Chapter 44

Jiang Jiang had never been to a photo studio before, but she thought that since she was going to take pictures, she should dress up more beautifully than usual. She opened her wardrobe and spent a long time picking out clothes, finally settling on a light yellow dress.

Jiang Jiang had many clothes, all bought for her by her mother. Although her mother didn’t pay much attention to herself, she was very enthusiastic about dressing up her daughter. The clothes Jiang Jiang wore were always the most fashionable styles of the moment. Her wardrobe was so full that some clothes had to be moved into a large box. This light yellow dress was a gift from He Guijuan when she went to the provincial city for studies last time, and Jiang Jiang had not worn it yet.

After changing into the dress, Jiang Jiang tied her hair into a simple ponytail and checked herself in the mirror. Satisfied that everything was fine, she grabbed her cloth bag and headed out.

Since there were no classes today when she arrived at the photo studio, there were not many people, and she only had to wait a little while before it was her turn to take pictures.

Jiang Jiang sat on a nearby sofa, waiting for her photos to be developed.

After a while, a photographer with wild, curly hair approached her. In his not-so-fluent Mandarin, he asked, “Little girl, you are really beautiful. Can we develop an extra copy of your photo to display at the entrance as a poster? We won’t charge you for this photo session; consider it your payment.”

Jiang Jiang thought for a moment. Since taking one photo cost one dollar fifty, she figured that if it was free, there was no reason not to accept. If they wanted to put it up at the entrance, they could do as they pleased; after all, she wouldn’t suffer any loss.

She nodded, saying, “Sure.”

The photographer’s face lit up with a smile. He excitedly shook hands with Jiang Jiang and exclaimed, “That’s wonderful! Thank you, little girl; I really appreciate it.”

Jiang Jiang quickly stood up and shook his hand back, saying, “You’re too kind.”

He handed the developed photos to Jiang Jiang. To show his gratitude, he also gifted her a wooden photo frame and developed a few extra copies of the photos for her.

Jiang Jiang picked one photo from the stack, placed it in an envelope, affixed a stamp, and confirmed the sender’s address several times before mailing it.

After sending the letter, Jiang Jiang went to Master Yang’s tailor shop.

After private businesses were allowed, Master Yang opened this tailor shop with the help of his daughter, son-in-law, and Jiang Jiang’s parents. The shop was small and located in a less-than-ideal spot, and with the rise of ready-made clothing, many thought business would be tough. However, Master Yang’s shop thrived; many young girls preferred to have their wedding dresses custom-made by him.

In addition to Jiang Jiang, Master Yang had hired two more apprentices. When Jiang Jiang arrived at the shop, one of the apprentices, A Yuan, was using a feather duster to clean the dust. Upon seeing Jiang Jiang, he stopped cleaning.

“Junior Sister, Master Yang’s daughter, and son-in-law are here; they’re in that room talking.”

The two apprentices had started working with Master Yang later than Jiang Jiang, and although they were several years older than her, they jokingly referred to her as “Junior Sister.” At first, Jiang Jiang found it a bit strange, but over time, she had grown accustomed to it.

Jiang Jiang nodded, “Then I won’t disturb them. I’ll check on that customer’s dress again.”

“Sure, it’s on the table.”

When Jiang Jiang entered the back room, she put her clothes bag down on a nearby table. On the transparent glass table lay a red bridal gown, the first dress she was making for a bride. The top featured an off-the-shoulder design, and the sleeves had a slightly hollowed-out design.

The bride had a slender and straight figure, so Jiang Jiang decided to design the gown in the style of a modified cheongsam, with a slit just above the knee. This style preserved the cheongsam’s elegance while appearing dignified and generous. At that time, pink wedding dresses were quite popular, and many young girls thought red dresses were old-fashioned. However, after discussing with the client, they decided to wear a red gown, as red could still look fashionable and beautiful.

Gently caressing the gown, Jiang Jiang used an iron to smooth out the fabric before placing it in a box. In addition to the dress, she also made a red pearl veil and an exquisite silk flower bracelet. Jiang Jiang had purchased the materials herself, considering them her wedding gift to her very first client.

After a while, Master Yang walked in. He took a glance at the finished gown and nodded approvingly. “It’s done very well.”

Receiving Master Yang’s praise, Jiang Jiang smiled, saying, “Thank you, Master.”

Although Master Yang had always been the one teaching Jiang Jiang the craft of sewing, he felt that, in a way, Jiang Jiang was becoming more like a teacher to him.

Unlike his strict rules, where patterns and styles were fixed, Jiang Jiang always had many unique and innovative ideas about clothing design. Her sewing was filled with creativity, which inspired Master Yang greatly.

Their conversations often felt more like those between friends than between a master and disciple.

Recently, Master Yang had been harboring a thought.

He felt that he had nothing more to teach Jiang Jiang.

As they were chatting, Master Yang’s daughter’s voice came from the entrance. “Dad, Jiang Jiang, come out for dinner.”

Jiang Jiang hurried outside to help set the table. Master Yang’s daughter, Yu Ying, had previously worked at a cotton spinning factory, but after private enterprises were permitted, the factory’s business declined. Just as her husband started a small food factory, Yu Ying submitted a request to buy out her years of service and went to work as an accountant at her husband’s food factory.

The dishes were all bought from outside: steamed fish, cold mixed pig ears, braised chicken pieces, cold marinated water spinach, and stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured meat. The spread was quite lavish. Master Yang’s son-in-law had also brought some wine. The couple had been busy with their factory work and hadn’t had a meal with Master Yang in a long time.

“Jiang Jiang, how are you adapting to middle school?” Yu Ying asked as she picked up a piece of fish meat, carefully deboned it, and placed it on Jiang Jiang’s plate. Yu Ying was over ten years older than Jiang Jiang and always regarded her as a younger sister.

“I’m getting used to it. Plus, I don’t have to bring my own lunch in middle school anymore. As long as I pay, I can eat in the school cafeteria at noon.” This way, her mother didn’t have to spend time preparing lunch for her. However, He Guijuan and her husband were still concerned about their daughter and often slipped her some pocket money to enjoy meals at small restaurants.

Yu Ying glanced at Master Yang and smiled at Jiang Jiang, saying, “By the way, I just saw the dress you made; it’s beautiful! Could you also make a new outfit for my sister? My brother-in-law has business to discuss in the provincial city next month, and I’ll be going with him.”

Jiang Jiang quickly put down her chopsticks. “Of course! It’s just that I don’t have much experience, so I’m not sure how it will turn out…”

“That’s okay; I believe in you,” Yu Ying reassured her.

Jiang Jiang nodded, “Alright then.”

“Deal! Just like that.”

Yu Ying added more chicken and bamboo shoots to Jiang Jiang’s plate. “Eat a bit more…”

Jiang Jiang stayed at the tailor shop the whole day and didn’t leave until around five in the afternoon when she returned home.