Re-embroidering life

Ji Zimo coughed lightly, took the lead and walked towards the main courtyard.

Arriving at the main hall, I could hear the sound of Mrs. Ji laughing heartily from afar. When I walked in, I saw that the old lady was in high spirits. Sitting below her was Tang Fu, who was dressed very charmingly, and Tan Meixue was sitting beside her. Tang Fu was wearing a light green dress, a pearl headpiece, and two pearl earrings dangling on her cheeks, like a new bud blooming in the bleak winter.

Old Madam Ji disliked the Tang family, but Tang Fu grew up under her watch and has always been her favorite daughter-in-law. When the old lady saw Ji Zimo coming, she waved hurriedly: "Look who's here, you haven't seen your sister from the Tang family for many years, right?"

Ji Zimo paused for a moment, without looking at Tang Fu, he turned around and took Shui Qinghua's hand. The two stood shoulder to shoulder and saluted the old lady.

The old lady then noticed Shui Qinghua and laughed awkwardly: "The third daughter-in-law is here too, no need to be polite, just sit down!"

After sitting down, Shui Qinghua asked Huixin to bring up the embroidery gift box and said to the old lady with a smile: "Mother, do you still remember the new embroidery workshop I mentioned to you last time? The embroidery workshop opened a few days ago. I picked out some of the best embroidery. Do you like it?"

The first box contained four small items: a headband, a handkerchief, a belt, and a sachet. The finest silk, delicate stitching, and bright colors made it a dazzling sight once it was opened.

"Your pattern is quite new. What are you embroidering?" The old lady looked at it over and over again, becoming interested.

"Mother, this is a set of Chinese herbal medicine patterns, including Scutellaria baicalensis, Artemisia annua, Rhizoma Polygoni Multiflori, and Aster odoratum."

"Chinese herbal medicines can also be made into embroidery patterns, and the names are so nice!" the old lady exclaimed repeatedly.

Then I opened the second box, and found a cloud shoulder made of Xiangyun yarn. It was as bright as the clouds reflecting the sun after the rain, and the rainbow in the clear sky. It was as if the most beautiful cloud in the sky was torn off and embroidered on the shawl.

Looking at this exquisite cloud shoulder, everyone breathed more lightly unconsciously.

"Okay, okay!" the old lady said in a low voice, joy overflowing from her eyes.

"What else?" Her curiosity was completely aroused.

The last box was opened, and inside was a plain crimson jacket, which was exactly the color the old lady liked to wear. The old lady's eyes suddenly showed some disappointment.

Shui Qinghua took out the jacket and shook it with his hand, and everyone felt dizzy. On the crimson silk satin, there were large golden flowers, which were the eight auspicious patterns of Buddhism, with peony as the center, plum blossoms in the north, peaches in the west, magnolias in the south, and crabapples in the east. The eight auspicious patterns were arranged between the four directions, which corresponded to the theme of auspiciousness and blessing. Looking closely, there was a faint golden light flowing between the patterns, which was not ostentatious, but revealed a kind of restrained luxury.

"Mom, this jacket was made by your daughter-in-law herself. You will wear it during the New Year. The new clothes and new look are reflecting the blessings coming to our Ji family from all directions!" Shui Qinghua lost no time in saying a few nice words.

"Good, good!" The old lady stroked the clothes carefully, not wanting to let go. "Third daughter-in-law, how come I have never seen your needlework before?"

"Mother, my daughter-in-law used the Suzhou embroidery needlework as the basis, and also used a Chu embroidery technique called flat gold embroidery. The two were combined to make this robe."

"You are thoughtful." The old lady nodded frequently, looking at Shui Qinghua with eyes full of appreciation and love.

Tang Fu sat there for a long time. The old lady's mind was on the embroidery. She didn't say a word to her or even give her a look. Tang Fu winked at Tan Meixue, who nodded knowingly. The little movements of the two did not escape the eyes of the second wife, Sun Xiaolan.

