Chapter 79 The Shop is Hiring
"That person in the picture is me!"
Jin Gui held a thin sheet of drawing paper, sometimes looking down at the painting, sometimes turning her head to the right to look at her own face in the mirror on the stool by the second-floor window.
After repeating this process more than ten times, he finally gave a joyful confirmation.
She had never looked in the mirror carefully more than a few times and was not very familiar with her own appearance, yet she had a self-portrait. Jin Gui's little heart was filled with an indescribable joy.
“I need to save money,” Jin Gui tugged at her mother’s sleeve and whispered in her ear, “Mother, let’s sell more lotus seeds to make you a new dress, and have the young lady send you a portrait too.”
Her mother laughed and scolded, "You silly girl, a painting only costs a few hundred coins, while a piece of clothing costs several strings of cash. You're just buying salted fish to release back into the wild, making a losing business."
“That doesn’t make sense. Wearing new clothes and getting a free portrait is a net profit,” said the woman with a red cloth tied around her head. “If we don’t make more clothes, we’ll really be losing out.”
She has two daughters, an elderly mother, two younger sisters, and four close friends. Her autumn clothes haven't been made yet this year, but once her portrait is finished, she'll encourage them all to come here and have their clothes made.
At this moment, she was waiting for the person in the second-floor cubicle to come out after changing clothes so that she could go in and change. There were chairs and benches outside, but no one was sitting on them. So she put her brand-new clothes on them. She was anxious and wanted to get her pictured as soon as possible. It was the first time in her life that she had been photographed.
This was the first time in Zhang Shunniang's life that she had painted so many people. She appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, she was trembling inside. However, she secretly painted many portraits, and once she put pen to paper, she could paint very smoothly.
She had to draw well for people; she wanted to do this job.
Inside, there was a painting, and outside, a group of people stood in the passageway. Some held their own mirrors, looking at themselves in the light, turning their faces left and right, and frowning. A woman tugged at her skirt sash, sighed, and said, "You need to eat more. You're so thin that your skirt sash wraps around three times."
A tall, plump woman came up from the corner of the stairs, carrying a large wooden box. She asked, "Any ladies who need their hair styled? I can style any hairstyle: flying bun, high bun, double bun, tassel bun. I can even style children's hair: double bun, triple bun. Prices range from ten to thirty coins. Just let me know if you need anything."
Chen Guihua stood there, waiting for someone to ask for a haircut so she could immediately pick up the wooden box and run over. Lin Xiushui had asked her to come and do business so she could make more money, saying that there were many people here and some would inevitably want their hair combed.
Seeing that everyone was turning to look at her, and without saying that they wanted to comb their hair, she opened the box, took out a small jar from the top layer, took a few steps, and said, "I also have osmanthus oil for hair care and cleansing oil for sideburns. You can try them first."
With great difficulty, Chen Guihua managed to utter, "It's free."
Chen Guihua wants to make big money, and she simply can't bear to give up small amounts of money; even a penny is money.
Finally, one of the women said, "Give it a try, will you be able to comb these sideburns properly?"
“I can comb it without oil,” Chen Guihua said, picking up the box and placing it on the stool. She took the hairbrush from the wooden box, directed the woman to sit down, and then, holding her face, combed the woman’s protruding hair until it was smooth. She also combed along the hair on her forehead, making the flat bun appear much more voluminous. She muttered, “Not a single hair will stick out.”
This seemingly insignificant act astonished the other women, just as they had been that morning when they saw Zhang Shunniang dip her brush in ink, sit down, and sketch a person onto paper with a few strokes.
"How about," a woman standing in the corner suggested, "you comb my hair too, and see what kind of hairstyle suits me?"
Chen Guihua walked over again, saying, "A big bun would be perfect. Tie it up with a silk net, wrap the hair five times. If it's not good, come find me."
When Lin Xiushui went upstairs, Chen Guihua was surrounded by a group of people. She overheard them asking what kind of hairstyle she should wear.
No one cared that she had come over. In another room by the window, a group of people looked at Zhang Shunniang's portrait, occasionally exclaiming in amazement, finding it hard to believe that such sounds could come from a human mouth.
Those who put on their new clothes and sat down to wait for their portraits were secretly delighted. The praise was as if it were for themselves. Especially as soon as the portraits were in hand, everyone gathered around, examined them carefully, and said, "They really look like the portraits, and they have quite a bit of spirit in them."
There are two copies of this portrait. One, about a foot wide, was taken back, and the other, about the size of a palm, was left in the shop, with a note indicating who had the portrait drawn here in a certain year and month.
Portraits can beautify people, and they can even be so beautiful that they kill people. When people are beautiful, they happily open their wallets and want to make new clothes.
“I know, Ah Qiao, you’ve been good to me, and I haven’t treated you badly,” a slender woman said, holding up a self-portrait. “This is the first time I’ve ever had a portrait painted, and the first time I’ve realized that this is how other people see my face.”
