Chapter 53 – Students’ Determination
For their handicrafts – whether supplied to shopkeepers or sold at a bazaar – Jade first needed to ensure that everything was presentable. Better quality and design meant better prices. They had to aim as high as possible, and the scrap materials they could source were the limit.
The materials prevented Jade from targeting the upper class. While she acknowledged that the students’ work was good, the materials simply did not match the tastes and standards of upper-class ladies.
“This means that even if we secure a place at the bazaar, the wealthiest customers will likely buy from others,” Jade explained during the tuition class. “At an event of that scale, there will certainly be established artisans and masters promoting their work, and we are not going to compete with them. So, our target customers are genteel ladies and working women.”
She paused, making sure the students were following. “According to what I’ve heard, there will be an auction, which gives us a better chance to sell our best work at a higher price. However, with our current capabilities, we can only focus on a limited number of pieces suitable for auction. These must be attractive enough to catch the eye, because noble ladies interested in charity pieces will want to display them at their tea gatherings.”
The younger students did not fully grasp her meaning, but the older ones nodded in understanding.
“Even so, I cannot guarantee that the bazaar will work in our favour,” Jade continued. “There may not be space for us, or the event may not even take place. But it doesn’t hurt to treat it as our goal. We can still sell our crafts without a bazaar or auction. Perhaps at lower prices, but we will earn something.”
She folded her arms lightly before continuing. “Now, the needle project has already been assigned a five-fold screen. That’s a long-term piece suitable for auction. So, I want each group to come up with one item worthy of auction as well. Wendy, you’ll be in charge of deciding what the lily project and the trinket project will produce. Their techniques and designs sometimes overlap. Can I entrust this task to you?”
Wendy shot to her feet, her face flushed with both nervousness and excitement. “M-Miss Jade, I-you mean… I’ll lead the flower group and the accessories group?”
She was neither the oldest nor the most talented among the students. She had always been the kind no one paid much attention to. To her, being chosen by Miss Jade – the teacher who had improved their meals and taught them practical skills – felt almost unreal.
“Yes. Your designs are the best I’ve seen so far,” Jade said, meeting her gaze with encouragement. “Given time, you’ll become a respectable artist.”
“I-I will?” Wendy gasped: an artist? A respectable craftswoman?
“But you need time, and you need to make mistakes,” Jade added. Her words rippled through the stunned students. “Humans learn through experience and mistakes. So make mistakes and face obstacles while you’re still young, and while you still have the chance. That goes for all of you.”
Her gaze swept across the room. “Yes, this is a great opportunity. And yes, we might earn a lot if we succeed. But you must also expect failure and accept it if it comes. After all the time and effort we put in, things may still not go well. So all we can do is our best, alright?”
Her tone softened slightly. “Don’t worry, take it easy. Don’t pressure yourselves, and do whatever you can. If you need help, come to me. I may be busy, but I will always make time if you have questions. Understood?”
“Yes, Miss Jade.”
Wendy, however, clutched her skirt, her voice trembling. “M-Miss Jade, are you sure? I-I don’t know if I…”
“Well, Father Rochester approved your drafts,” Jade said with a reassuring smile. “He has seen far more than we have. If he believes your ideas are worth pursuing, that means something.”
Jade gave Wendy a light pat on the shoulder. “Give it a try. Draft something, discuss it with your team, create something together, and aim for the same goal. What do you say, Wendy?”
“Y-Yes, Miss Jade!” Wendy nodded quickly, “I-I’ll do my best!”
“Great!” Jade turned to the last group – the students working on greeting cards. “Now, aside from cards, I’d like to spend a bit more time with your team today. Let’s figure out how to make bookmarks and any other paper crafts you guys can come up with. In the meantime, we can brainstorm ideas related to drawing…”
She paused, frowning slightly as she said, “I mean, drawings could be suitable for auction… but we can’t afford colours. We only have black ink, pencils, and pens. So we need to think of a way to create something valuable using just those.”
Ramie, the oldest student in the group, furrowed his brows. “Miss Jade, we can manage the simple drawings you’ve shown us, and they look nice on the cards… but we’re nowhere near capable of sketching proper portraits or landscapes.”
The greeting card project was divided into two groups: one for making the cards, and the other for drawing and writing on them.
“And that’s why we discuss things now,” Jade replied with a nod. After making sure Clara and Wendy could take care of their respective groups. Jade moved over and settled in the corner where the greeting card team was gathered.
Mr. Anderson came in occasionally when he felt well enough to teach in the afternoons. The doctor had advised him to rest whenever he felt unwell, and indeed, the elderly man tired easily and often dozed off once the sun passed midday. Still, he had taught the students penmanship remarkably well. The writing on the greeting cards far surpassed the cursive Jade had demonstrated.
