Chapter 81 Let's go watch the tide together
As the saying goes, a stone stirs up a thousand waves, and in August the waves of the Qiantang River surged into the Gu family's tailor shop.
The detached attic on the east side of the tailor shop was vacated, to be filled with plaques bearing Chi Jiao's name. The tailors who had been transferred from various places began packing their things, and soon they were all discussing the matter in small groups.
"Let's take a look," a woman returned from watching the commotion outside, scoffing. "These peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, lotus flowers, and plum blossoms are all put together to form a flower crown, called 'A Year's Scenery.' I'm afraid it's just a fleeting moment, perhaps associated with lotus flowers."
Another tailor sat there sewing cuffs by himself, and suddenly laughed: "What do you mean by 'a year's harvest'? Decades ago, there was a type of shoe where two colors were pieced together, called 'matching color shoe'. It sounds nice, but everyone called it 'completely wrong', and it really was completely wrong."
As for whether they were referring to the beautiful woman in the pond or to Lady Gu's decision, many people present knew the truth.
These men spoke in riddles, while the other tailors were much more straightforward.
"Is Madam Gu related to Steward Lin? I've been here for five or six years, and I've never seen anyone get promoted in just a few months. I've been here for five or six years, and they still haven't offered me a promotion," the person said sourly, leaning against the fabric and gossiping with others.
Another cloth cutter scoffed, "Relative, why don't you guess the bigger picture?"
"What do you mean by 'making a big guess'?"
The woman said, "Why don't you say that Madam Gu is Steward Lin's mother?"
"Hiss, hiss, hey, who knows," the gossip clapped his hands, his eyes widened, and while glancing outside, he covered his mouth and whispered, "The Silkworm Goddess, is she really her mother? I've never seen Steward Lin's mother before, heavens, no wonder."
The others remained silent. How did someone so stupid even get in?
After lunch, a group of tailors walked and talked. One of them couldn't understand, "What is Madam Gu thinking? I've been thinking about it all night and I still can't figure it out."
Another woman quickly chimed in, "They used to work on the sewing and mending, and then they brought out the drawnwork embroidery. I was thinking, how could a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl manage all that? Now they want to clear out that entire pavilion and pull people from all over to do this 'Full Pond of Beauties' thing. If you ask me, Madam Gu is really a bit confused."
"There are many people working in the drawnwork and mending areas, but who knows how much they earn? Maybe they don't earn anything at all, and it's all just covering the costs of other things. Even if they do earn something, they should only focus on one area. How can someone have three heads and six arms?"
Many tailors were openly or secretly dissatisfied because the commotion was too big. They pulled people from every trade to establish a new Man Chi Jiao Tailor Shop, which was unprecedented. This was different from the past when they picked apprentices or recruited some outside laborers. This time, they were pulling managers from various places.
"Stop talking nonsense! How could our Manager Lin not have three heads and six arms?" Little Seven Sister was furious. She scrambled over the low shelf in the aisle and shouted.
The people who were talking were startled and looked at each other without saying a word. These words didn't sound like good news.
Little Seven was so angry her face turned red and her neck bulged. "We make a fortune with drawnwork embroidery!"
"How much money do you make? Tell me!" a woman tried to get information out of her. Little Seven snorted, turned around and left. Bah! Who told them to keep a low profile and make a fortune?!
The mending shop didn't make much money. After deducting the monthly fee paid to the tailor, the remaining money was mainly used to pay the monthly wages of seven people. Each person received one or two strings of cash per month, which was enough for them to eat, drink, and live comfortably.
Lin Xiushui didn't interfere much afterward. For example, it was impossible for each of these sewing women to earn five or six strings of cash, or even seven or eight strings. Their monthly wages would only be capped at three strings and would not increase.
Once the monthly pay increases, this job will be replaced by others, since sewing is simple and doesn't require much skill.
However, drawn thread embroidery does not have this concern. It requires high skill, steady hands and good eyesight. The more threads drawn, the more superb the embroidery, and the more money you can earn.
Even apprentices have seen their allowance increase from 1.8 strings of cash at the beginning to 4.2 strings of cash now, with monthly allowances such as seasonal fruits, fish, pork trotters, spices, and various beans, but they never publicize it.
Xiao Qi Mei returned to the drawnwork embroidery room in a huff. When she saw Lin Xiu Shui there, she couldn't hold back her emotions any longer. She forced herself not to vent her anger and just mumbled, "These people are so rude. I can't stand it."
