Chapter 77: Several People Who Changed Careers
The oil and candle bureau assigned Xiao Chun'e the task of carrying charcoal.
She was very satisfied with this. She walked out laughing and crying all the way, then wiped her red eyes with a handkerchief, looked back at the gate of the Fourth Division and Sixth Bureau, and said confidently, "This job is very good. I will pick charcoal first, then burn charcoal, burn incense cakes, and then try to recognize and light oil candles. Who knows, in a few years, I, Xiao Chun'e, may be able to become a little manager."
"Ah Qiao, help me up, I feel like I'm shaking."
After making her boastful statement, Xiao Chun'e shakily extended her hand. Her legs were weak, and she could barely take a step. She struggled to move two steps, her face contorted with grief. "I won't end up like those scholars who haven't passed the imperial examinations for years, collapsing before even announcing their success to the world. What am I going to do? My family doesn't expect me to succeed, and my mother always says it's good enough if I can at least earn a living. But I'm still young..."
After listening to her words, Lin Xiushui silently squatted down and pulled out the hem of her skirt that was being stepped on. "Why don't you take a couple more steps?"
“But I really can’t walk anymore, oh dear,” Xiao Chun’e said, taking a big step forward. She looked down at her feet, pulled up her skirt, and laughed, “I knew it, it was the skirt that was making me miserable.”
Lin Xiushui laughed so hard she almost bumped into the wall. The two of them laughed like idiots in the alley until they reached unfamiliar streets and lanes, leaving the boats moored on the shore behind.
They walked several miles that day. Lin Xiushui said that she and Xiao Chun'e were really silly, but they had good legs and could walk a lot.
Xiao Chun'e was better than her. Lin Xiushui went back, ate a few bites of food, and fell asleep from exhaustion. Xiao Chun'e, however, stayed up all night, repeatedly telling her family how she got into the oil and candle bureau, exaggerating the whole thing.
“I was going to sleep,” Xiao Chun’e said, her head drooping and her eyelids heavy. “But as soon as I said I was going to sleep, my mother pulled my ear and told me not to set off a string of firecrackers in the house and blow them up everywhere. Then she turned around and went to sleep.”
Actually, what Xiaochun'e's mother said at the beginning was, "The charcoal you burned was burned by firecrackers, and they blew you out, didn't they?"
After hearing this, it didn't seem fake. She said she was frightened by the firecrackers Xiao Chun'e set off and wouldn't be able to sleep that night, so she asked someone to set them off again immediately. Xiao Chun'e acted as if she had set off fireworks and firecrackers all night long, sometimes eliciting gasps of amazement, sometimes cheering loudly, and sometimes unable to contain her overwhelming joy.
In the end, the whole family went to work with bruised eyes. Xiao Chun'e also came to the tailor shop to quit her job. She said she would talk about it after lunch, so she could get another meal.
Xiao Chun'e ate with great discomfort. She shoveled her food into a mess and sighed several times. "What should I do? From now on, you'll be eating alone. It'll be the same for me there. No one will ever put meat from their own bowl for me again."
"Just say you're craving meat," Lin Xiushui said, placing a piece of meat from her bowl onto her plate. "Eat up, eat up. I'll save some next time and send it to the oil and candle workshop for you to eat."
"That's not necessarily a bad thing."
After eating at the tailor's shop, Xiao Chun'e will start working at the oil and candle shop tomorrow.
She could get enough to eat, but getting good food was difficult anywhere. With her head wrapped and face covered, she used fire tongs to pick and choose among the coals in the charcoal mountain, separating different types of coal into their respective baskets. She repeated this tedious and monotonous work every day.
But deep down she thought that standing here was good enough, that she could select good charcoal, and that she could burn and manage charcoal in the future. Thinking about it, the future was really bright, and the fire was blazing.
Lin Xiushui dared to listen to this, but Zhang Musheng did not. "I can't stand the word 'fire' in my life. As soon as I hear it, I want to throw water on it."
He dragged his limping leg, holding a cane in his right hand and a piece of silk cloth in his left, as he walked to the front of Shui Ji Clothing Shop and spoke.
The tailor didn't recognize him and whispered to Lin Xiushui, "He's too dark-skinned, like a lump of charcoal."
