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"Mrs. Feng is here." Seeing the gentle woman coming in with a basket of books, Sun Xiaoyu hurriedly stood up and was about to salute.
Feng Jingjing took a quick step forward, stopped her, and said with a smile, "You're already pregnant, so stop being so polite and just sit back and recuperate. I've said before, we're colleagues, so it's fine if we treat each other like sisters."
Looking at the other person's warm smile, Sun Xiaoyu smiled shyly and whispered, "Thank you, Sister Feng, I'm fine. I heard from the midwife at the hospital that walking around more often is actually beneficial for childbirth."
Feng Jingjing thought for a moment and smiled, "That makes sense. For those who never leave the house, giving birth is very difficult. I did some housework back then, so giving birth was actually easier."
Hearing her say this, Sun Xiaoyu felt relieved. Although these words were said by the midwife, she had no experience after all. Now that it was recognized by others, and it was said by such a person, it was naturally extraordinary.
Honestly, when Sun Xiaoyu first heard that a new female teacher, a government official's wife, was coming to the cloth workshop, she was quite disheartened. She assumed she was pregnant and the gang would need to find a replacement. But when she actually met the woman, she bluntly explained that she was only there to learn how to manage affairs and wouldn't be staying long, asking her to take care of her. These few words dispelled Sun Xiaoyu's concerns. After all, how could such a brilliant woman be just a teacher?
The two of them sat down, looking at each other. Feng Jingjing smiled and said, "Yesterday, I listened to you talk about the key points of teaching. I went back and wrote a lesson plan. I'm not sure if it's appropriate. I'd like you to take a look at it."
As she spoke, she took a notebook from the book basket and handed it to Sun Xiaoyu with both hands. Unexpectedly, she was taken seriously by the other party even though she just said it casually. Sun Xiaoyu was surprised and delighted. She quickly took it and began to read it. After just one glance, she couldn't help but praise, "Sister Feng's handwriting is really beautiful. It must have taken many years to practice it, right?"
Feng Jingjing didn't hold back and smiled as she replied, "That's right. When I was little, I was beaten on the wrist for not writing well. Even so, I practiced hard for many years before I could write fluently."
This simple sentence made Sun Xiaoyu feel less ashamed. Practicing calligraphy requires hard work. Although her handwriting is barely legible, the time is too short after all, so she still needs to continue practicing.
However, after being amazed by it, she wasn't so surprised when she looked at what was written on it. Sun Xiaoyu read it carefully and said, "Sister Feng's lesson plan is so detailed and thorough that I can't find any faults. It's just..."
As she spoke, she secretly glanced across at Feng Jingjing. Seeing that she was listening attentively and didn't show any anger, she continued, "It's just that some things need to be changed. The women in the cloth shop are actually quite old, not really children."
Hearing her say this, Feng Jingjing immediately said, "I've only taught my son at home before, so I took it for granted. Thanks to you, Xiaoyu, for reminding me, otherwise I would have ruined the job."
Seeing that she seemed a little anxious, Sun Xiaoyu quickly comforted her, "It's okay. It's like this when you first come here. This is my first time teaching people too, and it took me several months to get the hang of it. Oh, by the way, Sister Feng knows a lot and has been to many places. You can actually talk more about history books and things like geography. The school has lesson plans, which you can borrow."
This time, Feng Jingjing was genuinely surprised. History books and geography books were things that ordinary scholars wouldn't even know how to read, so why did the weaving workshop teach them? She pondered for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Does the weaving workshop have to teach so many things?"
Sun Xiaoyu said, "We didn't teach these things originally, but a manager was transferred to the Panyu Weaving Mill. Some people wanted to inquire about Panyu's affairs, so I talked a little more about them. Seeing that everyone listened attentively and learned more enthusiastically, I went to the school to find some lesson plans to share. After hearing more, they have broadened their horizons. If there is an opportunity to be transferred to Panyu in the future, they should not be afraid anymore."
She smiled as she spoke, but her expression was somewhat dejected. Feng Jingjing had also told the story of this young lady Sun, and immediately said, "I see. It's good to broaden the horizons of these girls. We're not taking the imperial examinations anyway, so why not read some more books?"
Sun Xiaoyu laughed immediately: "Sister Feng is wrong. History is taught in elementary school. It is not an idle book in our Red Flag Gang."
Feng Jingjing paused and sighed softly, "The gang leader is truly an extraordinary person."
Born into a family of officials and married to a Jinshi (a successful jinshi), she naturally understood the benefits of studying history. But for a mere boat gang school to teach history, with even the humble weaver girls learning from it, was something not everyone could achieve. The more Feng Jingjing understood the benefits, the more she admired him.
