Chapter 10 Back at the Oil Coat Workshop
This matter reached Gu Niangzi's ears.
Madam Song, holding her high-bun hairstyle adorned with numerous hairpins and ornaments, pointed a finger at Lin Xiushui and exclaimed, "Change her! She's been ironing those few bolts of cloth for so many days, and it's almost March..."
Lin Xiushui glanced at the small calendar on the wall. Today was the seventh day of the second month. So, according to Madam Song, the days that followed had grown legs and sped away.
She let Song Niangzi chatter on and on, afraid that the task would fall on her again. This batch of red cloth was so bright that in the sunlight, she couldn't see the wrinkles at all, so she had to do a haphazard job to iron it quickly.
Madam Gu ordered tea and several dishes of pastries, and after giving her instructions, she came over and said, "Madam Song, please feel free to tell me what's on your mind."
She gently patted Lin Xiushui and whispered, "Go back and rest first, don't worry about this."
Madam Song was the kind of person who, once she had a bit of power, would act arrogantly and make things difficult for others. Madam Gu was the one who dealt with this kind of person. She would flatter her demands and then inform her master, who would then have Madam Song taken back.
They were taken back, but this time it was Song Niangzi's sisters who came instead.
When Gu Niangzi arrived in the courtyard, Lin Xiushui had already spoken to Xiao Chun'e. Neither of them were very good at cursing, but they said that Song Niangzi was a cunning goose that always bit people.
“What are you saying?” Madam Gu walked over and stood next to Lin Xiushui. “You don’t need to iron that batch of cloth anymore. It was really difficult for you. I’ll find three old tailors to iron it. Xiao Chun’e, you should also call your eldest sister to come and help with the charcoal burning.”
Xiao Chun'e exclaimed, "Oh!" Her eldest sister was indeed a skilled fire starter, after all, the two of them had helped their parents tend the stove and furnace since they were little, but her eldest sister's mouth was really annoying.
She then hurriedly asked, "What about A-Qiao? Aren't you going to have her iron it?"
As Madam Gu was checking how many bolts of cloth there were, she heard this and said, "Mrs. Xu from the oilcloth workshop said that A-Qiao's skills are quite good."
"Ah Qiao, you should go to the oilclothing workshop to sew clothes for the next few days. They're short-handed."
Lin Xiushui raised her eyebrows high, opened her mouth slightly, and immediately agreed. She really liked going to the oilclothing workshop.
However, he couldn't help but comfort Xiao Chun'e, saying, "I'll be back in a few days, and I'll iron the cloth with you and bring you some food."
Xiao Chun'e's face was scrunched up in misery as she tugged at Lin Xiushui's sleeve and said, "I'm afraid I'll be burned in fire, boiled in water, and drenched in rain these next few days. My eldest sister always knows how to torment me. My life is so miserable!"
Those who didn't know her thought she was mourning, but Lin Xiushui, who did, really wanted to see if all she could think about was buying things.
Later, Lin Xiushui went to the oilclothing workshop. Since it wasn't her first time there, no one led her, and she entered the courtyard as if she knew the way well.
In the courtyard, there was a row of thread racks with hemp threads hanging down. Two old women sat beside the racks, with two egg-shaped hemp thread buckets at their feet. They took out ramie threads soaked in a wooden basin, dipped them in mulberry ash, and carefully twisted them into threads.
In the center were about ten wide tables arranged in two rows, each with a piece of cloth on it, presumably for one person to sew the same piece of clothing. The place was full of people; Lin Xiushui glanced at it and estimated there were about thirty.
Some people were engrossed in sewing, while others turned their heads to chat and laugh with each other before turning back to sew a few more stitches. Some people glanced up at Lin Xiushui before going back to their own work.
Lin Xiushui found Yu Liuniang immediately, but she couldn't go over there yet. She had to go to Xu Sanniangzi to ask her to arrange the sewing.
"You sew the collar first, in that corner. Come find me after you're done," Xu San Niangzi said, not taking a break at all. After giving the instructions, she ran outside again.
In the corner, Lin Xiushui turned her head to look, then turned back, rubbed her eyes, and finally believed that the cloth on the table, which was taller than her standing up, was the one she was going to sew.
