Meanwhile, at the Cui family's dinner table, the atmosphere was rather somber.
Cui Yuanshan put down his chopsticks and looked at Qin Shi, who had just returned home, his brows furrowing slightly.
He recalled the rumors he had overheard in the village recently, and then thought about how Wang Degui's wife had been visiting him so frequently. He felt uneasy.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Honey, I heard that Chen Chunhua has been coming to our house a lot lately. Is something wrong?"
Upon hearing this, Qin immediately put down her chopsticks and interrupted him coldly: "You're a grown man, why are you starting to gossip about these things? Whether she comes or not is her business, do you think we can stop her?"
Cui Yuanshan had initially thought that Qin was unaware of the inside story, but now, hearing this, he felt even more puzzled.
"So you know what Chen Chunhua is planning?"
"I know."
Cui Yuanshan was taken aback. He had thought that Qin Shi was unaware of Chen Chunhua's intentions, but he hadn't expected that she knew perfectly well.
He said somewhat helplessly, "Since you know what she's thinking, and our family doesn't plan to arrange a marriage with her family, why make her keep coming to our house? The villagers are all talking about it."
Qin sneered, her tone tinged with disdain: "The way you're talking makes it sound like I provoked her. She came to me of her own accord. Would I kick her out? Don't you always complain that I don't associate with the villagers? Now that someone's come to your door, you're unhappy?"
"Besides, one thing is one thing. Even if she acts this way, it doesn't mean our family has to agree to it!"
Cui Yuanshan was not good with words, and after he had just said one sentence, he was silenced by Qin's barrage of criticism.
He could only lower his head and pick at the food in his bowl, saying in a muffled voice, "Fine, as long as you know what's going on."
Seeing that her husband was no longer saying anything, Qin felt a little relieved.
Cheng Suan was naturally confident in his plans.
She had long seen through Chen Chunhua's thoughts.
She simply wanted to use Wang Xiuxiu's marriage to climb up the social ladder to the Cui family, so as to secure a future for her youngest son.
My second son is about to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar. He will surely marry a daughter of an official in the future. How could that mere Wang Xiuxiu be a match for him?
Hmph, and that ignorant and arrogant Chen Chunhua actually dared to dream of marrying her second son. It's just wishful thinking!
It's said that when a family has a son, many families will want him. Since my son is so outstanding, it's normal for others to have their eyes on him.
Whenever she thought of this, Qin couldn't help but feel proud.
With successful children and a capable husband, Qin Shi always held herself in high esteem, believing herself to be the most prestigious person in the village.
That's why she's always been unhappy and has long resented Chen Chunhua for always stealing the spotlight from her.
This time, Qin did not directly reject Chen Chunhua, but instead deliberately played along with her.
He also harbored a bit of a teasing thought, wanting to let Chen Chunhua know that climbing the social ladder is not such an easy thing.
Every time Chen Chunhua came to visit, Qin would always adopt a superior attitude, neither refusing nor agreeing, letting Chen Chunhua try to please her in every way.
Chen Chunhua was incredibly shrewd; in just a few days, she saw right through Qin's little schemes.
Whenever she thought of this, Chen Chunhua felt extremely resentful and secretly vowed that one day she would make Qin Shi pay back all the grievances she had suffered these days!
From then on, whenever Chen Chunhua encountered Cui Erlang again, her attitude underwent a complete 180-degree change, and she was no longer as warm and welcoming as before.
If it weren't for the fact that her young master might need Cui Erlang's help in the future, Chen Chunhua, with her personality, would have stopped seeing him long ago!
---
That day, Cui Erlang escorted Wang Chengwen home.
Chen Chunhua stood at the door, coldly watching Cui Erlang, who kept saying he was seeing off Xiaolang, but whose eyes involuntarily followed Wang Xiuxiu.
Her eyes darted around, and a mischievous idea immediately popped into her head.
Chen Chunhua suddenly smiled and said, "Oh dear, Erlang, you've really worked hard. It's always a hassle for you to bring Chengwen back."
Cui Erlang quickly waved his hand: "Auntie, you're too kind. I'm Senior Brother Chengwen, this is what I should do."
"Since you say so, Erlang, then your aunt won't stand on ceremony. There is indeed something I need to trouble you with."
"Please speak, Auntie."
Chen Chunhua said casually, "Erlang, our Xiu'er is getting old and I'm looking for a husband for her. You know a lot of people, so if you find a suitable man, you should keep an eye out for Xiu'er."
Upon hearing this, Cui Erlang's face instantly turned tense, and he stammered, "I...I..."
He stammered for a long time but couldn't string together a complete sentence, and finally had to say goodbye and leave in a hurry.
In the following days, the Cui family was completely thrown into chaos.
Cui Erlang was absent-minded all day long and couldn't even concentrate on his studies.
Upon seeing this, Qin was so angry that she stomped her feet, and within a few days, a ring of blisters appeared around the corner of her mouth.
Seeing the strange atmosphere at the Cui family's house, the villagers began to speculate about what had happened.
Some say it's because Cui Erlang failed his exam, while others say it's because something went wrong in the Cui family.
Qin was strong-willed and stayed at home, refusing to go out. Later, she heard the villagers gossiping about her, saying that she had eaten too much spicy food and gotten a sore throat.
Even when she went out again later, she acted as if nothing had happened.
Let the villagers let their imaginations run wild and speculate on all sorts of possibilities, but no one expected that this matter would eventually be related to Wang Xiuxiu.
That's not surprising.
After all, anyone would think that Cui Erlang had a bright future ahead of him, so how could he possibly take a liking to an ordinary peasant girl?
At this moment, he is the only outsider who knows the inside story.
