W Chapter 53
by VolareChapter 53: Velvet Flowers
Chapter 53: Velvet Flowers
The day before the Dragon Boat Festival, Xu Youfang happily pulled Ling Xing to the west room.
The bed was covered with velvet flowers of various shapes and exquisite, beautiful colors.
“Ling Xing, come and see, what do you think of the velvet flowers I made?”
Ling Xing picked up the velvet flower closest to him.
It was a crabapple.
Crabapple flowers hung from the branches, the edges of the petals slightly curled, with several different shades of pink blending together, and yellow velvet threads in the middle forming the stamens.
Because it was so realistic and beautiful, Ling Xing subconsciously put it to his nose for a sniff.
Of course, there was no floral fragrance, only the smell of silk threads.
“Mother, you made it so beautifully!”
Xu Youfang was also extremely satisfied with the velvet flowers she made.
At first, she wasn’t used to it and ruined many. After practicing a few more times, she was able to wrap a flower.
For her, the most difficult thing was not controlling the shape and color of the flowers.
She had been embroidering for many years, learning from famous teachers since she was a child, so these were the easiest for her.
The difficulty was using the hot iron to iron the petals or the slightly curled parts of the flower leaves.
Because she knew the shape of the flowers so well, Xu Youfang didn’t allow herself to cut corners or ignore these small details when making velvet flowers, just for convenience.
During the process, her hands were burned by the hot iron several times. Seeing the petals and the memory were almost the same, Xu Youfang gritted her teeth and endured it.
Later, she became skilled through practice, and naturally, she did better and better.
It was precisely because of her insistence on making them look alike that the velvet flowers looked particularly realistic.
Afraid that the velvet flowers would be crushed, Xu Youfang specially found a box to store them.
The clothes that were previously stored in the box were all taken out and stacked on another large box, covered with an old cloth to prevent dust.
Xu Youfang carefully packed the velvet flowers, “I have to return the hot iron to the village chief’s house. I’ve been borrowing it from their family all this time, which is really disturbing them.”
Ling Xing helped her pack, thinking that the new batch of pickled cucumbers would be ready soon.
“The pickled cucumbers will be ready to be sold today, should we send a catty to the village chief’s house?”
Xu Youfang knew the price of the pickled cucumbers sold at home.
Cucumbers were originally more expensive vegetables, and they would only sell for more at this time.
She thought for a moment, “A catty is a bit too much, give them half a catty. When Manyue makes cold noodles, ask her to cut half a sheet off, and you help me make some seasonings, mix them well, and I’ll send them to the village chief’s house together, and return the hot iron.”
Ling Xing nodded, “They have children, so I’ll make the cold noodles sweet and sour.”
“Okay, just do as you said.”
In summer, if it doesn’t rain, villagers basically move the table to the yard to eat.
This way, they can catch some breeze and it won’t be so stuffy.
Now it gets dark late, and after dinner, the sun is still hanging in the west, about to set.
Cao Manyue made cold noodles very quickly. To thank the village chief’s family, she cut half a sheet off the first one she made.
Ling Xing mixed the seasonings well, and also took out some pickled cucumbers, filling a big bowl.
Everyone still had other things to do, and Xu Youfang couldn’t hold two large pottery bowls and a hot iron in her hands at the same time.
So she took Shen Lai with her, who carried the lighter cold noodles.
Shen Lai swallowed his saliva all the way.
The sweet and sour cold noodles tempted his taste buds, and saliva uncontrollably flooded his mouth, almost drooling.
These were all things that could be sold for money, and Shen Lai had only eaten them twice in total.
They were all snacks that Ling Xing secretly gave to the children behind Xu Youfang’s back.
The village chief’s family had just finished eating, and upon hearing the knock, the second daughter-in-law, Sun Shuiye, went to open the door.
Seeing that it was Xu Youfang, her face wasn’t very good.
This Aunt Xu didn’t know what the reason was, but she borrowed the hot iron every two or three days.
Borrowing once or twice was okay, she wasn’t a stingy person.
But she borrowed it too many times, and people who didn’t know would think the hot iron was hers.
Sun Shuiye kept a straight face, didn’t look closely, and reached out to take the hot iron.
“Second daughter-in-law, I’m here to return your hot iron.” Xu Youfang sent the hot iron and the pottery bowl full of pickled cucumbers together, “These are pickled cucumbers marinated at home, take them home to eat, and also these cold noodles, also made at home. Ling Xing specially made them sweet and sour, so the children can eat them.”
