion even through the doors and windows.
A woman's voice cut through the noise and came through clearly, "Do you understand? I'm saying there are only three types of wide-sleeved shirts: one with a front opening and wide sleeves cut open, and a triangular pocket sewn onto the back; another with a shorter front and longer back; and a split style. Adding petal sleeves like this is a violation of the design! Even if it looks nice, it's still a violation of the design!"
"So what if it's ruined? When the swirling skirt came out before, with its front and back slits, it was mostly worn by lower-class prostitutes, and the criticism was much fiercer. But so many years have passed, and now everyone wears it. What does the design matter?" Another tailor spoke loudly, accompanied by several loud slams of her hand on the table.
"Alright, alright, look at you all, what's all the fuss about? I make tube tops and undergarments myself," said the elderly tailor. "Back in the Xuanhe era of Tokyo, palace maids made a kind of undergarment that was flexible and had four slits, and was only worn with a belt. It was called 'Secret Four-Door,' which was quite novel. It spread and eventually became a standard style. In my opinion, clothing should be flexible and flexible."
Another female voice chuckled and said, "Madam Chen, you're too young. Style isn't everything. Back in the day, it was fashionable to wear foreign clothing, like barbarian battle robes. Tell me, what's so special about that?"
"I won't listen. What does it mean that all trades and households should wear their own clothes and not go beyond that? The incense shopkeepers should wear hats and shawls, and the pawnshop staff should wear long black robes. Isn't that just because the rules are difficult to follow?"
Tailors do argue, but behind closed doors, they each argue their own way, day after day, over everything from a piece of cloth to a skirt ribbon.
The various managers have gathered together and are engaged in a heated debate over Lin Xiushui's unconventional clothing, with each side presenting its own arguments.
Lin Xiushui hesitated, not wanting to go in. It wasn't that she couldn't argue with them, but rather that such a heated argument would cause them to spray spittle all over her face.
She chose to eavesdrop and wait for the noise inside to subside before going in, but the noise only grew louder and louder, escalating from clothes to headdresses, crowns, and shoes, until Lady Gu came over.
“Come in,” she said to Lin Xiushui.
As soon as Madam Gu entered, the noise inside the room subsided. Lin Xiushui followed behind her and stepped across the threshold, but as soon as she entered, the chatter resumed.
“I heard the arguments,” Madam Gu said as she slowly entered and stopped. “What’s there to argue about? Every industry is vying for novelty, while we’re just sticking to the old ways. Anyone who didn’t know better would think we were in mourning!”
"Have you seen this year's clothes? Have you seen the clothes you made yourself? You must be laughing at yourself. I'm taking out my old clothes from three years ago. What's the difference between them and this year's? The difference is whether you're eating hot food or leftovers."
"Who knows, leftovers might taste better than reheated food."
Madam Gu's words were sharp, and everyone sat down in silence. She angrily took a couple of sips of tea, glanced around, and said, "What else do you want to say?"
Undeterred by the stares, a woman stood up and said, "Even if the style isn't important—new rice can be reheated from cold rice—clothes are meant to make people feel at ease. Even if they look nice, they're inconvenient to wear, and no one can afford thirteen strings of cash."
"I wonder why you called us here, madam."
This makes sense, and many people nodded in agreement. While aesthetics are important, inconvenience is also a real concern.
Madam Gu didn't speak, but just looked at Lin Xiushui. Lin Xiushui took a few steps and stood by the clothes. She lifted the petal skirt and said, "I am well aware of everyone's thoughts, but if we are always restrictive in our clothing and think about the style, then all the clothes on the street will be the same except for the color."
She carefully removed the petal-sleeved blouse and then took off the pink petal apron she was wearing over it, placing it neatly to the side. Now, apart from the ruffled bodice, the gauze dress looked quite ordinary.
Like those unoriginal gauze skirts that are everywhere in tailoring shops, even the ladies who used to object to their design have fallen silent; it is indeed quite common.
Lin Xiushui asked someone to carry the box over, opened it herself to take out clothes, and when she turned around and came back, she had an apron in her hand.
The skirt's waistband is made of a four-finger-wide strip of light green silk, while the bottom is draped with lotus petal-shaped fringes, each petal being the same size, made of pink gauze with overlapping edges.
Lin Xiushui didn't tie it to the gauze skirt. Instead, she took out an extremely ordinary silk skirt without even pleats, put it on the hanger, and tied the short petal apron on it.
Unlike the long, flowing dress with its overlapping petals, the short dress, which only reaches above the knee, adds a unique charm to the simple white dress. In particular, there are two white and green silk ribbons tied at the back, hanging down like tassels fluttering on a tassel bun.
The design is simple yet eye-catching. It gives the feeling that even if you buy an ordinary dress, you can put on this short petal apron and look good immediately without having to put much effort into matching.
If the previous outfit made her look like a lotus fairy, then this outfit alone makes her look like a lotus flower emerging from clear water.
Lin Xiushui took two steps back, letting Yishang stand in front of her. Gu Niangzi then spoke up at the right moment, "I called you here for this reason. This month, we'll be making petal-shaped aprons and related clothing. The materials are already prepared."
This was Lin Xiushui's idea when she was making the dress. It was a dress that cost thirteen strings of cash and took a long time to make, and not everyone could afford it. Moreover, this dress belonged to Zhang Lianhe, and they would not sell the same dress to anyone else.
But were there any other simple, beautiful clothes that didn't cost much? Lin Xiushui suddenly had a brilliant idea and used the scraps from her long petal dress to piece together this short apron.
The design is unique and outstanding, the color is pleasing to the eye, and it can be paired with a green skirt or white silk fabric. The price is not expensive. The gauze version is around three hundred coins. In addition to lotus pink, it can also be made in lotus leaf green, but the petals need to be slightly elongated, unlike the roundness of flower petals, and are more like the slender shape of zongzi leaves.
Without a doubt, this was spearheaded by Lin Xiushui, and everyone worked together to make it. This type of skirt was the first of its kind to appear on the market. Most aprons are pleated, stacked, or one-piece.
Currently, while the skirt's waistband and tying method are similar to the traditional wrap-around style, the hem is completely different. In the clothing industry, the more novel it is, the better it sells. Most people are not optimistic about its popularity, even though some people really like it.
