As Tian Xiaohua entered the embroidered building, she truly realized its immense size. Snowflakes fell softly, yet the building was filled with warmth, and the occasional laughter of women could be heard, but there was no music playing. Granny Qian came out to greet her, "It's so cold outside, why did you come, manager?"

Qin Xiaozhou crossed the river in a small boat, which only took half an hour. It wasn't far. After entering the main building, he took off his cloak and said, "I brought someone with me. From now on, let her follow you."

Since Officer Li had done her a favor, she had to arrange a good place for her. Besides, she thought the girl was very clever, and if she could learn something from Granny Qian, it would be very useful in the future.

Granny Qian carefully brushed the snow off Qin Xiaozhou's cloak and hung it on a clothes rack near the entrance before going to check on Tian Xiaohua. As soon as Tian Xiaohua entered the main building and saw the embroidery in the hall, and did not smell any wine or rouge, she immediately realized that this place was not a brothel. At this moment, she took the initiative to introduce it to people.

"Greetings, Granny. My name is Tian Xiaohua. I am from Shangzhou in the north. My family suffered a snow disaster and fled to this place. Fortunately, I received help from someone and was taken in by Manager Qin. From now on, Granny, you can call me Xiaohua. If there is any chores, please feel free to ask me to do them."

"Oh, this child." Granny Qian patted her little shoulder. "She's so clever and speaks so sweetly. She's just a little thin, but that's alright. From now on, you'll stay with me, and by next spring you'll be all fair and tender."

Qin Xiaozhou said, "You take her there, I'll go check the account books."

Tian Xiaohua followed Granny Qian to the backyard, looking around curiously. "Granny, this place is so beautiful. Will I live here from now on?"

"Our staff quarters in the Embroidery Pavilion are just two people per room. You can go home if you want, but if you stay in the Embroidery Pavilion, you'll need to pay 500 coins a year for accommodation," Granny Qian explained carefully. "That's where we eat, and over there is the bathhouse. You must abide by the rules of the Embroidery Pavilion. The rules are all on the second floor, around the corner. Go and learn them in detail tomorrow. If you break the rules, we will punish you according to the severity of your mistake. Most importantly, the Embroidery Pavilion is for women, and all of them are pure and virtuous women. You cannot bring men in. It would be a serious offense to tarnish the reputation of the young ladies."

Tian Xiaohua's eyes widened. Such a large embroidered building was actually off-limits to men. It was practically a paradise for women. "Manager Qin is really amazing. He has such a large embroidered building."

"There are only a little over a hundred women in the embroidery workshop, but there are even more women in the textile factory next door." Granny Qian was quite proud. "All the good women in the county who can embroider and weave are here."

It wasn't that she was just making empty promises; after so many public recruitment drives, any woman who wanted to earn money and had some embroidery or weaving skills would be scrambling to get in.

Tian Xiaohua was filled with excitement. When she arrived at the lodging room, there was another bed with bedding on it, which meant that someone had already stayed there. Granny Qian pointed to the empty bed and said, "You can stay in this bed for now."

Tian Xiaohua's boiling blood cooled down immediately. "Granny, I came here as a refugee and have no money. Please lend me some money to tide me over. I will definitely pay you back in the future."

Granny Qian nodded. Being in charge of purchasing for such a large building, she was naturally meticulous and organized, and would never abuse her power just because someone worked for her. She then took out two strings of cash, which was two hundred coins. "Use this to tide you over. Buy all the bed sheets and quilts. Keep the rest for food. Then go get your clothes. The building requires uniforms, and the clothes are free."

Tian Xiaohua took care of everything and asked for half a day off to go back to the city to find her younger brother. It would be very close to cross the river by boat, but if she walked, she would have to go around to the bridge on the south side, which would take more than half an hour.

It was afternoon, not lunchtime, and there was only one table of customers in the hot pot restaurant. Tian Xiaoshu had changed into a thick cotton coat, but it was a bit too big and didn't fit well. She tied it around her waist with a cloth bag so it wouldn't look too loose. She was wiping the table with a basin when she looked up and saw her sister. She was very surprised and ran out of the restaurant. "Sister, what brings you here? Has Brother Li settled you in?"

"Yes, it's in the embroidery building on the west side." Tian Xiaohua touched her younger brother's hand; it was damp but warm, indicating that warm water had been used to wipe the table. She relaxed and became even more grateful to Brother Li. "How did the shopkeeper treat you?"

"It's great. I even had lunch with the restaurant owner at noon. They had vegetables and meat." She couldn't help but lick her lips when she thought about lunch. "Sis, I've never eaten this well at home. It's like celebrating the New Year. I can even help the restaurant owner with the bookkeeping. Maybe I can become an accountant in the future."

Old Man Tian was a student who had passed the imperial examinations, but unfortunately, he was still only a student at the age of forty. His family was destitute, and Old Man Tian placed all his hopes on his younger brother. If it weren't for this snow disaster, his younger brother would also have taken the imperial examinations in three years. It's just a pity that fate is cruel. It would be good if he could become an accountant in the future.

Tian Xiaohua patted him with satisfaction, "Okay, you can work here in peace. I'll buy you books later."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ma Da Ge coming out. Fearing they would think her younger brother was slacking off, Tian Xiao Hua had no choice but to leave first. During the snow disaster in the north, she had fled famine all the way and had seen many people struggling under natural disasters, living in misery, and resorting to robbery, murder, and arson just to survive. But this place seemed different.

On the streets, yamen runners were clearing snow, and on the outskirts of the city, people were directing the construction of thatched huts. In the river, small boats were breaking up the ice, and large transport ships were coming and going as usual. Judging from their clothes, they were probably refugees being taken in. Everything was in good order. There was a good magistrate here.

Before even reaching the embroidered tower, she saw a man in a blue brocade robe standing at the foot of the steps leading to the tower, holding an umbrella. As she approached, she realized he was a handsome man with a more resolute air than a scholar. Tian Xiaohua stopped and did not go any closer.

On the steps of the embroidered building, Qin Xiaozhou ran down in a few steps. "When will this snow stop? All the vegetables stored in the embroidered building after autumn have been eaten up, and the firewood will not last for more than a few days. Vegetables and firewood are expensive in winter. I just looked at the account book, and the firewood for the kitchen and the charcoal used in the embroidered building alone are a huge expense."

It's so cold on snowy days, the embroiderers' hands can't get cold, and the charcoal fire can't be stopped day and night, with so many people, so a lot of charcoal is needed every day.

"I'll go to the village tomorrow and ask around to collect some pumpkins and radishes. Green vegetables are a bit harder to come by, but every little bit helps. Winter bamboo shoots should be sprouting in Qingzhugou back home. I'll hire people in the village to dig them up. We can manage to get by." Lu Yunfeng brushed the snow off her hair. "It's late, let's go back now."

Qin Xiaozhou boarded the ship at the dock. "Next autumn, we need to plant more radishes and store more lotus roots. Life without vegetables is a disaster."

Fenggu County is located in a place that is neither in the south nor the north, so you can still see some greenery in winter. However, the greenery hardly grows and doesn't freeze to death. Qin Xiaozhou, who is used to modern greenhouse vegetables, never knew that it could be so difficult to eat fresh green vegetables in winter.