Chapter 23 The lamp is out, the wind and dew are heavy, where can I find my way home?
As soon as Su Jinxiu arrived at Huayun Pavilion that day, she saw Manshu and Lin Lang hurrying out to greet her. Seeing the worried expressions on their faces, she became curious and asked, "What's wrong?"
Linlang's voice trembled with anxiety, and she was almost in tears. She rushed forward and grabbed Jinxiu's hand: "Jinxiu, you don't know! Just now, the head of Huamanzhu suddenly came to the door, saying that he was conveying a message from the Prince of Jing, asking Huayun Pavilion to embroider a scroll painting of the Twenty-Four Filial Piety Stories for the Prince's mansion, and it has to be completed within half a month!"
Suzhou embroidery emphasizes "flatness, evenness, fineness, density, harmony, smoothness, luster, and uniformity," none of which can be omitted, and each aspect requires great effort. If each mourning picture needs to depict the emotions of the figures and the details of the scenery, even if the most skilled embroiderers in the workshop work together, it may not be completed in half a month.
Su Jinxiu was taken aback upon hearing this. She quickly recalled that although Huayun Pavilion had gained fame and aroused the jealousy of some peers, it had never offended a noble family like the Prince Jing's Mansion. Why would they suddenly be asked to embroider scroll paintings and set such a harsh deadline? It was really strange.
Su Jinxiu said in a deep voice, "Don't panic. What was the attitude of the person in charge of Hua Manzhu when they arrived?"
Manshu shook her head: "They're not easy to get along with."
Su Jinxiu sighed, turned around and said, "Let's go back to the house first and finalize the embroidery process for the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars. If it really doesn't work out, I'll go and try to find a solution."
Su Jinxiu immediately assigned tasks upon arriving at the embroidery table. Manshu, familiar with the expressions of the figures, took on three designs: "Tasting Soup with One's Parents" and "Selling Oneself to Bury One's Father." Linlang, skilled in crocheting patterns for clothing, took on the tasks of "Carrying Rice for a Hundred Miles" and "Wearing Reed Clothes to Accompany One's Mother." The other embroiderers also took on tasks based on their skills, working day and night.
With everyone working together, the project is progressing smoothly for the first five days, and it looks promising that it will be completed within half a month.
On the morning of the sixth day, four or five embroiderers came to Su Jinxiu to resign, all saying in unison that they had family matters to attend to.
Su Jinxiu became suspicious. Seeing Linlang's hesitant manner, she pressed her for details and learned that Hua Manzhu had offered five times the wages and poached everyone else, leaving only Manshu and Linlang behind.
Su Jinxiu was stunned for a moment. She had long understood the principle that those who gather for profit will also disperse for profit. In the past, when Huayun Pavilion was famous, these people shared the glory, but now that they are in trouble, they are unwilling to share the burden.
Although I was prepared and knew that human nature was like this, I still couldn't help but feel disappointed and heartbroken when faced with the reality.
Su Jinxiu stood at the entrance of the pavilion, watching the last two embroiderers leave. Just as she was about to turn back into the pavilion, she heard the sound of a folding fan being gently shaken.
Without even looking up, one could tell that this commotion must be from Ying Bumei.
He strolled over along the stone path, casually waving the bamboo fan in his hand: "Hey, Second Master, it's only been a few days, how come you can't even keep your own embroiderer?"
Su Jinxiu was already annoyed by the construction schedule, so she had no mind to argue with him. She just lifted her eyelids slightly and turned to walk into the pavilion.
But Ying Bumei relentlessly pursued her, catching up in a few steps. He gently shielded her eyes with his fan, saying, "Hey, don't walk so fast! You promised me a few days ago that you'd make up for it with a meal at Fanlou. Is that still true?"
“It counts, it counts.” Su Jinxiu didn’t turn her head or stop walking. “It’s just that I’m really busy these days. Let’s talk about it after I’m done with this.”