They followed the instructions exactly. This kind of apron is very simple. As long as the petals and flakes are cut, the edges are sewn with fine thread to prevent the yarn from fraying, and then they are sewn one by one onto the waistband, it is done. One person can make one apron a day, and thirty people can do this job.
Madam Gu said to make a few hundred first, as she was very optimistic about it. As for the others, Lin Xiushui said they would talk about it after they were effective.
She also spent a day completely altering Zhang Lianhe's clothes and asked her to try them on. Zhang Lianhe thought it would be the same as last time, so she tried them on in an empty room, came out, and took the clothes back.
But to her surprise, when she came out dressed again and carefully sat on the stool, Lin Xiushui said with a smile, "Your hairstyle doesn't suit you very well. Would you like to change it?"
“I also think you know how to do it?” Zhang Lianhe held the mirror, looking at herself from left to right, but she was not very satisfied. She usually wore her hair in a double bun, but the hair looked very stiff and rigid when tied up, which did not match the flowing lotus dress. It gave the feeling that her upper and lower body were completely separated.
Lin Xiushui waved her hand, saying that she didn't know how to comb hair; someone else did, and she had invited Chen Guihua over.
Upon hearing that the tailor shop was offering hairdressing services, Chen Guihua changed into a neat set of clothes, grabbed a small square box of hairdressing tools, and came over without saying a word.
She lifted the curtain and tiptoed in. Looking down, she saw the skirt that reached her feet and exclaimed inwardly, "Wow, she looks so beautiful!" She held her breath, not daring to make a sound.
When Lin Xiushui called her, she slowly raised her head, glanced at the other person's head, and suddenly said loudly, "No, this hairstyle won't do."
After saying that, she showed no more fear. Holding the box, she charged forward like a hen, ignoring everything and heading straight for the other person's head.
"Change it, change it to the flying phoenix bun, it's definitely the right choice," Chen Guihua said confidently, deftly opening the box and taking out a comb from the full set of tools, her expression calm and focused.
Zhang Lianhe was taken aback by her posture and nodded unconsciously. Chen Guihua then said, "You can trust me. I'm famous for combing hair in our Sangqiao Ferry."
Granny Chen combed her hair, praising herself as she did so.
Lin Xiushui glanced at her. Where did she get the name Sangqiao Ferry? She was only famous in Sangshukou.
However, when Chen Guihua combed her hair, she looked particularly serious, her hands moving up and down with the comb. Recently, she had also learned the craft of a court attendant, and could even tidy up her messy sideburns and trim her eyebrows.
What's most ingenious is her hairstyling skills. Zhang Lianhe doesn't have a lot of hair. Her hair is tied into two small buns, which makes it look like she has a lot of hair. But when she does the Flying Heaven Bun, the hair is coiled at the back of her head. She has to separate at least three strands of hair and carefully separate all of her hair.
She combed her hair unhurriedly. What was originally a messy hairstyle became very orderly in her hands, gradually turning into a flying bun with three hollowed-out hair ties on her head, which complemented her flowing dress perfectly.
Lin Xiushui handed over two lotus flowers made of pink gauze and placed them in front of her hair bun. These were not made by her; she asked a tailor who was very good at making silk flowers for her.
“One more thing is missing,” Lin Xiushui said, lifting the curtain and walking into the back room. She took out a lifelike lotus flower, which was an artificial flower made from the leftover fabric.
She placed it in Zhang Lianhe's arms, squatted down, and said softly, "This is for you, little flower goddess."
“We’ll put on some makeup later. Then when you go out, you can shout to everyone on the street that you are the Lotus Flower Goddess, and no one will say you’re fake.”
Zhang Lianhe looked down at the layers upon layers of lotus flowers, so lifelike they looked just like real flowers. She held the lotus root and stroked the petals. A wish that arose from her lingering resentment had given her. She had originally thought she would be ridiculed, neglected, and deterred by her various demands, and that she would never receive clothes that satisfied her.
But things kept going against her expectations; those unrealistic wishes were cherished.
Lin Xiushui took out the short petal apron and gave it to her, asking her to put it on. Then she said, "This is also for you. Our tailor shop will be selling this kind of apron later. It is because of you that we have this apron."
"That's why we call it a lotus skirt."
Zhang Lianhe stood there stunned, then lowered her head, lifted her skirt, and suddenly smiled, "How fortunate I am."
"I am fortunate to receive your wish."
Zhang Lianhe's heart was like a lotus flower in bloom, and for her, the lotus flower held another unforgettable meaning.
This time, everyone's attention shifted from her clothes to her entire being, praising Zhang Lianhe.
Lin Xiushui always believed that clothes made by tailors are meant to complement people, to make them look good, rather than to make people wear inappropriate clothes.
She looked at Zhang Lianhua, her eyes brimming with spring breeze and her smile radiant, walking among the crowd like a lotus flower in full bloom.
Lin Xiushui breathed a sigh of relief and turned her head. Chen Guihua was admiring the beautiful hairstyle she had created.
"Why don't you come to our tailor shop to have your hair combed, Aunt Guihua? You can get two hundred coins for each combing," Lin Xiushui said, taking a few steps and standing next to Chen Guihua.
Chen Guihua was tempted, gripped the rope's tie tightly, hesitated before opening her mouth, but ultimately shook her head and said, "Never mind."
"Sister Xiu, if you ask me for help, I will definitely come."
"But I'm not very smart, so it's really not easy for me to do a good job in one place. I can't do one thing here and another there."
As Chen Guihua descended the steps, even with the light behind her, her face shone with an undeniable radiance. "Now I truly understand that making money depends on skill. If you want to do everything and earn everything, you'll end up doing nothing well."
“I’d rather go back to Sangshukou and continue combing hair and washing bodies for the people in the alley. I feel more at ease earning this kind of money.”
Lin Xiushui didn't try to persuade her anymore. Instead, she took an umbrella and walked down the steps to see Chen Guihua out. Suddenly, she felt that Chen Guihua and Xiao Chun'e were actually very similar. Once they decided on a path, they would stick to it. Whether it was washing their hair or burning charcoal, it was a broad road.
Lin Xiushui herself has always been on the path of a tailor.
In late July, the petal-shaped apron was launched.
On a very ordinary day, after the hottest days of summer and the White Dew season, they quietly set up shop at Gu Niangzi's Clothing Shop in Sangling Lane, Gu Erniang's Clothing Shop on West Street, and Gu Family Clothing Shop next to the cloth shop.
