chapter 10 ：The willful shop owner

Lucy Bai understood which one she was referring to and said, "The material of that one is high-quality, and the style is not bad, but the embroidery craftsmanship isn't very good."

"Isn't it good? It looks like it's hand-embroidered, and the floral embroidery looks quite realistic," Jingmei Ye said.

"You haven't seen good embroidery work before. It's a pity," Lucy Bai sighed. "In the past, Suhuan specialized in making qipaos for people, and Master Su's craftsmanship was truly outstanding. The embroidered patterns on the qipaos were incredibly lifelike. Unfortunately, she passed away early, and there was no one to inherit her skills. Sumeng hasn't been the same since."

Jingmei Ye sensed that there was a story behind this and remarked, "So, it seems that you used to be a regular customer at this store, sister-in-law."

"Yes, when Master Su was alive, I used to have her make qipaos for me regularly. But later on, the skills of other tailors didn't meet my expectations, so I stopped ordering qipaos," Lucy Bai explained.

Jingmei Ye also expressed her regret, "It's a real shame. Since you haven't found anything you like, shall we leave?"

Lucy Bai nodded in agreement, and the two sisters-in-law prepared to leave.

"Two ladies, please wait a moment."

Ava An called out to them as they were turning to leave.

Lucy Bai and Jingmei Ye stopped in their tracks and turned back. They saw a young girl coming down from upstairs, carrying a large cardboard box. She placed the box down and approached them.

"So, you're in the store. We thought there was no one here," Jingmei Ye said when she saw Ava An.

Ava An nodded and gave Lucy Bai a deep look. Then she picked up the water-blue qipao they had mentioned earlier and gestured with it in front of Lucy Bai.

Lucy Bai didn't understand her intention and was about to say that she didn't like the dress when the young girl spoke up, "Well, madam, you have fair skin and an elegant temperament, which indeed complements the water-blue color. However, as you mentioned, the embroidery on this qipao is subpar, and wearing it would diminish your charm. The frog buttons are ordinary, and this style is not suitable for a full frog closure. A half-frog closure with a zipper would be a slightly better choice."

Jingmei Ye was taken aback, "Young lady, are you a salesperson at this store?"

Who would openly criticize their own store's clothes in front of customers? Did this salesperson have a grudge against the owner?

"I'm not a salesperson; I'm the owner," Ava An responded straightforwardly. She then continued, "Besides the color, there's nothing about this qipao that suits your elegance. The gold-thread embroidery here is done on a single layer, and there's an additional lining for the sake of the inner appearance, which is quite outdated. In my opinion, it should use double-sided embroidery and be made as a single-layer garment. Also, the slit on the skirt doesn't need to be this high. In terms of length, I think it should be just one or two centimeters below the knee for you."

Jingmei Ye was left speechless. It was already unusual for a salesperson to criticize their store's clothing, and now the owner was even more forthright. Could it be that the qipaos in this store were not designed by her?

Lucy Bai, on the other hand, seemed to have found a kindred spirit. She nodded in delight at Ava An's words, "You have a great eye. However, there are very few people who can do double-sided embroidery, and it's quite labor-intensive. Nowadays, most qipaos use single-sided embroidery, or some even resort to direct printing."

"Direct printing is even worse," Ava An scorned, not mincing her words. Then she added, "Madam, how about I design a qipao for you? I'll personally design and make it. We can use the same real silk fabric as this qipao. I saw an extra piece of fabric upstairs; it should be enough for making a qipao for you."

Lucy Bai was surprised, "You can make qipaos?"

"Yes," Ava An nodded, then remembered something and explained, "I just took over this store today, and the qipaos here were not made by me. I was actually planning to clean up and discard everything."

"Discard them!" Jingmei Ye exclaimed. She glanced at the qipaos in the store; there were at least dozens of them. She had touched some earlier, and many were made from genuine silk. They say an inch of real silk is worth an inch of gold, and yet this young lady was talking about discarding them. Quite assertive!
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