There were conditions, but you have to give up something to gain something. For Sun Miao'er, as long as she can learn the weaving technique of white raw yarn, it is only right to pay more.
Sun Miao'er's eyes were clear and bright, and she nodded firmly, "Fifth Grandmother, please speak freely. As long as it is within my power, I will definitely do it."
"You must promise me that once you learn this craft, you will never engage in the business of dealing in shoddy goods, you will never use white yarn on wicked or petty people, and you will never demean this craft."
Fifth Aunt saw that Sun Miao'er didn't seem to have any bad intentions. She had kept this skill a secret for many years, and even her closest relative, Old Man Wei, didn't know about it.
Because she had long anticipated that if the nearly lost skills fell into the hands of profit-driven merchants, they would be completely altered and lose their essence.
It would be better to let it disappear from the world quickly and cleanly.
She came from a poor family and was sent by her family to learn weaving skills from a master craftsman. However, due to her extraordinary talent, she was able to stand out from so many weavers and inherit the skills of white yarn weaving.
She had sworn an oath in front of her master back then, that she would rather have no successor than let Bai Peisha sink into the filth of the world.
After listening, Sun Miao'er breathed a sigh of relief. The Fifth Aunt just now did not have the demeanor of a resentful woman confined to her chambers. Her words were sharp and her expression was resolute, which made Sun Miao'er respect her. She said, "Fifth Madam, rest assured, I, Sun Miao'er, will never belittle my skills, nor will I ever become a dishonest merchant."
Hearing Sun Miao'er's earnest words, Fifth Aunt breathed a sigh of relief. She had really thought that this skill would be lost with her in the deep courtyard.
"Come with me."
Fifth Aunt walked out of the house, with Sun Miao'er following behind. She discovered that the room where she lived had a side door. The side door was made of dark willow wood, less than a person's height, and was difficult to notice without careful observation.
Pushing open the wooden door, a damp, musty smell hit her, making Sun Miao'er sneeze several times.
Fifth Aunt bent down and went inside. By the light filtering in from above, she could see a wooden ladder leaning against the wall.
"Come on up, take it slow."
After saying that, she nimbly climbed the ladder, not at all hindered by the cumbersome clothes, and did it with ease.
Sun Miao'er followed closely behind and crawled inside. She had some difficulty climbing the ladder, and it was Fifth Aunt who helped her up from above.
Unexpectedly, there was a hidden world above the roof.
It was an attic, dark and unlit, with the only light coming in through the gaps in the roof tiles.
In the center of the attic stood a spinning wheel covered in cobwebs. The air stirred by the intruder had raised fine dust particles that were clearly visible in the light.
The spinning wheel must have been unused for many years.
Fifth Aunt stepped closer to the spinning wheel and stroked it with extremely gentle movements, as if appreciating a priceless treasure. "Call me Yunniang. Fifth Madam looks too old. I'm not at that level yet."
"Don't call me Master, I can't take it."
She seemed to have guessed what Sun Miao'er was thinking, and quickly added another sentence.
"Yunniang".
Sun Miao'er called out.
With a wave of her wide sleeves, Yunniang brushed past the wooden bench under the spinning wheel, raising a cloud of dust. She then straightened her posture, took the shuttle in her hand, and stepped on it.
In that instant, Sun Miao'er felt that the spinning wheel was vibrant and warm, rather than cold and old.
Yunniang's hand trembled slightly as she picked up the shuttle. She hadn't touched a spinning wheel for many years. When did it start? Probably when she entered this mansion and became Old Man Wei's fifth concubine.
She possessed a skill but could not reveal it, remaining hidden among the other spinners, doing the same work day after day. Over time, her hands and heart became numb. Aside from her skill in making raw yarn, she could at best be considered slightly better than others.
A spinner can't earn much money, and she can't make money with unbleached yarn.
Her parents were seriously ill, and her younger sister was still young. Just then, Old Master Wei took a great liking to her, coveting her youthful beauty. Tired of the monotonous and tedious work, she resolutely chose to enter the household.
The life in the wealthy family tempered her character and taught her how to survive. As she grew older, her beauty faded, and without the support of her family, she often had no choice but to drift along with the tide.
They fawned over the young master, and she followed suit; they flattered Old Master Wei's daughter-in-law, and she did the same without fail.
The spinning wheel, covered in silk threads and dust, was carefully dusted off every corner of the wheel with her sleeve, scattering the dust into the air.
"You watch."
She lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the shuttle, and said to Sun Miao'er.
Sun Miao'er watched her hand movements closely, not wanting to miss any details.
As Yunniang's hands flew across the shuttle, her feet rhythmically stomped on it, and in no time a rough shape appeared on it.
"This is common cotton thread, not silk. I'll demonstrate it to you. The weaving method is the same. Remember, the rhythm must not be messed up. You have to pass it through like this, step on it once, and then go around it."
As she wove, she explained the process to Sun Miao'er, and the crisp, rhythmic sound of the loom echoed from the attic.
Sun Miao'er had never used a spinning wheel before, and at first glance it was quite difficult. But as she got better at it, she understood Yunniang's technique. Compared with weaving ordinary silk, the technique of white yarn is more complicated and requires the spinner to be extra careful.
If you accidentally go down the wrong line, you have to start all over again.
As the weaving technique progressed, Yunniang's hands gradually moved faster, the shuttle flying and the thread dancing, all in an orderly fashion.
"Looking at it is all fake. Only through diligent practice can you master the skills of making white yarn. But I don't think you can learn it thoroughly in a short time. Even if you do learn it, you will only have a superficial understanding."
Yunniang put down the shuttle in her hand, ran her fingertips across the fabric, and felt the long-lost touch.
Sun Miao'er's original intention was just to find someone to weave a piece of cloth, but by a twist of fate she became the inheritor of this craft. However, it's good to have another skill to rely on.
"Yunniang, I will definitely practice more diligently, but time is tight. I have to rush to make clothes to give to my friends. I hope I can come to the attic to practice more these two days."
She had no intention of hiding it from Yunniang, but she certainly did not intend to take advantage of her.
Yunniang's expression did not change after hearing this. She bowed and said, "Of course, but you want to use white cotton yarn to make the clothes?"
Her master had told her that white raw yarn could be used to make fan surfaces and shawls, but she had never heard of making clothes.
"White raw yarn is raw silk. If the color is fixed properly and dyed using a unique weaving and dyeing method, it can be made into a fabric that makes a rustling sound when you walk on it."
Sun Miao'er didn't know how to explain it, so she just told her her general thoughts.
Yunniang nodded thoughtfully and said, "I only know how to weave cloth and don't know much about dyeing. But since I've entrusted this skill to you and you've agreed to it, if you don't do it well in the future, you'll be ashamed of heaven, ashamed of earth, and ashamed of yourself. I've done this much and I have a clear conscience."
White raw yarn is a material of high quality, and those who can bring it to life must also possess a sincere and pure heart to do justice to its flawless purity.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