Suddenly having three things in her hands, all of which were quite heavy, Sun Shuiye was a bit confused for a moment.
But she was quickly attracted back by the fragrance, and upon looking down, wow, this pickle was cucumbers?
She had been to pickle shops before, so she knew the price.
And the cold noodles she had never heard of, sweet and sour? Where did the sweetness come from? Could it be that sugar was added?
Sun Shuiye swallowed her saliva and smiled so much that her eyes turned into slits.
“Aunt Xu, you’re too polite, it’s just using a hot iron, why give so many things?”
That’s what she said, but her hands didn’t loosen at all.
Even if the things in her arms were heavy, she would hold them tightly.
Xu Youfang returned the things and took Shen Lai home. Sun Shuiye didn’t forget to enthusiastically shout, “If you need the hot iron next time, Aunt, just come and borrow it!”
Sun Shuiye’s expression at the beginning didn’t hide, Xu Youfang didn’t see it.
And this wasn’t the first time Sun Shuiye had given her a cold shoulder.
Xu Youfang knew that she borrowed it too many times, which would cause displeasure, and that was understandable.
Earlier, the family really didn’t have extra money to buy a hot iron. Later, after the velvet flowers were sold, it would be better for her to buy a small hot iron for herself.
This way, she could make velvet flowers whenever she wanted.
A smaller hot iron would also be easier and more flexible for her to use when making velvet flowers.
Anyway, she wasn’t going to borrow the village chief’s family’s hot iron anymore.
Sun Shuiye hugged the things back to the yard. Wang Chunxia saw her walking with difficulty and quickly went up to help.
The family’s hot iron was lent to the Shen family. Seeing the hot iron in the second daughter-in-law’s arms, she knew that the Shen family had returned it.
Including the two pottery bowls of food, she knew that the Shen family had brought them.
The people had already left, so Wang Chunxia had no choice but to accept them.
Putting the things in the kitchen, Zhu Rushan happened to see them.
Looking at the two kinds of food, the pickles were actually made from unripe cucumbers, and he had never even seen the other.
Neither of them was something that could appear in a village household like theirs.
Zhu Rushan was a village chief for many years after all, and saw some things more clearly than the villagers.
The Shen family, who had always lived far away from the village at the foot of the mountain, living a hard life, was probably going to rise.
Before going to bed, Zhu Rushan gathered his family together.
He only said one sentence.
“In the future, if the Shen family needs help, don’t ask for any benefits, just help directly if you can.”
Although some of the Zhu family didn’t understand why they should do this, they were used to listening to the head of the family, and Zhu Rushan’s words had never been wrong.
The Zhu family nodded in agreement.
The velvet flowers were made, and Ling Xing brought thirty of them to the stall the next day.
Wrapped in cloth, they were placed on the top layer of the back basket, not taking up much space.
Today was the Dragon Boat Festival, and there were even more people in town than before.
Villagers from the surrounding villages would come to the market together.
Therefore, the town was very lively today.
Stalls selling sachets, colorful threads, and zodiac pendants were basically surrounded by people.
The air was filled with the scent of mugwort and realgar.
*
Liu Shan was the shopkeeper of a cloth shop. Because he was weak from birth, his body had always been very thin.
Later, when he had money, he could eat some nourishing medicine to supplement his body.
However, every summer, he would suffer from summer heat and couldn’t eat anything.
But this year was different.
There was a soup dumpling stall on Tangfang Street. In early summer, the stall offered pig skin jelly and cold noodles, which he could eat completely.
Later, the pickled cucumbers were crisp and delicious, and he could eat a bowl of rice with the cucumber pickles.
Even the soup dumplings, he could eat ten in one meal if he dipped them in vinegar.
Finally having something he could eat in the summer, Liu Shan became a loyal customer of the soup dumpling stall.
He basically came once every day and bought all the food on the stall.
He bought the most pig skin jelly and cold noodles, and went back to have his partner make different flavors of sauces, poured on top, so that he could have “different” meals every time, and never got tired of them.
Today, he still came early to queue up.
As the weather got hotter and hotter, the pig skin jelly and cold noodles sold better and better.
If he came a little late, he couldn’t buy them.
Liu Shan, standing at the end of the line, paid attention to the front of the line while worrying.
The shop owner’s youngest daughter was about to turn ten years old, which was a big day.
As the cloth shopkeeper, he had to give some gifts no matter what.
He couldn’t afford very expensive ones, so he could only put more thought into it and give something that could win people’s hearts.
