After Du Rushong returned home, he ordered the old housekeeper to send the good leather in the warehouse and one hundred taels of silver to the Lin Mansion.
The old housekeeper was a loyal servant left by Du's mother to her two children. He had taken care of the two siblings since they were young and was devoted to them. He could not help but dissuade them, saying, "Sir, making leather armor requires not only extremely exquisite skills, but also strength. Leather armor is so thick, and it takes a lot of strength to cut and sew it together. How old is the little girl from the Lin family? Does she have the skills and strength? If not, I will go outside and find another craftsman to make it for you. These leathers are all good leathers, please don't let the little girl from the Lin family ruin them."
Du Rushong remembered Lin Dan's fierceness when she chopped wood, and couldn't help but chuckle: "Uncle Sun, you worry too much. The little girl is very strong and can definitely cut and sew leather armor. Besides, where can you find a craftsman for me? The craftsmen who can make leather armor are all in the army, and the control is very strict. Craftsmen outside dare not touch these things. If they are found out, they will go to jail. But the Lin family is different. The Lin family came from horse thieves, so they naturally have the skills to make leather armor and weapons, and they can even equip armor. I thought again and again, I'm afraid only Miss Lin can take this job."
Sun Bo thought so and nodded, "Young Master, you are very thoughtful. I didn't expect that moving to this shabby little house would have some benefits."
Du Rushong didn't know what he was thinking about, and the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily. What he didn't tell Sun Bo was that even if the leather armor was made, he didn't plan to wear it during training. Since the superiors were deliberately making things difficult for him, they would definitely be waiting to catch him in the act. When they saw that he had found a set of leather armor from somewhere, they couldn't blame him outwardly, so they would definitely send someone to investigate secretly. If he follows the clues to trace the Lin family and implicates the little girl, it will be his fault.
Therefore, after the leather armor was made, he placed it in the barracks, and would only wear it to kill the enemy when the Japanese pirates invaded and a war broke out. Once you are on the battlefield, no one will care whether you wear leather armor or not, and no one will ask where you got the leather armor from. After the war, many soldiers would strip the equipment off the bodies of the Japanese pirates and use them for themselves. He then claimed that the leather armor was a trophy, and he would be out of trouble.
Thinking of this, Du Rushong felt mixed emotions, bitter and astringent. When he was rich and powerful, he never imagined that he and his sister would fall into such a state of poverty, not only being homeless and without relatives to turn to, but also having to struggle to buy even the clothes they wear.
But he will not always struggle at the bottom of the valley. Sooner or later, he will take back everything he has lost and make those who have trampled on them pay a hundred or a thousand times the price. After thinking about it, he lowered his eyes and revealed a cruel smile.
…………
After Lin Dan received the cowhide sent by Sun Bo, he went to Zhang Hui to ask for the tools for making it. Making leather armor is different from cutting fabrics. Needles and threads are specially made, and pliers, hammers and other tools are also needed. When Lin Dafu was a horse thief, the leather armor he wore was made by Zhang Hui, so she naturally kept these tools.
"What did you say? You actually agreed to make leather armor for Du Rushong! Do you know that leather armor can only be made by craftsmen in the military camp, and outsiders are not allowed to touch it..." Zhang Hui was about to start scolding, but Lin Dan said slowly: "He gave a hundred taels of silver."
Zhang Hui's angry expression immediately turned into a gentle and kind one, and she whispered softly, "Wait, I'll get it for you."
"By the way, please help me make 15 pounds of iron plates. Each iron plate should be two inches square. I will wrap them in leather. The defensive power of cowhide alone is still too weak. Since he can't wear armor, I will disguise the armor as leather armor. Is that okay?" Lin Dan said again.
Zhang Hui turned around suddenly, with a ferocious expression: "Do you know that ironware is also controlled by the government? Even hitting with an iron hammer has to be reported, let alone a 15-jin piece of iron? You are trying to kill me!"
Lin Dan said calmly, "Mom, one hundred taels of silver."
Zhang Hui raised her hand, slowly smoothed out her ferocious expression, and smiled, "Okay, I'll find someone to do it." Back then, she was the second in command of the horse thieves. Everyone's leather armor, mail, swords, spears, and halberds were all made by her, so naturally she had some skills in this area.
She just stepped out of the door, but stopped and frowned, "Hey, that's not right, when did you learn how to make leather armor?"
"I saw you do this when I was a kid. At that time, my father often had to go out of town to purchase goods, so you told him to wear leather armor all the time. You also know that I can learn things the moment I see them." Lin Dan explained simply.
Zhang Hui had no more questions and went out. When she reached the door, she couldn't help but turned back to look at her daughter who was sitting in the corridor, with a smile in her eyes. Her daughter was extremely intelligent and could learn everything at a glance. The third and fourth aunts had told her this a long time ago, but what made her even more proud was her daughter's tenacious character. She is very decisive and proactive. She knows that she cannot sit still and has an impetuous personality, so she uses chopping wood to dispel this impetuosity. How come Zhang Hui didn't notice that the firewood at home was being used up so quickly? She just didn't want to expose it.
The daughter doesn't need anyone to urge her, she can find ways to smooth out her temper on her own, and her ruthlessness is very similar to her father's. If she continues like this, why worry about the Lin family's prosperity?
