"What styles of headbands do you have here? Show them all to me! Don't worry about the money! I'm the head maid of the Xie family in Jiangzhou!" Who else could this woman be but Xiao Cui?!
The older child lowered his head, seemingly focused on eating his snack.
He was in a tea room partitioned off from the main hall. The manager of Jinxiu Pavilion cherished his subordinates and had specially set aside this place for them to rest!
If it's windy or rainy and you can't go home, you can inform the manager and rest here. Because the manager is considerate, the embroiderers and young assistants at Jinxiuge have been working there for a long time; many have worked there for over ten years!
The tea room was separated from the main hall by a beaded curtain, so Da Wa wasn't worried about Xiao Cui seeing him; instead, he began to observe her secretly.
Today, Xiao Cui was wearing a light green cotton ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and a dark green bijia (another type of vest). The fabric, I couldn't tell what it was, was much more beautiful and delicate than cotton. It seems she's been doing quite well since arriving in Jiangzhou!
Lian Sheng seemed oblivious to the other person's disdainful expression, and cheerfully introduced the forehead ribbons in their shop.
"Speaking of headbands, young lady, you've come to the right place! Our Jinxiu Pavilion has a complete range of headband styles and excellent designs, and the fabrics are simply superb! Look, this satin one with auspicious cloud patterns is especially suitable for you, dignified and noble, and perfectly suited to your status!"
This light blue one with the lotus scroll design is also nice; it makes you look more lively and vibrant! Young lady, you have a noble and auspicious face; you can carry off any style of clothing!
Although this woman was a head maid, and thus considered of low social status, many favored maids in wealthy families were more capable than the legitimate daughters of humble families! Although Lian Sheng looked down on Xiao Cui, he could not show it on his face no matter what.
After being showered with his effusive praise, Xiao Cui felt as refreshed as if she had drunk ice water on a hot day! She quickly forgot her initial displeasure and began to seriously choose a headband!
This forehead ribbon was bought by her mistress, Xie Yuyan, as a gift for the women in the family. Speaking of which, since they entered the Xie family, although there have been many gossips and cold looks, they have generally lived a good life.
She had assumed that the mistress harbored resentment towards Xie Yuyan and her son over the years, but to her surprise, the first time she saw her, she was all smiles and extremely caring, almost as much as her own mother. As a result, Xie Yuyan's mental preparations for a difficult life in the Xie family were almost completely thwarted.
Of course, Xie Yuyan wasn't stupid or foolish. She thought that her stepmother might be using sweet talk to kill her, so she remained cautious in her words and actions, which was completely different from her irritable demeanor on the way.
However, as time went on, her stepmother remained unchanged, and the Xie family's matriarch and the elders of the other branches also took good care of her. They even hired a governess for her, reportedly at a great expense from the Marquis's mansion, and she attended the clan school with her elder sisters and half-sisters. Now, she was behaving like a proper young lady from a prominent family.
Yesterday, I overheard the sisters discussing the forehead ribbon and the owner of this Jinxiuge, who is said to be the youngest son of the Lan family in Dingzhou!
Judging from their words, these headbands were very popular in the city, but they were quite expensive. They were short of money, and apart from their eldest sister who had one, none of the others possessed one. The Xie family's eldest daughter's maternal uncle's family was wealthy, possessing countless jewels, ornaments, and rare antiques, all supposedly gifts from her maternal family. Otherwise, with their monthly allowance of two taels of silver, when would they ever be able to afford such extravagant purchases?
Xie Yuyan sneered inwardly. She never expected that the daughter of the prestigious Xie family would only receive two taels of silver a month. She felt that she could straighten her back with the hundreds of taels of silver in her hand.
In fact, the wealth of these women from aristocratic families lies in their dowry upon marriage. If they marry a good husband, it is like adding wings to a tiger. Therefore, they fight tooth and nail to marry into a good family!
However, Xie Yuyan clearly didn't understand. Although she didn't show it on her face, she was thinking to herself, "Why shouldn't I have what my elder sister has?!" Even without a powerful maternal family, fortunately, her father loved her and gave her a lot of money. If it weren't for her future, she wouldn't have bothered traveling thousands of miles to Jiangzhou to suffer!
The Xie family had too many rules: no one was allowed to speak while eating or sleeping; no one was allowed to touch their chopsticks until the matriarch had started eating. Only when the matriarch spoke or had started eating could others take a tiny bite, and even then, only a single bite...
Fortunately, Xie Yuyan has finally gained a foothold in the Xie family, and the next step is to win people's hearts! The first step is naturally the sisters in each branch of the family. The most fundamental way to win people's hearts is to persuade them of the benefits, and this forehead ribbon is the first step.
Remembering her mistress's instructions, Xiao Cui dared not be negligent. After all, as her personal maids, the two of them were bound together, sharing both glory and misfortune. Only then did she carefully consider the appearance and preferences of each mistress and begin to choose a headband.
Lian Sheng wasn't in a hurry. Some customers are just a bit difficult to please, so he simply brought her a chair and let her sit and choose at her own pace.
More guests came in, and Lian Sheng went over to greet them.
After much deliberation, Xiao Cui finally selected everything she needed. She then called Lian Sheng over to get a piece of jewelry made.
"Hey buddy, how much is all this?" He wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. This was really hard work, and the fire in this shop was burning really brightly!
Upon hearing this, Lian Sheng quickly went over to gather the money, and with a few quick movements of the abacus beads, he laughed, "Miss, this totals one hundred and thirty taels of silver!"
Xiao Cui, who was leisurely waving her handkerchief to cool off, was so shocked by the number that she almost dropped it, and her voice rose two octaves in surprise.
"What?! These few headbands aren't worth that much money! One hundred and thirty taels of silver? You might as well rob us! Does your shop intend to cheat customers?! In our prestigious Xie family, we've never seen a shop like this! Are you planning to make a quick buck?!"
Even though Lian Sheng wasn't a newcomer and was quite experienced, he was still embarrassed by her retort and hurriedly explained, "Miss, what are you saying? Our Jinxiu Pavilion is a century-old establishment. Although it can't compare to shops in the capital, it's still one of the best in Jiangzhou City. Besides, we've always had clearly marked prices, so there's no question of fraud."
You have eleven headbands in total, all embroidered. The fabric alone is quite valuable. This brocade headband is one tael of silver, and this one inlaid with South Sea pearls is ten taels of silver. That's a total of one hundred and thirty taels of silver, not a penny more, not a penny less! Fair and honest!
In the end, even Lian Sheng felt inexplicably irritable.
This maid is obviously ignorant. Everyone knows that everything from Jinxiu Pavilion is of good quality and guaranteed. The ladies of each household are overjoyed to be able to buy a South Pearl headband from Jinxiu Pavilion. She is just lucky today because her eldest daughter's mother just sent over a batch of new ones!
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