Re-embroidering life

There are two days left and the rest of the work has been completed, leaving only the last major item: the spiral hair.

In order to make it more realistic, Qinghua used the spiral needles used in natural embroidery to make the spiral hair more three-dimensional, as if the Buddha really had a furry head.

The effect is good, but the problem with natural embroidery is that it takes three times as much time and materials as the usual embroidery method. Once Qinghua starts to embroider, she becomes extremely nervous, keeps her head down, and sits for a long time without moving. After a few days, her body gradually cannot support it.

Jinlan and Cailan were also in distress, as they didn't have enough hair. The hair on our bodies was given by our parents, so who would easily cut their hair except nuns and monks? Because they wanted to offer it to the Buddha, and promised a large sum of money, they mobilized a group of young maids and wives in the Chen family to cut their hair. Where could they find it now?

Qinghua half-reclines on the couch to rest, and says weakly, "It's okay, you can cut my hair. I'm a patient myself, and offering my hair to the Buddha will bring blessings."

Jinlan and Cailan also said immediately: "We can also cut our hair and pray for our grandfather. It is our filial piety."

Hui Xin said: "I belong to the Third Madam, I pray for her."

Yuhua also said: "Then I will pray for my second sister too!"

Just as Dong Yajing was about to speak, Qinghua stopped her. "You are of a different status, so you can't act arbitrarily." Dong Yajing thought about it and it made sense. After all, her mother was a member of the royal family, and she had many taboos about these things.

Fortunately, the five women's hair was enough, but Qinghua was temporarily unable to hold the needle. She thought about it and called Dong Yajing over: "Yajing, do you want to learn natural embroidery?"

The surprise came too quickly, and Dong Yajing couldn't bear it: "Really? Are you willing to teach me?"

Shui Qinghua shook her head: "I have no choice but to teach you. You have the best foundation among these girls."

There was another reason. Dong Yajing's identity meant that she would not engage in business. As the daughter of a great scholar, she disdained to compete with the people for profit. For her, it was just learning one more skill, which was no different from learning to play the piano or paint. It was just icing on the cake. As for the agreement with Si Yi Fang, she could only explain it to Shen Yi later.

She briefly explained the key points of needlework to Dong Yajing, who was very smart and quickly understood 50% to 60%. Shui Qinghua gave verbal instructions, while Dong Yajing held the needle, and the two of them worked together to embroider the spiral hair. The other girls consciously retreated to the outer room and continued to screen, soak, and air the collected new hair.

There was only one day left, and half of the spiral hair was still left. Dong Yajing was already exhausted. She had been embroidering for seven or eight hours without interruption. Her hands were shaking so much that she could not even hold the needle. Continuing would only ruin the embroidery.

There was silence in the embroidery pavilion. Six short days seemed as long as six years. Everyone was exhausted. They had already used up all their strength and were about to reach the end, but why was this end so far away?

Feelings of discouragement and frustration linger in everyone's heart.

At this moment, Chen Jinlan moved. She strode to Shui Qinghua and knelt down with a thud.

Everyone was stunned, including Shui Qinghua. She had no time to avoid her kneeling and could only ask in shock: "What are you doing? Get up quickly!"

"I beg Madam Shui to teach me how to embroider naturally, and let me embroider the rest of the spiral hair!" Chen Jinlan's eyes were filled with tears and pleading.

Shui Qinghua sighed: "It's not that I don't want to teach. You get up first and listen to me slowly." Then he told Chen Jinlan about the agreement signed with Siyifang.

Chen Jinlan lowered her head and thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "Mrs. Shui, may I become your disciple? A master teaching an apprentice should not be constrained by the agreement, right?"

"No!" Yuhua ran over and tried her best to pull her up. "Even if you want to become my disciple, I should be the first one to become your disciple. I should be your second sister's direct disciple!"

"Yuhua, stop making trouble." Shui Qinghua interrupted her weakly and asked Chen Jinlan, "Do you know what it means to become a disciple? Would your grandparents agree?"

Nowadays, becoming a disciple is an extremely serious matter. The teacher is the most important person in the world, and "serving a teacher like a father" is not just a saying. Some masters and apprentices are just in name only, but those who teach exclusive secret skills like this are true direct disciples. The master has great power over the disciple and can even interfere in his marriage.

"It's just a piece of embroidery. Excuse me for asking, why does the Chen family value it so much?" Shui Qinghua really didn't understand.

