Chapter 104: Outsourcing the Needlework
No sooner said than done.
In the afternoon, Jian Xingxia summoned Old Man Xu to continue patching and painting the walls, after which she and Lin Sanniang set to work preparing the materials for the throw pillows.
First, Jian Xingxia inspected the fabrics to see if there were any modern words or patterns on the edges that violated the rules.
Then she had Lin Sanniang hold them and attempt to take them back as a test to see if there were any issues with the material.
Sure enough, their check revealed one piece of non-compliant fabric—it must have had some polyester or nylon blended into it, as it couldn’t be taken across.
The needles and thread were much easier to handle.
The sewing needles Jian Xingxia had bought at the market cost one yuan per pack. Depending on the size and gauge, a pack contained anywhere from 10 to 30 needles.
She and Lin Sanniang stripped the plastic packaging off the needles and thread, sticking all the needles securely into a small roll of cloth tied together.
There were several types of thread. The small spools were very cheap and a bit thinner, and their inner cores were made of rolled paper. Lin Sanniang tested them, and they could be taken right through.
However, the large spools of thread wouldn’t work; they used hard plastic cores. The two spent quite a bit of time unraveling the thread and re-spooling it by hand.
Lin Sanniang told Jian Xingxia, “Miss, none of the threads you bought are meant for embroidery. However, I see that this thick thread has a fairly good sheen and doesn’t pill much, so I can have them give it a try.”
Jian Xingxia gave a sheepish smile. Well, of course; what did she know about embroidery?
Old Man Xu was painting the walls with absolute dedication, completely absorbed in his own blissful world.
Jian Xingxia and Lin Sanniang spent half the day cutting the fabric and sorting the thread.
Technically, all of this counted as Lin Sanniang’s reward. After sorting everything out, Lin Sanniang still sought Jian Xingxia’s permission.
“Miss, I intend to distribute these sewing needles to Hehua and the others based on the different tasks. When the work is done, may I leave these needles, the remaining thread, and the fabric scraps with them as their wages?”
Jian Xingxia felt a pang of guilt. “Would that be too little?”
Lin Sanniang smiled. “It is not little at all. An ordinary sewing needle costs one or two copper coins. The needles you provided, Miss, are large and bright, far superior to ordinary ones; they would fetch at least three to five copper coins each.”
Jian Xingxia could believe that.
Although her budget constraints had long made her an expert at online shopping, she had to admit that some things were still better bought offline.
The sewing kit she had used in university had plenty of needles, but they were soft and would bend after being used only a few times.
She had personally tested the needles sold at the market.
Although they were a bit more expensive than buying online, they were much sturdier. Even when she applied a great deal of force, there was only a slight hint of bending.
Lin Sanniang had three candidates in mind: Eldest Aunt Lin, Hehua, and Yuxiang.
Including herself, that made four people. Each person could be allocated over thirty needles, all of which were sturdy models of the most appropriate length and thickness.
Calling these refined iron needles worth three to five copper coins each was an understatement.
Their Great Liang Dynasty was different from Old Man Xu’s Great Sheng Dynasty. Ironware was precious, and ordinary people could not afford refined iron. Those who could afford it certainly wouldn’t use it to make embroidery needles.
Bringing this set of needles back meant giving Hehua and the others the very tools of their trade, which could be used for many, many years to come.
After picking through the items, Jian Xingxia ultimately had Lin Sanniang take back some brown sugar, rapeseed oil, and a bit of coarse salt.
Coarse salt was strictly controlled by the government. Not wanting Lin Sanniang to take any risks, Jian Xingxia only gave her an amount equal to one tael per person.
Coarse salt came in large granules, so one tael wasn’t very much and wouldn’t draw attention.
The brown sugar and oil were easier to manage; once consumed, no one would ever know.
Lin Sanniang put everything away one by one. This was the young mistress’s kindness, and she would distribute it to her sisters at the appropriate time.
A few hours flew by in an instant, and Lin Sanniang left the villa carrying a large bundle on her back.
Emerging from the mountain cave, the sun had nearly set.
With a trepidatious heart, Lin Sanniang carefully avoided the crowds and made her way back home.
At home, Taoya and Xingya had already prepared dinner, and Brother Shu was setting out the bowls and chopsticks.
Seeing Lin Sanniang return, the three children were overjoyed. “Mother! It’s time to eat!”
While the household couldn’t be described as affluent just yet, they no longer had to go hungry. The sickly, malnourished complexion on the children’s faces had visibly faded, and they had filled out with a bit of meat on their bones.
Tonight, they were having sweet potato rice. Half of it consisted of stale rice, which Lin Sanniang had bartered for using the good rice she got from Manager Zhang.
The other half consisted of sweet potatoes, which Taoya and Xingya had obtained at the market by trading the stale rice and the wilted wild greens Lin Sanniang brought home daily, managing to stretch their resources a bit further.
Through the family’s careful management, their grain supplies seemed to multiply the more they ate. The constant panic in their hearts had finally subsided, and they could even afford to eat solid rice for dinner.
Tonight’s meal featured a large bowl of wild greens, a small bowl of steamed egg custard, and a small dish of dried radish.
Lin Sanniang kept Jian Xingxia’s instructions firmly in mind—the children had been starved for a long time, so they lacked not only calories but also nutrition. While filling their bellies, they needed to replenish their nutrients by eating more vegetables, meat, and eggs.
Lin Sanniang had no idea what “nutrition” meant, and she only half-guessed what “calories” were.
But she remembered the core directive: eat more vegetables, meat, and eggs.
If anyone else had said this, she would likely have dismissed it as a cruel joke from someone who didn’t know the harsh realities of life—if meat and eggs were available, would she choose not to eat them?
But since Jian Xingxia was the one who said it, Lin Sanniang followed it to the letter.
Therefore, even though she originally only intended to bring back rice, flour, cloth, and salt, she would occasionally bring back some eggs and the meat provided by Jian Xingxia so the children could eat “more” meat and eggs.
She just didn’t realize that the definition of “more” according to Jian Xingxia was a world away from what she considered “more.”
The steamed egg custard on the low table had been made using a single egg. Taoya first ladled a large spoonful for Xingya and Brother Shu. With very little custard left, she prepared to ladle the rest for Lin Sanniang.
Lin Sanniang quickly reached out to cover her bowl. “Taoya, you eat it.”
She spoke in earnest, “Xingya and Brother Shu might not know, but you surely do. Your mother eats far better at the manor than you all do.”
Hearing this, Taoya felt a wave of happiness. “The Mistress of the Manor is truly a wonderful person!”
With that, she confidently kept the rest of the egg custard for herself.
Noticing the dried radish on the table, which hadn’t been there yesterday, Lin Sanniang asked, “Where did this dried radish come from?”
Xingya carefully sipped a small piece of the egg custard, letting the egg linger in her mouth for a good while before swallowing it down along with the rice.
“Mother, Aunt Hehua brought it over. Aunt Hehua said to thank you for finding her that work last time.”
The bamboo pattern embroidered on the back of the young child’s clothing sold to Manager Zhang last time had come from Hehua’s hands.
On that occasion, Lin Sanniang had given Hehua half a catty of stale rice.
Upon hearing this, Lin Sanniang quickly finished her meal. “I am going to visit Aunt Hehua’s house. You children stay inside and do not go out tonight.”
