Chapter 079: A Minor Adjustment

“Oh my, whose little girl is this? She’s so adorable!” Aunt Li couldn’t help but pinch Guazi’s cheek when the girl called her ‘auntie’ in such a sweet voice. “How old are you?”

“Why are you asking about her age? Just tell us if you have any ready-made clothes,” Zhou Can interjected impatiently.

“If I don’t know her age, how would I know what size to bring?” Aunt Liu shot Zhou Can an annoyed glance.

“That’s true,” Zhou Can replied with an awkward smile.

“Auntie, I’m five years old this year,” Guazi replied, tilting her little head.

“Five? Oh dear, I’m afraid I don’t have any ready-made new clothes for someone your size, not even in a larger size,” Aunt Li said apologetically.

“What about her?” Liu Xing pointed at the little one squirming in his arms.

“No, not for her either. Children’s clothes are rarely custom-ordered here. But for you, I might have a few pieces. Want to try them on?” Aunt Li smiled at Liu Xing. “But ready-made clothes cost more, you know! I’m giving you this deal because of Zhou Can; otherwise, I wouldn’t sell them to you.”

“I understand. Money’s not an issue. Please bring the clothes out for me to try,” Liu Xing said, setting down the little one and Guazi.

“Alright, wait a moment,” Aunt Li replied, turning to fetch clothes suitable for Liu Xing.

The first piece she showed him was a drab grey Zhongshan suit made from high-quality fabric. The workmanship was good, but Liu Xing refused it without even looking, knowing the color was far too old for his age—wearing it would make him look a decade older.

Aunt Li wasn’t offended; she felt the suit wasn’t right for Liu Xing anyway, and so she brought out a dark blue suit made of fine wool. “This one was custom-made for Boss Tang’s son, but he’s been away at Guangmiao and hasn’t returned yet, so selling it to you shouldn’t be a problem.”

Liu Xing tried it on and looked at himself in the mirror. “How much is this?”

Apart from the waist being too loose, everything else was acceptable. The color was a bit problematic for someone working in the countryside, as it would easily get dirty.

“If you like it, the lowest price is fifteen yuan. I can’t go any lower,” Aunt Li replied with a smile.

“Ten yuan. He’s my master,” Zhou Can couldn’t help but bargain.

In the countryside, with fabric coupons, you could buy cloth and have a tailor make something for just a few yuan. The material was excellent, but not worth that much money, as Liu Xing well knew.

“What? He’s your master?” Aunt Li looked at Liu Xing in disbelief, but didn’t press further; she knew Zhou Can’s character and wouldn’t joke about such things.

After regaining her composure, she said, “Ten yuan it is. My family needs to buy one of your new iron plows. You’d better give me a discount then.”

“I’ll give you one for free, no problem. You know, my master taught me how to make that plow,” Zhou Can replied teasingly.

“Really?” Aunt Li was thoroughly astonished now, staring at Liu Xing as if he were a marvel.

Liu Xing smiled, took off the dark blue suit, and walked over to the workbench. He picked up a thread cutter and began to undo the stitches at the waist.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Aunt Li tried to stop his ‘reckless’ behavior, but soon froze in surprise. Liu Xing’s technique with the thread cutter was smooth and skilled—better than her own, though she was an experienced tailor.

While she was dazed, Liu Xing quickly undid the stitches at the waist, then used a tailor’s marking chalk to indicate where alterations were needed.

Seeing that the sewing machine thread didn’t match the suit, he searched the workbench.

“The dark blue thread is here,” Aunt Li said, snapping out of it and handing him a spool. “Who would have thought! You’re so young, yet such a skilled tailor.”

“I’m just showing off in front of a master,” Liu Xing replied modestly, then sat at the sewing machine, changed the thread, and began altering the waist.

He hadn’t intended to do the alteration here, preferring to do it at home, but realized that mismatched thread would affect the quality, so decided to fix it on the spot.

In just a minute or two, he finished the alteration.

He tried the suit on again and smiled with satisfaction in the mirror.

Aunt Li, on the other hand, gasped.

It wasn’t just that the suit now fit Liu Xing perfectly, but the alteration had transformed the suit’s silhouette so much that it felt unfamiliar. She had never experienced this effect in all her years making suits.

“Am I seeing things?” Aunt Li rubbed her eyes.

Finding she wasn’t mistaken, she stared at Liu Xing in awe, realizing that Zhou Can’s young master was no ordinary person—he was far more skilled than she.

“Aunt Li, I’ll take this suit. Do you sell that high-quality fabric? I’d like to buy some for my mother and these two little ones,” Liu Xing said, pointing at the little one and Guazi.

“Of course I sell it! Why else would I be running a shop?” Aunt Li replied, quickly regaining her composure. “The fabric is eighty cents a yard, but I’ll give you a discount—seventy cents for you.”

“You sell it to Boss Zhong for sixty cents. Liu Xing is my master and a good friend of Boss Zhong and Brother Xie,” Zhou Can reminded her.

“Fine! Sixty cents a yard. I’ll consider it a gesture of friendship,” Aunt Li said, quickly changing her offer upon hearing Liu Xing knew Xie Lionhead and Zhong Jun, ignoring Zhou Can.

“I’ll take ten yards of this black, ten yards of this red, and twenty yards of this one,” Liu Xing said after circling the workbench and specifying the colors he needed.

“Do you really need that much?” Aunt Li hesitated.

“Is there a problem? You can’t sell it?” Liu Xing asked.

“Of course I can sell it. She’s just worried you won’t pay,” Zhou Can joked.

“I’m not worried about that, but buying so much fabric isn’t cheap!” Aunt Li warned.

“Money’s not an issue. Cut the fabric, please! I can pay upfront,” Liu Xing replied with a smile.

“Alright, alright, I underestimated you,” Aunt Li said, quickly getting to work.

Liu Xing waited, while Guazi and the little one clung to his leg, curiously looking around.

Zhou Can checked the time. “Master, don’t you need to buy other things? Why not wait here while I go shop for you? Then you can take everything home together. With so much fabric, you’ll need a vehicle to carry it—should I ask Huang Xiaojiang to bring his tractor over?”

“That works,” Liu Xing nodded.

He saw paper and pen on the workbench, picked them up, and quickly wrote a list of items he needed.

Zhou Can watched, his expression growing grim as the list grew longer—he didn’t have enough money.

Liu Xing noticed Zhou Can’s concern, finished the list, handed him fifty yuan and the list. “Take this. If it’s not enough, come back for more. You know where I live; I won’t run away.”

“Master, you’re making me sound unreliable,” Zhou Can said, embarrassed as he took the money and list. “I’ll have everything ready in half an hour, and all at the lowest prices from the black market.”

“Good!” Liu Xing patted Zhou Can’s shoulder. “Go ahead. But I’m younger than you—just call me Xiao Liu or Liu Xing from now on, no need for ‘master’. It’s better for you, and honestly, it doesn’t benefit me either.”

“Alright…” Zhou Can hesitated, but finally agreed and left.

He realized then that Liu Xing was much easier to talk to than he had imagined.

———

Thank you to Zheyi De Aiqing for the thousand-point reward, to The Days of Farming on Earth for two thousand points, to dh Dahai for two hundred points, to HPAailR for a thousand points, and to Book Friend 20180223142900795 for two thousand five hundred points. Sincere thanks, and thank you all for your daily recommendation votes!