Chapter 34: Going to the Tailor Shop to Make Clothes

Jiang Yue found Nanmen Street, and after walking for a short distance, she saw a small tailor shop. Inside, a young girl who didn’t seem very old was operating a sewing machine.

“Excuse me, is this Yang’s Maternal Family?” Jiang Yue asked, unsure if she had come to the right place since it was her first time here.

“Are you here to make clothes? My grandmother went out, but she will be back soon. Please sit down and wait a moment.” the girl said. She was small in stature and spoke in a soft voice.

“Alright, thank you.” Jiang Yue replied. She had carried a large stack of rolled-up paintings over a long distance, and she was feeling a bit tired. Her arms ached terribly. She noticed an empty table nearby, so after asking the girl, she placed her books, paintings, and the fabric she had bought on the table, finally freeing her hands.

The girl lifted her eyelids, glanced at the books and paintings on the table, then continued to focus on edging the pants she was working on with a sewing machine. Her movements were swift and skillful, not wasting a single moment.

“I want to make two tops. Do you have any clothing patterns? I’d like to see some designs.” Jiang Yue asked the girl.

“Patterns?” The girl raised her head and pointed to the clothes above her. “These are all clothes my grandmother made. You can have a look.”

As she spoke, the girl was holding scissors in one hand, cutting threads and locking edges while her feet worked the sewing machine. She was very efficient and didn’t slow down at all.

Jiang Yue had noticed the clothesline across the room as she entered. Several garments were hanging on it, but they all seemed to be very simple styles.

“Is this all?” Jiang Yue asked. “Do you have any other styles?”

“Other styles? What kind of style do you want?” The girl raised her head again and carefully examined Jiang Yue.

“I’d like to make something like this…” Jiang Yue explained her request. She didn’t want to keep wearing the non-breathable “Diquliang” fabric, so she wanted to make a set of homewear. It had to be comfortable enough for lounging at home, but also decent enough to wear if she needed to go out to buy groceries or throw out the trash.

She also wanted to make a shirt and a skirt.

The girl seemed confused: “…How about waiting for my grandmother to come back? You can talk to her about it. If she can make the homewear you want, then she’ll be able to do it!”

“Alright!”

Before long, a woman entered wearing an old-fashioned blue cloth jacket with a diagonal closure and black pants.

“Grandma, someone wants to make clothes!”

Jiang Yue had grown bored of waiting, so she picked up an ancient book she had salvaged from the scrap station and started reading. Hearing the sound, she looked up, and her gaze met the woman’s eyes.

The woman appeared to be in her fifties. Her hair was tied up in a bun at the back of her head, and she was of short stature and very thin. Her eyebrows and eyes had a somewhat stern look.

“You must be Aunt Yang, right? The lady from the supply and marketing cooperative recommended me to come. I want to make two sets of clothes.” Jiang Yue mentioned, deliberately referring to the woman from the cooperative.

As expected, upon hearing that she was introduced by someone familiar, the wariness in Aunt Yang’s eyes lessened significantly.

“What kind of clothes do you want to make? A jacket or pants?”

Jiang Yue set down the book and repeated her request.

“Homewear?” Aunt Yang’s expression showed confusion. “What’s that?”

“It’s clothes to wear at home, something loose and comfortable.” Jiang Yue explained, worried that Aunt Yang might not understand. She rummaged through her small cloth bag and took out a sketch she had drawn. “It’s like this. Take a look and see if you can make it.”

Aunt Yang studied the sketch for a moment, then looked at Jiang Yue with some surprise before nodding. “Sure!”

Although Jiang Yue was a bit uncertain whether Aunt Yang could really make what she wanted—after all, the clothes she had seen in the shop were all old-fashioned and plain—she was in a hurry to have something made and didn’t want to look for another tailor.

It was worth a shot.

“I also want to make a shirt, but not with this kind of collar. I want one like this…” Jiang Yue repeated her requirements for the shirt, pants, and skirt. Aunt Yang assured her that she could make them all.

