Re-embroidering life

When she got home and saw the wet nurse holding Wei'er for a walk, Shui Qinghua immediately turned her eyes away. Now she couldn't face Wei'er as if nothing had happened. Every time she saw her, it was a torture for herself.

That evening, the couple had a conversation.

"My dear, I plan to send Wei'er to my mother's care for her."

"Why?"

"My mother comes from an aristocratic family and is well-read. Wei'er was brought up by her mother. Whether it's etiquette or knowledge and vision, she will be better than me."

"But Wei'er is only one month old. She needs her mother the most at this time. She should learn etiquette and poetry. It won't be too late even if she is a few years older."

"It's easier to develop feelings for children when they are young. It's not so easy to get close to them when they grow up."

Ji Zimo stared at Shui Qinghua with burning eyes: "Qinghua, this is not the real reason. Why are you suddenly not close to Wei'er? What are you afraid of and avoiding?"

Shui Qinghua lowered her head.

"I know there are many problems between us, and it's my fault for not doing well enough. But we already have three children, and we can't be separated in this life. We can only look forward and share the ups and downs. Qinghua, are you willing to tell me?" Ji Zimo's eyes were pleading.

Shui Qinghua still lowered her head, her heart was in a mess. One voice said, tell him, it's too tiring to bear all these secrets by yourself. Another voice said, in the previous life, he was a hands-off boss all his life, he didn't care about you when you were dying, do you still dare to believe him, will he think that you and Wei'er are evildoers, and even implicate Fei'er and Rui'er?

Shui Qinghua couldn't make a decision. She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders trembling and tears streaming down her face.

Ji Zimo's eyes dimmed.

"Qinghua, I won't force you. Just think about it carefully." After saying that, he dragged his feet and walked away slowly.

Wei'er was not sent away in the end. Shui Qinghua used the excuse that she did not get enough rest at night and cleaned up a room for the wet nurse to live with Wei'er. She only saw the child in the morning and evening.

After knowing this, Ji Zimo didn't say anything, but just doted on Wei'er even more, as if to make up for his mother's love. He spent more time with the children every day, and occasionally taught Fei'er and Rui'er to read and write. Fei'er and Rui'er had never been close to their father, so they were naturally happy. The third room was full of loving fathers and filial daughters.

However, the relationship between the couple reached a freezing point. Not only did they not talk to each other, they even rarely saw each other. Yuhua, Qinxin and the wet nurse all noticed something was wrong, but their relationship was already distant, and now it was just a little more distant, which didn't seem to be surprising.

Days passed in this awkward atmosphere. Shui Qinghua did not allow herself to be immersed in the sorrow of losing Wei'er. Having died once, she valued and was nervous about time more than ever before.

In the past few days, she stayed at home and wrote down her experience of visiting the embroidery workshop. During the writing process, some ideas slowly emerged and took shape in her mind, forming a charter for the new embroidery workshop.

At this time, the concierge handed in a note, and Wang, the shopkeeper of Siyifang, asked her to meet him at the embroidery workshop the next day. She was not surprised that Wang knew she was from the Ji family. As a shrewd businessman, who would not check the partners thoroughly?

You came at the right time!

Early the next morning, Shui Qinghua made a special appointment with Shui Minghua, and they got on a carriage and drove to Echeng together.

Arriving at Siyifang, Shui Qinghua entered the private room on the second floor as if she was familiar with the place. Shopkeeper Wang was already waiting there. But besides Shopkeeper Wang, there was also a tall and handsome man with a resolute face and sharp eyes. He looked more like a military commander than a businessman.

Shopkeeper Wang came forward and introduced, "Mrs. Shui, this is Mr. Shen, the person in charge of our Siyifang in Jiangxia Prefecture."

Master Shen bowed and said, "Mrs. Shui, I am Shen Yi." He said it briefly. Then he smiled and looked at Shui Minghua, calling her "Mrs. Shui".

Shopkeeper Wang was considerate and explained to Qinghua: "The embroidered screen with the galloping horse painting was bought by Master Shen from your sister. Master Shen happened to come to inspect the store these days, and I told him about your idea of ​​opening an embroidery workshop. He was very interested and wanted to meet you to talk."

Shui Qinghua gave Manager Wang a grateful look.