"What? Trying to fob me off?" Ying Bumei walked around to her side, blocking her way, his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry. "You seem to be in a hurry, inside and out. What happened?"
Unable to resist his persistent pestering, Su Jinxiu had no choice but to stop, sigh, and briefly recount the events.
As soon as she finished speaking, she walked past Ying Bumei and went straight to the embroidery frame to sit down. She picked up the needle and tried to poke the silk cloth, but because she was restless, she failed to thread the needle twice.
Ying Bumei slowly followed, picked up an orange from the fruit plate, and peeled it slowly and deliberately: "Your matter is simple in a way. Just find someone to pass a message to the Prince of Jing, tell him about the difficulties in the construction period, and that's it. These days, without connections, it's really difficult to get things done."
Su Jinxiu paused, the needle almost pricking her finger, then glanced at Ying Bumei and said, "But I'm just someone with no backing or connections, aren't you just stating the obvious?"
Ying Bumei smiled, put a peeled orange segment into her mouth, then took a stool and sat down next to her: "I have a way to help you out of this urgent situation."
Su Jinxiu's mind was filled with the remaining embroidery work and the missing silk thread. Hearing his words, she only felt annoyed. Without even raising her head, she replied irritably, "Spit it out."
"Look at your attitude," Ying Bumei clicked her tongue. "I'm just trying to give you advice, and you're getting all worked up over it?"
Su Jinxiu took a deep breath, put down her embroidery needle, turned to Ying Bumei, and said in a flattering tone, "Daoist Master, I was too impatient. If you have any suggestions, please condescend to speak up."
"That's more like it." Seeing her give in, Ying Bumei smiled and handed her a peeled orange segment to her lips. "Although the Prince of Jing is a nobleman, his real power in the capital is not the highest. You just need to find a powerful figure in the capital who can suppress his power and have them speak on your behalf to the Prince of Jing. Wouldn't that make things easier to handle regarding the construction schedule?"
Su Jinxiu subconsciously opened her mouth to catch the orange. The sweetness of the orange had just spread on her tongue when it suddenly stopped.
Ying Bumei's words were clearly a roundabout way of leading her to Zhang Mingxu. Among the powerful figures in the capital who could overpower the Prince of Jing, the only one she knew was Zhang Mingxu, whom she had met by chance that day.
The sweetness in her mouth faded instantly. She slowly chewed the orange, and after a while, she looked up, her tone calm but stubborn: "No need. I'll try my best to see if I can finish the embroidery before the deadline."
Ying Bumei seemed to have expected her answer, showing no surprise whatsoever. He simply tossed the remaining orange segments into his mouth and chewed slowly. Then, he leaned forward slightly, bringing his voice close to Su Jinxiu's ear with a deliberately seductive tone: "Fine, I won't stop you if you want to tough it out. But if you really can't hold on in a few days, remember to come and beg me."
Before Su Jinxiu could even make a move, he slipped out of the pavilion.
A quarter of the work period has passed, but without those few skilled workers, the remaining work feels like a mountain that has suddenly grown taller.
On the tenth day, Su Jinxiu looked at Manshu's bloodshot eyes and Linlang's hands that were constantly rubbing her waist, and finally sighed. She called them over and said, "This work will never be finished. You should go back first. If there is any accountability later, I will take full responsibility. It's better than you suffering with me."
No matter how much Manshu and Linlang tried to persuade her, she just shook her head and insisted on sending everyone away.
The empty pavilion was left with only Su Jinxiu. She had been embroidering for two days and two nights straight, but suddenly her vision became blurry, and she could no longer distinguish the crimson and dark red threads.
Fortunately, she worked day and night, and now only two pieces remain unembroidered. Thinking of this, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, got up, and wanted to go outside to stretch and get some fresh air in the morning light.
Just as she reached the door, she saw a figure push the door open and enter from a distance. Su Jinxiu rubbed her blurry eyes, trying to see who it was, when suddenly her legs gave way, and she staggered and fell on her bottom.
