Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"Yesterday, I came back with a parched throat and was about to heat some water from the jar, only to find it completely empty. Do you know who did it? That’s right, my little brother-in-law again." Wen Shuhui began recounting stories about her mother-in-law's younger brother.

Jin Niang found this somewhat annoying. Perhaps because she wasn't married, she didn't really enjoy listening to these daily household grievances. However, Wen Shuhui and Xu Sanjie were both married women for a few years, and they often sat together, complaining about their in-laws and younger brothers-in-law.

But since they weren't very close, she couldn't say much.

Fortunately, Gu Xiu came over at that moment, smiling, "In two days, it will be the Minor New Year. Tomorrow, the Embroidery Academy will distribute some items for the New Year."

Jin Niang had thought they would receive nothing more than some worthless trinkets, but to her surprise, the Embroidery Academy provided quite a lot: a five-pound jar of premium sesame oil, two dou of premium glutinous rice, a three-foot-long towel, six handkerchiefs, two blocks of chrysanthemum soap, a pack of dried lychees, and a pack of candied walnuts.

Everyone was buzzing with excitement. Meng Liniang, who was around the same age as Jin Niang, exclaimed, "So many things, how am I supposed to carry them all back?"

Meng Liniang lived up to her name, which included the character 'li' (beautiful), as she was very pretty. She lived with her sister and brother-in-law, making many things inconvenient. She asked the others, "How are you going to get them back?"

"My father will come to pick me up, so we can take them back together," Jin Niang smiled.

Wen Shuhui's husband was a carriage driver, so it was easy for her: "My husband, Pingge's father, will come to pick me up."

As for Xu Sanjie, she said, "My child's father will also come to pick me up." Her family situation was similar to Jin Niang's, both having donkey carts.

Seeing that it was already the hour of You, Jin Niang urged, "It's time to finish work, let's go."

Meng Liniang, Zou Yue'e, and Jin Niang were all unmarried young ladies, and they got along well. Jin Niang couldn't help but say, "If there were no issues today, I could have my father drop you off, but unfortunately, we're going to my sister and brother-in-law's house for dinner today, so it's not convenient."

Actually, Jin Niang had planned this excuse in advance; otherwise, they would definitely ask for her help. With the weather getting colder, how could she trouble her father?

"It's fine, I can carry a bit less each day until everything is moved," Zou Yue'e replied.

In Bianjing, it was rare for a woman to be unmarried at twenty-two. Jin Niang knew that the Zou family still rented their home, with five of them living in two tiny rooms. This made Zou Yue'e's greatest worry her marriage prospects, though she appeared calm and composed, without much visible distress.

After saying goodbye to her colleagues, Jin Niang let her father in to help move the rice and oil. Wei Xiong said with delight, "Jin Niang, you've only been here a few days, and they've already given you so much."

"Yes, I didn't expect it either..."

Back home, Luo Yüe was even more delighted. Their family was always content and happy. Her mother, acting as the head of the household, said, "We'll save the dried lychees for the New Year. We can all have some of the candied walnuts; they're good for blackening hair. The chrysanthemum soap is for washing clothes, isn't it too wasteful?"

Jin Niang smiled, "Mother, use the good things whenever you want."

"Now that we're in the capital, we're living like people above others." Luo Yüe placed her hands on her hips, looking proud.

After dinner, Jin Niang took out the shoe soles she had sewn during her free time at the Embroidery Academy and began stitching the fabric together. She was genuinely anxious, unsure how well they would sell at the Brocade Pavilion.

She was preoccupied with these thoughts, while Luo Yüe was concerned about her daughter's marriage. Next year, her daughter would be sixteen, an age when one should start considering marriage proposals.

But she didn't know anyone suitable and dared not choose randomly. Moreover, they had almost spent all their savings on buying their current home. They had no money left for a dowry. Well, they would see what happens next year when business picks up.

Yang Ge’s school had already closed, and Jin Niang and the others had been learning etiquette from the female officials for half a month. In the mornings, scholars from the Hanlin Academy and the Painting Academy came to prepare some books for them and even encouraged them to paint.