"What's your name?" Lin Xiushui took the drawn thread handkerchief that Li Jin handed her and tilted her head to ask.
Little Seven Sister was confused. Could it be that she changed her name? She hesitated and said, "Isn't she called Little Seven Sister?"
Lin Xiushui looked down at her handkerchief. "Shout it a few more times."
Although she didn't know Lin Xiushui's intentions, she cleared her throat and obediently did as she was told, calling out several times, "Little Seventh Sister, Little Seventh Sister, Little Seventh Sister, Little Seventh Sister,"
"Are you calm now?" Lin Xiushui asked her with a smile.
Why does it have an accent?
Hearing the laughter of others, Xiaoqi finally understood, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud as well.
"Others can talk, why bother?" Lin Xiushui was too lazy to deal with such trivial matters. She patted the chair next to her and said, "Sit down. It's good that you're here. Let me tell you something."
"If we're making the 'Full Pond Beauty' design, we won't have enough people to do the drawn thread embroidery. Xiaoqiao, Chen Huaniang, Li Jin, and Wang Erya, the four of you will make the drawn thread lotus flowers. One of you will make the collar, and the other will make the skirt waistband. The design has already been drawn, so we'll follow it."
"Everyone else, hurry up and finish what you're doing. Manager Li said that five or six women have already come over to urge us several times."
Lin Xiushui, facing a dozen or so people, said, "This month will be much busier, so in the afternoon, we'll add an extra snack, which will probably be almond paste, lactose syrup, bean cake, and red bean dumplings."
"There are also festival gifts and monthly allowances. It just so happens to be Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival gift is a basket of lotus root and water chestnut, a mandarin fish, a duck, and a box of various cakes. The monthly allowance will be more. Each person will receive a peck of early rice, two liters of glutinous rice, three catties of red beans, a jar of salted fermented soybeans, and a soup made with magnolia bark and sesame seeds. The prepared medicine will be packed by the pharmacy. You can take it home and cook it yourself."
"It'll be shipped the day after tomorrow. Have anyone in your household who's free come over to pick it up; there's quite a lot..."
Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by the overwhelming joy and cheers from the crowd below.
Xiaoqiao exclaimed, "I'll call my mother over. She'll be so happy to see this. She always tells me to do more and be honest, afraid that I'll lose this job."
"I can endure any amount of hard work here. I only care about these things every month. My family doesn't have to worry about food and clothing anymore. That's a bushel of early rice," said Li Niangzi, who came in later because of the weaving skills event, unable to contain her excitement. Before this, her family had struggled to make ends meet. But after starting the drawnwork embroidery, they no longer had to worry about food and clothing every month. The monthly allowance alone was enough for them to stop worrying about making a living and focus on their work.
And because of these extra supplies, everyone worked even harder. They were able to take on more drawn thread embroidery work, earn more money, and receive more and better supplies.
Lin Xiushui said with a smile, "If we all do our best, there will be even better things next month."
One by one, everyone immediately became enthusiastic and picked up their needles and thread to work hard. Their original worries and fears about Lin Xiushui going to Manchijiao, fearing that she would not be successful and that she would no longer care about drawn thread embroidery, were completely calmed down by this, and they could work with peace of mind.
On Man Chijiao's side, most of them were people who did not submit to Lin Xiushui. The people in the drawnwork embroidery workshop were all young, and they had worked under Lin Xiushui in the tailoring workshop from the beginning, so they respected her very much.
But the women in Manchi Jiao had been working there for over ten or even twenty years. They were managers in various places and had more experience than Lin Xiushui. Some of them even had a big argument with Madam Gu before they came, but they were reluctant to give up their wages and came with a belly full of resentment.
Lin Xiushui really didn't want to see their angry faces, listen to their sarcastic tones, or use their age to act superior, but at least they hadn't reached the point of mutual loathing.
When arranging tasks and initial measures, Lin Xiushui shamelessly approached Gu Niangzi, saying, "I'm easily embarrassed and can't control everyone. Why don't you come with me, Madam?"
“You may be young, but your face is anything but,” Madam Gu said, leaning back in her rose-covered chair, her tone irritating. “Why don’t you go up to the table and yell at them? Tell them they’re a bunch of old people who only get older and more cunning, but never get paid more.”
