CHAPTER 103: CHAPTER 103: COTTON CANDY (FOUR UPDATES)

"Xiao Yue, don’t worry, I will definitely make more clothes," Deng Lanhua said excitedly. If she worked hard and made more clothes, she could earn more than she did in the previous month.

Sometimes, she would only earn twenty to thirty yuan in a month, but now making clothes for Tang Yue, she could earn that much in just a few days.

"Alright, Sister Lan, for those few pieces of clothing, add one size to each, and make one of each," Tang Yue said. "Thank you for your hard work, Sister Deng."

Deng Lanhua was only one person and couldn’t produce many clothes.

Tang Yue would put the clothes in her store, and they would sell out within two or three days at most; she urgently felt the need for more help.

If she could mass-produce her clothes, would she no longer need to buy stock from outside in the future? If she could set up a garment factory in Wangjiang County, that would be even more perfect.

Tang Yue took a deep breath and discussed with Tang Mingli about talking to Deng Lanhua to have her mentor an apprentice so that they could produce more clothes.

Although an apprentice couldn’t do critical tasks, they could still handle simple tasks.

As for wages, Tang Yue was still contemplating how much to pay when Deng Lanhua said, "Xiao Yue, now apprentices pay us to learn, you don’t have to pay them."

"Is that so?" Tang Yue’s eyes widened, recalling what others had mentioned before. If you want to learn to use a sewing machine, it seems you really have to find a master. Otherwise, you would have to figure it out on your own, at best doing simple stitching. You could make clothes on your own, but they definitely wouldn’t have any patterns.

"Xiao Yue, if you make more clothes in the future, I can take on two apprentices," Deng Lanhua was becoming more excited about the idea. Having two apprentices meant that, although she had to teach them, they could help her with a lot of work.

"Sister Deng, are you sure we don’t have to pay the apprentices?" Tang Yue couldn’t help asking again.

"Yes," Deng Lanhua nodded affirmatively, saying, "For each piece of clothing, I’ll give them twenty to thirty cents to start with, and if they do well, I’ll add more. They’ll definitely be willing to do it."

They might not be formal apprentices, but by following her, they would surely learn something; she believed many people would be willing.

"Then, can they guarantee not to disclose the styles of the clothes?" Tang Yue asked again.

"They will only be able to do the simplest things to begin with. I have all the styles memorized. I will do the final steps," Deng Lanhua concluded this arrangement after careful consideration.

The next day, the search for apprentices began; those who wanted to learn sewing were eager to hear that they didn’t have to pay and would even earn money, so two apprentice positions were quickly filled.

Tang Yue also made drawings from the remaining unused fabrics, asking Deng Lanhua to make them along with the previous clothes whenever she had time. With the help of the apprentices, the speed of clothes production visibly increased.

Previously, it took two days to make one piece of clothes, and it also took a long time to sew on the name.

But now it was different—one could possibly make two pieces of clothing in a day, and once the apprentices became familiar with the tasks, they could do even more. Thus, they would be able to produce even greater quantities of clothing.

Business at Ming Yue Clothing Store also improved as the clothes designed by Tang Yue became known as the best-looking, which increased the number of returning customers and the business, with each subsequent trip Tang Mingli made to the Provincial City bringing in more and more goods.

Qi Song returned from the Provincial City after three days with a cotton candy machine.

Knowing that Deng Lanhua had taken on apprentices, he didn’t comment much, only showing off to Deng Lanhua about the machine. The machine wasn’t big—in fact, it was quite small. Adding wheels to easily push it around, he could make cotton candy standing up and rest when there was no business.

"Such a small machine can make colorful cotton candies?" Deng Lanhua wondered as she looked at the machine, asking all sorts of questions during the evening.

Qi Song, using techniques he wasn’t very familiar with, turned the machine on and tried making a white cotton candy. The white and soft cotton candy looked like clouds in the sky.

Qi Wenlei, seeing the cotton candy, got excited and opened his little mouth to bite, but it was so soft that it stuck all over his face. Qi Wenlei didn’t mind, as he licked his tongue and tasted the sweetness, he grinned and said, "Sweet, mommy, sweet."

"Yes, this is cotton candy, it’s sweet," Deng Lanhua happily replied. After Qi Wenlei finished a whole cotton candy and still clamored for more, Deng Lanhua, not wanting him to have a toothache from eating too much sweet food before bed, coaxed him to sleep.

It wasn’t until he fell asleep that Deng Lanhua and Qi Song began to discuss what happened in recent days.

Qi Song’s part was simple: following the boss to learn how to make cotton candy and practicing constantly. He even went out on the streets to sell with a master of cotton candy making in the Provincial City, introduced by Wei Jiajia.

Qi Song undoubtedly learned a lot.

When it was Deng Lanhua’s turn, she was extremely excited, especially when taking out the money she had earned. Her face flushed with excitement, she said, "Qi Song, if we make more clothes in the future, we can almost pay off our debts."

"Right, Xiao Yue is truly our benefactor," Qi Song commented feelingly.

"Yes," Deng Lanhua said, moved. "You don’t know how beautiful those clothes are. I’ve never seen clothes that pretty before. Her mind is like magic, able to create gorgeous clothes beyond our imagination."

"It’s just, don’t you think a processing fee of five yuan per piece of clothing is a bit expensive?" Qi Song murmured.

Deng Lanhua looked at him intently before replying, "Xiao Yue probably knew that I had undercharged for the materials a bit, that’s why she’s willing to pay so much. Besides, she orders in large quantities."

"The first time I met Xiao Yue, I thought, even if I lost some money selling those woolen fabrics at a low price, I could still make some money back and not lose everything."

Deng Lanhua expressed, "Now that I have two apprentices, I’ve already made a deal with them. If they work with me for a year, they earn twenty to thirty cents per piece of clothing. With more clothes made, it compensates for other costs, and we will earn even more than before."

"Qi Song, I truly feel that Xiao Yue is a person worth befriending. Even though she’s young, just in Senior High School, I always have a feeling that following her will surely make our lives better and better," Deng Lanhua’s eyes filled with hope.

Qi Song nodded affirmatively, saying, "Lanhua, you should be clear about the pricing in the future; even blood brothers keep clear accounts. Xiao Yue is our benefactor, and precisely because of this, we should be more grateful."