Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 227: Limited Talent

Chi Jiaojiao looked towards Yu Ritang for help, who smiled, "It’s no use looking at me, look at Chichi. She’s an expert in this area, let her give you some advice."

That makes sense.

Chi Jiaojiao smiled at Yi Chichi, "Mr. Yi, sorry to trouble you."

This meant leaving the problem to her to solve. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Then let’s have a chat."

"Alright."

Thus, Yi Chichi started chatting with her.

Then, she realized Chi Jiaojiao was a treasure of a girl, with her own opinions, independent thinking, and character. Don’t be deceived by her delicate appearance; she’s gentle on the outside but strong on the inside.

Compared to skirts, she actually prefers pants.

Yi Chichi had a grasp of this, "Did you bring fabric?"

"At Tangtang’s place."

She smiled embarrassedly, "I brought a lot of fabric and didn’t know which style you’d make, so I thought I’d settle on a design before choosing the fabric."

There was too much, making it hard to carry.

"Can I see the drawings first?"

"Sure."

The team doctor’s office had her drawing tools, so creating a design draft on the spot wasn’t difficult for Yi Chichi.

"Just a moment, I’ll go get the drawing tools."

"Okay."

Two minutes later, fully equipped, Yi Chichi sat at the table and began sketching in front of the two.

Already when determining Chi Jiaojiao’s preference for pants, Yi Chichi had a preliminary idea for the style, with an automatically simulated image in her mind.

Now what she needed to do was to transfer the mental image onto paper with a pen.

The pen tip wandered across the paper, forming details like sleeves and collars, making Yu Ritang and Chi Jiaojiao unable to take their eyes off.

Suddenly, Chi Jiaojiao lightly poked Yu Ritang with her finger, raised her chin slightly when she looked over, nodding towards Yi Chichi who was focused on drawing, and asked in a near-whisper, "Has she studied drawing?"

Yu Ritang replied, "It’s quite obvious."

It’s impossible not to have learned and have such skillful technique; after all, among the people she knows, Yi Chichi draws the best.

"I remember you also studied."

"Yes."

Chi Jiaojiao nodded, "But I have limited talent; after so many years, I’ve only learned the basics."

Without a brush, she was Grandma and Grandpa’s dear Jiaojiao, but once she held one, she became the untalented log in Grandma and Grandpa’s eyes.

There were times she couldn’t make any progress.

Thinking of Grandma and Grandpa’s assessment of her drawing talent, she couldn’t help but sigh, "Mr. Yi being in Harbin would be perfect."

This sudden comment left Yu Ritang confused and Yi Chichi somewhat perplexed.

She puzzled, "Why would I be perfect in Harbin?"

"So you could be introduced to my Grandma and Grandpa as a student."

Chi Jiaojiao spoke smoothly, only realizing later that it wasn’t Tangtang’s voice.

She glanced down at Yi Chichi, discovering she was still drawing, with the top already done and now working on the pants, leaving her stunned.

"How are you drawing so fast?"

"The rough sketch doesn’t take much time."

Refined illustrations take longer, but this is just to draft ideas; once the design is confirmed, she’ll refine and finalize it.

As they spoke, the first drawing was completed, and Yi Chichi began on the second.

Chi Jiaojiao’s eyes lit up, thinking there was just one design, but there were multiple options?

Yu Ritang got closer, watching intently with Chi Jiaojiao as she quickly drew five designs.

"Alright, pick from these."

Neatly numbering the drawings, Yi Chichi put down her pen and handed them over.

The two gathered together, reviewing and discussing each one.

Then—

"3, I think design 3 looks the best, and suits you the most."

This was Yu Ritang.

Chi Jiaojiao agreed, though she also liked the other designs besides 3.

After a struggle, she made a surprising decision, "Mr. Yi, can I have all five made?"

"What?"

Yi Chichi hadn’t reacted, but Yu Ritang was shocked, "All five? Do you know how much it costs to have her make five outfits?"

Oh right, they hadn’t discussed the price yet.

Chi Jiaojiao instinctively clutched her pocket, looking warily at Yi Chichi, "Mr. Yi, if I have all five made, how much would it cost?"

"Apart from 3 and 5 which are more expensive, the other three are thirty per set."

"How much are 3 and 5?"

Yi Chichi curved her lips into a smile, "Design 3 is 120, and design 5 is 220."

Chi Jiaojiao found these prices reasonable, lower than she expected, but—

"Why did Tangtang’s piece cost 300?"

"The embroidery pattern is complex; it’s a phoenix."

Even though it’s not a complete phoenix, with only parts like the crest, hanging feathers, neck, main tail feathers, and tail-eye embroidered, its craftsmanship is undeniably intricate.

"Could you create a few more dresses suitable for older women?"

Yi Chichi waved her hand in refusal, "If it’s for you, I can make a design; otherwise, I decline."

"Why?"

Chi Jiaojiao couldn’t comprehend why she wouldn’t take business brought to her; isn’t the money appealing?

Yu Ritang was also curious.

"There’s no sizing."

Yi Chichi explained with a wry smile, "I haven’t met the person, so I can’t customize it based on personal measurements. If you’re just looking to make new clothes, you don’t necessarily need me; any experienced craftsman at a state-operated tailor shop can do it."

That’s true.

Chi Jiaojiao then asked, "Does the person have to be in front of you?"

Yi Chichi smiled and shook her head.

"Really can’t do it?"

Though it’s possible, she still had a double-sided embroidery project in hand and didn’t want to overload herself with too much work.

Handling Chi Jiaojiao’s request was just about enough.

Too much greed leads to indigestion.

Time must be managed well.

"Sorry."

She refused once again.

Chi Jiaojiao gave up completely and started discussing her own clothing with her.

Originally planning to make all five, persuaded by Yi Chichi, she gave up on designs 1 and 4, finally deciding on 2, 3, and 5.

Looking at the three chosen designs, Yi Chichi took out design 5, "This one requires special fabric."

"What kind of special fabric?"

"It needs material with a strong drape."

"I have that."

Upon hearing ’strong drape,’ the smoky gray fabric she brought immediately came to Chi Jiaojiao’s mind, "But the color is smoky gray, is that okay?"

"Perfect."

Yi Chichi was pleasantly surprised; for design 5, she initially planned three colors—black, white, and gray.

Other colors wouldn’t suit, and in this era, they are hard to find, making it difficult to even find a similar shade as a substitute.

Only black, white, gray, navy, green, and red were mainstream colors.

Red was scarce, let alone true red.

The remaining few colors were common.

No way around it, no love for red outfits, more love for military wear, and those not in military gear favored workwear in this period.

"Design 5 will use smoky gray, paired with a white shirt, either cotton or satin will do; silk fabric would be even better."

Chi Jiaojiao nodded repeatedly and asked, "Is silk crepe okay?"

Yi Chichi raised her eyebrows, just what is this girl’s background?

She seemed even more impressive than the family Yu Ritang married into?