"Tang Yue!" Zhang Tingyu’s eyes lit up as she looked at Tang Yue, her face flushed as she rushed over to her, blinked and asked, "Don’t you also think it’s more comfortable not to wear a vest?"
"Do you also prefer not to wear one when you sleep at night?" Ever since Zhang Tingyu started wearing a vest, she had always taken it off to sleep, and she always felt embarrassed about it. Now that she heard Tang Yue say the same, she felt as if she had found a kindred spirit.
"Yes," Tang Yue nodded, seeing her joyful expression seemed to remind her of her own past. She used to sleep in a vest too, until she found out that others didn’t, and that was when she started to do the same.
With earnestness, she said, "Tingyu, I just wear pajamas to bed at night, nothing else. And sleeping is all about being comfortable, right? If it’s uncomfortable, it might even be harmful to the body."
Right now, there’s none of those fancy yet fashionable underwear available in the future. If you were to actually wear those to sleep, it would be the ones that could affect your breasts.
"I think so too," Zhang Tingyu said, chattering away with Tang Yue as if she had truly found someone who shared her opinions.
The curriculum for the second year of senior high became even more intense, and even Tang Yue had to spend more time and effort on her studies. She was not a genius, just someone with a better memory than others, in addition to a bit of a foundation from before. With her efforts and attention, naturally, her academic performance led the way.
But likewise, Tang Yue spent more time studying compared to her average classmates, and then there was also the matter of designing drafts. Tang Yue would wake up at six o’clock in the morning and go to bed at eleven or twelve at night, maintaining an extremely regular routine.
Another busy week went by. With Ding Chao taking over as the factory manager, he handled most of the factory affairs. A lot of female workers from Qianjin Village and Shuanghe Town were recruited, some inexperienced, and others skilled. The factory staff was replenished with new employees.
They also hired a warehouse manager, and each group had their group leaders who managed the personnel. While the factory’s output did not increase, it remained stable.
After such a long time, Deng Lanhua completely familiarized herself with the factory, and the two apprentices she trained also became her capable assistants.
Tang Yue roamed around the county for a while, apart from vests and some very ordinary bras, there were no other options. She couldn’t remember when the widespread availability began, but it definitely wasn’t in the eighties, probably in the nineties.
If they could be popularized earlier, it would be a good thing!
She decided to try making them first, and if they turned out well, there was no reason not to consider it.
Clothing design and bras, although both are garments, are two distinct categories. Even for Tang Yue, it was hard to make them perfectly right. She tried several times, either sizing them wrong, or making them unwearable.
Tang Yue simply put it aside for the time being, planning to look out for talent in this area later. There were many other things to take care of, and she couldn’t afford to spend too much time on bras.
"Eh, Tingyu, what are you using that fabric for?" Tang Yue vaguely sensed something as she saw Zhang Tingyu carrying a piece of cloth.
Zhang Tingyu smiled shyly and said, "Well, my mom thought the pajamas I brought back were so nice, so she took out some cotton fabric from home, hoping you could help her make a couple of sets."
"Xiao Yue, there’s no hurry for the clothes, it’s the same if you make them for my mom some other day." Zhang Tingyu was worried about taking up her time.
Tang Yue took the fabric.
Zhang Tingyu added, "Xiao Yue, if you don’t have the time, you can tell me how to make them."
"It’s no trouble, two sets of pajamas are easy to make. I’ll make them for you during the weekend," Tang Yue replied nonchalantly, as cutting and sewing pajamas wasn’t much of a time-consuming task.
"What size does Aunt Zhang wear?" Tang Yue inquired.
Zhang Tingyu hurriedly handed over the measurements, her smile beaming as she said, "Thank you, Xiao Yue."
"Tingyu, don’t be so formal, or I won’t do it," Tang Yue said, feigning anger at her.
Renting Zhang Tingyu’s parents’ house to them was certainly a bargain; they had inquired about other houses nearby, which were at least US$150 per year, but they managed to rent it for just US$90, saving them a good amount of money.
Also, the convenience of living in the dormitory now was all thanks to Zhang Tingyu.
Every Saturday and Sunday, Zhang Tingyu brought a lot of snacks, each kind in double portions, not the usual snacks, but those brought in from Jing City or abroad.
As the saying goes, one good turn deserves another; she was clear in her heart that Zhang Tingyu treated her sincerely, so naturally, she also sincerely regarded Zhang Tingyu as a friend.
"Xiao Yue, you are truly amazing." Zhang Tingyu saw the three sets of pajamas and two sets of autumn clothes. To distinguish them, Tang Yue had added decorations to the designs – although they were made from the same fabric, they looked very distinct.
The leftover fabric was made by Tang Yue into sleeveless summer nightgowns with white ruffle lace trim, looking exceptionally beautiful.
"Xiao Yue, your hands are really skilled." Zhang Tingyu kept turning the clothes over and over, her eyes clearly filled with joy.
"Next summer, I’ll make you a few more outfits," Tang Yue said cheery, knowing that not many people would buy spring and summer nightgowns at present, but making some for family members to wear was still a good thing to do.
Next year, she planned not to make pajamas but rather casual homewear that could be worn at home and even out for evening walks.
"Okay!" Zhang Tingyu said with a smile, tugging at Tang Yue, "Xiao Yue, you’re set on this now, you have to help me make it next year."
"Of course," Tang Yue nodded affirmatively.
Zhang Tingyu suddenly remembered the things she brought this week. She said, "Xiao Yue, these are test papers my uncle brought back. We’ll each take one set, um, and then we’ll grade each other’s answers to see who’s better. Last time you scored ten more points than me, this time, I’m definitely going to beat you!"
Zhang Tingyu, thinking back to the test papers they did last week, felt a pang of regret that she had scored ten points less than Tang Yue due to a mistake on one question.
"Alright, my math isn’t as good as yours by a few points. This time, I have to catch up," Tang Yue replied with full competitive spirit. Her English and Chinese were clearly better than her math, and overall she was stronger in humanities than in sciences.
At the large table in the living room, Tang Yue and Zhang Tingyu sat opposite each other, furiously writing out their test papers. Ever since the two started living together, both of their grades had noticeably improved a lot.
Zhang Minmin stayed over for one day but left the next, exclaiming, "Goodness, these two are simply..."
Even during meals, they spoke in English, or else they conversed in classical Chinese. On the way to and from classes, they recited various formulas.
And when they sat on the couch in the dormitory playing games, they were unlike others – while most people played with dice, they used translated English sentences. Whoever couldn’t continue the conversation lost...