Su Caiqing opened her room door and said, “Not a single one is finished yet, I’ve only cut a few pieces of fabric, nothing really to see. You can take a look at the designs first.”
With that, Su Caiqing took out the sketches she had drawn and showed them to Wang Chaoying.
Wang Chaoying instantly fell in love with the first dress, a white one with red polka dots. “Oh wow! This dress is gorgeous! And paired with a pair of red high heels! It’ll look amazing! Caiqing, can you make one for me too? Please, please, pretty please?”
Su Caiqing helplessly picked up a piece of fabric for her. “Look, this acrylic cloth, while durable, is very uncomfortable to wear. This one’s fine for photos because you won’t wear it for long, just endure it a bit. But could you really wear this fabric for a whole day?”
Although Wang Chaoying didn’t say it, she never wore clothes made of non-cotton fabrics like wool or rabbit fur. Being pampered, she couldn’t stand the discomfort of low-grade fabric.
Frowning, she fell silent, truly loving the dress but knowing the fabric was unsuitable.
She flipped through the other two designs with a heavy heart, glanced at the pile of fabrics beside her, and realized none were suitable for daily wear.
“When I finish them, I’ll have someone call you immediately, and you can be the first to try them on,” Su Caiqing tried to cheer her up.
Wang Chaoying finally smiled a little and nodded. “It’ll definitely be beautiful! Not just this dress, I want to try the other two as well!”
“No problem! Even Liang Qiheng wouldn’t dare object,” Su Caiqing said.
“Of course!” Wang Chaoying said proudly.
Su Caiqing continued cutting the fabric while Wang Chaoying sat beside her, watching without leaving. She had seen her mother make clothes before, but never found it this interesting.
When Su Caiqing cut a piece of fabric, Wang Chaoying picked it up and examined it for a while, clearly still upset that she couldn’t have the dress.
After a while, she checked her watch. “Ah! It’s getting late! Caiqing, I’ll have Zili buy groceries and then eat at your place, hope you don’t mind?”
Su Caiqing guessed that she had heard about Liang Qiheng’s dinner last night and wanted to swing by for a meal to balance things out.
“Sure! Tell Zili to buy whatever you want,” she said.
So outside, Huang Zili, who had been helping Su Dazhuang, was sent to buy groceries.
That afternoon, Su Caiqing cut all three sizes of the first dress, and also made three children’s sizes based on the three daughters’ measurements.
Finally, with some leftover scraps, Su Caiqing pieced a few together, ran the sewing machine over them, and made a headband, handing it to Wang Chaoying. “Here, try this on, see if it looks good.”
Wang Chaoying was delighted, quickly taking the headband to the mirror to adjust it, though Su Caiqing ended up helping her tie it properly.
“This would look even better with a white blouse and a red dress!” Wang Chaoying said happily.
Su Caiqing nodded. “You’re right.”
Making hair accessories was effortless for Su Caiqing, but if a small effort could make someone happy, she was willing to do it.
Previously, the leftover fabric from Wang Chaoying’s dress was also used by Su Caiqing to make hair ornaments for her daughters, which not only delighted the girls but also made other little girls envious. The three daughters were very proud.
Wang Chaoying said happily, “Caiqing, I like you more and more! How are you so amazing?”
Su Caiqing smiled. “You, your mouth is far too sweet! Go check if Zili is back, I need to start cooking. Once the little monkeys return, they’ll be starving.”
Wang Chaoying laughed at Su Caiqing’s “little monkeys” description.
Huang Zili returned with some greens and fish, which Wang Chaoying loved.
Su Caiqing planned to make sweet and sour fish.
Just as the fish was about to go into the pan, there was a loud thumping sound approaching the house. As expected, the children came rushing in, shouting, “Mom! We’re hungry! Is the food ready?”
Seeing their messy hair and dirty clothes, Wang Chaoying couldn’t help but laugh; “little monkeys” was such a fitting description.
Before the meal was ready, Su Caiqing brought out some snacks to fill them up a bit, and the children looked like little mice as they ate.
After the meal, Su Caiqing returned to making clothes.
After a few busy days, the first batch of clothes was finally ready. Su Caiqing had the children Wang Chaoying and Liang Qiheng.