“Grandma, I can hear you,” Zhang Musheng said, handing the silk cloth to Lin Xiushui and jumping across the threshold.
The tailor retorted angrily, "Who are you calling 'old lady'? I'm still very young."
"I'm not as black as charcoal!" Zhang Musheng completely denied it. Even though he was so dark that his mother couldn't stand it for the first two months, he was much fairer now.
Just as the two were about to continue arguing, Lin Xiushui quickly took two steps to interrupt the conversation, put the needle back in the needle case, first told the tailor that they were acquaintances, then glanced at Zhang Musheng's leg, "Did your father beat you again?"
Zhang Musheng almost jumped up, wanting to find a wall to hook onto, nearly throwing his crutch away, but then calmed down and said nonchalantly, "No, I tripped over something falling while rescuing people, it's just a minor injury."
"You're really something else," Lin Xiushui exclaimed in surprise.
Zhang Musheng said modestly, "I have to thank you for this. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to become a firefighter. If I hadn't become a firefighter, I wouldn't have been able to save people. So it's like you saved people too."
"This is all your own achievement."
Given Zhang Musheng's previous personality, he would have given a long, detailed account, especially of such a great deed as saving lives—how he got soaked in the fire, ran up to the second floor, and rescued an elderly couple. As a result, he was injured and dared not go home, lying in the military patrol post for a month. He only dared to return after sending someone to tell his parents that he was going to Lin'an on official business and was able to get out of bed.
He speaks lightly, without a trace of pride or boasting. He believes this is something he should do, nothing to brag about, and he's willing to risk his life for it.
It seems that it's not just physical height that grows taller, but also mental maturity.
Zhang Musheng's leg was badly injured. Several pharmacies said they couldn't set the bone. They invited a master of traumatology from Shaoxing, who came from Jijieguqiao in Lin'an Taimiao. He was very skilled at setting bones. After a month, Zhang was able to get out of bed with crutches and walk. After three months of recuperation, he was able to fight fires again. His leg was fully healed within six months.
Now that he had to sit down and talk, he chuckled twice. “At least we get to rest. Before, we only had three days off every ten days. Officials like them could get a day off during the summer, including the first, middle, and last ten days of the hottest period of summer, as well as the autumn festival.”
“We said we would release them, but every time we did, they would just tie hemp ropes to make hemp sacks or stuff cotton wool into bamboo tubes to make pumps,” Zhang Musheng was furious. He could endure being asked to save people and put out fires, no matter how tired he was, but when asked to do this kind of thing, he wanted to flip the table and leave every time.
Lin Xiushui half-closed the shop door. She opened early today, and no one had come in yet. She poured two cups of tea, one for Zhang Musheng and one for the tailor.
Zhang Musheng quickly took a sip, put it down, and said, "But I've figured it out now. Although my legs are temporarily weak, my hands are still alive, so I can always do something."
"Sister, Sister Xiu, I want to learn some sewing skills from you."
Lin Xiushui was drinking tea when she almost spat it out. She coughed twice, swallowed, and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth. She still couldn't believe what she had just heard.
Even the tailor Jin turned his back and coughed several times. He looked dark and unkempt, and I thought he was there to have clothes made. I was about to say that I couldn't make them, but he said he was there to learn a craft. Why is he not playing by the rules?
Zhang Musheng reasoned, “Our water bags are made from pig stomachs, which is simple. You just fill them with water and tie them tightly with rope. But water bags are very expensive. They are made by peeling off a whole piece of skin, and there are five parts to tie, including the head and four limbs. If you don’t peel it properly, the edges will tear, and you have to patch it yourself. A water bag can hold about 100 kilograms of water at a time, which can extinguish many small fires in the house. Sometimes it tears on the road, and there’s no one to patch it, so it leaks a lot, and the water bag becomes unusable, which makes it very troublesome for us to put out fires.”
“But I was thinking that the losses for the families whose houses caught fire would be far too great. In the past, no one could help them repair the damage, but things are different now. My leg is injured, and I can’t just sit around doing nothing, right? So I’m taking this opportunity to learn from you, sister. I’m not going to learn for nothing; I’ll pay you whatever it takes.”
While Zhang Musheng was recuperating in bed, he thought for a long time. He really didn't want to be a cripple. Since his leg wasn't working well, he decided to find another way out for himself. He was determined to become a useful person, someone who could be used in many situations.
