trct_46

Chapter 46: Good News

In the afternoon, it was precisely the time when drowsiness took hold.

Inside the small room floored with parquet wood, having gone without sunlight all year round, it appeared unusually dim and gloomy.

This place had originally been the sewing room the Jie family provided for their servants, but now it had clearly been usurped by Ji Qingzhou. In the corner by the window, a female mannequin wore a white embroidered gown; on the other side, the upper half of a pale grayish-purple long gown draped over the sewing machine table, its skirt spread flat and extending onto the sofa chair beside it.

Ji Qingzhou sat on a small stool, head lowered, holding up the hem of the skirt, with a hand-sewing needle threaded with gold silk thread, meticulously stitching the dark gold satin trim onto the edge of the hem.

This silk georgette fabric was not only thin but also pleated; without an underlining it simply couldn't be machine-stitched. To achieve neat stitching and a beautiful result, hand-sewing was still the only reliable method.

The uninterrupted, repetitive motion was somewhat tedious, but Ji Qingzhou had already grown accustomed to this work and didn't find it dull.

After focusing on sewing a section, he was about to thread the needle again when he looked up and saw a black figure standing by the door.

"Hiss!" Ji Qingzhou's heart couldn't help but jump. He frowned and said, "Can't you walk with a bit more noise? You scared me half to death. If I'd died, you'd have become a widower."

The cursed Jie Yu'an remained unmoved, and amid the room's distinctive stuffy smell of textiles, asked, "Planning to open a branch store here?"

"Well, machines need to be used often to stay smooth, leave them idle too long and they rust easily."

Ji Qingzhou casually brushed off the question, then changed the subject: "Did you need something?"

"Qiu Wenxin is looking for you."

"Now?"

"In the parlor." Jie Yu'an replied briefly, then slowly turned around, making as if to head toward the east side of the corridor.

Ji Qingzhou immediately recalled the matter of his pictorial magazine submission.

Since Qiu Wenxin had gone out of his way to come find him, it was most likely good news—otherwise a letter of polite refusal would have sufficed.

Thinking of this, he immediately set down the hem, stuck the hand-sewing needle into the pincushion, stood up and brushed the small fibers off his clothes, then gave Jie Yu'an's back a push and said, "Come on, let's go, I'll go with you."

As they neared the small parlor, from far off, Ji Qingzhou could already hear the loud voice belonging uniquely to Luo Mingxuan coming from inside.

"Why did this kid come too."

He muttered, turning the doorknob to open the door. Upon entering, he saw Luo Mingxuan and Qiu Wenxin each seated at one end of the long sofa, each holding a fruit plate filled with waxberries.

The two of them chatted idly while leaning against the sofa armrests, eating the freshly in-season waxberries, their postures as relaxed as if they were in their own home.

"You're here?" Luo Mingxuan greeted him, then pointed at the bamboo basket on the table and said, "These are waxberries from Brother Xin's hometown, delivered this morning. Hurry and try some, they're very fresh."

"Brother Xin came to see me for a real matter, what are you here for, kid?"

Ji Qingzhou pulled Jie Yu'an by the arm, settling him into a single armchair to the side, then took a fruit plate, scooped a dozen or so waxberries from the basket into the plate, and pressed it into Jie Yu'an's hands.

He himself took only two, eating them as he sat down in another chair.

It wasn't that he disliked eating them—it was just that while eating, he couldn't help thinking of the little bugs hidden inside, so two would do just to taste the freshness.

"Don't look down on me. If Brother Xin has real business, then naturally so do I!" Having said this, Luo Mingxuan gave a "ptooey" and spat a fruit pit into the trash bin.

"Oh? Then which of you two will speak first?"

Luo Mingxuan tilted his chin toward the man across from him and said, "Let Brother Xin go first. This important matter of mine can wait till later."

In truth, there was no need for him to decide—Ji Qingzhou had already turned to look at Qiu Wenxin first.

Qiu Wenxin, like a sloth, slowly set down his plate, reached into his lapel, and pulled out from who-knows-where several folded drawings, placing them on the tea table. In a gentle tone, he said, "We discussed it internally at the press and unanimously approved your drawings, so we'll proceed as originally planned with the semi-monthly pictorial. Eight yuan per illustration, commissioned from you—how does that sound?"

