Another clear, sunny day. Once the mule cart entered Fenggu Town, it slowed to a walk. Shen Xuanqing, who had been sitting all this time, jumped down to lead the mule toward Zhiyun Embroidery Workshop.
Lu Gu and Wei Lanxiang remained on the cart, each holding a basket - one filled with handkerchiefs, the other padded with thick straw and holding ten chicken eggs and ten duck eggs.
Eggs were precious, and Wei Lanxiang had guarded them carefully the whole way, afraid they might break. Now, lifting the cloth to check, she saw they were all intact, worth all the straw she’d stuffed inside.
“We’re here, Mother.” Shen Xuanqing stopped in front of the embroidery workshop, helping Lu Gu and Wei Lanxiang down. He didn’t go in, saying, “After you sell the eggs, remember to head to Butcher Zhao’s place. I’ll meet you there once I’m done.”
“Got it, go on.” Wei Lanxiang waved him off before walking into the workshop with Lu Gu, basket in hand.
This time, there was also a bamboo cage of rabbits on the cart, meant for delivery to the brothel. Without lingering, Shen Xuanqing led the mule away.
Having visited the embroidery workshop twice before, Lu Gu was familiar with the clerks and the plump middle-aged owner behind the counter. Without a word, he set his basket down and took out the handkerchiefs for inspection.
“Hmm, not bad.” The owner, Sun Yaofu, knew embroidery well. He could even stitch a few patterns himself.
“Uncle Sun, do you still want the tassels? I made some more.” Lu Gu pulled a few from his basket. He’d sold some last time and brought more this visit.
Sun Yaofu examined them and nodded. “These are good. I’ll take them all.”
Whether handkerchiefs or tassels, skill and care were evident in the work. Though Lu Gu’s tassels followed common designs, their neat craftsmanship ensured they’d sell.
Ten handkerchiefs sold for forty copper coins, and ten tassels for fifty copper coins. The colorful tassels, still priced at five copper coins each, hadn’t been undervalued. When he’d hawked them on the street before, he’d priced everything cheaply out of fear they wouldn’t sell. But with the embroidery workshop as a steady outlet, he now earned a few extra coins.
Tucking the ninety copper coins into his pocket and bidding the owner farewell, Lu Gu left with Wei Lanxiang.
His eyes brimmed with happiness, and even Wei Lanxiang sighed beside him. “They say learning a trade makes earning easier. I never had a proper skill, but you’ll have a better future now.”
Lu Gu, never one with smooth words, didn’t know how to respond. But with money in his pocket, he spotted a vendor selling pastries ahead and said, “Mother, let me buy you a crispy oil cake.”
Wei Lanxiang beamed. “How thoughtful! Then I’ll share in your good fortune.”
Pleased by the praise, Lu Gu, having picked up a few sweet phrases from Ji Qiuyue, replied, “We’ll share good fortune together.”
Wei Lanxiang laughed heartily. “Yes, yes! Together it is!”
The two cheerfully approached the stall. Though they’d eaten before leaving, Lu Gu wasn’t hungry but still spent three copper coins on a crispy oil cake for Wei Lanxiang. The cake was small, Shen Xuanqing could finish it in three bites.
As they walked on, Wei Lanxiang nibbled on the cake while Lu Gu called out, “Eggs! Fresh chicken eggs! Duck eggs!”
The sunny day brought many people to the streets. The two happily strolled, selling as they went, before turning onto another long street at the far corner.
Lu Gu, facing forward, didn’t notice the person entering Zhiyun Embroidery Workshop behind him.
Sun Yaofu was busy organizing handkerchiefs and tassels, arranging embroidered ones on top for display, when a familiar voice called out “Brother Sun!”, and his expression brightened at once.
It was Xu Yanrong, a childhood friend. Accepting a jar of wine from him, Sun Yaofu invited him to the back room.
Xu Yanrong smiled as they walked. “Now that things at home are settled, Yuehua mentioned wanting a few handkerchiefs. I figured I’d visit you for old times’ sake, it’s been years. Last time I returned, it was too rushed to even share a drink.”
Over a decade ago, the Xu family had moved to the prefectural city to open a small shop, and Xu Yanrong had gone with them, rarely returning to Fenggu Town since.
Sun Yaofu laughed. “No trouble at all! If sister-in-law wants some, pick whichever you like later, take them as gifts.”
“Then I’ll thank you in advance.” Xu Yanrong didn’t stand on ceremony.
After finishing the jar of wine and reminiscing about the past, the sky had darkened. Before leaving, Xu Yanrong didn’t forget to pick two handkerchiefs for his wife.
Coincidentally, new handkerchiefs had arrived that day, so Sun Yaofu laid out a selection for him to choose from.
But when Xu Yanrong spotted one with a butterfly frolicking among peonies, his smile froze, and he stood rooted in place.
____
Come spring, the Shen family planned to raise piglets. Taking advantage of the recent good weather, Shen Xuanqing and Shen Yaoqing were mixing mud and straw in the backyard to build a pigpen. The yellow mud and rice stalks formed a large heap, and for the past two days, anyone stepping into the backyard left muddy footprints.
After lunch and a short rest, the brothers returned to work. The strong sun made thick clothing stifling, and laboring under it left them sweaty and thirsty. Lu Gu added two ladles of water to the clay stove’s pot and set a clean wooden basin on the nearby table. Once boiled and cooled, it would be ready to drink.
After feeding the stove fire, he wasn’t in the mood for embroidery. Glancing at Shen Xuanqing working in the distance, he headed over to see if he could help.
Wei Lanxiang and Shen Yan were washing the thick winter clothes for all seven family members and hadn’t come over today.
Guaizi was romping around the spacious backyard. Earlier, he’d tried burrowing into the mud pile, his front paws already sinking in when Shen Xuanqing smacked his fat rear twice to drive him off. In the depths of winter, getting caked in yellow mud would make washing him a hassle.
Seeing him charge over now, the dried mud on his paws crumbling into dust, Lu Gu tried to dodge, but how could he outrun Guaizi? His legs were soon stamped with several dusty paw prints.
Just as he was about to scold Guaizi with a poke to the head, the dog’s ears suddenly pricked up, and he barked toward the gate. The other dogs joined in - a stranger had arrived.
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