Du Rushong was still in shock after being dragged into the barracks by Du Ruyan. He never expected that his wish would come true on the day of the Chinese New Year. The moment he saw Lin Dan appear in front of him, he thought he was dreaming.
"Why are you here?" He asked in a dazed tone, and then looked at Lin Dan intently.
"We missed you and were afraid that you were hungry and cold, so we brought some things to see you." Du Ruyan pointed to the boxes and cages on the ground, and then pointed to the soldiers sitting around the campfire outside the window drinking and eating roast duck, and said, "These things were prepared by Dandan for you. Don't think I am experienced and sociable, but I know nothing about the affairs of the military camp. I originally planned to bring you a hot meal, but it was Dandan who reminded me that I bought so many things to reward those soldiers. It was also Dandan who asked me to borrow a few guards from the prince so that we could come in smoothly."
Du Rushong laughed softly and said, "Fortunately, you went to the Great Prince to smooth things over first, otherwise it would have been a wasted trip. The military camp is heavily guarded, and outsiders are not allowed to enter or leave at will. The Great Prince also came to visit me a few days ago. My superiors have been very kind to me recently, so don't worry."
"That's good. His Highness came to our house today to give us New Year gifts, and he also said that he would go to the mountains with me to spend New Year's Eve with my aunt. His Highness is a good person." Du Ruyan opened the lunch box and said with a smile, "Brother, come and eat, this is made by Dandan herself."
Du Rushong's eyes lit up, and he immediately picked up his chopsticks and tasted the stew, exclaiming, "It's even better than the imperial meal I've ever had!"
Lin Dan was cleaning things in the box. Hearing this, she looked up at him with a smile on her lips.
"How is this dish made?" Du Rushong seized the opportunity to talk to her.
"Just put the ingredients and seasonings into the clay pot one by one in order and stew them. This is the taste when they are cooked. I was born to cook." Lin Dan added seriously. For some reason, as soon as she sees the ingredients, countless ways of cooking them pop up in her mind instantly, and her hands will naturally pick up the knife or the spatula to fry, stew or cook. The statement “born to cook” is really not an exaggeration.
"Miss Lin is so smart, she knows everything." Du Rushong smiled more and more gently, not realizing at all that he had a blind liking and trust for Lin Dan, as if everything she said was right and everything she did was good.
Lin Dan raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a rare and lovely smile.
Du Rushong was stunned for a moment, and waited until his sister pretended to cough before he lowered his head and hurriedly drank a few mouthfuls of soup. His ears were red as if they were about to bleed.
Lin Dan was still sorting things and did not notice his abnormality.
Du Ruyan took out a few sets of clothes and quilts and said, "Brother, these clothes were made by Dandan for you. They look thin, but they are actually very warm. They are lined with silk cotton. Remember to remove the lining when washing them, and don't let them get wet. If they get wet, they will get deformed and won't keep you warm. These quilts were also made by Dandan. Keep two for yourself and give the rest to your superior. I didn't expect to give something to your superior, but Dandan reminded me, so I brought them. Don't you think Dandan is very capable?"
Du Rushong nodded without thinking and said, "Miss Lin is the most capable girl I have ever met."
Even though Lin Dan had a calm personality, she felt a little flattered by the brother and sister.
Seeing her cute look with her eyes narrowed and the corners of her lips slightly raised, Du Rushong lowered his head and smiled silently, his heart filled with indescribable tenderness. After a while, he raised his head again and said, "Let me try on the clothes first. If there is anything that doesn't fit, Miss Lin can help me make some changes."
"Okay, I brought the tools." Lin Dan patted the pouch on his waist. As a qualified embroiderer, she always keeps her needle and thread in her hands.
Du Rushong took the clothes behind the screen and tried them on. They obviously fit him well, but after he came out, he asked Lin Dan to make them a little bigger for him. "It will be easier to move around if they are a little bigger," he said.
Lin Dan immediately took out a pair of small scissors and cut the thread on her waist, shoulders, armpits, arms, etc. When she made the clothes, she left space for enlargement in advance, so she only needed to remove a few creases and didn't need to make too many changes.
Du Rushong raised his hands high, turned sideways, and let Lin Dan circle around him. When he lowered his eyes to look at her, his gaze was indescribably deep. She was very careful. She would pick out and remove even the tiniest thread ends with a needle, and then sew up the slightly larger parts. Looking at her serious and focused expression, Du Rushong felt satisfied and calm inside.
Du Ruyan winked at her brother and said silently, "My daughter Dandan is virtuous, right?"
Du Rushong smiled, looking extremely gentle.
After the clothes were altered, Du Rushong sent the two men out of the military camp. It was getting darker and it would be unsafe if they didn't leave now. When he returned to the camp, the soldiers who had received his favor came up to him to thank him, and several centurions and thousand-man commanders tried to get close to him. The quartermaster who had once made things difficult for him turned around and left when he saw him, his face full of horror.
This is the effect of the eldest prince's visit, and it is also the deterrent power of power. Without identity, status and power, people live like ants. Du Rushong had never realized this so deeply, but after returning to the barracks and seeing the steaming stew on the table, a corner of his cold heart collapsed in an instant. In this world, there are always some people who approach you and warm you, not because of your power, identity and status, but simply because they want to do so.
