Chapter 16

The noisy group arrived at the woman in the checkered shirt’s house, where she was already waiting outside. Seeing the old tailor and Ruan Xi, her face lit up with a smile, and she quickly greeted them, “Oh, finally, you’re here.”

She had been waiting for the old tailor to come and make clothes, not going anywhere. Of course, she didn’t plan to do anything else for the next two days either, not even the production team’s work. She would stay home to focus on this task, as her son’s wedding was a top priority for the family.

Two men put down the sedan chair at the door while the other two carried the sewing machine inside, greeted them, and left.

The woman in the checkered shirt invited the old tailor inside, with Ruan Xi quietly following behind with two school bags. She was there to learn from the old tailor on-site, mainly to hand over items and do odd jobs, so she didn’t say much.

The woman in the checkered shirt placed a long bench behind the sewing machine, and the old tailor went straight over and sat down. He didn’t like small talk, so he didn’t chat with the woman and directly asked Ruan Xi to take out the sketchbook.

Ruan Xi took the sketchbook from her bag and handed it to the woman.

Smoking his pipe, the old tailor said, “I drew a few designs based on the girl’s face shape, figure, and the patterns and materials of the fabrics you brought. Take a look and choose, and I’ll start cutting the fabric.”

The woman in the checkered shirt opened the sketchbook, her eyes filled with joy, and said while flipping through it, “So stylish.”

As she finished looking through all the old tailor’s drawings, her future daughter-in-law appeared at the door.

The woman in the checkered shirt was delighted as she looked at the designs and smiled, “You came at the perfect time. Come, come, come, quickly look and choose. Mr. Song has drawn many styles for you. Once you decide, we’ll start right away.”

Even under normal circumstances, getting a new piece of clothing was something to be happy about for half a year, let alone now, with the added joy of a wedding. The girl smiled, twirling her braid, and came over to look at the sketchbook in the woman’s hand.

The two of them discussed the designs while looking through them without much hesitation or disagreement over aesthetics. They smoothly decided on their three favorite styles.

Once the woman and her future daughter-in-law had chosen the styles, the old tailor put down his pipe and stood up.

To accommodate the old tailor, the woman had borrowed a large board from the production team, placed it against the wall, and cleaned it thoroughly so the old tailor could draw lines, cut, and iron on it.

The old tailor sat down by the board, and Ruan Xi took out pencils, coarse paper, scissors, chalk, and other necessary tools from her bag, arranging them on the board so the old tailor could easily reach them.

The old tailor spread the paper in front of him and began sketching on the pre-marked measurements.

Ruan Xi watched him draw, looking as if she was seriously learning. The woman and her future daughter-in-law also stood by, their hearts filled with anticipation for the finished clothes.

After sketching, the old tailor put down the pencil and turned to Ruan Xi, saying, “Carefully cut out these sketches, place them on the fabric, trace them with chalk, and then cut out the fabric pieces. You do it.”

In reality, Ruan Xi hadn’t been learning from the old tailor for long, only a few days. This was also her first time going out with him to make clothes. If she were a novice, she might hesitate for half a day before taking on this task. But she wasn’t a novice, so she readily agreed, “Okay.”

The woman in the checkered shirt and her future daughter-in-law exchanged a glance, clearly still not entirely confident in Ruan Xi. However, remembering the old tailor’s previous reprimand, they held back and didn’t say anything.

At first, they were quite anxious, but seeing Ruan Xi wash her hands and start working step by step, their anxiety gradually disappeared. Ruan Xi worked very meticulously, not only cutting well but also saving a lot of fabric.

Watching Ruan Xi cut out most of the pieces, the woman in the checkered shirt relaxed and smiled, “Mr. Song, your apprentice is really well-taught. She works methodically, which is very reassuring.”

This time, the old tailor was willing to praise Ruan Xi, responding, “She’s smart herself. I don’t teach fools.”

The woman in the checkered shirt agreed, “Yes, the little girl looks smart.”

Ruan Xi smiled while cutting the fabric and complimented the old tailor, “It’s because my master teaches well.”

After finishing the cutting, Ruan Xi put down the scissors and took out the sewing machine from its compartment, setting it up.

After washing his hands, the old tailor sat down at the sewing machine and skillfully sewed the fabric. Ruan Xi, the woman in the checkered shirt, and her future daughter-in-law stood by, watching as the small pieces of fabric were pieced together into clothing.

