Sisi’s skilled actions pleased Zhu Aiqing greatly, and she quietly said to Tian Manjin, "Ah Nan really has a talent for sewing clothes, look how proficiently she operates the sewing machine!"
"Ah Nan is so clever, she learns anything well. Even the dishes she cooks are better than yours."
Tian Manjin did not even lift his head, focusing intently on the book in his hands—a book on agriculture that Sisi asked He Xuewen to obtain for him. She felt that Tian Manjin should not waste his potential, even if living in the countryside, he should still learn more. In the past life, many people succeeded in agriculture, and she believed her father, Tian Manjin, could follow this path and become a prominent agriculturalist, no worse than others.
Zhu Aiqing felt a bitter frustration; she considered herself smart and capable, excellent in all tasks except cooking. She could never seem to make tasty dishes, indeed not as good as Ah Nan’s, so hearing her husband say it outright made her teeth itch with frustration, and she punched Tian Manjin several times.
Tian Manjin didn’t feel a thing, just chuckled and continued reading. He was captivated by the book, surprised that there was such depth in the topic. It introduced entirely new concepts to him such as greenhouse farming, grafting, etc., giving him both a fresh perspective and showing him a new path forward.
Sisi worked swiftly and soon finished sewing a shirt, even reinforcing and double-layering the collar to make it sturdier, and affixed white plastic buttons that He Xuewen had bought from the town, securing the buttonholes.
Having completed the task, Sisi rubbed her sore eyes and hands, stretched lazily—though tired, she felt a sense of accomplishment. She shook out the shirt; it looked pretty good. Pleased with herself, she called out to Tian Manjin:
"Daddy, come and try on the shirt, see if it fits!"
Tian Manjin was startled; he hadn’t expected that his daughter had been making him clothes after being busy for so many days. Deeply touched, he immediately put down his book and hurried over to Sisi, taking the shirt from her hands.
"Daddy, try it on quickly. This is my belated birthday gift for you! Do you like it?" Sisi said sweetly.
"I love it, I really love it, Ah Nan. How did you still remember Daddy’s birthday? Don’t make clothes anymore, it’s too tiring!" Tian Manjin felt distressed for his daughter’s efforts.
"It’s not tiring. Daddy, just try it on, this is the first piece of clothing I’ve made."
Tian Manjin joyfully tried on the shirt outside his undershirt. Zhu Aiqing came over to help him button it up. She hadn’t expected that Ah Nan had been making a birthday gift for her husband, and she felt very satisfied, although a bit sour—but of course, she would never admit that she was jealous.
"The buttonholes are a bit small, and the shoulders are drooping a bit, leave less space next time. And these sleeves are a bit long, turning short sleeves into three-quarter sleeves, they need to be shortened, and this..."
With each comment Zhu Aiqing made, Sisi’s face scrunched a bit, and Tian Manjin, seeing her distress, quickly said, "It’s very good, I feel comfortable wearing it, no need to change anything. Daddy will wear it out tomorrow, let others be jealous."
"Daddy, maybe you shouldn’t wear it, it’s too ugly." Sisi, prompted by Zhu Aiqing’s comments, also felt that her clothing looked ugly.
"It’s not ugly at all, it’s a good-looking piece of clothing. Daddy will definitely wear it tomorrow. Go to sleep now, Ah Nan, your eyes are all red."
Tian Manjin really thought it looked good, loose shoulders? No worries, looseness just makes it easier for him to work.
Tian Sisi felt much more relieved after being comforted by Tian Manjin, she yawned and bid Tian Manjin and Zhu Aiqing goodbye, then went upstairs to sleep.
"You’d wear a sack if your daughter made it for you! You’re just spoiling her."
Zhu Aiqing exploded at Tian Manjin, every time she tried to correct Tian Sisi’s mistakes, her husband always undermined her.
"Ah Nan is already very impressive. Which other ten-year-old can make a shirt? Don’t always measure Ah Nan by your own standards. Very few people can meet your high standards."
Tian Manjin had a way with women, Zhu Aiqing quickly eased up and rolled her eyes at him.
Tian Manjin chuckled a few times, happily took off the shirt, folded it neatly, and placed it under the pillow. Pressing it overnight used to keep clothes neatly creased in the past when there were no irons.
The next morning, Tian Manjin appeared at breakfast in his new clothes, beaming, and said to Old Man and Granny Zhao, "Daddy, Mama, do you like my clothes? It’s a birthday gift made by Ah Nan."
Granny Zhao had known about this, but she hadn’t expected Ah Nan to personally make clothes as a gift for her son. She observed the shirt thoroughly and even felt it, nodding continuously, "Not bad, for her first try at making clothes, it’s very good. Our Ah Nan is so clever, she learns everything quickly."
Old Man glanced at his son, who was beaming with pride, snorted, and ignored him. Granny Zhao laughed out loud, "That stubborn old man, jealous of his own son!"
Tian Manjin didn’t mind; he was purposely showing off in front of Old Man, who always boasted about the fine wine Ah Nan brewed for him!
When Tian Sisi came downstairs yawning, Granny Zhao whispered to her, "Your granddad is jealous of your dad, he’s been showing off his new clothes all morning."
Tian Sisi couldn’t help but laugh. After washing up and grabbing a bowl of soaked rice, she came to the dining table. "Grandpa, I’m still making your shirt. I used dad as a test subject first. The second one will definitely be easier to make and I guarantee it will be better than Dad’s."
Tian Sisi whispered this into Old Man’s ear, making him smile brightly. Upon closer inspection of Tian Manjin’s clothing, he saw all sorts of flaws and felt secretly pleased. Ah Nan really loved him the most, Manjin was just a test subject.
With the first shirt as a basis, the second shirt was quickly made, and Old Man joyfully wore his granddaughter’s heartfelt gift.
"Not bad, fits well and is comfortable."
Old Man even did some chest expansion exercises to show how well the shirt fit. He gave his old clothes to Granny Zhao, deciding to wear the new one today. He had to go show it off to Bajin.
A few days ago, Man Mu’s eldest daughter, Xiuxiu, had brought two pairs of shoes, one for Bajin and one for Man Mu. Bajin had been flaunting those shoes in front of him for days; today, it was his turn to reclaim the spotlight. (To be continued. If you liked this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it with a recommendation ticket or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)