Zhou thought about it for several days but still had no clue, so she came to discuss it with Chen Cui that night.
Shen Cui did not help Zhou make decisions on major matters, but she was still willing to help with ideas when problems arose during the process.
"I don't know how to make clothes either. I can only help you take a look. What I say may not be correct." Shen Cui said, and then asked Zhou which step she was stuck on?
Zhou was a little embarrassed and said, "Please don't laugh at me. I have never learned from a proper master. I figured out most of it on my own. I don't know other people's steps. I cut the material first and haven't started sewing yet. But before sewing, I thought about what it would look like after sewing. I think after sewing... it will look weird."
Talking alone is not enough. Shen Cui is completely clueless about things like cutting clothes, especially since there is a huge gap in skills between her and Zhou. For example, just by drawing a sketch of a military coat and describing it casually, Zhou was able to start making it right away. If it were Shen Cui, she would definitely not be able to do it just by listening to the description and the doodle-like sketch.
It just so happened that Mu Erpang came back from the academy at this time. Seeing that the lights were on in the main room, he lifted the curtain, poked his head in and asked, "What are mother and sister-in-law whispering about? Can I come in and listen?"
"You're just in time." Shen Cui waved to him, and asked Mu Erpang to act as a temporary model. She asked Zhou to bring the pieces of cloth he had cut and try them on him. Since the cloth couldn't stick to the person, she pinned the corners with a long needle.
The size of the cloth was cut according to what Song Shusheng wrote on the paper and his own stature, so it was a bit big and long for Mu Erpang. For fear that his clothes would get dusty, he stood on the kang.
With the 'human model', Shen Cui saw the problem after a look. She said, "The size you cut doesn't match his drawing."
Zhou was surprised, took out a ruler and measured it again, saying, "It's correct, I cut it according to the size he wrote."
"I'm not saying you cut it wrong...but the picture he drew was beautified."
Just like designers in later generations who would choose models with nine-head bodies when drawing to highlight their designs, the boy drawn in Song Shusheng's drawing was a young man with a slender and upright figure. With such a figure, he would look good even if he put on a sack, let alone wear such a novel design. But he himself... is muscular and strong.
It’s not that it’s bad for men to be strong and muscular. This kind of body shape can look good in loose shirts or narrow sportswear, but men just can’t handle a design that mixes these two styles.
So they cut it according to his size, just like taking a piece of clothing that was only suitable for small and medium sizes and forcing it into a larger size. No wonder Zhou said he felt something was weird about it.
Chen Cui organized her words to explain to Zhou. Afraid that she didn't understand, she dipped her hand in some tea and drew an enlarged version on the kang table according to Song Shusheng's design... This was very close to the piece of cloth that Zhou had cut out!
Zhou thought about making the pieces of cloth smaller... and surprisingly, the weird feeling was instantly reduced.
"This...what should I do?" Zhou was really distressed. "Mr. Song designed the clothes for me, so they must be cut according to his size."
But if it is cut according to his size, it will definitely not look good when worn.
They are working for others, so they can't just turn around and tell their customers that they can't make this dress well, it's not a problem of their ability, but that their body shape is not suitable for their design.
Chen Cui stroked her chin and thought for a while, then asked Zhou, "Have you ever seen a looped arm?"
Zhou nodded and said that she had seen it. "There were a few pictures of polo in the book you bought before. I have seen them."
This shows the advantage of Zhou's ability to read and write, otherwise the two of them would not be able to continue the conversation.
"To put it simply, a belt is a piece of tape that you tie under your shoulders when you need it, and roll up the inconvenient sleeves to your arms. Put them down when you don't need them. With this little thing, one piece of clothing can have two designs... I guess Mr. Song designed this piece of clothing so that he could write and exercise without losing his literary style. Anyway, there are still many days to go, so think about it in this way."
"One piece of clothing, but now has two designs." Zhou muttered to herself, "I'll go back and think about it."
After saying this, Zhou went out thoughtfully.
Mu Erpang was still on the kang, acting as a mannequin. The cloth on his body was pierced with several long needles. Seeing his sister-in-law leave, he was dumbfounded. "Mom, what should I do?"
"What are you going to do? I'm here. I'll take it down for you."
Mu Erpang said no stiffly, "I'm scared!"
Last time, my mother 'on a whim' sewed a pair of soles for each of them. Wow, the stitches were so tight that they looked like centipedes, and they hurt their feet even through their socks!
No one mind, since it is winter, they all tacitly wear two extra pairs of socks, which can keep warm and protect against the "centipede".
But Lao Buyu complained to him privately, "Our headmaster is really capable in other aspects, but her hands...are not very skillful. It's okay for her to cook, she cooks and we eat, it's not a big deal. But just now, when she was sewing the sole of a shoe, she got her hand pierced by the needle, and the blood was flowing...If you have a chance, you should persuade her that there is no need to waste time on things you are not good at, especially things that may hurt yourself."
