Xie Sui's mind conjured images of the casual T-shirts popular with girls in his past life. Stirrup pants were essentially the precursor to leggings, a timeless fashion that everyone had three or five pairs of in their closet.
In winter, they were fleece-lined and thickened, alongside "bare leg artifacts"—essential items for women. He hadn't expected stirrup pants to exist already. This was an opportunity he had to seize.
"How much per pair? Go help me buy two pairs back, the smallest size is fine. Wanwan is slender, unlike your wife. Can the largest size fit her?"
Zhang Wenfeng's heart had calmed down. He smiled and said, "My mother said a plump and robust wife looks festive, and a wide backside is good for bearing sons!"
Xie Sui chuckled, "If that's the case, then my Wanwan, who had twin sons, would be twice as big as your wife. Could she even get through the front door?"
Zhang Wenfeng also chuckled, "Brother Xie, you're blessed."
"I know, I know. Go buy them quickly. Ride your bicycle, it's just a few steps away. Don't waste gas. This thing really guzzles gas, it costs more than ten yuan a day in fuel."
Xie Sui was just rambling. Zhang Wenfeng's expression turned unnatural, and he lowered his head and left.
Lin Wanwan and Xu Siman were counting money, as there were too many small denominations.
"Later, we'll find a couple of women to specifically count the money. You don't need to waste your time."
"What if some is missing?"
Xie Sui was speechless. "We have the accounts, how could any be missing? Stop counting. Come, I have something to tell you."
"What is it?"
Lin Wanwan washed her hands and went into the room with him. Xie Sui looked at her figure, her small floral print shirt, blue pants, and a pair of black, square-toed sandals. She looked nice, but not young and vibrant enough.
Lin Wanwan's eyes flickered. She had witnessed Xie Sui's changes over the past period. The children were all attached to him, having long forgotten his past misdeeds. The family was becoming more prosperous, yet she always felt something was missing.
Now, with him looking at her like this, was it...?
"Wanwan, I have a new business. Do you want to do it?"
"What business? Can't you do it yourself?"
Lin Wanwan poured a cup of tea to drink, concealing the disappointment in her eyes. What was she really expecting?
"It's a clothing business. It's not impossible for me to do it, but it's not as convenient as you. Women are easier to talk to."
"Clothing business? Neither of us has done this before. Can it work?"
"Trust your husband, it will definitely work."
Zhang Wenfeng knocked on the door, having bought the stirrup pants. Xie Sui sent him away and showed them to her, "The most popular stirrup pants. Do you like them?"
Lin Wanwan opened them and blushed slightly. "I've seen people wear them, and I really don't like them. They show your butt, like you're not wearing anything. I wouldn't be able to wear them."
Xie Sui glared, "If you wanted to wear them out, I wouldn't agree. Should my wife's good figure be seen by them? We'll wear them secretly at home, only for me to see, okay?"
Lin Wanwan rolled her eyes at him. "You're just talking nonsense. Who wants to show you!"
"My wife is for me to see, it's only natural. Let's not get sidetracked, we're discussing important matters. You see, many girls are like you, they want to buy but feel shy, embarrassed to wear them out. We can focus on the tops."
Xie Sui took out two pieces of paper and casually sketched the look of a casual T-shirt and a long shirt that would cover the thigh area. This way, they could be worn outside.
"Look at these two items. Paired with stirrup pants, can they be worn out?"
Lin Wanwan looked at them and instantly fell in love. "They're quite nice, but we don't have anything. How can we do business?"
"We don't have it, but others do. We can get them customized at a clothing factory and then sell them, earning the difference."
"Can it work? Will they be willing to do it for you?"
Xie Sui also felt there was risk. The main issue was that in this era, there was no concept of patents. If it looked good, he could produce and sell it himself. However, building a clothing factory wasn't something that could be done overnight.
"We can't do it in this county. We have to go to the city, or even another province. Our current strength is already remarkable enough to capture the market in this county."
"Let's do it as soon as we decide. Tomorrow, let Second Sister come to the factory to keep an eye on things, and we'll go on a business trip."
"Business trip? Where to?"
"To the city, to find a clothing factory to cooperate with. We'll provide the designs. We can monopolize our county's market, or rather, be agents. Let's start as agents. Wife, can you sew?"
"Of course, I can. I know how to operate a sewing machine, but we don't have one at home. Only Zhao Xuefei's family in the village has one, and no one is allowed to borrow it. I haven't used it either."
Xie Sui disdainfully said, "Hmph, it's just a sewing machine. Let's buy one, right now."
Lin Wanwan was speechless. "What are you going crazy about!"
"Why am I going crazy? We need to buy a sewing machine to make samples. Without samples, no matter how well we explain, people won't believe us!"
Gu Lei had wide connections in the county, so obtaining a sewing machine coupon was quite simple. He drove the tractor directly to the supply and marketing cooperative and picked up a Meihua brand sewing machine. The jet-black sewing machine head made Lin Wanwan's eyes light up.
"You really bought it!"
"You little woman, it's just a sewing machine, only a little over a hundred yuan. Is it worth getting so excited? I didn't see you this happy when I brought back the tractor."
Lin Wanwan said without looking up, "That was you extorting someone. Is that glorious?"
"How is that extorting? Your husband suffered so much. Alas, wife, I think you like the sewing machine more than you like me."
"Of course," she replied.
Xie Sui then went to buy fabric, mostly simple solid-colored cotton cloth, primarily blue and white, and also a military green color, which would look good made into an outdoor style.
Xie Sui thought of work pants again, but they were too complicated and required high craftsmanship. They wouldn't become popular until twenty years later. Now it was stirrup pants, and in a few years, it would be denim jackets, then pencil pants, suit pants, bell-bottoms, and various other styles of pants, a dazzling array, and the market would truly flourish.
He bought a lot of fabric and sewing supplies and, with the sewing machine, returned to the village.
"Xie Sui, you bought a sewing machine! When will you buy a TV?"
Xie Sui laughed heartily, "When our new house is built, we'll buy one. Everyone can come to our place to watch then."
"Okay, we'll be waiting for you to buy it."
When they arrived home, Xie Min helped unload it. This Second Sister truly treated this place like her own home. Su Dan Novel Network.
"Wanwan, did you buy it?"
"Xie Sui told me to buy it. He wants to make some clothes. Can Second Sister operate it?"
"How could I? Can I touch something so valuable?"
In this era, without formal training as a seamstress, no one knew how to operate a sewing machine. Lin Wanwan had learned at her parents' home; it wasn't difficult, and with practice, she would get the hang of it. The difficult part was cutting, which required specialized learning.
Xie Sui's past life was primarily in real estate, electronics, and financial investments. He had dabbled in reselling clothes at first, but making patterns and sewing were completely alien to him. Otherwise, he would have done it himself.
Simple T-shirts were easy to make. The aunties in the village knew how to cut. As soon as they decided, Lin Wanwan and Xie Min stayed up late that night studying. Xie Sui wasn't interested and coaxed the children until he fell asleep at some point.