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Embroidery required a lot of patience, which was precisely what Lin Dan lacked the most. Every few quarters of an hour, she would become very anxious and cannot continue. However, the Lin family had fallen, so she had no choice but to learn embroidery and revive the family business. Therefore, she had to find an effective way to suppress the anxiety in her heart and smoothen her sharp edges.
The wooden blocks and posts in the house were visibly decreasing. When Fourth Aunt was cooking, she complained to the servant for being too diligent and chopping the wood into too small, making it difficult for her to control the fire. The servant felt distressed in his heart, but he didn't dare to express it. He was a little scared after seeing the young lady's fierceness while chopping the woods.
Every day, Lin Dan practiced embroidery for a while and chopped wood for a while. When her waist and legs didn't hurt anymore, she felt better when taking the needle. Eventually, she felt that her vile was reducing, and she was more flexible and calmer.
She had thought that violence was her nature, but it didn't seem like that. It was more like a sequela caused by some memorable experience than her nature, which just needed a little patience to shape it. Strictly speaking, her temperament was more like water, which could change with the situation. It could lubricate things silently and also surge like a raging tide.
One day, she sat for two hours before she took out the ax and was about to regulate her mood, but she saw the servant, Cuilan (jade orchid), walking in with a strange expression.
"What happened?" Lin Dan asked casually as she adjusted the wooden post properly.
After looking around, Cuilan lowered her voice and said, "The Du siblings have moved here for more than a month, but they have never talked to us. Today, for some reason, they sent someone to send a cart of gifts."
"What is there to be strange about? More than a month ago, they had to tidy up their new home, so naturally, they were not in the mood to make friends with their neighbors." Lin Dan split the wooden post evenly into two with a single strike. Then she placed them properly and chopped them into four pieces, followed by six, eight…
Since the servant was scolded by the two aunts, she didn't simply vent her anger. Instead, she chopped the wooden piles into strips so that they could be carried to the kitchen to use.
Cuilan got even closer to her and asked, "You have no idea, Young Miss. It's not surprising that they gave us gifts after more than a month. What's strange is that his family sent us a cart of wood! The wood that was a few feet long can't be used as wood, nor it's good to make furniture. It's useless except for being used as firewood. What do you think that means? It doesn't seem that they were so poor and can't afford a gift, right? Madam Lin is unhappy now. She thinks that they are bullying us."
However, Lin Dan grinned and said happily, "Woodpile? That was great!" She didn't mind it at all. She could chop as much as they gave, which saved them from spending money to buy firewood.
Cuilan was speechless.
She shouldn't have discussed this with the young lady!
The two were like dialogue of the deaf. What they didn't know was that behind a wall, Du Rusong was leaning against a tree trunk, eavesdropping on their conversation, with a faint smirk at the corners of his lips.
"Brother, Brother, I heard that today you sent a cart of wood to the next-door neighbor? Let me tell you, we are no longer the son and daughter of the emperor. We can't play tricks on others like this!" A girl in a butterfly dress rushed into the yard and shouted.
The faint smile at the corners of Du Rusong's mouth immediately disappeared. When he tried to listen again, he found no sound from the next door anymore.
"Brother, what tricks are you playing? They didn't mess with us. Let's not mess with them!" The girl was still shouting, which made Du Rusong's face darken. Then, when he was about to scold his sister, the chopping firewood crackling sounded again. It was not disturbed by their conversation at all.
Du Rusong covered his mouth and chuckled.
However, Du Ruyan seemed to have understood the warning message. She pointed at the other end of the wall and said, "Did you hear that? No one would chop wood in the garden. You must have annoyed her. She deliberately chopped wood to protest!" The two houses used to be one. After that, the owner of the house divided the house into two and sold it. The big garden in the center was separated into two small gardens by a wall. The layout was identical.
The more Du Ruyan thought about it, the more she felt like this. She lifted up her dress and climbed up the treetop, trying to see how angry her neighbor was, being annoyed by her brother. But she didn't expect that it would be a little girl who was chopping the firewood. She had a round face, round eyes, and a round little nose. She looked very delicate and lovely.
Du Ruyan immediately favored the little girl who looked like a doll. She waved her hand and said, "Hey little sister, is it because my family has sent you a cart of wood, so you're angry?"
Lin Dan picked up a new wooden post and chopped it in half. She shook her head and said, "No, I'm practicing embroidery."
"But you are chopping wood!" said Du Ruyan with a smile.
Du Rusong also leaped up to the treetop and looked at the little girl with a smile. Seeing that she chopped a wooden post into even-sized wood strips with ease, his eyes couldn't help but darken. He knew at a glance that this little girl was not just simply chopping wood to vent her anger, but it had the consistency. It was impossible for her to achieve such a chopping skill without more than ten years of hard cultivation.
As soon as he became vigilant, he suddenly realized that the family's background was indeed not clean. In the past, Lin Dafu and Zhang Hui were brigands, and they were skilled at killing people. So it was no surprise for them to teach their little girl such a thing.
Thinking of the little girl's background, looking at her lovely appearance, and thinking of her bold personality, Du Rusong somehow wanted to laugh.
Lin Dan didn't look at him; instead, she stared at Du Ruyan. She often heard from Cuilan that the young lady next door was beautiful. Today she saw her, and it was indeed as pretty as described. Compared with Du Rusong's accentuated facial features, Du Ruyan looked gentler and more delicate. She climbed up the treetop in a dress full of the embroidered butterfly as if a fairy descended to the world, with a very attractive spirit.
Lin Dan was very patient with her; she pointed at the embroidery rack behind her and explained, "I feel uncomfortable after sitting for a long time. I always want to chop things. I will finish chopping these woods before continuing embroidery."
"Oh, I see." Du Ruyan was suddenly enlightened. She looked at her brother thoughtfully and said, "Can you show me the flowers you embroidered?"
"Here you are." Lin Dan put down the ax and picked up the embroidery frame.
The expectant expression on Du Ruyan's face froze slightly and praised, "It's quite lifelike. You did a great job." She couldn't figure out what it was, so she didn't dare to say anything more.
"Thank you. If you need anything in the future, you can come to me to buy embroidery. Sooner or later, I will be better than Meng Si." Lin Dan said earnestly.
"Yes, I will. If I need anything, I will come to you." Du Ruyan gave an awkward smile but couldn't bear to tell the truth. With the little girl's embroidery skill, she would never be able to catch up with Meng Si, let alone one day in the future. Meng Si began to learn embroidery at the age of three. How old is the little girl? It seemed that she was fourteen years old, right? It was a bit too late.
Unexpectedly, Du Rusong, who always had a sharp tongue, nodded and said, "I believe you can surpass Meng Si in a short time. If you are short of wood, you can come to me as you wish." After saying that, he chuckled again. His handsome features shone even on a bright spring day.
Cuilan's eyes were stunned, and her mouth was wide open as if going to drool. However, Lin Dan remained unmoved. She nodded and said, "Thank you. After I finish the embroidery, I will give one for free." She said confidently.
"You're welcome, Young Lady." Du Rusong couldn't help laughing. Then, seeing that his sister still wanted to talk to her, he held the back of her neck and jumped off the tree. After moving in for more than a month, he had already figured out the little girl's daily routine. After chopping two wooden piles, she should practice embroidery now, and he couldn't waste her time.
"Brother, you were really good at talking just now. If you behave like this when you are at home, Father will never deprive you of being the crown prince." Du Ruyan looked at her brother with an ambiguous smile. With such lovely gift and sweet words. Was her brother in love?
"I'm not lying," Du Rusong said firmly. "Sooner or later, the little girl will be able to make it. You just wait and see." Embroidery could also create such a ruthless force of killing, and she forced herself to sit day and night and practice hard all the time. With such perseverance, what couldn't the little girl do?
Du Ruyan shook her head and snorted, completely ignoring her brother's words.
On the other side, Lin Dan was already wholeheartedly immersed in embroidery. Every stitch of the embroidery was smooth, neat, and dense. Another three months had passed, and she had mastered several basic embroidery techniques. She was also good at tailoring. She even made Zhang Hui and two aunts, each a dress, which fitted them very well.
One day, the two aunts finally changed the teaching and said, "You have learned all seven basic embroidery techniques. It's too bad that we are not well versed in the more advanced embroidery techniques, so we can't teach you."
Lin Dan shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter. In the first place, the person who invented embroidery also didn't know anything and relied on oneself to discover them bit by bit. Every embroidery technique was figured out day and night by the embroiderer. If they can do it, so can I."
The two concubines were relieved and said, "It's the best for you to have such thinking. There are some exquisite embroidery works kept in our house. Your father has found them all over the country. We'll bring them to you later. Maybe you will get inspiration from those works. From today onwards, we will teach you how to draw. No matter how skilled an embroiderer is, she can't do anything without beautiful drawings. If you can draw well, you will be able to gain even higher achievements. It is heard that Meng Si is very good at drawing. She doesn't even need to sketch on the embroidery cloth when she embroiders; She could easily embroider at her fingertips. The finished product is quite spiritual. Many of her embroidery works are comparable with the top masters in the world. Master Painter Wu's one painting can be sold for thousands of taels of silver, while one of her embroideries can also be sold at the same price. It is said that her embroidery works are not inferior to those peerless paintings. It can be seen that being good at drawing is very important to embroidery."
Lin Dan nodded in agreement and didn't dare to slack off.
The two aunts took out another few more spools of thread and said, "Before learning to draw, we will teach you to identify colors. If the drawing is the foundation of the embroidery, then the color is the soul of the embroidery. Only by combining the two perfectly then only will it produce the world's masterpiece. Look, there are four colors of silk threads in my hand, deep green, dark green, medium green, light green…"
Lin Dan looked at the embroidery thread, shook her head, and said, "Aunt, you're wrong. There are six colors here."
The two concubines looked at the silk thread and then at her serious face. They suddenly felt a little shocked.Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @
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The two aunts checked the silk threads several times and shook their heads. "There are four colors."
"Nope, there are six colors." Lin Dan took over the silk threads and arranged them in different types. One deep green, one dark green, one medium green, and one light green. She picked up the other two and said slowly, "This color is between deep green and dark green, and this color is between medium green and light green. The difference is so obvious. Can't you see it?"
Seeing that the two aunts shook their heads in a daze, she took out a white embroidery cloth and put the silk thread on it as a reference. Then, seeing that they still couldn't tell the difference, she placed the deep green silk thread at the bottom and put the silk thread between the deep green and the dark green color above. In this way, the two finally saw a slight difference between the two threads. But when they looked carefully, they felt that they saw wrongly.
"There is really a slight difference, isn't there?" Third Aunt gave an uncertain look to Fourth Aunt.
"I think so?" Fourth Aunt answered reluctantly.
Lin Dan held her forehead and wanted to sigh. They couldn't even recognize these colors; how could they teach her? The two aunts were too unreliable.
However, soon, the two aunts laughed wildly and said proudly, "We thought that our child was not talented, but now it seems that's not the case. As you know, in the field of embroidery, the embroidery skill is important, but the color is even more important. A simple design, as long as little more color is added to it, it would become completely different. Ordinary people can't tell the colors you showed us just now. It can be seen that you are born to be extremely sensitive to colors. You are more skillful in color matching than others. This kind of talent is one in a million. Even Meng Si is far inferior to you. Today, we will show you the use of colors in embroidery."
The two aunts drew two five petals flowers on the embroidery cloth, one with a silk thread of different shades but of the same color, another with a single colored silk thread, and Lin Dan compared the difference. Although the single-colored five petals flower was adorable, it was dull compared to the multi-colored five petals flower.
The five petals flower was embroidered with silk threads of the same color. The tip of the petal was a little pinkish-white and gradually turned into water red. When it extended to the stamen, it had become a little purplish. The colors varied, layer by layer, and there was almost no trace of oddness.
It was just a regular pattern and a simple embroidery work, but it would bring such astonishing feelings after adding some color transformations. Lin Dan stared at the two flowers for a long time, realized, and said, "Auntie, I finally can understand. Color matching is the soul of embroidery. If you apply it well, no matter how common the pattern is, it will shine vividly. I will definitely learn how to draw and how to apply colors well."
"Great! Here are some drawings. You can learn to copy first, then only you learn to draw by yourself. You can draw whatever you want, and gradually you will acquire the drawing skills." The two aunts gave a few drawing books to Lin Dan and went out to work.
The book recorded several of Meng Si's works, all of which were ink paintings. A small bridge, a river, people, and a boat sailing down with the current; it looked very artistic. Lin Dan had planned to copy her painting, but she didn't move her brush for a long time. These paintings should be inspired by Meng Si's memory. She discovered the beauty of life and engraved them in her heart. After returning home, she sketched them out with a brush.
But Lin Dan had no memory. What she could see in her mind was only the fragments of the original host's memory. She couldn't find the beauty of life, nor could she sketch with her imagination. She had neither past nor future. She only had the present.
She couldn't draw, so she stayed in a daze for a long time before she closed the album. She sketched a picture of a blooming peony in the garden. She could only draw the scene she saw right before her eyes. The reflection of the sun, the gradual change in the shadow and the vibrance of the colors. She recorded them on paper as they were. She used a brush and three primary colors mixed into countless shades of colors. She colored them bit by bit and slowly piled them up. She had no idea how incredible her work was.
Cuilan, who was still a little careless, was now stunned. "Young… Young Miss, the peony you painted is the same as real!"
Lin Dan stared at the painting for a while, shook her head, and said, "If this painting was turned back to embroidery, I need at least more than a hundred colors. But, unfortunately, as far as I know, there are only thirty colors of embroidery threads on the market at most, so it still doesn't work."
"No, no, no. You're wrong, Young Miss. Many embroiderers only buy white embroidery thread and dye them themselves after buying. If you want to embroider this flower, we can dye the colors ourselves. Third and Fourth Aunt can do it." Cuilan waved her hands excitedly. She was astounded by her young lady's painting skill. She had been in Lin Family Embroidery Shop for many years, so she naturally knew what qualities a top embroiderer should possess. Exquisite embroidery was just one of them. In addition, one also needed to possess excellent painting skills, stunning design, accurate and unique color matching, and a little ingenuity.