"My third brother's wife has great cooking skills. My eldest sister-in-law really admires her!"

As soon as she heard Tan Meixue speak, Shui Qinghua knew that the drama was about to begin. But she didn't want to give her a chance to speak, let alone get entangled with her.

Shui Qinghua raised her hand to interrupt Tan Meixue, turned around and said to the old lady: "There is something I need to report to mother. One of the owners of Shuixiufang was originally my eldest sister Minghua. Mother knows this. Now my eldest sister has withdrawn and let my daughter-in-law become the owner."

"Why is this happening?" The old lady looked puzzled.

"First, my daughter-in-law is confident that her needlework skills are among the best in Jiangxia. I am naturally more adept at running the shop than my elder sister. Second, the third house has had no income in recent years and has been living on mother's private property. My husband and I should have been independent and relieved mother of her worries. Third, the one who is close to the water gets the moon first. With the shop in my hands, mother and sisters-in-law will be able to change their clothes frequently in all seasons. Isn't that wonderful?"

Everything else is fine, but the sentence that you should have been independent and relieved your mother's worries hit the old lady hard. Which mother doesn't want to see her children be independent and have a bright future? The old lady couldn't help but wipe her eyes and said with relief: "Good! You have this ambition, and your mother will only support you."

Tan Meixue and Tang Fu exchanged glances again.

Tang Fu spoke quietly, "But, the Ji family is a family of scholars after all, and it is not appropriate for women to engage in business. Brother Zimo, do you agree?"

Ji Zimo smiled and said, "Thank you Miss Tang for your concern. The Ji family is no longer a scholarly family. My elder brother and I are both commoners. When my wife opened an embroidery workshop, I not only agreed, but also participated in it from beginning to end. I was the one who selected and polished many of the embroidery patterns."

Tang Fu looked at Ji Zimo in disbelief, wondering if he had heard it wrong.

The old lady wanted to say something, but when she heard Ji Zimo speak up in support of his daughter-in-law, she held back.

Tan Meixue hurriedly supported Tang Fu: "I have no objection to my third sister-in-law opening a shop, but your shop should belong to the Ji family, and your future should be handed over to the government."

"No!" It was Ji Zimo who spoke again: "Has the fortune of my sister-in-law's dowry shop been handed over to the government?"

Tan Meixue was as if stung by a bee, and said hurriedly: "How can it be the same? Everyone knows that my third brother's wife didn't have a dowry?"

"Now I have it. Shuixiufang was originally opened by the eldest sister of the Shui family who found Siyifang, which gave her a way. The shop was opened with Qinghua's hard work. The person who manages the embroidery shop is the fourth son-in-law of the Shui family. All the people who work hard are members of the Shui family, so it should be considered Qinghua's private property. As for the public funds, I now have some income from writing for others, and I will allocate a part of it to my family. Are you satisfied, sister-in-law?"

When Tang Fu heard the word "writing fee", she was even more stunned. In just a few years, Ji Zimo had become someone she didn't recognize at all.

Shui Qinghua praised Ji Zimo in her heart. At the same time, she found that her previous guess was wrong. She thought that Tang Fu and Tan Meixue had conflicting interests, but she didn't expect that they had formed an alliance so early. What did Tang Fu rely on to impress Tan Meixue? After thinking about it, the only word that came to mind was "money". Tan Meixue had to pay back two hundred taels to the Ji family every year, which was not a small amount. So it was not impossible that the sister-in-law in the previous life colluded with Tang Fu in order to pay off the gambling debt.

Thinking of this, Shui Qinghua's eyes shot out two cold arrows, pointing directly at Tan Tang and the other two.

At this time, the second wife Sun Xiaolan, who had been silent, spoke.

"Sister-in-law, don't rush to take over my third brother's wife's shop. The New Year is coming soon, and the family needs money everywhere. I think the accounts don't seem right. Please help me solve the confusion."