Xu Jiang took the cloth to Bajizhai to find Master Lin, kowtowed to him again, and said that she would treat him and Hong Chu as a family, a real family like her master.

Master Lin just spoke like any other strict father, giving some instructions that were both warm and serious.

Words of thanks are too hurtful. Sincere friendship is contained in the daily life without distinction between you and me.

Coming out of Bajizhai, Xu Jiang ran into Zeng Zhui.

Zeng Zhui saw her holding the cloth, clasping her hands together and shaking them, saying, "Madam Xu, congratulations." His words were full of envy.

Xu Jiang glanced into Bajizhai and then lowered his voice to ask, "Didn't I tell you to keep it a secret? Why did you tell on me? How disloyal!"

Zeng Zhui also whispered, "Sorry, sorry, I let it slip."

Then he continued, "But this matter cannot be concealed. Even if I don't tell you, the Master has ears everywhere and will find out sooner or later. When he finds out that I helped you conceal it, I will be punished as well. It's better to let your friend die than to let me die. Don't blame me, don't blame me."

"That sounds plausible. Then I'll tell the Master about you sneaking out to drink with someone."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't!" Zeng Zhui hurriedly bowed and said, "I apologize to you, please show mercy, Madam Xu."

When Du Hui taught someone a lesson, at most he would inflict some physical pain on him, because he had thick skin and was not afraid of being beaten.

But when Master Lin taught people, he would always use the previous article to discuss the issues, citing a wide range of examples, which made him want to crawl into the ground, take out the ancestral tablets, burn incense and apologize.

After bowing, he couldn't help but defend himself, "Besides, I didn't go there specifically to drink. I was looking for someone to discuss writing with. Brother Zhuchun can vouch for me!"

Xu Jiang snorted, "Go and tell the Master about it and see if he believes it."

"What are you talking about?" Master Lin heard the noise and came out to check. Then he asked Zeng Zhui, "Why are you here at this time?"

"Master, please forgive me. There was a literary competition in Quchi today, and I went to take a look, so I was late." Zeng Zhui apologized while secretly winking at Xu Jiang.

Xu Jiang snorted lightly, and because she was in a good mood today, she let him go. Then she bowed to each of them and left with the cloth in her arms.

When they returned to the bookstore, Yin Yin saw her carrying two pieces of cloth and asked about their origins. However, Xu Jiang was too embarrassed to answer and simply cleared out a box to store the cloths.

But she was secretly worried. Did she really have to embroider it herself?

Then she hurriedly shook her head and decided to give up on the embroidery because her stitches couldn't even be pressed flat.

We need to find someone else to give us some advice on this matter.

It's not a good idea to ask Mrs. Lou, otherwise it would make a fool of herself. Hong Chu is no match for her and can't be relied upon. Sister-in-law Wang has two children, so it's not a good idea to let her worry about them.

After much thought, only Aunt Cao is suitable.

Aunt Cao had arranged her children's marriages before and was experienced, so she knew all about this best.

It's her.

Having made up her mind, Xu Jiang decided to go to Cao's house to ask Aunt Cao for advice after finishing the work at hand.

"Sister Xu, what are you daydreaming about?" Yin Yin stretched out her hand and waved it in front of her.

Forgotten there was a little tail here, Xu Jiang grabbed her hand and pinched her face, "Nothing."

Yinyin let her pinch her and was very obedient.

"Come on, it's still early, let's go stretch the fan." The fan ribs we bought have not been processed yet, so while we have some free time today, we'll stretch them out first, and then we can paint after the paste and glue have dried.

Yinyin loves doing these strange things the most, so she hurriedly followed her out.

The fan ribs Xu Jiang bought were made of brown bamboo, with a simple, polished finish. They came in three styles: full moon, plum blossom, and banana leaf. The fan surface could be made of plain silk or rice paper, and glue and fish bladder glue were used for gluing.

The two people first cut the paper and split the silk, then spread the fan surface with paste or fish bladder glue, and finally cut off the excess edge material and seal the edges with silk strips.

The fan made of plain silk was mostly embroidered with paintings and drawings, which was really difficult for Xu Jiang, so she gave up.

However, Yinyin's embroidery skills are quite good, so Xu Jiang left her one piece of each style so that she can show her strengths.

She scratched her head and said, "One for Madam, one for Sister Xu, and one for Sister Liu Mei."

Xu Jiang couldn't help but ask curiously, "What about your master and young master?"

"The master's fans were all embroidered by Madam, and the young master's..." Yin Yin blinked, "Don't you have Sister Xu?"

Xu Jiang stared at her for a moment, and finally couldn't help but pounce on her and pinch her little mouth, "Little girl, you still know how to play with your mouth. Be careful or I'll glue you shut with glue."

Yin Yin: “Woo woo woo.”

After the fan was stretched, it was dark, the crowds under the trees dispersed, and smoke rose from each house.

Liang Mo swept the wood chips under the tree into a pile, Xu Jiang and Yin Yin cleaned up the backyard, and then closed the shop.

"Boss, I'll be leaving first." Liang Mo led out the stubborn donkey and rode it home.

Ever since Xu Jiang temporarily moved into the mansion, he mostly traveled in a horse-drawn carriage. The stubborn donkey did little work and just ate and slept all day, and actually gained a lot of weight.

Thinking that it was hot and humid, and worried that Liang Mo would get heatstroke if he went back, Xu Jiang asked him to ride a donkey to go to work. Liang Mo initially refused, but Xu Jiang couldn't persuade him, so he agreed.

The stubborn donkey was very happy. Liang Mo's family farmed in the countryside and had plenty of vegetables and fruits at home. They spoiled the donkey and gave it everything to eat. They spoiled it so much that it didn't know what was good for it and even stopped eating hay.

Xu Jiang warned, "When you go back, feed it less melons and fruits. The more you feed it, the more picky it becomes. It will be difficult to keep it alive in the future."

"The harvest is good this year, with lots of fruits and vegetables, and they're growing well. The ones that are rotten at the market won't fetch much money, so it's better to feed them."

After saying this, he complained in his heart again, and the boss told him not to indulge himself, because the grass in this restaurant is more expensive than the vegetables at his home.

The stubborn donkey kept pushing his head against Liang Mo's back. He had gotten used to following Liang Mo these days. When the time came, he knew he had to go to his house to enjoy himself. Now that he had only been delayed for a short while, he couldn't wait any longer.

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