Chapter 179 "Double-Sided" Embroidery
Back in the courtyard, Lin Yuesha began to think about the food for the Lantern Festival. It didn't need to be too complicated; just a few simple items would be fine.
She and Jiang Baozhu had inquired and learned that the lantern festival was spread all over the long streets in all directions, and their own stall was simply not enough to meet the crowds.
“Little girl, look how cold it is outside. You’re wearing a thin coat, or you’ll catch a cold.”
Holding a bowl of brown sugar ginger water, Mrs. Chen couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Being a mother is so worrying. You're too young to feel it now, but you'll regret it in two years."
Mrs. Chen had a history of illness that made it difficult for her to have children. She once drank bitter medicine for a year and now deeply regrets not paying more attention back then.
Women love to dress up and are fond of looking pretty. The jackets made by the maids in the village are all fitted at the waist to show off their figures, and to avoid looking bulky, they wear one less layer.
"Mom, I'm not cold. I'll wear an extra cloak next time I go out."
Since using the recipe given by the pockmarked face, Lin Yuesha's cold hands and feet have improved a lot, and her body is getting warmer. Even if it doesn't increase her breast size, she will continue to use it for a while.
Thinking of her pockmarked face, Lin Yuesha took out her needle and thread.
The Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was packed with people. If fate allowed, she and the pockmarked man would surely meet again.
Lin Yuesha's already finished purse was snatched away by her stepbrother, so she has to make another one.
What pattern should she embroider? Lin Yuesha racked her brains. She didn't want to use a bamboo embroidery pattern, because she didn't want the purse she made for the pockmarked face to be the same as her stepbrother's.
"Little sister?"
Outside the door, Xiao Qi knocked. His younger sister was eager to start a business, and to prepare, everyone in the family pitched in to make rice noodles for the Lantern Festival.
"Brother, is the rice noodle soup ready?"
Lin Yuesha tried to hide the sewing basket, but she was too late.
She didn't have the concept of a gentleman staying away from the kitchen; she earned money for the whole family to spend, so her father and eldest brother were called out to help, otherwise her mother, Chen, wouldn't be able to handle it all by herself.
"Today's cooking is done. We don't have much firewood left at home. Mother said we're waiting for the firewood seller to come."
The past two days have seen heavy snowfall, making the road from the village to the town impassable. Fortunately, we had prepared firewood at home, but cooking consumes a lot of firewood, so we burned it from morning till night, leaving us with very little.
Lin Yuesha had done the math and realized that buying and selling firewood in town required money, and Chen had once considered moving the small workshop back to the village.
If they were to return to the village, firewood would be free, but the cost of renting a horse-drawn carriage to transport food to the county would far exceed the cost of firewood.
Xiao Qi sat down beside Lin Yuesha, watching her rummage through her small bundle for fabric, and asked, "Little sister, are you planning to do some needlework?"
"Yes, I just want to practice."
After parting ways with Hongliu, Lin Yuesha promised Hongliu that even if she went home, she would still take time every day to do needlework.
"Brother, did you encounter any peddlers from the south on your trip with your husband?"
Lin Yuesha asked Xiao Qi seemingly casually that she wanted to make a purse for the pockmarked face that was both fashionable and aesthetically acceptable to the general public.
Then you'll have to put more effort into the embroidery pattern.
"I have seen it. The goods from the south are more exquisite and are very popular with the people in the north."
Xiao Qi poured two cups of hot tea, pushed one towards Lin Yuesha, and said, "If you like, little sister, you can stroll around during the Lantern Festival."
Most savvy peddlers are experienced; they don't set up stalls before the New Year, but instead stockpile their goods, waiting to sell them at the Lantern Festival for a good price.
"The purse and embroidered handkerchief that Sister Qing'er gave me are both in the style of Kyoto. They must be more fashionable than in the South. I'm just curious about what kind of purses men in the South use."
Lin Yuesha posed the question, waiting for Xiao Qi to provide an answer.
She thought that the bamboo she embroidered was too ordinary and had no special features.
"Little sister, why are you asking about this?"
Xiao Qi's eyes darkened, but he quickly regained his composure and turned to stare at Lin Yuesha. "Do you want to be a man's purse?"
Women should not casually give men personal items, as this would be seen as a secret exchange by outsiders, unless the two are relatives or engaged.
"I was just asking. You took the purse I made; I want to make one for my father."
Lin Yuesha raised her chin and lied with a straight face.
If her purse hadn't been stolen by her older brother, she wouldn't have needed to come up with new tricks.
"No need to make it for Father, he has no money anyway."
Xiao Qi curled his lips into a smile. That miser never carried money with him, so there was no point in him carrying a purse.
Lin Yuesha misunderstood her stepson's words and actually felt that her father was a bit pitiful.
It's true that the mother manages the money at home, and Lin Yuesha hands over the money she earns herself, but since the father is a man, he always needs to keep some money on him for emergencies.
"Sister Baozhu wants to make a purse for Zhang Jing. What kind should she make?"
Lin Yuesha felt her patience was running out, so she directly brought up Jiang Baozhu and Zhang Jing.
The two families are to get engaged after the New Year. Jiang Huai is very satisfied with Zhang Jing, and the matter is almost a done deal.
"Then let's embroider a portrait of a beautiful woman."
Xiao Qi finally understood what his little sister was thinking: she had gone to great lengths for a pockmarked face.
He thought for a moment, then started digging a pit for Lin Yuesha again.
"A painting of a beauty?"
Lin Yuesha was shocked. Are men all so direct these days?
"The purses worn by men in the south are all embroidered with beautiful women. Of course, if it is given to a sweetheart to whom one is betrothed, it can be embroidered with one's own portrait."
Xiao Qi could deceive people without batting an eye, and Lin Yuesha actually believed him.
Although the South is harsh on women, it is infinitely tolerant of men. A man with a little money can indulge in debauchery, sleep in brothels, and play with the "slender horses" of Yangzhou, yet he is praised as a romantic, and it is even a compliment. Embroidering a beautiful woman's picture on a purse is indeed a rather subtle way of being a man.
The pockmarked man is pedantic and doesn't openly express his fondness for beautiful women. Besides, he can't even get close to any beautiful women. So, we might as well follow the style of embroidery from the south and forget about his own portrait.
This has nothing to do with whether or not she has a sweetheart. Lin Yuesha only felt that with her current embroidery skills, she couldn't embroider her own beauty.
However, someone with a pockmarked face would definitely not carry something too blatant.
Why not make the purse double-sided, with bamboo embroidered on the outside for a subtle look, and a beautiful woman embroidered on the inside?
Lin Yuesha couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle as she imagined the other side of the pockmarked face.
"Little sister, is there something good to tell your big brother?"
Xiao Qi stared at Lin Yuesha suspiciously, feeling that the little girl's head was starting to wander again, and he didn't know where she got so many ideas from.
Since returning from Hanmen Pass, Xiao Qi has been observing Lin Yuesha. He is afraid that his little sister will be traumatized by the tragic deaths of Xuan Yao and He Xing. Sometimes at night, he will secretly take a look at her.
Several days passed, and Lin Yuesha acted as if nothing was wrong.
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