"Fine." Ji Qingzhou glanced at Luo Mingxuan, who was sneakily picking up the drawings to look through them, but paid him no mind, and continued asking Qiu Wenxin, "How many illustrations are needed per issue?"

"Tentatively eight," Qiu Wenxin replied. "Besides that, we'll also need you to provide brief explanations of the clothing and accessories in the drawings. The text needn't be flowery—clear explanation will do. Afterward, we'll polish it up for you."

Ji Qingzhou nodded in understanding. "So in that case, I'd need to provide sixteen pieces a month?"

Hearing him ask this, Qiu Wenxin seemed somewhat embarrassed, and said with some awkwardness, "Although everyone at our press internally favors your fashion illustrations more, my father still believes that graceful, delicate portraits of women would be more popular. So we've also commissioned another gentleman, Mr. Liu, at the same rate as you.

"But your two styles are quite far apart, and printing them on the same page wouldn't be cohesive, so we've decided to run you two in alternating issues. Your fashion plates will be concentrated at the start of the month, and Mr. Liu's beauty portraits will run mid-month. We'll try it out for three months first, then decide on the pictorial's style based on sales."

"Ah..." Ji Qingzhou understood now. So he'd also be competing with another illustrator for this position.

He could understand it, though. The concept of a fashion magazine was still too avant-garde for the present era—even press workers standing at the forefront of trendy ideas had some uncertainty about it, so it was only natural they'd want to test the market response first.

"So when exactly would publication begin?"

"August first." Seeing that Ji Qingzhou didn't seem to mind this, Qiu Wenxin relaxed considerably. "However, we've outsourced the printing of this pictorial to a lithography bureau, so the printing will take some time, and we'll also need time to review the drawings and edit and proofread them. You'll need to submit your drawings to our press at least half a month in advance."

That meant submitting before the middle of each month—not bad, the timeframe was relatively comfortable... Ji Qingzhou nodded and, corners of his mouth lifting, said, "Then it's settled."

Eight illustrations, eight yuan each, which came to sixty-four yuan a month in payment—about on par with an ordinary newspaper editor's salary, which could also be considered a well-paid position.

"Eh! Wait, isn't this Brother Yuan?" Luo Mingxuan, having flipped through the drawings for a good while, finally reached the last one.

Drawing on his familiarity with his friend's bearing, he recognized at a glance who the figure in the drawing was.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Wenxin immediately observed Jie Yu'an's expression, and seeing him utterly composed and indifferent, showing not the slightest curiosity about the drawing's content, he understood that the model had most likely volunteered himself for this willingly.

To think he'd even suspected earlier that Ji Qingzhou might have taken advantage of his friend's blindness to secretly draw him without consent, and had even thought of seeking justice for him today...

Qiu Wenxin ate a waxberry, clicking his tongue.

Young as he was, truly no self-respect...

"This is drawn so well, so lifelike—what a dashing, elegant young gentleman!"

Luo Mingxuan looked at the drawing with great envy, and couldn't help but request of Ji Qingzhou, "Brother Qingzhou, could you draw one of me too? I'd also like to be dressed this dashingly. I'll volunteer to be your model for free, how about it?"

Ji Qingzhou gave a laugh, and was just about to speak when he heard Jie Yu'an cut in first: "What about you is even worth drawing?"

"Eh, Brother Yuan, you've been blind for half a year, so your grasp of the world has fallen sadly behind. I'm quite the fashionable, handsome man these days—walking down the main street, everyone, man or woman, young or old, has to turn their head for another look at me. How am I not worth drawing?"

Jie Yu'an tilted his head toward Ji Qingzhou and said, "Then just draw him a monkey."

"Brother Yuan, I'm angry now!" Luo Mingxuan feigned an indignant threat, but seeing Jie Yu'an utterly unmoved, he turned instead to look at Ji Qingzhou with a wronged expression.

"A monkey isn't easy to draw either. Some other time." If Ji Qingzhou had been free, he would have agreed, but he was terribly busy and truly had no time to spare for this young master's request.

"Just say it already, what did you want to see me about? I still need to go make clothes in a bit."

