Transmigration: A Farm Girl's Brocade-Chapter 89 - Excellent Embroidery Skills_1
Chapter 89: Chapter 89 Excellent Embroidery Skills_1
Chapter 89: Chapter 89 Excellent Embroidery Skills_1
Cheng Yue took a handkerchief and wiped away her tears, her red eyes and little red nose making her look even more pitiable. Now that life had improved, her mother’s sharp little face had also filled out some and had grown even prettier. She was wearing a set of coarse, lotus-white clothes, which Lady Wu had bought in town later on. Her peach-colored outfit, though finished, remained unworn due to her status as a “widow”.
Qian Yixiu, who liked beautiful women, leaned in and kissed her again. Hmm, such good skin, almost as if it would burst with a puff.
Cheng Yue smiled with pursed lips, stood up, and took out a piece of new plain silk satin from the cabinet, preparing to stretch it with an embroidery frame.
Qian Yixiu asked, “Is that pair of magpies perching on a branch also finished?”
“Hmm, it’s finished,” Cheng Yue nodded.
Qian Yixiu got up and took out two pieces of satin from a small basket, one embroidered with aquatic grass and carp, the other with magpies perching on branches. The embroidery was extremely exquisite and lively, just the right size for two round fan faces.
She remembered her mother once complained about the poor quality of the satin and embroidery thread. Although her mother worked a bit slowly and had wasted some satin and thread, it was a pity to use such good embroidery skills on such cheap materials. So she said, “Mother, don’t rush; let’s show these finished embroideries to grandma first.”
In fear that Lady Wu would fret over the wasted satin and thread, Qian Yixiu had always let her mother embroider under the small window in the side wing, and Lady Wu had not yet seen her finished products.
Lady Wu, holding the two pieces of satin, could hardly believe it, “My goodness, the embroidery is so fine, and it’s even Su embroidery. Even the embroideresses in the county town’s embroidery shops might not be able to produce such fine work.”
Cheng Yue said with delight, “The person who taught Yueyue to embroider was Master Su from Xiangyun Pavilion… Yueyue is capable, she doesn’t eat for free.”
The first part of her statement was fairly fluent, but the second half was slow as usual.
This was the second time Xiangyun Pavilion and some Master Su came up in her mother’s words. Qian Yixiu timidly asked, “Where is Xiangyun Pavilion?”
Just as expected, Cheng Yue looked up with her puzzled big eyes and asked, “What is Yixiu talking about, what Xiangyun Pavilion?”
Qian Yixiu looked at her mother, feeling defeated, then turned to Lady Wu and asked, “Grandma, can these two pieces of embroidery fetch a good price?”
Lady Wu said with joy, “Of course, they can. Grandma has been to the embroidery shops in the county town a few times before, and such fine workmanship in embroidery is valuable.”
Qian Yixiu said, “Then let’s go to the county town tomorrow to see how much these embroideries can sell for. If they fetch a good price, we’ll buy some good quality satin and thread, so the things we embroider will be more valuable. We won’t let my mother embroider with that cheap plain silk and thread anymore; it’s hard labor and a waste of my mother’s fine skills. We’ll leave that for our aunt to practice on. It’s also the perfect time to sell my two potted orchids since they are in full bloom.”
The flowers that were relocated from Hot Wind Valley came back to life completely, with two pots of Jian orchids already budding. The Black Orchid and Jun Zi Lan had yet to reach their flowering times; they wouldn’t bloom until winter.
Qian Sangui, hearing this, also felt tempted, but feared his granddaughter would run into trouble again, hesitated and said, “What if we encounter people from the opera troupe again? Maybe Yixiu shouldn’t go, and let your grandma handle it.”
Qian Yixiu firmly refused, “Master, selling things is also a skill. Last time at Daci Temple, I sold six taels of silver, but mother only got a hundred coins. With such good items, I don’t trust mother to sell them. So much time has already passed, how could the troupe members possibly still remember me? Besides, it’s possible that they really believed I’m a distant relative of the Zhang family and wouldn’t dare to trouble me anymore.”
