The Prime Minister’s Beloved Wife

The next day, Bai Yu Yan went back to the shop. Manager Gao and Zhang Song had already arrived and were waiting for her.

“Manager Gao, did you manage to arrange all the things that I told you about yesterday?”, As soon as she entered, Bai Yu Yan asked the important matter.

“Yes, First Miss. There is a room at the back where this servant has arranged all the machines. If there is anything more to do then First Miss can tell this servant.” After the incident of yesterday, Manager Gao was eager to prove his worth to Bai Yu Yan. He was willing to give away his salary for a few months but not to be kicked out.

“Okay, first, stop calling me First Miss. Now my identity is not the first daughter of the Bai house but the owner of this shop. And second, when there is no outsider, none of you will refer to yourself as this servant. Those who work here are the employees and I am your employer. Remember that.”

Manager Gao the rest were dumbfounded hearing what she said. How can they refer to themselves as ‘I’ when they were just small servants?

Bai Yu Yan knew that it’s not how things worked here. The world where she was living now was the one where buying and selling slaves were legal. But no matter how many days she had been here, she just couldn’t get used to it. So in order to ensure a comfortable working environment, she had to make these people forget the master-servant role, at least when they are in the shop. After all, her profession was all about creativity and she knew for sure that creativity couldn’t develop without a free mind.

Although they were not really used to the idea, no one dared to oppose it.

After that, Manager Gao led Bai Yu Yan and the others to the room at the back. When he opened the door, Yu Yan’s eyes were instantly drawn towards the big sewing machine lying on the table. The sewing machine of this time was a lot larger than what Bai Yu Yan had in the 21st-century. Still, it was better than using hands to sew the entire garment.

The room was big and bright with sun spilling inside through the large window. The wooden floor was clean without a speck of dust. Two tables were neatly arranged facing the window. The light would help in embroidering and making small details of the dress a lot easier. As she roamed her eyes inside the room, Yu Yan couldn’t help but like it. But what surprised her was the other sewing machine which looked a bit old and rusted.

“Did you buy two sewing machines?”, asked Bai Yu Yan, turning towards Manager Gao.

“No, First Mi- I mean Boss, that was brought by Zhang Song. I didn’t buy it.”, Manager Gao rushed to answer before Bai Yu Yan cut its cost from his salary.

Bai Yu Yan looked at the woman who was quiet from the beginning and was silently wringing her fingers. “Did you bring it here?”, she asked.

Seeing that the question was directed at her, Zhang Song answered in a small voice, “T_That there was a sewing machine in my old shop. So, yesterday when I accidentally heard that the shop was lacking sewing machines, I brought it here. But it is old and...Miss might not like it.”

“Why would I not like it? As long as it is usable, it will be of great help to us. Our shop is still in the early phase so buying everything new would just be a waste of money. You did the right thing by bringing it here.”, Bai Yu Yan looked at Zhang Song with a smile.

Now that the set up was ready, it was time for them to start. The spring banquet was less than 2 weeks away and they had to finish Consort Shu’s dress before that.

At first, Yu Yan wanted to check Zhang Song’s skill with her own eyes before planning on what kind of work to assign her. So she randomly gave her a long strip of chiffon to make the bottom part of a long dress in Xiao Fan’s size. The time given to her was 45 minutes.

Chiffon is the most important lightweight fabric used in fashion and design for centuries. If Zhang Song knew how to work with it then she could become a very useful asset for Bai Yu Yan.

Although the time given to her was lacking, Zhang Song didn't complain and started taking Xiao Fan’s measurements. Bai Yu Yan and the others left the room to let her work alone. She had other matters to settle.

Outside, Bai Yu Yan discussed the layout of the shop. They had to first start with its name. As the purpose of the shop changed from selling raw materials to the customized dress, many things had to be changed. The renovation could be done in just a few days. She had sold some of the jewelry of the original owner that she was sure not to wear in the future. Adding it to the pocket money she receives in the Lu manor, it wouldn’t be difficult to make a simple renovation and decoration.

By the time Yu Yan was done explaining her ideas to Manager Gao, Zhang Song also came outside. It seemed she had already finished her work.

Bai Yu Yan looked at the time. It was less than half a shichen, which means she finished it within 45 minutes. She inwardly nodded her head and took the skirt from Zhang Song, who looked hesitant to let her see it.

Yu Yan carefully looked at the skirt in her hand. The flair was just to the right degree. The border was meticulously sewn so that the thread wouldn’t come off. The thread lines were made indistinct by sewing it from the inner side. It truly impressed her.

Bai Yu Yan looked at Zhang Song. The girl seemed to be her age. If she could train Zhang Song for a few months, she had no doubt that this girl had the capability to become a master in this. Yu Yan could finally say that she didn’t make a mistake by hiring her.

“You’ve done it well!”, she smiled looking at Zhang Song. 

Note: 1 Shichen = 2 hrs