Young Miss's embroidery skill was just average, but she had remarkable painting skills, design, color matching, and ingeniousness. As long as she was given some more time to practice the embroidery, she would definitely surpass Meng Si! At first, Cuilan didn't have much hope for Lin Dan, but she had completely changed her mind as time went by.
Lin Dan was confident in herself all the time. She took out a piece of white paper and wrote while talking, "Well, in addition to embroidery, drawing, and color matching, I have another skill to learn now." She wrote a word – dyeing.
From this day on, the Lin family had another expense, which was to buy dye. The dye in the market was costly. Zhang Hui gritted her teeth and sold some of her dowries, and bought carts of dye. She didn't know if the cost was worth it, nor did she know if her daughter could become a talent, but it was always good to have a thought in her heart.
In this way, Lin Dan led a busier life than before. When she came to her senses, more than half a year had passed. The woodpile in the woodshed was not wasted for three to four successive months. There was no need to vent her anger. She was calm for a whole day, and her embroidery skill had improved by leaps and bounds.
One day, when she passed by the garden, she heard the familiar sound of chopping wood posts from the next door. She couldn't help but feel curious. She leaped up the wall without hesitation and looked down. She saw Du Rusong was holding a broadsword, chopping the wooden posts around him. From his steps and body movements you could know that he was actually skilled at kung fu.
Perhaps he was tired of chopping; he had taken off his shirt, revealing his muscular body. His body was covered with sweat. The sweat slid down along the muscle lines to the abdomen, merged into the mermaid line, and disappeared in the lower part of his robe. He usually liked to wear a smart and elegant robe, and his hair was neatly tied behind his head. He looked pretty noble. But today, his clothes were disheveled, with his hair dangling. There was indescribable wildness and temptation aura inside him.
He looked thin, but in fact, he was stronger than anyone else, and his martial arts were remarkable. Lin Dan had never seen anyone else kung fu, but she was inexplicably convinced that she would praise someone else's kung fu, which meant he was undoubtedly a master.
"What are you looking at?" Then, when she was in a daze, Du Rusong had turned around and wiped the sweat slowly.
"You are good!" Lin Dan said honestly.
Seeing that there was no shyness on her face and no flirtatious in her eyes as if she was looking at a wooden post. Du Rusong was at a loss whether to cry or to laugh. The little girl was not only tough but also, she saw no difference between genders. So how did her parents teach her?
Lin Dan didn't think there was anything inappropriate for the man to be topless. She seemed to have seen many of these scenes. She continued, "You used to practice swordsmanship, didn't you?"
Du Rusong took a glimpse at his treasured swords placed on the weapon rack. He nodded and said, "Yes, I've just practiced broadsword recently." He was depressed and still couldn't solve it. However, seeing that the little girl was so energetic while chopping the wood, he couldn't help but try. The result was quite satisfying. Since he began to practice sword skills, he hadn't thought about the bad things in the past for a long time.
"Your sword skills are stunning and mastered well. It is also very lethal when it's used on the battlefield. It is indeed more practical than swordsmanship. Since you are so skillful, why don't you join the army? With your strength, you can be a general in a few years!" Lin Dan straddled the wall and said in a serious tone with a hint of grief.
If she was as skillful as the boy, she would have already gone to the military. How could she stay at home to embroider?
Du Rusong couldn't help smiling when he thought of Lin Dan's bold words. He wiped his sweat, put on an outer robe, and said, "Do you think joining the military is realizable?" Not long after Li Ran came to Zhejiang, he was only in charge of government affairs and didn't join the military. If he joined the army, he might have a way out. However, the relationship in the military was not as simple as in the imperial court. The battlefield was a cruel place to be at. He was not afraid of death. He was just scared that if he died, there was no one to take care of his sister and aunt.
Lin Dan didn't know his worries and said firmly, "It's realizable. In the military camp, the strong one could stand out. You are so skillful. It's a pity that you don't join the army."
Du Rusong pondered for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject, "How's your embroidery skill?"
Lin Dan was stunned for a moment. Then she took out an embroidered cloth and said, "This is my new artwork. Have a look at it."
Du Rusong's careless expression was immediately replaced by astonishment. A peony was blooming on the white embroidered cloth. The light-yellow fluffy stamen seemed to be stained with some fine pollen. The petals spread layer by layer, and the color was from deep to light and gradually dyed. The side facing the sun was vibrant, while the side against the light was slightly darker and dull. It gave more texture to it. Several dewdrops rolled on the clearly-veined leaves as if they would fall off with a slight shake.
It didn't seem to be embroidery. It was a real blooming peony in the wind.
Du Rusong subconsciously touched the petals to confirm if they were real.
"How is it?" Lin Dan asked expectantly.
Du Rusong took a deep breath and smiled, "I'll join the army tomorrow."
Lin Dan frowned and didn't understand why he could change the subject swiftly.
Du Rusong gave the embroidered cloth back to her and explained, "Since you can cultivate the embroidery skill to such a superb degree, I can also join the army." He had seen Lin Dan go through it step by step. At first, she couldn't even hold the needle steadily, but she never thought of giving up. Instead, she forced herself to sit in front of the embroidery rack and practice. Day by day, month by month… In the end, she mastered the embroidery skill and temper herself. Such perseverance was the only thing he had seen in his life.
He still remembered that Lin Dan's first work was a tuft of things that couldn't recognize the shape at all. However, it had only been more than five months, she could already embroider a flower onto her embroidery cloth.
Her painting was so vivid, and her embroidering skill was so extraordinary that he was amazed. But, at the same time, she let him realize that where there's a will, there's a way. As a grown-up man, why couldn't he do what a little girl could do?Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @
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Seeing that Du Rusong highly praised her work, a smile finally appeared on Lin Dan's serious face. She waved her hand. When she was about to jump off the wall and go home for dinner, she saw Du Ruyan rushed over, sweeping through the flowers and grasses on both sides along the way. Her beautiful face was tense, and her eyes were full of anger.
"What happened?" Du Rusong frowned.
"Brother, I almost got pissed off today!" At the sight of the closest person, Du Ruyan, who had endured for a long time, she finally shed two streams of tears and said aggrievedly, "Half a month later, there will be a Buddhist Ceremony held in the Faxing (flourishing Dharma) Temple. During the Buddhist Ceremony, all the young talents of Lin'an Prefecture will gather. As you know, I'm old enough that I will become an old woman if I still don't get married. Shouldn't I be more sociable?"
Initially, Du Ruyan was a lady of the imperial palace. So, she didn't have to worry about getting married, but she had a former empress aunt, and her mother was divorced. How could such a background deserve the sons of the rich and noble family? So naturally, her fiancé broke off the engagement with her and married another woman. Now, she was nineteen years old. Other girls might have given birth to a few children, but she was still wasting her time.
Thinking of the past, Du Ruyan felt even more bitter. She gritted her teeth and said, "In order to attend the Buddhist Ceremony, I want to make a new dress. Today in Meng Clan Embroidery Shop, I saw a piece of simple and lovely embroidered silk. The cotton rose on the silk was mesmerizing and vibrant. It was embroidered by Meng Si herself. I immediately took out my money to buy it, but it was taken by Li Jiarong, who came later. I told her that I came first, and I paid for it first. The silk should be sold to me, but the shopkeeper ignored me. He returned the money to me, wrapped the embroidered cloth, and took it to Li Jiarong's carriage. When Li Jiarong left, she mocked me that I was an unfeathered phoenix. I clenched my palm so hard to tolerate her, and I didn't cause a scene. Brother, I've changed my character. I didn't cause you any trouble this time."
Du Ruyan stretched out her hand and showed it to Du Rusong. There were indeed many bloody crescent marks on it, which were quite frightful when looking at it.
Du Rusong's eyes darkened and showed a look of pity.
Du Ruyan wiped her tears and said, "That piece of cloth was taken. I want to buy another one, so I ask the shopkeeper if there is any cloth embroidered by Meng Si. The shopkeeper told me that nowadays, Meng Si only does embroidery on screen, not clothes. Then I asked him what Li Jiarong took away just now. The shopkeeper said that I couldn't wear the clothes embroidered by Meng Si unless I'm also the governor's daughter. He also told me that Meng Si only embroidered clothes for the nobles. What am I?"
Du Ruyan tilted her head; her eyes were full of unwillingness, "Brother, did you foresee this day would happen to us? Do you envision that we will be reprimanded and scolded by others on this day for not being something?" Speaking of this, she slowly lowered her head and covered her face to prevent her brother from seeing her on the verge of emotional breakdown.
Du Rusong held his sister, who had lost weight, into his arms and patted her. His face looked calm, but his heart was raging. After all, he was too incompetent, causing his mother, aunt, and sister to suffer from these humiliations. Nevertheless, he was willing to do anything as long as he could have the power to control and protect his most important person.
After Lin Dan listened to the conversation, she tentatively asked, "Miss Du, do you still need embroidered cloth?"
Du Rusong's eyes lit up, and he said immediately, "Of course, I need it."
Lin Dan rubbed her hands and felt a little excited, but she didn't show it on her face. She said with a serious look, "Then can you give me five taels of silver as a deposit. I have to buy embroidery threads and cloth. I can tailor clothes for you after embroidering, but the price will be slightly higher."
"Five taels of silver? No problem." Du Rusong immediately took out a silver ingot from his wallet and handed it to the little girl sitting on the wall.
"This is twelve." Holding the silver ingot in her hand, she jumped off the wall without saying a word and leaped into the Du family's small garden. She picked up the broadsword thrown aside by Du Rusong and chopped the silver in half.
Du Ruyan was frightened by her brother's compulsion and Lin Dan's aggressive behavior. She forgot all her grievances, and she didn't cry anymore. She stared at the little girl with a broadsword in her hand and silver in another hand in shock.
"No," Du Ruyan grabbed her brother's sleeve and said, "I'll find the cloth myself. Don't have to trouble the little girl." Up until now, she still remembered the girl's "masterpiece", so she didn't dare to wear it.
However, Du Rusong ignored her pleading. Instead, he took over the cut half silver ingot and said with a smile, "Miss Lin, please measure my sister's size and embroider whatever pattern you like. Then, we can negotiate the price."
Lin Dan waved her hand, "When the clothes are ready, you can give me based on your satisfaction. If you are not satisfied with it, you can pay me a little less; if you are happy with it, you can pay me a little more. Anyway, it's my first business deal. I'm not familiar with the market price, so I'm okay with it as long as I'm not losing money. But, of course, when I become famous in the future, the price will be higher."
Du Rusong had already been used to Lin Dan's boldness. The coldness on his face gradually receded and was replaced with ease. When he got along with the next door's little girl, he could have no burden. He didn't need to guess her motives for what she had said, nor did he need to deliberately distance himself from her in case of getting into trouble. It was good to settle here.
However, Du Ruyan was shocked by her brother's decision. She wanted to shout, "I don't want to, please let me be." But she didn't want to hurt the little girl's self-esteem. It was just a waste of a bit of silver. When the clothes were done, she would put them at the bottom of the suitcase. The little girl had already worked very hard to learn embroidery to support Lin Family Embroidery Shop. She couldn't discourage her enthusiasm anymore.
Thinking of this, Du Ruyan had no choice but to compromise. She put on a straight face and asked Lin Dan to do the measurement. With the help of her brother and Lin Dan, the resentment and unwillingness in her heart receded; she couldn't help but laugh.
"I will bring you the clothes before the Buddhist Ceremony." Lin Dan jotted down Du Ruyan's size, climbed up the wall, and leaped over. Her movement was nimble.
Du Ruyan was stunned and reminded, "Brother, you just let her simply climb over our wall? If things go on like this, our house will be her back garden. She can come in and out as she wants."
If someone else dared to do so, Du Rusong would have broken the person's leg. But now, he just smiled and waved his hand indifferently. "It doesn't matter. Miss Lin knows what she is doing."
Du Ruyan looked at her brother for a while, then shook her head and left.
—
This was the first deal that Lin Dan received. It was also the first move for her to reopen the embroidery shop. So naturally, she didn't dare to slack off. After getting the deposit, she sneaked out of her house with Cuilan to buy embroidery threads and cloth. But the slightly better fabrics on the market were costly. Five taels silver could only buy some leftover bits and pieces.
"Miss, we still have some good cloth in the storehouse. Madam left it to you as your dowry. You can use the cloth at home. Then ask Young Master Du to pay you when you're done making the clothes." Cuilan suggested.
"Okay, let's go." Lin Dan put a large bundle of white embroidered threads into the basket. She had been used to buying threads and dyeing them by herself. Since the color of the threads on the market was too few for her to work on.
When the two were walking halfway, Lin Dan changed her mind. "How about we go to the Buddhist temple to have a look?" One could wear whatever one liked at home, but when outside, one had to dress according to the occasion. She had to see what Faxing Temple looked like with her own eyes to find inspiration for embroidering clothes.
Cuilan also wanted to go and have some fun, so she nodded and said, "Okay, the temple is not far from here. We will arrive there in 45 minutes."
The two came to Faxing Temple, and visited the whole place, and donated some incense money. They didn't go home until the sun was about to set. With the guidance of the young monk, Lin Dan knew that on the day of the Buddhist Ceremony, the young talents of Lin'an Prefecture would hold a poetry conference, which would be held in the garden behind the Hall of Great Strength.
Lin Dan didn't remember how enormous the temple was, nor did she remember how graceful the Bodhisattvas were. All she remembered was that when she walked into the growing autumn garden, her soul was taken away by a huge ginkgo tree that had lived for a thousand years. According to the young monk, this ginkgo was planted a thousand years ago by the emperor of the Qin Kingdom. It endured countless winds and frost. Yet, after several dynasties, it was still lush and strong. Its trunk was as big as five people's arms. The huge treetop towered into the sky, covering the sky and the sun.
