Chapter 70: Chapter 70 Coming Back to Report_1
Chapter 70: Chapter 70 Coming Back to Report_1
Considering her own physical condition and the need to leave time for embroidery, Lin Yue decided on a fixed time to tell stories to the children in the afternoon, or teach them some life lessons and help them recognize characters.
The children were all very diligent in their learning, especially Dalang and Erhu, who had already recognized some characters. Lin Yue found teaching them quite easy, and seeing their eagerness to learn, she considered that at their age, they should attend school to learn more. However, the current situation at home did not permit it. Lin Yue kept this thought silently to herself, resolving to wait until conditions improved, to avoid raising the children’s hopes thoughtlessly.
Zhao Erhu’s thoughts on the matter were unknown to her. In this place, studying was a noble and enviable pursuit, yet few villagers were willing to spend the silver coin. To attend school would require going to town, but even if Zhao Erhu disagreed, it wouldn’t matter. Once she made up her mind, she would find a way for the children; moreover, she now had a good way to earn money. If necessary, she would embroider more items, working harder—perhaps the children could go to school sooner than expected.
Based on the embroidery workshop manager’s advice, embroidering many small purses indeed wasn’t as valuable as creating larger pieces. Confident in her embroidery skills, when Chunxi delivered the embroidery materials, Lin Yue began considering her options. She finally decided to embroider a fan first because it wasn’t too large. The good fabric she had selected from the leftover pieces at the textile shop was only enough for a fan, anything larger would not be possible. Since she didn’t have enough silver coin, Lin Yue also did not ask Chunxi to sell any embroidered fabric for her this time, deciding to wait until she exchanged the finished product for money before buying more.
Creating a fine fan face required a lot of thought, from choosing the right fabric and design to pairing the correct embroidery threads. Lin Yue was quite busy all day, thinking these details through—an effort that Zhao Erhu certainly would not allow if he knew, as he would not permit her to strain herself so much.
Even without Zhao Erhu saying it, Lin Yue could feel his concern for her health. She suspected that it was probably because of the rumors of husband-cursing that Zhao Erhu was influenced by on the inside, despite his denial on the surface. There was also the matter of her predecessor’s severe illness before she arrived. Fearing she might abruptly pass away, he was extra vigilant about her health, which could also be partly due to his affection for her.
Lin Yue was not indifferent to her own health, but she believed that keeping busy with some activities as a pastime was harmless. Otherwise, lying around all day would be utterly boring. Yet, whenever Zhao Erhu returned, Lin Yue would swiftly hide her embroidery, as having it discovered would mean an end to her activities—not to mention that it was her only way to save some private money, which would be bad if uncovered.
That afternoon, after Zhao Erhu had prepared lunch and called Lin Yue to eat, Dalang ran back breathlessly. Lin Yue had always been concerned about the deed she gave to Zhao Jingen, curious to see what kind of drama would unfold among the Zhao family at the old house over the silver. She had instructed the younger ones to stay near Zhao Lan’s house and report back immediately if there was any news. Sure enough, once Dalang discovered turmoil at Zhao Lan’s, he had hurried back.
“Third Mother, there’s a situation at aunt’s place. Grandpa took the people from the old Zhao house, heading to aunt’s with an air of aggression. Second Grandmother was crying on the way, as if wronged. A few uncles and aunts openly declared they would settle accounts with aunt, and many villagers followed to watch the excitement. Do you want to go take a look?” Dalang spoke excitedly, his eyes shining brightly. None of the children sent to fetch Dalang for the meal returned, presumably watching the scene unfold, leaving only Dalang dispatched back with the news.