As the weather cools down a bit, more people are coming to Sangling Lane to buy autumn clothes.
“What’s the difference between this year’s autumn clothes and spring clothes?” a chubby girl complained. “The style is the same, it’s always the same stuff, and look at the color, it really makes me angry, it’s the same color as the one I bought two years ago.”
"They're making narrow-sleeved, fitted clothes with no room for fabric at all. They're so stingy that I can't even fit into them. I might as well just go out naked. They're really skimping on fabric."
Another tall young woman rolled her eyes. "Even the skirt is short, it goes past my ankles, and the color is ugly, it's all blue, and all that's blue and green, what kind of 'green landscape painting' is that? What the hell?"
The two men criticized the clothes produced in recent years, getting angrier and angrier as they talked. Not a single year had been satisfactory, and the clothes they produced had been passed around to other households several times, and were frighteningly ugly.
Getting angry, the chubby girl really wanted to leave. She glanced ahead and saw a group of about ten people gathered there. She then pulled the tall woman's hand and said, "Come on, let's go up and take a look."
Squeezing into the crowd, I saw several women of varying heights and builds standing in front of Gu's clothing store. They were all masked, some wearing blue blouses, others wearing simple white tube tops, and their outer garments were mostly light-colored, without embroidery or patterns.
The lower garments she wore were also very simple, either a one-piece white cloth skirt or a pleated green silk skirt. At first, everyone around frowned, thinking that Gu Niangzi's clothing shop had been doing alright before. Although the gauze skirts and jackets she made were not outstanding, they were all acceptable and decent.
How come it's getting worse and worse? It's like nine out of ten women on the street are dressed the same. Immediately, there were boos. Some people scoffed twice and turned to leave. What a mess.
But then, a hissing sound came from the crowd, like a snake running down from the mountain.
Someone came out carrying a coat hanger, and the women standing at the door calmly took off their aprons and slowly wrapped them around their waists in full view of everyone.
The lotus-pink apron reached mid-thigh, with waistbands made of white or green silk, each piece resembling a lotus petal, some tipped with a pearl, others plain and simple. Some had lotus-patterned appliqués on the slightly left side, adorned with pink and white tassels or green pendants.
The ribbons on her back were very long; even when tied in a knot, they could still reach down to her knees, adding a touch of charm to her otherwise plain back.
Everyone watched in disbelief as these unadorned and extremely ordinary clothes suddenly became pleasing to the eye and even stunning.
As the women walk, their aprons sway gently, like flower petals fluttering. When someone sits down on a chair, the aprons slowly open, like a budding flower blooming.
Whether it's the design, the striking colors, or the drape, it has made a huge impact on everyone. Especially compared to the overly conventional clothing of recent years, it stands out like a lotus flower rising from the mud, untouched by its surroundings.
A woman rushed over, holding a money bag and shouting, "My goodness, how much is this? Give me one!"
"Me, me, me! I was here first! Please move aside and stop clinging to people!"
"Make way, make way, can't you move aside?" Another woman squeezed through the gap in the crowd and stretched out her hand, "Let me put it on first."
"And me, will I even fit into it?" the chubby girl shouted, jumping up in anger, stomping her feet in frustration, her face contorted with rage.
Ironically, it was when I was at my heaviest that I encountered the clothes I loved most.
But it doesn't matter. Even if she can't fit into them, the plus-size girl will still buy them first, hang them at home, and tell herself that she will be able to fit into them when she loses weight.
Amidst the commotion, the clothing shop stirred. Two partners brought out a small table and placed it by the window. Lin Xiushui then came out with her bag, smiling and saying to everyone, "Don't rush, try them on one by one. If anything doesn't fit, we can add or remove petals."
"What do you mean?" The chubby girl rushed forward, pushing through the crowd to get to the table first. "Can I wear it?"
“I guarantee you’ll be able to wear it,” Lin Xiushui said, taking out a rolled-up measuring tape from her bag and beckoning to her. “Let me measure you.”
After taking the measurements, she took out a petal-shaped apron and two sewn-on petal fringes. To everyone's astonishment, she threaded a needle and sewed the petal fringes onto both sides of the apron to make them fit together.
She sews very quickly, and even when someone's head is close to hers, her hand doesn't tremble at all.
While they were still sewing, she replied to the others, “These without any ornaments are 300 coins each, those with beads are 360, those that are a little longer and reach the knees are 500 coins, those with lotus pendants are 350 coins, and those with ribbons are 20 coins each.”
This price really surprised everyone. It's not that it's bad, but compared to aprons that cost five or six hundred yuan, this one is really cheap for its good workmanship and materials.
Moreover, if it doesn't fit, it can be altered on the spot. The first girl who asked was a chubby girl. She had a rather strong waist, and the original apron, even at its largest size, didn't fit properly. It only covered the front, not the back.
Lin Xiushui had just modified it and handed it over to her to try. The chubby girl was dressed in a very flamboyant way. She took off her own apron and various ribbons and carefully tied on this petal apron.
She looked up a little nervously, wondering if she would look bad. But when she did, a group of women smiled and nodded at her, saying, "It's fine, it fits you perfectly."
“It’s so beautiful,” her friend ran over and grabbed the chubby girl’s hand. “You are the biggest lotus flower in the lotus field right now.”
"Hahaha, then I'm the shortest lotus."
"I am the youngest."
"I am the oldest."
Everyone was vying to be a lotus flower, and the area in front of the clothing store was bustling with activity. People came and went, and every time Lin Xiushui looked up, there was always a large group of people in front of her. They bought things but didn't leave. Looking at the dresses they were wearing, everyone seemed like a lotus flower in a lotus pond, each with their own unique beauty.
This beauty is also very inexpensive, and doesn't even require a lot of money. People don't need to go out of their way to buy it or save up for it. They can just walk by on any ordinary day, buy it, and wear it into the crowd.
It is unusual and unique, yet it belongs to every ordinary person.
On the first day this apron came out, 300 pieces sold out. At least two or three out of ten people on the street were wearing this apron. They not only bought one for themselves, but also for their relatives and sisters.
The clothing store rarely had such a good business; it was packed with customers, making several other clothing stores in the neighborhood extremely anxious. They bought several pieces and stayed up all night to finish making their own, following the patterns and designs.
By the time they came out, the petal skirts were already available in color combinations: pink and green, pink and white, and there were also options for length, adding a few strings of beads, or long leaf and petal designs.