"Mrs. Shui, you don't know that this is not just an embroidery, it also concerns the reputation of the Chen family, otherwise grandma wouldn't have fainted in anxiety." Chen Jinlan told them about the Chen family's affairs with tears in her eyes.

The Chen family is a family of medicine. They have been practicing medicine for generations. There is an ancestral medical hall in the family, named Bencaotang. In order to avoid family disputes, the Chen family has an ancestral precept that Bencaotang is only passed on to the eldest son of the legitimate branch. Doctor Chen's father had two sons. The eldest son is Doctor Chen, and he has a half-brother. Doctor Chen should have inherited Bencaotang, but his younger brother relied on his mother's favor, the mother and son worked together, and Chen's father was soft-hearted, so he violated the ancestral precepts and gave Bencaotang to the second son. Doctor Chen's mother died early, and he was isolated and helpless at home. The elders in the family did not speak for him for the sake of their own interests. He left home angrily and became a traveling doctor.

Since he was a child, he learned medicine and had handled many cases among the people. His medical skills improved rapidly and he soon became famous. After traveling to the capital, he cured a nobleman's chronic illness. The nobleman appreciated him and recommended him to take the imperial hospital exam. Doctor Chen lived up to expectations and was admitted. From then on, he worked as an imperial doctor for decades.

After wandering for half a lifetime, Chen Mingyi was so old that he wanted to return to his roots. He and his wife returned to Jiangxia to spend the rest of his life. He planned to open a clinic with his disciples in Jiangxia, but his younger brother came to him immediately after learning about it, saying that he was an unfaithful and unfilial person. His father had crossed his name out of the family tree decades ago, and before he died, he left a will, ordering him not to use the Chen family's ancestral medical skills to steal the business of Bencaotang in this life.

Chen Mingyi left home when he was young and was unable to take care of his father until his death. This was a pain in his heart. He promised his brother not to open a clinic, but he couldn't let go of his heart as a doctor, so he asked several disciples to provide free medical treatment and medicine for the poor on the first and fifteenth day of every month. No one could support such a long-term situation. The wealthy families in Jiangxia heard that Chen Mingyi had been a royal physician and offered him a high price. It happened that Bencaotang couldn't do this business, so Chen Mingyi went there and used the medical fees he earned to buy medicinal materials to support several disciples' free medical treatment all year round.

Shui Qinghua suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Chen's house was so simple and did not match the status of the famous doctor Chen.

"Madam Shui, you must have heard the rumors outside. My grandfather doesn't treat ordinary people. He only serves dignitaries. He charges extremely high consultation fees and has no compassion as a doctor." Chen Jinlan said while wiping her tears.

"This...I have indeed heard of it." Not only had he heard of it, Shui Qinghua himself had also had doubts about it.

"Several of my uncles have been providing free medical services for many years, and they have gained quite a reputation in the market. Someone who knew about the situation back then stood up and said that Bencaotang should have belonged to my grandfather. When my great uncle heard about it, he started to spread rumors, saying that my grandfather was greedy for wealth and treated the common people like grass. Many people actually believed it."

"You just said that the embroidered portrait is related to the reputation of the Chen family. Why is that?" Yuhua couldn't suppress her curiosity.

"Yuquan Temple is going to hold a Dharma Assembly for Medicine Master Liuliguang Tathagata to promote the benevolence of doctors. Master Mingyi heard about the Chen family's free clinic and asked grandmother if she was willing to offer an embroidered statue of the Buddha. Grandmother has been feeling sorry for grandfather all these years and hopes to use this opportunity to clear his name, so she agreed immediately." Chen Jinlan's face was full of bitterness. "I didn't expect that Bencaotang had planted spies in the Chen residence. First they set fire to it and then stole the booklet, just to make sure there was no Buddha statue to offer on the day of the Dharma Assembly. Then they would send people to spread rumors that the Chen family burned the head and face of the Buddha statue, which was disrespectful, to anger the temple and believers, and then grandfather would never be able to turn things around."

"Not only that, they also bribed street thugs to create a stampede during the free clinic at Chen's house. If someone dies, Chen's house will not only have a bad reputation, but will also face lawsuits." Shui Qinghua added. She has figured out the cause and effect.

Everyone was horrified when they heard this. How could they be brothers? They were the enemies who murdered their father.