Chapter 40: Getting Started

Chapter 40: Getting Started

"Sister Baoer, you're heading out so early in the morning? Which gentleman is so inconsiderate to send a note at this hour?"

In the narrow alley, Jin Baoer had just stepped out when she turned a corner and ran into Xiao Liu, a maid from Fengxi's house across the way.

Xiao Liu had a round face, a flat nose, and pouty lips, giving her a naive look, clearly still a young girl.

The concession's municipal regulations stipulated that girls under sixteen could not work as prostitutes, so some fourteen or fifteen-year-old girls would lie about their age when going out on calls.

But someone like Xiao Liu, who looked particularly young, was afraid of being caught and thus didn't dare to hang a sign. She stayed in the courtyard doing menial tasks, occasionally following older sisters on calls, with a hint of keeping an eye on things.

The houses on both sides of this alley were all brothels.

Although there was competition among them, they were all sisters in the business, and their private relationships were decent. Jin Baoer was quite familiar with Xiao Liu and replied with a smile, "No one would send a note at this hour. I ordered a Western dress at a tailor shop and made an appointment with the owner to take measurements today."

"A Western dress? So, Sister-in-law supports you participating in that beauty pageant?"

"She has to support it. If I become famous, it's a big advantage for her too."

Hearing this, Xiao Liu's eyes lit up with obvious envy.

Though young, she had heard many stories and had a clear understanding of her life. Those who entered this line of work were all unfortunate, and once trapped in the mire, it was impossible to get out cleanly. Dreams of getting rich or marrying into a good family were all delusions. Just living past thirty without illness was considered a blessing.

Even becoming a famous courtesan and entering a wealthy household as a concubine or mistress was a decent outcome.

For those like them, with ordinary looks and skills, the only option was to save as much money as possible while young, to start a small business or adopt a few daughters in old age, relying on them for support. There were only a few paths to take.

Thus, for Xiao Liu, Jin Baoer having such a chance to become famous was already something to envy.

"Sister Baoer, you're so beautiful, you're sure to get a good ranking. When you become the president of the Fragrant Country and catch a wealthy husband, don't forget us sisters."

"Just wait. Forget being the president of the Fragrant Country, even if I get third place, I'll bring you all along to prosper."

After this half-joking exchange, Jin Baoer turned and walked towards the alley entrance.

Her location was near the intersection of Hankou Road and Guangxi Road, about two kilometers from Love Lane.

Taking the tram would be faster, but walking would only take about half an hour.

Jin Baoer didn't want to spend extra money on the tram, and as a thin woman, squeezing onto the tram wasn't easy, so she usually chose to walk.

She walked quickly, reaching Love Lane in about twenty-five or twenty-six minutes.

As she turned the corner, thinking about meeting the handsome tailor shop owner, Jin Baoer felt a bit of joy.

But when she stepped over the shop threshold, she found a handsome young man inside, but not the one she had seen yesterday.

The man was also surprised to see her and quickly responded, "You must be Miss Jin. The boss hasn't arrived yet, but he should be here soon. If you're not in a hurry, please have a seat and wait."

"I was told nine o'clock. I even left half an hour early," Jin Baoer said with a hint of reproach.

There was no clock in the shop, and Zhu Renqing wasn't sure of the exact time, but he guessed she had arrived early. "Please wait a moment. The boss usually arrives by nine."

As he spoke, a tram passed by on the street outside, and Ji Qingzhou, using the momentum from jumping off the tram, ran into the alley.

As he ran, he casually smoothed his wind-blown hair. Upon reaching the door, he was about to greet his shop assistant when he noticed a woman standing in the middle of the room.

Recognizing the visitor, he quickly apologized with a smile, "Sorry, I'm a bit late."

With that, he opened his backpack, pulled out the sketchbook, flipped to the latest page of the draft, and handed it to Jin Baoer, saying, "Please take a look and see if you're satisfied."

He then took off his crossbody bag, walked into the shop, and stored the bag in the fabric box at the back.

Before Jin Baoer could say anything, she was handed the sketchbook.

Standing in the sunlight, she looked down at the drawing but couldn't see it clearly at first due to the glare.

Turning her back to block the strong light, she took a closer look and was immediately surprised, instinctively covering her open mouth with her hand.

Influenced by Ji Qingzhou's questions from the previous day, Jin Baoer had expected the dress he designed to be quite revealing, like the foreign women on the advertisements of Western boutiques, with exposed chests, shoulders, arms, and even thighs.