When the two arrived, Su Caiqing had Wang Chaoying change into a dress suitable for her figure, then put the small dresses on the three daughters.
Standing in front of them, Su Caiqing asked Liang Qiheng, “How is it? Beautiful?”
Liang Qiheng’s eyes scanned each of them: the white dress with red polka dots had a white collar, a red belt emphasizing the waist. Wang Chaoying wore her red high heels and the headband Su Caiqing had made, looking extremely fashionable and pretty.
The little girls’ dresses were similar, but the collars were rounded, and a long bow was sewn on the back, matching the lively style of young girls, making them extra adorable.
Liang Qiheng couldn’t help but applaud. “Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful! These ladies are stunning!”
He said it in an exaggerated, musical tone, making Wang Chaoying laugh, the girls giggle non-stop, and even the boys peeking from the doorway laugh.
He was truly a man who knew how to charm women.
“However, for Wang Chaoying’s outfit, I still need to prepare some more high heels and headbands,” Liang Qiheng added.
Su Caiqing nodded. “Accessories like headwear and shoes can have several alternative options. Since you’re satisfied, let’s look at the other outfits.”
After reviewing the three sets, Liang Qiheng was pleased with all of them, convinced the clothes would attract countless people to take photos once displayed.
While packing up, Liang Qiheng suddenly asked, “By the way, Caiqing, can you be my model so I can take a few photos to hang in the shop window to attract customers?”
Wang Chaoying waved her hands excitedly. “Hey, hey! Liang Qiheng! I was just standing here, I just tried on your dresses, why didn’t you ask me?”
Liang Qiheng hurriedly said, “I would love to invite you, but I don’t have the money right now. I can only have Caiqing, my partner, as a model. To invite you, I’d have to pay separately.”
“Fine… fine, I don’t need your money, is that enough?” Wang Chaoying, clearly cheered by being called stunning, didn’t mind.
So both Wang Chaoying and Su Caiqing became his models.
“Perfect, I also want to take a family portrait at your place, so when my brother returns, I can show it to my parents,” Su Caiqing casually said.
This would also preserve the children’s childhood memories.
Liang Qiheng, of course, agreed.
With the photo time set, Wang Chaoying left happily. Liang Qiheng stayed behind to talk to Su Caiqing about his recent busy days.
“There’s too much data, and it’s all messy. Different versions exist, and I don’t know which to trust.”
Su Caiqing knew that different departments and agencies conducting the same investigation could yield very different data and results, often due to incomplete or immature research methods.
“Use official data and information from authoritative institutions; ignore the rest.”
Liang Qiheng rubbed his head in frustration. “I’ll have to sort through it when I go back. It’s such a mess right now. Can I come to you often for advice?”
Leaning back in her chair, Su Caiqing asked, “Are you asking me to be your consultant?”
Liang Qiheng understood her implication; Su Caiqing wasn’t obligated to guide him or do the work for him.
He pulled his chair closer, and Su Caiqing immediately noticed a fresh, clean scent emanating from him, unusual for a man—no trace of sweat, just a refreshing fragrance unlike any perfume she’d encountered.
“Do you have any good ideas, sis?” Liang Qiheng asked in a flattering tone.
The fact that Su Caiqing could use the word consultant showed she had some confidence, which made him even more eager.
Gathering her thoughts, Su Caiqing said, “I’ve been thinking about your photo studio these past few days. I think the business can be divided into three parts: first, the common individual or family portraits. These are simple, low skill, and steady, but reliant on luck.”
Seeing she had more to say, Liang Qiheng quickly poured her a glass of water.
She continued, “The second part is wedding photography like Wang Chaoying’s. We’ve done one before; you know the work involved—indoor, outdoor, lots of considerations but it’s lucrative.”
Liang Qiheng nodded eagerly, wishing he could take notes.
Su Caiqing paused deliberately, sipping her water to build suspense, then continued, “The last part, which you probably haven’t considered, is commemorative photography focused on children—like 100-day photos, first birthdays, or holiday family portraits like Mid-Autumn Festival.”
Hearing this, Liang Qiheng’s eyes lit up. “Brilliant! Photography is about capturing memories. People only go to studios for moments that are meaningful!”
Su Caiqing smiled, realizing that his thinking still hadn’t shifted fully to a business mindset.