Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 77 Lady Pei, you are truly blessed.

Ten days later, in Gulin Town.

Pei Yan was embroidering by the window in the afternoon light, her fine stitches moving across the plain silk.

In the Song Dynasty, there were two types of embroidery.

Court embroidery mainly imitates the paintings and calligraphy of famous artists, such as landscapes, pavilions, flowers and birds, and figures. It pursues the principle of "adapting to the painting." The embroidered products are basically another form of expression of the paintings and calligraphy. The mounting and collection methods are no different from those of the paintings and calligraphy, and are even more exquisite.

Folk embroidery is not so particular. It is usually done on clothing and home furnishings. Clothing is mostly small items such as bibs, embroidered skirts, embroidered shoes, and purses, and the colors are usually bright and vivid. Home furnishings are mainly curtains, door curtains, pillowcases, and quilt covers, and the patterns are mostly auspicious.

Pei Yan usually takes on embroidery jobs through brokers, mostly small garments. These jobs don't take much time and can be completed quickly by one person, making it a cost-effective way to earn money.

The rise of the folk embroidery industry actually reflects the economic prosperity and social stability of the Song Dynasty. In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, everyone was struggling to survive. They had to use any money in their pockets to buy rice. Who would have the time to spend money on clothing and home furnishings?

Just as Pei Yan was diligently embroidering, she suddenly heard the courtyard gate creaking as it was being knocked on.

The sound startled the tofu, which was curled up in the basket. It leaped out, its tail held high, and went out to meet the creature.

Is Madam Pei here?

A weary merchant stood outside the door, took a letter from his pocket, slipped it under the door, and called out.

"Sent from Hejiang County."

Because only officials could use the post stations to send messages, and while ordinary people had a real need for correspondence but no organized postal service, merchants often took on the role of postmen.

In reality, these traveling merchants used fixed routes to transport goods, and over time they became familiar with the residents on both sides of the route. They were also quite familiar with the local terrain and architecture. For the traveling merchants, since they had to pass through the area anyway, mailing lightweight letters was a convenient task, and they could also make extra money, making it a very worthwhile business.

The needle suddenly pierced her fingertip, and Pei Yan quickly pressed it down, then shouted loudly.

"Okay, thank you!"

Doufu skillfully picked up the letter that had fallen to the ground with her teeth, and then, like a white lightning bolt, she darted back into the house.

When the familiar handwriting came into view, Pei Yan was somewhat stunned.

The room suddenly fell silent.

Tofu jumped onto the table and squatted down, its two front paws raised and together, its tail swishing as it swept across the earthenware vase with wild chrysanthemums in it.

"You're happy for him too, aren't you?" Pei Yan whispered, rubbing the white cat's ears.

She opened the letter.

In his letter, Lu Beigu detailed what had happened recently.

When Pei Yan learned that Lu Beigu had resolved the difficulties of relocating the property and household registration, and had also secured places for Lu Yuchi and Lu Yanxi to give lectures at the Prajna Sutra Hall of Fawang Temple, and even the opportunity to be bestowed a Dharma name by the abbot, she felt as if she were dreaming.

"Mother!"

Just then, Lu Yuchi excitedly ran over, her little hand raised, and a gust of hot wind swept peach petals as she rushed through the doorway.

"Come quick and see! The watermelon seeds I planted for my uncle have sprouted!"

Watermelon was introduced to Han China by the Khitans during the Five Dynasties period. The "New History of the Five Dynasties: Appendix on Foreign Peoples" records in detail that the Khitans obtained watermelon seeds when they conquered the Uyghurs in the west and successfully cultivated them in Shangjing.

Watermelons are now widely grown in Han areas, with the Bianliang watermelon, known for its thin skin, juicy flesh, and crisp, sweet texture, being the most famous.

However, the watermelons in Gulin generally taste worse. Although the valley terrain provides favorable conditions of high temperature and strong sunlight, and the yellow soil layer in the mountains is quite deep, the soil has poor water retention. Moreover, the summer rainfall here is not abundant. But since they are grown in one's own yard, the taste is not a big deal.

Lu Yuchi noticed that her mother was ignoring her, so she curiously went closer.

"What are you looking at, Mother?"

Upon recognizing the character "Lu" in the signature at the end of the letter, the little girl suddenly jumped up: "It's a letter from my uncle!"

The shout startled Lu Yanxi, who was dozing in the side room. He rubbed his eyes and came over.

