High-class maid

Wang took the key, opened the door, and finally handed the key to Dali's family.

"Returning it to its rightful owner, young lady, please keep it safe."

"Don't worry, sister-in-law, we will definitely cherish this place. It's like an old friend to us. We won't realize how much we miss it until we leave."

"You guys catch up, I'll go look for work on the street."

Yuan Dali placed the package on the table and, without even taking a sip of water, prepared to leave.

"Why go? Can't you see the workers at your old workplace are all resting? You might as well stay home and rest for the afternoon. Your leg is hurting again, isn't it?" Dali's wife complained.

"Father, don't go out, play with Yi'er."

Yi'er also hugged Yuan Dali's leg and acted coquettishly.

"If they don't want me here, I'll go somewhere else. There's bound to be a place that wants me. If I don't hurry up and find a job, am I supposed to let you two starve with me?"

Yuan Dali squatted down and hugged his daughter, saying that he also wanted to stay home with his daughter all day, but the reality was that he couldn't rest for even a day! He still needed to save money to buy a courtyard house in the capital.

"Logically speaking, you've been in the capital for so many years, you should have some savings. Why are you in such a hurry, Brother Yuan?" Wang asked, puzzled.

"Stop talking. Most of the money was spent in the countryside. I was supposed to save enough to buy a house in a few more years, but now I have to start all over again."

Yuan Dali lowered his head after hearing his wife's words. He knew she was angry, but what could he do? She was his own mother!

“If you don’t mind, my pickled vegetable shop still needs staff, but it’s in the east of the city, and it’s a bit troublesome to travel there every day,” Wang said.

"Sister-in-law, you really opened a pickled vegetable shop! Congratulations! I don't mind at all. Now that I have a job, I'm glad. Why should I be picky? Other places either complain that we're too old or that I'm illiterate. As long as I don't cause you any trouble, that's good enough."

Even Yuan Dali looked at Wang Shi with hopeful eyes and stopped in his tracks as he was about to leave.

“Brother Yuan can also drive a carriage and feed the horses. From now on, the horses in my shop will be under your management. In addition, you will also be responsible for loading salted vegetables onto the carriage every day,” Wang said.

Yuan Dali nodded excitedly. As long as his sister-in-law's shop didn't go out of business, he could work there until he was old!

Pshaw, what are you thinking! How could it fail? It will definitely thrive and open branches all over Beijing! I'll become Wang's Pickled Vegetables' confidant someday!

Dali's wife was also very happy. She looked at Wang Shi with shining eyes, as if asking, "What about me?"

“Young lady, you’ll be in charge of sealing and filling the jars. It’s not a tiring job,” Wang said.

"It's okay if I'm tired, I have plenty of energy!"

"But you two are both at work, what about the two children?"

“Let them go back to school,” Yuan Dali said.

Despite her young age, Yi'er has already been attending a girls' high school in the capital for a year. Yuan Dali himself suffered from being illiterate, so no matter how high the tuition is, he is determined to make sure his children can read.

"Alright, you must have a lot to do since you've just arrived in the capital. Come find me next door when you've finished with your household matters." Madam Wang got up and was about to leave.

"Our sister-in-law has helped us so much since she arrived. How can we possibly repay her?"

After Wang left, Dali's wife asked her husband.

“Yes, shops in the capital prefer young men, not people our age. The best way to repay her is to do our job well and not slack off,” Yuan Dali said, looking at the door.

Dali nodded, "Listening to your husband is always the right thing to do."

With the arrival of Yuan Dali and his wife, Wang Shi had much less free time, and the pickled vegetable shop got back on track. Shen Kun also became more adept at dealing with shopkeepers in the capital. By July, Wang Shi had finally arranged her free time to prepare for moving and other matters.

"Xing'er, how's the flower pattern I asked you to draw coming along?"

It was a rare occasion for Lady Wang to visit Jinxiufang and inquire about matters.

It turns out that a woman needs to wear luxurious clothes for her wedding ceremony. This is the second most important set of clothes a woman will wear in her life, besides her wedding dress. Shen Xing'er herself owns a shop, so of course she wouldn't entrust such a matter to someone else.

"It's finished, it's finished. Mother, what do you think?"

Wang's arrival was also timely. Shen Xing'er had been pondering for a month and had only just finalized all the details today. The rest was up to the embroiderers to do.

"This is the outfit I wear indoors, this is the outfit I wear after putting on my hairpin, and this is the outfit I wear when I go to the ancestral temple to pay my respects," Shen Xing'er introduced them one by one.

The first outfit was an ordinary ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), but Wang noticed that her daughter had drawn flower buds on the cuffs and hem of the skirt, with scattered pearls on them.

The second outfit is a curved-hem deep robe, which is more elegant than a plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). The cuffs have also been changed from small to large, and a piece of fabric is tied at the waist, which should be able to outline the girl's waistline very well.

The fabric extends from the neck to the waist, echoing the belt, and is covered with blooming roses.

The third outfit is a long-sleeved formal dress, unlike the first two. This indicates that it can only be worn by adults, which is considered an advancement, so it is more luxurious and exquisite than the first two outfits.

"For the outer blouse, my daughter plans to choose a flowing brocade, with crimson as the main color and light yellow and moon white connecting the cuffs," Shen Xing'er said.

"You've always been a person with your own ideas, so I'm glad you like it." Madam Wang nodded in satisfaction.

This is my daughter's strength; she didn't come here today to complain, but to urge the work to be completed.

"Now that you've finished drawing, let the embroiderers stop what they're doing. It's time to start preparing your new dress," said Madam Wang.

Jinxiufang stopped accepting orders a month ago, and now the shop sells only embroidered items that were made before.

"Alright, let them start embroidering tomorrow."

Shen Xing'er nodded.

“Start embroidering today. What if it’s too late? What if it’s not right and needs to be altered? What time is it? You’re still so carefree, as if I’m the one who’s dying.”

Wang rolled her eyes at Shen Xing'er and said.

"Hehe, it's all because your mother cares about her daughter. Alright, alright, then let them embroider today," Shen Xing'er quickly coaxed.

"Then you go ahead with your work, I'm going to the best shop in the capital to pick out hairpins and hair ornaments for you."

These hairpins and hair ornaments were also the main focus of the day. Many well-off families would have a silver hairpin and a gold hair ornament made, but Wang Shi didn't particularly like gold and silver items. She planned to go to the shop first and hopefully buy one or two of the shop's prized possessions.

"Mother, please be careful on the road. If you can't find the right one today, try again tomorrow. I'm not in a hurry."

Shen Xing'er instructed without looking up, as she didn't have time to choose with Wang Shi, as she still needed to pick out fabrics to match the colors of her own clothes!

As expected, Shen Xing'er's words earned her a glare from Wang Shi. It's hard to tell who this girl thinks she is, given her carefree attitude.