The bad thing was that in the past few years, when the shop owner’s sons and daughters had birthdays, he had already racked his brains to prepare a lot of gifts.
Although they weren’t very expensive things, they just pleased the children.
The shop owner’s family also felt good about it, and they could tell at a glance whether he was putting in effort.
Otherwise, he, without any foundation, wouldn’t have been able to rise to the position of cloth shopkeeper in such a short time.
Being down-to-earth was one aspect, but being careful and attentive was also an aspect.
This year was a big birthday, so he definitely couldn’t do worse than before.
Liu Shan was so worried that he had looked all over the town and even the county, but couldn’t find anything that caught his eye.
Either it was too expensive and he couldn’t afford it.
While he was lost in thought, there was a burst of noise in front.
The line was also approaching Liu Shan, so he stood on tiptoe to look ahead, and saw many people gathered in one place, which made him curious.
In the past, everyone would leave as soon as possible after buying things, so why were they gathering together today?
The noise also attracted the attention of the diners in front of the line, who went forward to inquire about what was going on.
Soon, Liu Shan understood the reason.
It turned out that the small stall owner of the soup dumpling stall had added something new to sell today.
It wasn’t food, but something to wear on the head, called velvet flowers.
Everyone knew about hairpins and hair bands, but no one had heard of or seen velvet flowers.
The people in front said they were like real flowers, very delicate and beautiful.
Liu Shan immediately perked up.
It was really like someone sending him a pillow when he was dozing off. Wasn’t he just looking for this kind of novel and beautiful thing to use as a birthday gift!
Moreover, the shop owner’s youngest daughter loved flowers the most, liked bright and gorgeous colors very much, and also loved to dress herself up.
These velvet flowers were simply coming to give him charcoal in the snow!
Cutting in line was not allowed at the soup dumpling stall, which had always been the rule.
No matter how anxious Liu Shan was, fearing that the velvet flowers would be bought, he could only wait for the line to move forward at this time.
At the very front of the line, the diners who had bought food earlier moved to the right side, while Shen Gui was selling pickled cucumbers on the left side.
Ling Xing was looking after the stall on the right side, and Shen Hui was responsible for steaming soup dumplings and selling soup dumplings.
On a dark, slightly old cloth, there were brightly colored velvet flowers.
The contrast was strong and very attractive.
“Little stall owner, you really sell everything on your stall.”
The diners who were dazzled by the flowers gently picked up the velvet flowers to look at them, unable to help but sigh.
Ling Xing sniffled his nose. His stall wasn’t big, but it was indeed making the most of it.
Just ten copper coins, really earned too much.
In fact, although there wasn’t a clear rule that only one item could be sold on a stall, the people who managed the stalls would privately fine those who sold two items.
It was because Xu Qi turned a blind eye, and Ling Xing would also occasionally send him some things, so he could save on the stall fees for the pickles and velvet flowers.
Ling Yue needed money to treat his throat and study, so in order to earn more, he would only sell more and more things later.
Thinking of this, it was still better to have a shop.
If he set up a stall, rainy days would also be very miserable.
Ling Xing had a small goal in his heart: by the end of the year, he could rent a shop in town.
The embroidery thread used for the velvet flowers wasn’t cheap, and Xu Youfang set three price levels based on her making time, the price of embroidery thread, and the complexity of the velvet flowers.
The cheapest one, with only one flower, was seven copper coins.
Two to three flowers were fifteen copper coins. Fewer flowers, more complex shapes.
Four to six velvet flowers were fifty copper coins.
These were basically sets, one large flower and other matching small flowers. The whole set pinned on the head looked very good.
Because today was the Dragon Boat Festival, the diners who came were more willing to spend money than usual.
Jewelry bought in the shops didn’t cost less than fifty copper coins.
Here at Ling Xing’s, fifty copper coins could buy a whole set to decorate the head.
Although not everyone paid to buy it, three out of ten people were willing to purchase it.
A whole set was peach blossoms, which were very delicate and bright.
There was only one set, because the price was the most expensive, and no one had asked about it so far.
The diners who came to Ling Xing’s stall could spend ten copper coins in one breath to buy several kinds of food.
But to spend fifty copper coins to buy jewelry, they still had to weigh it for a while.
However, a small velvet flower could be bought, and it sold the fastest. There were ten in total, and now six had been sold.
When Liu Shan could see the velvet flowers on tiptoe, he was really amazed.
