He Jiuniang was easygoing. Since people treated her with courtesy, she naturally wouldn't be cold to them. She smiled and replied, "There's nothing I can do about it. I'm often on the go, so it's more convenient for me to know how to catch a ride myself."
"That's amazing!"
Another embroiderer peeked out. This one was named Juan'er. She was only seventeen or eighteen years old, but her appearance was ordinary. However, what was interesting was that her voice was very clear and pleasant, and very distinctive.
He Jiuniang smiled and chatted with them about everyday things as she slowly made her way home.
The two embroiderers also learned from their conversation that the family members were relatively peaceful and easy to get along with, so even though they would have to travel back and forth between the county town and the village for the next few days, they didn't feel it was too hard.
When they arrived at the Lu family's house in Anping Village, He Jiuniang found that Tingya was already excitedly waiting by the roadside.
He Jiuniang suddenly remembered asking her family what they wanted to do in the future when they were fleeing famine.
Youya wanted to study and learn to write like the boys, while six-year-old Tingya said she wanted to learn embroidery.
Previously, there had been no opportunity. Having just moved here, she was busy with various trivial matters such as building houses, clearing land, and making money, and had put these things out of her mind. Now, seeing how eager she was, He Jiuniang felt that she had made the right choice in hiring the embroiderer this time.
"Third Aunt, are these two the embroiderers you hired?"
As soon as the carriage came to a stop, Tingya rushed up, took He Jiuniang's hand, and looked at the two embroiderers with a mixture of anticipation and timidity.
"Yes, they'll be teaching the women in our family needlework at home from now on!"
He Jiuniang rubbed her head. The little girl had her hair styled in two buns, which made her look even more lively and adorable.
"Excuse me... could you teach me embroidery?"
Ting is usually quite introverted, not as outgoing as You, but now that He Jiuniang is in front of her, she has become much bolder.
"Of course!" Juan'er smiled and curtsied respectfully. "As long as you don't mind, Miss!"
Luo Xiuniang was also surprised that such a young child could be so sensible, and her smile broadened. It seemed that this was a family that knew proper manners.
Yu and the other women were busy making clothes in a drafty thatched shed. When they saw them return, they all put down their work and came to greet them. He Jiuniang introduced them to Sun, and then the two embroiderers greeted Sun: "Greetings, Madam."
Although they were embroiderers, they were sold into servitude to the Yu family and were considered slaves. Therefore, even though the Lu family did not hold official positions and were not a wealthy household, they were treated as masters.
Sun, an old peasant woman, was naturally overwhelmed by such a grand gesture. She quickly smiled and said, "You two embroiderers are too kind. We are just peasants and don't have many formalities. You all call me 'aunt' because you look young. This is my eldest son's wife, and this is my second son's wife. The others are my nieces and nephews from the clan. We are all family, so there's no need to be so formal."
In front of outsiders, Madam Sun spoke much more gently. He Jiu Niang was amazed to see that Madam Sun could be so gentle, but that gentleness was not directed at her.
The two embroiderers exchanged a glance. They realized that this family was indeed easy to get along with, so they smiled and said, "Then we'll take the liberty of calling you 'Auntie'! Don't worry, Auntie, we'll definitely teach you our best skills."
Now, everyone is happy.
A group of people entered the thatched hut, and Madam Yu smiled somewhat awkwardly, "I'm sorry to have made you two laugh. Our family has just arrived here, and the new house is still under construction. We'll have to trouble you two to run around for a few more days."
"It's alright."
Luo Xiuniang smiled gently. He Jiuniang had already told them about these situations on the way here, and they could understand them.
Moreover, the new house is being built not far away. Anyone with good eyesight can tell that this family is building a large brick and tile house, not an ordinary farming household. Besides, how could an ordinary farming household run such a big business?
After exchanging a few polite words, the two sat down. Luo Xiuniang, being more experienced, took the lead in teaching everyone about embroidery, while Juan'er demonstrated with needle and thread. The two worked together seamlessly, allowing the women of the Lu family to learn quickly by listening and watching.
Youya and Tingya were both following along, but He Jiuniang really couldn't muster any interest in this thing, so she took three-year-old Shanya and two-year-old Xiuya to find the puppy.
At this moment, the little dog was learning basic skills from Old Man Lu under a tree. He had been pestering Old Man Lu to teach him since early this morning.
Old Lu used to be a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), and he also knows some martial arts. He may not be good at teaching other things, but he can supervise children to practice basic skills.
But it wasn't very interesting to just watch Gou'er practice alone, so they grabbed Xiao Zhuzi, Xiao Liangzi, and the others to practice with them too.
Heaven knows the most boring part of martial arts training is mastering the basics; it's tiring and difficult, and you don't see any results in a short time.
The dog suggested it himself, and no matter how difficult it was, he gritted his teeth and endured it, constantly telling himself that he must persevere so that he could become a great hero like his father in the future.
The other two boys were different; they were simply dragged here to practice with them, and soon they were sobbing with grievance.
Old Man Lu couldn't stand seeing the boys shed tears. Instead of softening his heart when he saw them crying, he punished them even more severely.
When He Jiuniang brought the two little girls over, she saw Old Man Lu pacing back and forth amidst the children's whimpering and crying, muttering to himself, "A real man doesn't shed tears easily! What kind of behavior is this, crying like this? Look at Gou'er, he's younger and weaker than you, but he was the first to start training. Has he uttered a single sound?"
When Old Man Lu gathered them together to practice, Gou'er had already run a lap around the house site. Although it was a slow jog, the house site was huge, and it wasn't something an ordinary child could keep up with.
The two little children looked aggrieved and dared not speak, afraid that if they opened their mouths, they would burst into tears.
"Dad, they are all still young, there's no need to take it too seriously."
He Jiuniang found it amusing; the way Old Man Lu was behaving would make anyone who didn't know better think he was abusing a lesbian.
“Martial arts training should naturally begin in childhood. Look at Gou’er, he’s already in such a difficult situation but he’s still persisting, while these two can only howl.”
Gou'er is his own grandson, and he is extremely proud of him. But Xiao Zhuzi is his grandnephew, and Xiao Liangzi is now being raised in his own home, so he is no different from his own grandson. Naturally, he also wants to train their endurance.
He Jiuniang sighed softly and said, "Rome wasn't built in a day. They are still young and have a long future ahead of them. Their daily training time shouldn't be too long, otherwise it would be like pulling up seedlings to help them grow."
She actually wanted to say something more serious, but she was afraid of hurting Old Man Lu's fragile heart, so she could only say it differently.
Although Old Man Lu didn't recognize many words, he could still understand the meaning of "pulling up seedlings to help them grow," and he was immediately a little embarrassed. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, let's stop here for today."
Upon hearing this, the two children immediately lay down on the ground.
The puppy was exhausted and covered in sweat. It straightened up, shook its sore limbs, and then called out with difficulty, "Mother!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com