After everyone had left, Zhu Jiayu called over Manager Liao: "Does the embroidery workshop currently have any women's ready-made clothes?"
Manager Liao nodded: "Yes, Miss, please follow me."
He led Zhu Jiayu to the Yunshan Pavilion in the embroidery workshop, which was dedicated to storing finished garments. Inside were clothes embroidered by the workshop's embroiderers over the past two months. The Zhu family's embroidery workshop had been able to stand firm on Qingxing Street for ten years, so the embroiderers' needlework skills were naturally impeccable.
However, the same problem remains: it's exquisite but lacks originality.
If a cloth shop that collaborates with an embroidery workshop only wants to do business with ordinary people, that's enough; but if a cloth shop wants to make money, it has to broaden its horizons and target the wealthy and powerful people in the city, and even their families. And at this time, the most important thing is to innovate and bring forth new products.
Zhu Jiayu's gaze swept over several garments, and finally he pointed to one of them, saying to Manager Liao, "Please take this down and bring it to Weirui Hall. I have a use for it."
Manager Liao responded with an "Eh," and did as instructed.
Upon arriving at the Wei Rui Hall, she laid out the dark green pine branch patterned gold-embroidered long gown she had chosen on the embroidery frame, removed all the silver embroidery threads, and then began to embroider the pine branch pattern again using dark glass gold thread.
She embroidered for an entire day, until late afternoon when Manager Liao, unable to bear it any longer, brought her a bowl of congee to persuade her to take a break.
The crowd that had been standing around suddenly snapped out of their daze, dispersed, and looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and amazement.
They didn't know what kind of needlework the young master used. Even though she hadn't finished embroidering yet, they had been doing embroidery for more than ten years and could see that the young master's embroidery skills were amazing!
Putting everything else aside, just the fact that she embroidered a piece of clothing with pine branches in one day, and that each pine branch was different in shape and lifelike, is something that ordinary people cannot do!
As Zhu Jiayu ate her porridge, she observed their reactions with great satisfaction, though she didn't show it on her face. She only said with regret, "In the end, the time was a bit too short. If there had been more time, I'm sure I could have embroidered it even better."
Everyone: ?
That's going too far!
"Young Master, your acupuncture technique..." Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer, but he stopped himself as soon as he opened his mouth and hurriedly explained, "I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to ask what this acupuncture technique is called."
Zhu Jiayu's needlework technique was so rare that it was enough for her to revitalize the Zhu family embroidery workshop and even expand its business to Xingchuan Prefecture.
The embroiderer hurriedly explained that she was afraid Zhu Jiayu would misunderstand that she wanted to steal Zhu Jiayu's skills... Not to mention whether she would dare to learn Zhu Jiayu's ruthless methods after witnessing them today, even the ability to learn them was a big question.
Zhu Jiayu put down the porridge bowl and said, "This is called the Binwen Needle. Don't be nervous. Since I used it in front of you, I naturally intend to teach you. However, it also depends on your performance."
After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and began embroidering again.
When she arrived in the morning, she deliberately took a detour through the teahouses on Qingxing Street and received a very important message: three days later, the county magistrate's wife invited the wives of wealthy and powerful families in the city to a banquet at Fuyun Teahouse.
Now, not only the Wei family's cloth shop, but also several other well-known cloth shops in the city, such as the Liu family, the Zeng family, and Jinxiu, are all counting on this "Seeking Beauty" banquet, hoping that their cloth will shine on the ladies and young women.
Those who run embroidery workshops think the same way.
Zhu Jiayu, too, wanted a piece of the pie, which led to her actions at Weirui Hall.
For two consecutive days, Zhu Jiayu went to the embroidery workshop at dawn to embroider, and finally finished making the long gown on February 18th.
The early spring breeze still carried a chill, carrying the moisture from the banks of the Liyun River in Suiping City. It blew in through the window and also ruffled the hair by Zhu Jiayu's ears.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and turned to look at Lüzheng, who had rushed back from outside: "Did you find out?"
Green Kite nodded carefully, tiptoed and whispered in her ear, "The magistrate's wife is currently directing the arrangements at the Floating Cloud Tea House."
What followed was a very predictable plot development:
When Zhu Jiayu went up to the second floor, she accidentally spilled the tea, wetting the hem of Madam Chen's skirt. Then she took out her handkerchief, and by sheer coincidence, Madam Chen saw the exquisite embroidery on the handkerchief. Madam Chen was then very surprised to find that this clumsy young girl actually got along very well with her.
"If only I had met you sooner, then I would have asked the embroiderer who made the handkerchief for you to make me a dress as well." Madam Chen stroked Zhu Jiayu's handkerchief, unable to put it down.
Zhu Jiayu pretended not to understand: "What's so difficult about that? I can have her serve you right now."
Madam Chen shook her head and sighed, "Sister, you don't know this, but I'm hosting a banquet here tomorrow. Even if we rush to finish now, it's too late."
It's a pity we didn't meet sooner.
She could even imagine how stunning she would look wearing the dress made by that embroiderer.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Jiayu suddenly bowed to her.
Madam Chen was slightly startled. She helped her up and said, "What are you doing, sister?"
Zhu Jiayu looked at her, his thin lips slightly pursed, and said shyly:
“Madam, I have come for this very reason. The embroiderer who embroidered my handkerchief has already prepared a dress for you. If you do not mind, I will have someone fetch it for you to judge.”
She lowered her head deeply; the composure and ease she had displayed when conversing fluently with Madam Chen was completely gone, replaced only by worry and fear.
“I dare not deceive you, Madam. I am a daughter of the Zhu family. My family owns several embroidery workshops, but in recent years the business has declined. I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.”
Madam Chen's smile froze slightly: "Very well, you are honest, so I will do as you say and go and fetch it for me to see."
She had long suspected Zhu Jiayu's intentions, but she never expected there to be such a hidden story.
To come up with such a way to get close to her, to offer her advice at the right time, and to ultimately not to deceive her—it was all thanks to the young girl's good intentions.
She had already made up her mind: if the dress that was delivered later was comparable to the one she had in her household, then she would choose that one. This fulfilled the wish of the painstakingly clever young girl.
Having received Zhu Jiayu's instructions, Lüzheng was already on her way to the embroidery workshop. The little girl had grown up on the farm and was full of strength. She could run several streets without feeling weak, especially since the embroidery workshop and the teahouse were on the same street.
So she quickly retrieved the dress and returned.
Madam Chen, who had been sitting upright, suddenly stood up when she saw the dress in the maid's hands. She didn't even notice that tea had spilled on her, and stared at the neatly folded dark green robe for a long time.
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