The autumn breeze dyed it a bright golden color; the unique-shape ginkgo leaves fell from the tree like raindrops. When she looked up, her eyes were full of dazzling colors, clear blue sky, and the bright sunlight shone between the branches like stars as if she was prying into another world through a kaleidoscope. That scene could only be described as breath-taking.
At that time, Lin Dan was stunned. It took her 15 minutes to recover from the beauty of nature. After leaving the temple, her mind was filled with golden ginkgo leaves. Some dangling at the top of the tree, some flying in mid-air, and some lying on the ground. It was so dazzling and eye-catching.
When she finally got rid of this kind of heart-shock and was about to reach the front door of her house, Zhang Hui was holding a feather duster in her hand and stared at her fiercely. "Where have you been today? You had just been quiet for a few months, and now you're back to your real state, aren't you? I'll make you lazy and disobedient!"
Zhang Hui chased behind her daughter and beat her. She felt disappointed and angry.
Lin Dan subconsciously covered her head with her hands and explained while running, "Mom, don't be angry. I received an embroidery business today, and I went out to buy threads."
"With your poor embroidery skills, what kind of embroidery business did you get? Who looks upon you? Third and Fourth Aunt just praised you in front of me today. They said that you were talented and only needed to work a little harder to be successful. But when I was about to see you, you disappeared, and even the embroidery rack was empty! You've just learned a little and have started to slack off. How can you support this family in the future? Look at Meng Si; she has learned embroidery for more than ten years. Her skills are tip-top, but she still practices diligently every day! Who do you think you are to slack off?" Zhang Hui was so angry that her eyes turned red, but she couldn't do anything to her daughter. She neither wanted to beat her daughter too hard nor too soft that her daughter would take it lightly. If she had known that the Lin family would become like this, she shouldn't have spoiled her daughter so much, making her so willful and lazy.
After running into the hall, Lin Dan hid behind the two aunts and explained, "I'm not slacking off. This is my embroidery. Mom and Aunties, please have a look at it first. I thought I could have finished my apprenticeship, so I accepted the embroidery job."Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @
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Translator:NovelMultiverseEditor:NovelMultiverse
Zhang Hui put down the feather duster skeptically and took the embroidered cloth. Then she was stunned. The two aunts saw her expression and quickly approached her. They were also stunned.
"Is, is this really your embroidery?" Zhang Hui said in a trembling voice.
"Yes, it is. It took me a whole month to finish it." Lin Dan finally sat down and took a deep breath.
Fourth Aunt touched the stamen of the peony and the dewdrop on the leaf. Then she sighed, "This stamen is embroidered using seed embroidery technique. It is done by twining the thread on the needle three times and making it into a knot, which can imitate the real shape of the stamen; The petals were using elaborate embroidery technique, the color is very natural. From light red to deep red, the colors are smudged with strand by strand of threads. It is almost impossible to find the joining ends between the colors; it is smooth; The stem is embroidered using the crewel embroidery technique, giving texture to it. The veins of the leaves were definite and lifelike. The most eye-catching ones were the dewdrops. They were embroidered with the Hardanger embroidery technique to form a protruding surface. It can see the reflection of the sunlight through the dewdrops. The color recedes, and the bending of lines, everything looks real. If I hadn't touched it with my hand, I would have thought that a few dewdrops were dropped by Dan'er."
Third Aunt nodded and clicked her tongue. "Oh my God! Our Dan'er is so amazing. She has used a total of more than 20 kinds of embroidery techniques in this embroidery. Many of them are extremely difficult. Even Fourth Sister and I can't master them well. Apart from that, her color-matching was the most outstanding. A good embroidery work emphasizes seven key points: neat, lighting, straight, even, thin, smooth, and dense. However, Dan'er's work had completely breached these concepts. She didn't seek neat and even lighting, but instead, she combined the change in light and shadow and the shades of colors together. The side facing the light is bright and vibrant, while the side against the light is dark and dull. The overlapping connection between light and shadow was very natural as if it was real. These dewdrops were the best to reflect the characteristic. The needlework is still the same. But once the color scheme is changed, the light and shadow are added, the flower becomes lifelike."
Third Aunt took out a piece of Meng Si's work and said proudly, "Sister, come and have a look. This is Meng Si's peony flower. What do you think?"
Zhang Hui didn't know much about embroidery, but anyone with eyes could notice the difference between the two embroidery works. She stared at her daughter's embroidered cloth and said in a trembling voice, "I think the peony flower embroidered by my daughter is thousands of times better than those embroidered by Meng Si."
Third Aunt smiled in relief and said, "Yes, it's true. Although Dan'er's embroidering skills may not be as good as Meng Si's, her color-matching and drawing skills were far better than Meng Si. It is impossible to find a second one like Dan'er, even if you travel throughout the Great Zhou Kingdom, let alone Su Province, who can have such embroidery work. But, of course, a top embroiderer must first have her own style so that others could call out her name at the sight of her work. Our Dan'er has yet to complete her apprenticeship, but she did such amazing work. But in time, she would be the world's first-class embroiderer. So, Sister, you can't belittle your daughter with Meng Si anymore. Our Dan'er is no worse than anyone else."
Lin Dan, who was gulping water, quickly put down the teacup and straightened her chest. Although she was very confident in herself, she still needs affirmation from others.
Zhang Hui nodded happily, with tears welled up in her eyes.
Lin Dan felt grieved. She walked over and patted her on the back, and called Mother in a low voice. Now that she was here, replacing the original host, she would take care of the original host's family and shoulder the responsibility. She would also restore the former glory of Lin Family Embroidery Shop.
Fourth Aunt shook her head and said, "Sister, you're wrong. What do you mean by Dan'er's embroidery skills are not as good as Meng Si's? I think this embroidery has used at least twenty kinds of embroidery techniques, including the unique, elaborate embroidery technique and needlework created by Ye Jinxiu (beautiful embroidery). Ye Jinxiu was the former imperial embroiderer of the previous dynasty, known as the God of Needles. Since Dan'er can master her unique skills, how can she be worse than Meng Si?"
Third Aunt stared at the embroidered cloth for a long time, hesitated, and said, "How can you be sure that Dan'er applies Ye Jinxiu's elaborate embroidery technique and needlework? I think it's just a little similar. You need to know that Ye's embroidery techniques of Ye Jinxiu have been lost for a long time, and no one knows how to use them."
Fourth Aunt said firmly, "My father once gave me an embroidered work of Ye Jinxiu. I observed and studied it day and night, so how can I not recognize it? This is Ye Jinxiu's elaborate embroidery technique and needlework. How did you learn it, Dan'er? Quickly tell me!"
Lin Dan ran into the yard and took her own needle and thread box over and said plainly, "I cut open the God of Needles' embroidery work. I looked for every needlepoint and marked the position, then only I learned how to mix and apply needles. Not only that, but I also cut open Embroiderer Su's lion tiger artwork and Embroiderer Fang's little elephant of the former Chu Dynasty's Ping (tranquility) Prince. I learned their unique skills, fur embroidery technique, and face splitting embroidery technique, respectively. Here is the cut embroidery. The black dots on the cloth are the needlepoint I marked. You can just follow the needlepoints, and definitely, you will master it."
Embroiderer Su and Embroiderer Fang were two other tip-top embroiderers in the same era as Ye Jinxiu. One of the two was skilled at embroidering beasts, and the other was skilled at embroidering figures. They invented the fur embroidery technique and the face splitting embroidery technique, respectively, to show the fluffy and delicate fur of the animals and the textures of human skin. Their style of work was the same as that of Lin Dan, in which they only cared about the realness. How to make embroidery as lifelike as possible was the lifelong pursuit of the two.
In the tireless pursuit and grinding, they finally became successful for a whole generation, shining in the river of history like Ye Jinxiu. Therefore, their works rarely appeared on the market. They were either kept in the palace or in the hands of the nobles. Any of them could be sold at a sky-high price.
It could be said that Lin Dafu had spared his life to collect these three works. But now, they had turned into three pieces of rags and were simply placed in Lin Dan's needle and thread box.
Third and Fourth Aunt collapsed on the chair with their hands clenched on their chests, while Zhang Hui picked up the feather duster. She tried to tell herself that she was her daughter and must hold back her anger!
Lin Dan saw that the situation was not right. Lin Dan immediately explained, "Mom, Aunties, don't think it's a pity. Although these three works were precious, shouldn't the more valuable things be the techniques to embroider them? I've mastered the needlework from the three embroiders, and I'll be able to embroider more flower and bird patterns, lion and tiger patterns, and figures and elephants in the future. Then, maybe a few centuries later, people will collect my embroidery and call me the God of Needles. Don't you think so?"
"Yes, that makes sense." The two aunts broke free from the feeling of heartache and said with tears, "Dan'er, since you have cut open the embroidery works, you must study them carefully!"
"Don't worry, Aunties. I've almost finished studying them." Lin Dan comforted her.
Zhang Hui gritted her teeth, and, at last, she let go of the feather duster. She didn't know whether she should laugh or cry. "Things are dead, and people are living. As long as my daughter is promising, I will be happier than anything else. Third Sister, Fourth Sister, you can also study the cut open embroidery works. In the future, we will work together and reopen the embroidery shop. Since today, Lin Dan has finished her apprenticeship. Let's kill a chicken to celebrate. Oh, by the way, Dan'er, you said that you have got an embroidery job. Who is that hirer?"
"It's Miss Du. She is going to attend the Buddhist Ceremony in half a month." Lin Dan finally breathed a sigh of relief. She also knew that the embroidery works left by her father were very precious. So she shouldn't destroy it unless she had to. However, most of the tip-top embroiderers came from aristocratic families, and they would never pass their family heirloom to outsiders. So the reason why Meng Si was famous in Su Province and Hang Province was because of her family history.
In this case, Lin Dan couldn't find a top embroiderer as a master. If she was left to figure out herself, she might surpass Meng Si one day, but the time would be very long, three or five years, or even ten, twenty years.
Lin Dan wanted to learn it quickly, so she had no other way but to destroy the precious embroidery works.
What she could think of, Zhang Hui could definitely think of it. When she looked at her daughter, the anger she had just felt had dissipated entirely and turned into comfort and joy. "Our daughter has grown up, and she has become more and more decisive, just like your father. So you must work hard this time, and don't let Miss Du be disappointed."
"I know. I've already decided what to embroider. If I can make Miss Du a spectacular appearance this time, I can spread my reputation, and the business will gradually improve. When I have enough money, I will rent a small storefront for business dealings. In the future, when I become famous, I will recruit a few more embroiderers and open an embroidery shop. Mother, what do you think?"
"Great, we take it slowly. Don't rush." Zhang Hui turned her head to another side and wiped her tears. Her daughter had become more and more mature and courteous. If her father was still alive, he would be so happy.
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Du Ruyan was busy searching for the cloth to make a dress, and she had totally forgotten the five taels of deposit. Du Rusong had joined the army and had to go to the military camp for training every day, so he didn't have time to ask Lin Dan. In the morning before the Buddhist Ceremony, Lin Dan finally walked out of her room that had been closed for half a month. She took a deerskin package in her hand.
At the same time, Du Ruyan also got up early. She was taking out the clothes in the suitcase one by one and spreading them on the bed.
"This one is too plain, and this one is too eye-catching. This one is a little old-fashioned… No, no, none of these is suitable!" She stomped her feet and pulled her hair as if she was on the verge of a breakdown.
The servant was even more frustrated than her. She mumbled, "But Miss, these are all the new clothes you made. If you can't pick them out from here, you will only leave the option to wear the old clothes."
Since Du Ruyan saw the silk embroidered with cotton rose, she had no interest in other cloth. Her mind was now full of the cotton roses that Meng Si had embroidered. They were vivid and beautiful, and the colors were just lovely. Who else had better embroidery skills than her? Which cloth could be more beautiful than hers?
"I would rather stay at home than make a fool of myself in these clothes." After repetitively choosing several times, Du Ruyan had changed from anxiety to despair. She used to be the daughter of the imperial palace, and even if she became a commoner, she didn't want to be inferior. So she would either not go or amaze everyone.
She rummaged through the box, refused to give up, but in the end, she sat down dejectedly. Without the identity of the daughter of the imperial palace, no matter how rich she was, she couldn't buy exclusive cloths because the local nobles always ordered the exclusive fabrics before the goods arrived. Others could only purchase the leftovers. She used to enjoy this privilege.
She tried her very best to keep her pride, but reality reminded her repeatedly that she could never go back. The unfeathered phoenix is nothing better than a chicken; this sentence was like a knife pierced into her heart.
She sniffed and tried hard to hold back her tears, but she saw her servant come in with a package and take out a dress, a blouse, a set of jewelry, and a pair of embroidered shoes. They were neatly placed on the bed.
"Miss, Miss Lin sent it here just now. I think you'd better go to the Buddhist Ceremony as scheduled. If you don't go, Lin'an Prefecture can't see the most mesmerizing scenery." The servant said with a smile.
Du Ruyan's eyes were wide open. She covered her mouth with her hand, looking extremely shocked. Then, after a while, she shouted with joy, "Yes, today I definitely must go!"Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @
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Today, the believers of the Faxing Temple were gathered, and it was very lively. The Buddhist hall outside was filled with ordinary people who came to pray, and the Hall of Great Strength and the back garden were a place for important people to rest. Many young talents and famous ladies were gathered under the ginkgo tree to talk about poems and paintings.
To stand out, the talents would talk to each other and display their literary talent; The ladies were all dressed up elegantly. Although they were sitting on both ends of the table, their eyes met from time to time. Some of them lowered their heads shyly, and some smiled brightly. Every move of them was full of affection.