Lu Yuchi asked, "What did Uncle say?"

“My uncle said he’s already bought a plot of land with a shop in the front and a store in the back at a bargain price. Our whole family will be able to move to Hejiang County soon. Then you two can go to the temple’s scripture hall.” Lu Yanxi was suddenly wide awake and opened her eyes in horror.

"Are they sending us to shave our heads and become monks?"

"Silly child." Pei Yan suddenly reached out and ruffled his hair, her voice as soft as a summer stream. "Of course not. It's just that you're going to learn to read with the old monk. The old monk will even give you a Dharma name that will bring you blessings from Buddha and Bodhisattva."

"Oh"

The two children nodded, seemingly understanding.

"So, do we have a new home now?"

“Yes.” Pei Yan held the two children. “Your uncle made money by writing articles, and he wanted to make new clothes for you so that you could all read and write. You must remember your uncle’s kindness and repay him when you grow up.”

"It's because Mommy is also very good to Uncle."

Lu Yanxi speaks without restraint, like a child.

"Of course, we are a family, so we should all treat each other well and be united and loving."

Just then, there was another knock on the courtyard gate. Pei Yan went to open it, only to find Aunt Wang standing there.

"Aunt Wang, are you here to collect your embroidery? It's not finished yet."

Aunt Wang twisted the handkerchief in her hand into a pretzel, stamped her foot, and said.

"Oh, Madam Pei, I heard from that merchant earlier that the young master of the Lu family has bought a prime location in Hejiang, with a shop in the front and a residence in the back. Are you moving to the county town? This is wonderful news!"

"."

Pei Yan felt somewhat helpless, believing that the sealing wax definitely hadn't been secretly examined.

However, the traveling merchant was too talkative and fond of showing off. When he saw that Lu Beigu had bought a house in the county town, he casually mentioned this news.

With her shrewdness and business acumen, Aunt Wang could easily guess that they were moving, given what had happened during the Cold Food Festival.
Tofu suddenly darted out from under the door. Pei Yan bent down and hugged the white cat, gently stroking its fluffy fur with her fingertips as she spoke.

"They did buy the land, but Bei Gu said in his letter that the new house still needs repairs and the moving date is still undecided."

Aunt Wang chuckled awkwardly and said, "Scholars are indeed capable! But..."

Seeing Aunt Wang's gaze drift towards her own courtyard, how could Pei Yan not know what she was thinking? She was definitely thinking about buying the house cheaply.

Pei Yan said directly, "Aunt Wang said this house? The house is not for sale. Bei Gu said in his letter that after we move out, the Zhou family's housekeeper will take care of it."

Before Ji Yun returned to the Luzhou Prefectural School from Hejiang County, Lu Beigu had already thought of this matter and wrote a letter to Zhou Mingyuan, asking Ji Yun to deliver it to him.

The letter was very simple, asking Zhou Mingyuan to have the Zhou family's steward in Gulin Town send someone to look after the residence.

This was a very small request, and naturally nothing to the Zhou family. Although the Zhou family had moved to Luchuan County, they still had a villa, an ancestral home, and many other properties in Gulin Town that needed to be looked after year-round. Therefore, they had a considerable number of people to look after this small house, which was just a side job.

With the Zhou family's protection, even though they didn't live here, the people in the town naturally wouldn't dare to touch this house.

After all, many people in Gulin Town rely on the Anlexi Brewing Industry owned by the Zhou family for their livelihood.

Upon hearing the words "Zhou family," Aunt Wang's face immediately crinkled into a deep wrinkle, and she clapped her hands repeatedly, saying, "Oh my! Young Master Lu is truly insightful! It's good to keep this house! It's good to keep it! When Young Master Lu passes the imperial examination and returns home in glory, he'll need a place to stay, won't he?"

"If you ask me, with such a promising young master like Lu, he's likely to become a high-ranking official! Madam Pei, you're truly blessed to be able to enjoy such a good life with your young master and wife—"

After Aunt Wang left, everyone went back into the house.

The evening breeze blew through the window frame, unraveling the tangled silk threads.

Lu Yuchi leaned on the windowsill, stingily feeding the sparrows a few grains of millet, while Lu Yanxi rolled around on the ground, laughing and joking, clutching a piece of tofu.

Pei Yan kept her head down and continued her unfinished embroidery, unaware that she had started humming a little tune.

(End of this chapter)