Chapter 422 Recruiting Embroidery Girls
At this time, Xu Xianyu and his men were already waiting at the place where the Xu family had originally set up their tent.
Accompanying her were Nanny Qin and Nanny Yun.
Seeing her nervousness, Nanny Qin chuckled, "Miss, you are too nervous. Relax a little. You have done very well."
Xu Xianyu was a little embarrassed. "Madam Qin, did you say anyone would come to be the embroiderer?"
At this time, no one came yet, and she was a little panicked.
Being an embroiderer is definitely hard work, but after learning it, you can make a living with your skills. I just don’t know if these girls want to understand the key.
"Miss." Nanny Qin gently helped her tidy up her messy clothes.
“You worry too much.
Don't worry, someone will come. After all, not every girl is without her own ideas.
Some people, as long as the opportunity is placed in front of them, will climb up at all costs.
Also, you have to understand that girls born in this area are often not welcomed by their families. I heard there's no pay, so their families might be reluctant to let them study.
They want to learn embroidery, but if they don't even have the courage to step out of the house, do you think they will have the patience to learn it well?"
Embroidery cannot be learned in a few days. A good embroiderer has stood the test of time.
Therefore, it is normal to have no income in a short period of time.
It is free to learn embroidery here, and the eldest lady gives them the opportunity to learn.
The training is three months long, and if you fail to meet the standards within three months, you will be eliminated.
But after three months, regardless of whether they would be eliminated or not, the eldest lady would give them one or two taels of silver as their wages for this period.
The reason I didn't tell anyone about this is that I wanted to see how many girls really wanted to learn.
The embroiderers they need must not only be able to endure hardships, but also be people with firm beliefs.
After hearing what Nanny Qin said, Xu Xianyu felt a little more at ease.
At this moment, six girls came together.
Xu Xianyu recognized them; they all came with Qi Zhengfei and the others.
She smiled and welcomed these girls who were not much younger than her. After asking Nanny Yun to talk to these girls, she stood aside and waited for the other girls to come.
She had previously sent out the message saying that the selection would begin at noon, but it was not time yet.
Not long after, girls started coming here one after another.
But not many came.
By noon, only about twenty people had arrived.
Seeing that no one came, Xu Xianyu stopped waiting and announced that he would start selecting embroiderers.
The first step in selecting an embroiderer is very simple, which is to look at her hands. People with disabled hands cannot do embroidery work.
Xu Xianyu asked them to stretch out their hands, looked around, and directly eliminated two girls.
Of the two girls who were eliminated, one had lost her thumb, and the other had a broken hand and was unable to use it.
Looking at the two girls leaving dejectedly, Xu Xianyu sighed. He wanted to keep them to work, but they really couldn't do the job.
The next step is to distinguish colors.
As Nanny Qin said, some people are born unable to distinguish between red and green, and such people are not suitable to be embroiderers.
A good embroidery pattern requires the coordination of many colors. If you can’t even distinguish the colors, how can you match them?
And after this round, one girl was eliminated.
At this point, everyone who can be excluded has been excluded.
Looking at the remaining people, Xu Xianyu said with a serious expression:
"Learning embroidery is not something that can be learned in a day or two. It takes a long time to learn and practice. Moreover, there is more than just one needlework to learn. It takes more time to master various needlework techniques. The process is long and arduous.
Because you need to practice with needles over and over again every day, you could easily prick your hand if you’re not careful.”
Having said that, Xu Xianyu paused for a moment before continuing:
"I started learning embroidery when I was eight years old. When I started, my hands were full of needle holes. The pain was so severe that I couldn't even hold chopsticks."
As she spoke, she stretched out her hands. Looking at her slender hands, Xu Xianyu couldn't help but laugh:
"To be honest, I don't know how many times I've been pricked with needles in my hands. At the beginning, I would prick myself every day, but as I got more skilled, the number of times I pricked myself became less.
I've also studied embroidery for several years, but I can tell you that my skills are only average. I only know a few stitches, not the advanced ones."
Having said that, she put down her hands and looked at the girls in front of her with a serious face:
"I say this just to tell you that embroidery is very hard work. If you want to embroider well, you have to work hard. There are no shortcuts on this road. You can only practice day and night.
During this process, you may not only hurt your hands, but your neck will also become sore and painful due to bending your head down to embroider for a long time.
So are you really determined to become an embroiderer? If not, you can leave now, because I don’t want anyone to quit midway.”
As soon as Xu Xianyu said this, the girls began to discuss in low voices.
"Ah! I have to practice hard day and night. It's so hard. I thought being an embroiderer was easy. I've seen embroiderers sitting in front of an embroidery frame, casually embroidering a few stitches, and they get paid."