She personally always felt that sewing a collar band onto an oilcloth was completely unnecessary, since the oilcloth and collar band were the same color, so what was the point of sewing it on? Sewing a tie would be better than sewing a collar, but unfortunately, the Song Dynasty favored open robes as they didn't wear collars.
With so many collars to sew, she could only hurriedly greet Yu Liu Niang, then go to get a thick needle, needle holder, and hemp thread. She stretched out her arm to grab the ready-made garment next to her, pinched the long collar to match the front of the garment.
There are no pins here, the kind that are short and thin with beads at the tip, which can hold the clothes being sewn in place. There are also no pin guards, so you can put them on your knuckles and press the needle tip. It's really hard to sew oilcloth with thick needles, she even thought about smashing them with a hammer.
However, the needle clip is very useful. It is made of mahogany and has a bird's head shape. The two handles at the back look like pouting, wide-open lips. As long as you hold the handles and press down, the bird's head will open and clamp the needle. Press it again to pull the needle out.
Lin Xiushui had a lot of trouble sewing. She sewed ten garments in one morning. When she met Yu Liuniang at noon, she couldn't help but say, "These oilcloths are really hard to sew. I think we should sew them first and then apply the tung oil."
“There are some here too,” Yu Liu Niang pointed to the opposite side, “Over there are those who dye their clothes in three colors: blue, green and blue. They all iron them first, then cut them, then sew them, then iron them again, and finally apply tung oil. After that, they have to sew the lining in.”
“That kind costs this much per piece,” Yu Liuniang said, opening her palm.
Lin Xiushui was surprised. "Five strings of cash! I knew that if you want to live well these days, you still have to rob someone."
Yu Liuniang was amused by her, laughing so hard her cheeks were shaking. She asked her again, "Why did you suddenly come here? Why aren't you working in the tailor shop anymore?"
"No, I make money from both sides," Lin Xiushui said, giving half of the steamed bun to Yu Liuniang. She leaned back in her chair and took a big bite, her cheeks bulging as she chewed.
After taking a bite, she asked Yu Liuniang, "Do you sell tung oil at a cheaper price while you're working here? I'd like to buy a jar of tung oil."
"Do you want to buy tung oil to repair the boat or to wipe the house utensils?" Yu Liu Niang asked before answering.
"The boat is repaired with paint and cloth, and that's what we call 'homemaking'."
Yu Liuniang pulled up a stool and sat down, saying, "The utensils in the house need to be painted with Guang lacquer, which is made of lacquer mixed with tung oil. It has little smell and is shiny after being painted."
"This is the best way to apply tung oil to repair the boat. If you're not picky and just want something cheap, then I do have some connections."
“I’m not picky, I just want to buy some cheap tung oil,” Lin Xiushui said, bringing the two stools closer together and lowering her voice. “Sixth Sister, can you tell me about it?”
Next to the oilclothing workshop was the tung oil workshop. Yu Liu Niang worked in both and knew the price of tung oil like the back of her hand. She glanced at the people next to her and whispered, "The cheapest one is tung oil base, only thirty coins. The bottom residue of each bucket is poured into another bucket. This kind of tung oil black still has a lot of residue, so you have to sift it yourself with a cloth."
"There's another kind that's thirty coins more expensive, but it's clearer and the coloring is better. I won't tell anyone else about it. Most of the tung oil in the tung oil workshop comes from Tongxiang, where there are many tung trees and the tung oil is very cheap. It only becomes expensive when it's sold in the shops. If you trust me, come with me to take a look after you finish work."
Thirty and sixty are actually the cheapest prices. A proper bucket would cost over a hundred. But even at these low prices, Lin Xiushui still has to be careful when choosing.
She immediately replied, "Of course I believe you, but is this too much trouble for you?"
"No trouble at all. You can talk about it after you see the item. If you really feel it's too much trouble for me," Yu Liuniang said casually, "just give me a piece of embroidery cloth. My daughter will need it for her first birthday celebration in a few days. You can come along too."
Lin Xiushui knew that Yu Liuniang had married into a family with a mulberry grove, and her first child was a daughter. The family was overjoyed, since the skills of raising silkworms and weaving cloth were passed down to daughters, not sons.
Her daughter was easy to take care of; she stopped breastfeeding at six months. Yu Liu Niang said she wasn't originally going to do this kind of work, but the oilclothing workshop kept coming to her, so she only came to do it when she was busy.
