Chapter 6 Chapter 6 I didn't expect to hand in the paper early
After breakfast, Jinniang said something to Chen Niang and went to the third lady first. Unexpectedly, there was a woman sitting in the third lady's room. She looked naturally beautiful and surrounded by jewels. She hesitated for a moment, and after being reminded by the third lady's maid, she realized that it was the third lady's biological mother, Lu Xiaoniang, and she hurried to pay her respects.
Lu Xiaoniang was a peaceful person. When she saw her sending the pattern of clothes over, she smiled and said, "I have never seen anyone draw it like this before."
The third girl seemed to like it very much as well: "Just do it like this."
"Well, now that you say that, I'll go back and start cutting." The customer had no objection, and Jinniang liked it very much.
Lu Xiaoniang said, "Thank you for taking the trouble to make this trip, Qingxue. Give her some money to buy her some candy to sweeten her mouth."
It was said to be a few large coins, but in fact it was twenty copper coins. The third lady also gave her an extra plate of bean cake. Jinniang thanked her again before leaving. This one copper coin could buy a piece of maltose. One penny was still very valuable in the Song Dynasty. She carefully put the copper coin into her purse, feeling very satisfied.
When she returned to the sewing room, she kept two for herself to fill her stomach when she was hungry, and shared the rest.
Madam Chen deliberately reminded them: "It is said that Miss Lu used to help the eldest lady manage the household. She was also the eldest lady's maid before. She has a lot of money. You should not be snobbish and only want to pick the best one."
She said this because she was afraid that some people only wanted to serve the legitimate daughter, thinking that she had a bright future and were unwilling to serve the illegitimate daughter. Little did they know that as long as she was generous, that was all that mattered.
Jinniang smiled and shook her head, then began to mark the dimensions with a charcoal pencil and concentrated on the work in her hands.
In addition to the embroidery frame, the needlework room also has a long table, an iron, various silk threads, cloth scraps, and carved boards. There are also gold foil, gold thread, and beads locked in the cabinet.
When Jinniang and the others were working on their work, they would also ask Chenniang for advice on needlework, or ask her for other decorations. Just as she asked for a strand of gold thread, she saw Luying leading two little girls over. They were no more than seven or eight years old. I heard they were pawned here during a famine. Each of them was given a few buckets of rice. One of them was called Si'er and the other was called Xiaohe.
"How pitiful." Mrs. Chen sighed.
Luying smiled and said, "Madam Chen, these two girls are at your disposal."
Of course, the two of them were responsible for carrying lunch. After Jinniang finished eating, they quickly took the dishes away to wash them. After they were done, they came in and everyone talked together.
"I heard that there were ten girls coming in with you?"
Si Er nodded: "That's right, the two of us were assigned to the sewing room, and Sister Luying asked us to learn some skills from you guys so that we can help out in other rooms in the future."
Although these embroiderers are well paid, they will leave the mansion after three years. By then, if there is someone to help with the needlework in the mansion, they can pawn the clothes without paying for their work, which can reduce costs a lot.
Jinniang understood, and then she heard Qin Shuang'er ask, "Except you, where did everyone else go?"
"One more girl was added to each room, one went to the kitchen, one went to the toilet, and two went to the laundry room." Xiao He finished speaking and covered her mouth with her hands to laugh: "The one who went to the toilet was the worst."
The bathroom has to clean the toilet and empty the night incense, it stinks all day long.
After everyone finished chatting, Jinniang and the others lowered their heads to start making clothes, concentrating so much that Si'er and Xiaohe dozed off leaning against the door.
With these two maids, Jinniang was happy and didn't have to go out. She just focused on making clothes. She worked faster than ordinary people, but she spent a lot of time on embroidery, especially the broken branch peony pattern on the collar, which required more careful work.
They worked until late at night, with the oil lamp still burning. Except for Mrs. Chen who took it to the veranda, they all worked hard. In fact, Jinniang has already met the conditions here. There is a charcoal fire during the day and a separate bed at night. I heard that little maids like Xiaohe and Si'er all sleep in a large bunk bed where more than a dozen maids are crowded together.
When she was almost done with a lapel jacket after three or four days, she heard Fang Qiaolian whispering to Jinniang, "Why do you see Qin Shuang'er running into the eldest lady's room all day long?"
"She may be trying to show her patience." Jinniang doesn't approve of constant changes. It won't maintain its own characteristics and will become uglier and uglier.
Professional matters should be left to professionals, and those who are selected all have their own talents. Just like when she was a screenwriter in her previous life, if the actors and directors all wanted to make changes, then the play would most likely be ruined.
Of course, she also knew that Qin Shuang'er wanted to expand her network.
But in Jinniang's view, a person's talent is the foundation of his life, and the so-called connections are the icing on the cake. Otherwise, even if you know many important people, they will look down on you if you are not in the same class as them.
It is difficult for people from different classes to be friends. Even among friends, if one of them suddenly becomes rich, it is difficult for him to be friends with the other.
After finishing the lapel jacket, she moved on to the next one. The porcelain green jacket would be embroidered with magnolia flowers. Then look at Fang Qiaolian's. She embroidered pink butterflies in the same color and set it with a white border on the front. It looks like it was made with extra care.
When Qin Shuang'er came back and saw that the other three had finished the second task, she was not in a hurry. As long as they finished it before the New Year, it would be enough. Even if they worked fast, they would have to wait for her to finish together before everyone could hand it over.
"Mrs. Chen, I want another strand of gold thread." Jinniang asked for magnolia leaves to be outlined with gold thread, to give them a shimmering feel.
Mrs. Chen also had a lot to do, but she was an old hand and could finish embroidering a hundred-flower skirt in one night while chatting and laughing. Jinniang and the others couldn't compare to her now, so she said casually, "Go get it."
They buried their heads in their work, and in the blink of an eye, seven or eight days had passed. Jinniang had already started working on the last piece. She also took rice beads from Chen Niangzi and prepared to use the beads to make stamens. She was embroidering a pair of crabapples and birds. For light-colored clothes, she needed to use this kind of brighter gold thread or beads.
Qin Shuang'er worked even harder. She was embroidering a picture of a lady picking plum blossoms. Figures were already difficult to embroider, and now she had to embroider flowers all over. It took a lot of effort. Jinniang glanced at her and said that it took her ten days to finish such a piece, which was too slow. But when Madam Chen told her about it, she said that it was the eldest girl's request, and Madam Chen didn't know what to say.
Unfortunately, in the afternoon today, Yanhong came over to urge: "Our aunt will return home in two or three days. Madam asked if the girls have their clothes ready. If not, they need to hurry up, because they will need to wear them to meet guests, so make the girls' clothes first."
Hearing this, Jinniang quickened her pace, sighing inwardly that she had to light a lamp and work again today. After all, the clothes had to be ironed after they were finished, which would take a lot of time.
Everyone was busy with their own work. Unexpectedly, it was such a cold day and it was snowing outside. Qin Shuang'er's forehead was sweating and beads of sweat as big as beans fell on the silk, which frightened her so much that she almost fainted.
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