"No need to be polite. If anyone should be thanking, it’s us thanking you. Keeping these two sheep here has truly helped our family a great deal."
As they were talking, Mrs. Wang came out holding a child, "Jing’er is right, Niannian. Thanks to the sheep’s milk, Feng Shou has gained quite a bit of weight recently. When this child grows up, he’ll have to properly thank you, his aunt."
"Sister-in-law, that’s too polite. As you said, Feng Shou has to call me aunt." Gu Nian smiled and walked over to play with Feng Shou in her arms.
The little one twisted and giggled, playfully laying his head on Mrs. Wang’s shoulder, playing hide-and-seek with her.
After a while, the eldest aunt finished boiling milk and took Feng Shou over to feed him.
Speaking of which, it’s quite a coincidence; both the eldest aunt and the daughter-in-law share the surname Wang, so people outside also refer to them as Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Wang.
Mrs. Wang wasn’t idling either; she returned to the room to sort out the dirty clothes and took advantage of the time to wash them by the river.
Lin Jing’er pulled Gu Nian back to the room, took out a pair of embroidered shoes from the basket, and handed them to Gu Nian, "These shoes were specially made for you by me. I was just about to send them over, and now that you’re here yourself, it saves me a trip. Quickly try them on and see if they fit!" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel_fіre.net
Mrs. Jiang also made her some shoes, the kind that are completely black and dirt-resistant.
Unlike Lin Jing’er, who, despite using the same fabric and color, embroidered flowers on them, adding a bit of brightness on the instep, looking quite nice.
Gu Nian didn’t hold back, sat directly on the stool, and tried them on.
Standing up, she stamped her feet and said with a smile, "They look wonderful, Jing’er sister’s craftsmanship is truly excellent."
Lin Jing’er smiled, "You’re six now, right? It’s time to learn some sewing skills. If you ever find yourself bored at home, come over and join me in doing some needlework. Not to boast, but my embroidery skills are top-notch in our village!"
Remembering her experience with cross-stitch where she almost pricked her hand into a pincushion, Gu Nian laughed awkwardly and said, "Embroidery, I better pass on that. I don’t have the knack for it."
"Even if you don’t have the knack, you should learn at least a bit. It’s not about embroidering perfectly; you should know how to do basic mending, right? How can a girl not do any needlework?"
Hearing this, Gu Nian felt overwhelmed.
"Jing’er sister, do you just do embroidery at home? Don’t you do anything else?"
Gu Nian merely wanted to change the topic, and Lin Jing’er began to speak enthusiastically, "Of course, it’s not just embroidery. Otherwise, how could my eyes take it? My parents want me to go out less, so I mostly help with chores at home. I also raise silkworms, but I’m only responsible for feeding and cleaning them. The task of picking mulberry leaves is left to Huan’er."
Speaking of which, Lin Jing’er blushed a bit.
Because as her parents said, the income from raising silkworms was split between the sisters; hers is kept for her dowry, and Huan’er is still young, so it’s temporarily stored with the parents.
This topic piqued Gu Nian’s interest immediately, "Silkworms, huh? Can I have a look?"
She had raised a few herself before, feeling scared at first when she saw them, but later on, she dared to hold them in her palm.
However, after they cocooned and several small moths emerged, lacking experience, one flew out and laid many eggs on the wall, earning her a good scolding from her mother.