This was a plan he had come up with after careful consideration. Even if his leg was injured again in the future, he could still stay in the firefighting team and do the work of replenishing water bags. He was very proud at this moment and thought he was very clever.
After listening, the tailor sighed, "You can't judge a book by its cover."
“Yes, I can judge a book by its cover. Just by looking at my face, you can tell I’m quite tall,” Zhang Musheng quickly replied.
Lin Xiushui wanted to say, "Take a break, you can't tell at all."
If I had to say, black is slimming, making this face look quite thin.
She held the cup, stroking its edge, wondering if she could teach Zhang Musheng to mend leather. After opening the shop, her focus gradually shifted to making clothes, and she did less mending work. Sun Da and Song San Niang didn't take on many of her jobs anymore, instead selling her gauze bags, silk dolls, and other similar items.
But she thought about it and realized that she could indeed teach people how to sew. She could teach one type of sewing at a time and charge some money. But for someone like Zhang Musheng, Lin Xiushui put down her cup and said, "Okay, if you really want to learn, I'll teach you a few techniques. I guarantee you'll be able to sew up the skin while you're recovering, and the water bag won't leak."
Actually, Zhang Musheng was clumsy and not very suitable for holding needles and thread, but he had two advantages: he was strong and could easily pierce hard leather, and his mother and grandmother were shoemakers in the double-thread workshop, so his stitches were relatively straight.
Lin Xiushui told him to take two pieces of coarse cloth, a thick needle, and hemp thread, and sew the two pieces of coarse cloth together first.
Zhang Musheng found himself to torture himself, screaming and crying as he was pricked by needles. He instinctively wanted to jump up, but had to sit down because of his injured leg. He cried every time he was pricked, tears streaming down his face. He had never cried so much when his leg was broken before.
But when he heard his father say earnestly, "We're not doing this anymore. Being a firefighter sounds glamorous, but you'll lose your life in it. I don't expect you to be anything great. Even if you end up begging on the streets and survive, I'll say you've brought honor to our family."
"Old Zhang, can you please stop cursing your son?" Zhang Musheng was practically jumping up and down. Was it easy for him to get to where he is today? He jumped around like a monkey every day just to grow taller. He finally grew taller, became a qualified soldier, earned more money, and even saved two people on his own.
Does he really think that just because he injured his leg, he should give up and become despondent? Even if he really went begging, he would definitely be the one who got a lot. Of course, he wouldn't go. What would people think of him if he went to Sangshukou? He's a firefighter; he cares a lot about his reputation.
“Dad, stop talking,” Zhang Musheng snorted heavily, “I’ll stay in the Qianhuo Team even if I have to die.”
“I’m not cut out to be a carpenter, and neither is your youngest son. He’s always doing those kowtowing tricks. You should keep an eye on him, lest there really be no one to carry on the family line.”
As soon as Zhang the carpenter turned around, his youngest son returned covered in dirt, clearly having paid a great respect to the local earth god. One had injured his leg and was learning to sew, while the other, perfectly capable, did nothing all day. Zhang was truly furious with these two. If he couldn't beat the older one, he could at least beat the younger one.
The yard was in chaos. Carpenter Zhang was beating his youngest son, Zhang Musheng, who was being stabbed and screaming. A neighbor shouted from the doorway, "Old Zhang, don't hit him too hard."
Carpenter Zhang didn't even manage to hit it, yet he ended up being blamed for something he didn't do, which is even more infuriating!
Wang Yuelan, who was also inside, said, "What's wrong with Lao Zhang? He hurt the child and then hit someone."
Lin Xiushui walked in from outside, took a stack of paper patterns, listened carefully, and then said, "It's nothing, Zhang the carpenter didn't hit anyone, Zhang Musheng was just practicing his pig-slaughtering skills."
She mends, but Zhang Musheng's mending is like slaughtering a pig.
"The howling was so pitiful," Wang Yuelan said, somewhat incredulous. "If they really were slaughtering a pig, the butchers would be coming after us."
Lin Xiushui unfolded a roll of black fabric with floral patterns and hung it over her shoulder. She had chosen the fabric for Liu Sanjie, who had uneven shoulders, at the general store next door.