"Yeah, I thought embroidery was easy, easier than doing housework, but I didn't expect it to be so difficult at all."
"It'll take years of study to become a master, so I'll be an old maid by then, right? How will I get married then? And I won't have any money to take home, so my family definitely won't let me stop working and study for a few years."
…
Xu Xianyu did not stop them and let them discuss freely.
Some things they have to make their own choices, instead of me choosing for them.
Embroidery is not easy. If you want to excel, you must practice it over a long period of time.
Moreover, there are different levels of embroiderers. Junior embroiderers can only embroider simple and uncomplicated small pictures, such as small flowers and grasses. There are people who buy these, but the price is not high. A good one costs only two or three cents.
An intermediate embroiderer is better than a beginner and can embroider some slightly complicated patterns. A good one can be sold for one or two taels of silver.
High-level embroiderers can use various needlework techniques to embroider various complex patterns, and the finished products are eye-catching. Such embroidery products are often sold at sky-high prices.
All of these require time to develop and cannot be achieved overnight.
Therefore, those who are eager for quick success and instant benefits must also be eliminated.
After their discussion gradually died down, Xu Xianyu finally spoke:
"To be an embroiderer, you must be prepared to endure hardships and persevere. So, have you all decided to become an embroiderer?"
As Xu Xianyu finished speaking, several girls looked at each other and then stepped aside.
"Miss Xu, I'm afraid I can't bear this hardship."
"I'm afraid I can't hold on. I can't sit still."
"Me too, I can't sit still either!"
…
The girls who backed out shook their heads to indicate that they couldn't do it!
Xu Xianyu was not angry either. She looked at them with a smile:
"You dare to face yourselves and know your shortcomings very well, which is already very good. You are all great girls.
And if we can't be embroiderers, we can still do other things. Life is a long journey, and we don't have to take this one path, right?"
Everyone nodded and gathered around Xu Xianyu to talk.
Nanny Qin looked at Xu Xianyu with satisfaction. The eldest lady had really grown up. The prince and princess would definitely be pleased to see this.
After the eliminated girls were sent away, there were only fourteen qualified people left.
Xu Xianyu felt a little regretful that the number of people came, but she quickly cheered up. As long as she managed the business well in the future, more people would come to her.
So after talking to these girls for a while and telling them to come see him the next morning, he let them go back first.
But at this moment, a thin girl was stumbling towards them not far away.
Before she even arrived, the voice came over:
"Are you still...still hiring embroiderers?"
Soon, she appeared in front of everyone.
But now she was so tired that she was gasping for breath, and sweat was dripping down her face.
"Still...still want to recruit?" Jia Lianhua forced herself to stand up, suppressing her trembling legs.
As soon as she finished speaking, the girls beside her started talking at once:
"It's all over, and you're just here. Aren't you a little late?"
"Jia Lianhua, Miss Xu doesn't want you anymore, so hurry back home!"
"That's right, you ran away secretly, did your father and stepmother agree?"
…
Everyone’s words made Jia Lianhua feel disappointed, so was she still late?
She looked at everyone hesitantly, then turned and left without saying a word, lowering her head.
Xu Xianyu looked at the pale and listless thin girl in front of him. For some reason, his heart ached and he couldn't help but speak:
"Wait, can you tell me why you're so late?"
Jia Lianhua turned around and answered in a low voice:
“My stepmother locked me up at home because she thought I couldn’t finish the housework if I came here, so she locked me up and wouldn’t let me come.
I broke the window at home and sneaked over here."
Jia Chunni suddenly interrupted:
"Miss, Lotus's stepmother is very fierce and often beats her. If you keep her, I'm afraid her stepmother will come and cause trouble."
The others nodded in agreement. They were all from the same village, so they knew a little about each family's affairs.
Jia Lianhua shrank back when she heard this:
"I, I'd better not trouble you guys anymore."
After saying that, he turned around with red eyes and was about to leave.
"Let me ask you, do you really want to learn embroidery?" Xu Xianyu asked, looking at her back.
Jia Lianhua turned around and nodded firmly:
"think.
I want to make money, I...I want to get out of here!"
She spoke the last sentence in a low voice, but Xu Xianyu heard it.
Xu Xianyu chuckled, "Come report in tomorrow."
Jia Lianhua's eyes lit up, disbelief written on her face, "Really...really?"
Seeing Xu Xianyu nod, she burst into tears of joy:
"Very good!"
"What's good about that?" Suddenly a rough female voice interrupted, followed by a huge body rushing in. Before anyone could react, she reached out and grabbed Jia Lianhua's ear, cursing:
"You little bitch, you're so bold!
How dare you break the window and sneak out? Come back with me, or I'll beat you to death!"
…
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