Among all the talented ladies, Li Ran's sons and daughters born from his wife were naturally the most outstanding and the focus of everyone's attention. As the governor of the imperial city and the brother of Concubine Min, Li Ran's official career was not limited to the whole Jiangzhe. Maybe a few years later, when the ninth prince grew up, he would be transferred to the capital city as an official and have a meteoric rise.
With such a strong background, Li Jiarong and Li Xiudian were naturally the people who were flattered.
At this moment, Li Jiarong was sitting under a ginkgo tree and drinking tea from time to time. Her beautiful eyes glanced at the young talents who were talking happily. She was beautiful and graceful, so she was naturally very popular. Eighty or ninety percent of talents could not help but glance at her, and then looked away, pretending to be fine.
Catching another man who was peeping at her, Li Jiarong covered her mouth with her hand and smiled proudly.
"Sister Li, the dress you are wearing is so beautiful. I'm attracted to it! These cotton roses were elegant and enchanting, and each of them was unique in charm and beauty. It was really a masterpiece! If an ordinary woman wore this dress, she would be crushed by these beautiful cotton roses. But you are different. You are so beautiful that no matter how beautiful the flowers are, they will be your foil." A noblewoman praised sincerely.
Next to a few people quickly echoed, praised Li Jiarong as peerless
Li Jiarong held her hand with a smile and said, "Don't praise me. Sisi embroidered this dress for me. If I have seven points of beauty, then five of them must be from her hands." (Note: Full mark is 10. She said she had seven points of beauty to be modest.)
Sitting next to her, Meng Si smiled shyly and gently, without saying anything.
To please Li Jiarong, all the ladies praised Meng Si too and said that they would never go to other embroidery shops to buy clothes in the future and would only go to the Meng Clan's.
Someone cut in, "Well, do you think Du Ruyan will come today?"
Li Jiarong stopped smiling and looked at the woman coldly. Another person quickly added, "How could she come? Did she dare to come? I've heard that she has been looking for precious cloth and good embroiderers in the city these days. However, with her background, which good embroiderer would like to make clothes? It's pathetic that she still doesn't want to see reality in such a situation."
"That's right. No matter how much money she has, she can't buy the silk we wear. She will make a fool of herself even if she comes. So why did she come? I guess she is crying at home!" As soon as the woman finished speaking, everyone covered their mouths and chuckled, with a look of schadenfreude in their eyes.
Li Jiarong's face softened. She pretended to be magnanimous and said, "Since she has come to this point, you'd better keep your words. Don't laugh at her anymore."
At that time, as the most beautiful lady in the capital, Du Ruoyan was always better than Li Jiarong. Li Jiarong was narrow-minded and jealous. On the one hand, she cursed Du Ruoyan; on the other hand, she swore in her heart, when her family gets powerful one day, she will trample on them and crush them into ashes! Now that her wish had been realized, she was naturally happy, but she had to show her magnanimity in front of the many talents.
Hearing her words, the ladies nodded in agreement and pretended to sympathize with Du Ruyan.
While the ladies were chatting happily, the young talents all turned their heads to look at the entrance of the garden. First, they were amazed, then they were obsessed deeply. A woman was slowly walking in. She was wearing a long strapless dress, and the fabric of the dress was made into vertical folds with a hot copper pot. They had gathered together again, and a young yellow silk ribbon was inserted into a bowknot-like collar, tying it around the girl's slender neck. Every step she took, the hemline of her dress rose with layers of waves, like petals blooming under her feet.
She didn't wear a belt. The snow-white chiffon fabric naturally fell down along her beautiful body curve, but it was more graceful than wearing a belt. This wave-like dress was unique and attractive, but what was more beautiful was the robe she was wearing outside.
The robe was made of transparent cicada wing gauze, which was not as smooth as the silk fabric, but more elegant and straight. Some embroiderers embroidered the cicada wings gauze with gold and silver threads, one by one, which was dotted with ginkgo leaves. From the round shoulder to the flying hem, the ginkgo leaves were embroidered more and more densely, until they were covered with a bright golden color. The girl stepped on the golden leaves all over the ground, and the end of her robe gently covered the leaves. The two merged together as if they were made by god.
The girl stood there like a fairy born from the fallen leaves, flawless and beautiful.
The girl walked slowly. A gust of autumn wind lifted up the hem of her dress and lifted up her blouse, making everyone look straight at her. The pleated skirt was not a single layer, but five or six layers of pure white chiffon were intertwined together, and no strange thing could be seen when walking. However, when the wind blew gently five or six layers of chiffon into a blooming white lotus, the beautiful and elegant scene could only be described as soul stealing. Her robe was stirred by the wind and gently flew in the air. The ginkgo leaves embroidered on it also swayed in many ways as if countless leaves were circling around the girl. They were swept and pulled by the wind, unwilling to leave her side.
The girl stood under a tree, covered in golden leaves. She was like the goddess that had been transformed from the ancient tree for a thousand years.
She walked to a corner with the least crowd, gently lifted up her robe, and sat down elegantly, with an indescribable charm in every move. When she completely turned around and revealed her beautiful face, the talents had completely lost the ability to think.
It was a rare visual enjoyment to see beautiful scenery, clothes, and a girl. What was more amazing was that the three of them were still so integrated into one place. It was hard to tell whether the beauty turned into beauty or was set off by a beauty.
The lively poetry party became silent because of the arrival of the young girl. Many men held their breath, afraid of disturbing the goddess.
"It's Du Ruyan." A noblewoman said in a trance.
"Her skirt full of wrinkles is so beautiful, and the blouse embroidered with ginkgo leaves is so beautiful!" Another noblewoman couldn't help telling the truth.
Li Jiarong had no time to care about her manners. Her beautiful face twisted slightly, showing jealousy and hatred. She put down the teacup with a loud bang. When she was about to stand up to look for a fight, she was stopped by Meng Si, who pressed her shoulder.
"The design of the robe is ingenious, but what is not unusual," Meng Si said, "You can take a closer look and find that the ginkgo leaves are all embroidered with very simple flat needles. Any apprentice in Meng's embroidering house can make the same clothes. Even if I give you such a cheap thing for free, you won't wear it. Why do you care?"
"You're right. It's just a few leaves. Who can't embroider? Du Ruyan couldn't get the top embroiderers, so she had to make do with it." The noble girl sitting next to her immediately persuaded.
Li Jiarong took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Unlike Du Ruyan, who was arrogant, domineering, and had a bad reputation, she was a first-class lady in Ling'an Prefecture. Everyone knew her gentle temperament?
"Miss Meng, you are really an expert. You can tell good from bad at a glance. It was just a few leaves. Who cared? Maybe my embroidery is better than hers." Several ladies tried their best to please Li Jiarong.
However, not all the noble girls wanted to cling to the Li family. Some of them ignored Li Jiarong's cold eyes and walked up to Du Ruyan to cotton up to her. They chatted with each other for a while and then asked her where the pleated skirt and robe came from.
This time, Du Ruyan came to amaze everyone, and also to make a name for Lin Dan. She said without reservation, "This dress of mine is made by Lin Dan, Lin Embroiderer. Do you know about Lin Family Embroidery Shop, which used to be the largest one in Ling'an Prefecture? Now, Lin Dan is the leader of Lin Family Embroidery Shop. Her embroidery skills are superb!"
"Are you talking about Lin Family Embroidery Shop that has been destroyed by the Meng clan?" Someone frowned.
"Yes."
"I see." Hearing this, the noble girls who were still in high spirits walked away. Although they didn't like to flatter Li Jiarong, they thought the embroidery of the robe was just so-so by the words of Meng Si. As soon as they heard that the embroiderer came from the collapsed Lin Family Embroidery Shop, they would not invite her in.
Other noble girls invited the best embroiderers in the region, and even the imperial embroiderers, but they invited a broken down. Wasn't it shameful? Forget it. And when they came closer and found that the embroidery of the robe was just ordinary, it was ingenious. They won't be tricked by this!
When they were almost done, a beautiful woman sat beside her and said with a smile, "Your earrings are also embroidered, aren't they?"
Du Ruyan touched her earlobe and nodded, "Yes, it was embroidered. She first embroidered a double-sided ginkgo leaf on the cloth, and then nailed three pearls on the top of the leaf. Then she cut it off, put it on a hook, and made it into an earring. This pair of earrings and this pair of shoes are the suits."
To publicize the news, Du Ruyan also spared no effort. She crossed her legs and showed a pair of elegant feet to the woman. The embroidered shoes on her feet were also embroidered with gold and silver silk, and each leaf was nailed with fine and cute pearls.
The woman's eyes lit up at the sight. She was not a fool who would believe whatever Meng Si said. The pattern of the robe was simple, but the embroidery was not simple. The color of each leaf was different. Dark and light golden color was very natural to be dyed together, and the veins of the leaf were embroidered with extremely thin grayish-white and dark yellow silk threads. It could be said that the leaves had different forms and were lifelike.
The woman bet that she couldn't cut the silk thread so thin, not to mention that Meng Si couldn't cut the silk thread, even if the imperial embroiderers in the palace were kneaded together, they couldn't do like this. The silk thread was thinner and the color was better. No matter how simple the pattern was, the skill couldn't be simpler. As the saying goes, the simplest is the most beautiful, and the simplest is the most complicated. Only in the ordinary can one see the true skills. It's ridiculous that a top embroiderer like Meng Si doesn't understand this at all.Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @
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The woman's eyes slowly moved down along the round shoulder of Du Ruyan. When she saw the tail of the robe, her eyes darkened again. The ginkgo leaves at the tail were embroidered the most densely. One was pressed on the other, and the other was laid on the other. The shape of each leaf could be seen clearly, and they would not be mixed up at all. The embroidery work at the end of the line was so real and dreamlike as if she had seen fallen leaves all over the ground.
The woman had never seen such a marvelous embroidery technique. It incisively and vividly displayed the light and shadow change of the color, as if a real leaf had been restrained on the gauze on the spell. Fortunately, she came over and looked at it carefully. Only then did she find the mystery. If she glanced at embroidery from afar as Meng Si did, how could she comprehend the superb skills of embroiderers?
Just because of her arrogance today, Meng Si would definitely lose miserably in the future!
Thinking of this, the woman introduced herself, "Miss Du, my father is the Admiral of Zhejiang Navy, and I am a shu daughter in the Xu family, Xu Qian, the sixth daughter. If we are free in the future, let's have tea together, okay?"
"Nice to meet you, Miss Xu." Du Ruyan nodded with a smile. The supervisor of the Zhejiang Navy had been in charge of the military affairs of Zhejiang Province and had been guarding there for six or seven years. He was known as the local emperor of the province and was not comparable to Li Ran, who had just arrived. It was good for her to keep in touch with his daughter.
The two of them talked happily and harmoniously. Before leaving, Xu Qian said, "Miss Du, if I want to make new clothes in the future, please introduce the embroiderer to me. Her embroidery skill is very good. I like it very much."
"Of course. Our two families are neighbors. We live in the sackcloth alley in the western suburb. If you need anything, you can send a maid to look for me." Li Jiarong, she was able to compromise and cope with others easily. After all, Concubine Min came to the palace with the help of the connections of Empress Du to win the favor of the empress. However, she didn't expect that the glory and wealth in the palace raised the ambition of this dog and let it bit its master. Even if her spine was broken, Du Ruyan would never bow down in front of Li Jiarong.
After bearing the address in mind in silence, Xu Qian said goodbye and left. When she returned to Li Jiarong's table, she was taunted by her sister, the eldest daughter of the Xu family saying, "When you settle down, you love to stay with a broken-down house. You are always a bitch, and you can't change it."
Xu Qian never quarreled with her sister. She just stepped aside and hid in the crowd.
However, no matter how ungrateful and silent Du Ruyan was, she couldn't hide it. Where she was sitting, the light was shining. It merged with the flying ginkgo leaves, like the goddess of the tree. The other ladies wore more luxurious clothes than her, and the best embroiderer embroidered the most beautiful pattern on their bodies. But for some reason, they were so gaudy compared with the simple ginkgo leaf of Du Ruyan.
Even the cotton rose embroidered by Meng Si herself was too complicated, and it would make people feel bored after a few looks.
Gradually, no one paid attention to Li Jiarong anymore, and all the talents looked at the lonely Du Ruyan. The wide blouse set off her thin figure. The more silent she was, the more distressed everyone was for her. Thinking of her bumpy life, Instead of belittling her as usual, people loved her dearly.
Many talents were touched. They spread out pen, ink, paper, and inkstone and praised the beauty with poems and portrayed her with paintings. For a moment, inspiration flashed, and good works appeared frequently. However, in the Buddhist Ceremony, the good name of Du Ruoyan had already spread throughout the Ling'an Prefecture. Even if she was no longer the daughter of the Marquis, she had become the goddess that many young talents dreamed of.
Li Jiarong was so angry that her face turned red. She didn't want to lose her temper in front of so many people. She had planned to make trouble for Du Ruyan after the Buddhist Ceremony, but she found that she had already left. She really came on the fallen leaves and took away the infatuation of many talents by taking wind away. After she came to Ling'an Prefecture and settled down, she could still be better than her former foe.
Li Jiarong didn't mention how angry she was. On the other side, Du Ruoyan returned to the mansion in high spirits. She was about to jump off the carriage, but when she saw the beautiful clothes on her, she quickly stopped, picked up the hemline, and carefully walked down with the help of a maid.
"Are you at home, Lin Dan?" She knocked on the back door.
"Here you are. Our young lady is embroidering in the backyard." With a smile, Cuilan opened the door and exclaimed, "Wow, Miss Du, you are so beautiful today!"
"Thank you. Many people said so." Du Ruyan ran into the backyard while picking up her hemline and said happily, "I'm telling you, I'm in the limelight today. Those talents wrote poems and praised me as a goddess transformed from an ancient tree for thousands of years. Seeing their obsession, I felt ridiculous and bored. I came back in only two-quarters of an hour. If everyone only cares about appearance and family background like them, I really don't want to get married."