She was the first to arrive today. She looked down and examined the pigs closely. Upon hearing this, she said, "Then I'll go out and tell the butcher to come and see if anyone is abusing pigs."
"I believe you," Wang Yuelan nudged her, "Go on with your work, I'll bring you the food. Has the tailor gone home?"
"No, I'll show her the fabric."
After Lin Xiushui finished speaking, she took two rolls of cloth and went out, crossing the bridge and the street to the shop to have the tailor Jin take a look.
The tailor spread the fabric out on the table and examined it. One roll was black fabric with a large floral pattern on a light blue background, and the other was a pinkish fabric with small floral patterns.
“The black one is for the shawl and the upper garment, and the pink one is for the skirt. Liu Sanjie’s figure is a little round, and her shoulders are uneven. The black shawl can cover her better than the green one. Moreover, she has a bit of a heroic spirit in her eyes.” Lin Xiushui moved the fabric and piled the top and bottom together. She felt that the combination of black and pink was very suitable.
The tailor stared at it for a while, but didn't deny it. He just said, "I have to make it and see."
"But you certainly dare to mix and match colors."
Lin Xiushui wanted to make a breakthrough, so she put in some effort. She then took it to ask Liu Sanjie for advice. Liu Sanjie wasn't very satisfied, but she thought the color scheme was interesting. She asked Lin Xiushui to make it and try it out, saying she would accept whatever the result was good or bad.
Lin Xiushui made a paper pattern and began the initial cutting. Instead of sending the cut pieces to a tailor, she chose to sew them herself, which would take some time.
During this time, she sewed a top, took the cat Xiaoye from home, and called Xiaohe before going out, "Xiaohe, come here quickly."
Xiaohe quickly ran out, wearing a newly made pink top, a white gauze skirt, and an overgarment of a green, wide, leaf-patterned skirt of varying lengths, which had been altered from a short lotus petal apron.
Lotus powder aprons are all the rage. Recently, the price of sappanwood has been driven up to 800 coins per catty, and the price of dyed cloth has increased significantly. Tailors have produced green aprons with long leaves, which are not selling very well, but some people are still interested, so they continue to make them.
Xiaohe fiddled with her new dress, cupping her face in her hands and squeezing her chubby cheeks together. She shook her head from side to side and mumbled, "Are you really going to draw me on paper?"
"Fake."
“You’re lying,” Xiaohe ran up to Lin Xiushui, her round eyes wide as she said, “We definitely didn’t say that at home.”
"But we're not home."
Xiaohe opened her mouth wide and looked around. She wasn't at home; she was on the street.
She was not well-educated and could not argue with Lin Xiushui, so she could only say angrily, "I'll bring a needle next time."
"What?"
“The needle is real,” Xiaohe had her own reasoning.
Lin Xiushui finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, her shoulders shrugging. Xiao He, who didn't hold grudges, also smiled.
When they arrived at the shop, Guanghui was scratching his head, squatting on the side of the street looking around blankly. Was he really going to abandon the tabloid that had no achievements and whose writing was not very good, and turn to the seemingly lucrative profession of a painter?
Lin Xiushui said this at the time: "Tabloids sound good, but they're everywhere. You won't make any money from them. Without money, you can't support six cats, buy cat fish, or cat bibs..."
"But try switching careers to become a painter, you can make money, and you can support six cats."
Lin Xiushui mainly wanted to find someone to paint a portrait, so that the person who finished making the clothes would have a special painting.
Other painters paint mountains, rivers, and people, but Guanghui, who used to paint cats, wanted to switch careers and start painting people and clothes. Guanghui was conflicted because he felt he couldn't do it.
When he saw Lin Xiushui, he stood up abruptly and said, "I really can't do that. All I can do is draw cats, what am I going to do?"
"don’t worry."
Lin Xiushui asked Xiaohe to sit down, and then put down the shiny-furred cat Xiaoye. She clapped her hands and said, "Now you can start painting, right?"
Guanghui met Mao Xiaoye's gaze and muttered to himself, "If I can draw, it's just a person, right? You can ask me to draw a cat with a human body, I can do it."
"No way!" Lin Xiushui snapped.
Fortunately, the first photo of the human-cat sisters is at least a combination of humans and cats, not cat-humans.
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