Jiang Yue felt a little uneasy. Aunt Yang looked like the old-fashioned type of tailor, and she wasn’t sure if she truly understood what Jiang Yue had in mind.

“The labor cost for the top is three yuan fifty, and for the pants, two yuan. You want two sets? You can just give me ten yuan in total. Do you want to go ahead?” Aunt Yang took the fabric from Jiang Yue, unfolded it, examined it briefly, and placed it on the table without rushing to take Jiang Yue’s measurements.

Aunt Yang wasn’t worried that Jiang Yue wouldn’t pay. With a quick glance, she could tell that Jiang Yue’s family was probably well-off. However, ten yuan wasn’t a small amount; it was the equivalent of half a month’s wages for many people.

Moreover, most people usually had only one item made, but this young girl had asked for two sets, so Aunt Yang wanted to confirm again.

“Yes, go ahead!” Jiang Yue thought to herself that the labor fee was so cheap!

When she calculated it, she had spent twelve yuan on fabric, and adding the tailor’s labor cost, each outfit came to eleven yuan. In her world, eleven yuan wouldn’t even buy a cup of milk tea. 

“You don’t need to pay now. Just leave your surname and pay a deposit of three yuan.” Aunt Yang quickly stopped Jiang Yue as she was about to pay the full amount.

“Alright!” Jiang Yue put down the three yuan and asked with a smile: “Aunt, I’d like to place an urgent order. Can you finish it quickly for me?”

Aunt Yang heard a new term: “urgent order.” Although it was the first time she had heard it, she understood. After thinking for a moment, she agreed: “Sure! Come pick it up the day after tomorrow afternoon.”

“Thank you!”

Aunt Yang gestured for Jiang Yue to stand still, then measured her size with a tape measure, noting everything down. She also measured the fabric Jiang Yue had brought, confirmed with Jiang Yue, and then Jiang Yue took her books and paintings and left.

“Grandma, the clothes she mentioned, I’ve never heard of those styles.” Yang Cuiling had been listening to Jiang Yue and Aunt Yang talk. A lot of what Jiang Yue said, she couldn’t understand.

“It’s fine that you don’t understand, you’re still so young!” Aunt Yang spread the fabric out, began measuring it with a ruler, and made chalk marks.

Yang Cuiling puffed out her cheeks. “But that Jiang little girl doesn’t look much older than me! Grandma, she doesn’t seem like she’s from around here, though. Why’s she so rich? She ordered two sets at once!”

Aunt Yang shot her a cold glance and said: “We work for money. Why are you asking so many questions?”

Yang Cuiling was scolded and didn’t dare to speak again.

By the time Jiang Yue got home, it was almost 5:30 p.m. She set down what she was holding and collapsed onto the chair.

Although it was only about a ten-minute walk from the county town to the Family Residential Compound, and she had to rely on her two legs for the round trip, her body still wasn’t used to it. At this moment, she felt as though her legs and arms didn’t belong to her anymore.

Jiang Yue was incredibly thirsty. She poured herself a glass of water, but her hands kept trembling as she tried to carry the glass.

Her physical condition was truly poor!

It seemed like she’d need to prioritize a workout plan.

After resting for a while, Jiang Yue felt less tired and tied on an apron to go to the kitchen to cook.

She first reheated the rice she had made extra for lunch. Then, she picked a few chilies, washed them, and cut them into strips. The pan heated up, and she added oil. As soon as the chilies hit the oil, the pungent, spicy aroma filled the kitchen.

Gu Ye hadn’t even entered the door yet when he smelled the sharp, spicy scent and heard a few coughing sounds. He remembered Jiang Yue saying she was going to cook with chilies tonight, and his thoughts immediately stirred.

Since they didn’t have an exhaust fan, the kitchen was full of the chili smell, and the oil smoke was thick. Jiang Yue couldn’t stand the irritation and ran out to get some fresh air. When she looked up, she saw Gu Ye had just entered the door.

“Gu Ye, you came back just in time!” Jiang Yue rushed over, grabbed his arm, and pulled him toward the kitchen. “Quick, go serve the food! Oh my, it’s choking me to death!”