Unexpectedly, the dress in the drawing was quite decent, even elegant and simple, yet it gave a striking and vivid visual appeal.

On the white paper, a woman with sharp features lazily tilted her face, wearing white lace gloves, one hand on her hip and the other casually raised, standing with crossed legs.

She wore a retro waist-cinching dress that reached her knees, with a crossover neckline at the chest, mid-length sleeves with slight gathers at the shoulder, giving a slight puff sleeve effect.

The shoulder line was straight and crisp, clearly requiring padded shoulders, while the skirt was designed as a gored skirt, with natural pleats that fell gracefully, offering better fluidity, imagining how the skirt would sway romantically while walking.

The entire outfit, including the belt, was of the matching fabric, and against the large white background with polka dots, the red accents on the lapel and cuffs stood out even more.

Additionally, the vibrant red rose tucked into the model's black hair added a mesmerizing charm to the entire drawing, as if one could easily lose their soul to the woman in the picture.

Jin Baoer seemed spellbound, standing there and staring at the drawing for a good five or six minutes before slowly looking up and sighing to the shop owner who was watching her:

"It seems I've come to the right place. The dress you've drawn is even more fashionable than those in Western fashion illustrations! It suits my taste perfectly, no need for any modifications."

Jin Baoer blurted out her thoughts, only to feel a slight regret afterward.

On her way here, she had decided that no matter how beautiful the drawing the designer showed her, she would remain reserved to prevent any sudden price increases, preferably discussing the price with a neutral expression.

However, she couldn't hold back her enthusiasm in the end.

"As long as you're satisfied," Ji Qingzhou smiled slightly, clearly delighted that his design was appreciated by the customer.

With a hint of regret, Jin Baoer sighed softly, but when she looked back at the drawing, her lips couldn't help but turn up in a small smile.

She was already imagining how beautiful and stunning she would look wearing this dress, with gloves and a rose hairpin, in photographs.

Originally, Jin Baoer had planned to only order a dress, and for her hairstyle, she would copy the hairstyles of the Western models in the posters.

Unexpectedly, the designer had even designed her hairstyle, along with shoes, accessories, and gloves!

The white lace gloves and the red high-heeled shoes with lace straps in the drawing matched the dress perfectly!

Unfortunately, she couldn't afford high-heeled shoes at the moment, but luckily, the photos wouldn't show her feet.

Jin Baoer knew her strengths were her face and features, while her body was average and she was relatively short, so she planned to have the photos taken only up to her knees.

Although she could do without the shoes, the rose was a must, as it was the perfect accent... and the white lace gloves were also quite charming and alluring.

Thinking this, she hesitated slightly before asking Ji Qingzhou, "Does the dress I'm ordering include the gloves and the rose hairpin?"

Ji Qingzhou guessed what she was concerned about and said, "I can tell you the price directly. The fabric cost for the dress is about two yuan, the custom fee is three yuan, the expedited fee is one yuan, and the rose hairpin and gloves are additional accessories, costing fifty cents. The total is six and a half yuan. See if you can accept this price."

Usually, he would also charge a design fee, but considering that the other party might not accept such a fee, and since designing this dress didn't take much time, he decided to waive it, treating it as a way to expand his business.

The quoted price of six and a half yuan was fifty cents higher than Jin Baoer's original budget. If it were any other tailor, she would likely bargain over the cost.

But the sketches provided by Mr. Ji were unexpectedly beautiful, and the detailed pricing he disclosed was reasonable, making her feel that paying six dollars and fifty cents for such a set of Western dress, though painful, was worth it.

"It's all because you're so good at business, you've put together everything perfectly for me. If I were to refuse those two accessories now, it would seem like something is missing," Jin Baoer sighed softly, finally deciding, "Then I'll take the full set."

Ji Qingzhou nodded unsurprisingly, pulled out a tape measure from his tool basket, and said, "Then let me take your measurements."

·

After seeing the customer out, Ji Qingzhou left Zhu Renqing in the shop, put some money in his pocket, and went out to a nearby imported goods store to select fabrics.

Originally, his recent work schedule was to create a sample for Shen Nanqi's dress, but now that a more pressing order had come in, he had to prioritize this business.

After strolling along Tongfu Road for a bit and entering two adjacent imported goods stores, Ji Qingzhou still hadn't found the polka-dot fabric that matched the sketch.

It wasn't until he visited the third fabric store that he saw a roll of off-white twill cotton with black polka dots.

