Free Web NovelChapter 451: Chapter 451: Patchwork Clothes
"My aunt made them. She made me two!"
Amanda Chapman’s face flushed, but her eyes were sparkling. It was the first time she had ever worn such a pretty floral dress. Before this, all she wore were hand-me-downs from her older brother.
Rosalind Green examined it closely and discovered the secret behind the dress. The puffed skirt was actually patchwork, pieced together from what must have been leftover fabric scraps.
"Your aunt is so good with her hands," Rosalind Green praised.
Amanda Chapman and Tang Xiao’nan both nodded enthusiastically. And how! Lana Steiner was truly gifted. Out of ten feet of floral fabric, she hadn’t wasted a single scrap—she’d used every last bit. Phoebe Huxley’s dress wasn’t finished yet, though; Lana said she wanted to take her time designing it.
"You’re good with your hands too, Aunt Green. These sesame balls are delicious."
Tang Xiao’nan took a bite of a sesame ball. ’Honestly,’ she thought, ’these are even better than the ones Phoebe Huxley makes.’
The truth was, Rosalind Green had many fine qualities, but they weren’t suited for rural life. She was like a delicate orchid from a secluded valley planted in saline soil—fit only for a wealthy household, to live the pampered life of a lady who never had to get her hands dirty.
Rosalind Green lowered her head, abashed. ’What good am I? I can’t do anything.’ All she could contribute was putting effort into their food, making sure her son and Old Master Tate ate a little better. Beyond that, she couldn’t do anything else.
But she was still unwilling to accept it.
’I really could make beautiful clothes from those scraps,’ she thought. ’Then my son could earn more money. I so want to help him... but we don’t have a sewing machine at home.’
"Why are you unhappy, Aunt Green?"
Tang Xiao’nan asked outright, noticing the sorrow in Rosalind Green’s expression.
Rosalind Green shook her head. "It’s nothing."
’The little girl couldn’t possibly help with her worries.’
Tang Xiao’nan glanced over at Adrian Hawthorne, but he was staring intently at Amanda Chapman. He’d been like that ever since Amanda walked in, and his eyes were growing brighter by the second. Tang Xiao’nan decided to scare him, but before she could make a peep, Adrian slapped his own thigh hard, making *her* jump out of her skin.
Adrian Hawthorne watched in amusement as Tang Xiao’nan patted her chest to calm down. ’Silly girl wanted to scare me,’ he thought. ’Talk about a plan backfiring.’
"Your family has a sewing machine, right?"
Before Tang Xiao’nan could even recover from the shock, she heard Adrian Hawthorne’s question and nodded. Her family did indeed have a sewing machine. She recalled it was a Butterfly brand, manufactured in Tristone. Phoebe Huxley treasured this machine just as much as Felix Thorne treasured his bicycle.
When not in use, it was always oiled and kept under a cloth cover. It was handled with extreme care. Few families in the village owned a sewing machine, so people often came over to borrow it. Phoebe Huxley only lent it to people she was close with, brushing off anyone else.
"Do you know who else in the village has a sewing machine?" Adrian Hawthorne asked again.
Tang Xiao’nan shook her head—how would she know? But Amanda Chapman piped up, "I know! There are four sewing machines in the village: my aunt’s, the fourth grandma’s family’s, the sixth grandma’s family’s, and Accountant Golding’s."
Adrian Hawthorne’s eyes grew even brighter. There were more sewing machines than he had anticipated. It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to approach Accountant Golding himself, so he’d have the village chief speak to him. The "fourth grandma" and "sixth grandma" families Amanda had mentioned were the village chief’s and Shane Thorne’s, respectively.
He was going to use these fabric scraps for a major business venture, one that could earn him more than selling whole bolts of cloth.
Adrian Hawthorne had first been inspired by his mother, Rosalind Green. Now, seeing Amanda Chapman’s new dress cemented his resolve. As long as the designs were fresh and the craftsmanship was excellent, patchwork children’s clothing was sure to be a hot seller.
He and Old Master Tate had discussed their target demographics and concluded that women and children were the biggest spenders. Unmarried women were willing to spend money on themselves, while married women were willing to spend it on their children. So, as long as the children’s clothes they produced were pretty and fashionable, they wouldn’t have to worry about sales.
