Re-embroidering life

When Shui Qinghua went before the old lady for trial for the second time, he was already familiar with the process.

This time she decided to take the initiative and make the first move. After paying her respects, before the old lady could ask any questions, she rushed to speak: "Mother, I have something new that I want to tell you."

The old lady's prepared opening remarks were suddenly stuck in her throat. She didn't know how to respond, so she could only follow the topic and ask, "What's the matter?" Her majestic momentum had weakened by half.

"It's like this. My eldest sister and Si Yi Fang have jointly opened a new embroidery workshop. I went there to help with the preparations. The embroidery products produced by this workshop are novel and interesting. I will go with you to have a look after it opens."

Tan Meixue became anxious. Why didn’t her third brother’s wife play by the rules?

She interrupted him quickly: "Third sister-in-law, it's not good to lie in front of mother. Everyone knows that this embroidery shop is opened by you."

Shui Qinghua looked at Tan Meixue and sneered: "I don't understand what you mean, sister-in-law. How can I open an embroidery workshop? I am so poor that I have to rely on embroidery work to supplement my family income. Can I open an embroidery workshop with the two hundred taels of allowance from sister-in-law?"

When the division of fees was mentioned, Tan Meixue's sore spot was touched, and the old lady looked at her eldest daughter-in-law with disdain.

"Sister-in-law just said 'everyone doesn't know'. Who is this someone? The servants around you dared to withhold the third room's share before, and now they are spreading rumors, causing unrest in the family. Sister-in-law is in charge of the family affairs, so you must clean up the people around you and find out the source of the chaos!" Shui Qinghua acted as if she was heartbroken.

Tan Meixue was stunned. In her impression, Shui Qinghua had never spoken so many words in one breath, and never had such an aggressive look. What had stimulated her recently to cause such a drastic change in her temperament? There were only two people around her, and the third brother's wife was forcing her to cut off her left and right arms!

"You are a silver tongue! There were so many people at Siyifang yesterday. They saw you steal the show with their own eyes, and heard with their own ears that the shopkeeper Wang said that the new embroidery shop would be run by Lady Shui!"

"Did you see it with your own eyes or hear it with your own ears? I just went to help my elder sister check because I did more needlework in the past. As for the Shui lady in charge, have you forgotten that my elder sister's surname is also Shui?" After saying that, Shui Qinghua turned her head and looked at the old lady: "Mother, the new embroidery shop was jointly opened by my elder sister and Mr. Shen of Siyifang. The manager who manages the business is my fourth brother-in-law. These are all documented. If you are worried, you can check it out. It's not too much for me to help my sister's business. After all, we are all family."

Old Madam Ji was relieved. She was just worried that her daughter-in-law would show up in public and damage the reputation of the Ji family. As long as the Ji family was not harmed, she didn't care so much.

Tan Meixue was different. She was the one who managed the household expenses. The family had not been divided, and according to the rules, the income of each branch should be added to the public account. The third brother's wife did not bring a dowry when she came home, so in principle, the shop she opened belonged to the Ji family, and all the money earned should be given to her. If it wasn't for the money, she wouldn't bother to care so much.

Originally, he wanted to use the power of Old Lady Ji to force Shui Qinghua to hand over the shop, but Old Lady Ji was very similar to Ji Zimo in nature. She was very aloof and not sensitive to money, so she was completely unable to cooperate with Tan Meixue.

Tan Meixue could only fight alone and make a last-ditch effort: "I don't believe what the third sister-in-law said. Everyone knows that your eldest sister is a female teacher and is not good at needlework. How could she suddenly run to open a shop with Si Yi Fang? How did she know Mr. Shen?"

Shui Qinghua spread her hands and said, "I only know that my elder sister knew Mr. Shen before. As for why they opened an embroidery workshop together, why didn't my elder sister earn some money to support herself? Why don't you go and ask my elder sister yourself?"

Shui Qinghua swore that every word she said was true, but it was not the whole truth.

But a strange nerve in Tan Meixue was touched. She blinked and put her two index fingers together: "You mean, your elder sister and Mr. Shen have known each other for a long time, and then decided to open a shop together. As far as I know, Mr. Shen has not married yet, and this man is unmarried and the woman is unmarried. Could it be that they...?"

A thunderclap exploded above Shui Qinghua's head. She never expected that a few nonsense words would lead Tan Meixue to this direction. Old Mrs. Ji, who was sitting in the armchair with her eyes squinting, also became alert. She sat up straight instantly and looked over with a lightning-like look.

"Sister-in-law, don't talk nonsense, it's not true!" Shui Qinghua denied loudly when it came to her elder sister's reputation, but the two women in front of her smiled meaningfully. Shui Qinghua felt a deep sense of powerlessness in her heart.

At this moment, Mr. Shen, as they were calling him, was walking out of Siyifang and heading towards a teahouse called Mingxiang. He was alone in Jiangxia, had no relatives or friends, and had nowhere to go when he had free time, so he often went to the teahouse to sit and stare blankly.

This teahouse is located in a remote area and is usually deserted at this time of day. However, today there is already a female customer sitting in the store. Her back is very straight and her black hair falls to her waist like a waterfall.

An inexplicably familiar figure. He hesitated for a moment and called out tentatively, "Mrs. Shui."

The female guest turned around and smiled from her elegant and graceful face. She was not a bright beauty, but she had a sense of freedom and uninhibitedness.

Mrs. Shui was holding a book and a cup of tea in front of her. She gestured to Shen Yi to come over and sit. This was against the rules, but she did it gracefully.

Shen Yi had practiced martial arts since he was young, and all his friends were martial artists, so he inevitably had a sense of chivalry. He was not pretentious, so he sat opposite her and asked, "Madam Shui, are you not giving lessons today?"

Shui Minghua smiled and said, "No bathing today."

"Why don't you rest at home?" He was just making small talk.

"In order to avoid my mother, she arranged for me to go on a blind date." Shui Minghua put down the book in his hand, looking helpless.

"Madam, don't you plan to get married?" he asked bluntly.

Shui Minghua didn't mind his offense: "I don't plan to. In fact, I was engaged before."

"and after?"

"He ran off with someone else."

Shen Yi was stunned, and subconsciously said "My condolences". He lowered his head in shame. After all, he had studied for a few years, but he couldn't even use the right words.

Shui Minghua was stunned for a while, then burst into laughter. She shook her head and said, "I'm not sad, but I should thank him, otherwise I would have been the one to run away."

"Why?"

"No reason, I just want to live a quiet and comfortable life by myself, and don't want to interfere with other people's lives."

The two of them were silent. Shui Minghua ignored him and picked up the book in her hand to continue reading. He did not leave either, staring blankly out the window.

It suddenly started to rain from the sky, and the water gradually formed into a curtain of water from cow hair, hitting the roof like a downpour. Water vapor was rising, and a heat wave was spreading between heaven and earth.

There were only the two of them in the teahouse the whole time, one reading a book, the other in a daze, with two cups of tea, the aroma lingering in the air.