Chapter 361 Preparing New Clothes
Song Chunxue nodded. "I understand. He probably has something to take care of."
My senior brother used to be the type to travel everywhere, but he's been lax in the last two years.
Although she was a little reluctant to part with him, she was genuinely happy for him, thinking that his cultivation might improve as a result and that he might learn more.
My senior brother is all alone anyway, so it doesn't matter where he goes.
Now that they're back, Jiang Hongying no longer needs to come and take care of Sanwa every day. Song Chunxue told them to go back and attend to their own business.
He Chuan hasn't been idle these past two days since returning from the fields. He's already been to the school a few times, and Xiao Xu will be able to start studying there in a couple of days.
Hongying often went to the fields to tend Song Chunxue's vegetable garden. When the two children complained of being tired and didn't want to stay, she would go home and prepare a meal.
Song Chunxue couldn't help but sigh, realizing that as a farmer, she had become quite lax in the past two years.
One should never forget one's roots. When she felt uneasy, she would go to the fields with Hongying. The grains and medicinal herbs always needed to be weeded and tended. The old scallions, cabbages, and chives in the fields also needed to be loosened.
Potatoes also need to have the soil loosened with a hoe, preferably twice.
In the afternoon, she stayed home to prepare for her third child's marriage.
Now that she has money, she's determined to tidy up Sanwa's room properly.
The table is too dark, she wants to buy a new one. The walls are too old, she needs to find a craftsman to whitewash them.
In the past, only wealthy families could afford to use lime. Walls plastered with it were both sturdy and beautiful. Song Chunxue planned to use some lime on her own house sometime.
The quilts for the wedding should be made as early as possible. Satin quilt covers are the most beautiful. Make two pairs, not one. At least two pairs should be made. The mat on the kang (heated brick bed) should also be old.
The windows were also a bit old, so Song Chunxue thought about having the carpenter make a new one that was sturdy, nice, and durable. She could then hang thick felt curtains in the room to keep it warm in winter.
However, felt is quite expensive. The best type for curtains is the kind that people from the Western Regions like to use, the kind with dyed patterns and woven fabric, which can last for decades.
Moreover, this yard was vacant for two years before, so it's best to replace the roof tiles. It's too much trouble if it starts leaking after living here for a while.
There was also the attic that she had never really taken care of, which she used as a storage room.
The attic is on the right side of the main house, with the second room below it. The railing above it is a bit worn and should be repaired by a craftsman.
The attic is very warm, especially in winter. If you build a porch outside, it will be warm on a sunny winter afternoon without needing a fireplace.
Previously, there were few people in the family, and it was inconvenient to use water in the attic, so it had been vacant.
But the third child is getting married and will soon have children, and the children love the attic the most.
Song Chunxue remembered that on her way to the market in the countryside, she would pass by a house with a large courtyard and a small attic in the northwest corner, with tiny windows and doors, which she greatly admired.
The third child will definitely love it.
However, there are no handrails on the steps leading up to the attic or the steps leading up to the fortress in this courtyard.
Adults are fine, but children are unsteady on their feet, and it would be troublesome if they fell.
After considering all this, she realized that it would take her at least half a month to hire a good carpenter.
The platforms in each room have cracks and are not very smooth, so they need to be repaired by a bricklayer.
We're really going to be busy from now on.
Sanwa thought it was too much trouble.
“Mother, there’s no need to be so meticulous. It’s fine as it is now, otherwise you’ll be busy for a long time. If you hire a craftsman, you have to take good care of him. You can’t be careless when cooking for the craftsman. If he cuts corners, it will be a lot of trouble.”
Song Chunxue had already made up her mind. "What's the trouble? I don't have to do it myself. It's just about making delicious food for the craftsmen. It's not like our family can't afford it now."
"You read your book, leave the rest of the trivial matters to me." Seeing his clothes, she raised her hand and said, "I almost forgot, I'll take your measurements later. You'll definitely need to wear wedding clothes for the wedding, and the young masters of wealthy families all wear exquisite red attire."
Sanwa blushed and lowered his head shyly, saying, "We don't need to make it pure red. Otherwise, we can only wear it on our wedding day. It would be a waste if we went through all that trouble to make it and couldn't wear it often."
When the eldest son got married, the family was short of money. Like everyone else in the village, he wore a fashionable long robe underneath a sleeveless red vest, which he could also wear to keep warm in the cold autumn and winter.
Chen Feng's wedding dress was also made from old red cloth that her mother found somewhere.
Some families are a bit more generous and will use new red cloth to make new clothes, then embroider beautiful big red peonies on them, so that they can wear them even after getting married.
The wedding dress Mulan wore in her previous life was made from new cloth bought with extra copper coins given to her by Song Chunxue. She wore it for several years until it got torn, then cut it up and made clothes for her children.
I remember back then, Song Chunxue was very reluctant to give it.
This time, she gave a lot of money, and Xia Mulan's parents should make her a beautiful wedding dress.
But Song Chunxue still wanted her to wear a bright red wedding dress, just like the women from wealthy families.
Regardless of whether Sanwa felt it was wasteful, she wanted the embroiderer at the clothing shop to make two outfits.
She went to the shop and asked; if the material wasn't of high quality, two sets would only cost one tael of silver.
Song Chunxue felt that the money was well spent.
As she was about to leave, the embroiderer glanced at Song Chunxue from head to toe.
"Your son is getting married, shouldn't you also get a nice new outfit? You can't let him down. I've got two new fabrics here, perfect for your age. Would you like to take a look?"
As a woman, it's hard to refuse such a statement.
"Then take it out and let me see it?"
The embroiderer patted the floral fabric beside her; the intertwined patterns of sky blue and peach pink were instantly pleasing to the eye.
"It's beautiful. How much is this cloth per foot?"
Song Chunxue touched it with her hand. Xia Mulan and Hongying would definitely look good in it; she looked too bright and cheerful.
"Fifty copper coins, or forty-five if you think that's too expensive."
"Then give me six meters of fabric. I'll make one for my daughter-in-law and daughter, and the rest for the child."
The embroiderer was overjoyed. "Alright, you have excellent taste. I'll tear it for you right away. What about you?"
Song Chunxue touched the fabric in front of her. "This bamboo green one needs six feet, this pine green one needs six feet, and the red, scarlet, and rouge ones need five feet each."
The fabrics were laid out in front of her, each with its own merits. She thought that with so many people in her family, she could make good ones for a front-opening jacket, a vest, and a skirt with pleats.
After Sanwa got married, she couldn't just wear a Taoist robe at home. It was better for her to dress in something a little brighter, otherwise people would always think she was suffering inside.
With so much cloth to cut, she has less time to read.
When she got home that day, she returned to her room and saw that her senior brother had left a thick stack of books on her desk, all of which he had read.
Is her senior brother suggesting she become self-taught?
While carrying a large pile of cloth home, Song Chunxue bumped into Ren Haitang, who was also on her way home.
"Can you carry all this fabric?" Ren Haitang stretched out her hands. "Let me carry some for you."
"Thank you," Song Chunxue said with a smile. "My child is getting married, and I was thinking that we should all have some new clothes made for each other."
Ren Haitang nodded, "Go ahead and do it. Red looks good on you and complements your complexion. If you feel you can't pull it off, use silver-white for the front and embroider a few flowers. It would look especially nice as a vest."
As the two were chatting and laughing, they passed by Yao Man's tavern.
"Has Sister Song struck it rich again?"
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