Chapter 274 The Embroidery Class Begins

"Big sister!"

A crisp sound rang out from outside the courtyard.

Wang Xiaomai came running in.

“I can do all the housework by myself, so you should focus on learning embroidery.”

She is twelve years old this year and can handle most of the housework. She can do all kinds of rough and tiring work.

Aunt Wang also walked in from the doorway: "Da Mai, as long as you like doing this, I will support you. I can take care of the housework when I have time. It's just that I might do it a little carelessly. We villagers don't have such formalities."

Wang Damai stammered, "I..."

“In that case, then follow me and learn properly,” Kong Xiuniang said. “The first thing is to wash your hands, and the second thing is to trim your nails. Come over after you’ve done those.”

Cheng Wanwan brought out a basin of water, a bar of scented soap, and a small pair of scissors.

After carefully washing their hands and trimming their nails, the two girls stood respectfully in front of Kong Xiuniang.

Kong Xiuniang said calmly, "I brought some embroidery thread with me in the carriage. Take it down first, and I'll teach you about embroidery thread today."

Wang Damai and Zhao Xiahua boarded the carriage, lifted the curtain, and were immediately stunned.

The carriage was filled with fabrics and embroidery threads in all sorts of colors, leaving them dazzled.

The two carefully took the items out and placed them in the yard.

All the fabrics and embroidery threads were laid out, and there should be gold and silver threads inside, shimmering in the sunlight.

The grand spectacle attracted many onlookers.

"This is an embroiderer sent by Miss Cao. She's different from the casual mending and patching we peasants do."

"Many of those embroidery threads are colors I've never seen before, and those fabrics, are they all for Xia Hua and Da Mai to mess around with?"

"Miss Cao is truly grateful and a good girl..."

"I wonder if Kong Xiuniang is willing to teach others. I also want to send my daughter here to learn a few stitches."

As the crowd was discussing, a figure squeezed in from outside.

She was wearing a light red outer garment with flowers embroidered on the hem, which must be the only one of its kind in the village.

This person was none other than Sun Shuiqin.

She walked in nervously and bowed to Kong Xiuniang: "If I want to learn with her, how much tuition do I need to pay?"

Kong Xiuniang waved her hand: "Miss Cao said that anyone from Dahe Village who wants to learn can learn."

Sun Shuiqin was overjoyed; it was wonderful that she didn't have to pay any money.

When she was a young girl, her favorite thing to do was embroidery, but no one in the village knew how to do it. She often went to the embroidery workshop in the city to secretly learn the patterns, but she could never quite grasp what she was learning. Now that someone was teaching her, she was determined to understand everything she couldn't understand before.

“However…” Kong Xiuniang changed the subject, “Let me see your hands first.”

The woman in front of me had her hair in a traditional Chinese updo. She was a rural woman who spent her days with her husband, children, and the stove. Her hands had been worn down and were no longer what they used to be.

However, when Sun Shuiqin stretched out her hand, it was not what Kong Xiuniang had imagined.

These hands are very white, and the skin is very delicate; it's clear they're very well-maintained.

Sun Shuiqin said shyly, "My husband feels sorry for me and doesn't let me do those rough jobs. I usually just embroider handkerchiefs to exchange for money."

After she married into the family, Zhao Shagen basically took care of all the household chores, and her mother-in-law didn't force her to do them.

Kong Xiuniang nodded: "Okay, then you can learn from me from now on."

Seeing that Sun Shuiqin had easily gained Kong Xiuniang's approval, many people in the village were tempted and wanted to send their children over.

Kong Xiuniang coughed and said, “Teaching one is teaching, teaching a group is also teaching. I accept anyone who wants to learn. However, if your hands are rough and have hangnails, you can still learn, but you can’t touch the cloth or embroidery thread. You can start learning when your hands have recovered.”

The opportunity to observe and learn is appealing to many.

Before long, more than twenty girls had gathered in the courtyard.