Seeing her praising the gang leader, Sun Xiaoyu also revealed a proud look: "Of course the gang leader is not an ordinary person! With her around, everyone will become better."
This statement came from the heart, and it was resounding. Feng Jingjing looked at the pregnant woman, whose face was slightly swollen, but who was still sitting at the table seriously preparing for class, and she smiled sincerely: "That's natural."
Having someone to praise together seemed to make their relationship closer. After chatting for a while, a little girl came in and bowed deeply before saying, "Mr. Sun, it's time for class."
Sun Xiaoyu smiled and nodded, introducing the people around her: "Sister Feng, this is Wu Xue, the best student in the cloth shop. When I am about to give birth, she will take over my teaching. Ah Xue, this is the new Mr. Feng, he will also stay in the cloth shop for a while."
Upon hearing this, Wu Xue immediately bowed to Feng Jingjing and said loudly, "Hello, Mr. Feng!"
Feng Jingjing was shocked by the sight of the little girl bowing so deeply. She looked like she had barely reached adulthood, and was still a textile worker. Now, simply because she was a talented weaver, she could teach under a female teacher, likely recognized by the gang. For a weaver girl to become a teacher, even if it was just a substitute, was truly significant. How many people were born with death in mind, doing the same job their entire lives, with no chance of advancement? Now, however, she could study and carve out a completely different path for herself. This was a favor worthy of death.
And in a single weaving workshop, there could be such a promotion rank. What about the entire Red Flag Gang? It was at this moment that Feng Jingjing was completely certain that what the gang leader had said before was true. She wanted more people to come out and work, even if it was just a small weaver girl like this.
After calming herself down, Feng Jingjing smiled and said, "Get up. I'll attend a few classes with Mr. Sun these days, and then I'll take turns teaching you guys."
This was also what she had agreed with Sun Xiaoyu, and she needed to be familiar with more than just this school.
In the following days, Feng Jingjing took root in the cloth workshop. In addition to attending classes, giving lectures, reading and writing lesson plans, she also interacted with several other managers in the cloth workshop.
The cloth workshop was generally divided into three main areas: weaving, tailoring, and embroidery. The majority of their business was selling cloth and ready-made garments, primarily supplying the Red Banner Gang and Dongning. A large portion of those gray and black military uniforms were made here. Even though this was mostly high-volume work, the embroidery skills within the workshop were quite high. They had quite a few embroiderers hired from Suzhou, who not only received high salaries but also recruited apprentices from among the female workers.
Outsiders found this difficult to imagine. It wasn't that everyone didn't care about inherited skills, but the Red Banner Gang offered a lot of money, and there was an additional bonus for training suitable embroiderers. This attracted those embroiderers who were getting older and their eyesight was getting worse. Even if they couldn't work anymore, they could still make a living by teaching others.
This approach gave Feng Jingjing a lot of insights, and she also understood the Red Flag Gang's style of work better. Because she would be in charge of the porcelain workshop in the future, she often hung out with the embroiderers. Embroidery requires tracing patterns, so if there were any talented artists, she would grab a few of them beforehand.
"Madam Feng's painting is really amazing. Even if it was placed in Suzhou, it would be worth several taels of silver." Looking at the picture of childbirth painted by Feng Jingjing, Zhang Xiu Niang was full of praise, her eyes shining.
The longer I embroider, the more I realize how rare new patterns are. Ordinary embroidery studios have to hire dedicated artists, and even then, not all designs can be turned into embroidery pieces. A pattern like this, beautifully drawn, new in style, and suitable for embroidery, is incredibly rare.
Feng Jingjing smiled and said, "I also learned needlework when I was young. Over the years, I've fallen behind in my handicrafts, and my painting skills are still passable. But I noticed you have a few good drawings here, like the Begonia Sleeping in Spring painting, which is really exquisitely done."
Zhang Xiu Niang curled her lips when she heard this: "How can that bitch's paintings compare to mine?"
The person who drew the pattern really wasn't from the cloth workshop. Just hearing this scolding, Feng Jingjing knew what was going on. She had been staying here for quite a while these past few days and had carefully examined everyone's work. There was only one person who was extremely skilled and ingenious, but she couldn't match him up no matter how hard she tried. That's why she took the pattern and tried to test it out.
Feng Jingjing feigned surprise and said, "The painter is actually a woman? I thought she was hired from outside."
Zhang Xiu Niang chuckled and said, "It would be great if she were a painter, but unfortunately her character is so bad that I'm afraid no one would hire her."
As he was speaking, someone outside called out, "Mrs. Zhang, that Ah Hong is here again!"
Zhang Xiu Niang's face darkened immediately. She apologized to Feng Jingjing and stormed out. Feng Jingjing had no intention of waiting inside and followed her out. However, she was only a few steps too late as the outside had already erupted into a commotion.
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