After thinking about it, Zhang Hui looked at her daughter again and then went out happily.
The next day, Lin Dan was preparing to make leather armor when Du Ruyan came in with a beautiful and calm girl, saying that she wanted to introduce her to a business.
Upon learning that the girl was the sixth daughter of the Admiral's family, Lin Dan did not show any fear or trepidation on her face. Instead, she said calmly, "Miss Xu, what pattern do you like? Can you draw it for me to see? I will try my best to make it according to your style."
When dealing with unfamiliar customers, Lin Dan would naturally ask a few more questions to avoid causing trouble in the future.
"I like wisteria flowers. Miss Lin, can you help me make a skirt embroidered with wisteria flowers?" Xu Qian is quiet and silent at home, but she is actually a talented woman. After a brief thought, she had an idea in mind, and then she picked up a pen and sketched it carefully.
Lin Dan stared at the painting for a while, nodded and said, "Okay, I'll embroider wisteria flowers. I wonder when the young lady will need new clothes?"
"It would be best if it were before the Mid-Autumn Festival." Xu Qian put down her paintbrush.
There were still sixteen days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival, so the project should be completed in time, so Lin Dan agreed. Xu Qian immediately paid five taels of silver as a deposit, then said goodbye and left. She behaved very gently and kindly from beginning to end, and did not act like the arrogant daughter of the admiral's mansion at all.
Lin Dan had a very good impression of Xu Qian. After sending her away, he said to Du Ruyan, "You can introduce more clients like this to me in the future. Here, this is your commission."
Du Ruyan stared at the silver coin in her palm, her face full of confusion.
"What? You think it's too little? Then I'll give you another half tael of silver. One and a half taels, no more. If it's more, I won't make any profit. From now on, for every customer you bring in, I will give you one and a half taels as a commission." Lin Dan picked up the scissors, cut a small piece of silver into two halves, and stuffed it into Du Ruyan's hand.
Du Ruyan was stunned for a long time before she slowly closed her palms, holding the silver coins in her fists, and said in a daze: "Can I make money?" This was the first money she earned by her own ability. Although it was only one and a half taels, pitifully little, she felt better than ever!
Without hitting rock bottom, she would never have known the joy of being self-reliant.
"Brother, brother, I made money! Lin Dan gave me one and a half taels as commission! Brother, did you hear it?" She ran to the yard and shouted across a wall, her face full of joy.
Lin Dan looked at her in amazement, totally not understanding what there was to be happy about.
Du Rushong quickly jumped onto the top of the wall and listened to his sister's story of how she made money with a smile on his face, his eyes filled with deep love and tenderness. Seeing his sister being crushed by life, no longer as bold and unrestrained as she was, no longer as bright and sunny as before, his heart ached as if it were being cut by a knife.
However, after moving to this house, hearing about Lin Dan's experience, and seeing with her own eyes how she was working hard for tomorrow, the sister gradually found a better self. She hid her pride deep in her bones, learned to compromise, to be patient, and to be strong. She is now even happier than when she was in the Marquis of Anding's Mansion.
Seeing Lin Dan approaching slowly, Du Rushong smiled gently and said silently with his mouth: "Thank you."
…………
When Xu Qian returned to the Governor's Mansion, her mother Kou had been waiting for her for a long time, complaining non-stop: "Where did you go just now, kid? I can't find you. Did you know that in order to welcome the distinguished guests, the Madam prepared to make a new dress for each of the young ladies in the mansion, and invited Meng Si to come and ask her to personally measure everyone's size. All the young ladies went, but you were not there. All the beautiful fabrics were picked up, leaving only these outdated floral fabrics. What will you wear on the Mid-Autumn Festival? I'm almost worried about you, and why are you still drinking tea? Come with me to Meng's Embroidery Shop to find Meng Si and ask her to make up your size."
The teacup was snatched away, and the tea spilled on her body, soaking her clothes. However, Xu Qian was not annoyed at all. She said slowly, "Auntie, don't work in vain. Do you think that Madam will really let Meng Si make clothes for us sisters by herself just because she asked her to come and measure the size? A casual embroidered screen by Meng Si can be sold for a thousand taels of silver. Would Madam be willing to spend money on us concubines? It's just a show. You just wait and see. When Meng Si takes the size back, it must be that only the seventh sister's clothes are embroidered by her, and the other sisters are only worthy of wearing clothes made by ordinary embroidery."
"That's better than wearing old clothes to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner, right? You know, I've already found out that the distinguished guest on the Mid-Autumn Festival is none other than the eldest prince who is here to inspect the coastal defense. If you can win his favor at the banquet, you may be able to marry into the royal family and rise to prominence. You must not hide like you did before. I heard that the lady intends to marry you to the general, Lord Li, as his second wife. If you miss this opportunity, you will suffer in the future!"
Kou was so anxious that she was spinning around, but Xu Qian didn't seem to be panicked at all. She comforted her, "Aunt, don't worry, I've already found someone to make the clothes. This time, I will definitely seize the opportunity." The general was very cruel and his ex-wife was beaten to death by him. Her wife and father knew this very well, but in order to win over the military forces, they pushed her out as a sacrifice. She has been so law-abiding, but they still don't let her live a good life. Then she can only fight for herself once.
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