He ate the stew in a few bites, took a bath, changed into new clothes that seemed light but were actually warm, lay down on the bed, covered himself with the fluffy and soft silk quilt, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. The stomach is warm, the body is warm, and even the heart is warm. Next year, the year after, and until the end of his life, he wants to have such a warm night and such a warm person.
…………
With huge amounts of income, the Lin family had a very lively New Year. After the Lantern Festival, Du Ruyan came down from the mountain, and Danyan Embroidery Shop started operating. However, half a month later, the business of the store plummeted, and few people came to order embroidered clothes and fabrics. The luxurious carriages that used to frequently visit Danyan Embroidery Shop now parked at Meng's Embroidery Shop opposite.
"Dandan, Meng Zhong got a batch of new Shu brocade from somewhere. It can sparkle in the sun, colorful like neon lights, and the light rhythm flows. It looks very beautiful. Although there is only red color now, it sells very well. All the noble ladies and young ladies in Lin'an Prefecture are rushing to buy it." Du Ruyan said worriedly: "I heard that Meng Zhong is urging his weavers to research other colors as soon as possible. When he succeeds, how can our embroidery shop do business? That kind of cloth sells for two hundred taels of silver per piece. It takes a high-end route, which completely overlaps with our route. If we don't have better cloth, I'm afraid it will be difficult to compete with him. Although the embroidered clothes you make are beautiful, the speed is too slow, and their cloth does not need any embroidery patterns. You can buy it directly to make beautiful clothes. Over time, everyone will go to patronize Meng's embroidery shop, and we will definitely lose a lot of customers."
Lin Dan bit off a thread, raised his head and asked, "Is the new Shu brocade you mentioned the one called Phoenix Fire?"
"Yes, that's right. I heard that Meng Zhong recruited a group of weavers from Shuzhou a few years ago, and after several months of research, he finally wove this Shu brocade. Other cloth merchants wanted to buy it, but he refused to sell it. There is no similar cloth in Shuzhou, and it is produced exclusively by him. With this Shu brocade, he can control the supply channel of cloth and use it to hold other cloth merchants hostage, and then sell his own Shu brocade to the palace, and obtain the qualification of the imperial merchant for many years. If he continues like this, he will sooner or later monopolize the weaving market in Zhejiang Province and become the local tyrant." Du Ruyan said in a deep voice: "Our embroidery shop can survive for two years at most under this situation."
Embroidery is a technical job, and due to the labor constraints, it is difficult to develop on a large scale. But weaving is different. As long as the loom is moving, cloth can be produced continuously and huge sums of money can be earned. If someone invents a new and valuable fabric, he can instantly earn a mountain of gold and silver. With mountains of gold and silver, how many embroiderers can he hire? How many cloth merchants have endless cages?
While Danyan Embroidery Shop was still developing slowly, Meng's Embroidery Shop had already made great strides forward. Once it became large enough, it would be able to turn around and crush Danyan Embroidery Shop. The more Du Ruyan thought about it, the more anxious she became. She even felt a slight headache.
Lin Dan was not at all flustered. She walked to the window and looked down, and happened to find Li Jiarong walking out of Meng's Embroidery Shop. She was wearing a skirt as red as a flame. The fluttering hem of the skirt was illuminated by the spring sunshine, and it actually emitted star-like streams of light, which was very dazzling, yet extremely soft and bright.
"Is that the Phoenix Fire? It's just like a phoenix bathing in fire!" Lin Dan praised generously.
"Yes, if you didn't have a grudge against Meng Si, I would have bought one!" Du Ruyan's face was full of frustration. She had to admit that any woman could not resist the temptation of this kind of fabric. It's so beautiful!
Li Jiarong seemed to sense something. She raised her head and met the two men's gazes. A proud and conceited smile immediately spread across her face. She pulled Meng Si's sleeve and pointed to the window opposite. Only then did Meng Si realize that Lin Dan and Du Ruyan had no expression on their faces, as if their hearts were calm, but there was a gleam of satisfaction in their eyes. Once she has thoroughly studied the embroidery book, Lin Dan will no longer be a demon that holds her back.
"Hmph, what are you so proud of! I don't believe that Shuzhou doesn't have better fabrics. I'll ask Uncle Sun to go to Shuzhou to look for sources." Du Ruyan snorted coldly.
Lin Dan stared at Li Jiarong's clothes for a long time, his eyes full of thought. After work, the two went home together, enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way. The sky gradually darkened, the setting sun sank into the valley, and the afterglow spread across the sky, dyeing the layers of clouds into a gorgeous golden red.
Du Ruyan sighed and said, "Look, Dandan, if we can capture the clouds in the sky and make them into cloth, then what does Phoenix Fire mean to us? The most beautiful thing in the world, besides the sun, is probably the moon, right?"
Lin Dan's eyes lit up, and then she smiled softly: "Cloud cloth and moonlight cloth, the Weaver Girl can't weave them, but I can embroider them with my embroidery needle, and they will definitely be better than Phoenix Fire."
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