Since it was imported fabric, even though it was pure cotton, the price wasn't cheap.

Ji Qingzhou cut nine feet of the fabric, costing one dollar sixty-two cents. The shopkeeper rounded it down to one dollar sixty.

Seeing the shopkeeper being so accommodating, he also picked out red fabric for the collar and cuffs at the same store.

The same fabric material came in two shades of red: one was a pure crimson, and the other was a sunset red with a touch of orange.

Ji Qingzhou hesitated for a long time, finding it hard to decide, and even considered cutting a foot of each to bring back, but was afraid of exceeding the budget.

After repeated comparisons on-site, he finally chose the sunset red.

The reason was simple: this red was more striking, and when made into a rose, it would appear more youthful and vibrant.

After buying the fabric and returning to the shop, Ji Qingzhou handed the newly purchased fabric to Zhu Renqing, saying, "As I taught you, spray it with water and iron it to pre-shrink it."

Zhu Renqing, who had been concerned about having no work, responded enthusiastically, "Yes, sir."

Ji Qingzhou then moved the female dress form to an open area in the shop, laid out the usual white muslin on the table, took a couple of sips of coffee from his cup, and placed the cup on the corner of the table.

Then he took a pencil and ruler, breathed out towards the smooth muslin, and said, "Alright, let's get to work!"

·

Compared to the previous cheongsams and suits, Miss Jin's dress was fairly simple and straightforward to make, even completely within Ji Qingzhou's comfort zone.

First, he made a fabric cutting plan based on the design, created an initial sample of the dress using draping, and after cutting the muslin pieces and assembling them on the dress form, made finer adjustments based on Jin Baoer's measurements.

After obtaining the precise sample, he proceeded with pattern layout and cutting, followed by the usual sewing and ironing processes.

The twill cotton fabric had a rich hand feel, was thick and substantial, and had good drape, making it easy to handle and maintain.

Thus, working around the clock, he completed the entire dress in less than three days, leaving only the rose and gloves to be sewn.

That night, in the bedroom on the east side of the second floor, the light from the chandelier shone through the gauze curtains onto the window glass, creating a hazy halo effect.

After washing up, Jie Yuan sat in his usual spot to bask in the moonlight.

Across a coffee table, Ji Qingzhou sat with his legs crossed, focused on his needlework, with a small bamboo basket by his side containing red fabric scraps along with sewing tools like a pincushion and scissors.

On a stool beside the sofa, Huang Youshu was holding a magazine, reciting vernacular poems from it, filling the room with his rhythmic reading voice.

Initially, Huang Youshu's reading had no tonal variation, but recently he had changed because he noticed that the young master seemed to particularly enjoy Mr. Ji's expressive reading style.

Every time Mr. Ji reads those foreign tales, like Sherlock Holmes, the young master is all ears.

Huang Youshu, who has been the young master's personal servant since childhood, naturally wants to keep up with the times. Even though he can't read foreign languages, at least when reading Chinese, he should learn from Mr. Ji and add more rhythm and tone changes.

Like those storytellers, with a voice that's strong and clear, to make it more interesting for the young master.

Jie Yuan was on the verge of dozing off.

He mused that he just didn't connect with poetry. No matter how beautiful, they just didn't resonate.

Instead of listening to Huang Youshu recite poetry to kill time, chatting with Ji Qingzhou would be more fun.

With this thought, he gave the floor two light taps with his cane. When Huang Youshu stopped reading, he said, "That's enough, off to bed with you."

"Alright, young master." Huang Youshu, a bit reluctant, dog-eared the magazine page before closing it, to pick up where he left off tomorrow.

After setting the magazine on the dark walnut cabinet, he turned to Ji Qingzhou and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll turn in."

Ji Qingzhou nodded and said, "Go on, then."

As Huang Youshu left with light steps, the room sank into a hushed quiet.

In the darkness, the only sound was the soft rustle of Ji Qingzhou sewing the rose ornament.

Jie Yuan leaned back in his chair, his face blank, lost in his own thoughts. After a while, as if the silence was too much, he proactively asked, "You heading downstairs to the sewing machine tonight?"

Ji Qingzhou shook his head: "Nope, the dress I've been on for two days is done. Just gotta finish this rose tonight."

"Rose?" Jie Yuan's eyebrow gave a slight twitch, catching the key word.

"It's for a customer."

"What customer orders a rose from you? Aren't you a tailor?"