Pressed like this, Luo Mingxuan couldn't very well keep sulking, and said honestly, "Oh, it's actually nothing too important. Just wanted to tell you—the contract for buying the printing machines from Bell & Co. with us has been signed. The final price settled at two thousand five hundred fifty yuan, including one roller printing machine, one secondhand flatbed screen printing machine sold to us half at cost, plus taxes, shipping, and other fees. It's pricey, sure, but at least we got them.

"According to that Manager Rong, the machines are coming from England, so it'll probably take about two months. Once the machines arrive, our little print-dyeing workshop can start operating. My elder brother and I have already discussed it—when the time comes, he'll take forty-five percent of the shares, I'll take fifty-five, and I'll give you ten percent out of my share. How about it?"

"No need for that much. After all, I haven't put in a single cent."

"That's not how it works. I'm only the one putting up the money and the land to buy the machines—how the business does afterward, whether it earns a lot or a little, that all depends on you."

Ji Qingzhou was just about to open his mouth and tell him to think it over more carefully, when Luo Mingxuan immediately raised a hand to cut him off, settling the matter with finality: "It's decided. Ten percent to you. No need to haggle with me over it!"

Ji Qingzhou sighed helplessly and said, "Alright, I'll accept this kindness of yours. But Luo Mingxuan, when it comes to doing business with people in the future, you really ought to learn a thing or two from elders like Jie Yuchuan. Otherwise, with this habit of yours of being so free and easy with your money, I'm honestly afraid someone will swindle you."

"Won't happen. I'm only being generous with you because I consider you one of my own. Anyone else, don't even dream of getting a cent's advantage out of me!"

"I can vouch for that," Qiu Wenxin chimed in with a laugh. "Don't be fooled by how foolish and easy to trick this kid looks, he's only loyal and generous toward his brothers. Toward anyone else who's got nothing to do with him, he won't part with a single hair."

"Is that so." Ji Qingzhou raised an eyebrow, rather doubtful about this.

After all, back when he'd first met Luo Mingxuan, the man had first sold him a bolt of soluo silk at cost price, and later had even spent a considerable sum to buy a leather coat from him—hardly behaving like the shrewd man playing the fool that Qiu Wenxin described.

Or was it, perhaps, because of Jie Yu'an, that he'd counted Ji Qingzhou among his good friends from their very first meeting?

As Ji Qingzhou pondered this, his gaze drifted toward Jie Yu'an.

The man was just then picking up a waxberry and popping it into his mouth. Some ten-odd seconds later, he popped in another one.

Ji Qingzhou stared at him for a moment, then suddenly asked, puzzled: "Jie Yuanyuan, how come you don't spit out the pits when you eat waxberries?"

"Swallowed them," Jie Yu'an replied, expression perfectly composed.

"Huh? Well, that's it then, you're going to grow a waxberry tree in your stomach."

Ji Qingzhou propped his elbow on the armrest, resting his cheek in his hand as he looked at him, his tone carrying a note of the kind used to coax a small child.

"Wouldn't that be just perfect," Luo Mingxuan immediately chimed in, never one to shy from stirring up excitement. "By this time next year, we won't even need to spend money buying waxberries at the market, the lot of us can just go pick fresh ones straight from Brother Yuan's stomach."

"Waxberries planted this year won't bear fruit next year. Qingzhou will need to water and fertilize it well, tending to it with care," Qiu Wenxin added, joining in the teasing.

Ji Qingzhou couldn't help laughing at this: "This fertilizer you're talking about, is it something proper?"

"Ji Qingzhou." Jie Yu'an called his name with a note of veiled warning.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop!"

Ji Qingzhou still couldn't hold back a few more chuckles, then composed himself and turned to Qiu Wenxin. "Brother Xin, you brought the contract, right? Let's sign it quickly, I need to get to work."

·

Perhaps because summer had arrived and the weather had turned muggy and hot, everyone seemed to have lost some enthusiasm for having new clothes tailored. For several days running, the shop received hardly any business, mostly small mending jobs here and there, earning just thirty or fifty cents a day—barely enough to cover rent and utilities.

Still, during this stretch of time, Ji Qingzhou genuinely had no free hands to spare. Every day he was buried in the sewing room beneath the Jie residence—finishing a gown, then moving to gloves; finishing the gloves, then having to hem a shawl.