"Then don't marry anyone. How about staying at home and being free?" Lin Dan was embroidering grass without raising her head and said.
"Yes, I'll be the master at home, and I'll be my daughter-in-law when I go out. I don't want to be a daughter-in-law." Du Ruyan giggled with a dull expression.
"Miss, this is the money you asked me to take." While she was speaking, her maid hurried in with a heavy wooden box in her arms.
Hearing the two words "money," Lin Dan immediately raised her head and looked at them with burning eyes. Now the Lin family was really poor. They had porridge for three meals a day, and Zhang Hui had to pawn the dowry every two or three days to make a living. If she couldn't make any money, the whole family would be in a mess. The servant who was responsible for chopping wood had been fired long ago, and the only servant in the family was Cuilan. Third and Fourth Aunt often helped others to sew clothes to exchange for a small amount of money.
This house seemed to be fine on the surface, but everyone lived a hard life, but only Lin Dan didn't feel it at all. Because Zhang Hui left the best things to her daughter, and she must make her life the same as before her family was destroyed. Did she want the best stitches, the best dye, and the best cloth? Then buy it! As long as her daughter could grow up, Zhang Hui would never be stingy with money.
"How much are you going to pay me?" Putting down the needle and thread, Lin Dan rubbed her hands unconsciously.
"The robe is made of cicada wing gauze. It's very expensive. You can only buy one with fifteen taels. I cut it for you three feet and the cost is about 22. The dress is made of silk, and it is folded into hundreds of folds. There are five layers inside and outside. I used a piece of cloth, and the cost is about 10. Besides, the silk and pearls are the dowries my mother left to me." As she spoke, Lin Dan played with her abacus, afraid of losing money.
Du Ruyan was amused by the way she was obsessed with money, but she also thought she was straightforward and lovely.
"Never mind. Although I am also a goner, I just don't have the identity of the daughter of the Marquis. The dowry my mother left for me is still there. Here, this is one hundred taels of silver. Take it." Du Ruyan put the heavy wooden box on the table.
Looking at her with an indescribable expression, Lin Dan said slowly, "Last time I bought a jar with one hundred teals. Guess how many times my mom slapped me?"
"How many times?" Asked Du Ruyan smilingly.
"More than 180. If you spend one hundred taels of silver buying a dress, your brother may slap you over 250 times." Lin Dan said seriously.
Du Ruyan was stunned for a while and asked tentatively, "Are you satirizing me for 250?" (Note: 250=fool in Chinese)
Lin Dan answered her question in silence. Then she opened the wooden box and took out two silver ingots. She said, "I'll charge you twenty, and your brother gave me a deposit of five. It's enough. Take the rest of the money back. Don't waste it. It's not easy for your brother to beat the bandits at the seaside."
Somehow, she showed great respect to the soldiers and wouldn't let them suffer losses.
Du Ruyan stared at her for a long time. Suddenly, she threw herself into her arms and said, "You are so kind, Lin Dan! Dandan! Are you my friend?"
"If you don't call me Dandan, we are still friends." Lin Dan frowned.
When Du Ruyan was about to act coquettishly, she heard hoarse laughter from the wall. The two of them looked up and found that Du Rusong, who they hadn't seen for a long time, was sitting there with a gentle smile in his eyes.
"Miss Lin, you are really good at embroidering. You have dressed my sister like a wild monkey into a goddess. In the future, I'm afraid that the matchmaker of Ling'an Prefecture will break through my door. You can take the one hundred silver. If you can help my sister marry, you must have made a great contribution." Du Rusong waved his hand lazily. Although he tried his best to cover it, he still looked a little tired.
"Well, Miss Du, if you come here to make clothes in the future, your cost will be deducted from these one hundred teals. Young Master Du, you'd better go back to sleep now. Your eyes are almost unable to open." Without any hesitation, Lin Dan took the wooden box. She knew that if she refused to accept it, Du Rusong would persuade her again, which would delay his rest time.
Du Rusong smiled gently. He was about to jump off the wall and go back to his room to rest, but suddenly stopped and asked tentatively, "Miss Lin, can you sew leather armor?"
"The leather armor you wear on the battlefield?" Lin Dan looked up at him.
"Yes."
"This is the military supplies. The officers should be distributed to every soldier, right?"
"Maybe I have offended some big shot. I have been in the army for more than half a month, but I don't have any leather armor. I have to find someone to do it myself."Du Rusong shook his head and smiled bitterly.
Du Ruyan's joyful expression was instantly replaced by worry.
Lin Dan nodded and said, "Yes, I can. But you have to pay for it yourself and find someone to cut it. Why make leather armor? Why don't you just make iron armor?"
"In the army, only generals and officials with more than a hundred families can wear iron armor. As a new member of the army, how dare I stand out?" Du Rusong shook his head and explained.
Patting her forehead, Lin Dan said, "That's right. You should keep a good relationship with the new soldiers and take care of each other on the battlefield. It's my fault. Don't worry. I can make leather armor. Just get the leather ready." She needed to learn how to sew clothes from the beginning, but when it came to making leather armor, and even iron armor, she had inexplicable confidence that no one could do better than her.Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @
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After returning home, Du Rusong asked the old steward to send the good leather in the warehouse and one hundred taels of silver to Lin Dan.
The old steward was a loyal servant that Mother Du had left to her two children. He had taken care of them since they were young, so he had made a plan for them wholeheartedly. He couldn't help but dissuade, "Young Master, making leather armor requires not only exquisite skills but also strength. Leather armor is so thick. It's a piece of strength to cut and sew them together. How old is the little girl from the Lin family? Did she have the strength to do that? If you don't like it, I'll find another craftsman to make it for you. These are all good leather. Don't let the young lady of the Lin family spoil them."
Du Rusong thought of Lin Dan's strength of chopping wood and smiled, "Uncle Sun, don't worry. She is so strong that she can definitely cut and sew leather armor. Besides, where can you find the craftsmen for me? The craftsmen who were able to make leather armor were all in the army, and the control was very strict. The craftsmen outside did not dare to touch these things, and they would be in prison if they were found. However, the Lin family is different. As a member of the brigands, the Lin family naturally had a way to make leather armor and weapons, and even they could make iron armor. I've thought about it for a while. I'm afraid only Young Miss Lin could finish it."
Uncle Sun thought for a while and nodded, "You are so considerate, Young Master. I didn't expect that moving to this shabby small house would also be a good thing."
Du Rusong thought of something and couldn't help smiling. What he didn't tell Uncle Sun was that even if his leather armor was made, he didn't want to wear it during the training. Since his boss deliberately made things difficult for him, he would definitely wait to find out his fault. Seeing that he had found leather armor from nowhere and it was hard to blame him on the face, he would definitely send people to investigate secretly. If he traced the clues to the Lin family and implicated the little girl, he would be guilty.
Therefore, after the leather armor was ready, he put it in the camp. He wouldn't wear it to kill the enemy until the war broke out. On the battlefield, no one would care whether you wore leather armor or not, let alone ask where your leather armor came from. After the war, many soldiers would take off the equipment on the bodies of the bandits and take them for their own use. Then he would infer the origin of the leather armor as booty so that he would be fine.
Thinking of this, Du Rusong felt mixed feelings, bitter and hurt. When he was young and powerful, he had never thought that he and his sister would end up like this. Not only were they homeless, they had no relatives to go to, but they even had to ask for clothes to wear.
But he wouldn't always struggle at the bottom. Sooner or later, he would take back everything he had lost, and ask the people who had trampled on them to pay a hundred or even a thousand times the price. After thinking, he lowered his eyes and showed a ruthless smile.
—
After getting the craft sent by Uncle Sun, Lin Dan went to Zhang Hui for the tools. The leather armor was different from the fabric. The needle and thread were customized, and pincers, hammers, and other things were needed. When Lin Dafu was a thief, the leather armor he wore was all made by Zhang Hui, so she kept these tools.
"What did you say? How dare you agree to make leather armor for Du Rusong! Don't you know that only the craftsmen in the military camp can make leather armor, and no one outside can touch them?" Zhang Hui was about to scold, but Lin Dan said slowly, "He gave me one hundred taels of silver."
Zhang Hui's angry face immediately turned gentle and kind. She said softly, "Wait a minute. I'll get it for you."
"By the way, can you give me fifteen pounds of iron pieces? Each iron piece is two inches square. I want to wrap it in leather. The defensive power of the leather alone is too weak. Since he can't wear iron armor, I'll disguise it as leather armor. Is that okay?" Added Lin Dan.
Zhang Hui suddenly turned around and said with a ferocious expression, "Do you know that the iron weapons are also controlled by the government? Even an iron hammer should be reported, let alone fifteen pounds of iron pieces? You want me dead!"
"Mom, one hundred taels of silver," said Lin Dan calmly.
Zhang Hui raised her hand, slowly erased the ferocious expression on her face, and smiled, "Okay, I'll find someone to do it." In the past, she was the second-in-command of the brigands. She had hired people to make their leather armor, swords, and halberds, so she naturally had a way to do so.
As soon as she stepped out of the threshold, she stopped and frowned."Oh, no, when did you learn how to make leather armor?"
"I saw you make it when I was a child. At that time, my father often went to other places to purchase goods, so you asked him to wear leather armor all the time. As you know, I can learn things at a glance." Lin Dan explained briefly.
Without any doubt, Zhang Hui went out. When she walked to the door, she couldn't help but turn around and look at her daughter sitting in the corridor, with a smile in her eyes. Her daughter was so smart that she could see everything at a glance. Third and Fourth Sister had told her about it, but what made her more proud was her daughter's perseverance. She was very decisive and had lots of mobility. She knew that she couldn't sit still and was impetuous, so she cut firewood to dispel this impetuousness. How could Zhang Hui not notice that the firewood in her house was consumed so fast? She just didn't want to expose it.
Her daughter didn't need others to urge her, but she could find a way to improve herself. This kind of ruthlessness was similar to her father. If she continued to live like this, why did she worry about the Lin family?
After thinking for a while, Zhang Hui took another look at her daughter and then went out happily.
The next day, when Zhang Hui was about to make leather armor, Du Ruyan came in with a beautiful and quiet girl, saying that she wanted to introduce business to her.
Knowing that the girl was the sixth daughter of the Admiral of Zhejiang Navy, Lin Dan didn't show any fear on her face. Instead, she said in neither humble nor pushy tone, "Miss Xu, what kind of style do you like? Can you draw it and let me have a look. I will try my best to make it in your favorite style."
As for the unfamiliar customers, she had to ask more questions in case of getting into trouble in the future.
"I like wisteria flowers. Miss Lin, can you make a dress embroidered with wisteria flowers for me?" Although Xu Qian remained silent at home, she was actually a talented woman. She thought for a while and had a draft. Then she picked up a brush and drew it carefully.
Staring at the painting for a while, Lin Dan nodded and said, "Okay, I'll embroider the wisteria flower. When do you need new clothes, Miss?"
"You'd better hurry up before the Mid Autumn Festival." Xu Qian put down her brush.
There were still sixteen days left before the Mid Autumn Festival, and the construction period should be up, so she agreed. Xu Qian immediately paid 5 taels of silver as the deposit, and then said goodbye and left. She was very gentle and kind from beginning to end, completely different from the noble daughter of the governor.
Lin Dan had a good impression of Xu Qian. After sending her away, Lin Dan said to Du Ruyan, "You can introduce more clients like her to me in the future. Here, this is your push money."
Staring at the one piece of silver in her palm, Du Ruyan was totally confused.
"What? Do you think it's not enough? I'll give you half a tael of silver more. One and a half, I can't pay more, or I won't make any more money. Every time you bring a customer, I will draw half of the money for you." With the scissor in her hand, she cut a small piece of silver into two and put it into the hand of Du Ruyan.
Du Ruyan was stunned for a while and then slowly closed her palm. She clenched the silver into her fist and said in a trance, "Can I make money now?" This was the first money she earned of her own ability. Although it was one and a half teals, it was pitiful, but she felt better than ever!
If she didn't fall to the bottom, she would never understand the happiness of earning money by herself.
"Brother, Brother, I'm making money! Lin Dan gave me push money! Brother, did you hear that?" She ran into the yard and shouted across the wall. Her face was full of joy.
Lin Dan looked at her in surprise. She didn't understand why she was so happy.
Du Rusong quickly jumped onto the wall and listened to his sister with a smile. His eyes were full of love and tenderness. Seeing his sister being crushed by life and no longer being arrogant and sunny, his heart ached like a knife cutting into pieces.
However, when she moved to this house, she heard about what had happened to Lin Dan and saw her fight hard for tomorrow. His sister gradually found a better herself. She hid her pride in her heart, learned to compromise, to endure, and to be strong. Now she was happier than when she was in An'ding Marquis Manor.
Seeing that Lin Dan walked over unhurriedly, Du Rusong smiled gently and said in silence, "Thank you."
—
When Xu Qian returned home, her mother, Madam Kou, had been waiting for her for a long time. She kept complaining, "Where did you go just now? I couldn't find you. Did you know that to welcome the distinguished guests, Madam is going to make a new set of clothes for each of the ladies in the mansion? She also invited Meng Si to take the measurements for them in person. All the ladies had gone, but you were not there. All the beautiful cloth had been picked up, leaving only these outdated floral cloth. What are you going to wear to the Mid Autumn Festival? I'm so worried about you. Why do you still drink tea? Come with me to Meng Clan Embroidery Shop and ask her to make up for your size."
The teacup was taken away, and the tea water was spilled on her clothes, which wet her clothes. However, Xu Qian was not annoyed at all. She said slowly, "Auntie, don't waste your time. Do you really think that Madam would ask Meng Si to cut clothes for us by herself after she invited her to measure us? A single embroidery of Meng Si can be sold for thousands of taels of silver. Is she willing to spend money on the shu daughters like us? She was just playacting. Let's wait and see. When Meng Si gets the size back, she must have embroidered the clothes for Seventh Sister herself. The other sisters are only qualified to wear clothes made with ordinary embroidery."