Lin Xiushui clicked her tongue twice. Judging from the tone of her voice, she knew that Gu Niangzi had argued with this group of people quite a bit. She had even heard that she had a heated argument with Gu Er Niangzi. Later, her mother came to mediate the fight. A perfectly good matter had been turned into a complete mess.
Fortunately, Lin Xiushui had made preparations before coming. She took out a jar of plum soup, which contained smoked black plums, salted white plums, and honey-preserved green plums with lotus leaves, and handed it to Madam Gu with great care, saying, "Calm down, calm down."
Gu Niangzi loved plums. She didn't say anything, but took the jar, opened it, and ate one. Lin Xiushui grinned and said, "Later I'll buy persimmons, round plums, lychees, chestnuts, and ripe dates to make a 'Good Fortune' box for you, Madam."
“It’s going to be even later? Then I’ll go later too,” Madam Gu looked up at her.
Lin Xiushui quickly checked her purse. "It's not that I'm short on cash. I was thinking of earning some money sooner so I can buy some Jinhua ham, Huguang pickled fish, and Qingzhou candied crabapples to show my respect to you, my wife. If I earn more, I can even buy some mutton jerky and dried shrimp."
Madam Gu glanced at her silently and chuckled softly, "Stop making empty promises to me. I'd rather give you a ride."
"Of course, it would be wonderful if you could give it to me, my wife. I would be extremely grateful."
Madam Gu chuckled softly, then waved her hand, "Alright, I'm going to sleep for a while, I'll go over later."
Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, Lin Xiushui closed the door and stayed outside, waiting for Madam Gu to get up before going over, hoping to gain some leverage.
Taking advantage of the situation, Lin Xiushui swaggered in. The twenty or so people sitting below, who were about to say something sarcastic, turned into silent farts when they saw Madam Gu behind her.
The current development is that the tailor shop has rented a large shop next to Flower Market Street in Lin'an City for seventy or eighty strings of cash for a three-month term. The inner city is crowded, and there are hardly any empty shops on the streets; this location is considered off-the-beaten-path, hence the high price. Better sections of Imperial Street, the heart of the Five Flowers Market behind the gold and silver exchange shops and salt and paper money shops, or Fangrun Bridge Road selling many fine silks and satins—even with money, one can't get close to them.
The purchase of various silk fabrics, plain silk, and fine gauze cost 120 strings of cash. Miscellaneous expenses such as shipping fees, manpower, etc., amounted to about 70 strings of cash. This does not even include the wages of the twenty-odd tailors who will be employed after the establishment of the Manchi Beauty Clan. The wages for these tailors will be paid from this amount each month. The higher the tailor's wage, the higher the wage, which is 20 strings of cash per month. The lower the wage, which is 10 strings of cash per month, the more expensive the tailor will be. The wages alone will amount to two or three hundred strings of cash.
The point of concern and worry for everyone is whether the newly established Man Chi Jiao can earn four or five hundred guan a month to pay everyone's monthly wages, and whether it will have enough money to buy fabric, pay monthly allowances, and holiday gifts?
So the woman who did the gold-embroidery immediately asked, "I wonder if Steward Lin has any other plans? If we only make clothes, what will the price be, and what kind of work will each person be assigned?"
Another woman, Zhang San Niangzi, who was also quite skilled at making skirts, asked in a slightly gentler tone, "If it were June or July, I wouldn't be too worried, but now it's August, the lotus flowers have all withered, and the seasonal scenery is over. Will we be able to sell these lotus-patterned skirts?"
“We are all very worried. People nowadays love novelty and are chasing after a new style every month. Osmanthus in August, chrysanthemums in September, hibiscus in October, camellias in November, and daffodils in December. Are we going to trap ourselves in a pond full of flowers?” One of the women couldn’t help but speak with a strong tone. She stood up and waved her sleeves, shouting, “We don’t wear them when the lotus is in bloom, and now the lotus leaves are all withered. If we’re going to dress up as flowers, who would wear such light clothes in autumn and winter? It makes no sense at all.”
Out of respect for Madam Gu, they restrained themselves slightly, expressing their concerns and criticizing this behavior of completely disregarding the seasons and confining themselves to a dead end.
The sound of hundreds of cicadas chirping simultaneously filled the room, creating a jarring noise.
Madam Gu slammed her fist on the table in anger, “If you make another sound, get out of here!”
Finally, things quieted down. Lin Xiushui removed her hand from her blue silk skirt and slowly lowered her legs. She had almost climbed onto the table to shout, "Shut up!"
