Chapter 221: 221
Yang PeiMin had spoken, and the rest was Chen Guizhi’s business now, though it still involved so haggling with Shen Yidong’s mother-in-law. Even if they were to leave, it wouldn’t be so soon.
She had used the legitimate excuse of needing to rush back to county for classes to avoid getting involved.
After leaving Shen Yidong’s ho, she went straight to the county by bus. When she got back to the courtyard, Hu ilan had co looking for her again, not only bringing a person along but also several orders for her.
The girl who had co with her was introduced to her room as well; Hu ilan was as straightforward as ever, “This is my friend Xiao Yao. She has co for you to help make clothes as well. She is preparing to start work next month and is now considered an adult. Her mother has agreed to let her make two new pieces of clothing. Having seen the skirt I had you make, she wanted to co and have one made too.”
Yang PeiMin’s gaze fell on her friend Xiao Yao. Xiao Yao’s build was not as slender as Hu ilan’s but rather robust, with heavier bones and a sowhat masculine appearance. Moreover, she wasn’t tall, and although her face still bore an air of youthful shyness, such a body-hugging skirt really wasn’t suitable for her.
She tactfully said to the young girl, “I have a skirt here that would suit you better.”
Xiao Yao nodded.
Hu ilan leaned in curiously.
Yang PeiMin pulled out a notebook and drew a simple two-piece outfit with a pencil. The top was a white casual blouse paired with a long skirt—reminiscent of the literary youth style of later eras. It looked conservative yet refined and was fashionable with a short-sleeve shirt at that ti. Paired with such a skirt, it did not appear incongruous.
Xiao Yao and Hu ilan imdiately took to it.
Xiao Yao, thinking of her own figure, was sowhat excited, “That’s great, I don’t have to show my legs.”
Then Hu ilan, looking on and feeling tempted, decided on the spot to have one made for herself too, just in a different color from Xiao Yao’s.
With the four orders she already had on hand, she now had six skirts to make, with a pickup date five days later, following the old rule of two yuan per skirt.
Now, she needed Shen Yiqiu’s help.
Shen Yiqiu had a foundation in tailoring, as Chen Guizhi had taught each daughter, and it was just a matter of how proficient they were. Of course, they had only made clothes for their own family to save so money, hence the standards weren’t too high, and they were used to the styles they usually wore. However, for others, such as dresses, there might be so difficulties with certain details.
But all of this could be learned. It would depend on whether Shen Yiqiu was willing.
Shen Yiqiu ca over in full agreent, “It’s not bad to work overti at the factory, but when there’s no overti, I do feel like I’m wasting my ti. Finding sothing to do can keep from being bored.”
“Just tell what you have here for sister to do, and I’ll do it.”
Yang Peimin had her sit down and explained about sewing clothes, “I’ve been busy with schoolwork these days and haven’t been able to look after the clothes, so I wanted to ask you, third sister, to co and help.”
Yang Peimin asked for her help, then offered to split the wages, but Shen Yiqiu disagreed, saying, “You’re my own younger sister; helping you is only right. There’s no need for money. It feels like it would drive a wedge between us.”
“Sister, this isn’t a one-ti or two-ti thing. There might be more in the future. I can’t let you do this for nothing, and even Yiguang would disagree if he knew. Third sister, I’ll be honest with you, I think there’s opportunity in this. We can take in sewing jobs together, earn so money for handicrafts, and help support the family. This skill is completely our own, and it’s not just about casually helping out; so, we can’t talk about family bonds or re assistance in this case.”
Shen Yiqiu, witnessing her earnest and resolute expression, felt moved too. Currently, the factory only had overti one day out of three, and there was not much to do at ho either. At most, she would do so washing and nding; though there were three of them working in the factory—her husband, his younger sister, and herself—they only had temporary jobs picking cotton, which wouldn’t last, and the pay wasn’t great; with subsidies, they made just twelve yuan a month, hardly enough to support the other sons in the family.
Her sister-in-law didn’t contribute at all; she was single-minded in saving for her dowry. That left only her and her husband to support the family, making a combined salary of slightly over sixty yuan, which was just barely adequate each month. There had been so debt incurred during house repairs, which still needed monthly repaynts. Everything cost money in the county, even drinking water had a fee, not to ntion other expenses. So, the couple’s combined wages were just enough for their living expenses.
If she could earn so extra money, she could save for Dahua and the others’ education and marriages. This thought ward Shen Yiqiu’s heart.
Shen Yiqiu was a woman with ideas. Once her thoughts were unleashed, she couldn’t stop them. She even thought of producing several pieces of one design to take to stores for consignnt sales, which, along with her fabric costs, could earn her more than just working for soone else’s wages.
Yang Peimin looked at Shen Yiqiu with admiration. In such a short ti, she had thought so far ahead; if this were the future, she would undoubtedly be a businesswoman. In this regard, Yang Peimin felt that Shen Yiqiu and Shen Yiguang were quite alike.
She added, “If we can open up this market, we could file a report with the street office, buy a few sewing machines, and hire a few people to help with custom garnt production…” Of course, these were just initial steps. Once the policies beca clearer, they would have more options, whether to find partners or to manage on their own. But before that, they needed to accumulate capital.
Shen Yiqiu’s eyes lit up with excitent at this plan, and she felt a surge of enthusiasm. She began to see her sister-in-law, Yang Peimin, in a new light, “You’re really smart and capable, a true scholar. We can take our ti with this, but I see it’s doable.”
Previously, due to so rumors, she had thought her brother was interested in her only for her looks. After marrying into the family, she found Yang Peimin to be well-behaved and dutiful. She seed quiet and demure, not very adept at housework, frail, and incapable of fieldwork. But that was no issue—if she couldn’t, she wouldn’t, and her brother could well afford it. Therefore, she and her sisters-in-law didn’t ask much of her—just to bear a few children, take care of the ho, and that would suffice.
Yet, she hadn’t expected her sister-in-law to be so capable, not only considering going to university but also earning her own money and coming up with ideas one after another.
Suddenly, she felt that her brother had truly good judgnt.
Having agreed upon these plans, Shen Yiqiu got to work with a fervor. Yang Peimin discussed the details, and Shen Yiqiu didn’t take offense as the more experienced sister. Instead, she asked about anything she didn’t understand and rembered it well.
Seeing her dedication, Yang Peimin felt relieved. In this unfamiliar place, one often had to rely on relatives first and foremost, and Shen Yiqiu was a good one. With their current rapport, Yang Peimin felt very satisfied.
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