Shulan felt incredibly foolish. Why did she insist on dating Zhao Gan? No matter how good a man was, was he more important than money? Were men and city residency really that important? If she had broken up with Zhao Gan earlier and come to Deyang with her parents to make a living, even if she couldn't be as successful as Chu Yu, she could still earn some money.
Fortunately, she realized it not too late.
"Chu Yu, I feel so stupid. I'll work hard to make money like you from now on."
Chu Yu has the experience of two lifetimes to support her, which is why she has such a decisive and straightforward personality, and why she can take a detached view of relationships at such a young age.
Shulan is a typical rural girl. Over the past ten years, she has hardly attended school and her upbringing has been filled with endless hardship.
In the 1980s, there was a huge gap between urban and rural household registration. A mother's household registration even determined her child's household registration. There was nothing wrong with Shulan wanting to marry a city person to change her fate.
Getting entangled with Zhao Gan is unwise, but Shulan is only in her early twenties. It's not a big deal for a young girl to make a mistake, but not everyone who makes a mistake can repent in time.
Shulan's repentance was quite thorough, and Chu Yu also had a high opinion of her design abilities, so he said:
"Sister, money is a woman's confidence. I support you in making money. Once you have enough, buy a house and a car, have a solid foundation, and then consider starting a family."
Shulan looked heartbroken and wandering the world alone.
"I plan to live alone forever. What are men anyway? Money is far more important."
Chu Yu chuckled, "I have a batch of fabric here that I've been looking for someone to design into clothes. If you're willing, we can work together. I'll pay the labor costs, and you can do the design for me. How about that?"
Shu Aiguo asked Shulan to help manage Xibao. Shulan knew nothing about furniture sales and could only keep an eye on the accounts to ensure there were no mistakes. She couldn't do anything else.
Clothing was her old profession, and Shulan often practiced with scraps of fabric at the factory. However, the fabrics used in the clothing factory were always the same three types, nothing special, which limited Shulan's creativity.
Chu Yu's warehouse contains the highest-grade fabrics on the market, many of which even Shu Lan has never seen before.
She was eager to try it out, her hands itching to touch the fabric.
"I'm short on cash lately, so I won't stand on ceremony with you, you big spender. Just tell me what kind of clothes you want, and I'll draw a sketch for you and make them according to the sketch later."
Shulan had no formal training in painting or fashion design; naturally, in the 1980s, such things were not valued. She was a complete novice in these fields.
The clothes made by the tailors are all old-fashioned styles. They draw lines on the fabric and cut them out. Shulan has a lot of clever ideas. She likes to draw the clothes on paper. After drawing them, she will find that the size is not right, modify them, and then make them out of the fabric.
Chu Yu mentioned a few styles, but Shu Lan was completely confused, so she simply handed over a piece of paper.
"A collared, fitted dress with an A-line skirt, if I understand correctly, that's how it should be, right?"
"A fitted red suit with a tie-like design at the collar, a piece of fabric hanging around the neck and pinned up as decoration, is that right?"
“Skinny jeans, I’ll draw one for you.”
"A polyester shirt with a red scarf collar, decorated with pearl buttons..."
Shulan has a low level of education but strong comprehension skills. She worked in the garment factory for several years but failed to become a permanent employee because she had no connections and her parents were not factory workers.
This does not mean that she lacks personal ability.
Master Shulan often said that she was a born tailor. The female workers in the workshop didn't know anything about clothing design or could't use such fancy terms; they just called anyone who made clothes a tailor. Shulan could draw patterns and cut designs, and whatever clothes she cut out were just different from what others made.
If Master Shulan asked Chu Yu, Chu Yu would say that this is the legendary pattern.
Pattern making is a wonderful thing. With the same fabric and the same stitching, a good pattern maker can make clothes that look completely different when you wear them.
Shulan possesses this amazing pattern-making skill, and her master repeatedly instructed the factory to give her a raise to keep her there.
Unfortunately, the state-owned factory didn't believe in such superstitions.
When Shulan finished making the red Marilyn Monroe umbrella skirt, Chu Yu's eyes lit up. To verify her guess, Chu Yu went to the fitting room to change her clothes.
Mandarin sources its products from Guangzhou and Wenzhou, using designs from Hong Kong and Europe. Mandarin's clothes may look unremarkable on the hanger, but they look completely different when worn, which is the fundamental reason why Mandarin can retain its customers.
The design is excellent and irreplaceable; customers love wearing it more and more, and can only spend money on Mandarin.
Chu Yu was quite picky about the design, but she couldn't find any fault with it.
The red fabric clung to her waist, her upper body was slender, but her lower body draped loosely, inconspicuous when still, but when she walked, the skirt swayed with her steps, without a single bit of excess.
Chu Yu even discerned Gao Ding's intentions.
Shulan is quite something.
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