On the 22nd of the twelfth lunar month, Su Shuilian brought the newly-finished âDrunken Beautyâ to the Yueyun Embroidery Floor with Lin Si Yao. The Floorâs first shopkeeper, Jiang Yangrui, greeted them. The second shopkeeper, Jiang Yangyun had left for Jin City before the 20th to purchase goods, and she hadnât returned since.
Jiang Yangrui smiled as she sized up the two of them, and thought to herself: What a fashionable and dashing couple! The lady was soft and elegant, and the gentleman was chiseled and handsome. Even though she knew they were from the countryside Fanhua Town, she still admitted that they seemed like the gods and fairies from the legends itself.
It was no wonder that Sister Yangyun shut herself in her room after coming back from Fanhua Town.
She must have received quite a shock seeing the two of them together. Jiang Yangrui shook her head, chuckling.
If her parents were still alive, she and her sister wouldâve long since found spouses and married. Who thought that their awkward situation would be like today, where she was in no place to make decisions.
She was getting close to thirty years old this year, and had already given up on any idea of marriage.
But Yangyun was different.
Though she was turning twenty-one and had passed the common wedding age, it really wouldnât be that much of a hassle if she did marry.
However, after much gossiping and searching, there still wasnât a man who was suitable for her age.
Ah! Jiang Yangrui lowered her head, and sighed. She tidied up her emotions, tilted the edges of her mouth upward, and spoke to the couple sitting across: âMadame Lin, may I call you Sister?â
âFirst shopkeeper, itâs fine. You can just call me Shuilian.â Su Shuilian smiled gently. She held a great sense of respect for the independent, compelling woman across from her.
âSure, thatâll be great. Shuilian, for the âDrunken Beautyâ piece, I already have a craftsman verifying it. It wonât be long before he comes back. Are you two going to stay for a while?â Jiang Yangrui smiled as she talked to Su Shuilian.
Jiang Yangrui had no choice but to learn how to be independent by the age of thirteen, and try to act both the roles of father and mother to care for her little sister, Jiang Yangyun. Her personality had long since lost the traditional ladiesâ tenderness and docility.
To Su Shuilian, a gentle girl who seemed to be made of water, she didnât try to get close to her out of respect. At the same time, she didnât let Su Shuilian escape her gaze, either.
Of course, with Su Shuilianâs embroidery touching her heart with every glance, she felt a mighty sense of favoritism towards her never felt before.
âThe first shopkeeper can take her time; we didnât come to do anything else than deliver the embroidery.â Su Shuilian set down her teacup, and nodded towards Jiang Yangrui.
Judging from the sun, it wasnât even noon yet. Before leaving, she had already talked with Lin Si Yao about feeding Xiao Chun and Xiao Xue, who stayed at home to guard the cottage. They already anticipated that they might not come home for lunch, and would have to find a restaurant in the city. Afterwards, they can even buy some goods in the nearby market.
As the twentieth had already passed, small booths and shops were popping up left and right around the streets. It was getting harder to differentiate between the large and small bazaars.
âThen thatâs perfect.â Jiang Yangrui nodded back, and spoke: âSo what does Shuilian think of our proposal for becoming our chief seamstress?â She had been thinking about this for a while, and started to pay special attention to Shuilian ever since receiving her âPaired Phoenixesâ.
Although Xi Cui had reported that Su Shuilian only sewed one pair of phoenixes, she could clearly see her delicate and careful dedication to the work.
Of course, when she heard from Xi Cui that Su Shuilian hadnât shown any sign of taking up projects this year, she didnât bother her. If the city lord himself hadnât ordered for the exact seamstress of âPaired Phoenixesâ to make âDrunken Beautyâ, she would have never thought of signing Su Shuilian into a contract.
After all, contracts are dead, and people are alive.
There was no lack of contract seamstresses in the Yueyun Embroidery Floor, but the talented ones were often reluctant to sign themselves to a specific guild, since it often hindered their flexibility. They would hop from floor to floor, always flocking to the one who provided the most benefits. The ones who did sign contracts normally werenât skilled enough to take upon works by themselves, partnering up with others to work on a tapestry or gallery, and splitting the salary.
But Jiang Yangrui went out of her way to make a contract with Su Shuilian as soon as possible. Even before the exceptional âPaired Phoenixesâ and âDrunken Beautyâ, Jiang Yangrui greatly admired the blossoms embroidered on the coupleâs robes. As so, she kept the proposal even closer to heart.