Moreover, the color of the rushed product is not as nice as the lotus pink that the tailor prepared for half a month and had specially dyed. One is a clear pink, while the other looks like too much blush. The workmanship is also not very good. The main problem is that the yarn is too stiff and the starch is too heavy, so it doesn't drape and looks like a bulging lotus leaf edge.
It's cheaper than what you'd find in a clothing store, since this kind of apron uses very little fabric and is simple to make.
But those who wanted a bargain took one look and curled their lip in disdain, saying, "I'd rather spend an extra fifty coins and buy it from someone else."
"Yes, even though this stuff is cheap, they can't just fool us ordinary people."
In the season when the lotus flowers are about to fade, a trend of wearing lotus-patterned skirts has swept through Sangqing Town. Some say that although the lotus flowers have faded, pink is still the most popular color.
No one will let go of beauty that is readily available.
The popularity of this trend was like a spark jumping into a patch of weeds, burning ever brighter. No matter where Lin Xiushui went by boat, whether she disembarked or crossed streets and bridges, she could always see women dressed in this style.
Even after seeing it hundreds or thousands of times, she would still gaze at it each time, feeling a secret and unexpressed sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
This was made by her, even though the person wearing it doesn't know who she is.
Unlike the satisfaction of spending a long time making a complete set of clothes, the popularity of this trend was an affirmation of a tailor's life's work, something Lin Xiushui could still boast about many years later.
Making clothes for one person is the job, but making clothes for one hundred, two hundred, or three hundred people is the skill of a tailor.
She was stunned, having not anticipated this at all. She felt a sense of bewilderment, like the dizziness of staring at the sun for too long, yet also filled with surprise.
Zhang Lianhe was more excited than her. Wearing the clothes made by Lin Xiushui, she twirled around her, saying, "I don't need to go to Suzhou anymore. I can see everyone wearing this dress as soon as I go out."
"The thought that it might be partly because of me keeps me awake at night; I'm overjoyed."
Who understands the feeling of being surrounded by like-minded people, and having your favorite things loved by more people?
Zhang Lianhe gave Lin Xiushui a lotus lantern she had made herself. She couldn't tell Lin Xiushui that this was the happiest moment in her sixteen years of life.
But she told Lin Xiushui, "You are the best tailor I have ever met."
Lin Xiushui accepted her praise and thanked her for what she had brought; the two then shared a brief embrace.
July passed and August arrived. She had sold over a thousand aprons, and many people came to congratulate her.
Gu Niangzi's every step was loud and clear, her steps were brisk and energetic. Her abacus was clicking away, and she was not only selling dresses, but also making Gu Niangzi's clothing shop and several other shops famous.
"Ah Qiao, please sit down first," Madam Gu came out to greet her and invited Lin Xiushui to sit down. She then sat on the other side and pushed a plate of stacked silver, about one hundred taels, over from the table.
Nobody uses silver notes anymore. The old paper money might still have some credibility, but nowadays, both paper money and the newly issued paper money have been abandoned due to the arbitrary changes made by the government and the court. People trust gold, silver and copper more.
“Here is one hundred taels,” Madam Gu pushed in front of her. “This is for you first. The aprons are selling very well. We plan to sell them in the inner city of Lin’an and to other prefectures and counties. You will definitely not be shortchanged.”
“I plan to make you the head manager here, with a monthly salary of fifty taels. If you are too busy with the embroidery and sewing, I can add two junior managers under you and transfer an accountant.”
"The head steward's leave of absence can be from January 3rd to January 8th, and the holiday gift can be increased again. What do you think? Or do you have other plans?"
Lin Xiushui's hand rubbed the edge of the table, her eyes fixed on the plate of silver, white and gleaming.
With this hundred taels, plus the ninety taels she had saved herself, she could buy a shop worth one hundred and fifty or sixty guan, a two-story shop. She was getting restless and wanted to walk out, but the fifty taels of monthly salary pulled her back, forcibly making her sit down.
Her chest heaved slightly, her breathing was unsteady, and the back of her hand was pressed against the cold silver, but she was burning hot from head to toe.
Lin Xiushui slowly said, "We need to buy a shop."
"You want to go it alone?" Gu Niangzi felt a rush of blood to her head.
Lin Xiushui wouldn't hide it; setting up a mending stall and opening a shop to be a tailor are two different things. She would definitely tell Gu Niangzi, rather than letting her hear it from someone else.
“My wife said she would help me add two junior stewards and an accountant, and I would have more days off, so I can indeed free up my time. I also want to open a tailor shop,” Lin Xiushui said thoughtfully. “Before I made the lotus skirt, I had been working on the same few things for more than half a year without a break. For a while, I couldn’t think of any new designs. If a person stays in the same place for too long, it will be difficult for me to make any progress.”
Now, she has made considerable progress in many things, whether it's drawn thread embroidery, sewing, or anything else, and no longer needs to keep an eye on them all the time or spend all her time on them.
She wanted to put her hands down for a while and get to know other more interesting people and things in the city.
Madam Gu understood her thoughts and breathed a sigh of relief. She gave her another twenty taels of silver. "Buy a nice room. I'll give you three more days off. Go and do your own thing."
We can't force them to process the lotus skirt after they've already endured more than twenty days of hardship, adding fuel to the fire; we need to let things rest for a while.
Lin Xiushui carried a basket on her back when she finished work. She looked very simple and honest. Everyone who passed by would glance at her. She skipped and hopped along, her steps light and quick. Who would know that her basket was full of money?
"Good heavens, did you go rob someone?" Wang Yuelan covered her mouth, her heart pounding in fear. "Where did you get this? Did you pick up something someone else dropped?"
"I earned it!!" Lin Xiushui said softly, but with great flair, she put her hands on her hips.
Wang Yuelan nearly overturned the table with a thud. She quickly grabbed the edge of the table to steady herself and jumped even more rapidly.
She took the warm water Lin Xiushui handed her, drank a couple of sips, and only after she had calmed down did she say, "Next time we need to talk about important matters, let's do it in front of the Jin Yaojiu Tower Taicheng Pharmacy. Their medical skills are better, and it will be easier for them to find someone if I don't pass away."
"Auntie, are you serious?"
"I was terrified."
However, after Wang Yuelan caught her breath, she was genuinely happy for Lin Xiushui, because her daughter Aqiao had made something of herself.
