Mother Zhang took the clothes from Mai Miao’s hands, examined the stitches, and praised Lin Lishan, "Look at these stitches, they really are not just for bragging. They’re as if sewn by a sewing machine. We didn’t know Jiao Jiao had such skills. We’ve only heard that she can embroider, making it look real—this child really knows her craft." Lin Lishan nodded continuously; this craftsmanship is truly impressive. If she wasn’t in confinement, she would have wanted Jiao Jiao to make her one to take back for her grandmother to see. Her family’s Jiao Jiao does everything beautifully. "Jiao Jiao, we’re all done. How about using this extra red floral fabric to make coats for the two little girls? You cut out a nice design and let your second sister-in-law sew it up. I’ll go get the cotton." With that, Lin Lishan handed a large piece of floral fabric to Zhou Jiao and went to fetch the cotton from the box. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽 Mother Zhang hurriedly said, "Sister, let’s save it for Jiao Jiao to make her own clothes later. No need to waste fabric." Lin Lishan, holding a bag of cotton, laughed and said, "No problem, my Jiao Jiao doesn’t like wearing such floral patterns. It’s just right for the young girls, especially while everyone’s here to see how it turns out." Zhou Jiao looked at the bright red flowers, her eyes twitching. She went back and took out a piece of rabbit fur, thinking that she could make three pieces. The little girl from her eldest sister’s family, Yaya, was about the same size as Mai Sui, so since she was making them, she might as well make an extra set. Girls wearing traditional Chinese jackets with stand-up collars during the New Year, which they could wear daily, look festive. Having decided, Zhou Jiao began cutting swiftly. With the skills she learned from her grandmother, her hands felt no awkwardness. In no time, she cut out one big piece for Mai Miao without needing to measure the size, and then she cut rabbit fur for the neck and sleeve cuffs, rounding the ends at the slits, and added two big pockets. She handed it to Lin Juhua, "Second sister-in-law, sew the fur on the collar and cuffs." Lin Juhua, with a smile, happily took it. She was amazed by the rarity in these items at night; it looked like something a child from a New Year’s poster would wear when pieced together. Zhou Jiao looked at Mai Sui and also cut out a children’s traditional cotton jacket, but instead of a stand-up collar, she opted for a hooded style. To distinguish between Mai Sui’s and Yaya’s pieces, she specifically crafted the hoods differently: Mai Sui’s into rabbit ears and Yaya’s into a floral shape. She handed it to Lin Juhua, "Second sister-in-law, Mai Sui and Yaya are too small, so I didn’t add the fur since rabbit fur sheds, which isn’t good for the children. Mai Miao is a bit older; she won’t tear it off herself." Lin Juhua added a layer of cotton and quickly sewed it up, showing it to everyone, which truly looked nice. It was only missing closures. Looking back, she saw Jiao Jiao already making the buttons. With her fingers swiftly twisting crimson wool yarn, it turned into a flower-like button, leaving Lin Juhua’s mouth agape, "Mom, look at Jiao Jiao’s fingers and those buttons. They’re so beautiful, different from what we’ve made." Zhou Jiao laughed and said, "These are Southern styles, just right for little girls. Around here, we use straight buttons; it’s the same kind, just with different patterns." Huang Cuilan laughed and said to everyone, "Jiao Jiao should let Qingyan’s wife see this work." As she finished, even Lin Lishan laughed heartily. She knew that Qingyan’s wife couldn’t weave cloth properly; with just a bit of strength, it would burst. Never mind delicate work . In a short while, Zhou Jiao finished the buttons, took the coat for Mai Miao, and sewed it directly with a needle. She looked at it and adjusted a few stitches, nodding in satisfaction. "Mai Miao, try it on and see if you like it?" Mai Miao had been watching the clothes with Mai Sui, her face flushed with excitement. Without a word, she nodded vigorously. Mother Zhang took the clothes and helped them change, immediately brightening up her eyes, "Wow, my granddaughter looks so pretty. These clothes are perfect for visiting relatives during the New Year; don’t get them spoiled." "Grandma, I’ll go to the main hall to show Dad. Grandma, I won’t get them dirty," Mai Miao said with a joyful face, flushed with excitement against the bright red flowered coat, genuinely bringing a festive look. Mother Zhang waved her hand, laughing, "Go ahead, go ahead. Be careful not to trip." She hadn’t finished before Mai Miao ran out. Mai Sui tugged at Zhou Jiao’s clothes’ hem, silently bowing her head. Zhou Jiao softened at once, comforting her, "Your mother will soon add the cotton stuffing, and your little aunt will make it for you quickly. Then you can also show your dad, no rush at all." Mother Zhang chuckled and shook her head, noting how Jiao Jiao was gentle, kind-hearted, unable to bear seeing a little girl upset. So small and already loves looking pretty. Fortunately, Lin Juhua’s skills weren’t just for show; she worked incredibly fast, handing it directly to Zhou Jiao after sewing it loosely, knowing she needed to make final adjustments. Zhou Jiao took the clothes, attached the buttons, sewed the hats’ edges, gave it a look over, adjusted a few stitches before handing it to Mother Zhang for Mai Sui to wear. Little girl couldn’t even speak clearly but ran to the main hall as soon as everyone praised her. Mother Zhang hurriedly followed; such a tiny one shouldn’t fall, "Slow down, you won’t look as pretty if you fall." Lin Lishan smiled and sighed, "It’s amazing how even such a small child knows to love beauty; they’re really smart." It wasn’t long before Xi Zi and the others noisily came running in, shouting, "Little Aunt, we want one too. Make one for us. I want a tiger one, not a flowery one." "I want a big yellow dog. Little Aunt, remember to make it for me; I just love big yellow dogs." Xi Zi whispered, "Don’t shout, Ping’an is sleeping. Whoever’s loud doesn’t get anything." Zhou Jiao quickly blocked the two sisters-in-law; the kids weren’t being scolded. These children were still young, who wouldn’t love wearing new clothes? She didn’t mind putting in the effort to give the children happy memories, not minding the little hard work. "Alright, Little Aunt heard it all. Little Aunt promises. But we can’t make them just now. To make it up to you, Little Aunt gives you choices: a little military uniform like Grandpa’s, or one like Mai Miao’s with tigers and puppies?" She overheard these little guys talking, enviously commenting on her dad’s military uniform. Xi Zi shook his head, "Little Aunt, I don’t need it. I’m grown up and have clothes to wear." Shi Tou, the smallest, looked at his big brother, then at the two little brothers, didn’t know what to say, and spun around anxiously. Zhou Jiao laughed and said to Xi Zi, "Since you’re grown, Little Aunt decided it will be a little military uniform; it’s going to look cool at school. Once you wear it, remember to study hard." With that, she watched Xi Zi nod seriously. She turned to Xiao Zuo You and Shi Tou and said, "Have you decided? Want to sleep on it and tell Little Aunt tomorrow?" Little Zuo You grinned at each other and spoke in unison, "We want little military uniforms too; we can catch bad guys wearing them." "You can wear little military uniforms, but catching bad guys is for when you’re grown. When you’re as tall as your dad, then you can catch bad guys. Little Aunt tells you, if you see bad guys, you should secretly tell adults and hide yourself. Why? Because bad guys might be carrying knives or clubs, and you could be in danger. When you grow as mighty as your dad, you can catch bad guys, understand?"