The next instant, a pair of black leather boots embroidered with cloud patterns came to a steady stop in front of her, the familiar scent of agarwood wafted into her nose, and a stern voice came from above: "Su Jinxiu, you've made yourself into this mess after just two days?"
Before Su Jinxiu could catch her breath, he lifted her up like a chick. She barely managed to look up and met Ying Bumei's dark eyes, which were filled with anxiety. He hadn't eaten or drunk anything for the past two days and hadn't slept a wink. He must look emaciated and like a ghost.
Seeing her like this, Ying Bumei's brows furrowed even more: "You can still laugh? You're as stubborn as a mule, you won't move when you're led, you'll only back down when you're hit, you know you can't carry it but you still insist on doing it!"
Su Jinxiu was too exhausted to argue with him: "Fine... if you want to scold me, then scold me."
She could finish the last two embroidery pieces in two more days. Her eyelids were heavy from staying up late for days, and she figured it wouldn't hurt to take a nap. She closed her eyes and passed out.
When she opened her eyes again, she was lying on a soft couch in the embroidery room, covered with a warm, soft quilt.
Looking up, I saw An Chisu busy around two embroidery frames, her needle flying swiftly in her hands.
"Sister Chisu? Why are you back?" Su Jinxiu propped herself up and sat up, her voice still a little hoarse.
An Chisu didn't even look up, her hands still stitching: "Thank goodness I made it back! If you had kept pushing yourself like this, you would have collapsed long ago. You should rest here quietly. There's some warm porridge in the food box next to you, have something to eat first. I'll embroider the remaining two pieces for you, and we'll definitely be able to finish them on time."
Su Jinxiu was stunned. Before she fainted, Ying Bumei was clearly in front of her. How did it change to An Chisu in the blink of an eye? But the hunger in her stomach came in waves, and she didn't have time to think about it. She obediently moved to the bedside, picked up the bowl of porridge in the food box, and began to drink it in small sips.
An Chisu was nearing the end of the deer milk offering to parents painting. Su Jinxiu finished eating and rested, then got up and moved toward the embroidery frame. No matter how An Chisu tried to stop her, she insisted on holding the embroidery frame for washing the chamber pot in front of her: "You came all the way back to help me, how can I just sit and rest all the time?"
Just as she picked up the gleaming silver embroidery needle, she suddenly smiled and said, "I've often heard people say that true friendship is revealed in times of trouble. This old saying may be true, but it's absolutely true."
Laughter filled the room, and her tense nerves finally relaxed. But just as she was about to start, she realized that she was missing all the rain-washed sky blue woolen thread, silver-gray split silk, and light ink cloud pattern brocade thread she needed for embroidering the picture of the urinal. These silk threads usually had to be ordered from the dye houses in Jiangnan six months in advance, and they were not available in ordinary places.
An Chisu leaned closer to take a closer look, clearly finding the matter troublesome as well. She pondered for a moment, holding a strand of silk thread, and gently patted Su Jinxiu's hand: "Don't panic, Jinxiu, go outside and ask at other embroidery shops if they have any ready-made dyed thread."
Su Jinxiu hurriedly agreed to An Chisu's words and turned to walk out. Just as she stepped down the blue stone steps in front of the embroidery workshop, she saw Ying Bumei leaning against the vermilion doorpost. His wide sleeves were half-draped, and his fingertips were casually twirling the tassel of the jade pendant at his waist, glancing at her indifferently.
Su Jinxiu felt relieved and quickly stepped forward, her voice tinged with urgency: "It's good that you're here! Could you please lend me your carriage so I can go find some things? I'm afraid it will cause problems if I'm late."
Ying Bumei remained motionless, only raising an eyebrow slightly as he interrupted her: "Take you on your journey? What's in it for me?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Su Jinxiu grabbed his sleeve anxiously. "Once this is over, I'll treat you to two drinks, the finest vintage wine! Hurry, we really can't delay!"