Well, Jade’s cursive came from piping greetings onto cakes, and nothing more. It was acceptable, simple, and perhaps even a little unique on paper, but it lacked the flourishes most people preferred. It was better for the students to stick with what Mr. Anderson taught. According to Josh – along with Raymond and Matt, who had spoken with the shopkeepers after selling at the stall – Mr. Haywood was very pleased with the handwriting on the greeting cards and was eager to continue stocking them.
As for decorative patterns and motifs, their lack of budget limited their options. New paints were too expensive, while second-hand ones were often incomplete or defective – unsuitable for proper work. So they made do with what they had: black from bulk ink, brown extracted from the tea leaves and coffee grounds, and blue from discarded dye collected from the nearby textile factory.
Jade’s beetroot-red ink was not an option in the first place; the colour faded within a week or two, making it suitable for stamping packaging and daily practice, but not for items intended for sale.
“Here are the paintbrushes I found in the storeroom,” Jade said. They were likely donations from middle-class students from proper schools. The bristles were slightly worn, but still usable – which was all she cared about. “Now, let’s see how much watercolour technique I still have in my brain…”
Jade was skilled at piping intricate designs, but that did not translate directly to drawing with pen or brush. Her ability was sufficient to teach the basics, but nowhere near enough to create artwork that would truly impress.
She demonstrated simple watercolour techniques using dilute black ink, coffee brown, and textile blue. Then she moved on to line work, showing how dense lines could create darker areas, while spaced lines suggested light and openness. By varying line weight and layering tones, they could create depth and contrast…
“Although I said I hope each project could produce something worthy of auction,” Jade added. Noticing the tense expressions on their little faces, she gave a sighed laugh. “That does not mean I’ll be upset or scold you if you can’t. I said ‘hope’, not ‘order’ or ‘command’ you to do so. It’s fine if we can’t come up with anything suitable in the end, as long as we try our best. You get me?”
The students nodded, but their tight lips made Jade doubt herself once again. She knew she wasn’t doing this quite right. Her instructions sounded contradictory: first insisting “we must give our best to sell our things for the best price”, then immediately telling them “don’t worry if you’re not able to reach the target, just relax”...
She worried about pushing them too hard, about stressing them to the point of discouragement. Yet at the same time, she feared that if she relaxed too much, they would lose their drive.
Being a leader is hard. Being a motivating teacher is even harder… Jade let out a quiet sigh to herself, then gave them a warm smile. “Okay, I have something to take care of in the kitchen, so I’ll leave you here to practice these techniques and continue working on the greeting cards. Try to come up with something based on what you;ve learned so far. I’ll be back once I’m done, alright?”
“Alright, Miss Jade,” the students replied, watching as she left the room.
The greeting card group glanced toward the other teams. The trinket and lily project were in deep discussion, their voices lowered but their debate clearly intense as they argued over design drafts. Meanwhile, the needle project remained quiet, everyone focused on their portion of the large decorative screen.
An uneasy feeling settled over them.
Walter, quick-thinking as always, spoke first. “We need to come up with something. I don’t want our project to be the only one without a major piece.”
“Me neither,” Ramie agreed. “But what can we do? We’ve only just started learning how to draw. Can we really produce something large in just a few weeks? Miss Jade said the bazaar would be after the Spring Ball – probably March or April. That’s only two months away!”
Walter glanced at the lily project, where students were using scraps of coloured paper and fabric to make artificial flowers. An idea struck him.
“Do you think we can make something… solid? Out of paper?”
“Solid?” Pocco tilted his head. “You mean staking papers into a block?”
“No, not like that.” Walter shook his head, gesturing as he tried to find the right words. “Like… what Miss Jade said earlier. Something with width, height, and depth…”
“Three-dimensional?” Ramie picked up immediately. “Lines are two-dimensional, and drawing them at certain angles makes them look real, like the cube she drew. So… we draw boxes?”
“No,” Walter shook his head again, growing frustrated as he tried to explain. “We stack paper – but each piece is cut differently. Cut them first, then later thick sheets together, and it’ll form a shape… a silhouette of something solid!”
The others stared at him, still confused.
Walter let out a quiet growl, then straightened. “Look, just give me an hour. Help me test it. If it works, at least we’ll have something unique to sell. Alright?”
They exchanged glances, hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. Let’s test it out.”
Within moments, the greeting card project sprang into action. This time, many reached for scissors and penknives, carefully curing papers into different shapes, hoping the pieces would come together into something that met their teacher’s expectations.