"Only by mastering painting can you improve your embroidery. Take these books home and practice whenever you have time."

Jin Niang agreed wholeheartedly. She could draw without a model very rarely. Since the finished garments had already been delivered to the Brocade Pavilion, she planned to practice more, especially during the seven-day holiday for the Spring Festival.

However, she did not expect to find her mother looking extremely upset when she returned home. Jin Niang asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"

"Your father went to deliver cured meat to your grandmother today and overheard your third aunt talking about how her daughters and Rong Niang are already married, but you are still unmarried. How could I not be angry?" Luo Yüe was clearly upset.

Jin Niang patted her mother's shoulder, "There's no need to get so worked up. That's just who she is. Why did you even think of sending gifts?"

"Your grandmother is truly something." Luo Yüe was actually afraid that when her daughter's marriage was being discussed, the man's family might secretly investigate and find out about their discord, thus accusing them of not respecting the elderly.

Before the New Year, she went to the Brocade Pavilion to inquire about how well the clothes she made had sold. The shopkeeper flipped through the ledger and said, "Lady Wei, only one of the dresses you made has been sold, which should earn you about three guan and three qian."

"How much?" Jin asked.

Thinking Jin was dissatisfied with the amount, the shopkeeper hurriedly explained, "You've only delivered them here for a few days, and our regular customers don't know you yet. It's already quite good."

"No, it's not that." Jin felt it was too much. In the past, when she worked at the Zhou family, making a set of clothes would barely earn her one string of cash, and that was on rare occasions. Now, a single dress could earn her more than three guan.

If one doesn't take that step forward, they will never know what they can achieve.

Her parents were busy making white rice cakes, which were essential for the New Year. Her mother said the rice she brought back was particularly good, so they borrowed a millstone to grind the rice into a paste to make the cakes.

Jin then went inside to look at the paintings by the artists. She tried to draw without a draft, but unfortunately, after spending the whole morning trying, the work she produced was too stiff, and the shape of the petals was incorrect. Frustrated, she crumpled the paper and threw it into the wastebasket, then went outside for a walk.

Just then, Luo Yüe said, "Jin, take some of these cakes to your elder sister. They sent us porridge on Laba Festival."

"Alright, I was also feeling a bit stuffy and wanted to go out," Jin replied.

Picking up a basket, Jin wrapped a headscarf around her head and rode the family's donkey over. It happened that Rong and Feng Sheng were both at home. Seeing Jin arrive, they invited her to stay for a meal.

Jin waved her hand, "When I left, my mother had just started washing the rice and lighting the fire, urging me to return quickly."

Rong pulled her in, "At least have a cup of hot tea before you leave."

Thus, Jin sat down and heard Feng Sheng ask, "I heard Second Sister has gone to the Embroidery Academy?"

Jin smiled and said, "Indeed, life at the Embroidery Academy is much easier now. I have more time to improve myself."

"True, how much do you earn each month?" Feng Sheng asked.

Jin told him the truth but saw Feng Sheng's smile was insincere. "That's too little. Someone like Ying, who doesn't need to arrive so early every day, earns at least eight strings of cash a month, and often more than ten strings, which is quite common."

"That's her good fortune, oh, it's getting late, I should be going." Jin stood up, clearly not fond of others talking about her this way.

Rong wanted to show her Lin again, hoping to keep her longer, but Jin refused, "If I return late, my mother will scold me."

Leaving here, Jin was eager to get back to painting. No matter what, she had to carve out her own path. Even at the Embroidery Academy, the contract was only for three years. What would she do after that if she didn't have to go there anymore?

Back home, she hastily ate a few bites of food, then took out new sketch paper. She used to copy paintings, but now she started by tracing them with a fine brush, then coloring them in. After finishing one, she set it aside and tried to paint it from memory, comparing it with the original. She repeated this process until late at night, finally managing without the fine brush.

But it still didn't feel right. In the morning, without washing her face, she continued painting.

Birds come in various forms, and flowers in different shapes. Jin was not a master painter; her family had no garden, and she had no teacher. She relied entirely on her own experience and intuition.