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiushui said, "Embroidery cloth is not presentable enough. I will make a pair of tiger-head shoes for your daughter."
“Then I’ll be waiting,” Yu Liu Niang said without hesitation, accepting the offer generously.
She also gave Lin Xiushui fermented soybeans, which were from the previous year. They were made with good soybeans and sweet wine, and also with dried tangerine peel, dried ginger, and cardamom. Lin Xiushui couldn't stand the taste and only felt that the soybeans had a fermented wine flavor and were sour.
Yu Liu Niang laughed at her and said she would bring her real fermented black beans and let her taste the authentic wine. Lin Xiushui shook her head repeatedly.
In the afternoon, Lin Xiushui was still sewing clothes. She had gotten used to the smell of tung oil, and her needlework became faster. Moreover, she didn't talk while sewing; she just stared at the cloth.
Even Xu San Niangzi, who was standing behind her and staring at her, didn't notice. It was only when she saw a shadow that she turned around to look.
"Well done," Xu San Niangzi said, examining the finished oilcloth closely. The stitches were even and the lines were straight. She secretly praised it. "Sew the collar first, and you can sew the sleeves tomorrow."
For Lin Xiushui, there was no difference between sewing two, so she obediently agreed. Xu Sanniangzi laughed at her for not understanding, saying, "You get paid daily for sewing. You get fifteen coins a day for sewing collars and thirty coins a day for sewing sleeves."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiushui's eyes widened in surprise; she hadn't been told there would be money to be received.
Seeing her like this, Xu San Niangzi couldn't help but laugh, "Come with me to collect your wages."
"Hey," Lin Xiushui stood up abruptly, even making a detour around the chair, and walked briskly over to collect her money.
When she returned, several women were laughing nearby. One of them said with a laugh, "Look at this little girl, she's so happy just because she got a little money."
"You used to be like this too."
Lin Xiushui wasn't annoyed by them; she just smiled at them, her eyes crinkling. Of course, she was happy to receive money.
Before finishing work, she had to put all the needles, needle holders, and unused hemp thread back, and tidy up the table, as she would have to move to a different spot tomorrow.
Once outside, she boarded Yu Liu Niang's small boat. The boat's hull was shiny and translucent, and she praised, "This boat is painted so well."
“This is Guangqi lacquer, it’s a bit expensive,” Yu Liuniang said to her as she rowed the boat. “The tung oil seller lives in a boathouse under the bridge on the Qingshui River.”
Lin Xiushui then heard Yu Liuniang talk about this oil seller, whom everyone called the stubborn oil seller. Someone once said that his tung oil would leak when he used it to patch the boat, but he insisted on covering his boat with tung oil and lived on the boat for five or six years without changing boats.
The oil seller's boat house was quite large, with various kinds of tung oil piled up in the front, and behind the curtain was his cabin, while the stove was at the stern.
"Uncle Oil, I brought my sister here today. I'd like to get some good quality tung oil at a reasonable price," Yu Liu Niang said as she rowed her boat over to the oil seller.
The oil seller quoted prices to each customer. The cheapest was sixty coins a jar, enough to coat three large pillars. The more expensive was two hundred coins, enough to coat two or three feet of oilcloth.
Lin Xiushui asked for sixty coins first, and the oil seller also gave her a small bottle of coarse oil with residue, which was still usable.
"If you use it well, come again next time."
Lin Xiushui thanked Yu Liuniang again, then walked back ashore on her own, carrying a jar of tung oil in her arms and a small bottle of coarse oil tied to her waist.
He met Zhang Niangzi at the intersection and hurriedly called out, "Niangzi, come here. I'll apply another layer of tung oil to that umbrella for you and make it more sturdy."
After Zhang Niangzi went to get the umbrella, she felt that the business was too honest and that she was taking advantage of her. She couldn't help but say, "Although this stall is close to home, there aren't many people coming and going. Why don't you come to my stall? I'll give you some space. The tax will be one coin higher, but there will be more people who need mending clothes."
While mending the umbrella, Lin Xiushui asked, "Where is it?"
"Right next to the southern goods market..."
The more Lin Xiushui heard the place name, the more familiar it sounded. Then she realized that it was the most prosperous area around Sangqiao Ferry.
A note from the author:
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