Ah Qiao used to say that she wouldn't rely on others, but on herself to make a living, earn money, and live a good life with Xiao He.
She truly did what she said she would do.
Wang Yuelan did not cry; she simply said softly, "I have suffered a lot."
Of course, Lin Xiushui didn't cry. She took a scale and weighed the money first, waiting to scare Zhang Yalang to death. Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, she was rich now.
"Where did you pawn your money? Why didn't you come to me? I can get you a better deal!" Zhang Yalang was frantic. Who could be so kind as to double the money he spent on the shop in less than twenty days, from seventy strings of cash to one hundred and seventy strings?
Wang Yuelan pulled her aside, and Lin Xiushui had no choice but to give the prepared statement they had prepared, vaguely saying, "I borrowed from all my acquaintances."
"We know a lot of people."
Zhang Yalang was speechless and offered her advice, "Don't lend it next time, it'll damage the relationship. Go to the pawnshop instead, if they don't come out, they'll only get a couple of beatings at most."
"Let's go check out the shop."
If a shop with 100 strings of cash is just an empty room, then shops with more than 100 strings of cash each have their own advantages; you can't go wrong with having more money.
First of all, the location is good. It is located on the most prosperous front street of Nanhuofang, and is only separated from Nanwazi by a bridge. It faces the river and there are no mulberry trees that block the view. It is a bit far from the mulberry tree entrance, at least three or four hundred steps away.
There are two shops next door. One is a large shop that does rental business. In addition to flowers, jewelry, bedding, etc., it mainly rents out clothing.
Not only does it not conflict with Lin Xiushui's tailor shop, it can also bring in business. She can alter clothes that don't fit, make them look good, repair torn or damaged items, and make custom-made ones.
Moreover, they are very famous. At least in the whole Sangqiao Ferry area, people will come to Wang's rental shop to rent things. In the short time Lin Xiushui stood in front of the door, at least three groups of people came over and rented a dozen or twenty pieces of clothing.
The other shop was a general store called Liu Sanjie General Store, which sold a wide variety of goods, mostly for acrobats in Nanwazi, such as gongs, clappers, spears, swords, halberds, banners, drums, flutes, paper cuttings, colored leather, stilts, and so on.
Compared to the dozens of shops she had seen before, Lin Xiushui was quite satisfied with these two neighboring shops. Although the downstairs shop was not as big as the one she had seen last time, it had a second floor, windows, good lighting, and a place to try on clothes.
The reduction of eight taels, giving her a total of one hundred and sixty-five taels, made Lin Xiushui feel somewhat uncomfortable. However, this discomfort vanished the moment Zhang Yalang ran around the government office and received the house deed.
It was none other than Lin Xiushui.
She set up a stall under the mulberry tree this spring, and by the end of spring, there was a covered walkway. Then she rented a tailor's shop, and by the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, she finally bought the shop she wanted.
Everything is fine right now, and she won't look back.
For such a joyous occasion as buying a shop, Lin Xiushui wanted to host a banquet for everyone.
That evening, she invited Wang Yuelan, Sang Ying, and Xiao He to have dinner at the largest restaurant in Sangqing Town.
Wang Yuelan refused to go. She secretly cried and grabbed Lin Xiushui, saying, "You need money right now, why don't you go there to eat?"
“Why don’t we go?” Lin Xiushui pulled her back and dragged her towards the door. “We’ve never eaten out before. What’s wrong with having a meal?”
Her plan is to buy a shop now, and a house and land later. With the shop deed in hand, she dares to dream of owning houses and land.
Sang Ying also pulled Wang Yuelan's hand, while Xiao He pushed hard from behind, eager to go eat. Wang Yuelan couldn't resist and said, "Go, go, go."
The main store was a restaurant. Downstairs were seats for individual customers, while upstairs there were small private rooms called "Wenbian Pavilions." Lin Xiushui booked one, as she had come specifically to drink, and bought a small jar of rose dew.
For the dishes, they ordered several items including green olives, braised eel with rice, thin-skinned crab roe, and goose jerky. Lin Xiushui also ordered a special dish of sweet peas for Xiao He.
There were many people ordering yellow sparrow vinegar in the main store. It was the season when yellow sparrows filled the sky in Shanglintang again. Sang Ying held up her chopsticks and shook them, saying, "A Qiao, do you remember when we used a fishing net that someone else didn't want? You cut it off and tied it to a stick to catch them. But the net broke. We caught three that day and sold them for six coins."
"Later we got smarter and used burlap sacks to cut and trap the fish," Lin Xiushui said as she ate a piece of goose jerky.
Sang Ying took a sip of rose dew. She thought that if they were still in Shanglintang, the two of them would still be catching yellow sparrows in the fields, happy to earn a few dozen coins. Their lives had changed so drastically, but fortunately, it was a very good thing.
In fact, she had only just learned about Lin Xiushui's purchase of the shop today, and she was extremely happy, shocked, and encouraged.
She earns a little over two strings of cash a month and is so tired that she falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow every day. It's difficult for her to buy a house or a shop, and she even spends money to buy things and send them back to Shanglintang. She held Lin Xiushui's hand, feeling a little tipsy, and said, "Ah Qiao, congratulations. I'm going to save up money to give you a big gift. I need to work harder too."
Wang Yuelan slammed the cup on the table, wiped her face, and said, "Yes, it takes hard work."
Lin Xiushui had no idea that what she had gained by perfecting her skills in a craft would have a significant impact on the two of them. The key is to master what you do.
The three of them drank and laughed and joked, but Xiaohe was puzzled. Would drinking this smelly stuff make them stupid?
The next day, Lin Xiushui invited Xiao Chun'e again. Xiao Chun'e cried out "Ah ah ah" three times and circled around Lin Xiushui, asking, "Really? Really?"
"Oh my god, I, I," Xiao Chun'e couldn't speak. Suddenly, something felt stuck in her throat, forming a knot. Her nose stung, and her eyes became misty.
"Shouldn't we be happy?" Lin Xiushui patted her shoulder.
Xiao Chun'e turned away and wiped her tears, because she understood the bitterness better than many others, so she cried first.
"I'm happy, how could I not be happy?"
“You shouldn’t have invited me,” Xiao Chun’e said, taking her hand. “Come to my house for a meal, and I’ll have my mother cook you a whole table of dishes.”