Not only were the flower shapes realistic, the colors beautiful, and the workmanship exquisite.
The meaning was also good.
They wouldn’t wither, always beautiful.
He almost immediately fell in love with the set of peach blossom velvet flowers.
Such delicate and bright colors and flower shapes were most suitable for the shop owner’s youngest daughter.
More importantly, peach blossoms were also one of the flowers she liked.
It was really a gift from heaven, Liu Shan stared straight at it, fearing that someone would intercept it.
The waiting time wasn’t actually long. In the past, Liu Shan wouldn’t have felt anything about this little bit of queuing time.
But today, it was extremely long for him.
The people in front seemed to have no end.
Finally, it was Liu Shan’s turn. Because he was an old customer, Ling Xing could remember what he wanted every day.
“Still the same as before?”
Liu Shan pointed to the peach blossom velvet flower and said excitedly, “Don’t buy anything else first, give me this set of velvet flowers.”
After saying that, he also saw two bright red camellias, and he sold them along the way.
His partner liked red, and this flower was made beautifully, most suitable for him.
“Pack the red camellias for me too, I want them all.”
Ling Xing skillfully wrapped them in oil paper. Now there was no more suitable way to wrap the velvet flowers, and the remaining oil paper at home was useful again.
Liu Shan took the velvet flowers, thinking about finding a more exquisite box later to put the set of peach blossom velvet flowers in.
He bought food as usual, and Liu Shan ran away like his butt was on fire.
The most expensive velvet flowers were bought, and the cheapest velvet flowers were not left with two. The most remaining were those in the middle price range.
However, fifteen copper coins were already very cheap among jewelry.
Not to mention that they were made well.
A young girl came with her family to buy food, and fell in love with the velvet flowers at a glance. She discussed with her family that she didn’t want a sachet this year, but a velvet flower to wear instead, and her family agreed to her request.
She bought a crabapple flower and put it directly on her head, adding a bright color to her whole person.
Her family saw that it looked really good on the child, and spent money to buy a better one, not knowing whether it was to give away or to keep at home to wear.
Seeing that the velvet flowers were about to be sold out, some of the customers who were still hesitating about the seven copper coins were gone, and no longer hesitated about whether to buy the fifteen copper coins, and bought them as soon as they took out the money.
Anyway, they wouldn’t wither and could be worn all year round.
It was the Dragon Boat Festival, so just spend some money.
The remaining velvet flowers were quickly sold out, and they were actually the fastest selling ones at the soup dumpling stall.
The people in the back of the line watched helplessly as the last four beautiful and delicate forsythia flowers were worn on the head of a little girl, and the sky fell.
Why were they gone?
They also wanted to buy them!
How beautiful those flowers were! Why didn’t you make more!
The diners in the back row asked questions, did you have any more velvet flowers, will you sell them tomorrow?
This was Xu Youfang’s first attempt to make velvet flowers, and she didn’t plan to sell those she made in the first few days.
They really didn’t meet her standards, so she should keep them at the bottom of the box.
There were seventy-eight that met the standards that could be sold.
There were still forty-eight that could be sold at home.
To be honest, Ling Xing guessed that the velvet flowers would sell well, after all, they were beautiful and cheap.
But he didn’t expect to sell so well.
Even if only three or four out of ten people bought them, the probability was actually quite high.
After all, these people weren’t usually very rich.
They were willing to spend money to buy them, which meant that the velvet flowers had a good market.
The flowers made by Mother were also really good.
There was a large flow of people during the Dragon Boat Festival, and they closed the stall half an hour earlier than usual today.
Shen Gui carried the back basket, which contained the pickled cucumber jar, and stopped in front of a small stall.
He pointed his finger and selected a simple wooden box.
“I want this rouge.”
He had been eyeing this rouge a few days ago. It was as big as a palm and cost thirty copper coins, which was very expensive.
He didn’t dare to buy it home first, or his partner would definitely ask him to return it.
Today was the Dragon Boat Festival, so he could send it under the pretext of the holiday. If he returned it, the good fortune would be gone, and his partner would definitely accept it.
The stall owner made a sale, and his face was smiling, taking out the rouge box and handing it to Shen Gui.
Then he asked Ling Xing and Shen Hui, who were waiting beside him, “Do you two need anything?”
Ling Xing didn’t use rouge or powder, and shook his head.
Shen Hui’s eyes fell on an opened porcelain box, which contained lip rouge.
The color was red with pink, very suitable…
Thinking of this, Shen Hui’s throat tightened, and he coughed lightly, tearing his gaze away from the lip rouge.
