The market was bustling with noise, a cacophony of hawkers' cries and the sounds of bargaining.
The air was filled with the aroma of various foods, making my mouth water.
Standing on the bustling street, Wang Xiuxiu looked at the crowds coming and going, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Although life was tough in ancient times, having a skill could make it a fulfilling and enjoyable experience!
Now that she had money, Wang Xiuxiu wanted to improve her life.
Although the Wang family was one of the wealthier families in Stone Village, they lived frugally and rarely ate meat on their meals.
During this period, Wang Xiuxiu was extremely hungry for food.
When settling the money just now, Wang Xiuxiu specifically asked Steward Zheng to exchange some copper coins for her!
She touched the copper coins in her pocket, pondering how to treat herself well today.
As they approached a stall selling mutton pancakes, the aroma wafted towards them, and Wang Xiuxiu couldn't help but swallow hard. She then boldly exclaimed, "Mutton pancakes, one please!"
The stall owner smiled and handed her a steaming hot pancake. She took it, took a bite, and felt her mouth fill with fragrance. She immediately felt alive again.
Then, I went to a wonton stall and ordered a bowl of fresh pork wontons.
The wontons had thin wrappers and generous fillings, and the broth was delicious. Wang Xiuxiu ate them with great relish.
Halfway through my wontons, I ordered a plate of fish sauce from the stall next door.
The fish is tender and fresh, and paired with the restaurant's special sauce, it's simply a delicacy.
The meal was all meat, and Wang Xiuxiu really enjoyed herself!
After finishing her meal, Wang Xiuxiu still felt unsatisfied and bought a bowl of sweet soup to drink slowly, feeling incredibly content.
After eating and drinking her fill, Wang Xiuxiu glanced at the sky. Since it was still early, she decided to take a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood.
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The markets in Jiuyuan County are very lively and fun to browse.
The ground is paved with stone bricks, and vendors line both sides of the street; it is clean and tidy.
The space left for pedestrians in the middle is spacious, so there is no problem of crowding.
As Wang Xiuxiu walked and looked around, she couldn't help but admire it: the layout of this ancient market was even more reasonable than she had imagined.
As she walked, she came to a pharmacy.
The pharmacy's sign read "Huang's Pharmacy," and several strings of herbs hung at the entrance, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.
Wang Xiuxiu recalled that when she was inquiring about information, she heard from the older women that this pharmacy had a family heirloom skin-rejuvenating cream that could make an old woman's hands as soft as a young girl's.
She looked down at her hands; they weren't as rough as tree bark, but they still managed to scratch the soft embroidered handkerchief.
Wang Xiuxiu knew that the older women were exaggerating, but she still couldn't help but be tempted.
The pharmacy was filled with a rich aroma of herbs, and a middle-aged man stood behind the counter, sorting through the medicinal materials.
Wang Xiuxiu stepped forward and asked softly, "Shopkeeper, I heard you have skin-smoothing cream here?"
The shopkeeper looked up, glanced at her, and smiled, "Yes, our Huang's skin-rejuvenating cream is a family secret recipe, and it works extremely well."
As he spoke, he took out a small porcelain bottle from under the counter and handed it to Wang Xiuxiu.
Wang Xiuxiu took the porcelain bottle, opened it, and smelled it; a faint, refreshing fragrance wafted out.
A thought struck her, and she asked, "How much is this skin-smoothing cream?"
The shopkeeper smiled and quoted a price, which made Wang Xiuxiu feel a pang of pain.
The price was much higher than she had expected, but she still gritted her teeth and took out the money.
Seeing that she was so agreeable, the shopkeeper explained the usage to her in detail.
After listening to the shopkeeper, Wang Xiuxiu thanked him and rushed out of the pharmacy as fast as she could, afraid that if she stayed even a second longer, she would be unable to resist returning the item.
On her way home, Wang Xiuxiu kept comforting herself.
It's okay, it's okay!
I have a skill to make money, and now I have a way to make money. The little money I lost will come back to me one day!
However, it really hurts to give away all the money I earned through hard work before I even had a chance to enjoy it!
Back home, Wang Xiuxiu remained depressed.
She handed the calculated amount of money to Chen Chunhua and then returned to her house dejectedly.
Wang Degui was always oblivious, so naturally he didn't notice anything unusual about her.
But Chen Chunhua was different; she immediately noticed something was wrong.
Not long after, she brought a bowl of sweet water to Wang Xiuxiu.
"My son, who upset you? Did you have a bad day selling handkerchiefs?" Chen Chunhua asked with concern.
