Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Daxiangguo Temple
Qin Shuang'er was uneasy because they had the evidence against her, but after what happened that night, she found that Jinniang and Fang Qiaolian seemed to have forgotten everything at all, and treated her no differently than before. Even Madam Chen didn't know about this and asked her to embroider a quilt cover with the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea for the old lady.
"The Madam asked you to do this, so you must do it well and not be careless."
"Yes." Qin Shuang'er agreed and secretly looked at Jinniang again. Seeing that Jinniang was concentrating on making clothes for the eldest and second girls to wear during the Mid-Autumn Festival, her heart finally settled down.
In fact, Jinniang was just using it as a handle against her to stop her from doing anything naughty in the future. She didn't really use it to drive her out or anything. She even told Si'er not to spread it. Speaking of which, Qin Shuang'er was still a junior high school student in her previous life, and they didn't live together all their lives. In two years, the eldest girl would get married, and their sewing room would have to disband.
Just like the meeting between King Zhuang of Chu and Jueying, you should show mercy when you can.
You framed me, and I retaliated against you and got evidence against you. That's enough.
However, ever since the eldest girl made her debut at the eldest lady's birthday banquet, she heard that a matchmaker had come to her house.
In Bian Jing, matchmakers were divided into several grades. The top-grade matchmakers wore veils and purple jackets. They specialized in arranging marriages for officials and royal relatives. The middle-level matchmaker wears a crown, wraps his head with a yellow turban, and holds a green parasol in his hand.
Of course, the matchmaker who came from the Zhou family was a high-class man wearing a purple jacket.
Even Madam Chen smiled and said to them: "You should practice well these days. When the time comes to really do it, time will be tight."
Fang Qiao Lian asked curiously, "I wonder what kind of family the eldest girl will talk about in the future?"
"She must be either rich or noble. The eldest girl is the eldest daughter of the Zhou family, so her marriage must have been carefully chosen." Jinniang said.
When Mrs. Chen saw the two of them talking, she hurriedly said, "Stop talking about the master's family."
Jinniang quickly covered her mouth and dared not say anything more.
Her birthday passed just like the fleeting June. This year she was thirteen years old. When she turned thirteen, she received a set of forty-two colors of paint from Master Cun, which were more expensive and more complete than hers.
July soon arrived. Qiqiao was originally the Girls' Day, and Jinniang thought she could relax for a day. However, unexpectedly, they had to make clothes for the girls until nightfall. Now Madam Chen mainly makes clothes for old ladies, wives, and masters and young masters, while the clothes for young girls are taken care of by the three of them.
With the new paint, it is now easier for her to design. At this age, when a girl is getting married, her clothes cannot be too frivolous, but should be elegant and steady, yet still retain the girlish style. The bright pink ones have to be put aside and replaced with light pink, pearl white, light blue and light yellow. They look refreshing in the hot summer and have the elegance of a scholarly home.
Like the first set, the bodice is light green, embroidered with large white flowers with green stamens, and is paired with a grass green pleated skirt. The outer jacket is made of Hu yarn, and the collar is embroidered with flowers of the same color with green buds.
Jinniang was very satisfied with this set. She showed it to the eldest girl first. The eldest girl was very satisfied. Jinniang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "In that case, I will make this set for you first."
Unexpectedly, before she started working on this set, Jiang called her to make a pearl dress for the eldest daughter, and she personally asked Yanhong to bring the pearls. But Jinniang said to Yanhong: "Pearl clothing? I wonder if it is fashionable to make it at the collar or somewhere else nowadays?"
Such expensive clothes cannot be wasted.
Yanhong gave Jinniang an idea: "Daxiangguo Temple holds a market five times a month. It sells birds, animals, daily necessities, and clothes. It is the most prosperous market in Bianjing. There are many men and women there. There is also Xiuxiang nearby. You can go there."
"Can I go out?" Jinniang asked.
Yanhong smiled and said, "You are also going out for business. I will tell the Madam to have the carriage house hire a carriage to take you there."
For the first time, Jinniang took the right cards, put on some neat clothes, and went out with Si'er. She originally asked Fang Qiaolian if she wanted to go out together, but Fang Qiaolian shook her head with a bitter face: "My life is coming, let alone going out with you, I am too lazy to do needlework today."
"Hey, I'll ask Lan Xue to bring you a bowl of brown sugar water later. Drink it and then take a nap at noon." Jinniang had no choice but to do so.
Fang Qiao Lian nodded. She had originally recognized Mother Kuang as her godmother, but that woman was always partial to her own daughter. After taking her money, she would just give her some things at random, and she had to fight for a proper job on her own.
It is also said that after Jinniang and Si'er got on the carriage, she smiled and said, "We will eat outside later. If you have something delicious, just tell me and I will buy it for you."
Si'er made a great contribution last time, so Jinniang asked her to learn how to distinguish colors by dividing lines, and began to teach her slowly. She also took her out for good food and drink on weekdays. Si'er treated Jinniang completely as her sister and mother, and trusted her very much.
They were riding in a blue woolen carriage for servants, which was covered with cloth on the outside and had no curtains to look out. When they arrived at the gate of Daxiangguo Temple, the driver stopped the carriage and Jinniang got off. Looking at the crowds of people around her, she was very excited.
