Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Bamboo Clothes
Three days later, Mrs. Hu asked Zhen'er to take the opportunity to come here and play, and bring over the embroidery pieces she bought from Jinxiu Pavilion. Jinniang went to bed and took the opportunity of taking a nap to see the difference between the embroidery in Jinxiu Pavilion and those in ordinary embroidery workshops. She thought that two hundred copper coins could not buy much, but she didn't expect that she could buy quite a lot.
Ordinary purses with butterfly patterns usually have butterflies embroidered on them, but this purse is cut into the shape of a butterfly, with rice beads inlaid on both sides of the wings and an exquisite knot on the drawstring. The other purse is also in the shape of a butterfly, but unlike the previous one, its highlight is the use of seed embroidery to highlight the butterfly's abdomen.
There is another kind of purse. The lotus embroidered on it is similar to the one I made, but there is a small lotus root slice on the drawstring, which makes it look unique.
There is also a Suzhou embroidered handkerchief. Logically speaking, Qin Shuang'er also learned Suzhou embroidery, but her embroidery method is far inferior to the one above. Even Jinniang cannot compare to it. The handkerchief is edged with powder thread, and the small peonies embroidered on the corners are smooth and flat, and look elegant and luxurious.
The embroidery in Jinxiu Pavilion gave her inspiration. She even remembered a beauty screen she had seen in the eldest girl's room. The exquisite craftsmanship was beyond her ability to produce.
The road of embroidery is really long and difficult.
She knew that a true embroidery master must be good at calligraphy and painting, and use painting as embroidery. Jinniang admitted that her talent was limited, but there were only a few top embroiderers in the world, and most of them were the backbone. She never thought of becoming the top, but if she could be in the upper middle level, she would be satisfied.
Thinking of this, she didn't take a nap and planned to make a lotus-shaped purse. Instead of embroidering lotus flowers on the cloth, she cut the cloth into the shape of lotus leaves, embroidered a pink and white purse on the lotus leaves, and the drawstring would be made into a small lotus flower.
While Jinniang was working hard, she didn't pay attention to the situation around her.
Qin Shuang'er started to use her fists and feet. Her job to go to the eldest girl was snatched away by Jinniang, and she was also stabbed by Jinniang. She definitely wanted to take revenge, but she didn't have the chance for the time being, not to mention that Jinniang was also a tough person. She could only put her revenge aside for the time being and try to make friends with other people, especially the people in the second young master's house.
The second young master Zhou Cunzhi is so handsome, smart and talented, and the Zhou family is so wealthy. Following such a man, even if you are a mistress, it will be a hundred times better than being a poor man outside.
It's a pity that the maid in the second young master's room was not a pushover. She took the initiative to put on the old lady's clothes and took the opportunity to make friends, but she didn't expect to be scolded instead.
Cuixian, the eldest maid in the second young master's room, was always good-natured, and the other maids followed her lead. She didn't say anything, but the second maid Bi'e seemed to know Qin Shuang'er's kindness. When she saw her carrying something in, she said, "You can also enter this inner room? A toad wants to eat swan meat."
Qin Shuang'er said aggrievedly: "This is the belt that Madam Chen asked me to deliver. My sisters misunderstood me."
Bi'e sneered: "The little girl sent to your sewing room last time knew to wait outside the door, why did you rush in so anxiously?"
Ever since the Second Young Master moved into the annex, there have been countless maids trying to create "chance encounters" with him. Cuixian knew exactly what these people were planning, even if they didn't say anything.
Qin Shuang'er's face turned red and white.
When she came out, she saw Sister Shan who had followed Miss Mei to pay her respects to the old lady. Seeing that Sister Shan had become a grown-up maid and looked very different, she took advantage of her opportunity and waited until dinner time to go find Sister Shan. Shanjie repeated to Jinniang what she had said to her, and at the end she said, "Look, the pair of golden earrings with lotus flowers on my ears were given to me by my cousin. I definitely want to follow my cousin in the future."
"Congratulations, it's a blessing in disguise, but I don't have that kind of luck." Qin Shuang'er finished speaking, and then felt that she had said something wrong, so she quickly covered it up and said, "My cousin is the only daughter of my aunt, so she will definitely get a good marriage. It would be good for you to go with her."
Sister Shan also thinks so.
She also returned to the sewing room and saw Jinniang already doing needlework in the inner room. She didn't know what she was embroidering. Fang Qiaolian was still sewing clothes for Miao Xiaoniang. The embroidery looked very complicated and anyone seeing it could tell how hard she was working.
Then think of the girls in the second young master's room. They don't know how to sew, but they are dressed more luxuriously than the girls from the poor families outside. They do less work but get more rewards. Moreover, the second young master is talented in studying, which is a shortcut for him compared to the eldest girl. As the eldest girl's companion, it is unknown when he can get promoted, and it is also unknown whether the person he marries is a good one. But the second young master has a ready-made rich son-in-law
Jiang and Jinniang's birthdays were both in June. After making a purse, Jinniang made two other different lotus patterns. One was a green lotus, with a green drawstring decorated with a cord, and the rope buckle was hung with lotus root slices made of jade silk. The other was a traditional round purse with a lantern pattern.
Don’t think that the purse is too girly and is not suitable for the eldest lady. In Jinniang’s opinion, no matter how old a woman is, she has a girlish heart.
Jinniang even remembered that bags in her previous life all had compartments, so she made her own compartment so that she could hold two things.
