Chapter 70

Chapter 70

The Wei Family Embroidery Shop in Sweetwater Lane had reopened after more than a month, its interior completely transformed. Where once there had been a low couch stood a bed now, dressed with bright floral bedding depicting peonies in full bloom, delicate green bamboo gauze curtains, and above the valance, embroidered peonies.

The front area featured a long narrow table where several embroidered bridal veils were displayed—depicting motifs such as mandarin ducks playing in water, magpies perched on plum blossoms, and blooming peonies. Also present were red phoenix-headed shoes, cloud-embroidered shoes, and an assortment of pouches, sachets, fan cases, powder puffs, oil blotters, and other accessories.

To the east side of the table hung various garments—beizi jackets, skirts, tops, and close-fitting trousers. Further ahead was a small tea table, holding a tray of dried fruits and tea, attended by a quick-witted maid who served guests and brewed tea.

The central counter was now much lower, resembling a writing desk, with an embroidery frame beside it. A notebook lay open atop the desk, listing seasonal flowers and new wedding attire designs. A Ge ware vase filled with fresh flowers added a lively touch to the space.

The first visitor through the door was Madame Bai, a familiar face, who was delighted to see Jin Niang: “Last month when I came by, your shop was still closed. I’m so glad it’s finally open again.”

“I had some family matters to attend to,” Jin Niang replied, “and also needed time to rearrange the shop. Oh, Madame Bai, here are some new dresses we’ve made—please take a look.” She smiled at A Ying to bring tea, then rose slowly, supporting her pregnant belly, to begin her presentation.

As the maker of these garments, Jin Niang knew how to describe them well: “The autumn chrysanthemums are in full bloom, and you can see the stamens are intricately embroidered. Each flower uses three different stitches, accented with twisted indigo and violet threads, giving it a refined elegance. Other clothes wrinkle easily, but this fabric resists wrinkling and keeps its shape even after prolonged wear.”

Madame Bai ran her hands over the dress appreciatively. The quality of Wei Family Embroidery Shop’s work was always exceptional. Still, she asked, “I have a similar piece of fabric. Could you make a beizi jacket in this style?”

“Of course,” Jin Niang said warmly.

Naturally, Madame Bai asked about the price. Jin Niang replied, “The usual labor fee is three guan, but for you, I’ll charge two guan and five hundred wen, as a gesture of goodwill.”

Madame Bai’s maid couldn’t help but interject, “Madam Wei, we’re loyal customers—could you give us a better price?”

“If I could afford to, I would,” Jin Niang replied with a smile. “You didn’t even try to haggle, and I already reduced it by five hundred wen. In the past, my prices were fixed and final.”

Madame Bai gestured for her maid to pay, and after the money changed hands, Jin Niang carefully stored the fabric, took measurements, and wrote up an order slip.

Once Madame Bai had left, she quickly told her maid, “Keep the receipt safe. Don’t let anyone see it.”

Her husband’s elder brother had just been appointed to a provincial post, and she and her husband would accompany him. With her sister-in-law now managing the household, any gifts sent to her were returned—only to end up with Madame Bai instead. Since the fabric was too fine to return and no one else would take it back, she decided to have a dress made for herself.

Jin Niang resumed her seat and continued embroidering. The shop always prepared seasonal clothing in advance—autumn was the time to start making wedding attire. At that moment, she was working on a pomegranate-red eight-panel pleated skirt. Once the pleats were finished, she began crafting the waistband from fabric patterned with lantern motifs, carefully embroidering the design.

She worked until noon, then stepped away to the privy before heading cheerfully to the study.

The study housed Jin Niang’s former antique display shelves and other furnishings. The couple took their midday meal in the front hall of the study. Xi Qiu and Ju Xiang brought in dishes—slow-cooked aged duck soup, chestnut cakes, two stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a side of pickles.

“You may go eat now. No need to wait on us—just come back later to clear the table,” Jin Niang said kindly.

They had brought several servants from home: Old Luo and his wife, their son and daughter-in-law, along with Liu Douer, Min Zhi, and Xi Qiu.