"There are two things to celebrate: first, you've bought the shop; second, the clothes you make are everywhere."
Lin Xiushui followed her footsteps and shook the hand she was holding, and said with a smile, "But you've already celebrated the second one."
Xiao Chun'e argued confidently, "Didn't you see it's ranked second? That means this event can be celebrated twice."
That makes perfect sense; there's no way to refute it.
Lin Xiushui was already very familiar with Xiao Chun'e's house, so much so that all the neighbors on both sides of the street knew her. As soon as she arrived, they would say, "Little A Qiao, the tailor, is here."
Every time, you can eat Xiaochun'e's mother's signature dishes, one dish of pickled meat and one dish of braised pork hock. Because there is pork hock every day, anyone who comes can eat it.
Today we also had braised chicken and quail, and wild game-style roasted yellow sheep.
Lin Xiushui was still sent back by Da Chunling. She originally wanted to thank Chen Jiuchuan, but he had an urgent order and had to go to a village far outside the town within three days. He left in the evening and came to inform her before leaving.
She then excitedly began to think about the tailor shop. She had someone clean it up in the past two days. The shop had only been empty for half a month, but it used to be a rouge shop. There were red marks on the wooden walls, and the corners were covered with spilled flour oil, which was smeared into the walls. There was powder that had seeped into the cypress wood floor, which would splatter out when stepped on.
Zhang Yalang said that this place also served face rubbing, using a mixture of gypsum, clam powder, talcum, and rice flour, which was then applied to the face and then smeared on.
The second floor was quite clean; it used to house dressing trays, silk brocades, and other items.
She hired an old lacquer craftsman from Sangqiao Ferry. She bought the fine Guang lacquer herself. Guang lacquer was expensive, costing 1.5 guan for three barrels. It was even shinier and brighter than tung oil when applied. The lacquer craftsman brought his two sons with him. The daily wage was 300 guan.
As for the layout of the tailor shops, Lin Xiushui visited many tailor shops before figuring it out. The first thing you would see upon entering the shop is piles of fabric on the table, in bright colors such as red, pink, and orange. As soon as you walk past the shop, you are dazzled by the bright colors and always want to go in and take a look.
Lin Xiushui followed suit. The entire southern goods market had no shortage of tables and chairs, so she and Wang Yuelan went together to buy two large black lacquered tables and asked the shop assistant to put them on a flatbed cart and deliver them.
A table costs nine hundred coins and has no carvings. Wang Yuelan watched as the table legs were tied up, and then took out old silk floss from the basket and stuffed it into the corner of the table. There were many pebbles on this bluestone road.
She muttered to herself, "It's so expensive. Next time, you should ask Zhang the carpenter to do it; he can save you some money."
“The other wide table and clothes rack weren’t made by Uncle Zhang,” Lin Xiushui said, then told the waiter to wait a moment. “We also need to buy two embroidered stools. Please wait here for a moment and bring them over to us.”
“Okay, that wooden stump at Li Asan’s house up ahead is nice,” the man put down the handlebars and pointed to the corner ahead.
Following the directions he pointed out, the two found a small carpenter's shop. Lin Xiushui thought for a moment and bought three wooden stools, one hundred and twenty coins each, to put on the first floor so that others could sit on them.
She bought a variety of items, including a tall flower stand to hold a white porcelain vase that cost about ten coins, a bamboo armchair, a counter, a screen, and so on.
After a three-day break, the first day after cleaning, the painter painted the entire first floor, allowing it to dry and breathe. The floors and walls were all brand new and glossy. On the afternoon of the second day, the items purchased were gradually added in.
On the third day, Lin Xiushui found two carts by the roadside. They were similar to flatbed carts with wide frames, railings on both sides, and blue cloth curtains hanging on them. They used them to pick up the female relatives.
Lin Xiushui, on the other hand, needed to transport the cloth.
During the previous weaving fair, she used her processing fees to earn ten bolts of cloth each month from a tailor. Including this month, she has twenty bolts of cloth, and she also bought several bolts for herself.
For a tailor, laying out the fabric is of paramount importance.
In July, the fabrics are mostly damask, silk, and satin, with fine linen being the most common. By August, fine cotton silk, coarse silk, and thick gauze are used, and the fabrics become relatively heavier.
Lin Xiushui really did pick out all the best fabrics. She only took half of them to the fabric market to exchange. One piece of jacquard gauze could be exchanged for two pieces of fine silk fabric, in colors such as plum green, moon white, vermilion red, pine flower, and scallion green.
In this way, she had ten bolts of fine silk and satin, ten bolts of fine silk cloth, ten bolts of fine linen, and eight bolts of blue tie-dyed cloth that she bought from Qingya.
Lin Xiushui used to worry about fabric, but now that she doesn't have to worry about fabric anymore, she started to worry about something very important after she finished arranging the fabric.
Her shop doesn't have a name; she doesn't know how to name things.
Nowadays, many shops are named after themselves, such as Zhang Gu Lao Rouge Shop, You Family Lacquer Shop, Shen Family Pillow and Crown Shop, Chen Family Painting Fan Shop, and so on.
Lin Xiushui was never quite satisfied. She didn't want to call it Lin Family Tailor Shop, Lin Niangzi Tailor Shop, or something even more shameful like Lin Xiushui Tailor Shop or A Qiao Tailor Shop.
Wang Yuelan and Sang Ying couldn't help her, so she went to ask Sizhen. Sizhen was also wearing a lotus pink petal dress with two red silk ribbons tied around her waist. She smiled and told her how much she liked it, saying, "It saved several of my white dresses."
“I bought three: one green, one pink and white, and this one I’m wearing,” Sizhen said, holding her hand. “Good tailor, you must make more clothes. I’ll be the first person to have clothes made at your tailor shop.”
"Then I'll be waiting for you to come and support me," Lin Xiushui rubbed her temples. "Hurry up and help me think of something."
"I really can't think of a place that sells umbrellas. If it weren't called Qinghu Bazhiqiao Honest Shu Family, I would have liked to call it Sangqiaodu Honest Lin Family Tailor Shop."
Lin Xiushui shifted her chair, suddenly becoming quite interested in such unserious matters, "And another thing, there's a place called 'Top-Quality Tea,' I could call it 'Top-Quality Clothes.'"
“When I was doing mending every day before, I thought I could mend anything. Maybe I should just call myself someone who can make any kind of clothing.”