A hint of impatience flashed in Ying Bumei's eyes, and his brows furrowed slightly: "You look so pathetic." Despite his words, he straightened up and turned to walk towards the luxurious carriage at the alley entrance.
Su Jinxiu rode in Ying Bumei's carriage, first heading to Ranyun Pavilion at the top of the street, then to Jinji Manor at the end, visiting all the embroidery workshops she usually befriended.
But no matter which shop it was, the shopkeepers could only wave their hands helplessly when they saw the fabric she wanted: "Madam Jinxiu, please forgive us, we really have no stock left in the storeroom!"
To make matters worse, when she arrived at Huamanzhu, the gatekeeper, upon hearing that she was from Huayun Pavilion, wouldn't even let her in. He simply said through the vermilion gate, "My master has instructed that guests of Huayun Pavilion cannot be entertained."
Su Jinxiu stood on the street, staring at the tightly closed door, and helplessly rubbed her temples. Ying Bumei sat in the blue-curtained carriage, not even lifting the curtain, and simply said, "What an unlucky fellow."
“Who says otherwise…” Su Jinxiu sighed, hands on her hips, but a hint of determination flashed in her eyes in an instant. “Fine, if we can’t find ready-made thread, we can just dye it ourselves!”
"Dye it yourself?" Ying Bumei finally lifted the carriage curtain. "Didn't An Chisu say that the thread needs to be made of water-green stone from Longji Ravine? That place is deep in the forest and the road is dangerous. Ordinary people can't go there at all. Moreover, the stone needs to be picked after rain to have color. It's been sunny for half a month now. Where can we find it?"
"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Su Jinxiu's previous stubbornness crumbled instantly. She had encountered setbacks at every turn in her search for the thread, and just when she finally came up with her own dyeing method, she was blocked by another problem. She felt that her life was full of twists and turns, and her heart was filled with pent-up grievances.
Just when there seemed to be a glimmer of hope, fate suddenly poured cold water on it, and before the sweet reward even arrived, it was slapped hard ten times.
Unable to hold on any longer, she simply sat down on the bluestone slab by the street, no longer wanting to get into the carriage, her whole being filled with dejection.
Inside the carriage, Ying Bumei lifted the curtain and, seeing her like this, frowned even more deeply: "Don't sit in the street, what kind of behavior is this? Aren't you ashamed?"
"If you think I'm embarrassing you, then leave!" Su Jinxiu didn't even look up, her anger simmering with nowhere to go, which made her tone even more aggressive.
"You're not ashamed, but I'm ashamed that passersby will laugh at me." Ying Bumei got out of the car to pull her up, but she refused to get up. In the end, he simply picked her up horizontally and shoved her into the car.
After getting into the carriage, Ying Bumei saw that she looked worn out by life and had lost her spirit. His desire to scold her dissipated, and his tone softened: "Now you have finished embroidering eight or nine tenths of it, only the last piece of fabric is not yet ready. If you send the finished piece to Prince Jing first, even if he is harsh, I think he will not blame you too much."
Su Jinxiu sighed softly: "Since the Prince of Jing was determined to make things difficult for me, the missing painting gave him a perfect excuse to punish me. But I still can't understand how I, who is just running a small Huayun Pavilion, have offended princes and nobles for no reason? What exactly is it that I am bothering others with?"
Upon hearing this, Ying Bumei gently stroked the jade thumb ring with her fingertips, but ultimately did not reply.
In the silence, the carriage suddenly rolled over a bumpy road, and the carriage lurched violently. The white porcelain rabbit hanging down swayed violently, and it looked like it was about to shatter.
Ying Bumei hurriedly raised her hand to protect it, her fingertips touching the cool glaze of the porcelain rabbit. She paused for a moment, then slowly let go, letting the rabbit sway with the carriage, bumping against the carriage wall lightly and heavily.
A note from the author:
Continuing with daily updates [upright-eared rabbit head][upright-eared rabbit head]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com