Old Luo handled the carriage, while his son served as Jiang Xian’s personal attendant, and Liu Douer worked as a houseboy. Old Luo and his wife slept in the storeroom, keeping watch over the inventory. Of the three small side rooms, one was given to Old Luo’s son and daughter-in-law, another to Liu Douer, and the last to Min Zhi and Xi Qiu. The original caretaker, Chen Xiaolang, still lived at the embroidery shop to keep an eye on things. A Ying stayed upstairs, and Ju Xiang occupied the storage shed.

As for the wages of the Jiang family’s servants, only Min Zhi, who had recently taken up needlework, could earn money in the shop—Jin Niang paid her three hundred wen. Old Luo mostly kept watch at the gate, so he received two hundred wen, as did Liu Douer and Old Luo’s son, Luo Da.

After moving in, Jiang Xian initially felt somewhat out of place—the house was smaller than the Jiang residence—but he gradually adjusted. His study here was larger than the one at home, and their living quarters were spacious enough; the entire upstairs was the couple’s private space.

At the very least, the food was far better here, and even the servants agreed they preferred life this way.

Jin Niang used communal chopsticks to place a piece of fish belly on his plate and remarked, “Our shop on *Golden Beam Bridge* is rented out as a teahouse for only fifteen guan a month—isn’t that too little? My shop here, which is only half the size of yours, could rent for ten guan if leased to someone else.”

“I’ll take a look when I have time,” Jiang Xian replied.

Jin Niang smiled. “Don’t let it slip your mind.”

Jiang Xian looked at Jin Niang—she was tough as nails. When it came to moving, she had spent three full days on it without showing a hint of complaint. Even on the first day back, despite her pregnant belly, she directed everyone in setting up the new place. After a full day’s work, she even bought crabs to treat everyone.

Always cheerful and happy, she could instantly throw herself into her embroidery work, too absorbed in her tasks to chat with him.

Though they lived close—with his wife at the Embroidery Shop—except for when she passed by the study on her way to the bathroom, giving him only a passing glance, she never came to see him.

Yet, perhaps because of this, Jiang Xian felt strangely at peace, very calm.

After the meal, he asked her, “Are you tired?”

“Not at all. I need to take a slow walk before going back to the shop. It’s the first day we’re reopening—I should be there,” Jin Niang replied with a smile.

Jiang Xian stood and supported her as they walked around the study. He then asked, “Dear, why don’t we have dinner with your parents? Wouldn’t that be better?”

“No, my parents prefer porridge in the evenings. Our tastes are different—it’s pointless to force it.”

In truth, Jin Niang was observant. Jiang Xian, coming from an aristocratic family, had high standards for etiquette and a refined palate. Her parents were ordinary working-class people—her mother liked to rest her feet on the chair while eating, and her father ate noisily. Occasional meals together were fine, but long-term exposure would be unbearable for both sides.

Just as she had never tried to fully integrate into the Jiang family and continued running her business, she didn’t want Jiang Xian to endure discomfort either.

Moreover, her mother could be emotional. When her younger brother visited, she would talk endlessly about him at the table, growing increasingly upset. Jin Niang could tolerate it, but why subject Jiang Xian to it?

She had explained this to her parents, who understood—they didn’t want to constantly put on airs either.

Jiang Xian had initially wondered if moving into his wife’s home would make him feel like a freeloading husband. But now, it was clear that wasn’t the case. Jin Niang treated him exceptionally well—not with empty small talk, but with respect and acceptance.

She never pried into his affairs or controlled him with endless questions.

Being with her was truly comfortable. Even after more than half a year of marriage, he felt no weariness—only growing fondness, or rather, falling harder for her.

In the afternoon, Jin Niang finished the pomegranate-dyed skirt and had Min Zhi take it to the back for ironing before displaying it in the front.

Just as she finished, the owner of a cosmetics shop came in. Originally intending to buy the pomegranate skirt, she spotted the embroidered powder puffs Jin Niang had made—fine in texture and delicately embroidered—and immediately placed an order.