Coincidentally, after investigating the market, Shui Qinghua also had a clearer idea about his future development.

Suzhou embroidery is exquisite and elegant, with complex and varied needlework, but the Chu people are rough and unrestrained, and not everyone can appreciate the delicate and exquisite Jiangnan style. In addition, many raw materials for Suzhou embroidery are directly imported from Jiangnan, with high costs and higher prices. They are only available to wealthy families and are not affordable for ordinary people.

Chu embroidery is more popular among local people in terms of color, pattern and price, but the needlework techniques do not vary much and the craftsmanship details are not as delicate as those of Su embroidery.

Shui Qinghua was born and raised in Chu and has learned Suzhou embroidery skills. If she can combine Suzhou embroidery with Chu embroidery and use her original natural embroidery as a support, can she create a unique embroidery school?

She talked freely, revealing all her thoughts. Mr. Shen remained calm, but his eyes became brighter and brighter; Shopkeeper Wang stroked his short beard with a smile, nodded frequently, and looked comforted.

"For so many years, Si Yi Fang has been in Jiangxia Prefecture, and everything from the store decoration to the embroidery sold is exactly the same as in Jiangnan, with costs remaining high. In terms of sales, we have a small quantity and high prices, while Chu Xiu Ge has small profits but quick turnover. No one can change this situation, and no one can completely suppress the other. If Si Yi Fang can open up a route specifically for the mid-range market and better cater to the preferences of the people of Chu, our situation in Jiangxia will be opened up." Shopkeeper Wang's round face, which is always calm, showed uncontrollable excitement.

Shen Yi seemed much calmer: "It's a good idea, but it's not easy to open up a new route. It won't happen overnight. Has Madam Shui Er thought about how to do it specifically?"

Shui Qinghua had really thought about it, and she took out the rules she had drawn up. After reading it, Shen Yi thought it was feasible, and the initial investment was not high, so it was worth a try. The three discussed the division of labor during the preparation period. In the early stage, Shui Qinghua was mainly responsible for craftsmanship and design. She needed to draw 100 new embroidery patterns that combined the characteristics of Su embroidery and Chu embroidery within a year, design the needlework and fabrics used for each embroidery, and be responsible for teaching ten embroiderers natural embroidery. As for the venue, decoration, fabric and silk thread purchase, these matters were handed over to Siyifang.

It wasn't until dark that the basic agreement was reached. During this time, Shui Minghua sat quietly by the side, drinking tea and reading, and did not participate in these business plans at all.

At this time, Shui Qinghua proposed that all the written contracts of the new embroidery workshop, including the confidentiality agreement of natural embroidery, should be under Shui Minghua's name. This was discussed in advance by the two sisters. Shui Minghua was unmarried and had no ties to her husband's family. She was also her most trusted elder sister, so it was most appropriate to use her name. Shui Qinghua hoped that the new embroidery workshop would be her own business, and the Ji family would have no chance to interfere, especially her eldest sister-in-law Tan Meixue.

Siyifang had no objection to this and finally agreed to a 50-50 split. Shui Qinghua also secured for herself the naming rights for the new embroidery and 500 taels of silver as start-up capital.

Shen Yi personally escorted Shui Qinghua and Shui Minghua out, and asked casually, "Mrs. Shui's Suzhou embroidery skills are amazing. Who taught her?"

"I didn't have a master, but someone gave me guidance." This was no secret. Shui Qinghua told Shen Yi the story of Shen Xiu Niang.

Shen Yi seemed very interested and asked, "Where is this Shen Xiu Niang?"

Shui Qinghua replied: "She has been gone for seven years."

There was obvious shock in Shen Yi's eyes.

It was not until then that Shui Qinghua realized that Shen Xiuniang and Shen Yi both had the surname Shen and were both from Jiangnan. Could they be related?

Shen Yi lost his composure for only a moment, and soon recovered. He sent the two to the carriage, said goodbye with a smile, and nodded to Shui Minghua as if unintentionally. Shui Qinghua was thinking about something and didn't pay attention.

On the way home, Shui Qinghua's heart was pounding and she couldn't calm down. It was very difficult to accomplish this. It would take at least two years from the conception to the actual realization, but she was very confident. In her past and present lives, she had never been so eager, so eager, and so determined to achieve something!