The old tailor first sewed a simple version for the future daughter-in-law to try on.

Only by trying it on could they see the actual effect and identify any areas that didn’t fit well or could be improved. After trying it on and making slight adjustments, they continued with the detailed work.

The wedding dress was made slowly, taking until the evening to complete. They still had to make two sets of everyday clothes the next day, so Ruan Xi stayed with the old tailor for the night.

The accommodation was just makeshift, as no one had that many rooms. However, the food was better than the usual fare of the mountain residents, not just pickled vegetables and plain porridge.

The woman in the checkered shirt cooked a special dish for the old tailor and Ruan Xi, letting them eat separately. After a hearty meal and a makeshift night’s rest, they continued their work the next day.

The old tailor was back at the large board, sketching designs. After finishing, he put down the pencil and used chalk to transfer the paper patterns onto the fabric. He left the less technical tasks, like cutting along the lines, to Ruan Xi.

After Ruan Xi finished cutting the fabric pieces, she handed them to the old tailor, but he didn’t take them this time.

Looking lazy, he suddenly said, “You watched me all day yesterday. You saw every step and detail of making clothing from start to finish. These two pieces are simple. You do them today.”

Before Ruan Xi could respond, the woman in the checkered shirt objected.

She glared at the old tailor, “Mr. Song, this won’t do!”

The old tailor asked, “Why not?”

Wasn’t that a rhetorical question?

The woman in the checkered shirt frowned slightly, “These are new fabrics, bought with real money after a four-day trek from the commune. They’re for wedding clothes. How can you let your apprentice practice on them?”

Everyone knew this was the first time he had taken an apprentice out to make clothes. The apprentice had only been with him for a few days. No matter how smart she was, she couldn’t possibly be ready to handle the sewing machine on her own yet, right?

Ruan Xi completely understood the concerns of the woman in the checkered shirt. She didn’t want to take the spotlight, so she said to the old tailor, “Master, maybe I should practice a bit more before using the machine?”

The old tailor replied, “If I tell you to do it, you do it.”

He was confident that his apprentice could handle these simple everyday clothes.

With his words, the atmosphere in the room became tense.

The woman in the checkered shirt knew the old tailor’s personality and temper. Everyone on the mountain knew he was harsh, old-fashioned, and unfriendly, like a moldy stone.

People probably wouldn’t want to talk to him if it weren’t for his skills.

With no other choice, the woman in the checkered shirt took a deep breath and said, “Mr. Song, if you insist on letting your apprentice do it, then let me make it clear: if she ruins it, you won’t get paid, and you’ll have to compensate me for the fabric.”

The old tailor casually replied, “If she ruins it, she’ll compensate you. Her father is an army cadre.”

Ruan Xi was stunned, looking at him: “???”

Ignoring her look, the old tailor nodded towards the sewing machine, “The sooner you finish, the sooner we can go home.”

Ruan Xi didn’t say anything, took the cut fabric pieces, and sat down at the sewing machine.

Making such simple clothes was no big deal for her, so she was relaxed. But the woman in the checkered shirt and her future daughter-in-law were not, their faces clouded with worry.

To quickly ease their anxiety, Ruan Xi didn’t hesitate. She deftly removed the thread from the sewing machine, selected the appropriate thread, wound the bobbin, threaded the machine, and pulled up the bobbin thread—all in one smooth motion.

Seeing Ruan Xi’s skilled actions, the woman in the checkered shirt’s expression improved slightly. But she still didn’t relax, especially as she watched Ruan Xi place the fabric under the presser foot, her heart pounding.

Thinking about the hard-earned money spent on the fabric, the woman could barely breathe. When Ruan Xi turned the wheel and pressed the pedal, she almost fainted.

But when Ruan Xi smoothly sewed a perfectly straight line along the edge of the fabric, the woman in the checkered shirt steadied her breath and stood still. Gradually, the clouds of worry on her face dissipated, replaced by a look of surprise.

The old tailor, smoking his pipe, watched the woman’s changing expression and deliberately asked, “How do you find my apprentice?”

The woman in the checkered shirt returned to reality, feeling embarrassed, “You taught her very well.”

Without any modesty, the old tailor replied, “Of course.”