Because of painting, she neglected visiting relatives. When Luo Yüe and Wei Xiong suggested going to the market together, she declined. Her parents naturally complained, and even her relatives thought her odd, but Jin paid no attention to these things.

Xu Chongsui's paintings were more suitable for Jin than those of Xu Xi and Huang Quan, making them the best choice for learning boneless painting.

However, she still needed to use a fine brush. She mixed gamboge and indigo to create green, but did not blend it thoroughly, which was perfect for painting leaves.

Stretching, she realized she was hungry. Jin took out some candied walnuts and steamed buns to eat, and mixed a bowl of glutinous rice flour with hot water.

After eating, Jin smiled bitterly. Her weight loss plan was over. With such intense work and long hours of sitting, she needed to eat enough to sustain herself.

She didn't find it hard or tiring, only feeling that she was walking alone, striving for her career.

Of course, this is why Rongniang and Feng Sheng both felt that Jinniang was truly out of place.

As Feng Sheng said, "For a woman, beauty or ugliness isn't the key; what matters most is her temperament. Look at your second uncle, they don’t find anything wrong with your sister, not a single word."

Rongniang laughed, "Look at you, even when you're concerned, you speak so harshly. She has always been competitive and sharp-tongued. Not to mention comparing herself with us, she even wants to compete with men."

When Jinniang finished drafting the line drawing for the *Pomelo Ribbon Bird* collar, Luo Yüehua marveled, looking at her daughter in disbelief: "That's really impressive."

"I plan to make three such collars. I'll buy some gauze tomorrow, and we can all go to Daxiangguo Temple the day after," Jinniang said, also wanting to spend some time with her parents.

Luo Yüehua, of course, had no objections. She even hoped Jinniang would go out more often, perhaps meeting a suitable match.

In the past, their visits to Daxiangguo Temple were always rushed, but now they could take their time to appreciate it, which was truly wonderful. It was her mother’s first visit to Daxiangguo Temple, and the sights were so captivating that they couldn’t help but stop to look.

The most fun was when vendors called out, and her mother would go over to take a look. Jinniang then pulled her mother aside, saying, "We can come often in the future. I want to visit the nearby embroidery alley."

"Then let me buy a bag of roasted chestnuts first," Luo Yüehua said.

Jinniang chuckled; her mother would still only buy food if she had money.

Mother and daughter then went to the nearby embroidery alley, the true holy land for embroiderers, where all kinds of embroidered items were on display. Jinniang felt like a mouse in a rice jar here. Her mother initially accompanied her, but later waved her hand, saying, "I feel dizzy, my eyes are dazzled."

Jinniang had to browse alone. There were specialized shops for collars, adorned with intricate patterns in various colors, as well as shoe stores with exquisite uppers, and clothing that was beyond compare.

She then bought several yards of silk and gauze to take home, preparing to make the *Pomelo Ribbon Bird* collar. After all, this design symbolizes longevity and high rank. This year, Kaifeng Prefecture had the preliminary exams, followed by the provincial exams in August or September, and then the palace exams.

Before she knew it, seven days had passed, and Jinniang began working at the Embroidery Academy again.

Now, they had to learn from the senior embroiderers first. Jinniang sat on a stool to watch, and the old embroiderer occasionally spoke to her: "When the time comes, you new embroiderers will have to help make clothes for the newly appointed scholars. That's how it was when we first started."

"Oh, I see." Jin Niang saw the embroiderer skillfully working on a běizi and asked curiously, "Who is this for?"

"It's for Beauty Huang. She was originally Consort Chen's adopted daughter, but now that she's been granted the title of Beauty, we have to make dresses for her. By the way, I should tell you, at formal imperial banquets, the palace consorts all wear red běizi adorned with pearls," the old embroiderer said.

Jin Niang quickly jotted down the information with a feather pen and chatted idly, "Adopted daughters can become beauties too?"

The old embroiderer, who found her work monotonous, replied, "The emperor has no sons, so these adopted daughters are either presented by ministers or adopted by consorts."

In truth, people like them, who were busy with their daily lives, had little idea about what went on in the imperial court. Honestly, if it weren't for her job at the Zhou family, she wouldn't even know who the local governor or magistrate was.

