Chapter 36: Chapter 36 Clever Mind_1
Chapter 36: Chapter 36 Clever Mind_1
Zhao Sunshi and Chunxi, hearing Lin Yue say this, felt it was no longer appropriate to refuse, and hurriedly said, “Yueyue, speak whatever is on your mind. Your sister-in-law will do her best to help with anything she can.”
“It’s nothing major. I know Sister Chunxi often does embroidery and sells it at the Embroidery Store. At home, I’ve also made some embroidered pouches. I’m hoping that when Sister Chunxi goes to the Embroidery Store, she could take them along to see if I can exchange them for some silver coin.” Lin Yue had set aside the cloth bag separately when she entered, and now she took it out, unwrapped it, showing more than a dozen exquisite pouches nestled inside, all embroidered by Lin Yue in recent days. She had intended to embroider more, but since this was the first time she was selling them, she did not know how they would fare in the market, so she decided to try her luck with these pouches first.
“Wife of Erhu, you embroidered these pouches?! How deft are this girl’s hands! Look at the flowers embroidered here, they’re as lifelike as the real thing, and the colors are so well matched. I’ve never seen such beautiful pouches before.” Zhao Sunshi couldn’t take her eyes off the delicate pouches, holding one and admiring it, her heart and eyes full of praise, marveling at Lin Yue’s cleverness and ingenuity.
“Mother is right, Yueyue’s embroidery skills are truly indescribable. I go to the Embroidery Store often, and even the best embroideresses there might not surpass the quality of your work. I can’t imagine where you learned such exquisite craftsmanship.” Although Chunxi’s words were flattering, they were largely true. One look at the flowers on these pouches revealed solid embroidery skills that could not have been developed in less than a decade. Moreover, setting aside the embroidery technique, just the combination of colors and the novel patterns on these pouches were very unique and unlike the monotonous, pattern-copying style of the Embroidery Store’s embroideresses. Although those were also beautiful, they lacked originality.
Although Lin Yue had inherited the original owner’s excellent embroidery skills, she truly had no idea where they came from. But having been in the Great Zhou Dynasty for some time now, she had grown familiar with the local customs. She knew that significant resources and technologies were in the hands of the privileged, and those with skills were often part of a lineage, with masters not easily disclosing their techniques or taking on students. Acquiring such skills was a difficult matter. Even things that seemed trivial and easily learned in Lin Yue’s view, such as the bun recipe from the Bun Shop last time, which could be found with a simple online search in the modern world, were passed down as ancestral crafts here. Therefore, it was certain that Lin Yue’s exceptional embroidery skills must have come from a teacher.
Lin Yue, feeling it was inappropriate to answer directly, deftly changed the subject, “Look at what you’re saying; it’s not that great. I just want to earn some silver for my personal expenses. You probably know that Brother Erhu bought me for more than ten taels of silver. When I came, all I had were the old clothes on my back, not to mention any dowry, nor a copper upon my person. That’s why I thought of doing embroidery and selling it at the Embroidery Store.”
“We’re all women here; we understand your difficulties. To speak frankly, your family went too far. They didn’t need to sell a daughter to survive; it’s cruel what they did, leaving you unable to stand firm in your marital home. Fortunately, Erhu has already established his own household, and he treats you well. You should appreciate your luck and live a good life with Erhu.”
Old folks sometimes can’t help but ramble. Feeling closer to Lin Yue, Zhao Sunshi could not resist giving her a few pieces of advice. Lin Yue had no memory whatsoever of her so-called parental home. She guessed that a family willing to sell their daughter for money could not be good people, so she listened to Zhao Sunshi with curiosity but had no inclination to share her views. Chunxi, on the other hand, hurried to intervene when she heard her mother-in-law talking about another family’s private affairs.