"Why am I so good-looking?"
"You just wait, I don't have much money, but I have a lot of people. I'll get all my relatives to have their clothes made here, and I'll make you a famous seamstress."
Lin Xiushui trembled as she listened. Had this woman listened to too much opera in the entertainment district? Her tone didn't sound like she was introducing business to her; it sounded like she was inviting all her relatives to come and kill her.
What is a "famous seamstress"?
“What are you saying? Let me say a few words,” a woman with her hair in a high bun and wearing makeup came over and leaned against the cabinet to ask. “I have two umbrellas that I really like, both with eighty-four ribs. One umbrella has an ink painting on it, and the other is oil green with poems inscribed on it.”
"I want to make this umbrella into a matching outfit, wear it, and then draw it on paper."
After listening, Lin Xiushui turned to look at the tailor, Jin. The tailor, however, remained unfazed and showed no surprise whatsoever. Nowadays, culture is highly valued, and many wealthy women enjoy poetry and would ask others to inscribe poems on their clothes, which was quite elegant.
"Let me take a look at the umbrella first, and see if it can be made," Lin Xiushui said, adding that she couldn't write well and would refuse if it was too difficult.
These two umbrellas truly deserve to be called eighty-four-rib umbrellas. The canopy is made of silk. One is an ink painting umbrella. Lin Xiushui raised her eyebrows as she looked at it. If the ink painting of mountains and rivers could be used to make clothes, black and white would also be very outstanding.
As for the other oil-green umbrella, the poems were written vertically in bold characters, which she couldn't decipher. Making a garment based on the umbrella's surface, while preserving and arranging the poems, was a challenging task. The key was to maintain the garment's aesthetic appeal while preventing the colors from fading.
Lin Xiushui was very interested; the more difficult the clothing, the more challenging it was.
She frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "It can be done, but it will take a lot of time, at least half a month, and possibly even longer. It will also be expensive, costing at least 15 or 16 strings of cash for two pieces, and some of the materials will need to be specially made."
Most black cloths on the market are pure black; there are no cloths with ink-wash tie-dye patterns, and the poems must be inscribed by someone else.
Upon hearing this, the matchmaker clapped her hands with delight and said, "If you can do it, then I'll leave it to you. I've asked at many tailor shops and ready-made clothing stores, but they all declined, saying they couldn't do it. I'll go get the deposit for you later."
"You absolutely, positively must make it."
Like a parrot mimicking its words, Lin Xiushui imitated Hong Niangzi's tone, saying, "I absolutely, positively want to make it!"
The tailor was the first to laugh, and then the rest of the ladies burst into laughter. They laughed so hard that two or three people waiting upstairs for the portrait came running down, lifted the curtain, and the three heads piled together to look.
Lin Xiushui wasn't in a hurry to do this tricky job; she couldn't finish it anyway. She put the notes under the notebook and took on other jobs first.
She replied to the old lady who had asked her the question, "Old cloth can be used to make clothes, depending on how old it is. If the edges are worn, avoid those parts when laying out the fabric."
"It's okay if it's too old. We can add dye. We can add the same color as before. If you provide the fabric yourself, we'll only charge you five or six hundred coins."
The old lady had three bolts of cloth stored away in her trunk, but she couldn't find a good tailor to make them. A few days ago, she had a set of clothes made at a tailor shop, and today she wore them very well. The fabric was also of good quality, so she had the idea of making clothes from the old cloth.
Hearing this, she nodded happily, "Okay, daughter, wait for me to bring it to you so you can see it."
"Hey, no rush, we'll have Master Jin make it for you, Grandma," Lin Xiushui winked at the tailor.
Old Master Jin had no choice. She said, "Old sister, just have your grandson carry the cloth and come find me here tomorrow."
As the group discussed the matter, an older woman nearby began to criticize the fabric, saying, "Why is this fabric so expensive? It costs five strings of cash per bolt! I can't earn that much money in a year. These days, money is really not worth anything."
“That’s right,” Lin Xiushui echoed her words, “Everyone says that silk can be used as money, but I say that’s all nonsense to cheat people out of their money.”
"Fabric is so expensive, we can't even afford to wear it."
The old lady was completely taken aback; how did I manage to steal her words?
Lin Xiushui walked over again, picked up the fabric, and said, "It's really expensive. This is satin from Nanjing. Satin from Nanjing is the best; even Pingjiang Prefecture's is inferior. A bolt of this is indeed quite expensive, but the quality is exceptional."
“But Nanjing cloth is far away from us. Cloth that’s far away isn’t close to us. It’s like the fine silk cloth we’re making from silkworms in our town this year. It’s locally grown, close to us, and cheaper.” Lin Xiushui walked around to the other side and pointed to a piece of light red fine silk cloth. “It only costs one string of cash and eight qian. You look young, and light red looks good on you. If you add some other fabrics, the whole outfit will only cost a little over three strings of cash. We’ll also give you a portrait and a collar band. If it doesn’t fit you one day, we’ll alter it for you for free.”
