Re-embroidering life

Shui Qinghua called Meng Xiu Niang aside and said, "It's really hard for me to guarantee the time in the embroidery workshop recently. I have a solution, but I need your support."

"What do you think."

"Your experience and ability are top-notch in Jiangxia. I hope to teach you natural embroidery alone, and you can teach it to other embroiderers. Jinlan and Yuhua will assist you."

Meng Xiu Niang only thought for a moment and immediately nodded: "Okay!"

Shui Qinghua felt relieved. She admired Meng Xiuniang's confidence, pride and decisiveness. This is how a capable person should be.

Fortunately, Shui Qinghua had been organizing embroidery manuals, and the embroidery manuals of natural embroidery had long been compiled into a book. She gave the embroidery manuals to Meng Xiu Niang, who studied them on her own and wrote down the questions she didn't understand on slips of paper. After a few days, she asked Jinlan to bring the accumulated questions to Shui Qinghua, who then wrote down the solutions in letters and sent them back. In this way, Meng Xiu Niang learned natural embroidery almost completely.

The other nine embroiderers followed Meng's lead, so they naturally had no objection to her teaching. Although the progress was a little slow, they learned smoothly.

Shui Qinghua finally felt relieved.

The study with Grandma Zheng is gradually coming to an end. On the last day of visiting Grandma Zheng's house, Shui Qinghua bought steaming hot three-fresh bean curd and rice wine at Debiju. Jiangxia people love this the most, and Grandma Zheng was very satisfied with the meal.

After breakfast, Granny Zheng went into the inner room, and after a while, she came out with something in her hand. It was a roll of light yellow silk cloth, and when she unfolded it, there were words and pictures on it. Shui Qinghua's pupils shrank, this was an embroidery pattern!

Granny Zheng stuffed the silk cloth into Shui Qinghua's hands and said, "Take it and have a look. If you don't understand something, figure it out on your own. You don't need to come here again."

Shui Qinghua held the roll of silk cloth in her hands, and felt it was as heavy as a thousand pounds. The most advanced Chu embroidery skills, the secret that was never passed on, were written on a piece of worn-out silk cloth and stuffed into her hands? She felt like she was in a dream, and couldn't believe it.

Qiong Niang passed by with a basin of clothes and laughed out loud at Shui Qing Huamu's dazed look.

"Madam Shui, you take it. Grandma has been waiting for the right person to appear so that she can entrust these things to him. Now that she has finally arrived, she is happier than anyone else. Boss Ye is indeed a man of insight."

Shui Qinghua then believed that everything was true. She subconsciously clenched the silk cloth in her hand, took a step back, and knelt down in front of Granny Zheng: "I will never forget your kindness in teaching me." She kowtowed three times.

Granny Zheng sat still and accepted her gift. Her eyes softened, "Finally, I can go see my master without any worries. You need to find someone as talented as you to pass on your skills to, understand?"

"I understand." Shui Qinghua nodded heavily.

When leaving Zheng's courtyard, Shui Qinghua looked back at the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Grandma Zheng was sitting in the courtyard paved with bluestone slabs, embroidering something as usual. Qiong Niang was rubbing clothes vigorously. On the osmanthus tree at the door, the white osmanthus flowers had turned golden yellow, and only the fragrance was as rich as when they first met.

It seemed as if nothing had happened, but Shui Qinghua knew that something would be different.

Shui Qinghua went straight to Chu Xiu Pavilion as soon as possible. She urgently needed to see Ye Jincheng.

When Shui Qinghua saw the pair of golden phoenix lanterns in front of Chu Xiu Pavilion again, her mood changed greatly.

The first time she came was to investigate the market, and at that time she knew nothing about Chu embroidery.

The second time she came was to buy silk from Ye Jincheng, and she only had business in her mind.

