Changheng Street was located to the east of Qingyang County. There were several old streets here, and four to five kilometers away was the county's shopping mall.
Although Changheng Street was not prosperous, there was a lot of traffic.
There was an old street nearby with restaurants and various small shops on both sides.
Lan Shu's landlord's sister-in-law, Sister-in-law Xie, also opened a shop on the street.
It was a shop that did clothing alteration and other odd jobs.
Previously, Lan Shu only knew that Sister-in-law Xie had opened a shop and passed by several times. This was the first time she had actually come to the shop to take a look.
Sister-in-law Xie's name was Xie Xiaoju. The shop she opened was only about ten square meters. It was a shop along the street. There was a sewing machine in the shop that was neither new nor old.
According to Sister-in-law Xie, when she and her husband got married, both of their families were poor. They had only received betrothal gifts. They did not have any watches, bicycles, sewing machines, or other big items.
A few years ago, her husband bought her a sewing machine after earning money from driving goods. He said that it was to compensate her for her lack of dowry.
This sewing machine used to be idle at home most of the time. After the policy allowed business two years ago, Sister-in-law Xie found a shop lot on the street and used the sewing machine to do some odd jobs herself.
Although this small business did not earn much, she could at least earn more than ten yuan a month. It was enough for her and her son's expenses, reducing the family's financial burden somewhat.
Lan Shu stayed in Sister-in-law Xie's shop for a while and observed that Sister-in-law Xie was quite proficient in using the sewing machine.
She asked casually, "Sister-in-law Xie, do you know how to cut clothes?"
Generally speaking, people who knew how to make clothes might not know how to cut them. Even if they knew how to cut them, it was not easy to control the shape of the clothes.
When Xie Xiaoju was asked this question, she answered without hesitation, "Yes, I worked in a clothing factory when I was young. Although I didn't learn how to cut, I usually paid attention to the process."
Xie Xiaoju was a little proud when she talked about her job at the clothing factory.
Lan Shu could tell that her pride was a manifestation of her ability and confidence.
As if afraid that Lan Shu wouldn't believe her, Xie Xiaoju added, "Ever since my husband bought this sewing machine, I've been making all the clothes that our family wears."
Hearing what she said, Lan Shu immediately looked at the rose-red shirt that Sister-in-law Xie was wearing.
There was nothing wrong with the workmanship and style of this shirt, but the color was too dazzling.
Knowing that Sister-in-law Xie knew how to make clothes, Lan Shu suddenly had an idea!
"Sister-in-law Xie, can you help me make clothes? I'll draw the designs, and you can execute them. I'll pay you for your time."
Upon hearing Lan Shu's words, Xie Xiaoju immediately shook her head with a smile. "Sister, what clothes do you want? Just bring the fabric over. I'll make them for you free of charge."
Ever since she and Xiao Bai bought breakfast for her and her son, Xie Xiaoju had never treated them as outsiders.
It was just making clothes. With her skills, it would only take some time to make them. It was not worth it.
Lan Shu appreciated Sister-in-law Xie's good intentions, but she could not take advantage of her.
And the clothes she wanted to make were not for her to wear alone.
"It's better to accept payment," Lan Shu insisted. "Sister-in-law, the clothes I want you to make are not just for me to wear. I want to sell clothes. I want to sell clothes that I designed myself."
Knowing Lan Shu's thoughts, Xie Xiaoju was stunned.
"You want to sell clothes? But many people buy clothes at the mall. If you make them in my shop, can you sell them?"
Xie Xiaoju was very worried for Lan Shu.
After all, fabric was needed to make clothes. If the clothes could not be sold, the money for fabric would be wasted!
Lan Shu was not too worried about this.
"Don't worry, Sister-in-law. I'll come up with a way to sell the clothes. I just want to ask you to help me make them. Is that okay?"
Seeing how determined Lan Shu was, Xie Xiaoju thought for a while before replying, "Alright then."
Making clothes for Sister Lan Shu was actually a good thing for her.
After all, she could earn money by making clothes.
Since there was work to do in her small shop, she would do it!
Lan Shu was not blind either. After asking Sister-in-law Xie about the location of the fabric wholesaler in the county, the approximate price of the materials, the size of the materials used for each piece of clothing, and the workmanship of the clothes, Lan Shu immediately set off.
She went back to her rented place first. Seeing that Xiao Bai was not around and only the bicycle was parked in the courtyard, Lan Shu went back to her room to get the spare key and rode the bicycle out.
She used to know how to ride a bicycle, but the bike seats in this era were too high and difficult to ride.
However, after getting used to it, she managed to ride it.
During this period of time in the county, Lan Shu had already memorized all the routes. With a bicycle as a means of transportation, she arrived at the fabric wholesale market that Sister-in-law Xie mentioned ten minutes later.
Although it was called a market, there were actually only a few shops.
After comparing the prices of the fabrics one by one, Lan Shu bought five meters of white cotton fabric suitable for making women's shirts. She also ordered four meters of black polyester that was similar to thick gauze and four and a half meters of light brown cotton.
Cotton was the first choice for a windbreaker.
The white cotton fabric cost 1.2 meters per meter, the polyester cost two yuan per meter, and the cotton fabric cost two yuan per meter.
In order to save money, Lan Shu was so precise that she made sure she would use all the fabric in the clothing, down to the last bit.
Even so, she spent a total of 23 yuan and 40 cents, which was almost all the money she had.
After paying the bill, she only had one yuan and 60 cents left. It was not even enough to pay Sister-in-law Xie.
Fortunately, she was renting a place at Sister-in-law Xie's house, so Sister-in-law Xie did not have to worry about her running away without paying her. There was still time to pay her after selling the clothes.
After bringing the fabric back, the next step was to make the designs.
The style that Lan Shu wanted was very simple. She wanted to make white cotton tops. However, the collar would not have the sharp collar of a typical shirt. Instead, it would have two slender straps that were long enough to tie a bow.
The skirt would be the simplest black elastic waist skirt.
Only the windbreaker was a little troublesome. It required a slightly larger lapel, and it would take the most time.
Although Xie Xiaoju did not understand why Sister Lan Shu changed the collar of the top to two straps, she still cut the clothes according to the design and made them.
Xie Xiaoju was busy from the morning until three in the afternoon. She didn't even have time to rest at noon before she finished making a top, a skirt, and a windbreaker.
Lan Shu took the clothes back and tried them on. She tied the two long ribbons at the collar into a bow, tucked the hem of the top into the waist of her skirt, and put on the windbreaker. She let her hair down, and her temperament was immediately displayed!
In this era, this set of clothes would definitely be grand and fashionable.
In order to verify her thoughts, Lan Shu put on this set of clothes and went out.
Along the way, she indeed attracted the attention of many women!
There were even a few women who stopped her and asked where she had bought the clothes.
To those who asked where the clothes came from, Lan Shu only replied that they would be sold at the intersection of Changheng Street tomorrow afternoon. There weren't many of them, so it was first come, first served.
Although she hadn't started selling clothes, Lan Shu already knew in advance that she definitely wouldn't have to worry about selling this set of clothes!