"It's really three strings of cash," the old woman said, touching the fine silk cloth. The material was much better than what she had bought herself for a pittance. Without thinking, she said, "Then make one for me."
After saying that, I wanted to slap myself. I clearly agreed to check the fabric before coming, and I found fault with everything. The price is so high, who would want to make clothes?
That's true, but circumstances are beyond our control.
She listened in a daze, her head spinning. The young woman spoke so sweetly, the cloth was reasonably priced, and she was even given gifts. She couldn't resist.
"Come again next time, Auntie," Lin Xiushui said to her departing figure.
The old woman clutched her money pouch and left without looking back; she would never come again. But as it turned out, once was enough, and then twice, and then three times. But things don't stop there. After three times, she ordered clothes from that shop every day.
Lin Xiushui said she was a local cloth lady because from then on, people only wanted local cloth.
Business is booming today. There's a lot of work to be done on clothes. Lin Xiushui is very talkative, and the tailor Jin is no less so. She can tell you exactly where a piece of fabric comes from, its workmanship, weaving, pattern, and whether it's new or old, as well as what color it would suit someone's clothes and what size of fabric they need. She can explain it all clearly without having to think too much.
They hadn't planned to do it here, but after being misled by the two men, they nodded haphazardly and agreed to have it done.
There were a total of forty-odd sets of clothes. Lin Xiushui received a deposit of more than thirty strings of cash. With the finished clothes, she received half of the deposit back, bringing the total to forty-five strings of cash.
Although she had to use the money to buy fabric, and the money wouldn't stay in her hands for more than a few days, she was still very happy.
"Not buying fabric?" The tailor turned to look at her, first smiling, then slowly arranging the fabric as he spoke.
“Buy it,” Lin Xiushui shook her arms and pounded her waist. “We also need to buy oilcloth. We’ll be making oilcloth gloves for the three months this spring. Business wasn’t good in the summer, but we can start making them again in the fall and winter. We’ll also need to fluff some silk floss.”
The glove business is all about spring production, summer harvest, and peak sales in autumn and winter. The gauze bag business doesn't do so well after Qixi Festival, so she gradually reduces the quantity and increases the quantity of gloves.
She has a group of people who depend on her for their livelihood.
"We need to hire a helper," Lin Xiushui said, taking several sips of water. "Business is so good, we really can't handle it all. I can't be here all the time. Old Jin, do you have any good candidates in mind?"
"You disrespectful brat, pick one yourself. Everyone I know listens to me. If you pay them but they don't listen to you, aren't you losing out?" The tailor leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest. "Pick one that's smart, and I'll help you take care of him."
When it comes to finding someone, you have to ask Liu Ya Sao; she's a professional in this business.
"You've opened a shop!" Sister Liu said angrily. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have given you some things. Look at you, little sister, this is not fair at all. Are you trying to distance yourself from me?"
She wasn't really angry, but she was genuinely moved. In the past, Lin Xiushui had asked her for work at the clothing shop, and she had taken the little girl to the Gu family's clothing shop. Later, she was able to do business with her, and now she was becoming increasingly successful.
Lin Xiushui quickly said, "I can't leave it out, otherwise why would I need to ask you, sister? I still have to ask you for help with this important matter of hiring people."
"Beg me."
"Please."
Liu Ya Sao laughed heartily, then stopped laughing and said, "If you beg me, I'll pick one out for you properly, but to tell you the truth, finding someone is the hardest thing. If you want someone clever and articulate, in our line of work, finding needleworkers, maids, and servants is difficult, and it's hard to find someone as capable and clever as you."
"Most of them are quick-witted and can understand human speech."
In Liu Ya Sao's life experience, being able to understand human speech was truly remarkable; most people would talk east and go west. If she wanted someone to do something, she had to be clear about how many steps to take and which turn to make. If she couldn't explain things clearly in a single sentence, the matter would be a complete mess.
Lin Xiushui laughed after hearing this, and repeated, "I just need someone clever, someone who can run errands and be useful. I'm looking for someone who's not too old, maybe fourteen or fifteen, and I'll provide two meals a day."
"Let me look around for you."
The next day, Liu Ya Sao brought a thin young woman over and pointed at her, saying, "She is very articulate and used to do odd jobs like cleaning. I said she looks good, so you can stay and try it out. If you don't like her, then tell me."
“My lady, my name is A-Yun. I can sweep the floor, wipe the table, do laundry, and sell things. If I don’t know how, I can learn,” the young woman said, trying to persuade herself. Her tone was not timid. “Please let me stay for three days to try. If I don’t do well, I will leave on my own. If you think I’m alright and are willing to keep me, I don’t need much money for the first month. Just give me enough to eat.”
Seeing the determination in her words, Lin Xiushui said, "Then you give it a try first."
"We guarantee you'll have a full meal here. If you're capable, you'll definitely be well paid."
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