“This won’t be enough. My shop sells hundreds of boxes of powder every month. I’d like to order a batch with plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum designs. Can you make them?” the cosmetics shop owner asked.

Jin Niang quickly agreed and prepared the designs the next day. The owner was very pleased and placed an order for a hundred puffs a month, priced at 80 wen each, totaling 8 guan monthly.

Jin Niang was strict about contracts, using formal agreements with fingerprints to seal deals.

After deducting costs, she still earned about 7 guan and began production immediately. She also had Min Zhi learn the craft—no subpar work would do. Min Zhi knew her wages were higher than Xi Qiu’s precisely because she could contribute to the shop. Her skills were far from those of a professional embroiderer, so she had to work extra hard.

Zhu Xiuniang, on the other hand, picked it up right away. Skilled in Suzhou embroidery, her work was especially refined.

The three of them completed a hundred puffs in three days. Afterward, Jin Niang had Zhu Xiuniang continue embroidering quilt covers while she worked on padded jackets.

Under Jin Niang’s guidance, Min Zhi made a few more puffs to sell at the counter.

A Ying soon sold a mandarin duck-patterned bridal veil for 3 guan—a mid-tier price.

After lunch, Jin Niang asked Jiang Xian, “No big deal. There’s a market at Daxiangguo Temple today. I’d like to check it out. Officials visiting the capital often bring local goods to sell—I might find something interesting,” Jin Niang said with a smile.

“What’s the matter?” he asked immediately.

Jiang Xian agreed at once.

The couple changed clothes before heading out. Jiang Xian was thrilled to spot an old-style clay inkstone—he had great handwriting and loved collecting items like that.

Jin Niang said, "If you like it, just buy it. Don't worry about the money."

"Wife..." Jiang Xian hesitated. After all, since they had moved out, they were living entirely on their own means. The rent from the family shops wouldn’t come in until next year, and almost all their current expenses were covered by Jin Niang’s money.

Just the other day, she had had a new set of clothes made for him, frequently sent for his favorite foods, and now this...

Wasn’t this living off his wife?

Jin Niang directly had Min Zhi bring the purse to pay and handed the inkstone to him. "Here."

Jiang Xian suddenly thought that living off his wife didn’t seem so bad after all.

Meanwhile, Jin Niang found the fabric she wanted. "This red damask with child motifs looks good. I’ll take a roll. And this floral plain damask too, though it seems a bit worn. If you’re asking for five strings, that’s too much. If you lower the price, I’ll take it for two strings."

"Madam, two strings is far too little!" the seller protested.

Jin Niang replied, "This child motif is from Jinghu Road. Last year’s flood ruined the damask—it’s waterlogged. If I didn’t point it out, you’d think I was easy to fool. Let me tell you, Bianjing winters arrive suddenly. By then, this damask won’t sell at all. Forget it. I was willing to do business, but if you’re like this, I’ll leave."

She pretended to walk away, and the seller quickly called out, "Fine, fine, have it!"

Jiang Xian watched in astonishment as Jin Niang had the maid carry the fabric away.

She glanced at him. "Do you think this makes me too calculating?"

Jiang Xian shook his head hastily, afraid she’d think he disapproved. "No, I just think you’re amazing."

To his surprise, Jin Niang said, "Good. That means you’re not some pompous scholar. If you were, I’d lose respect for you."

Jiang Xian chuckled. "As you say, wife."

"Let’s go back then," Jin Niang added.

Life soon settled into a comfortable rhythm for Jin Niang. Xu Shi also got her wish—though the rent for their garden only brought in twenty strings a month instead of forty, she was pleased as punch.

First, she had driven out her brother-in-law and his wife, halving the household expenses. Now, with over two hundred strings in rent income, she was grinning from ear to ear.

Ge Ma admired her. "Now that Shiliulang and his wife have moved out, and with the young master having passed the qualifying exam, if he succeeds in the Metropolitan Exam, he’ll surely be assigned to a provincial post. This household will truly be yours."