Chen Chunhua watched this farce with a cold eye.
She felt extremely pleased to see Qin's forced composure.
When Chen Chunhua ran into Qin Shi by chance at the village entrance, she deliberately smiled and said, "Oh, Sister Qin, why haven't I seen you around these past few days? Is something wrong at home?"
Qin's face stiffened, and she forced a smile: "What could be wrong at home? It's just that Erlang is busy with his studies, so I have to keep an eye on him."
Chen Chunhua feigned concern and said, "That must have been hard on you. But the children are all grown up now, and they should be able to make their own decisions about some things, don't you think?"
Qin sensed the hidden meaning in her words, and her face immediately darkened. However, she couldn't lash out, so she could only offer a few perfunctory words and leave in a hurry.
Watching Qin's departing figure, Chen Chunhua's lips curled into a cold smile.
happy!
---
The other party involved in this incident, Wang Xiuxiu, was completely immersed in her embroidery world and oblivious to the disturbances from the outside world.
She has rarely even left her home lately, burying herself in her work all day, just to successfully complete a big order that Fuyuan Embroidery Workshop has taken on—a double-sided embroidered inkstone screen with the design of longevity characters.
This embroidery is no ordinary piece; it was pre-ordered by a wealthy merchant long ago, supposedly to be sent to a relative's home in Kyoto as a birthday gift.
The wealthy merchant attached great importance to this deal, not only offering a high price but also specifically instructing that the embroidery must be exquisite and without the slightest flaw.
Faced with such an important and demanding order, Wang Xiuxiu naturally dared not slack off in the slightest.
She knew that this was not only a test of her skills, but also a rare opportunity.
If she can complete the task successfully, her reputation will surely reach new heights.
To master the double-sided three-dimensional embroidery technique, Wang Xiuxiu spent nearly half a month reviewing it.
The so-called double-sided three-different embroidery means that when the same embroidery piece is turned over, apart from the overall outline of the work remaining the same, the color matching, needlework techniques and pattern design are completely different from two other embroidery works.
It can be said that double-sided three-different embroidery evolved from traditional double-sided embroidery and double-sided different embroidery, but its difficulty is not just an increase of one level.
This embroidery technique not only requires superb embroidery skills, but also great patience and meticulous observation.
Normally, to complete a double-sided, three-dimensional embroidery piece, at least two highly skilled embroiderers need to work together.
After much deliberation, Wang Xiuxiu ultimately chose to use the most energy-consuming and physically demanding method to complete this work.
This screen, about the size of a palm, has a "Hundred Longevity Characters" painting on one side, commissioned by a wealthy merchant, symbolizing longevity and good health.
On the other hand, the wealthy businessman gave the choice to Wang Xiuxiu.
After much deliberation, Wang Xiuxiu chose the design of a jade gourd, symbolizing both good fortune and prosperity.
She poured all her heart and soul into this embroidery, striving for perfection in every stitch and every thread.
It took nearly three months to complete this embroidery.
The moment Manager Zheng's gaze fell upon the embroidery, he was completely stunned, as if frozen in place.
After a long while, he finally came to his senses as if waking from a dream, his eyes filled with amazement.
"Miss...your cooking skills are absolutely amazing!"
Zheng, the manager, couldn't help but stand up and examine the embroidery closely. He muttered to himself, "I've been in charge of this embroidery workshop for over twenty years and have seen countless embroideries, but I never even dared to dream of such a masterpiece!"
After speaking, he involuntarily reached out his finger, as if wanting to stroke the stitches, but at the last moment, he withdrew his hand.
As early as when the embroidery was ordered, Fuyuan Embroidery Workshop paid Wang Xiuxiu two hundred taels of silver as a deposit.
After delivering the finished product, Wang Xiuxiu successfully received the final payment—a silver note containing a full two hundred and eighty taels!
The complexity and difficulty of this double-sided, three-dimensional embroidery are truly rare. Therefore, Manager Zheng took the initiative to propose a 20/80 split with Wang Xiuxiu as a sign of recognition and reward for her.
As night fell and all was quiet, everyone else in the house was fast asleep.
Wang Xiuxiu quietly got up, lit a candle, and tiptoed to every corner of the room, taking out the silver coins she had secretly hidden one by one.
Some of the silver coins were hidden at the bottom of boxes, while others were buried in flowerpots.
Wang Xiuxiu piled them on the bed, covered herself with the blanket, and began to count them.
The gleaming silver and brand-new banknotes shimmered brilliantly in the candlelight, filling Wang Xiuxiu with both excitement and satisfaction.
This wealth is all earned by her own hands; every penny represents her hard work and dedication.
Just then, Songsong, who had been hiding in the corner observing silently, couldn't contain her curiosity and came over.
Songsong loves all things shiny and sparkly, and her eyes lit up when she saw the silver.
Afraid that it would cause trouble, Wang Xiuxiu picked out a small piece of silver and handed it to Songsong, saying with a smile, "Here, you can take it and play with it."
Songsong was overjoyed. He hugged the piece of silver tightly with his two chubby little hands and obediently ran back to his little nest to play by himself.
The silver was scattered and hidden, which not only made it very inconvenient to manage, but also posed a great risk.
Next time I go to the county, I'll have to ask Steward Zheng to help me exchange all the silver for large denomination banknotes.
Thinking this, Wang Xiuxiu took the piece of silver back from Songsong's hand.
It's not that I'm unwilling to let it play with me, it's just that I'm afraid that one day I'll be careless and Chen Chunhua will find out again.
I'd better keep it myself.
Wang Xiuxiu reorganized the silver and banknotes and hid them in a more secluded place.
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