Sizhen didn't hold the teacup lid properly, and it tumbled around the edge of the teacup with a clinking sound. She chuckled, "You're quite amusing."
"Actually, Lin Family Tailor Shop is not bad. Two trees make a forest, and two trees can make clothes. If you ask me to think of a name, I really can't think of a good and catchy one."
Lin Xiushui lay on the table, and the two discussed for a long time. Her tailor shop could make jackets, skirts, tube tops, etc., which was equivalent to making a complete set of clothes.
Finally, the name was decided as "Shui Ji Quan Yi" (水记全衣). "Shui" (水) is taken from the last character of Lin Xiushui (林秀水). "Ji" (记) is used when writing. "Yan" (言) and "Ji" (己) are important elements in making clothes. "Quan Yi" (全衣) refers to the clothes covering the entire body.
Lin Xiushui was very satisfied with this. She would make a signboard and hang it up, calling it "Making Clothes, Making Good Clothes, Great Beautiful Clothes".
She treated Sizhen to a meal, and then went to find a craftsman to make a plaque. A plaque that was three or four feet wide would take three days to make, with the characters carved in red paint and then painted black. Each plaque would cost 860 coins.
After calculating all the odds and ends, Lin Xiushui shook out the little silver she had left and spent more than ten strings of cash.
Three days later, she immediately went back to work at the tailor shop. She loved working, and just when the autumn harvest was finally here, she ran into a cash shortage.
The two junior managers from the drawnwork and sewing departments were quite nice. They weren't good at drawnwork, but they were good at managing people and handling external affairs. They also had a dedicated accountant.
Lin Xiushui had other things to do. Gu Niangzi walked briskly along the path, saying, "These aprons are selling really well. I said last time that I wanted to sell them in the inner city of Lin'an and other prefectures and towns, but it turns out that it won't work."
Manager Zhuang quickly added, "Selling too much has caused many problems. One is that if the lower body is too fat, the yarn will bulge and curl up. Another is that it cannot be washed vigorously, as it may fray at the edges. The yarn we use is very thin for drape, but some people think it is too thin and use rice paste to sizing the yarn, which deforms the fabric and causes bulges in the middle."
“The lowest petal tip has pearls, only on the front and sides of the waist, not the back. We mentioned before that it would be uncomfortable to sit on, especially on a wide chair, so we removed the pearls from the back,” said Li Niangzi, who was sewing the skirt. “Now, quite a few people who bought the pearls have come over and said that the back doesn’t look good. Even though they were short of money at the time, they wanted to have the pearls replaced. The problem is that these are so big, they will definitely be uncomfortable to sit on.”
Lin Xiushui sat down first and listened to all the questions. There were more than a dozen questions in total, big and small, all kinds of random things. People are afraid of becoming famous, just as pigs are afraid of getting fat. Clothes become famous and have many problems.
“We can give you pearls first, and ask about it before sewing,” Lin Xiushui’s mind raced, “and we can also try other methods. We said we had ribbons to fill in the gaps. So we can add two more small green ribbons to the petal tips at the back waist, and think of other methods as well.”
“We don’t care about our own sizing,” said Madam Gu. “If we sell our yarn and everyone just alters it however they want, then we might as well not do business at all.”
“The frayed edges are probably because the hem was folded too tightly and too thinly, and the needle went through too much thickness, which caused a stitch to slip through. We need to check if it was torn, cut, or intentionally. If it leaks through the mesh, creating a big hole, that's a stitch slip,” Lin Xiushui grabbed her dress, pulling at the seams with both hands, and then said seriously, “This needs to be replaced. We must check carefully before selling it.”
Unraveling is a common and annoying problem in gauze sewing, mostly occurring at the armpit seam of a jacket. This irregular gauze fringing occurs quite frequently, resulting in a lot of waste pieces.
The piles of waste pieces were sold by Lin Xiushui to people who made lifelike flowers, so they could make lotus flowers, which at least salvaged some of the losses.
The rise of a trend inevitably brings many things and unknown developments. Fortunately, Lin Xiushui is not alone in handling it; the tailor shop has plenty of manpower to deal with those complicated matters.
After returning from a day of meetings, Lin Xiushui was very tired. Speaking was more difficult than sewing clothes, so she rubbed her back.
Then Madam Gu asked her, "How's your shop going? Trying to make money from both? Working here and opening a shop there?"
"Yes and no," Lin Xiushui said, holding up one finger. "I earn money on one end and spend it on the other. I come up with ideas on one end and implement them on the other end, so I can do both without any problems."
Lin Xiushui certainly wouldn't be watching over the shop all the time. The tailor shop probably wouldn't make much money in the early stages. There were almost no customers who spent a lot of money to make custom-made clothes when she wasn't famous. And the people who came and went at Sangqiao Ferry weren't very wealthy. They definitely wanted cheap and comfortable clothes.
To incorporate various fabrics and spend money on decoration, Lin Xiushui first needs to earn money from the tailoring business to support the tailoring shop. She says she might only leave the tailoring business when it gives her the confidence to specialize in just this one area.
So she needed to hire someone to help her with tasks such as minding the shop, greeting customers, and taking measurements. Originally, she asked Tailor Jin to help her find someone, but after hearing her story, Tailor Jin asked, "How much?"
“If it’s a skilled tailor with a good eye, I can give two strings of cash first,” Lin Xiushui pondered for a long time. “If the work is done well later, I can give more.”
The tailor held out his hand. "Deal. Pay up."
Lin Xiushui was surprised, waving her hand in front of her, stammering, "What, what do you mean?"
“Me? I’m an old tailor. I’m skilled and have a keen eye. I’m bored and have nothing to do,” the tailor listed his advantages one by one. “I’d be happy to watch the shop for you. You don’t have to worry about business at all.”
"Don't worry, I don't mind the low pay. And I have one good quality: I'll do the easy jobs for you, but don't expect me to do the hard ones."
Lin Xiushui later realized that what the tailor Jin said was the absolute truth. He had done the things that required no brainpower himself, but he deliberately left the bizarre, difficult, and unheard-of things for Lin Xiushui to do, under the guise of training.
He's truly a rare find.
"What's wrong? Are you looking down on me because I'm getting old?" the tailor asked, feigning anger.
Lin Xiushui shook her head repeatedly, "Two strings of cash aren't enough to invite you, old man."