"Yes. Thankfully, they didn’t make a scene or force a confrontation. My husband won’t blame me either," Xu Shi sighed deeply.

Of course, others only refrained from saying it to her face. When Jiang’s eldest aunt visited the Zhou family, she told Jiang Shi, "Luckily, Shiliulang’s wife is wealthy. I heard she immediately built a private study wing and moved out. Otherwise, where would they have lived?"

Jiang Shi, who had never liked Jin Niang, now thought at least Shiliulang was living in her own house—otherwise, they’d have had to stay with her family or rent a place.

"This Xu Shi seemed decent before, but she’s truly vicious," Jiang Shi remarked.

Jiang’s eldest aunt scoffed. "Ever since the sixth sister-in-law passed, it’s been like this. Last time, when Xian’s wife, heavily pregnant, managed the funeral rites and fainted, Xu Shi barely concealed her impatience."

Jiang Shi sighed. "How cruel. Jin Niang was always the most hardworking and obedient in our household."

Xiang Ming, who was bringing tea, thought to herself that the mistress had once resented Jin Niang for marrying above her rank and had deliberately targeted her. Now, seeing her mistreated, she felt sorry for her.

Truly, people’s opinions shifted like the wind. It was best not to care too much about what others thought.

While the Jiang family learned the news quickly, Jiang Xian’s friends only found out a month later. By then, Jin Niang was over six months pregnant and had just completed a large order—two wedding quilts for twenty-six strings, a wedding head-covering for three strings, and two pairs of embroidered slippers for over two strings.

The sale came easily, but the embroidery was hard work. Jin Niang rewarded Zhu Xiuniang with an extra five cash for her efforts this month.

So when Jiang Xian’s friends, Peng Sanlang and Zhang Jiulang, visited, Jin Niang directly sent for a feast from a restaurant and let Jiang Xian dine heartily with them.

Zhang Jiulang glanced around and chuckled, “This place isn’t bad—nice and bright.”

Peng Sanlang added, “Looks pretty new to me.”

“Yep. After we married,” said Jiang Xian, “my wife built this study, worried I’d come looking for her here. The cedar is made from three-hundred-year-old wood. We just moved in a bit rushed, that’s all.” He was clearly pleased—it was tastefully arranged.

His two friends tactfully avoided mentioning the split from the Jiang family, simply agreeing it was a nice spot. Jiang laughed, “Right? In just a month, my wife made me several outfits—I’ve got nowhere to wear them all! And now I’m stuck at home in mourning; I can’t even go out.”

“Not to mention the fresh fruit and delicacies every day. There are food shops from north and south all over the area—I’ve nearly tried every one on the block!”

Peng Sanlang listened, envious. Jiang casually added, “And plenty of folks want my wife to make clothes for them. Some sea merchants even sent Huai whitefish—we can’t eat it all anymore.”

His humblebrag backfired: Peng ended up borrowing his clothes, and Zhang took some of the food.

Jin Niang just smiled to herself. Jiang wasn’t someone with strong principles—he could be great with good people, but fall easily if led astray. But she thought Peng and Zhang were decent, and seeing host and guests enjoying themselves, she was happy for him.

As for Jiang, thanks to Zhang’s connection, he lined up a moneylender to rent the shop at Jinliang Bridge—at forty strings a month. He quickly sealed the deal, then collected both the tea shop’s rent and the moneylender’s annual payment, letting Jin Niang handle the savings.

“My man’s got a heart of gold,” she said, pinching his cheek fondly.

That brought their income to over five hundred strings. They gawked at the pile of cash.

He said, “Wife, I’ll get some wine for Father, and you choose some hairpins for Mother.”

She was glad his first thought after getting money was family. She nodded, adding, “We’re in mourning this year, but we should prepare New Year gifts early. Save the rest—we’ll need it once you’re up for the exams. Greasing palms, hiring help, keeping servants—it all costs.”

Jiang grinned, “Alright, I’ll listen to you, wife.”

With this windfall, his mood lifted. He was proud, after all—though she treated him well, being called a freeloader still stung.