Because of Su Shuilianâs exquisite embroidery skill, it wouldnât matter which floor she goes to; sheâll be treated kindly by every single embroidery floor shopkeeper in the area. Soon, there will be countless customers who come for Su Shuilianâs name, especially the wealthy who bring gifts and never haggle prices⌠âWe greatly respect the Floor Shopkeeper, but the two ounces of silver per month isâŚâ
âIs it too less? Then I can bring it up to fourâŚâ Jiang Yangrui spoke quickly. As long as she accepts, what difference does four ounces make? The city lord had offered eighty-eight for the âDrunken Beautyâ piece alone. Besides Su Shuilianâs salary, the rest was profit for the Yueyun Floor. At this rate, if she would take on three or five pieces per year, Su Shuilianâs profits to the Floor would be at the top even if the other seamstressesâ were combined.
â⌠Apologies, thatâs not what I meantâŚ.â Su Shuilian didnât know whether to laugh or cry. âI was thinking if the salary is a little too much? After all, there wonât be a lot of people who custom-select seamstresses like the âDrunken Beautyâ.â
âYouâre far too humbleâŚâ Jiang Yangrui almost cracked up at Su Shuilianâs inquiry.
âShuilian, you donât even know yourself how valuable your work is. âPaired Phoenixesâ was only displayed for so long before a customer came to ask specifically for you. If the floor starts to advertise your skills, why should you worry about large-scale projects? Donât worry! In the future, there probably wonât even be a day where you can rest from all the work youâll be doing.â Jiang Yangrui laughed as she comforted Su Shuilian. To Jiang Yangrui, she was a vital source of income, and Su Shuilian definitely wasnât someone who would betray the Floor and her contract.
Su Shuilian never dreamed of such a thing. The ways of business went over her head, and she worried. What if nobody wanted to give her a job? Then wouldnât she be losing the Floor money? With profit as the first priority, would the distance between her and the Yueyun Embroidery Floor start to grow?
Su Shuilian wasnât someone who liked to improvise. She would consider the worst possibility at the first step.
Of course, after hearing Jiang Yangruiâs words, a large part of her anxiety disappeared. Oh well, if she put it off any longer, it would just be hindering herself.
Su Shuilian nodded, âSince the Floor Shopkeeper trusts Shuilian so much, then we wonât leave anytime soon. First, I want to thank the shopkeeper beforehand. However, Shuilian has a request; I wonât be able to take up any works that have a close deadlineâŚ.â She couldnât just sign the contract before giving a notice about her limits.
âWell, you can take a look at the contract. If you donât want to take up a request, you may decline. If a customer orders for you specifically, the Floor would naturally pick a date that both parties would be satisfied with. It wouldnât be like this timeâŚ.â Jiang Yangrui nodded in agreement. She didnât trust in rushed works either. They ruined the quality.
If the city lord himself hadnât ordered âDrunken Beautyâ, she wouldnât have accepted it so fast. Thankfully, Su Shuilian had delivered it on time. Or else, the entire Embroidery Floor would have to endure the city lordâs anger.
However, she had already contacted the city lord. From now on, he will have to make reservations before ordering, so the timeframe wouldnât be so short. Normal customers all followed the rules obediently, and even the higher-ups very rarely used their status to impose power. And now, even the city lord agreed to follow guidelines; how would the others dare not to?
âThen, thatâs perfect.â Su Shuilian nodded. As long as there was enough time given, she didnât really care whether she could take up any projects or not. Lin Si Yao had already taken up all the housework anyways; she worried more of boredom than having embroidery to do.
So, Su Shuilian signed in a contract with the Yueyun Embroidery Floor. The contents hadnât changed since the last time sheâd seen it. Even though Jiang Yangrui wanted to increase her salary by two ounces, Su Shuilian had denied the promotion.
What a joke, with two ounces every month, thatâs twenty-four per year. If she didnât have much work to do, then what right would she have to take the silver?
Say that sheâs stubborn if you will, but Su Shuilian was more at ease if she earned less.
The contract expired in a year, and both parties can extend it if they wished.
After signing, both sides each took a copy, and the contract became valid.
Jiang Yangruiâs hanging heart finally steadied, she was worried that Su Shuilian would refuse her offer. After all, there were other Embroidery Floors that pushed out higher-quality pieces. With a more complex design, the floor would naturally draft a seamstress with higher skill. Just so, she had the chance to meet Su Shuilian through Xi Cui. Isnât this fate?