(Note: In a traditional polygamous Chinese family, the husband had only one wife, and the other women marry him were concubines. The children of the concubines, shu children, called the wife Mother and their biological mother Aunt or Auntie.)
"It's better than you wearing old clothes to attend the Mid Autumn Festival, isn't it? Did you know that I've found out that the distinguished guest at the Mid Autumn Festival was not someone else, but the eldest prince who was ordered to inspect the coastal defense? If you can win his favor at the banquet, maybe you can marry into the royal family and live a happy life. You can't hide as before. I heard that Madam wants to marry you to Lieutenant Li as his second wife. If you miss this opportunity, you will have a hard time in the future!"
(Note: The second wife here means that the wife of Lieutenant Li was dead, and Xu Qian may become a new wife, not a concubine.)
Madam Kou was so anxious that she kept turning around, but Xu Qian didn't panic at all. She comforted her, "Auntie, don't worry. I've already asked someone to make the clothes. This time, I will seize the opportunity." The lieutenant's ex-wife was beaten to death by him. Madam and her father knew that, but in order to win over the military power, they pushed her out as a sacrifice. Since she had been so well behaved, and they still didn't let her live well, she could only fight for herself once.
After returning home, Du Rusong asked the old steward to send the good leather in the warehouse and one hundred taels of silver to Lin Dan.
The old steward was a loyal servant that Mother Du had left to her two children. He had taken care of them since they were young, so he had made a plan for them wholeheartedly. He couldn't help but dissuade, "Young Master, making leather armor requires not only exquisite skills but also strength. Leather armor is so thick. It's a piece of strength to cut and sew them together. How old is the little girl from the Lin family? Did she have the strength to do that? If you don't like it, I'll find another craftsman to make it for you. These are all good leather. Don't let the young lady of the Lin family spoil them."
Du Rusong thought of Lin Dan's strength of chopping wood and smiled, "Uncle Sun, don't worry. She is so strong that she can definitely cut and sew leather armor. Besides, where can you find the craftsmen for me? The craftsmen who were able to make leather armor were all in the army, and the control was very strict. The craftsmen outside did not dare to touch these things, and they would be in prison if they were found. However, the Lin family is different. As a member of the brigands, the Lin family naturally had a way to make leather armor and weapons, and even they could make iron armor. I've thought about it for a while. I'm afraid only Young Miss Lin could finish it."
Uncle Sun thought for a while and nodded, "You are so considerate, Young Master. I didn't expect that moving to this shabby small house would also be a good thing."
Du Rusong thought of something and couldn't help smiling. What he didn't tell Uncle Sun was that even if his leather armor was made, he didn't want to wear it during the training. Since his boss deliberately made things difficult for him, he would definitely wait to find out his fault. Seeing that he had found leather armor from nowhere and it was hard to blame him on the face, he would definitely send people to investigate secretly. If he traced the clues to the Lin family and implicated the little girl, he would be guilty.
Therefore, after the leather armor was ready, he put it in the camp. He wouldn't wear it to kill the enemy until the war broke out. On the battlefield, no one would care whether you wore leather armor or not, let alone ask where your leather armor came from. After the war, many soldiers would take off the equipment on the bodies of the bandits and take them for their own use. Then he would infer the origin of the leather armor as booty so that he would be fine.
Thinking of this, Du Rusong felt mixed feelings, bitter and hurt. When he was young and powerful, he had never thought that he and his sister would end up like this. Not only were they homeless, they had no relatives to go to, but they even had to ask for clothes to wear.
But he wouldn't always struggle at the bottom. Sooner or later, he would take back everything he had lost, and ask the people who had trampled on them to pay a hundred or even a thousand times the price. After thinking, he lowered his eyes and showed a ruthless smile.
—
After getting the craft sent by Uncle Sun, Lin Dan went to Zhang Hui for the tools. The leather armor was different from the fabric. The needle and thread were customized, and pincers, hammers, and other things were needed. When Lin Dafu was a thief, the leather armor he wore was all made by Zhang Hui, so she kept these tools.
"What did you say? How dare you agree to make leather armor for Du Rusong! Don't you know that only the craftsmen in the military camp can make leather armor, and no one outside can touch them?" Zhang Hui was about to scold, but Lin Dan said slowly, "He gave me one hundred taels of silver."
Zhang Hui's angry face immediately turned gentle and kind. She said softly, "Wait a minute. I'll get it for you."
"By the way, can you give me fifteen pounds of iron pieces? Each iron piece is two inches square. I want to wrap it in leather. The defensive power of the leather alone is too weak. Since he can't wear iron armor, I'll disguise it as leather armor. Is that okay?" Added Lin Dan.
Zhang Hui suddenly turned around and said with a ferocious expression, "Do you know that the iron weapons are also controlled by the government? Even an iron hammer should be reported, let alone fifteen pounds of iron pieces? You want me dead!"
"Mom, one hundred taels of silver," said Lin Dan calmly.
Zhang Hui raised her hand, slowly erased the ferocious expression on her face, and smiled, "Okay, I'll find someone to do it." In the past, she was the second-in-command of the brigands. She had hired people to make their leather armor, swords, and halberds, so she naturally had a way to do so.
As soon as she stepped out of the threshold, she stopped and frowned."Oh, no, when did you learn how to make leather armor?"
"I saw you make it when I was a child. At that time, my father often went to other places to purchase goods, so you asked him to wear leather armor all the time. As you know, I can learn things at a glance." Lin Dan explained briefly.
Without any doubt, Zhang Hui went out. When she walked to the door, she couldn't help but turn around and look at her daughter sitting in the corridor, with a smile in her eyes. Her daughter was so smart that she could see everything at a glance. Third and Fourth Sister had told her about it, but what made her more proud was her daughter's perseverance. She was very decisive and had lots of mobility. She knew that she couldn't sit still and was impetuous, so she cut firewood to dispel this impetuousness. How could Zhang Hui not notice that the firewood in her house was consumed so fast? She just didn't want to expose it.
Her daughter didn't need others to urge her, but she could find a way to improve herself. This kind of ruthlessness was similar to her father. If she continued to live like this, why did she worry about the Lin family?
After thinking for a while, Zhang Hui took another look at her daughter and then went out happily.
The next day, when Zhang Hui was about to make leather armor, Du Ruyan came in with a beautiful and quiet girl, saying that she wanted to introduce business to her.
Knowing that the girl was the sixth daughter of the Admiral of Zhejiang Navy, Lin Dan didn't show any fear on her face. Instead, she said in neither humble nor pushy tone, "Miss Xu, what kind of style do you like? Can you draw it and let me have a look. I will try my best to make it in your favorite style."
As for the unfamiliar customers, she had to ask more questions in case of getting into trouble in the future.
"I like wisteria flowers. Miss Lin, can you make a dress embroidered with wisteria flowers for me?" Although Xu Qian remained silent at home, she was actually a talented woman. She thought for a while and had a draft. Then she picked up a brush and drew it carefully.
Staring at the painting for a while, Lin Dan nodded and said, "Okay, I'll embroider the wisteria flower. When do you need new clothes, Miss?"
"You'd better hurry up before the Mid Autumn Festival." Xu Qian put down her brush.
There were still sixteen days left before the Mid Autumn Festival, and the construction period should be up, so she agreed. Xu Qian immediately paid 5 taels of silver as the deposit, and then said goodbye and left. She was very gentle and kind from beginning to end, completely different from the noble daughter of the governor.
Lin Dan had a good impression of Xu Qian. After sending her away, Lin Dan said to Du Ruyan, "You can introduce more clients like her to me in the future. Here, this is your push money."
Staring at the one piece of silver in her palm, Du Ruyan was totally confused.
"What? Do you think it's not enough? I'll give you half a tael of silver more. One and a half, I can't pay more, or I won't make any more money. Every time you bring a customer, I will draw half of the money for you." With the scissor in her hand, she cut a small piece of silver into two and put it into the hand of Du Ruyan.
Du Ruyan was stunned for a while and then slowly closed her palm. She clenched the silver into her fist and said in a trance, "Can I make money now?" This was the first money she earned of her own ability. Although it was one and a half teals, it was pitiful, but she felt better than ever!
If she didn't fall to the bottom, she would never understand the happiness of earning money by herself.
"Brother, Brother, I'm making money! Lin Dan gave me push money! Brother, did you hear that?" She ran into the yard and shouted across the wall. Her face was full of joy.
Lin Dan looked at her in surprise. She didn't understand why she was so happy.
Du Rusong quickly jumped onto the wall and listened to his sister with a smile. His eyes were full of love and tenderness. Seeing his sister being crushed by life and no longer being arrogant and sunny, his heart ached like a knife cutting into pieces.
However, when she moved to this house, she heard about what had happened to Lin Dan and saw her fight hard for tomorrow. His sister gradually found a better herself. She hid her pride in her heart, learned to compromise, to endure, and to be strong. Now she was happier than when she was in An'ding Marquis Manor.
Seeing that Lin Dan walked over unhurriedly, Du Rusong smiled gently and said in silence, "Thank you."
—
When Xu Qian returned home, her mother, Madam Kou, had been waiting for her for a long time. She kept complaining, "Where did you go just now? I couldn't find you. Did you know that to welcome the distinguished guests, Madam is going to make a new set of clothes for each of the ladies in the mansion? She also invited Meng Si to take the measurements for them in person. All the ladies had gone, but you were not there. All the beautiful cloth had been picked up, leaving only these outdated floral cloth. What are you going to wear to the Mid Autumn Festival? I'm so worried about you. Why do you still drink tea? Come with me to Meng Clan Embroidery Shop and ask her to make up for your size."
The teacup was taken away, and the tea water was spilled on her clothes, which wet her clothes. However, Xu Qian was not annoyed at all. She said slowly, "Auntie, don't waste your time. Do you really think that Madam would ask Meng Si to cut clothes for us by herself after she invited her to measure us? A single embroidery of Meng Si can be sold for thousands of taels of silver. Is she willing to spend money on the shu daughters like us? She was just playacting. Let's wait and see. When Meng Si gets the size back, she must have embroidered the clothes for Seventh Sister herself. The other sisters are only qualified to wear clothes made with ordinary embroidery."
(Note: In a traditional polygamous Chinese family, the husband had only one wife, and the other women marry him were concubines. The children of the concubines, shu children, called the wife Mother and their biological mother Aunt or Auntie.)
"It's better than you wearing old clothes to attend the Mid Autumn Festival, isn't it? Did you know that I've found out that the distinguished guest at the Mid Autumn Festival was not someone else, but the eldest prince who was ordered to inspect the coastal defense? If you can win his favor at the banquet, maybe you can marry into the royal family and live a happy life. You can't hide as before. I heard that Madam wants to marry you to Lieutenant Li as his second wife. If you miss this opportunity, you will have a hard time in the future!"
(Note: The second wife here means that the wife of Lieutenant Li was dead, and Xu Qian may become a new wife, not a concubine.)
Madam Kou was so anxious that she kept turning around, but Xu Qian didn't panic at all. She comforted her, "Auntie, don't worry. I've already asked someone to make the clothes. This time, I will seize the opportunity." The lieutenant's ex-wife was beaten to death by him. Madam and her father knew that, but in order to win over the military power, they pushed her out as a sacrifice. Since she had been so well behaved, and they still didn't let her live well, she could only fight for herself once.Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @
88
Hearing that her daughter went out to look for an embroiderer, Madam Kou was really relieved. And when she heard that the embroiderer she invited was from the collapsed Lin Family Embroidery Shop, she was so angry that they almost jumped. "Why do you look for her? Did you find a goner? If Lin Dan's embroidering skills were better than Meng Si's, would the Lin Embroidery Shop collapse? Where does she live? Tell me now. I'll get 5 taels of silver back. Let's go to Meng Clan Embroidery Shop and find a better embroiderer than her!"
"Auntie, it's none of your business." Xu Qian seemed to be gentle, but in fact, she had a good idea. She said firmly, "I just want Lin Dan to embroider clothes for me. Don't worry. Even if you have hired another embroiderer to make clothes for me, I won't wear them. Don't waste money."
Although the two of them lived in the Admiral's Manor, they didn't have much savings because they were not favored. A set of clothes worth ten or twenty taels of silver was ordinary for others of the family but extravagant for them.
Xu Qian knew that in order to marry her own daughter into the royal family, Madam would definitely try her best to suppress the other daughters of concubines. When all the clothes were made, the seventh daughter's must be the most beautiful, and the rest would only be a foil.
Xu Qian didn't want to be a foil, so she wouldn't want the clothes made by Mother.
However, Madam Kou didn't understand her concern. She said anxiously, "Who is Lin Dan? I've never heard of her before. Can you wear the clothes she made? Although we can't invite Meng Si, we can invite her embroiderer. You should know that all the high-level embroiderers from the Meng Clan Embroidery Shop are from the palace, and their workmanship is absolutely not bad! Tell me the address of the Lin family as soon as possible. I'll get the deposit back!"
Xu Qian picked up a book and read it slowly, ignoring her angry mother.
Madam Kou glared at her and gasped for a while before she lifted the curtain and went out.
Without raising her head, Xu Qian said, "If you go to inquire about the address of the Lin family secretly and return my order without permission, I won't attend the Mid Autumn Dinner Party. The embroiderer you are looking for is definitely not as good as Lin Dan. I believe in her." She believed in her own insight more than she believed in Lin Dan.
After pausing for a moment, Madam Kou slammed the door and left angrily.
Soon Madam Xu heard the quarrel between the mother and daughter.She said with a faint smile, "Ling'er, look, even your well-behaved Sixth Sister has some ideas!"
"She is playing tricks on me. What am I afraid of? Who was the embroiderer she was looking for? Compared with Meng Si, who do you think you are?" Xu Ling, the di daughter (Note: daughter of the proper wife) of the Xu family, curled her lips in disdain.
