Song Miaozhu could only stay in the underworld for two hours each day, four hours in total. Today, she had already spent some of that time delivering messages to the ghost instructors, and it would take a bit longer for them to arrive.
For her first lesson, she chose a ghost instructor who specialized in sewing clothes for dolls. Of all the instructors, this one was the closest match for crafting paper clothes. After all, both involved making miniature garments.
The instructor had passed away less than five years ago, but she already had over a decade of experience in making doll clothes during her life. Song Miaozhu didn't have to wait long. In less than half an hour, a little paper servant led the ghost instructor into the private activity room inside the warehouse.
"Hello, Boss Song! I'm Jin Meilan!" The ghost instructor wore a blue-and-gold Lolita-style dress. With a round face like a porcelain doll, she lifted her skirt and gave Song Miaozhu a polite curtsy.
Such an adorable ghost instructor. Song Miaozhu couldn't bring herself to call her "Instructor," so she changed it up. "Hello, Miss Jin! Just call me Xiao Song. I'm a descendant of the Song family who manages the shop in the living world."
Jin Meilan recognized her immediately because she had seen Song Miaozhu before when she had personally run the shop and bought items from Anshou Hall.
Hearing this, Jin Meilan was momentarily puzzled but then remembered the confidentiality agreement and exclaimed, "I get it! How about I call you Song-Song? It sounds cuter than Xiao Song!"
"Either is fine," Song Miaozhu replied.
Since she couldn't reveal her real name and only had her family name to go by, she let Miss Jin decide.
"Great! Song-Song, then don't call me 'Instructor.' Just call me Meilan. I used up a ton of ghost energy to preserve my youthful looks, so I really don't want to be called 'old' anything!" Jin Meilan grinned.
Song Miaozhu had read her résumé. Jin Meilan had passed away peacefully, and she had lived a carefree life. Her mindset remained vibrant and young. Song Miaozhu didn't argue. "Alright then, Meilan!"
"Perfect! Let's start our lesson," Meilan said, though she seemed a little nervous. "I only just got the notice that I'd been selected, and now I'm teaching already. I didn't really prepare anything. What would you like to learn from me?"
She had only submitted her résumé on a whim and never expected to stand out among so many experts and actually get chosen.
Even now, she still didn't know what specific skill of hers had earned her the spot.
"Doll clothes!" Song Miaozhu answered without hesitation. "I specialize in paper crafting, and I've run into some difficulties with making paper clothes. That's why I've invited instructors like you—to learn proper garment-making skills. You have years of experience making doll clothes, and since paper clothes don't need to be life-sized, I thought your expertise might help."
"Oh, in that case, you've come to the right person!" Meilan beamed with confidence, her eyes drifting to the spirit wood shelves along the wall. "Are these the materials you prepared?"
"That's right," Song Miaozhu replied. "Take a look and let me know if there's anything else we need. I'll get it ready."
"These look great already," Meilan said. "I noticed most of your shop focuses on shirts and pants, so how about we make a skirt? I'm best at sewing little skirts!"
Then, noticing the two little paper servants quietly trying to slip out the door, she got an idea. "Let's use them as our models!"
The mention of "little skirts" clearly triggered something. Before Song Miaozhu could respond, the little paper servants spun on their toes and hopped back into the room, even leaping onto the table.
Their love for cute skirts wasn't exactly new.
Song Miaozhu could already sense their eagerness, so she nodded in agreement. Meilan picked up a pen and paper and began teaching Song Miaozhu how to sketch out the design.
Having a real instructor guiding her through each step was completely different. Song Miaozhu felt her efficiency soar, and she quickly became absorbed in the process.
Only when a little paper servant checked the time and reminded her did Song Miaozhu reluctantly snap out of it. Too bad her time in the underworld was limited. She and Meilan had just finished the design and picked out materials—they hadn't even started sewing yet.
"Meilan, let's continue at this time tomorrow!" Song Miaozhu said.
"You're booking me again tomorrow?" Jin Meilan's face lit up with a radiant smile. "Song-Song must really like my skills!"
With twenty master instructors waiting, she was getting two consecutive lessons!
"Well, we have to finish this skirt, right?" Song Miaozhu said. "It's just too beautiful."
It wasn't even a particularly complex skirt, but it had a delicate charm that was completely different from the designs she had learned through video lessons. It wasn't something people in the living world would wear casually, but it fit the slightly theatrical style of the underworld perfectly and best of all, it wasn't too difficult to make.
"Then let's try to finish it quickly. Once you've mastered making this as a fourth-tier paper dress, I'll choose this design for my own fourth-tier paper dress!" Jin Meilan said.
Her longing for a fourth-tier paper dress was matched only by her disdain for Anshou Hall's current fourth-tier designs—styles she wouldn't have worn in life or death.
"By the way, Song-Song, is it really true that we can choose any design for the paper dress? Any style at all?"
"Of course. As long as I can make it." Song Miaozhu nodded.
For twenty ghost instructors, with fourth-tier paper dresses as a once-a-decade benefit, she was more than willing to fulfill their requests—as long as it was within her ability.
It would be good practice, anyway.
"Then I'll teach you how to make super intricate, gorgeous dresses! I want one of those as my fourth-tier paper dress!" Jin Meilan declared. "And if you run into any problems converting fabric techniques to paper, you can ask me. I might be able to help brainstorm solutions!"
"Deal!" Song Miaozhu agreed.
After seeing Jin Meilan off, Song Miaozhu returned to the living world immediately.
When Jin Meilan suggested using the little paper servants as models, an idea about paper clothes had struck her.
The Secret Art of Paper Crafting categorized paper clothes into two types: Yin Paper Clothes and Paper Spirit Armor.
Yin Paper Clothes could only be worn by ghosts (or souls) and had to be made like real garments.
Paper Spirit Armor, on the other hand, only required cutting out a paper shape resembling clothes. Though unwearable, it provided armor-like protection for both body and soul.
The little paper servants were animated by spiritual energy and had physical forms, so they couldn't wear Yin Paper Clothes—only the less aesthetically pleasing Paper Spirit Armor.
Fabric dresses could be worn by the little paper servants, but they hindered movement. Adding dress details through paper-cutting also didn't achieve the desired effect.
So Song Miaozhu wondered:
"Could the techniques for Yin Paper Clothes and Paper Spirit Armor be combined to create wearable paper clothes that protect both body and soul?"
Paper Spirit Armor couldn't be worn because it was just a flat paper cutout.
But if she made Paper Spirit Armor like Yin Paper Clothes—as actual miniature garments—could they become wearable, like fourth-tier Yin Paper Clothes?
Song Miaozhu decided to test her idea immediately, choosing the simplest fourth-tier Yin Paper Clothes she knew—a T-shirt—as her first experiment.