The third time she came, she was filled with emotion. The golden phoenix on the lantern and the embroidery displayed in the Chu Embroidery Pavilion all conveyed a fact: these Chu embroidery that can be seen with the eyes do not represent the highest skills of Chu embroidery. The real Chu embroidery is in Grandma Zheng's courtyard, on the embroidery pattern she holds in her hands. Why did Ye Jincheng bring her to the Zheng family, what did he want to do?

The door to the second floor was open. Ye Jincheng was sitting at the desk with an open ancient book in his hand. The sunlight shone from behind, giving his body a golden edge. His expression was shrouded in shadow, hazy.

Shui Qinghua raised the embroidery pattern in her hand and said, "Boss Ye, what on earth is going on? I just came to you to buy silk, but you took me to see Granny Zheng."

Ye Jincheng was not surprised by her arrival. To be more precise, he had been waiting for her.

He stood up from behind the desk. His tall figure gave Shui Qinghua a sense of oppression, and she unconsciously took half a step back.

Even if it's only half a step, the momentum is weaker.

"You really got the embroidery pattern, you didn't disappoint me." Ye Jincheng raised a satisfied smile and turned back to sit behind the table. "It's simple, I want to cooperate with you, not just sell silk to you. Don't forget, I'm not selling silk, I run an embroidery workshop."

"If our cooperation is successful, I can provide you with silk at a price lower than the market price. If the cooperation is unsuccessful," his eyes rested on the ancient book, his fingers twisted the pages, and paused.

Shui Qinghua's heart couldn't help but feel nervous.

"That's okay. Even if the deal fails, we still have our friendship." He chuckled and seemed to find Shui Qinghua's nervous expression very interesting.

Every time she talked to Ye Jincheng, she was led by him by the nose, which was a terrible feeling. This man was shrewd and cunning, and he was domineering. She was far from being able to suppress him at the moment.

"How does Mr. Ye want to cooperate? Can you please make it clear?"

"I want to invest in your water embroidery workshop."

This short sentence shocked Shui Qinghua. Shuixiufang was a collaboration between her and Siyifang. Siyifang and Chuxiuge had been old rivals for many years. This...

"Mrs. Shui wants to create a fusion of Suzhou embroidery and Chu embroidery. The essence of Chu embroidery lies in its bold and free imagination, which is not bound by tradition and dares to innovate. What I value is not only your embroidery skills, but also your courage to break the conventions and create your own needlework."

Shui Qinghua pursed her lips: "How do you want to cooperate?"

"I know you opened the embroidery workshop with shares in the techniques. I'm giving you a copy of the top-level Chu embroidery techniques for free. You should be able to buy shares as well. I don't ask for much. Thirty percent is enough." Ye Jincheng said calmly and confidently.

Shui Qinghua was filled with anger: "So, Boss Ye wants to get something for nothing? The technique belongs to Granny Zheng, and you want to take 30% without paying a penny or doing anything. Why don't you just rob it?"

Ye Jincheng laughed loudly: "If I hadn't brought you to the Zheng family, you would never have learned the unique skills of Chu embroidery in your life. This is my contribution."

"I didn't beg you!" Shui Qinghua's eyes were blazing with fire.

"But you have already learned it, and the embroidery pattern is in your hands. Do you want to deny it?" Ye Jincheng slammed the table and stood up.

"If I don't agree, what can you do?"

"Then the whole Jiangxia will know that the owner of Shuixiu Pavilion betrayed his trust and learned someone else's family secret skills but turned his back on them!"

Shui Qinghua was stunned by the other party's shamelessness and roguery. She swore that she had never met such a person in her two lives. Compared with him, Tan Meixue could be considered gentle, kind, respectful, frugal and modest.

Seeing her face flushed with anger, Ye Jincheng sat back slowly and said, "Mrs. Shui, don't worry. I was just joking with you. How could I really get something for nothing? If it gets out, I'll be out of business. How about this? I'll give you a shop, rent-free for three years. Shuixiufang doesn't have to stay in Siyifang anymore. I'll provide you with silk at a price 20% lower than the market price. Plus a top-secret Chu embroidery pattern. Add these three things together, it's not too much to make a 30% profit, right?"