Smiling as she worked the sewing machine, Ruan Xi added, “It’s because I’m smart.”

The woman in the checkered shirt praised her again, “Girl, you are indeed smart. I underestimated you.”

With that, her worries vanished completely. She felt entirely at ease and relaxed, no longer standing in the room to watch. She only asked her future daughter-in-law to stay, try on the clothes when needed, and share her thoughts.

After that, the only sound in the room was the sewing machine.

When the last piece of clothing was finished, Ruan Xi sat at the sewing machine, hand-stitching the buttonholes. After finishing the last buttonhole, she ironed the clothes and sewed on the buttons, completing the day’s tasks.

While Ruan Xi was ironing the clothes, the woman in the checkered shirt brought in a cleaned, plucked chicken and said to the old tailor, “Mr. Song, I slaughtered a rooster for you to take home and eat.”

The old tailor accepted it without hesitation.

In the past, when he made clothes for people, he always received some food in return. Sometimes, it was peach crisps, honey cakes, or eggs, and other times, it was a slaughtered animal. During the New Year, people would even give him pork.

Of course, he didn’t mind if the payment was a bit less when they gave him something.

After finishing the clothes, the old tailor took the rooster and the payment and left.

After packing up, the four strong men carried him back.

Sitting in the sedan chair, the old tailor asked Ruan Xi, “Do you want all the money or this chicken?”

Ruan Xi was a bit surprised, “Do I get paid too?”

The old tailor replied, “Of course, you get paid for your work. It’s up to you.”

Ruan Xi thought for a moment, looked up at him, and said, “Then I’ll take half the chicken.”

In the Ruan family’s small kitchen.

Ruan Changgui was stoking the fire to cook pig feed while Sun Xiaohui sat nearby chopping chicken feed.

Ruan Changgui stuffed a handful of straw into the stove and asked Sun Xiaohui, “Did Xiao Xi not come back last night?”

Sun Xiaohui knew about this and replied while chopping, “I heard she went with the old tailor to make clothes for someone.”

Ruan Changgui looked at Sun Xiaohui, “The old tailor has never taken anyone out to make clothes, right?”

Sun Xiaohui laughed indifferently, “No, so what?”

Ruan Changgui’s face showed urgency, “What do you mean, so what? It means the old tailor values her. Aren’t you impressed?”

Sun Xiaohui continued chopping, “What’s there to be impressed about? You know what the old tailor is like. He’s a stingy old man. How many people have tried to learn from him and give him things? What did they get? At most, a bunch of grapes.”

She paused to catch her breath, “He just uses people as tools. Taking Xiao Xi out to make clothes is just to have someone to order around for odd jobs. Probably because Xiaoxi is easy to boss around, he officially took her as an apprentice.”

She continued chopping, “Your mother spoils her, letting her learn a trade, giving away half a basket of eggs for a bunch of grapes. What’s the use of a bunch of grapes? Not only are the eggs gone, but this girl is also practically useless, not doing any housework and always helping others. In the end, she won’t learn the trade and gain nothing.”

Ruan Changgui thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, “True. She goes to learn a trade, making others spend time and effort teaching her. She’s not cut out for it. Do you think they’ll pay her?”

Sun Xiaohui sneered, “Pay her? They might even have to slaughter another chicken to send over.”

Just as Sun Xiaohui finished speaking, they heard Ruan Xi’s voice from outside, “Grandma, I’m back!”

Hearing this, Sun Xiaohui shook her head, “The wastrel is back.”

Liu Xinghua’s voice followed, “Oh my, where did you get the chicken?”

Chicken? What chicken? Ruan Changgui and Sun Xiaohui perked up their ears.

Ruan Xi said, “The family we made clothes for slaughtered it and gave it to us. My master and I each got half.”

Outside the side room, Ruan Xi continued, unable to contain her joy, “Besides half a rooster, I also got a one-yuan note. It’s my wage for going out with my master to make clothes.”

At the sight of the note, Liu Xinghua’s eyes widened, “One yuan??”

In the small kitchen, Ruan Changgui almost simultaneously exclaimed, “One yuan??”

One must know that Ruan Changgui worked hard for a month, earning about five yuan in work points. Women like Sun Xiaohui, who are doing lighter work in the production team, earn about three to four yuan a month.

And Ruan Xi, after two days, easily earned half a rooster and one yuan??