On Jiang's birthday, Jinniang, who was somewhat famous, sent her needlework. Jiang immediately asked to see it. She took it in her hands and played with it, and she was reluctant to let it go.
"Mrs. Jin's craftsmanship has improved dramatically, and her work is quite interesting." Seeing that Jiang liked it, Luying also joined in the fun.
Yanhong said half-truthfully, "This girl is okay at her job, but she doesn't talk much and doesn't like to go out. Last time, when I was delivering something to the second room, she didn't even know where it was. She would only go if I asked someone to show her the way."
Jiang nodded: "That's good. I don't like those who do things in a sloppy way all day long. This child is an honest person. He is devoted to studying his craft."
After saying that, she took the needle and thread that her daughters had brought over and looked at it. The eldest daughter's work was always pretty good. The second girl had been impatient since she was a child, and her stitches looked rough. Fortunately, she didn't ask anyone to do it for her. The third girl was not very old, but the stitches on the socks she made were very detailed, and you could tell at a glance that she was a meticulous person. The fourth girl had made great progress. Her work used to be average, but now it has improved a lot.
Sometimes, you can tell whether someone is sincere to you from the gifts they give you.
Just like Yanhong, she used to just habitually build good relationships with everyone for the sake of reputation. Later, when she saw that Jinniang was indeed a talented person, she helped her to gain favor. Now she sincerely hopes that Jinniang can stand out more, which can be regarded as returning the favor.
"There will be a banquet later, let all the girls come to my place." Jiang smiled.
Yanhong left as ordered, and soon all four girls came over. The girls' clothes were similar in style, and their hairpins and rings were also similar, but they were all different. The eldest girl's spring dress was designed by Jinniang and made by Chen Niang herself. This also shows that the Zhou family's next focus will be on the eldest girl.
The life of a grown-up girl is dignified and beautiful. She performs her greetings steadily, her hair ornaments don't fly around, and her body doesn't shake. She is a young girl, as if spring has arrived at her head. Somehow Jiang became jealous.
She calmed down and said to the girls, "Your aunt and her family, as well as many other guests, are coming today. Even Wang Dacan's wife is coming. Shishi, you are the elder sister, so you must take good care of your younger sisters."
The fourth girl thought that Jiang's last sentence was beyond her expectations. She thought she was asking her to behave well, but she didn't expect her to take care of them.
Miss Zhou stood up with her clothes on. She had always been gentle and elegant, quite like an ancient lady. Even towards her two half-sisters, she did not show any difference in appearance. The fourth young lady was always well taken care of by her whenever she was with them. However, although the sisters were together, they did not interact with each other very often.
The dignitaries, relatives and friends all came over. The fourth girl went out with her sisters and actually met Mrs. Wang, who was the highest-ranking woman present. She gave the same gift to the four girls in the family, but it was obvious that everyone's focus was on the eldest girl, and the other girls became foils.
I thought this was a social occasion, but the fourth girl was just being stared at like a quail, and she felt a little depressed.
In fact, this kind of banquet is very boring. She comes from the modern era and doesn't like to listen to operas. She only thinks that the juggling performances are pitiful and the movements are very cruel. If you are not careful, you might fall down.
While she was bored, Jinniang was very busy because the second young master's maid Cuixian brought a bamboo shirt over, saying that the second young master was going to give it to someone. Unexpectedly, when he took it out of the box, it was accidentally torn with a small hole.
"Mrs. Chen got drunk just now. We woke her up and she said she had never seen it. What should we do? If we don't do it right, the dress will be ruined and I don't know how angry the Second Master will be..." Cuixian was very worried.
She was the eldest girl, but she didn't take good care of the things in the room, so she was sure to get into trouble.
Jinniang glanced at Qin Shuang'er and asked, "Can you?"
Seeing that Qin Shuang'er was eager to try, she finally shook her head in disappointment.
It is said that bamboo clothing had already appeared in the Tang Dynasty. This was recorded in the book given to her by Mrs. Wu. Bamboo clothing can dissipate heat and also isolate sweat. It is very important for officials because they have to pay attention to their manners and sweating profusely is unbecoming.
While Cuixian was still anxious, Jinniang smiled and said, "Let me do it. I remember that there are thin bamboos shipped from Jiangxi in the garden of the second house for viewing. If the second master and the second lady agree, we can just chop some thin bamboos for them."
"You can? That's great. No wonder I often hear them say that you have good skills." Cuixian couldn't help but praise her a few words. She also smiled and said, "There is no need to go to the second house's garden. Our second young master has it on his desk. Come on, I'll take you there." Cuixian said.
Jinniang smiled and said, "Sister, wait outside for a while. I'll go find some thread and tools."
The ends of the thin bamboo need to be rounded and ramie thread is used. Most of these bamboo clothes have copper coin patterns that are round on the outside and square on the inside, and they cannot be repaired casually. She opened her small box and took out the tools one by one, but saw that Qin Shuang'er looked unhappy.
She was about to ignore it, but unexpectedly Qin Shuang'er said, "Don't be stubborn. If you break it, the Second Young Master will punish you."
Jinniang smiled and said, "You don't have to be so kind. If I didn't have the diamond, I wouldn't have taken on this porcelain job. Besides, you didn't use the opportunity I gave you."
She was not afraid of her at all. These scheming and double-dealing people were bullies who only feared the strong and bullied the weak. They instigated her behind her back and told everyone how domineering she was in the sewing room. She didn't care about these words because they were not said to her face. But now she had to let Qin Shuang'er know that she was a tough guy.
Qin Shuang'er was so angry that she fell backwards.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
