Chapter 222: I'm Ready to Climb a Mountain of Swords
"After the autumn harvest, everyone starts working in the winter and has no time for embroidery." Xiao Jiuyue looked at Shi Lizheng with a smile: "So, I would like to ask Shi Lizheng, can you think of a way to build the workshop before the autumn harvest?"
"Miss Xiao, I, I'll think of something." Shi Lizheng stood up straight as soon as he heard Xiao Jiuyue's words and said, "I'll go ask the villagers now to see how many people can come to work."
After saying this, Shi Lizheng hurried out.
Shi Li was walking from door to door, and when he came back with the statistics, he was shocked!
There are a total of ninety-eight households in the entire Fu'an Village. He visited thirty or forty households today, and not a single one refused. Even the Sun Zhilin family, who had always been at odds with him, cooperated particularly well when they heard that the Xiao family was going to build an embroidery workshop, and even said that their family could provide three people to work!
Shi Lizheng returned home and sat in the yard, looking up at the sky. In the distance, he saw the Xiao family, hidden in the bamboo forest and dimly lit by candlelight, and asked, "Old woman, do you still remember the Xiao family in the past?"
"The Xiao family in the past?" Aunt Shi was mending shoes, biting the thread as she put them on the thick cloth. She spat and said, "The Xiao family in the past, weren't they despised by even the dogs in the village?"
"Master Xiao, who only knows how to drink, and that Madam Gan who kills people at will, and those unruly young masters." Whenever Aunt Shi mentioned the Xiao family, her words revealed disdain. "Who in the village hasn't suffered from the injustices of the Xiao family?"
"That's true." Shi Lizheng had lost a lot in the village because of the Xiao family's affairs. He was just a little richer than everyone else and had a little more land, but he had no ability to fight against the Xiao family!
"It's different now." Shi Lizheng and Aunt Shi were talking about the workshops they had built in the past few days. They went to one and it was successful. Everyone was afraid that they would not be allowed to work.
"Old man, this is normal." Aunt Shi put down the shoes she had woven and said, "Look, since Miss Xiao and her family moved to Fu'an Village, how much favor have the people in our village received from the Xiao family?"
"Let's not even talk about last year's oranges. Just look at the canning workshops, snails, winter bamboo shoots, chickens, and ducks right now. Everything in our village is selling so well."
Aunt Shi moved a chair to sit next to Shi Lizheng and said, "Old man, let me tell you, building an embroidery workshop is even more amazing. I heard that people who can embroider in other villages all want to come!"
"More than a dozen young men from the village have gone to the provincial capital, and they're all sending money back. Who wouldn't be jealous?" Aunt Shi said with a smug look on her face, "The village will probably be bustling in the second half of the year."
"Hmm?" Shi Li was lying on the recliner.
Aunt Shi stepped on the recliner and said, "Of course it's a happy event. In the past, young men in the village were not good at talking about girls from other places, but it's different now."
"Old man, do you think our daughter can work in an embroidery workshop?" Aunt Shi asked her youngest daughter.
"Don't join in the fun." Shi Li was just about to take a nap when she stepped on him. He said, "The girl is still young, it's almost time for her to cause more trouble. Besides, does the family need a bite to eat?"
"Is this just a matter of making a living?" Shi Da Niang glanced at him and said, "If you enter the embroidery workshop, can't you learn to embroider? When you get married, you can rely on your embroidery skills to survive."
Shi Lizheng stood up and turned to go into the house. Shi Da Niang, who was so angry that she hadn't finished her words, shouted at him: "Old man, I haven't finished what I said yet."
…
The front and back yards of the Xiao family were extremely lively.
In the front yard, Manager Jin brought all the servants and guards, drinking and eating meat, canned food, and wine. There was no shortage of anything. At first, everyone was still reluctant to let go, but soon, everyone was eating with great enjoyment. The table was full of dishes, no worse than those during the Chinese New Year.
In the backyard, the maids and old women, led by Mother Geng, were having a meal together. The braised pork was made with fat and lean pork belly, and it tasted delicious.
"It's great to be a maid in the Xiao family."
"Luckily I didn't do anything bad, otherwise I would have been kicked out and there would be no meat to eat!"
The maids talked in low voices, especially the former maids who worked in the Xiao family's old house. They were even more emotional. When they were in the Xiao family's old house, even during the Chinese New Year, they only ate the leftovers that the masters could not finish. They could not eat many pieces of meat throughout the whole year.
Things are different now. Last year during the Spring Festival, not only did each of their monthly wages double, but they could also sit together with the maids they were familiar with and have New Year's dinner.
"Miss, everyone is very happy with the meal and they are praising you for being generous." Lianxin whispered the news from the backyard to Xiao Jiuyue. After eating and drinking her fill, Lianxin told Xiao Jiuyue all the compliments she had heard.
"As long as everyone works hard, no one will suffer a loss." Xiao Jiuyue checked the account book. It was not that she was worried, but Zhiyun Tower had just started. If she didn't keep a close eye on it, it would be even more troublesome if it fell into someone else's trap.
She has to keep an eye on it personally, and she will be relieved once it is on the right track.
"Don't worry, Miss. Everyone is willing to go through fire and water for the Xiao family." Lianxin stepped forward to grind ink for Xiao Jiuyue. Xiao Jiuyue rarely slept before midnight on weekdays.
Either he is looking at the account book, reading a book, or writing or drawing.
Time passed little by little, and early the next morning, Xiao Jiuyue saw the embroidery workshop sketch sent by Aunt Xiao San and Aunt Lan.
"You two, didn't you sleep all night?" Xiao Jiuyue looked up at Aunt Xiao and Aunt Lan, both of whom had red eyes and dark eyelids. She was shocked and said, "Actually, just give it to me before tonight. There's no need to rush."
"Miss, we were just excited at the time, so we stayed up a little late and didn't stay awake all night." Aunt Lan explained quickly.
Aunt Xiao added, "We just go to bed a little after midnight."
"Jiuyue, take a look and see if there is anything that needs to be added." Aunt Lan looked at Xiao Jiuyue expectantly and nervously.
"Sit down and have a cup of tea." Xiao Jiuyue motioned them to sit down, and she took the sketch and looked at it carefully. It was obvious that they had no experience, and the sketch they drew was sloppy and a little difficult to recognize.
Aunt Xiao and Aunt Lan stood by, carefully explaining to her what functions each room had. Xiao Jiuyue listened attentively and finally concluded, "Overall, there is no problem, but this door needs to be modified."
"Door?" Aunt Xiao and Aunt Lan looked at each other blankly, then looked at Xiao Jiuyue and asked in unison, "How do we change it?"
Xiao Jiuyue pointed at the sketch with her slender fingers. Shang Lan's layout of the embroidery workshop was very good. With a few minor improvements, it could be used. She praised it and said, "You have thought it through very carefully. However, in addition to the main door and the side door, you must leave another door for the Xiao family to enter and exit conveniently."
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