Mu Erpang was not afraid of Chen Cui poking him at this moment, but was afraid that she would hurt herself. This material was to be handed over to someone else by his sister-in-law, and if it was stained with blood, it would be another troublesome matter.
Zhou walked to the window outside and heard what they said. Then she remembered that she had forgotten something. She hurried back and apologized while releasing Mu Erpang.
After returning to her room, Zhou was still thinking about clothes. She had no desire to sleep and was writing and drawing on paper.
It was not until it was dark outside and she was extremely sleepy that she undressed and prepared to go to bed.
She took off her coat and placed it on the quilt, then took off her cotton-padded jacket and trousers, and after pulling out her belt... Zhou was stunned, and after staring at the belt for a long while, her eyes suddenly lit up!
The next morning, Shen Cui saw Zhou with two panda eyes.
Although she looked like she didn't sleep well the previous night, she was very excited. After breakfast, she showed Shen Cui the drawings she had drawn.
Through the loops and trouser belts, Zhou came up with a kind of tie, which was sewed on the waist and cuffs of the clothes. When the tie is not pulled out, the clothes look like an ordinary loose scholar's robe. By pulling the two ties, the waist position naturally becomes a slim fit, and the wide sleeves can be turned into arrow sleeves, exactly like the original design given by Song Shusheng!
As mentioned before, Mr. Song's body type is not suitable for a mixture of the two styles. But if it is designed like this, when he needs to write or exercise, he can tighten the waist and cuffs. When he finds that he is not suitable for tying the laces or when he finishes writing or exercising, he will naturally loosen the laces and the clothes will become loose again, and will not make him look ugly.
"Yes, it indeed meets Mr. Song's requirements and adds a touch of ingenuity." Shen Cuizhong praised.
Zhou's eyes were burning, and after receiving Chen Cui's affirmation, she continued to work - although she had a general direction, she still had to figure out how to sew the laces so that they were both practical and good-looking, and how to set the adjustable range.
After she left, Mu Erpang came over and whispered, "Mom, did you know this was possible a long time ago?"
Of course, Chen Cui had thought of it early on, the drawstring design, and many clothes in later generations had this design.
In her previous life, Chen Cui was an older office worker who worked overtime all day and had no time to exercise. Compared to her student days, she had gained a lot of weight and paid more attention to the design of her clothes. Drawstring designs are even more common in slimming women's clothing.
"How do you know I knew it?"
This sounded like a tongue twister, but Mu Erpang was not confused by the question. Instead, he smiled and said, "I just know that it's probably because mother and child are connected by heart."
He paused and said, "But I don't understand. If mother knew it earlier, why didn't she tell sister-in-law directly last night, and let sister-in-law think about it all night?"
"I make all the decisions for her and think of everything for her, so who is doing the work, me or her?" Chen Cui looked at the direction Zhou left and smiled, "This sense of achievement of making progress through one's own efforts is actually more pleasant and comfortable than earning money from work itself."
When Mu Erpang heard this, he couldn't help but think of himself.
He started reading only because he found out that his mother wanted him to read, and then he himself found reading and writing novel and fun.
After what happened in the tailor shop, he was determined to make a name for himself and prove himself to those people.
But now, he is no longer doing it for others, but for himself. Every day, if he learns a little more new knowledge, practices a few more words, or memorizes one more page of a book than the day before, he will feel very happy. This must be what his mother called a sense of accomplishment.
…………
New Year's Eve was soon here. Zheng wanted to invite Chen Cui and Mu Erpang to the city to celebrate the New Year, but this was the first New Year after the establishment of Cuiwei Academy, and Lao Buyu and Zhou were there. Chen Cui didn't want to leave them alone, so she agreed with Zheng that they would celebrate the New Year by themselves and go back to pay New Year's greetings for two consecutive days on the first and second days of the New Year.
It was Zhou who prepared the New Year's Eve dinner last year, and she was the one who cooked again this year. Chen Cui was tactful enough not to make things worse, but together with Mu Erpang, she was responsible for posting the couplets and the word "Fu" written by Lao Buyu in the academy and at home.
After pasting the red couplets and the word "Fu", the mother and son swept the dust in the academy and the house. When it was getting dark, Zhou also prepared a table of dishes.
The dishes for this year's New Year's Eve dinner are much richer than last year's. There is a steamed grass carp that symbolizes "abundance every year", a plate of four-happiness meatballs with rich oil and red sauce, as well as chicken stewed with mushrooms, tofu meatballs and cabbage soup... the table is full.
As soon as Chen Cui saw it, she knew that Zhou was secretly giving her some extra money, and she also bought some vegetables from someone in the village to prepare this meal.
All the people in the academy gathered together for a lively meal. Chen Cui took out the rice wine she bought before the New Year and had two drinks with Lao Buyu. After the meal, Lao Buyu and Mu Erpang set up a long whip at the academy and at the door of their home.
Chen Cui sat in the house, listening to the crackling sound of firecrackers and Mu Erpang's laughter outside, and then glanced at Zhou who was still writing, drawing, and revising the design draft. She felt that the years were peaceful and she also had a sense of accomplishment.
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