Kuang Saner, who was driving the car, said, "I'll wait for you here. You don't have to rush out. Just hang out for a while and don't get too late."
Jinniang took out twenty copper coins from her purse and handed them to him: "Please trouble Brother Kuang San to wait for us. This money will give you some lunch. Don't go hungry."
"Oh, how can this be so embarrassing?" Kuang Saner waved his hands.
We all work together, and Jinniang is not a maid who serves the masters, but she is so generous.
Jinniang insisted: "Just accept it. I can't keep you waiting for so long."
Si Er also chimed in: "Brother Kuang, just accept it."
Kuang San'er then accepted it with embarrassment, while Jinniang held Si'er's hand and saw that this was the street along the Bian River. It was said that Xiangguo Temple was along this street. There is a bridge in front of Xiangguo Temple. The bridge is flat and straight, not the suspension bridge or arch bridge that were common in the past. There seemed to be a lot of vendors on the west side of the bridge, but Jinniang was afraid that she would forget the way if she ran around, so she went to Xiangguo Temple first.
But she didn't expect that there would be a constant stream of people hawking food at the entrance of Xiangguo Temple. She said to Si'er, "What do you want to eat? I'll buy it for you."
The street vendors sold porridge, braised meat, and various snacks, as well as inexpensive cooked food shops. They sold chicken, duck, goose, rabbit, or stomach and lungs, eels, buns, chicken skin, and mutton offal, all for 15 cents a portion.
The delicious food stimulated their taste buds. Si'er didn't dare to ask for more and just said that a bowl of rice and water would be enough. Jinniang knew at a glance that she was worried about her money, so she took the initiative to buy her a portion of roasted pork and a bowl of papaya water. She bought a plate of chicken and two snacks for herself. The two of them ate so much that their stomachs were almost bloated, and they just walked into the temple.
Even Jinniang, who was used to seeing commercial streets in modern times, was stunned by the scene in front of her. It was ok to sell animals such as birds, cats, and dogs at the gate of Xiangguo Temple, but between the second and third levels of the temple gate, there were colorful curtains selling daily necessities. It was summer now, and bedding items such as straw mats, bamboo mats, and screens were sold. Not only were toothbrushes and tooth powder sold, but even bows and arrows, saddles, and reins were also sold.
Jinniang bought a box of tooth powder for only seven or eight cents. She opened a packet and smelled it. It actually had a minty scent and was delicate. The quality was better than the box she bought from the housekeeper for twenty cents. Then she bought two straw mats, one for her and one for Si'er. Only if their lives were more comfortable would they be less likely to get sick from the heat.
Si'er didn't expect Jinniang to buy a straw mat for her, and she was very grateful.
Jinniang smiled and said, "Take it. In the future, if I have a bite to eat, you will have a bite to eat, too."
After saying that, she saw that there were various seasonal fruits, dried fruits and bacon near the Buddhist temple. She didn't buy these, but she often ate the Zhou family's dried fruits.
Looking around, we realized we had reached our destination. The corridors on both sides of the Buddhist temple were filled with nuns from various temples selling handicrafts, including embroidery, collar wipes, silk flowers, pearl and jade head ornaments, various head ornaments, as well as colorful gold-thread inlaid futou, wigs, and crowns, which were simply dazzling to look at.
Jinniang walked and looked, and she found that the embroidery skills of these nuns were really high. She looked at a bodice inlaid with pearls, which was priced at fifteen strings of coins, and a collar inlaid with pearls, which was priced at thirty strings of coins, and an embroidered collar, which had flowers with emerald thread and gold edges, which cost one string of coins. Jinniang felt that she could also make it.
Joining them in the shopping mall were young ladies from wealthy families wearing veils and some rich girls. They were all dressed well. One young lady with flowers on her temples took off her veil and took a fancy to a gardenia made of pearls. She sold this small flower for two strings of cash.
The woman who was selling wine with a basket on her shoulder said with some envy: "These nuns are really making money."
Jinniang couldn't help asking, "Aren't they nuns? Where did they get these cloth and pearls for embroidery?"
"Little girl, you are from another place, right? There is an embroidery lane to the south of Xiangguo Temple, where embroidery craftsmen and nuns live. Although they are dressed in rags, they are all rich." The old woman touched her wine and planned to sell it at the snack shop outside later.
Then Jinniang asked, "I heard that Jinxiu Pavilion is not the largest embroidery building? Would you rather look for someone from Jinxiu Pavilion or Xiuxiang?"
The old woman smiled and said, "Jinxiu Pavilion makes ready-made clothes. Their embroidery is not bad. These embroiderers can also take their things to sell. They also do some business on weekdays. However, they can only come a few times a month. But even so, their lives are very good."
Jinniang didn't expect that Jinxiu Pavilion actually sold ready-made clothes, that is, Shuxiu Pavilion signed a contract with the embroiderer, and you can make whatever clothes you want, and the profit will be given as long as someone buys them.
She thought how nice it would be if she lived in Bian Jing. Apart from the high housing prices in Tokyo, the opportunities to make money were a hundred times more than in Jiangling.
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