"Really, it can be like that," Jin Niang said. At the moment, she didn't think this would affect her, but later, she would be drawn into the turmoil because of it.

She noticed that the embroiderer was sewing pearls onto the cuffs rather than the collar, and she made a mental note of it.

Talking about home, her parents had limited funds. They managed to find a shop, and her mother was eager to start making money, so they paid half a year's rent upfront. This, along with buying steamer baskets, tables, iron pots, and other items, drained their twenty guan.

Jin Niang became their first customer. Her parents sold soup-filled steamed buns, vegetable pies, congee, tofu pudding, and soy milk. She tasted two of the steamed buns: "Not bad, but the buns are a bit yellow."

"It's your father. He doesn't realize that the climate in Kaifeng is different from Jiangling, and the flour here is also different," Luo Yüe said, pointing to the mutton soup shop across the street. "You don't know that the noodle shop opposite is also selling steamed buns; we were just too hasty."

"It's not that you were too hasty; it's that our capital is limited. You and Father can use this place to hone your skills. The taste of people in Kaifeng is different from that of people in Jiangling. As long as you don't lose money, after six months, you can move to a better location."

Jin Niang knew that rent in Kaifeng was expensive, and only in such remote areas could they negotiate a rent of two guan per month. In slightly better locations, it would cost around four guan, and that would only get them a single shop.

Luo Yüe, who had a quick temper, felt much more relaxed seeing Jin Niang's encouragement. "Don't worry, your father and I will definitely hold out until the last day."

After a month of pre-job training, Jin Niang began her official duties. Perhaps due to the intense training she gave herself during the New Year, she no longer needed to trace the new paintings sent by the painting academy using translucent Goryeo paper. Instead, she could directly sketch the outlines and then outline the areas to be embroidered with thread.

Spring was approaching, and the ladies of the palace needed new clothes and dresses to be tailored.

Gu Xiutou walked around, observing the new recruits, while Jin Niang would also get up to inquire despite the inconvenience, showing a rather good attitude.

When the newcomers started working on the embroidery frames, although they had listened for a month, there were still many mistakes when it came to actual practice. Gu Xiutou would then arrange for experienced embroiderers to teach them in turns.

The five new arrivals were grouped together and assigned to make a set of clothes. This was different from the Zhou family, where one person would complete an entire set inside and out; here, each person was responsible for one piece.

Jin Niang was assigned to make a four-panel three-pleat skirt. There would always be someone to teach her how to do it, as Gu Xiutou now instructed Jin Niang: "On the upper right and lower left of the skirt, you will embroider peonies. Follow this pattern, first using cotton thread, then silk thread, and split the threads finely."

"Yes," Jin Niang understood. The Embroidery Academy was a place for specialized embroiderers who didn't need many ideas, just the ability to execute.

This was fine with her, as she didn’t have to think too much, and at the same time, she could bring back the latest patterns, which were the most popular.

Therefore, instead of making three neckbands with loquat and ribbon birds, she decided to change the last one to a peony design. She planned to earn three guan with these three pieces, but unexpectedly, she earned six guan. With this, plus her monthly salary, she had nearly ten guan.

After returning home, Jin Niang shook her money bag: "Tomorrow is my day off, let's all go to the fish soup shop for some fish."

Her father, as usual, was hesitant, but her mother said: "That’s great, we’ll close the stall early tomorrow."

Since buying the donkey cart, Jin Niang no longer gave money to her parents. Previously, she thought she was saving for her dowry, but now she felt that having money in hand was important, at least a large sum, so that she wouldn’t be constrained by poverty or looked down upon.

Seeing why Feng Sheng dared to give advice to everyone, wasn’t it because she could earn?

Earning ten guan a month was something she never dared to dream of before; even earning one or two guan seemed good to her. Sometimes, sitting aside, she heard that Brother Feng earned over thirty guan a month, which seemed like an astronomical amount to her at the time, but now she realized it was within reach.

There was a fish soup shop on the northern side of Horse Street, and Jin Niang told her parents: "I heard from our Gu Xiutou that this fish soup shop is different from others. Most fish shops either boil or steam their fish, but this one roasts the fish first before boiling it, and it’s always packed with people every day."