“The ladies’ concerns are not without merit,” Lin Xiushui said, sitting down with her skirt down and looking directly into their eyes. “After all, if we can do something big, it would be a waste to only do one Manchijiao.”
“But,” Lin Xiushui emphasized, “have we done it well enough? Have we done it well enough? There are thousands of jobs in this world. Even if it’s just a small job, as long as you do it well and do it conscientiously, you can still become famous. When people mention pharmacies, they will mention Chen Mama’s Mud Stove Pharmacy or Master Baohe’s Plum Pharmacy. When they mention lacquerware, they will mention Wenzhou lacquerware. When they mention book printing, they will think of the books from the Pengqiao area of Lin’an.”
"So, when you think of tailoring, does the Gu family tailoring workshop come to mind first? When you think of lotus flowers, does the pond full of beauties come to mind?"
“It’s not that we’re incapable of doing a lot of things,” Lin Xiushui’s voice softened. “On the contrary, all of us here are just as skilled as anyone else. It’s just that if we want to make more money, we need to have more fame. We need to perfect one thing so that when people mention it, they will always think of us.”
As everyone gradually seemed to be deep in thought, Lin Xiushui continued, "As for whether it's out of season, among all our autumn and winter fabric patterns, the lotus pattern is the most common. Even if we don't sell special designs and only sell these few types of fabrics, we won't lose too much money."
"Not to mention, we can make red lotus, white lotus, blue lotus, and even snow lotus. We can also dig up lotus leaves, duckweed, dragonflies, egrets, mandarin ducks, and other waterfowl. So what about autumn and winter? Are we not going to wear clothes?"
"Then, according to you, how should we do it?" The 36-year-old tailor was the first to ask.
The other women, who were still deep in thought, all turned their attention to her. Lin Xiushui couldn't rely on anyone for advice right now, but fortunately, she had come prepared.
"Firstly, 'Man Chi Jiao' is only used as a plaque and general name. All other types of upper garments and lower skirts, as well as other kinds, are given separate names."
"Besides choosing a different name, we have to talk about the complete set of items that Man Chi Jiao needs to make. First, there are tube tops, upper garments, jackets, skirts, capes, vests, and trousers. Second, there are ornaments such as lotus crowns, spring banners, purses, skirt headscarves, skirt belts, jade pendants, and collar bands. Third, there are other items such as lotus umbrellas, lotus lanterns, and lifelike lotus flowers, which are used to attract customers by placing them outside the shop and under the eaves."
That sounded interesting, so one of the ladies asked, "What style of clothing is it? What should it be called?"
"We won't."
Lin Xiushui didn't expect anything; she made the decision herself.
"We will be producing a lot of clothes in light green and blue-green. The green top will be called 'Little Lotus Tip,' and our lotus skirt will no longer be called 'Full Pond Beauty,' but will be changed to 'One Color Cut,' taking its name from the 'One Color Cut Lotus Leaf Skirt.'"
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and she leaned back slightly in her chair.
"The tube top is called 'Jihe Xiang' (芰荷香), and there are also some special oil hats and veils, which are mainly green and called 'Tingting Qinggai' (亭亭青盖) and 'Yudi Yuanhe' (雨滴圆荷). The lotus crown is called 'Lianhua Jing' (莲莲净), and as for the umbrella, it can be called 'Fenghe Ju' (风荷举). The beizi (褙子) and ru (上襦) are also options. Can everyone help me think of some ideas?"
Having already offered a starting point and presented a reasonable and well-founded argument, many people softened their stance after careful consideration and were finally willing to discuss the matter properly together.
From the moment they started naming the jacket and upper garment, one of the ladies said, "Since everything has to be related to lotus flowers, Lin'an City has the most temples, and the lotus is one of the Eight Treasures of Buddhism, namely the conch shell, the parasol, the white canopy, the lotus flower, the vase, the goldfish, and the endless knot. The lotus crown we mentioned earlier, since it's named 'Lotus Purity,' is derived from the idea that 'only by looking at the lotus purity can one know the unblemished heart.' In that case, we can think more about these two items and perhaps even explore the temple route."
At this moment, Madam Gu said, "That's right. The lotus is one of the Eight Immortals. The focus is on the lotus flower. Let's think about how to make it. We can definitely sell it at the temple."
