Lin Xiu Niang smiled and said, "I'm not sure about the embroidery of particularly difficult patterns. But if you're just embroidering simple patterns like leaves or animals, you only need to use the basic loop stitch technique. I can't guarantee that anyone can learn it, but generally, a child with a good understanding can embroider something decent in just ten days!"
"Then I'll leave it to Aunt Lin tomorrow!" Li Yan said happily.
"Since I've agreed to come here, I'll pass on what I've learned to the girls in the village. Don't worry, Miss Li!"
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before Li Yan said goodbye and left.
The next day, all the maids in the family who could use needle and thread came to the village school early.
They gathered together, chattering and showing each other the tools they brought.
"My mother asked me to study hard. Yesterday, she went to the embroidery shop in the city to inquire and bought me some necessary tools!" a girl said happily.
"My mother also cut a piece of cotton cloth for me and told me to learn from the master."
"My mother also prepared a needle and thread for me yesterday!"
The girls gathered together, like happy little birds, telling their companions about their happiness at the moment.
In the past, not to mention helping them prepare school supplies, even attending classes was a pipe dream.
Now, their parents not only remind them to come to school early and not be late, but also prepare learning supplies for them. This feeling of being valued makes them very happy, and they secretly vow in their hearts that they must achieve some results so that their parents can be proud of them.
When Li Yan brought the mother and daughter of the Lin family over, the noisy sounds in the school instantly became quiet.
Li Yan introduced the mother and daughter of the Lin family to everyone, then handed the school over to Lin Xiu Niang and walked out of the school.
Lin Xiu Niang introduced herself and her daughter to the girls in a graceful manner, and then asked her daughter to distribute the prepared embroidery frames and needles.
"You will need both of these tools. Did you bring any cloth today?"
The girls were delighted that the master had prepared tools for them. When they heard the master's question, they all responded in unison, "Master, we all brought them!"
Lin Xiu Niang nodded, and while showing the girls how to use the embroidery frame, she introduced the traditional needlework technique to the girls.
"Loop stitch is one of the most important stitches in flat embroidery. It is done by overlapping stitches in a certain order. There are flat loop stitch, clustered loop stitch, and loose loop stitch, depending on the effect of the stitch."
"Among them, scattered stitching is one of the most commonly used and widely used stitches in Jiangnan embroidery. Its main feature is the staggered arrangement of lines, with stitches interlaced, resulting in delicate embroidery with few visible stitch marks..."
Lin Xiu Niang was introducing the subject skillfully, while the girls below seemed to be listening to a foreign language, with a look of confusion on their faces.
Lin Xiu Niang also gave a brief introduction to the techniques and needlework of Jiangnan embroidery, but she didn't want the girls to memorize it all, so she spoke very quickly.
After her daughters distributed all the tools, Lin Xiu Niang asked them to prepare the tools and she would start teaching them from the simplest needlework techniques.
Lin Xiu Niang taught seriously, and the girls below listened carefully, and followed the order in which Lin Xiu Niang said to sew.
When Li Yan turned around and prepared to leave, she saw a lot of women standing outside the window.
They stared at Lin Xiu Niang in the school without blinking, wanting to see the so-called legendary Jiangnan embroidery and to see how the girls were studying.
"If you ladies want to learn, just come in and listen together!" Li Yan suddenly suggested.
The women were also very tempted by Li Yan's proposal, but they were too busy. All the girls and boys in the family went to school, and the others went to the noodle shop or the tofu workshop. The labor force decreased, but the work remained the same.
A woman smiled and said, "Girl, the aunts have work to do at home, just stand here and watch!"
Seeing her say this, Li Yan did not force her. After all, everyone in the family has different division of labor, and someone has to take on the housework.
This is something that never changes. There is always someone in the family who silently contributes.
In the following days, Li Yan became busy again.
The Forsythia suspensa on the mountain is gradually reaching its harvest season. The mature Forsythia suspensa is divided into green Forsythia suspensa and old Forsythia suspensa. Among them, the green Forsythia suspensa that has just been put on the market has the best medicinal value.
So we should start picking them from now on. If we wait until all the forsythia on the branches are ripe, it will be too late to harvest them.
After checking the situation of the forsythia on the hill, Li Yan came back and told her grandfather about the search for someone.
"The fermented bean curd workshop and noodle shop in the village cannot stop operating, and the children also have to go to school. As a result, the labor force in the village will be insufficient!" Li Yan told her grandfather about her concerns.
Mr. Li thought for a moment and said, "If you need labor, that's easy. I'll go around to each household and ask if they have any relatives willing to come pick forsythia. If there's money to be made, there will surely be people willing to do it!"
"Then I told the villagers, I'll still charge you by the kilogram, one cent per kilogram. The more you pick, the more you earn."
This will not only increase the enthusiasm of the villagers to work, but also prevent some people from taking advantage of the situation.
Some villagers who are quick can earn thirty or forty cents a day!
After Mr. Li had discussed with his granddaughter, he walked out with his hands behind his back.
"Oh, brother is here, old lady, please bring a stool over." Li Youshan said to the old lady in the room.
"No rush, I'll just say a few words and leave!"
"I'm here to find someone to pick forsythia. Do you have any relatives willing to come and pick them? It's a penny per pound! If you're a skilled hand, you can make thirty or forty pennies a day."
Li Youshan was delighted when he heard this and said quickly, "Yes, yes. My daughter and son-in-law are at home and have nothing to do. I'll send someone to notify them in a moment. When you come, you can stay at my house. It's very convenient."
Mr. Li nodded slightly, "Okay, then you go and inform them that the harvest will start in the next two days, and I will go to other families to ask."
When the old woman in the room came out with a small stool, Mr. Li had already left.
Li Youshan excitedly said to the old woman, "I'm going to go to my daughter's house and ask them to come here to pick forsythia. You can clear out an empty room in your house and let them stay with us temporarily."
"Are we going to pick Forsythia again? How much will it cost per day this time?" the old woman asked excitedly.
"It's not a fixed wage. The more you work, the more you earn. If you're quick, you can earn thirty or forty coins a day!"
"Is there so much? Then why don't you ask your wife to take some time off and go to the mountains to pick them too?"
Li Youshan glanced at his wife disdainfully and said, "Don't be so superficial. My wife's job is a serious one. How can these odd jobs compare to it? Besides, the girl can hire people from outside, which means she is not going to stop working. If everyone thinks the same as you, then how can the fermented bean curd workshop still be open?"
"Well, I just said it casually. Let's not talk about it anymore. Go quickly. My daughter's home is far away, so don't delay your return journey."
Li Youshan also knew that this was not the time to argue with his wife, so he simply packed up and hurried to his son-in-law's house.
On this day, many people from Lijia Village delivered letters to their relatives.
The reason is simple. The income from this job is quite high, which is really rare. Even the villagers were very tempted when they heard about it!
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