Qian Sangui felt that she made sense and nodded, “Then let’s wait a few more days until Jinwa has a rest day, and let him accompany you. That way, I would feel more at ease too. Also, when you go to the county and move through areas with lots of people, it’s best to spend a few coins on a donkey cart. Embroideress, you also shouldn’t run around everywhere…”
In the evening, Qian Yeejin returned from school. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he excitedly exclaimed, “On the way back from school, I passed through the village and heard that this afternoon Xu Fuzi got into a fight with Fan Dahei on the small road at the east end of the village. Xu Fuzi had Fan Dahei pinned down and was beating him, but then a few dogs ran over and scared Xu Fuzi so badly that he fell into a ditch and ran back to Darong Village, soaking wet.”
The whole family laughed at the misfortune with glee.
“Serves him right, why didn’t they bite him to death,” Qian Manxia spat and cursed.
Qian Yeejin expressed regret, “It’s a pity our Dashan didn’t go out. Otherwise, letting Dashan bite that bastard a few times would have been satisfying.”
Qian Yixiu asked, “Does brother know why they fought?”
Qian Yeejin shook his head, “I’m not sure, I only heard that they started fighting while arguing.”
On the eighteenth of July, it was auspicious for weddings, and Landlord Yu’s son was getting married. The day before, he had especially sent a servant to deliver an invitation to Qian Sangui. Most of Landlord Yu’s fields were in Darong Village, and he would surely invite Darong’s bully King of Hell Fang that day. Qian Sangui didn’t want to go and thought about faking an illness to let Lady Wu go and present the gift money instead. He also grumbled angrily, “I’m not afraid of Yama Raja Xu, I just hate him. Whenever I see him, I feel like hitting him with a cane.”
Qian Yixiu advised, “I think master should go. Getting on good terms with Landlord Yu would be beneficial for our family. That day, they will surely invite Steward Wong, and no matter how influential Yama Raja Xu is, he’s not more formidable than him. Master must show contempt for the enemy in terms of spirit but cannot cause trouble at someone’s wedding. Try to get close to Steward Wong and infuriate that old villain. If grandpa doesn’t go, that bad old man will think we are afraid of him and hiding from him, and later he will find ways to bully us even more.”
She spoke with such earnestness that it amused Lady Wu and Qian Manxia. Lady Wu said, “At such a young age, where did all these schemes come from.”
Qian Sangui thought about it and agreed. He had been sick for so many years; how had his boldness been worn away? It was time to face that villain. If he dared to bully his family again, he would risk his life to fight to the end.
That morning, Qian Sangui, dressed in new clothes and carrying a red packet with a silver ingot, also had Qian Manchuan borrow Xie Huzi’s donkey cart to send him to Erliu Town.
Although Qian Yixiu had encouraged Qian Sangui to go, she still felt anxious, fearing that he would be bullied by King of Hell Fang. Unable to bear staying at home, she thought of going to Qian’s Main Courtyard to have some fun and also to find out why Xu Fuzi had fought with Fan Dahei.
She did not bring the restless Monkey Brother or the whiny Benben and Tiaotiao, but went alone.
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Upon arriving at Qian’s Main Courtyard, Lady Tang was also there. She was in the midst of complaining to Old woman Qian, “Can people’s hearts be any more biased? Uncle Three took Manchuan to Old Wong’s house last time, and this time he should have taken my Manhe to Landlord Yu’s house. Mother-in-law, isn’t that reasonable?”
Old woman Qian spat and cursed her, “You’ve offended everyone, and yet you blame them for being biased. My poor second son, how did he end up marrying such a foolish wife? My grandson Manhe is even more unfortunate to have a mother like you, causing him to be looked down upon…”
Lady Tang chuckled without taking offense. Seeing Qian Yixiu, she said, “Tell your master when you get back, we’re all relatives. Next time there’s such an opportunity to gain face, remember your Uncle Manhe too.”