“It’s still a bit ordinary. If I were to sell it at a temple, I could make all eight treasures into fortune sticks and have people draw them. If they draw a lotus flower, that would mean good luck,” Lin Xiushui thought quickly.
People looked at her with a slightly different gaze, which inevitably included admiration and respect.
“Then I also have something to say. If you want to make a full pond of beauties, especially lotus flowers, then you can’t avoid fabric with lotus and children patterns,” the older woman said. “We also call them climbing branches dolls. This is called having many sons. Peonies, flowers and fruits, lotus flowers and children, the pattern is good and the meaning is also good.”
Lin Xiushui didn't like it. She grunted and resolutely refused, "This kind of material is very popular and there are plenty of them on the market. We can think of something else, such as lotus and goldfish, which means 'abundance year after year' and is more suitable for selling in winter. I think you have a lot of experience, so I'll leave the purchasing to you. I'm sure you can do a good job."
The woman was initially dissatisfied, but after hearing this, she became somewhat pleased with herself, saying, "Alright, I can do it."
From early morning until after noon, everyone spoke freely, expressing their opinions and discussing step by step how to make the clothes, what each person would do, and how to arrange manpower. They finally felt a genuine connection to the name "Man Chi Jiao," and there wasn't the intense emotional outburst anymore. They were willing to take this step and give it a try.
They dispersed, received their tasks, and began to do what they were supposed to do tomorrow.
Lin Xiushui was exhausted. Dealing with them was more tiring than making ten pieces of clothing in a day. She gulped down a large cup of water and heard Manager Zhuang say to Madam Gu, "Everything else is fine, but we're short-handed for shipping to Lin'an."
"Ships?" Lin Xiushui wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and asked after taking a few steps.
Manager Zhuang turned to look at her. “That’s right. We have special ships to buy fabric in Lin’an, but there are many waterways and they are very winding. We can’t turn the fabric-buying ships into cargo ships. We need to ask someone to take the waterway through the flower market in Lin’an.”
“I have someone in mind,” Lin Xiushui said immediately after hearing the news. “He is someone I trust. He has been using shipping from Lin’an and calls himself a ‘living expert.’”
"What, are you vouching for someone?" Gu Niangzi teased her.
Lin Xiushui nodded and said, "I'll guarantee it."
"But I'll have to ask them first."
Manager Zhuang grabbed her hand and shook it up and down, "You absolutely must find out."
"Let's agree on how much money you're willing to pay first. Things won't go smoothly if the amount is too small," Lin Xiushui said, reaching out her hand to the steward.
Manager Zhuang patted her palm, "One string and sixty cents round trip."
"That's too expensive."
Lin Xiushui reached for her bag and straightened her clothes. "Okay, I'll ask around for you. Is there any reward I'll receive?"
"One penny."
"How stingy."
Lin Xiushui knew that Chen Jiuchuan was at home. In August, the Qiantang River would have a high tide, and most of his shipping business involved traveling between the two banks of the Qiantang River.
Sang Ying has been very busy lately, as the rice shop needs a lot of rice recently, while Chen Jiuchuan is very free.
She knocked on the door, which wasn't closed properly. She pushed it open, jumped in, took two steps back, rubbed her eyes, and shook her head. She was just hallucinating from being too tired lately.
Lin Xiushui quietly peeked her head in again, and the two of them sat there watching her intently.
Amazing, I'm not mistaken.
"What are you doing here?" Lin Xiushui asked, surprised and puzzled.
Zhang Musheng scratched his head, cleared his throat and said, "Brother Chuan is too righteous. He came over and told me that learning sewing in the fire brigade is a wrong path, it doesn't work at all, and it even steals other people's business."
“In my current state, even if my legs aren’t very good for the time being, my hands are still good, so I should try to build connections in the water industry and ask them to deliver water to our Firefighting Team Seven faster in the future. When I heard that, I thought it made sense. He said he was going to help me make some connections.”
"Sister, I'm so sorry," Zhang Musheng said, tears streaming down his face. "I'm afraid I can no longer learn sewing."
He then lamented, "This industry is truly missing a once-in-a-lifetime talent."
Chen Jiuchuan remained silent. What utter nonsense.
Lin Xiushui rolled her eyes. No wonder she could grow so tall; it turns out she loved to flatter herself.
Zhang Musheng then haphazardly shoved his sewing tools into Chen Jiuchuan's hands, saying, "Brother, I have no way to repay your kindness, please take these."
