24
Before heading home with Chen Cuizhu, Jiang Suisui first found Uncle Liu, who drove the oxcart, and left a message with him. She said she’d be catching a ride back with someone from the neighboring village later and asked him to let her grandmother know so she wouldn’t worry.
“Perfect, my parents aren’t home today and won’t be back until evening,” Chen Cuizhu said as she brought Jiang Suisui inside. “Otherwise, if they found out I gave you fabric to practice on, I’d definitely get an earful!”
Jiang Suisui smiled. “Then I’ll have to do a really good job and make sure you don’t get scolded.”
“You better!” Chen Cuizhu poured Jiang Suisui a glass of water. “Have a seat, I’m going to check on my sister-in-law.” With that, she scurried off to the next room.
Before long, Chen Cuizhu came back out, supporting a heavily pregnant woman by the arm. The woman smiled warmly and said, “Oh, what a rare guest! Sorry about this—Cuizhu didn’t tell me we’d have company, so I haven’t prepared anything.”
Jiang Suisui immediately felt a little embarrassed. “No, no—I’m the one who showed up out of the blue. Please don’t go to any trouble for me!”
Chen Cuizhu explained, “Sister-in-law, just go lie back down. You don’t need to play host I’ll handle it. If you overexert yourself, my brother will come back and beat me!”
The sister-in-law chuckled. “Alright then, you two have fun. There’s food in the kitchen—help yourselves if you get hungry. I won’t keep you company—this belly is heavy and uncomfortable, so I’ll go lie down.”
“Let me walk you back!”
After the sister-in-law had gone to rest, it was just Jiang Suisui and Chen Cuizhu left outside.
“Come on, let’s eat first—gotta fuel up before we work!” Chen Cuizhu said.
Jiang Suisui couldn’t help but laugh. “It feels like I’m getting the better end of the deal I haven’t done anything yet and I’ve already scored a free meal.”
“Hmph, so you’d better not half-ass it I’m investing a lot here,” Chen Cuizhu said bluntly. “Come on, let’s eat. I’ve been queuing all morning and I’m starving!”
After lunch, Chen Cuizhu led her into a room. In one corner sat a sewing machine covered with a dust cover.
Chen Cuizhu walked over and lifted the cover, revealing the machine’s gleaming, brand-new finish.
“Is this new? It’s so shiny!” Jiang Suisui couldn’t resist reaching out to touch it, admiring the craftsmanship of the 1970s.
Chen Cuizhu’s tone carried a hint of pride. “Right? My sister-in-law brought it when she married in—it’s only been a little over a year. She usually takes great care of it, always covering it after use so not a speck of dust gets on it.”
“Ah?” Jiang Suisui suddenly felt a pang of guilt. “Then isn’t it asking a lot for your sister-in-law to let me use it?”
Chen Cuizhu’s expression turned a bit odd. She peeked outside, then lowered her voice. “Exactly, so I didn’t tell her. You’ll have to keep quiet, we’re doing this on the down-low.”
Jiang Suisui’s eyes went wide Chen Cuizhu was even gutsier than she was!
“So you absolutely have to be careful, this sewing machine is expensive, over a hundred yuan! If it gets broken, not just my sister-in-law and brother will beat me my parents will too!” Chen Cuizhu warned anxiously.
Jiang Suisui suddenly felt the weight of responsibility. But she patted Chen Cuizhu on the shoulder and said firmly, “Don’t worry you won’t get beat!”
First, she asked Chen Cuizhu to find any clothes at home that needed mending. Then she tried out the sewing machine, giving a quick demonstration of her skills.
“Not bad at all!” Chen Cuizhu watched her deft movements and felt half her worry melt away. “Seems like you weren’t just talking big.”
Jiang Suisui couldn’t help but smile. “So you’re already reassured? I haven’t even made any actual clothes yet.”
“That’s true…” Chen Cuizhu hesitated. “What are you planning to make? Just so we’re clear I can only spare two pieces of old cotton fabric for you to practice on. Any more than that, and my future nephew won’t have anything to wear.”
Jiang Suisui already had it all figured out. “That’s plenty! I’ll make a full outfit for your future nephew right now.”
She asked Chen Cuizhu to find a measuring tape and scissors. After studying the old cotton fabric for a moment, she quickly got to work.
Chen Cuizhu watched her skillful and confident movements, and whatever lingering doubt she had completely vanished.
She pulled up a stool and sat beside her, watching as Jiang Suisui cut the fabric, then ran it through the sewing machine with a steady tuk-tuk-tuk. It wasn’t boring at all.
Before long, Chen Cuizhu’s eyes grew wider—the little outfit had taken shape without her even noticing!
Jiang Suisui looked up from the sewing machine, finished the last stitch, then stretched out the garment and checked the sizing and loose threads. Satisfied that everything was in order, she turned around and held up the completely transformed old cotton fabric for Chen Cuizhu to see. “Ta-da~ How does it look?”
Chen Cuizhu took it with delight, turning it over and over. She marveled, “This is amazing! You made this for my nephew?”
“Yep!” Jiang Suisui explained, “It’s a baby onesie. There wasn’t enough fabric, so I made a vest and shorts—good for warm weather, with an open crotch. I still need to add a few buttons on the back to finish it.”
She touched the fabric and added, “Your family really picked good materials, this cotton is soft and perfect for a baby.”