He didn’t reply to the stall owner’s words, buried his head and left, taking big strides to cover up his flustered heart.
On the way, Shen Gui touched the rouge box, looking smiling.
It made Shen Hui a little envious.
The fourth younger brother could openly give these things away.
But he couldn’t even think about it.
Shen Hui took a deep breath, inwardly despising his dirty and shameful thoughts.
But he couldn’t control his eyes, and secretly glanced at Ling Xing several times.
When they returned home, Shen Gui put down his things and went straight to the room to find Cao Manyue.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, they had to use mugwort grass to soak in water for bathing, praying that they would avoid being bitten by mosquitoes this year.
When the three arrived home, the four children had just finished bathing.
Cao Manyue had just dressed Xiao Chun and Xiao Xia, and the two children were eager to find Ling Yue and Shen Lai to play with. Seeing Shen Gui, they sweetly called out “Dad”, and after getting a response, they ran out of the room, jumping and hopping.
Since Ling Yue came to the house, Xiao Chun and Xiao Xia had become more lively.
It wasn’t that Ling Yue had influenced the two children’s personalities, but that they felt Ling Yue was very good at studying, and he was also their family, so they didn’t have to worry and fear as they used to.
Their thoughts changed, and their personalities naturally changed.
Shen Gui could see it, and Cao Manyue, as a mother, could naturally see it too.
“When I was in the Chu family, there was a scholar in the village. No one in the whole village didn’t listen to him or respect him. Even Chu Youtian, that bastard, had to respect this scholar and didn’t dare to speak loudly to him.”
“Sometimes when Chu Youtian hit the children, this scholar would stop him. Unlike others, who would watch the fun and add fuel to the fire. So the two children liked scholars the most, and from the bottom of their hearts, they felt that scholars were powerful, even Chu Youtian was afraid of them.”
Ling Yue went to private school, and in the eyes of the two children, he was more reassuring than Shen Hui, who was self-taught.
Especially when they played together, Ling Yue would hold a book, which made the two children fascinated.
They unanimously believed that Ling Yue was the most powerful person, and he was also their little uncle, who could protect them.
Shen Gui rarely heard Cao Manyue talk about things in the Chu family.
That was her and the two children’s nightmare.
Now that she had finally broken away and was living a normal life, she was also afraid that saying too much would annoy people, so she wouldn’t mention it if she could.
Now she suddenly said it because the changes in the two children were significant, and she felt moved.
Cao Manyue really felt that in the Shen family, even if she couldn’t eat enough or dress warmly, it was a good life she had dreamed of.
The two children’s personalities were also becoming more and more cheerful and lively, and Cao Manyue could laugh in her dreams.
Shen Gui reached out and wiped the tears from Cao Manyue’s face, “I will follow the eldest brother-in-law to earn money steadily, so that you and the children can live a better life.”
Hearing this, Cao Manyue couldn’t stop her tears.
At first, Cao Manyue didn’t think this life could be good.
Her husband was young and good-looking.
In the first year she married into the Shen family, there were still some girls and ge’ers in the village who came to find her.
They didn’t say anything, just looked at her and showed a contemptuous expression.
She knew that these people were fond of Shen Gui.
She also knew that they felt she wasn’t worthy of Shen Gui.
But no matter whether she was worthy or not, she had to cling to the Shen family and stay in the Shen family to live her life.
At that time, she didn’t ask for anything else, just hoping that Shen Gui wouldn’t beat her and the children was enough.
Anything else was fine.
What she didn’t expect was that her husband was young, but he treated people well.
Although he was still a bit playful and had no ambitions or plans, he wouldn’t let her and the children go without food or clothing.
Now, because the eldest brother-in-law was leading them to make money, saying promises that Cao Manyue dared not even dream of, she was really happy and joyful.
And when she saw Shen Gui mysteriously take out a small wooden box and open it to show her the rouge inside, Cao Manyue was surprised and didn’t know what to say.
“I thought this rouge looked good and was very suitable for you, so I bought it. You can’t return things bought during the Dragon Boat Festival, you can only accept it.”
Saying that, he kept stuffing it into Cao Manyue’s hand.
Just after putting it in Cao Manyue’s hand, Shen Gui suddenly cried out.
“I said why I grabbed the rouge box during the baby’s first birthday celebration, it turned out that I was going to buy rouge for my wife later.”
Cao Manyue laughed, holding the rouge box in her hand, her heart full of joy.