"You repay kindness with enmity," Lin Xiushui couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up.
Chen Jiuchuan accepted it readily, and said to Lin Xiushui, "I think I am the one who is truly capable of mending."
"Why don't you teach me?"
Lin Xiushui scrutinized the two faces. She was surprised that she could recognize two people who were both so refined and sickly.
"Is this the Beggars' Sect's Dog-Beating Stick? Why are you two passing it around like this? Are you going to practice it so you can be beggars all your lives?"
Zhang Musheng was still pondering those words when Chen Jiuchuan said, "Don't talk about yourself like that."
“I can be a dog, but you have to hit me with meat buns,” Zhang Musheng said seriously.
Lin Xiushui and Chen Jiuchuan looked at him together, wondering what was wrong with him.
"I'm leaving, I'm leaving," Zhang Musheng snorted, picked up his crutch and left. Twenty days later, when he could take off his crutch, he would be a good dog that could run and jump again, bah, a hero!
Only the two of them remained in the courtyard. Lin Xiushui was about to sit down when Chen Jiuchuan sat on the stool that Zhang Musheng had been sitting on, giving up his own.
Lin Xiushui didn't mind, "Let's talk business."
"You know I trust you completely."
Chen Jiuchuan stiffened. He picked up the empty teacup and took a sip as a cover-up. "Speak properly."
"Oh," Lin Xiushui laughed, "I want to hit you."
Chen Jiuchuan, upon hearing this, remained calm and turned his head to say, "Come on."
Lin Xiushui was speechless, finding it incredibly cheap.
“You’re supposed to be a living expert, right? We have a shop near Huashi Bridge in Lin’an. We need people to transport clothes and fabrics of all kinds. A round trip costs one string of cash and sixty cents.”
Chen Jiuchuan also became serious, "Of course I can deliver it."
Actually, this price wasn't very high for Chen Jiuchuan. Their shipping was faster and more reliable than others, taking less time, and a round trip cost at least two strings of cash.
With just a little thought, a clear route map appeared in his mind. He gestured on the table with his slender fingers and said, "There are three rivers in the inner city: the West River, the Small River, and the Big River. The Big River connects to the Grand Canal in the north and the Qiantang River in the south. You enter the city from the Tianzong Water Gate, but you can't go any further than the Six Ministries Bridge, because that's the Imperial City."
"The waterway you need to take to reach the flower market requires crossing the Qiantang River, passing Kuapu Bridge, and then going to the Maoshan River and passing the Bao'an Water Gate," Chen Jiuchuan told her. "In August, the Qiantang River experiences high tides, making the waterway difficult to navigate, especially for clothing and fabrics, where boats can capsize."
Lin Xiushui frowned slightly; according to the timeline, progress was not going very smoothly.
"What are you worried about?" Chen Jiuchuan said. "Although the rising tide may cause delays, when you go to watch the tide, you will find that the delays will be made up for by something else."
Chen Jiuchuan invited him very directly, "After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the sixteenth of August is a good day to watch the tide. The waterway to the Qiantang River is easy for us to travel. Let's go watch the tide together?"
Lin Xiushui didn't work during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and even the tailor shops were closed. She had a lot of work to do, but it wouldn't make a difference if she stayed for a couple more days.
She didn't agree immediately, but went to ask Wang Yuelan first. Wang Yuelan readily agreed, "I've heard there are surfers on the Qiantang River, we can go and take a look."
“Why not go?” Sang Ying asked, puzzled. “Watching the tide is a grand annual event. If you don’t want to take a boat, I’ll carry you there.”
Lin Xiushui laughed and asked, "What are you?"
Sang Ying said, "I'm like a piece of wood; I'll drift wherever I'm needed."
Xiaohe couldn't stand it anymore and quickly packed her things, muttering to herself, "Watching the tide, watching the tide crest."
Lin Xiushui went out not only to watch the tide, but also to get a feel for it. She had no idea what to do with the clothes for the two umbrellas, but she didn't expect that this trip would bring her so many things to do.
The two garments are inspired by a line of poetry: "Searching for osmanthus blossoms in the moonlit mountain temple, watching the tide from the pavilion in the prefecture."
The boat arrived at Tianzhu Temple at night.
Author's Note: I'm really sorry for taking a break. Besides the red envelope compensation, there will also be a small giveaway in this chapter. [Please][Please][Please]
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