According to the custom in Sanhe Town, men and women have to look at each other before getting married. Li Chunjiao had already seen Zhou Zhigang secretly, and next, it was Zhou Zhigang's turn to visit Li Chunjiao.
Uncle Li and Aunt Li were very worried. If Zhou Zhigang came to see her and did not agree to the marriage, Li Chunjiao's reputation in the village would be ruined, and it would be even more difficult for her to find a good husband in the future.
Li Cuilian and her cousins decided to hold the meeting in Sanhe Town. With the constant flow of people in Sanhe Town, it wasn't a planned meeting between the two families; it could be considered a chance encounter. If Zhou Zhigang disliked Li Chunjiao after seeing her, and the marriage fell through, it wouldn't tarnish her reputation.
Uncle Li and Aunt Li both thought Li Cuilian's idea was a good one. Li Cuilian went to Zhou Chunping's house and told him about it, and they set the date for the wedding for two days later. That day was the eighth day of the first lunar month, when there was a big market in Sanhe Town. The Zhou and Li families treated it as a trip to the market, so even if they were seen by people from the same village, they would have an excuse.
Zhou Zhigang clearly remembered that day, sitting with his parents in a breakfast shop across from the Sanhe Town Supply and Marketing Cooperative. A short while later, Li Cuilian arrived. Li Chunjiao's parents hadn't shown up, having entrusted their daughter's marriage to Li Cuilian. Li Chunjiao, however, was completely committed to the match.
"Brother, the girl who will appear at the door of the supply and marketing cooperative in a while, the one wearing a floral shirt, is my cousin." Li Cuilian said to Zhou Zhigang.
Li Cuilian often came to the town and had seen several beautiful girls in Sanhe Town wearing floral Dacron shirts. Li Cuilian specially made one for Li Chunjiao so that she could wear it to attend today's engagement.
According to the rules of Sanhe Town, once a man and woman agree on their marriage, they can have a matchmaker match their horoscopes and choose a wedding date. Matching horoscopes and choosing a wedding date are considered "feudal dregs," and no family would be foolish enough to publicly publicize them. However, marriage is, after all, a major event. Despite the widespread clamor to eradicate all feudal superstitions and the abolition of fortune-telling and shaman dances, villagers still secretly carry out these necessary pre-wedding procedures. When it comes to matters that affect a lifetime, it's better to believe it!
Zhao Yunxiang had just graduated from junior high school that year and was learning tailoring in town. She developed early, and Zhao Qingshan was very kind to his children, ensuring they had adequate nutrition. At fifteen, Zhao Yunxiang looked as tall as an eighteen-year-old.
Zhao Yunxiang was good-looking and had a gentle temperament. When she was an apprentice in a tailor shop, even if she kept her head down working all day, there were often young men who would deliberately walk past the door of the tailor shop several times just to take a few more looks at Zhao Yunxiang.
"Girl." A rough voice sounded, startling Zhao Yunxiang who was concentrating on her work.
Zhao Yunxiang looked up and saw a short and fat girl in the tailor shop. She was wearing a floral shirt exactly the same as Zhao Yunxiang's.
"Do you need measurements for clothes?" Zhao Yunxiang thought it was a customer, so she quickly put down her crafts and stood up. Aunt Wang, Zhao Yunxiang's master, had just gone out, leaving Zhao Yunxiang and two other apprentices alone in the shop.
"Look at my clothes. I made them in your shop two days ago. Why don't they fit smoothly when I wear them?" The fat girl tugged at the clothes, feeling a little uncomfortable.
Zhao Yunxiang took a look and it was true. The dress looked too long and too tight on the plump girl. Impossible! Lao Wang's tailor shop is the best in town. There's no way they could make such ill-fitting clothes!
The floral blouse the fat girl was wearing matched Zhao Yunxiang's, a new fabric from the season's supply and marketing cooperative. Many people, impressed by how beautiful Zhao Yunxiang looked in it, went to the cooperative to buy fabric and sent it to Old Wang's tailor shop for custom-made pieces. These days, just making floral blouses has Aunt Wang beaming with joy.
Generally speaking, people who are particularly beautiful or ugly will be deeply remembered. Zhao Yunxiang has a good memory. In her impression, among the people who came to the tailor shop to order floral shirts these days, there was no fat girl in front of her!
"My sister came to order the clothes. She's very beautiful," the plump girl Li Chunjiao explained sheepishly, seeing Zhao Yunxiang's questioning eyes. The clothes were custom-made by Li Cuilian, who paid for them. After picking up the fabric, Li Cuilian went straight to Lao Wang's tailor shop without bringing Li Chunjiao along. Even if Li Chunjiao was thick-skinned, she couldn't bring herself to come along for measurements.
Thinking of this, Li Chunjiao's face flashed with embarrassment. Her family was poor and could only make two new clothes in a year. When Li Cuilian was at her parents' home, everyone was similarly well off and no one looked down on anyone else.
Ever since Li Cuilian married into Zhoujia Village, Zhou Hongming's family had become well-off, and Li Cuilian had become the boss at home. Whenever she returned to her parents' home, she would always bring a lot of things, making people jealous. Regardless of Zhou Zhigang's talent, Li Chunjiao wanted to marry him simply for his family background.
Li Chunjiao's words reminded Zhao Yunxiang of a beautiful woman who had a floral shirt made in the shop a few days ago. The length of the shirt was measured according to the woman's figure, and she had it made a little bigger.
No wonder Li Chunjiao looked so awkward in her clothes! If the clothes weren't made to measure her body, how could they possibly fit her? Zhao Yunxiang suddenly realized.
However, the tailor who taught Zhao Yunxiang the craft said that customers are the breadwinners of craftsmen, and they should try their best to satisfy customers wherever they can.
"So... do you want to have the clothes altered or something?" Zhao Yunxiang asked. The clothes on this girl must have been given to her by her sister, Zhao Yunxiang thought.
"Can you alter it? If you can, please make it shorter for me." Li Chunjiao breathed a sigh of relief. She thought, "I'd rather wear my own half-new, half-old clothes than this ill-fitting new one. At least it fits, and people won't think I'm borrowing clothes."
Li Chunjiao knew what her cousin Li Cuilian was thinking. Wasn't it just a gift to her for nothing that would make her heartbroken? She had deliberately made it longer, probably planning to take it home and wear it after today! She took this opportunity to shorten it so her cousin wouldn't be able to wear it when she returned. Li Chunjiao was secretly pleased with herself.
"Okay." Zhao Yunxiang estimated and motioned Li Chunjiao to go into the locker room and take off her clothes.
Just cut the length and add some pleats at the waist. Zhao Yunxiang did it very quickly and it was done in just a few minutes.
Zhao Yunxiang had just handed the clothes to Li Chunjiao in the dressing room when Aunt Wang came back from buying groceries.
"Yunxiang, your father needs you for something. He wants you to go to his place right away," Aunt Wang said with a smile. Yunxiang was a quick learner, and when she wasn't at the shop, Zhao Yunxiang handled everything from greeting customers to helping her. Furthermore, given Zhao Qingshan's position as director of the supply and marketing cooperative, Aunt Wang never put on airs in front of Zhao Yunxiang.
"Yes. Master, I'll go over there first." Zhao Yunxiang responded and ran away. Anyway, the clothes have been altered, and there is nothing to do here for the time being.
When Li Chunjiao came out after putting on her clothes, she saw Zhao Yunxiang's hurried back.
It was getting late, and remembering her appointment plans for today, Li Chunjiao hurriedly followed Zhao Yunxiang towards the supply and marketing cooperative.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