"Is that possible?" Everyone found it curious.

Jin Niang nodded: "Indeed, and it’s not expensive. One hundred wen includes a drink, Father, isn’t it true that you’ve been saying you haven’t had time to buy wine lately?"

A balance of work and rest allows one to go further. Mother and Father's business hasn't been good lately, but coming out for some fresh air has greatly lifted their spirits. This is the first time Young Yang has come out with them; usually quiet, he is now excitedly looking around.

Jin Niang held his little hand, bought him a mask and a small windmill. Young Yang immediately asked, "Can I bring these to school tomorrow, Sister?"

"Of course, you can make more friends," Jin Niang smiled warmly.

Young Yang both loved and feared his sister; she was very kind to him, but he also feared her scolding if his homework wasn't done or if he couldn't have snacks. Fortunately, his grades had improved from being near the bottom to ranking tenth in class this time.

The uncles at the entrance were soliciting customers, and Jin Niang and her family had waited for half an hour. Father was getting impatient, but they finally managed to get inside just in time. Jin Niang ordered a fish and some crispy pork. While waiting for the dishes, she thought she saw Wu Shi's maid. It had only been two or three months, yet it felt like a long time.

It was said that after the Zhou family married off their eldest daughter, all the people in the embroidery room were dismissed, though those outside didn't know. Zhou Cunzhi indeed left a deep impression with his red robe last time. He mocked himself as Chen Ziang who smashed his thousand-gold lute, so when Chun Shan wanted Jin Niang to make clothes again, he heard that everyone in the embroidery room had left?

Zhou Cunzhi was taken aback.

After eating and drinking to their satisfaction, Jin Niang and her party came out. As the saying goes, joy can turn to sorrow. A thief snatched the small pouch Jin Niang was holding. Although she usually didn't carry much money when she went out, there was a receipt for buying cloth in the pouch.

Her father quickly pretended to chase after the thief, and Jin Niang followed behind. However, the thief was agile, and with the crowd, he soon vanished without a trace.

When her parents were at a loss, a young man approached with the pouch. He wore a padded robe and a square cap, saying, "Miss, please check if anything is missing from your pouch."

Jin Niang thanked him and opened the pouch to find everything intact. There were thirty coins inside, and Jin Niang took out twenty to give him, "Thank you, brave sir. This money is for you to buy some wine."

While they were talking, Wei Xiong engaged the man in conversation. The man was surnamed Shao, named Shengping. They learned he was a scholar from Jinan countryside, now teaching at a private school in the capital for three guan a month, but he spent two guan on rent and was struggling to make ends meet.

Luo Yüe and Wei Xiong felt sorry for him, and seeing him help retrieve the pouch, they often sent him food from the steamed bun shop. Jin Niang didn't pay much attention to this, but when her mother mentioned that Shao Shengping had sent a matchmaker, Jin Niang refused.

"Jin Niang, you are capable and strong-willed. I think Mr. Shao is five years older than you, though his family is poor, he is a scholar, kind-hearted, and upright. Look, he even helped chase the thief for you."

Since Jin Niang made all the decisions at home, Luo Yüe consulted her first.

Jin Niang shook her head immediately, "Mother, I haven't considered marriage yet. Women in Bianjing usually marry at seventeen or eighteen, and I want to earn more money. He himself is like a clay Buddha crossing a river, I don't want to suffer anymore."

She knew herself well; she was quite plump because she worked at places like the Zhou family and the Embroidery Academy, where she wore silk clothes outside and had a house. Besides, she hadn't even spoken to the man, how could he really like her? Moreover, she had no feelings for Shao Shengping.

It was said that Shao Shengping didn't give up and sent the matchmaker again, but was still rejected. Luo Yüe told the matchmaker with a troubled face, "My daughter disagrees, there's nothing we can do. We can't let our daughter live in a shack."

The matchmaker, failing to arrange the marriage, told Shao Shengping, "Mr. Shao, don't be upset. I tried my best, but Miss Wei only likes wealthy men."