Following the elder’s instructions, Tang Jin walked to the leftmost room on the second floor.
The door was ajar, and inside sat a couple in their forties.
The man was drinking tea while reading a newspaper; the woman was holding several pieces of fabric, examining them carefully.
Tang Jin lightly knocked on the door and smiled, “Hello, sorry to bother you.”
The couple looked up almost simultaneously.
“Who are you looking for?” Li Dawei spoke first. Seeing such a beautiful young woman at the door, dressed stylishly, he couldn’t help but glance at her a few extra times.
“I’m a fashion designer. Are you the factory director here?” Tang Jin replied gracefully.
“Yes, I am. Are you here for something?” Li Dawei asked curiously.
Yang Shan also perked up at Tang Jin. A fashion designer? No wonder her clothes looked so good.
“Director, hello. I came to discuss a possible collaboration. Here are my design sketches for you to review.”
She handed the prepared sketches to the man.
Li Dawei took them and began flipping through them. Yang Shan quickly rose from the sofa to look as well.
The exquisite designs shocked the couple.
There were short dresses, long dresses, and coordinated suits. They had never seen such styles before—fresh, innovative, and beautiful. They couldn’t help but admire them silently.
After a moment, Li Dawei recovered and smiled, “You can really make all these clothes?”
“Of course. The dress I’m wearing now, I made myself.”
Today, Tang Jin wore a short, light green floral dress—fresh and elegant.
The fan in the room gently blew the skirt, giving her an ethereal aura, as if a fairy had descended to the mortal world.
“How would you like to collaborate?” Yang Shan asked.
She admired Tang Jin’s dress and knew the designs would turn out equally well.
Tang Jin glanced at her and smiled. “Sister, you have such a great figure. How about I make a dress for you on the spot? If you like it, we can continue discussing cooperation.”
Tang Jin liked to prove her abilities. If Yang Shan was satisfied, it would strengthen her negotiating position.
Hearing her figure praised, Yang Shan’s mood lifted. She wanted to see the designer’s skills in action: “Okay, let’s do it your way.”
“Sister, I noticed you were studying fabrics earlier. Can I take a look?”
Tang Jin planned to choose fabrics to match Yang Shan’s taste.
“Sure, these are samples from the cotton mill. I was wondering which to choose.”
Looking over the fabrics, Tang Jin had an idea. Yang Shan had a pear-shaped figure, so Tang Jin planned a set: a lotus-pink vintage puff-sleeve chiffon blouse and black wide-leg trousers.
“We’ll use this lotus-pink chiffon for the blouse, and this black ice silk for the trousers. Sister, what do you think?”
Tang Jin selected the two fabrics.
“You decide. I only care about the results,” Yang Shan replied with a smile.
Finally, Tang Jin took the two fabrics and went to the sewing workshop with Yang Shan.
Watching her expertly measure, cut, thread the needle, adjust the sewing machine, and start the rhythmic “clack-clack” of the foot pedal, Yang Shan couldn’t help but admire her. This young girl, only eighteen or nineteen, was more skilled than her ten-plus years as a seamstress.
In just over an hour, the outfit was complete.
Yang Shan immediately found a secluded place in a warehouse to try it on. Tang Jin helped style her hair into a fluffy French updo.
When Yang Shan stepped out, the workshop erupted in praise:
“Miss Shan, the outfit looks amazing!”“You look like you’ve lost ten pounds!”“Miss Shan, is this our new style? So chic!”
The compliments overwhelmed Yang Shan.
Returning to the office, Li Dawei also froze in surprise at his wife’s transformation.
The lotus-pink puff-sleeve blouse was gentle and beautiful, making his wife’s skin look even fairer and younger. The black wide-leg trousers accentuated her slim waist and long legs. Her entire aura had changed.
Yang Shan noticed her husband’s appreciative glance in the mirror and was extremely pleased with her elegant look.
“Okay, so how shall we collaborate?” Yang Shan, completely won over, asked. She valued talent and was determined to secure this partnership.
Tang Jin pulled out a pre-prepared contract and handed it to Yang Shan, explaining, “I’ll provide six designs per quarter, sharing profits based on total sales. The contract covers copyright for these six designs each quarter, not my personal work—I can still sell designs beyond these. The contract is for one year, and if the collaboration goes well, we can continue.”
“What profit-sharing ratio do you propose?” Li Dawei asked.
He was impressed by her designs—innovative and forward-looking, exactly what he had been striving for.
“Fifty-fifty of net profits. I can also provide marketing plans to ensure our clothes sell well.”
Tang Jin thought: if necessary, they could adjust to 60-40 or 70-30 later. She wanted to first establish her foothold.
“You’re ambitious. But I like you—50-50 is high. How about 60-40? And your marketing plans must be implemented,” Yang Shan agreed enthusiastically.
Hearing such quick approval, Tang Jin’s heart leapt.
“Thank you, Sister. I’ll prepare the marketing plan properly. The more the clothes sell, the more I earn too. I’ll give it my all.”
The contract was signed on the spot. Before leaving, Yang Shan even gave Tang Jin a sewing machine—she had asked where to buy one, and Yang Shan mentioned the factory had a few unused machines.
Though slightly old, it worked fine. Yang Shan also arranged for someone to deliver it.
By the time Tang Jin got home, it was dark. She had ridden a tricycle to transport the machine, and the young man delivering it helped carry it up to the second floor.
She adjusted and oiled the machine, then realized her stomach had been growling for a while.
She quickly made herself a bowl of sour soup noodles. After eating, she finally felt comfortable.
Just as she was about to collapse on the sofa, there was a knock on the door.
Who could it be now?
“Tang Jin, are you home?”
A woman’s voice.
Tang Jin opened the door and froze. Five or six young women were there, led by Fang Juan from across the hall.
Fang Juan smiled warmly: “Tang Jin, these are my colleagues from the cultural troupe. They all want to buy clothes from you.”
Relieved it was about selling clothes, Tang Jin invited them in.
Seeing the spotless apartment, Fang Juan was also relieved. Previously, Tang Jin’s place had been a mess, smelling badly like a dump.
Tang Jin had truly transformed.
“I don’t have ready-made dresses yet. If you want, we can take your measurements and I’ll tailor them according to your figure and face. You can also make specific requests,” Tang Jin explained.
She had planned to buy fabric today, but Yang Shan’s sewing machine gift delayed her.
“That works.”“We’re willing to wait.”“Just have it done within three days.”
The young women were happy to wait—they had seen Fang Juan in three different outfits, all beautiful, and trusted Tang Jin’s skill.
Tang Jin measured them, collected deposits, and promised to finish within three days before seeing them off.