A maid replied in a hurry, "My lady, that embroiderer is Lin Dafu's daughter. She has never learned embroidery before. She is a green hand. That day, she embroidered a blouse with ginkgo leaves for Du Ruyan, which made her quite popular. But Miss Meng has said that those ginkgo leaves are all embroidered with the simplest needle method. It's not surprising that the disciples of her Embroidery Shop can make them easily."
Madam Xu's eyelids closed slightly and said lazily, "Du Ruyan is so beautiful that she looks good no matter what she wears. It's not the embroiderer's contribution. Since she is not good at embroidering, let her be an embroiderer for Sixth Girl. It's none of our business."
Xu Ling grinned and said, "I'd like to see what kind of clothes she will make for Sixth Sister. Last time, she embroidered leaves, but this time, she embroiders flowers? That's interesting!"
All the maids laughed with mockery in their eyes. The floral cloth was already out of date, and only the servants in the Manor would wear it. Did Xu Qian still want to compete with the maids? If she was obedient, Madam could still make her a good dress. But she had to act on her own. No wonder Madam made a fool of her.
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In order to make Xu Qian's clothes and Du Rusong's leather armor, Lin Dan was so busy. Even the two aunts and Cuilan were caught by her. She locked them in the room every day and asked them to cut the cloth for her. On the day before the Mid Autumn Festival, she failed to deliver the clothes on time, and Xu Qian sent someone to urge her again and again. She apologized again and again and stayed up all night before she finally got the clothes ready. Watching Cuilan leaving in a hurry, she finally exhaled a mouthful of stale air.
The Xu Manor was located in the center of the city, a distance from the suburbs. It was not until Cuilan paid a cow cart that she arrived at the destination before sunset. At the same time, Xu Qian was greeting a group of sisters who had come to watch her gaffe one after another.
"Sixth Sister, your clothes are not ready yet?"
"Sixth Sister, why do you take things so unreasonable? Why did you leave the clothes to an unknown embroiderer?"
"Sixth Sister, if you really don't have clothes to wear, I still have a new one for you. How about I ask a maid to send it to you right away?"
Xu Qian had already been used to the open strife and secret struggles between her sisters, so she patiently dealt with them one by one. Seeing that she was not in a hurry, the crowd felt bored and left soon.
With a package in her hand, Madam Kou ran in in a hurry. "Hurry up. This is the dress I asked the embroiderer from Meng Clan Embroidery Shop to make for you. I've already expected that the person named Lin Dan is unreliable. In addition, I spent some money to make a dress for you. Change it quickly. The distinguished guest will arrive soon!" As she spoke, she opened the package and took out her clothes, shoes, and socks.
"Don't worry. Just wait." Xu Qian waved her hand firmly. Somehow, she didn't think that Lin Dan was the kind of person who was talking nonsense and irresponsible. She was willing to give her more time.
"What are you waiting for? From noon till now, Xu Ling has been dressing up in the room. Your other sisters have also put on the new clothes and are ready. Only you haven't wiped your face, put on makeup, or even worn a decent dress. Do you really want to marry that old bastard and be beaten to death?" As she spoke, Madam Kou began to wipe her tears. Who was she doing this for? Why didn't her daughter appreciate it?
Xu Qian was touched. She put down the book and went to see the newly made clothes. She wore a magenta slip skirt and a white blouse with several hibiscus flowers embroidered on the hemline. The style was conventional, not outstanding, but not ugly.
"Change your clothes quickly so that I can comb your hair." Madam Kou urged again.
Xu Qian stood up and was about to take off her clothes when her maid came in in a hurry and said, "Miss, the embroiderer has brought the clothes here. Have a look."
"What are you looking at? We don't want that one. Return it and wear mine! It took me more than half a month to finish the dress, and it almost delayed our important work. I must get back the 5 deposit…" As she spoke, she stopped talking. She stared at the dress in the maid's hand for a long time and then cried out in astonishment.
Xu Qian held her breath and looked at it obsessively.
"Miss, please change your clothes quickly!" The maid reminded anxiously, and the two came to their senses from the amazement.
Madam Kou threw the clothes on the ground and hurried to pick up the clothes made by Meng Si. She remembered that she didn't wash her hands and stood still, not daring to come forward. The dress was so delicate and beautiful that she didn't dare to touch it at all.
Xu Qian immediately took off her clothes and carefully put on her new dress.
Two-quarters of an hour later, the eldest prince and his group arrived at the Xu Manor as scheduled and took their seats in the garden.The stage had already been set up. The male and female guests sat at both ends of the table, watching the play and having dinner. When the moon moved in the center of the sky, they could look up at the moon. Admiral Xu's mother, who had just recovered, also came and was talking to her granddaughters with a smile. Madam Xu and several sisters-in-law sat beside her and behaved elegantly.
The eldest prince was handsome and cold. He didn't even look atthe female guests. The ladies looked at him from time to time. Somehow, they blushed with shyness.
"Why didn't Sixth Girl come?" Old Madam Xu looked around and asked in a low voice.
"I will send someone to find her. Maybe she was delayed by something." Said Madam Xu.
"Her new clothes are not ready. She is in a hurry now." The eighth daughter said with a smile.
"Why didn't she get her clothes ready for the party?" Old Madam Xu cast a glance at her daughter-in-law.
Madam Xu explained in a low voice, "I've already asked embroiderers from the Meng Clan Embroidery Shop to work overtime to make clothes for the girls in the manor. But she refused and insisted on going out to make clothes for her. Her embroiderer was the daughter of the Lin family. She just started to learn embroidery and was good at it, which delayed the construction period. I've already made the clothes without telling her and asked Madam Kou to send them there. Mother, don't worry. She will be here soon."
Old Madam Xu's face softened and sighed, "I didn't expect that she is also a troublemaker." Then she looked at Xu Ling and couldn't help praising, "Seventh Girl is so beautiful today. You almost dazzled me!"
Xu Ling lowered her eyes to cover her mouth as if she was shy. Then she took a quick look at the eldest prince, only to find that he was also looking at her.
The eldest prince didn't pay much attention to women all the time.The reason why he paid attention to Xu Ling was that her clothes were too dazzling. Today, she wore a dress with a half-sleeve jacket over it. The upper part of the dress was made of white gauze, and the sleeves were wide. It was very elegant and beautiful. A belt inlaid with jade outlined her slender waist. The lower part of the dress was crimson satin, and the surface of the satin was embroidered with large blooming peonies, and the stamens of each peony flower were made of small rice-like pearls. The petals were made of silver red silk wrapped in a ponytail, glittering in the setting sun and the leaves of peony flowers were made of jade of various sizes, glittering and translucent.
(Note: If you want to know more about Chinese clothes, please google Hanfu. You can also google 对襟半臂襦裙 to see the style of this particular dress.)
It was a Cantonese embroiderer's unique skill to embroider the jewelry on the silk thread. Later, it was brought into the province by Meng Si and spread. She seldom used this kind of embroidery technique. Firstly, it was too expensive for ordinary people to wear; second, it was too gorgeous to be suitable for ordinary people.
But Xu Ling didn't need to worry about these two things at all. She was very beautiful, and now she wore the dress that was specially made for her by Meng Si. She was really very beautiful. Even the cold eldest prince was attracted.
Madam Xu was very satisfied with this and thought that she had to give the embroiderer a big gift later.
At this moment, Xu Qian slowly walked over. She was as quiet and unhurried as usual, but everyone could not help looking at her. The eldest prince just glanced at her casually, and then fixed his eyes on her. An indescribable heat poured out from his dark eyes.Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @
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When they saw Xu Ling, they all agreed that the dress embroidered with pearls, gems, and emeralds was the most beautiful and the best reflection of her embroidery skill. She was worthy of being called Master Meng. No one in the whole of Zhejiang or in the whole country could find a second embroiderer as excellent as her.
But now, looking at the radiant Xu Qian, they finally understood what it meant to be refined and elegant like immortals. The style of her new dress was very simple, but it was just a slip skirt with a cross collar. The inner part was dark purple satin, and the outer part was pure white gauze. The inner part was heavy, and the outer part was thin. The two kinds of cloth overlapped together, and the thick color of the inner layer was faintly reflected through the half-transparent texture of the outer layer, giving a hazy and fresh feeling.
The match of two different materials and the faint color of each other was very ingenious, but the more wonderful thing was the embroidery of the outer shirt. The blooming wisteria flowers extended from the shoulder to the waist and then dropped from the waist to the hemline of the dress. One by one, strings, thick or light, hung down, full of color. The colorful flowers were beautiful enough, but what was even more unbelievable was that the bunch of wisteria flowers were not embroidered with silk but were cut into the shape of fingernail-sized petals with extremely thin silk fabric, and then sewed with needlework one by one.
The mixed color of light white and light purple dropped, and when it spread to the tip of the flower, spat out a thick purple. The color was so beautiful and natural. It was more accurate to say that it was a real wisteria flower blooming on a pure white cloth than an embroidery. They were blooming in full swing, but they didn't seem to be heavy burdens. On the contrary, because of their thin and transparent texture, they looked a little lighter.
A belt made of pure white chiffon was tied to her slim waist without any embroidery or embellishment. It was just in the shape of a bowknot and then fell naturally, making it more elegant. With her head down, Xu Qian walked up to the old madam and greeted her. A gust of autumn wind blew, lifting up her belt, and stirring up the thick or light wisteria flowers. The tasseled hairpin inserted at her temples shook slightly, flickering slightly, and looked somewhat naughty in elegance.
The eldest prince stared at her with burning eyes, but Xu Qian didn't even dare to raise her head. She stood in front of the jealous sisters and poured a cup of tea for Madam Xu.
Xu Ling, who was sitting next to Madam Xu, became her foil in an instant. Although peony was beautiful, it was just suitable for the rich. It was not as fresh and refined as the exotic fairy. The two of them stood at the same place. One of them was full of pearls and the other was full of fairy aura. The others could easily figure out which one was more beautiful without hesitation.
Xu Ling was so angry that her face was tilted. She could barely calm down after being pinched secretly by Madam Xu.
Old Madam looked back and forth at her granddaughters many times and sighed, "Your dress is so beautiful and ingenious. Did the Lin family embroiderer make it for you?"
"Exactly." Xu Qian said softly, "Last time when I went back to the temple, I saw the robe she made for Miss Du, so I booked this dress from her."
When the Buddhist Ceremony was held in the Faxing Temple, the news that the eldest prince was about to visit Xu Ling hadn't been spread yet. Xu Qian was telling Madam Xu in a disguised way that she had made this dress for a long time, not to steal the limelight of Xu family on purpose. Moreover, everyone was the daughter of the Xu family. The eldest prince falling in love with whoever would be ok. Strictly speaking, there was no difference between the di daughter and the shu daughter.
Old Madam was really happy. She took her hand and sat down. Noticing the eldest prince frequently looking at her, she was happy and treated her granddaughter more kindly.
Only then did the eldest prince realize that he had lost his composure. He quickly withdrew his gaze, but the unworldly figure that had slowly walked over kept lingering in his mind. During the rest of the banquet, his words and behaviors seemed normal, but in fact, he was chewing and absent-minded, and his eyes would involuntarily float towards the female guests.
The ninth daughter of Xu family, who was sitting on the left side of Madam Xu was the simplest. She didn't notice the undercurrent between the sisters but stared at the dress wholeheartedly. "Sixth Sister, I saw it when you just arrived. It must have been made by Miss Lin." She said with a smile.
"Oh? How did you know that?" Asked Xu Qian softly.
"That's the style of Embroiderer Lin! Every dress she made was full of fairy aura. The one who wore it was the fairy lady. Miss Du looked like the goddess of a tree in that blouse last time. This time, this skirt makes you look like a goddess of flowers. Her clothes will double your beauty, not to mention you are already beautiful." Ninth Daughter said enviously.
"Thank you, Ninth Sister." Xu Qian covered her mouth and smiled. Her deep eyes finally showed a little pure joy.
As soon as she finished speaking, a crisp sound was heard from the other end of the male guest. All the ladies turned their heads to look, only to find that the eldest prince had somehow broken the wine glass and was sitting on the table with a cold face. Noticing that everyone was looking at him, he also turned his head and swept his cold and sharp eyes over, which scared all the ladies to be silent.
This was the first time that Xu Qian observed the eldest prince carefully. He was extremely tall, with deep and handsome features, and his temperament was cold and indifferent. He was exactly the same as the legendary prince. Could he really help her out of hell? Xu Qian was not sure, let alone guessing whether it was a bigger fire pit. There was a touch of sadness and confusion in her calm eyes. She lowered her head slightly in the cold gaze of the eldest prince.
"Your Highness, your robe is wet. May I take you to change it?" The voice of Admiral Xu came faintly. The eldest prince responded in a low voice. In a short while, the two of them left their seats and went downstairs to change their clothes.
Without the distinguished guest and the master, Xu Ling, who had endured for a long time, sneered, "What fairy? It's just a cheap dress made of rags. How dare you wear it to make a fool of yourself!"
Xu Qian didn't respond, allowing Xu Ling to vent her anger. What was rag? Anyone with eyes could see how exquisite the dress was. Every petal was bound with a thread. The pale yellow pistils and the gradually changing color of the flowers were all embroidered by Lin Dan, and they were carefully sewed into the shape of wisteria flowers. Not to mention using this piece of cloth as a dress, even if it was mounted into an embroidery screen, there were still many people willing to spend a high price to collect it.
At the sight of the dress, Xu Qian had completely understood why Lin Dan did not send it here before the deadline. In fact, it was beyond Xu Qian's expectation that she could finish the complicated handcraft in sixteen days. Although the dress was simple in style, it was definitely not easy to make. Cutting these tens of millions of petals was enough to consume a lot of energy, not to mention dye them and sew them. No matter how magnificent the peony dress that Meng Si embroidered was, it was difficult to compete with the fairy dress of Lin Dan. The dress she made was no longer an ordinary thing.