They slipped off to a silver shop. Jin Niang picked only a pair of gilded butterfly hairpins for her mother, but Jiang insisted on commissioning a full set for her, plus a bracelet.

“Why? I’m fine without these,” she protested.

He replied, “Wife, just do as I say. Even saints need their bling.”

Only then did she agree.

Wei Xiong and Luo Yue were thrilled with their son-in-law’s presents, fussing over him more than ever. Jiang felt right at home.

Though they bickered often, they never had a harsh word for him. He noticed too that whenever things turned tense, Jin Niang would step in and shift the mood with just a few words.

Like now—when they returned, his mother-in-law whipped up her signature rib-and-lotus soup.

“I know you love roasted mutton,” she said, “so after closing shop, your father and I followed his comrade twenty li out to a farm and bought a whole sheep. Their mutton’s milder, and tender too.”

He thanked them, but Luo Yue waved it off, “Don’t mention it—we’re family.”

Then she turned to her daughter, “Such a shame—you bought apples and didn’t touch a single one.”

Influenced by modern thinking, Jin Niang believed an apple kept sickness away—but hated eating them. Now she shrugged, “You two just finish them. I just can’t stand them.”

“If we don’t eat them, they’ll rot,” her mother grumbled.

Classic Mom—give her an inch… Jin Niang cut in, “Okay, okay, enough. If I don’t like them, you want me to choke them down? I like crisp pears, but you keep buying Laiyang ones and blame me. I wanted crunchy apples, and these are all mealy—totally inedible.”

Luo Yue muttered, “Your husband never complains… but you? Never satisfied! He’s a keeper.”

It's truly strange—most mothers-in-law in the world tend to find fault with their daughters-in-law, while most mothers-in-law tend to adore their sons-in-law.

"You can try to please your son-in-law all you want, but he's mine," Jin Niang said with a playful grin.

Luo Yue chuckled and tapped her daughter’s forehead. "I’ve never seen anyone so shameless."

Jiang Xian, standing nearby, also smiled. He knew Jin Niang worried that he might feel out of place here, so she always paid close attention to his feelings. Sometimes when her father scolded her mother for overspending or called her a spendthrift, or when they argued over something as trivial as a poorly chosen fish, Jin Niang would step in and lose her temper with them.

But he didn’t mind at all. Though her parents were common folk, they were straightforward and unreserved, and they treated their children with nothing but love.

After the meal, Jiang Xian said to Jin Niang, "Darling, don’t worry about me. Honestly, I feel more at ease here. Look, my face has even filled out a bit—you’ve been taking such good care of me."

"Husband, this home is yours too. Of course I’m not worried about you adjusting," Jin Niang said, holding his hand before adding eagerly, "Tomorrow, I’ll wear the jewelry you bought me and show it off to everyone."

Jiang Xian nodded immediately. Jin Niang then stood up and said, "I won’t disturb your studies any longer. I’ll go up front. If you’re tired, rest on the daybed."

With that, she left, one hand resting on her belly. Jiang Xian thought to himself, *I actually wish you’d stay.*

In the afternoon, Jin Niang continued her needlework, finishing a skirt embroidered with flowers and birds, and asked A Ying to iron it. Min Zhi brought over a dark blue satin cloak for Jin Niang to prepare—it was a gift for her father-in-law, to be delivered on the winter solstice. Jin Niang carefully wrapped it in a bundle.

On the day of the winter solstice, Xu Shi was busy with accounts when she heard that Jiang Xian had arrived with gifts. Sixth Uncle invited him to stay for a meal, and she soon saw him in person.

Far from looking disheveled or downcast after moving out, he appeared even more refined. Shedding his plain, dark-blue Hangzhou silk cloak, he revealed a moon-white robe with silver-threaded floral patterns, looking every bit the distinguished scion of a noble family—confident and spirited, his every movement exuding effortless grace.

What... what was going on?

Living among merchants in the narrow alleys of the marketplace, he showed not a trace of gloom. Instead, he seemed even better off.