Wang Xiuxiu's mind raced, and she lifted her head from under the covers, looking aggrieved. "Mother, the embroidery workshop almost didn't pay me today..."
Upon hearing that money was involved, Chen Chunhua immediately perked up, and her voice, no longer as gentle as before, suddenly became sharp: "How could this be! Everything was fine before! Tell me! Did you offend someone!"
"No, Mother, the embroidery workshop complained that I ruined the embroidered handkerchief," Wang Xiuxiu said in a low voice.
“How could you be so careless! That embroidered handkerchief is very expensive. Why couldn’t you be more careful? What if your father finds out…” Chen Chunhua complained.
Wang Xiuxiu was already in a bad mood, so she couldn't stand being scolded. She interrupted, "Mother, it's not that I was careless, it's just that my hands are too rough."
After saying that, he raised his hand and waved it in front of Chen Chunhua.
Xiuxiu had the lowest status in the family. She had to do everything: farming, washing vegetables, cooking, feeding chickens and ducks.
Later, Hong Xiaodong married into the family and even bullied Xiuxiu by making her do the laundry.
Over time, these hands naturally became incredibly rough.
Hearing Wang Xiuxiu say this, Chen Chunhua finally felt relieved: "What's there to be afraid of? I'll go get you some lard to rub on it."
Chen Chunhua cursed inwardly at this brat for making a mountain out of a molehill.
“Mother, I couldn’t hold the needle and thread properly after touching the lard. The embroidery room also complained about the smell. I begged and pleaded with them to take the handkerchief back today, but the head lady said that if it’s like this again, she will never take it again.”
Wang Xiuxiu lowered her head and stopped speaking.
Chen Chunhua also panicked.
Although Wang Xiuxiu didn't earn much money from embroidering handkerchiefs, it was still a considerable source of income for the family.
Moreover, Wang Xiuxiu's embroidery skills have improved recently, and she's bringing home more and more money, so she really can't bear to give it up.
Chen Chunhua complained about Wang Xiuxiu's incompetence one moment and worried about not being able to raise enough money for Xiaolang's books the next, and she really didn't sleep a wink all night.
The next morning, Chen Chunhua appeared before the Wang family with two black eyes.
When Hong Xiaodong saw this, she secretly smiled at her.
Chen Chunhua ignored her and instead announced some bad news exclusively for her at the dinner table: "From now on, all the housework will be handled by Xiaodong..."
Before Chen Chunhua could finish speaking, Hong Xiaodong started to get angry.
Chen Chunhua didn't refute. With a cold face, she glanced at Wang Degui's expression and felt a little relieved. Then she said indifferently, "It should have been handed over to you a long time ago. It's really inappropriate to let Xiuya, an unmarried girl, do all this work."
Hong Xiaodong thought Chen Chunhua was targeting her, so she immediately disregarded everything else and wanted to tear off all pretenses and fight this old hag to the death.
Before he could say two words, Wang Degui smashed a bowl over his head.
"Just do what we tell you to do! What wife doesn't do housework? Did we marry you to be pampered? If you don't want to, get out of here!"
After saying that, Wang Degui turned and left.
Although Wang Degui held back, the bowl still left a red mark on Hong Xiaodong's forehead.
Hong Xiaodong dared not refute Wang Degui, so he stared at Chen Chunhua with bloodshot eyes, wishing he could devour her alive.
Chen Chunhua gave a cold laugh, turned around and left.
Hong Xiaodong stood there, feeling as if his blood was flowing backwards, chilled to the bone.
Then look at her deadbeat husband, who, sensing something was wrong, had long since disappeared!
After a long while, Hong Xiaodong calmed down and carefully recalled everything that had just happened. Only then did he realize that he had fallen into the witch's trap!
Chen Chunhua went back to her room and began to comfort Wang Degui.
A few gentle words and gestures were enough to calm Wang Degui down.
Chen Chunhua had no doubts about what Wang Xiuxiu said.
She had served in wealthy households and had seen the world.
Back then, I heard people say that embroiderers' hands not only needed to be massaged and rubbed with ointment frequently, but they also couldn't do rough work or be exposed to the sun.
This ensures dexterity and flexibility during embroidery.
Putting everything else aside, the fact that they don't have to do any manual labor is something to be envied.
Chen Chunhua tried to learn the skill from others, but she simply didn't have the talent, so she had to give up.
So when they arrived at the Wang family, they learned that Wang Xiuxiu could embroider, and despite everyone's objections, they insisted on taking on the job of embroidering handkerchiefs for her.
Chen Chunhua was quite proud of this.
You know, at this age, how many girls at home can earn money for their families like Wang Xiuxiu?
It's all thanks to my own planning!
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