The tailor waved his hand and said, "Never mind. Money can't buy my happiness. My husband died young, and I'm getting old. I've given all the sewing work to my daughter. It's rare for me to find some fun."
Actually, she owns several shops, but she's happy to help Lin Xiushui with them.
"Come on, show me the way first. I've hardly ever been to the general store. When does it open?" the tailor asked energetically. "I can't wait to get to work."
"There are still three days left."
During these three days, everyone who heard the news came to congratulate Lin Xiushui. Even though she told others that the money borrowed from the shop was being used to buy things that were being held in a pawnshop, everyone was still happy for her.
The people of Sangshukou were devastated, as if the sky had fallen.
"You're not coming back to mend anymore?" The old woman was very upset. "It's so hot in the summer that I'm too lazy to go out. I just hope the weather cools down so you can set up your stall again and I can come over every day to watch you mend."
"Yeah, it's been so long since we've had any fun. What are we going to do now that you're gone?"
"Ah Qiao, will you come back? Ah Qiao?"
"This is a joyous occasion for this family, can't you say something nice?"
Lin Xiushui couldn't bear everyone's emotions; they were genuinely happy for her and genuinely saddened by it.
She comforted everyone, saying, "Once I'm done with this busy period, I'll make it up when I have some free time. Don't you all enjoy listening to the old fortune teller?"
“It’s different,” the group said in unison.
Lin Xiushui understood everyone's feelings and said she would make up for it, telling everyone to save up some fun things so she could make up for it when she had time.
On the day the tailor shop opened, Lin Xiushui intended to open the door in a low-key and ordinary manner, hanging up the signboard of Shuiji Clothing.
But her heart was pounding. The tailor, folding the fabric, asked her, "What's wrong? Do you have lice? Are you itchy?"
"No, I have a bad feeling."
Sure enough, the sound of gongs and drums came from outside the door. She quietly opened the door, pressed her eyes to the crack in the door, and covered her face with her hand. She knew it.
Who sent it?
The tailor also came out, pushed open the door, and stood out to look. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but click his tongue twice and say, "Good heavens, I knew there would be some fun to be had here."
Outside the gate, drums and music filled the air. On both sides of the procession, a black rooster dressed in bright red stood tall and proud, waddling at the front, its eyes fixed on the crowd, ready to plunge into the throng.
The bird keeper eagerly replied, "It means 'Wishing you prosperity'."
Cuihua shouted, "Congratulations! Congratulations on your fortune! May you prosper!"
People around stopped and burst into laughter again.
Not to be outdone, Guanghui pushed a small cart, bringing six cats wearing red bibs. He himself wore a crudely made red bib as he came to welcome the opening of Lin Xiushui's shop.
"You've raised them before?" the tailor asked curiously.
Lin Xiushui covered her face, "No, that's not it. We have an inhuman relationship."
She just thought, why didn't they say so earlier? And why didn't they prepare millet for the chickens, pine nuts for the parrots, or catfish for the cats? How could she, as the owner, bear this situation?
These guys are all quite funny, and the gifts they gave were also very strange. The stingy guy gave one hundred and twenty duck eggs, goose eggs, and painted eggs that he would never have given in his life.
The gifts from Abao and Cuihua were delivered by the bird breeder: two boxwood parrots in black cages, exactly the same as the two grey-bellied, green-backed, red-billed parrots.
As for the six cats, Guanghui held up a stack of papers and said, "This is the Sangshukou tabloid, this is the cat newspaper, and I can even give you a free newspaper, this is called an eye for an eye."
"Don't rush, there will be a time when I really need your help," Lin Xiushui said with a smile as she accepted the clothes. She would decide whether to give them away or not later, and the photo shoot could be arranged after the clothes were finished.
Guanghui touched his head and felt a bit of fur. He looked down and said, "Don't rub against me, you little kitten."
Lin Xiushui thought that was all, but unexpectedly, Su Qiaoniang arrived with about ten children from her small puppet theater troupe. Each child held a puppet dressed in different clothes, but each puppet held a long red silk ribbon. Under Su Qiaoniang's guidance, they began to wave the ribbons in unison, the red ribbons swaying and swirling, creating a beautiful sight.
Everyone stared in disbelief, their eyes following the swaying red silk, then clapping and cheering, all thinking it was a variety show troupe that Lin Xiushui had invited.
Heaven knows, Lin Xiushui didn't invite her at all. Su Qiaoniang herself led this group of little "apprentices" to practice and play in the covered corridor every night, and now it seems they've really made a name for themselves.
While they were still waving, Aunt Chun ran over in her new clothes, panting, and said, "We're not late, are we? We just finished an early performance. Everyone will be coming over later, and we'll be singing here all day."
“Our Little Girls’ Shouting Troupe happens to have Qiao Yingqin, Qiao Xieshen, and Qiao Yingjiu. These days, we’ve gathered enough equipment and everything is ready. We also have Qiao Yinjiao to cheer you on. I guarantee that when your shop opens to customers, you’ll have a few grand performances.”
Lin Xiushui quickly said, "No, you're all tired enough."
“We can’t help you in your time of need, but we can bring you honor and glory,” said Aunt Chun.
Lin Xiushui remained silent for a long time. She looked at the many people who were working hard in the crowd to attract business and offer her congratulations. She saw many familiar faces and heard cheers. Her vision blurred with white mist.
How can we forget today, and how can we remember it?
On ordinary days, the scene is lively, with people singing, dancing, or loudly calling out to sell their wares. Everyone gathers together, beaming with joy, waiting on a sunny day for the red silk on the signboard to be taken down.
The four large characters "Shui Ji Quan Yi" (水记全衣, meaning "Water Mark") were slowly revealed on the surface.
The shouts grew louder and louder. Lin Xiushui, clutching the red silk she had pulled off, looked back at the plaque amidst the shouts: "Shui Ji Quan Yi" (Water's Clothing) with red background and black characters.
From then on, the store was always bustling with activity, receiving about twenty orders in half a day.
Reflecting on the grand occasion, Jin the tailor said, "It's wonderful. Just look at how everyone is willing to go all out here. I didn't come to the wrong place."
"Making clothes here is definitely worth it."
"Your mouth won't lose, your eyes won't lose, your ears won't lose, and you won't lose."
Lin Xiushui replied, "The most important thing is to have a clear conscience."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