In the blink of an eye, four or five days passed, and just five days before Miss Lu's birthday, the iris-patterned dress ensemble was finally completed.

That day was a Monday, the sky overcast and gray, with a fine, continuous drizzle.

The previous evening, Ji Qingzhou had called the Lu residence and arranged to go over around nine o'clock this morning for Lu Xueying's fitting and alterations. So this morning, as soon as he finished breakfast, he prepared to set out.

The Lu family residence was located in the International Settlement, near the area around the Temple of the Queen of Heaven.

Upon learning of this, Shen Nanqi offered him a ride.

Either way, she'd be taking the train to Suzhou, which would certainly take her past the International Settlement—just a slight detour, no real trouble—and it would save Ji Qingzhou from having to squeeze onto the tram while lugging a large box.

"The plum rain season started the day before yesterday. It'll probably keep raining for at least another half month."

After getting into the car, Shen Nanqi straightened her sleeves while speaking, her tone not particularly cheerful, "So damp and stuffy, it's really unpleasant."

Being a Shaoxing native himself, Ji Qingzhou was quite familiar with the plum rain season too. He glanced out the car window at the gloomy street scene wreathed in mist and rain, and said with a wry smile, "Once the plum rains end, it'll be scorching heat—equally unpleasant either way."

"I'd honestly rather have the heat. At least then you can see the sun."

Shen Nanqi replied offhandedly, then looked at the kraft paper box he held in his arms, its surface printed with the brush-written characters "Shiji," and said, "This packaging of yours isn't bad at all, quite classy. Did Yuanyuan write these characters for you?"

"Mm, took me three minutes of begging before he agreed to write it for me," Ji Qingzhou said simply. "The boxes were custom-ordered from a paper goods shop—rather pricey, twenty cents each. I ordered ten of them for now."

"In that case, there's no need to bother with any packaging for that dress set of mine, saves you a bit of money."

Shen Nanqi smiled, then suddenly recalled something and said, "Oh right, I ran into Yang Xinzhi a while back. That qipao of hers was made here at your place, wasn't it? The color was rather plain, but it looked quite nice—suitable for me to wear at school. Why don't you just put me down on your order list, and whenever you have time, make me one like that. But I don't want any of that lace trim, hmm... take the waist in a little. I'll pay you for it later."

"Sure, but I won't take payment for this one. The fabric's cheap anyway, and it's easy enough to make."

Ji Qingzhou said this not out of generosity, but because Shen Nanqi had just given him his thirty-yuan monthly allowance a little while ago.

To take another ten yuan from her for no reason at all made him feel rather embarrassed.

Either way, the cost of making a ramie qipao was at most one or two yuan—even factoring in labor at the shop's standard rates, it would only come to five or six silver dollars. No need to haggle with Shen Nanqi over such a small amount.

"Alright then." Shen Nanqi didn't press the matter further. Seeing that they were about to arrive at their destination, she changed the subject, "Yuanyuan has hated rain since he was little. If you're not too busy these next few days, spend more time at home keeping him company. I can tell he rather enjoys chatting with you, he's in much better spirits when you're around."

Chatting, or bickering and quarreling?

Ji Qingzhou silently grumbled to himself.

Still, he had indeed been planning to take a couple days' rest recently. Being his own boss meant no paid vacation, but a person still needed to balance work and rest—if he kept spinning like a top nonstop, his mind would get no rest, and his inspiration would dry up too.

If he could finish Lu Xueying's gown commission today, the remaining work would just be Shi Xuanman's Chinese-style dress and this qipao order Shen Nanqi had just placed.

Shi Xuanman's dress had a deadline before the fifth of next month, so there was no rush yet, and Shen Nanqi's qipao could also wait a little.

Right, Chen Yanzhu's gown hadn't even had a deposit put down yet, and it wasn't fully certain she'd commission it here, so that wasn't factored into the plan for now.

As for the illustrations for the newspaper, he could draw those cooped up at home anyway—might as well count that as giving himself a break.

After running through all this in his head, he simply replied, "Alright, I'll spend more time at home with him these next couple of days."

Previous | TOC | Next