30: Chapter 30 The Master Craftsman from the Land of Suits

On the bluestone path, Su Ye kept observing his surroundings. The alley was not spacious, only wide enough for three people to walk abreast. The uneven ground beneath their feet showed the marks left by the wheels of time; perhaps decades or even centuries ago, others had walked this same path just like Su Ye and Li Yi to have clothes custom-made at the tailor shop.

After walking about a hundred steps, a scene that seemed like a hidden world appeared before Su Ye's eyes. More than a dozen shops were situated along both sides of the alley. The shop signs were even made of quaint wood. Convenience stores, general stores, and several noodle and stir-fry restaurants were scattered on either side. The shop doors were not modern rolling shutters, but rather sliding red wooden panels.

"There, that's the one, Old Master Qin's ancestral shop."

Su Ye looked in the direction Li Yi was pointing. He saw a shop standing in the third position from the end on the left side of the alley, looking identical to the others on the outside. In the upper left corner of the entrance hung a faded banner with the word "Tailor" written on it, and the wooden plaque above the door was engraved with the five large characters: "Qin Family Tailor Shop."

"Let's go."

Li Yi took the lead and walked straight into the tailor shop, calling out in a voice that was neutral yet tinged with a hint of sharpness: "Old Master Qin! Is Old Master Qin here?"

A figure slowly stood up from behind the mahogany counter. It was an old man who looked to be in his sixties or seventies, possessing an inherent air of "relaxed decency wrapped in top-tier fabric." His hair was tinged with the frost of age, yet it was combed meticulously, without a single stray strand, much like the suit lapels he handled. Perched on the bridge of his nose was a pair of thin-rimmed reading glasses, the temples polished shiny—a mark left by decades of pushing them up while leaning down to take measurements.

He wore a light gray jacket with the cuffs buttoned to the very top. His clothes were ironed perfectly smooth from head to toe—this was his own "work uniform." It was made of a fabric Su Ye didn't recognize, but the garments draped naturally over his body without a single wrinkle, looking quite effortless.

Old Master Qin pushed up his reading glasses and scrutinized the two young men before him. When he saw Su Ye, a look of appreciation unconsciously appeared in his eyes; this was the best clothes hanger he had seen in his dozen-plus years in the business. He then glanced at Li Yi beside him and said in a voice that was slightly hoarse but full of vigor: "Little sissy, I'm not deaf, you don't need to be so loud."

He spoke at a slightly slow pace, but every word was clear, and the intervals between his words were as precise as if measured with a tape measure.

Li Yi didn't get annoyed when he heard Old Master Qin call him a sissy; he said with a grin: "Old Master, it's been a while, you're still so hale and hearty. Aren't you curious about why I came to find you?"

Old Master Qin scoffed: "Why? I'm a tailor; what do you think someone coming to find me would want?"

After finishing, he sized up Su Ye and nodded with satisfaction: "It's good that the person you brought today is satisfactory. Not bad, not bad, he's a good hanger. Unlike before, you always brought over some sorry lot, wasting my craftsmanship."

Su Ye had been standing to the side smiling without speaking, and now he said at the opportune moment: "Old Master Qin, I'll have to trouble you this time."

Old Master Qin waved his right hand and said: "What trouble is there? You're quite polite for a kid. I'm just a tailor; making clothes is the most normal thing in the world. How is this any trouble?"

As he spoke, he walked out from behind the mahogany counter and led Su Ye and Li Yi to a three-paneled mirror, saying: "I don't know if the little sissy told you the rules here. Custom-made clothes are fine, one hundred thousand per suit, no bargaining."

Su Ye didn't hesitate at all. He trusted that Li Yi wouldn't scam him, so he nodded directly: "It's up to you, Old Master."

"Hmm!" Old Master Qin was very satisfied with Su Ye's response. He pointed to the center: "Go stand there, stand naturally, just your usual posture. Let me see your details."

Su Ye stood in front of the three-paneled mirror, standing very naturally with his long arms hanging loosely at his sides. After a few minutes, Old Master Qin pulled out a soft tape measure from behind him and measured from the side of his neck to his waist and abdomen. When his fingers lightly pressed against Su Ye's shoulder blades, he said: "Relax, imagine how you usually stand."

He then crouched down very naturally, as if he had done it thousands of times, and said: "Tip your toes."

His calloused right hand measured around Su Ye's ankle before he stood up and said: "A good pair of suit trousers should have a half-finger break on the shoe; any more looks sloppy, and any less looks cramped."

After taking the measurements and observing the details, Old Master Qin led them back to the counter and pulled out several panels from underneath, asking: "What kind of fabric do you want?"

Su Ye looked left and right, feeling they were all about the same, and then said: "Old Master Qin, I don't really understand fabrics. Could you recommend something? As long as it's comfortable to wear and looks good, that's fine."

Old Master Qin nodded, then began to point at the fabrics and introduce them: "Super 150s grade British wool ranks at the top for its fine texture and excellent quality. High-count wool fabric feels soft and smooth, has a natural luster, and the resulting suits are crisp and stylish. Pietro Loro Piana is world-renowned for having purchased the finest wool bale (11.8 microns) in 2004, and their cashmere products feel silky and are of superior quality..."

Halfway through, Old Master Qin saw Su Ye's somewhat blank expression, chuckled, and put the panels away.

"Alright, you have to trust this old man. I'll choose for you."

Su Ye had listened to a bunch of what Old Master Qin said, and felt his brain itching a bit, as if knowledge had come in but stayed stuck on the cerebral cortex. Now that Old Master Qin was willing to choose for him personally, he naturally agreed.

"No problem, Old Master, I trust your eye."

"Hahaha, alright, you kid are to my liking, so I'll choose for you. Don't worry, I know the preferences of you young people, and I also keep up with the times. Customization isn't about buying a brand; it's about making the clothes understand you, rather than you accommodating the clothes."

After chatting with Old Master Qin for a while longer, Su Ye swiftly paid the deposit by card and walked out of the shop with Li Yi. Su Ye looked back and saw Old Master Qin taking out a yellowed notebook and writing something in it—perhaps the details of his order for today.

Li Yi spoke up at this moment: "Ye-zi, you're really something. Ever since I've known Old Master Qin, I've brought over ten people here, but you're the only one he's treated this well. He doesn't usually talk this much."

Su Ye stroked his hair and laughed: "I'm handsome, can't help it."

Li Yi rolled his eyes: "Show-off!"