CHAPTER 67: CHAPTER 67: COMPENSATION AVAILABLE

Yu Ritang had no choice but to agree to take the fabric.

As she was about to leave, she seemed to remember something and came back, pointing at the sketches on the table, embarrassed to ask, "Can I take this with me?"

Yi Chichi responded by handing the sketches to her, "These aren’t even half-finished; if you like them, they’re yours."

At that moment, Yu Ritang didn’t quite understand what "not even half-finished" meant, until she prepared an entire set of drawing materials and embroidery thread and came back to Yi Chichi. After seeing her final designs, she was utterly captivated.

"I want these two pieces. Chichi, you must make the clothes according to these two sketches for me."

She shook Yi Chichi’s shoulders desperately, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Make, make, make."

Yi Chichi’s brain was practically shaking inside her skull, she was getting dizzy and hurriedly shouted back.

Upon getting a satisfactory answer, Yu Ritang beamed with a brilliant smile and urged her like a nagging spirit, "Then hurry up and start making, I’ll watch you make them."

Is she crazy?

Does she even know how troublesome making these clothes exactly according to the designs will be?

Sure, making clothes isn’t hard—drafting patterns, cutting, and stitching— she can do all that in no time with her speed.

But embroidery takes a long time.

Moreover —

"Measurements haven’t been taken, and prices haven’t been discussed!"

Hearing this, Yu Ritang didn’t have much of a reaction, but Aunt Ma, who was gazing at the final designs in awe, shivered all over and swiftly asked, "How much?"

She entirely ignored the earlier issue of measurements, her mind focused solely on the price.

She even looked a bit worried as if she thought Yi Chichi didn’t know how to price her work and mentioned the pricing of the public communal tailoring shop for reference.

Yi Chichi was speechless, and Yu Ritang wasn’t much better off. Listening to Aunt Ma mention labor charges from two to six yuan, she couldn’t help but retort, "Aunt, that price certainly isn’t enough for Chichi."

"Certainly not enough."

Even a few yuan for customized tailoring, entirely handmade and embroidered—she would have to be insane to accept such a business.

Aunt Ma fell silent, six yuan of labor costs not enough?

"Then how much should it be?"

She couldn’t help but voice the curiosity gnawing at her mind.

Yu Ritang also looked over, her gaze inquiring.

Yi Chichi held up three fingers, Yu Ritang hesitantly asked, "Thirty?"

If it was that price, it would be a bargain.

After all, buying an overcoat isn’t cheap, and you would need special industrial coupons.

Aunt Ma gasped, shocked—goodness, it cost thirty to make two garments. Their whole family might not even earn that much working hard till the end of the year.

She was about to help her niece negotiate, but Yi Chichi interrupted with, "Add a zero."

Aunt Ma, "? ? ?"

She suspected she was hearing things—add a zero, could that possibly make sense?

"Are you sure you didn’t say it wrong?"

She couldn’t believe it.

Yi Chichi smiled, "I didn’t say it wrong, my embroidery is worth that price."

After hearing her say that, Yu Ritang was silent for two seconds and then said, "If the finished product doesn’t match the design, what then?"

"I can compensate double!"

Yi Chichi was very confident, "We can set the delivery date for a month before your wedding. If the finished product differs from the design, the clothes are mine. I’d compensate double for labor cost, materials, and even time lost."

"A month is enough time for you to find another tailor or arrange to get clothing from Beijing and Shanghai."

Aunt Ma didn’t pay much attention to that last part; her mind was filled with Yi Chichi’s claim that she could compensate double, prompting her to burst out in shock, "Double means six hundred?"

Yi Chichi nodded, and the aunt and niece looked at each other in silence.

What kind of confidence must one have to speak such bold words?!

Aunt Ma hesitantly urged, "Tangtang dear, I think that price is too high, maybe you should find another tailor?"

Three hundred yuan—it wasn’t just too high; it was exorbitant.

In this era where the average salary was no more than ten to at most fifty or sixty yuan, her niece was willing to spend three hundred yuan on clothes...

OMG, just thinking about it made her almost faint.

Clutching her chest as if she were short of breath, she said, "Tangtang dear, listen to your aunt, that price really doesn’t work."

It’s too expensive, really too expensive!

However, Yu Ritang was a rebellious spirit. Initially hesitant, upon hearing her aunt’s advice, she not only didn’t give up as her aunt expected but rather adamantly declared, "I’m not changing!"

Three hundred it is—she’d go all in.

Her standards were high to begin with, otherwise, her wedding date wouldn’t be set so late.

Now that she had finally found a skilled and supremely confident tailor, she wasn’t willing to let it go.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime event; even though the times weren’t great, she wanted to showcase her beauty as best as possible within the bounds of propriety.

She wanted to be the most beautiful bride.

"We’ll do as you say, but it’s understood, if the final product doesn’t match the design and isn’t satisfactory, you’ll compensate me."

"Sure, but I have one condition!"

"Let’s hear it."

Three hundred yuan agreed upon, Yu Ritang felt that nothing else was a problem.

However, whether to agree right away depended on what Yi Chichi’s condition was.

In fact, Yi Chichi’s request wasn’t anything special, just for them to keep the price confidential unless strictly necessary.

Yu Ritang immediately understood—this meant not disclosing the price to anyone outside the customer circle, except to those who had the economic capability and backing and weren’t constrained by the larger environment.

Every era had its special groups. Clearly, Yi Chichi’s craftsmanship was only accessible to such groups.

Understanding this, she smiled, "Rest assured, I understand."

This wasn’t a price most could afford, and telling others would only bring trouble without any benefit.

Aunt Ma pledged with full confidence, "Don’t worry, Chichi, Aunt won’t say a word."

The village, including her family, was poor; working hard all year didn’t earn much, and spending three hundred on two garments was beyond their understanding.

If word spread, it wouldn’t bring envy but derision for being foolish.

Yes, her niece was a fool too.

Really, if she knew her family had wealth, the Yu family only had one child, her brother-in-law’s family revered her, and her fiancé had quite a background. Otherwise, she’d tie her niece up with ropes and send her home to let her parents beat some sense into her.

There’s no way to be this wasteful.

But they had money, so she didn’t concern herself with it.

As long as her niece was happy, it wasn’t her money, so why worry.

With their assurance, the rest was simple.

She picked up a measuring tape and beckoned to Yu Ritang, "Take off your clothes for measurements!"

Yu Ritang looked at her military coat and thick cotton jacket and after nodding, quickly shed the two thick garments, then spread out her arms, "Go ahead!"