Watching a beautiful flower take shape in Su Xiaotian’s hands, the girls were stunned.
“Xiaotian, the flowers you make are much prettier than these we bought.”
Naturally, they were prettier. The quality was different from the start. Su Xiaotian used silk, while what they bought today was just ordinary gauze.
Quality determined excellence.
However, Su Xiaotian wouldn’t say such a thing at this moment.
“Xiaotian, we can’t wear these like this!” Li Jianhong said hesitantly, holding the flower Su Xiaotian had sewn.
“Sew a hair tie, then stitch this flower onto it, and it will be a complete hair accessory,” Su Xiaotian said, demonstrating again.
After watching, the girls felt it wasn’t difficult. They all came from the countryside, so this kind of work was easy for them.
“Why don’t we buy some more materials and try?” Li Jianhong asked, eager to try.
They could buy a small amount of materials first to try. If they could sell them, this might be a way to earn money.
Even if they couldn’t sell them, the initial investment would be small, and the loss wouldn’t be significant.
Su Xiaotian suggested, “I’ll ask Aunt Taohua. Their factory must have scraps of cloth, which are cheaper than buying large pieces of fabric.”
“Then we’ll buy some clips, hair ties, and the like, and we can get started,” Qi Xiaofang said happily.
Qian Xiaobei, however, hesitated.
“But it’s almost the first lunar month, and according to our customs, we shouldn’t do needlework in the first month,” Qian Xiaobei said timidly.
She felt like she was holding everyone back.
Everyone else was thinking of ways to make money, yet she was saying such things.
But the elders at home really did say that.
“What customs? According to customs, we shouldn’t even spend New Year at someone else’s house!” Li Jianhong said casually.
Qian Xiaobei realized that was indeed the case.
It just so happened that there was nothing else to do at home during the New Year, so it was perfect for doing needlework.
After all, they couldn’t be so tactless as to always be around the Su family.
When a whole family was together, it wouldn’t be good for them to intrude.
Thinking about it, if they worked a little each day for seven days, they would accomplish quite a bit.
“Let’s eat first, and after eating, we’ll continue shopping, trying to buy more things,” Su Xiaotian said, also getting interested.
“If the hair accessories we make turn out well, they can also be sold in my boutique. The prices will be higher than selling at a street stall.”
The girls were even more excited to hear that the things they made might be displayed in Su Xiaotian’s boutique.
“Xiaotian, are you serious?”
They knew how expensive the items in the boutique were. If their creations could really be displayed on the boutique’s counters, they would be making a huge profit.
Su Xiaotian smiled and said, “As long as they are made well, of course they can. I just discovered that not only Xiaofang is skillful, but you two are also good. I believe in your craftsmanship.”
The girls, who had felt exhausted, found their energy renewed after a short rest.
After a simple meal, they immediately went out and started a big shopping spree.
This time, they went directly back to the Du family’s siheyuan, as they had to process the purchased items there.
The several large bags of goods were much more than they had initially planned.
It couldn’t be helped. Aunt Taohua’s factory had so much fabric suitable for hair clips and headbands that the girls were spoiled for choice and easily picked a large bag. Since the main raw material was more, other accessories naturally increased as well.
“With so much material, when will you be able to finish processing it?” Su Xiaotian felt it was a daunting task.
She had enough patience to read books every day, but she really didn’t have enough patience for needlework.
Li Jianhong said with a smile, “We’ll finish processing these quickly. If we sell them all before school starts, we can earn quite a bit of money.”
Although she wasn’t studying economics, she could still do simple accounting.
Let alone the fact that their hair accessories were of good quality and priced higher, even if they sold them at the same price, each person could earn at least twenty to thirty yuan.
“Earning money is important, but health is even more important. Don’t overexert yourselves to earn money,” Su Xiaotian cautioned her roommates, worried they might work day and night on the hair clips.
They might feel fine relying on their youth now, thinking it was okay to stay up late, but they would understand in a few years.
“Xiaotian, don’t worry, we won’t be that foolish.”
They were students, and their primary responsibility was studying, not making money.
Making money was a side hustle, and they would only allocate a small portion of their time to it.
Su Xiaotian nodded, “That’s good. Make more designs, so there will be more variety to choose from.”
Qi Xiaofang and Li Jianhong nodded repeatedly.
“Xiaotian, we still don’t know enough. Can you teach us some more?” Qian Xiaobei said with little confidence.
Su Xiaotian smiled, “Then come to our house for dinner tonight. After dinner, we can do some more needlework.”
“But…” Li Jianhong wanted to start processing right away.
“Sharpening the axe doesn’t delay the woodcutting! Let’s go!” Su Xiaotian invited the girls.
There were indeed more designs to teach them.
Since she had chosen to teach them how to fish, Su Xiaotian had no intention of holding back.
In the end, the girls returned to the Su family’s home.
Fortunately, the two houses were very close, only a few minutes away.
When they arrived at the Su family’s home, they didn’t wait for dinner but helped prepare it.
Dinner was bean noodles, a very characteristic northwestern noodle dish that tasted excellent, and everyone in the Su family loved it.
When Grandma Su and the others returned home, they were indeed delighted to see the bean noodles.
After dinner, when they learned that the girls planned to make hair accessories themselves, everyone was very interested. They even said that they would join in during the New Year when they had nothing to do.
Su Xiaotian quickly said, “Grandma, you’ve finally got a few days off, you should rest at home.”
Grandma Su smiled and said, “Alas, my eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be. I can’t do needlework as well as before.”
“Not at all, Grandma Su, you’re still young!” Li Jianhong said, flattering Grandma Su with a smile.
Everyone was harmonious and happy.
While Su Xiaotian taught the girls how to make hair accessories, Grandma Su and the others watched from the side, occasionally offering their opinions and suggestions.
Especially Yu Ruiyuan, who studied art, had better aesthetics than others, and her opinions and suggestions were more useful.
Soon, the girls mastered quite a few designs, and then they accompanied the elderly Du couple back home.
As they were leaving, Yu Ruiyuan said she would come early the next morning to help prepare the New Year’s goods.
Hearing this, the other three girls realized they were not behaving correctly.
Tomorrow, they needed to prepare New Year’s food, so they should have started proofing the dough tonight.
How could they not have thought of proactively helping with these tasks?
“Grandma Yu, Grandpa Du, why don’t we stay a little longer? We can help with kneading the dough,” Qi Xiaofang said.