Kong the embroiderer began her lesson earnestly: "This is fine embroidery thread, with over forty colors. It can be used in combination for embroidery... This is coarse embroidery thread, quite thick, and rarely used in combination. It's suitable for embroidering on coarse cloth or linen... This is silk thread, used for embroidery on fine silks and satins. It comes in even more colors... This is gold and silver thread, made of gold and silver. It's very brittle and not suitable for complex stitches, but rather for goldwork embroidery and diamond embroidery..."

Cheng Wanwan sat on the side listening attentively and learned a lot of basic knowledge from it.

More and more people gathered in the courtyard.

This embroidery class was specifically designed for women, ranging from seventy-year-old women to three- or four-year-old girls. Everyone was interested in it.

I'm interested in this.

Cheng Wanwan's yard is very big, but it's not big enough for her right now.

Mrs. Sun rushed over to see what was going on. She had been sewing shoes for her unborn child and was planning to embroider a tiger on them, but she really didn't know how. She thought that watching from the sidelines might help her find the trick.

As soon as she arrived, she saw her daughter Chunhua sweeping the ground at the entrance of the yard with a broom.

She was immediately furious: "Xia Hua knows to cling to Kong Xiuniang's coattails, why don't you follow suit?"

What future can you have sweeping the floor every day? A woman who can embroider is an extraordinary skill.

She grew angrier the more she thought about it and pinched Chunhua's arm hard.

Chunhua winced in pain and took a step back: "My hands are too rough, they're not suited for learning this. What if I break them? I'm learning to cook from my sister-in-law..."

Mrs. Sun sniffed; her daughter seemed to smell of meat. "Why are you cooking?"

“My aunt is opening a restaurant soon, and my sister-in-law will be the head chef. She asked me to be her assistant chef,” Chunhua said honestly. “If Mother doesn’t want to go, then I’ll tell my aunt that I won’t go.”

"Go, go, how can I not go!" Sun Shi beamed. "I didn't expect you to be so popular with my sister-in-law. You should learn to cook from Da Shan's wife. Once you've mastered all the skills, we can open our own restaurant. You can be the head chef, and I'll be the assistant chef..."

"Mother!" Chunhua raised her voice, "The dishes I learned were all developed by my aunt. How can I steal them to open my own restaurant? If that's your idea, then I won't learn anything anymore, so as not to end up harming my aunt!"

Sun smirked, "Hey, why are you so temperamental? I was just saying it casually."

“You can’t just say it casually.” Chunhua pursed her lips. “If Mother says it a second time, I will tell my aunt.”

After she finished speaking, she picked up the broom and left.

"You, you, you!"

Sun was so angry that she almost had a heart attack.

Donghua popped up from the side: "Sister, you'll be a kitchen helper in the future, right? There will be lots of delicious food. Can I help you out...?"

"You glutton, all you ever think about is food!" Sun scolded, pinching her ear tightly. "When we get back, I'll teach you a lesson!"

While Madam Sun was furious, Kong Xiuniang was overjoyed.

She truly hadn't expected that such a remote and impoverished place would have so many promising young people suited to learn embroidery.

Da Mai is bold and meticulous, Xia Hua is patient, and Sun Shuiqin has her own ideas... and the girls watching from the sidelines are all eager to learn. With a good mentor and the support of their families, these girls may very well become qualified embroiderers.

After a lesson lasting more than an hour, the girls in the courtyard dispersed.

Kong Xiuniang rubbed her shoulders and stood up, only to find that Cheng Wanwan had been sitting quietly to the side watching, seemingly also listening to the lesson.

She slapped her forehead in annoyance, then quickly handed over a money pouch from her sleeve: "Madam Sui, here is fifteen taels of silver, which is my food and lodging expenses for three months here."

Cheng Wanwan stood up and said gently, "It is a great blessing for Dahe Village that Kong Xiuniang has come to teach the children embroidery. We cannot charge her for food and lodging. Please stay here in peace."

Kong Xiuniang stuffed the silver directly into Cheng Wanwan's hand: "Madam Sui, you'd better not refuse, otherwise I won't know whether I should stay or not."

Having said that, Cheng Wanwan had no choice but to accept the money, and she arranged for Kong Xiuniang to stay in the room that Cao Yingying had previously occupied.

Kong Xiuniang went inside to organize her luggage.

At this time, dinner was served.