"It's an accessory, part of the outfit. It's normal for customers to order from me, right?"

Jie Yuan was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is the customer who ordered the rose a man or a woman?"

"They're all customers, does it make a difference? Why are you asking so carefully?"

Ji Qingzhou glanced at him, seeing his listless expression, and said, "If you're tired, go to sleep, don't wait for me."

"You're really full of yourself. I'm just sitting here thinking."

"Alright, alright, you're not waiting for me... ouch." Ji Qingzhou, halfway through his sentence, took a light breath, feeling that Jie Yuan was really a jinx. It was because he always said unnecessary nonsense that disturbed his thoughts, causing him to accidentally prick his finger with the needle.

Hearing his sharp intake of breath, Jie Yuan's heart tightened inexplicably: "What happened?"

"What else? I pricked my finger with a needle. It's all your fault. If you hadn't distracted me, I wouldn't have lost focus."

"..."

Jie Yuan, being blamed, silently kept quiet. After a while, he calmly retorted, "Isn't it because you're overworking?"

"Even if I'm overworking, I can thread ten needles in a minute," Ji Qingzhou said disdainfully, while secretly rubbing his eyes.

Although he wouldn't admit that his distraction was due to fatigue, staring at the red fabric for too long at night had made his vision somewhat blurry.

Originally, he planned to finish the rose tonight, but after hearing Jie Yuan's words, he changed his mind.

There are still two days left on the project, so there's no need to hurry.

Otherwise, if his eyesight gets damaged, he and Jie Yuan would become partners in misfortune.

After sewing this petal, he packed up his things, placed the small bamboo basket on the coffee table, stood up and stretched, teasingly said, "I'm done. Are you just going to sit here and think about life?"

Jie Yuan remained silent for a few seconds, then calmly stood up, took his walking stick, and walked towards the bed.

Seeing this, Ji Qingzhou sneered inwardly, turning to draw the curtains while muttering, "Still saying you're not waiting for me? Stubborn as a rock..."

"What did you say?" Jie Yuan actually heard clearly but pretended not to.

"I said, you should get some sleep. Tomorrow starts the second phase of treatment, so conserve your energy."

Ji Qingzhou was too tired to banter anymore, yawned, and walked into the bathroom.

Hearing this, Jie Yuan couldn't find a reason to argue further, so he calmly walked to the bed, removed the gauze, and lay down under the thin blanket.

After a while, Ji Qingzhou came out of the bathroom, turned off the main light, and felt his way into bed.

As soon as he lay down, Jie Yuan turned to his right side.

As the distance closed, a familiar scent wafted over from beside him, light and cool with a hint of sweetness, unconsciously relaxing him.

After taking a few deep breaths, he hesitated before asking, "What perfume do you wear to bed every night?"

He thought the perfume might have some sleep-aiding effect and perhaps he could buy some to use in places like the study.

Hearing the voice next to him, Ji Qingzhou frowned in confusion, then realized and chuckled, sitting up to tousle his hair and asked, "Is it this scent?"

Jie Yuan noticed the melon scent becoming stronger and responded, "Yes."

"That's just shampoo, okay? Who wears perfume to bed? What are you thinking?"

"Shampoo?" Jie Yuan repeated in confusion, not immediately understanding what he meant.

"It's like soap, a liquid specifically for washing hair. If you're curious, I'll wash your hair with it tomorrow."

After saying this, Ji Qingzhou lay back on the pillow, letting out a small sigh, "But that bottle is almost empty, and it's no longer available."

Jie Yuan picked up on a hint of sadness in his tone and asked, "What brand is it?"

"It's discontinued."

"If it's a foreign product, I can have someone find it for you."

"I told you it's unavailable, no matter how much power you have."

Mentioning this, Ji Qingzhou felt an indescribable emptiness, irritably turning his back to him and saying, "Go to sleep, I'm exhausted."

"..."

Rarely having his goodwill rejected, Jie Yuan lay back on the bed, feeling frustrated.

After two minutes of silence, he spoke up again, pretending to be indifferent, "Don't you think you forgot to say something?"

Ji Qingzhou was almost asleep when Jie Yuan's words woke him. Just as he was about to get angry, he realized what Jie Yuan meant and found it amusing, then added in a slightly hoarse voice, "Goodnight, Yuan Yuan."

Jie Yuan responded indifferently and then fell silent.

It's like dealing with a kid...

Ji Qingzhou muttered in his heart, closing his eyes and soon falling asleep.