Xu Ling's words were so insidious, but she was just jealous.
The ninth daughter of Xu family was quite favored, and she was not afraid of Xu Ling. She immediately said, "Since Seventh Sister dislikes her so much, don't go to find Miss Lin to make dresses in the future, in case her cheap dress will degrade you. I don't mind. Sixth Sister, if you introduce Miss Lin to me, I'll ask her to make all my dresses from now on!"
"Of course you can. I'll take you to her embroidery shop next time." Xu Qian nodded with a smile.
Hearing what she said, all the girls gathered around her. They touched the wisteria on her dress while asking about the situation of Lin Dan. How could they not know such a skilled embroiderer?
Several ladies had attended the meeting at Faxing Temple. They had seen with their own eyes the ginkgo leaf robe of Du Ruyan, which was very stunning at that time. But later, they were deceived by a few words of ridicule from Meng Si and stopped the idea of making clothes by Lin Dan. Xu Qian was the most observant. They immediately walked over to cotton up to Du Ruyan and then got to know her. If it weren't for that, how could she make her amazing appearance today?
The more the ladies thought about it, the more regretful they felt. Naturally, their impression of Lin Dan had changed greatly. Now in their eyes, Lin Dan's embroidery skill was as good as Meng Si's.
Since Xu Ling had made up her mind, it was not a good idea to go to make clothes for her. She was angry and anxious, fearing that her sisters would compare her with her. If she had known that Lin Dan was so powerful, she wouldn't have asked Meng Si for help. The No.1 embroider in Zhejiang Province? Bah!
Madam Xu smiled amiably, but in her heart, she was blaming Meng Si for her incompetence, which made her daughter a foil to others. If it weren't for her daughter's vulgar peony dress, Xu Qian's wisteria flower dress would never be so outstanding now! The No.1 embroiderer in the province? The only one who could surpass Ye Jinxiu? Humph, she was really flattering herself.
As soon as the eldest prince left, the guests scattered one after another. When Xu Qian returned to her room and was about to change her clothes, she saw Madam Kou sneaking in. She asked expectantly, "Qianqian, how was the family dinner? Did the eldest prince notice you?"
"I don't know. I don't dare to look at him all the time." Xu Qian shook her head and smiled bitterly. Although she was independent, she was not good at playing tricks. Naturally, she did not know how to attract the attention of a man.
"It's okay. I'm sure the eldest prince will notice you. No one can be more beautiful than you at the family feast today. Thanks to embroidering. She is really good at embroidery. I don't believe that I almost ruined your work!" Fortunately, her daughter was very tough and forced her to give up the ridiculous idea of pushing off the order and returning the deposit. Otherwise, how could her daughter be like today?
Thinking of this, Madam Kou wiped the cold sweat on her forehead. Thinking of Xu Ling's vulgar dress, she couldn't help but smile.
Xu Qian took off her dress carefully and said with a smile, "I will wear this dress tomorrow to walk on the street and make a name for Miss Lin. Thanks to her today."
"Don't go. You silly girl. Miss Lin is such a good girl. It's not too late for others to hide her. How can you push her out? Let's try our best to win her over and ask her to only embroider clothes for you!"
Xu Qian shook her head and smiled, "Auntie, we don't have money or power. How can we win her over? With her skill, even if I don't spread it out for her, she will be famous in the country sooner or later. At that time, we want to see her, just like the rich women and ladies in the province want to see Meng Si. Without a hundred taels of silver, we can't get it. Now that we can build a good relationship with her, why not? Some people's talents can't be hidden at all."
Finally, Madam Kou was convinced by her daughter. She looked around the fairy dress for a long time, and then carefully stroked it before she left. Every woman would love this dress to death, but unfortunately, she was too old to match it.Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @
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The next day, Xu Ling rushed into Meng Clan Embroidery Shop with a group of servants. Seeing her angry face, the shopkeeper knew that she was coming to make trouble, so he hurried to stop her, but was kicked away.
"Meng Si, Meng Si, come out!" She rushed into the VIP room on the second floor and shouted.
"Miss Xu, what can I do for you?" Meng Si and Li Jiarong walked out of the screen together, followed by Li Xiudian and Meng Zhong. The four of them frowned and looked unhappy, but they didn't dare to lose their temper because of Xu Ling's identity. Her father had been guarding the city for many years, killing countless bandits. The pamphlet recording his military achievements was piled up as high as a man, which could be said to be the real local emperor of the city. Li Ran is Imperial Concubine Min's brother. So what? He had to yield to Admiral Xu when he came to the province.
"What's the matter with me? Look at the tattered embroidery by yourself!" Xu Ling threw the valuable peony dress on the ground, and said angrily, "I made a fool of myself yesterday with your dress. Are you the best embroider in the city? Do you think you are qualified?!"
"Is there anything wrong with this dress?" Meng Si picked up the dress, looking worried.
Liu Xiudian looked at her sympathetically and reproached, "Miss Xu, let's have a talk. Everyone can see how skillful Meng Si is. If there is something wrong with this dress, you can point it out and we can improve it. Don't hurt the harmony."
"This dress is fine. What's wrong with it?" Li Jiarong grabbed the dress and looked at it again and again. She pointed at Xu Ling's nose and scolded, "Xu Ling, are you here to make trouble on purpose? Sisi is my good friend. You can bully her! I, Li Jiarong, am not afraid of you!"
Xu Ling grabbed Li Jiarong's finger and pulled it down hard. She said in a ferocious tone, "What are you going to do? Hit me? If you are not afraid of me, will I be afraid of you? Meng Si's skill was even inferior to that of the newly learned embroiderer. The dress she made was luxurious and vulgar. How could she call herself the best embroider in the province? I think the title of the best embroiderer must be given by you!"
"Who she can't compare with? Make it clear!" Li Jiarong withdrew her finger and grimaced in pain.
"She is not as good at embroidery as Lin Dan. Last time when she was in the Faxing Temple, she had the nerve to say that Lin Dan's embroidery skill was only good, and even the disciple of Meng Clan Embroidery Shop was not as good as that of her. Can a disciple of Meng Clan Embroidery Shop make the dress Xu Qian wore?" Xu Ling gnashed her teeth in anger.
"Do you mean that Miss Xu was beaten by a dress made of wisteria flowers which is more beautiful than my sister's?" Seeming to understand Xu Ling's intention, Meng Zhong said politely.
"Yes, you made me a fool at the family feast. I won't let you go!" Xu Ling snatched the peony dress and stepped hard on it. Then she knocked down several embroidered frames standing next to her. She behaved overbearingly.
Meng Si's face turned pale with fear. She took a step back. Li Xiudian quickly protected her and glared at Xu Ling. Meng Zhong pulled Li Jiarong behind him and continued, "May I know the style of Lin Dan's dress? How can you compare it with my sister's carefully made dress? You know, to make this dress, my sister used hundreds of pearls, gems, and emeralds, and also used the Cantonese embroidery technique. She also added a lot of newly developed embroidery lines. No matter in workmanship or material, they are absolutely first-class."
As he spoke, he picked up the dress, patted it gently, and spread it on the embroidery rack.
The customers who were attracted by the noise all craned their necks to see what was going on. This dress was so elegant and brilliant. If she could wear it and walk around, she would wake up with a smile in her dream, but Xu Ling was not satisfied. Then what kind of dress did she want to wear? Fairy's feather robe?
Xu Ling couldn't find a word to describe the beauty of that dress for a long time. Just as she was secretly anxious, her wet nurse pulled her sleeve and reminded her, "Miss, she is downstairs. Please let them see by themselves."
Standing on tiptoe, Xu Ling saw that Xu Qian and her ninth sister were walking along the street hand in hand. She quickly pulled Meng Si to the window and sneered, "Have a good look! Let's see if I have wronged you! You are not as good as Lin Dan, and you don't want to admit it. I won't come to your shop to make clothes again!"
Meng Si and Li Jiarong lowered their heads and were both stunned. The customers who came to join the fun also squeezed to the window and then showed a surprised look.
Xu Qian was beautiful and attractive, and her temperament was also very gentle and quiet. Set off by the colorful wisteria skirt, she looked more fresh and refined, but also added some intelligence and niftyness. The passers-by were either stopped to look or turned around to look. Their faces were full of obsession.
It was totally out of Xu Qian's expectation that this dress would have such an effect. Her face flushed with shyness, and she walked faster and faster. The hemline of the dress with petals was flying under her feet as if it was about to fly away. She was like a fairy who had fallen into the mortal world, so panicked, pitiful and cute.
The people on the second floor were all stunned. They didn't let out a series of exclamations until Xu Qian disappeared at the corner.
"Is the wisteria flower on her dress real? I seem to see petals swaying gently in the wind!"
"It's true. I saw it too! There are so many wisteria flowers on the ground, but they don't look bloated at all. Instead, they make your body more light and elegant. Only a fairy dress and a feather robe can indeed have such an effect!"
"What's that look in your eyes? Those flowers couldn't be real, or they would have withered. I can see that it's real. It's cut into the shape of petals with gauze, dyed, embroidered with stamens, and sewed up one by one!"
"How many messy flowers made of chiffon and sewed on the dress? What the hell is that embroiderer thinking? How can she be so skillful!"
Everyone was amazed. They inquired about what had happened to Lin Dan, and then looked at the peony dress on the embroidery rack. Unexpectedly, they showed a look of disgust. Although the dress was beautiful and eye-catching, it was not enough to compare with the fairy dress and feather robe. If she could be a fairy daughter, who would be willing to be a mortal?
Thinking of this, the ladies who had planned to order several clothes in Meng Clan Embroidery Shop all got their deposit back and inquired about the address of Lin Family Embroidery Shop. Xu Ling glared at Meng Si, turned over the embroidery rack, and left.
Meng Si still looked out of the window, looking a little confused Li Xiudian gently stroked her tense back and comforted her in silence.
Li Jiarong took back her shock and said sincerely, "Sisi, that wisteria's dress is made of broken cloth. It's not as good as you. She only knows how to play with these strange, lewd, and skillful tricks. When she is exhausted, she will ask for help. Don't take her too seriously!"
If it weren't for Meng Zhong, she would have been in a hurry to inquire about the dress.
"I've never seen her work. I don't think it's a good idea. It's also a kind of talent to have a strange mind. After all, she has some real ability." Meng Si said.
Meng Zhong didn't take it seriously. "She has just learned embroidery for a short time. How long have you learned it? How could she stand out if she didn't put her mind on these unorthodox ways? The Lin family was defeated by me. If she gets into trouble with you after she gets famous, I won't let her go."
"It's not a big deal. Our debt is already clear. Brother, please let go of her." Meng Si shook her head, her eyes full of pity.
Seeing her like this, Meng Zhong didn't say anything, but his eyes were somewhat vicious. Li Xiudian became more fond of such a gentle and kind girl, so he couldn't help but rub her head.
—
Three days later, the threshold of the Lin manor was almost broken by the guests who came here. Lin Dan had used up all her primitive power. She didn't want to accept the second order in a short time. The two aunts' and Cuilan's fingers were also rubbed and swollen by scissors and stitches, and they hadn't recovered yet. Fortunately, Xu Qian sent someone to give her fifty taels, which eased her pain when she saw the money flowing away.
At first, the customers who were refused by her made a big noise and didn't want to let her go. Then, after hearing the news, Du Ruyan arrived and explained in detail how Lin Dan embroidered the wisteria dress. She said, "It takes a lot of time and energy to make such a fairy dress. It's good that you can receive one order a month. If you want it in a hurry, it won't work at all. The more exquisite the dress was, the more it needed to be designed and cut according to the appearance and temperament of the guest. The finished product must be unique in the world and would never clash with others. If you are in a hurry, you can go to another house. If you are not, you can wait in line."
After the explanation, Du Ruyan increased the price by two or three times. The guests didn't quarrel and left silently. Those who couldn't afford it lined up and paid the deposit. Although there were only three customers, they asked Lin Dan to get a deposit of 75 taels of silver in one breath. After getting the dress, they would pay another fifty taels of money.
"A dress costs 75. Do you think they are stupid?" Lin Dan looked at Du Ruyan in confusion.
Sitting on the table with a smile, Du Ryan shook her head and said, "Don't be silly! Do you know how much it will cost if I take the wisteria dress you made before to the capital?"
"How much should it be sold?"
"At least one hundred taels. A meal from a rich family in the capital was more than that. To eat a special duck tongue, they can kill dozens of ducks at the same time, leaving only their tongues. The rest of the meat will be given to the servants. It's not too much to spend money like water." Said Du Ruyan with a look of memory, but she didn't feel envious. In fact, it was not bad to have a simple meal.
"Then I have to take the embroidery shop to the capital city sooner or later." Lin Dan rubbed her hands unconsciously.
Du Ruyan covered her mouth again and smiled happily.
With a wave of her hand, she put the two silver ingots into Du Ruyan's arms and said generously, "You brought the guests, and the price was set by you. In the future, I will give you five taels of silver for each extra order. But you have to continue to help me answer their questions and haggle like today."
She didn't like to socialize with others. If only Du Ruyan could help her, that would be much better.
Du Ruyan hurriedly held the silver ingot and said with a smile, "Okay, let me help you. Let's open the embroidery shop together. But I have to warn you in advance that you can't accept any orders without my permission from now on. It's best if you accept one every one or two months. In this way, your dress will be more expensive and the price will be pushed higher and higher. Do you understand?"
"Okay, it's up to you!" Lin Dan reached out her left hand.
Du Ruyan looked at her with an inexplicable expression.
With a helpless look, she pulled her hand over and patted it gently. Then she said seriously, "Let's clap our hands to swear that we will be partners in the future."
Hearing this, Du Ruyan giggled and took Lin Dan's hand to slap her again.
Hearing the silvery laughter from the next door, Du Rusong, who was practicing, couldn't help shaking his head and smiling. The two of them got together, but the days seemed to pass better.Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "Novel Multiverse dot com" website @