Embroidery (2)
The landlady was gentle, but upon hearing that the two were looking for work, she carefully sized up An Xiang and Yang Tao.
"I've seen you two sisters are so clean and tidy, you must be doing a great job, I just wonder which village you're from, so I can have an idea in my mind."
"Boss, our village is very far away and doesn't have a name, but the people in our village are all skilled with their hands, I'll make sure you're satisfied." Yang Tao still decided to tell the truth, after all this was a long-term client, being honest was necessary.
"Hehe, little girl, our embroidery work in the village doesn't mind who does it, but we have a prior agreement. If the work isn't good, I won't accept it." The boss's wife found Yang Tao's words to be straightforward and cute, and couldn't help but tease her.
"Alright, alright. Don't worry, boss lady. We earn our living with our skills and will definitely take it seriously." Yang Tao nodded, looking very serious. The boss lady couldn't help but smile and even patted Yang Tao's head, glancing at An Xiang. "Miss, your little sister is quite adorable, but you two aren't biological sisters, are you?"
Good grief! The eyes of a businessperson are indeed poisonous! Of course, ordinary people can also see it if they look carefully. Although the clothes she wears are clean and have no patches, they cannot be compared to those of An Xiang. Just by looking at her appearance, you can tell that she is not from the same family.
"Yes, boss's wife is right. Peach is my distant relative's sister." An Xiang said softly.
The boss's wife smiled and nodded in agreement. Looking at the sister, who seemed to be from a well-off family, she must not have needed to embroider these things for money, but this younger sister was clever beyond her years, and it was surprising that she had thought of this, making people feel both surprised and amused.
"Little girl, why didn't your parents come with you?" The landlady's tone was gentle.
"My grandmother is too old, and my parents passed away early, so there's only me and my grandmother at home, just the three of us," Yang Tao said, feeling a bit sad, not for herself, but for her grandmother and Pei Yifan. "The aunties in our village are all very kind and skilled with their hands. I came to my sister's house to play, and heard from my sister that doing embroidery can earn some money to support the family, so I asked my sister to bring me here to take a look!"
"Oh!" The landlady nodded, deep in thought.
"Let them try it out!" A clear and handsome young man suddenly spoke up beside her, and Yang Tao only then discovered that this person hadn't gone to the front.
"Alright!" The boss's wife said hesitantly. "It just so happens that we've recently received a lot of usable scraps here, you can take them back to try out, if the embroidery is indeed good, I'll give you more in the future."
"Good." Yang Tao answered obediently and gave the boss's wife a 90-degree bow. "Thank you, boss's wife."
"Hehe!" The boss's wife was amused by Yang Tao's cute appearance again. "However, we are business people after all, and these small items can't be taken away for nothing. You need to pay some deposit. Did you bring silver with you?"
"I've brought it, how much should I pay, boss?" An Xiang hurriedly said.
"These materials aren't good for anything, it's just a waste to throw them away. The bigger ones can be used to make pillowcases and shoe covers, but the smaller ones are useless." The shopkeeper said, looking at Yang Tao. "Little girl, what's your name?"
"My name is Yang Tao, you can just call me Taozi." Yang Tao replied.
"Alright, Taizi, if those aunties of yours really do a good job, I'll give you some better materials next time. And for the first time, the labor cost will be a bit lower, just eight cents each." The boss's wife said, and then brought over some patterns to hand over to Yang Tao.
"Thank you, boss lady." Yang Tao didn't expect it to go so smoothly and couldn't help but smile. The eight taels may not be a lot, but they were still more reasonable than the price Wang's wife had offered.
"Since your home is far away, these things are not urgent. Looking at the upcoming busy farming season, I'll give you a month's time!" The boss's wife saw Yang Tao smile sweetly and couldn't help but pinch Yang Tao's little face again. "This child is really lovely, if only I had such a daughter too."
"Sister!" The handsome young man beside her couldn't help but laugh. "You always want to have another daughter, and when your brother hears about it, he'll get anxious again."
The landlady also shook her head and couldn't help but laugh. Fortunately, the youngest son was away at school and not at home, otherwise he would have really gotten into an argument with her.
Out of "Ji Jin Ge", Yang Tao's mood is great, it seems that this trip really didn't come in vain.
Lu Dahei and Pei Yifan were not interested in embroidery at first, but seeing Yang Tao take so many back, they couldn't help but worry about Yang Tao, wondering how she would explain it to everyone when she got back.
As for how the embroidery came about, Yang Tao instantly thought of an excuse. But how did they get to town? They couldn't possibly mention the kite incident, could they? Even if Road Big Wife could accept that Road Big Black had encountered a martial arts master, she probably wouldn't be able to accept the appearance of the kite.
But never mind, I can think about it slowly on the way back. The main problem now is to send these things back by horse-drawn carriage, and then have lunch, and then continue to look at other things. Otherwise, Lu Dahei will definitely make a fuss again and won't be willing to carry things for her as an escort.
"Thank you, sister, for helping me so much today. For the things we need to buy next, I won't bother you to come with us anymore. You must be tired too, why don't you head back home first?" Yang Tao said to An Xiang, then looked at Fengzhao. "Fengzhao brother, can you send An Xiang sister back?"
"Girl, don't be like this. After crossing the river, you demolish the bridge. We helped you with such a big favor today, so you should at least treat us to a meal!" Fengzhao said with a sly smile, her eyes as silky as Yangtao's.
Yang Tao cursed the kite in her heart, taking advantage of the fire to loot, didn't she just borrow some money from him? And not returning it is not the case, this is not a way to spend it back and forth! Thinking so, Yang Tao would never offend the creditor no matter what, in case he suddenly had an idea and let her use people to pay off debts, she wouldn't be able to protect Lu Dahei and Pei Yifan.
"Hey, Kite brother." Yang Tao gave Kite a smile as sweet and innocent as possible. "Look at me now, I'm still living on borrowed money, you're a grown man, and sister is so gentle and considerate, it's embarrassing to eat Xiao Yu's food, isn't it? How about this, when I earn some money and pay back the silver, I'll invite you and An Xiang sister to dinner, okay?"
Yang Tao thought he had flattered Ma Pi enough, and as expected, the kite, although opening its mouth to say something, was interrupted by An Xiang.
"Taizi is right, with us brothers and sisters around, how can we let Taizi treat us? You all have a hard time coming to town, so I'll treat my younger siblings to this meal, that's the least I can do as the host."
"Great!" Yang Tao heard that someone was treating him to dinner and didn't need to spend his own money, so he agreed readily. "Thanks, An Xiang sister."
It's clear that An Xiang is a rich family's daughter, and it's rare for her to be so enthusiastic. Yang Tao also wants Lu Dahei and Pei Yifan to have a good meal, and it wouldn't be a waste of time following her into town. Most importantly, she herself hasn't had a proper meal since arriving here, which is a cruel thing for a former foodie like her!
A brand new 2014 has begun, wishing all relatives a happy New Year! Thank you to Da Han Jian, Xue Cang Ying Wu, Sidneyliu, Yuan Quan Ye Zi, Elemon, the old lady who buys vegetables in front of the door, and Mu Mu Ge Zi's peace symbol.