Chen Cuizhu held the outfit up, turning it this way and that, admiring it from every angle. “Not bad at all, it’s so cute! I have to show my sister-in-law, she’s going to love it!”
“Hey, wait!” Jiang Suisui stopped her excited friend. “Didn’t your sister-in-law just lie down? Don’t disturb her, you can show her later. No rush.”
“First, tell me are you satisfied with my work so far?”
Chen Cuizhu nodded vigorously. “More than satisfied!”
“So… I get to keep my eggs, right?”
Chen Cuizhu waved her hand dismissively. “Pfft, I was just joking. I wasn’t going to take your eggs anyway.”
“Great!” Jiang Suisui beamed. “Then, would you consider letting me make your wedding clothes?”
Chen Cuizhu paused, her face twisting with internal conflict. After a long moment, she asked, “Can you promise me you’ll do a good job?”
Jiang Suisui asked, “How long would the tailor in town take? And how much would they charge?”
Chen Cuizhu thought for a moment. “For a full outfit, you’d have to wait about half a month, and it costs five yuan.”
Jiang Suisui held up three fingers and said, “I’ll only charge you three yuan, and I can have it done for you before dusk today!”
“Really?!” Chen Cuizhu couldn’t believe it. “Don’t talk big now. I mean, the little outfit you made is pretty good, but making adult clothes—that’s a different story!”
Jiang Suisui smiled confidently. “Same as before if you’re not satisfied with the result, I’ll give you the eggs. And the baby outfit from earlier is free of charge. On top of that… I’ll even throw in an extra fifty cents.” That was all the money she had on her, she was going all in.
Chen Cuizhu looked at the little outfit in her hands, thought it over for a moment, then gritted her teeth. “Deal!”
With Chen Cuizhu’s approval, Jiang Suisui got to work immediately. Time was tight, but since she’d promised to finish within half a day to land this gig, she had to race against the clock.
She rummaged through Chen Cuizhu’s fabric stash and picked out a piece of dark blue cotton and a white floral-print lining fabric.
Once the materials were chosen, Jiang Suisui dove straight in without pause. She had Chen Cuizhu spin around for measurements, then got to work cutting, sewing, and piecing everything together so quickly it made her head spin.
Bit by bit, time slipped away. By the time Jiang Suisui fastened the last button on the shirt and let out a long sigh of relief, she realized her neck had gone stiff.
She’d never been so focused for an entire afternoon, making money was no joke!
She rubbed her neck, stretched her arms, and looked up only to find the room empty.
“Huh?” Jiang Suisui stood up and headed for the door. “Cuizhu?”
Just as she was about to step out and look for her, the door burst open. Chen Cuizhu bounced in front of her, spinning around with excitement. “Oh my gosh, Suisui—these pants are gorgeous!”
Turns out, the moment Jiang Suisui had finished the pants, Chen Cuizhu couldn’t wait, she’d already grabbed them and run off to the next room to try them on.
Jiang Suisui laughed despite herself. “You’re way too impatient! I just finished the top, and you’ve already changed into the pants.”
“The top’s done too?” Chen Cuizhu got even more excited. “Let me see, let me see!”
“Here!” Jiang Suisui handed over the freshly made shirt. “It’s a three-quarter-sleeve French-style floral blouse. Pair it with the pants, the effect will be twice as good!”
Chen Cuizhu took it eagerly, running her hands over it twice before dashing off to the next room to change.
She was back in no time, beaming. “Suisui, how does it look?”
Jiang Suisui took one look and frowned slightly. She stepped forward, reached out, and untied the drawstring on Chen Cuizhu’s pants. “Let me help you, the shirt needs to be tucked in. I made a high-waisted tulip silhouette, it’s youthful and makes your legs look longer. With the floral blouse, it gives off a sweet, elegant girlish vibe.”
After Jiang Suisui finished adjusting it, Chen Cuizhu looked down at herself. When she lifted her head again, her face was flushed with excitement. “Suisui, this is so beautiful. But… why do I feel like my waist is suddenly so slim and my legs so long?”
Jiang Suisui giggled. “Don’t doubt it—that is your waist and your legs. My clothes just have that effect!”
Dressed in the new outfit, Chen Cuizhu was beside herself with joy, spinning around and checking herself from every angle.
Jiang Suisui watched with a mix of amusement and exasperation. Good thing there wasn’t a full-length mirror around, or Chen Cuizhu would probably be glued to it.
Just then, they heard the gate open, along with a clamor of voices and footsteps from the yard.
Jiang Suisui froze and looked at Chen Cuizhu.
Chen Cuizhu gasped. “Oh no—my parents are back!” She immediately opened the door and hurried out to greet them.
Jiang Suisui’s heart skipped a beat too. Weren’t they supposed to be back in the evening? Wait—was it already evening?!
She quickly looked outside—the sky was a dusky yellow, and the sun was nearly down. It was clearly dusk already.
Thank goodness, at least it’s not fully dark yet!
Since the room she’d been working in had no windows and Chen Cuizhu had lit a lamp, she hadn’t noticed the time or the fading daylight at all. She truly had worked straight through the entire afternoon!
“Dad! Mom! Look—don’t I look great in this?” Chen Cuizhu’s cheerful voice rang out from the yard. She was already showing off her new clothes to her family.
**