Re-embroidering life

Chapter 158 Root Veins

"Mom, please give birth to a younger brother as soon as possible, or let my eldest sister marry a son-in-law and stop her from having such an idea! I don't want Ji Peng to be my brother." Ji Wei sat on the bed with a stern face like a little adult, her eyes full of impatience.

Shui Qinghua chuckled and poked Ji Wei's forehead: "Can my brother have a baby whenever he wants? Fei'er's seeking for a son-in-law should not be mentioned so casually. Don't worry, it won't work."

The two little girls looked at her in confusion.

Shui Qinghua thought to herself, finally there was something that Wei'er didn't understand, and she couldn't help but feel in a good mood.

She was very sure that Tan Meixue was just being too enthusiastic, and this matter would not go over well with Old Lady Ji and Ji Zixuan. If nothing else, if her guess about Ji Zimo's background was correct, adopting Ji Peng would mess up ethics and seniority. But Tan Meixue didn't know, she was angry, so she "sick".

Shui Qinghua sighed helplessly. As long as she returned to Jiangxia, she would have to face the worry of having offspring. Besides the Ji family, Aunt Li was also waiting for her.

***

In the study, there were about ten white candles as thick as a baby's arm lit, and the light was on.

Ji Zixuan and Ji Zimo reunited after a long separation, and naturally they were very close. The two of them talked about their respective situations since they separated in the capital. Ji Zixuan patted Ji Zimo's shoulder with infinite relief: "You are very good, much better than big brother imagined. Although you are a little arrogant, you have real talent and hard work. With big brother and the Crown Princess around, the court will not bury you."

He groaned for a moment, then changed the subject: "The only shortcoming is that I am over thirty years old and still have no children."

Ji Zimo didn't like to hear this: "Brother, you have no idea how capable my three daughters are. Fei'er is smart and can support a business at a young age; Wei'er is talented and will achieve great success in the future. Rui'er... Rui'er is innocent and naive, and can be a good parent. One of my daughters is worth ten sons. I really don't lack sons."

"Alright, alright," Ji Zixuan interrupted him, "I know your daughter is good, and I like these nieces, but you know what I mean. No matter how good your daughter is, she can't inherit the incense of the third house."

Ji Zimo was still unconvinced, but didn't want to argue with his elder brother, so he remained silent.

Ji Zixuan saw his expression and knew that he disagreed, so he sighed and said, "Brother is thinking about you. Miss Tang, do you still remember? You two were childhood sweethearts, and it's all because of brother back then... Alas, you lost this marriage. Miss Tang is a widow at home now, if you are willing, I will come forward and marry her to you as a second wife, okay? It can be regarded as making up for the regret of the past, and maybe I can even give you a few sons. You are now a third-rank official, and the Tang family will not be unwilling."

Ji Zimo could no longer bear it and finally retorted: "Brother, please don't mention this matter again. I don't have any feelings for Miss Tang. I just want to stay with Qinghua and my daughters for the rest of my life."

Ji Zixuan's face suddenly changed, and his voice became stern: "You are kidding! Your wife is indeed a capable person, and I admire her talent. But don't you know what her reputation is outside? She is aggressive and ruins people's marriages! She can't give birth to a son, but she still dominates you! After all, she is not a lady from a noble family, so she lacks a bit of temperament..."

Ji Zimo couldn't listen any longer, so he turned around and left without saying a word.

Ji Zixuan shouted behind him: "If you don't like Miss Tang, there are still plenty of other ladies..."

Ji Zimo left without looking back.

Ji Zixuan was so angry that he was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, and he fell down into the armchair.

Ji Zimo walked straight out of the study, feeling extremely annoyed, and wandered around the yard like a headless fly.

He didn't understand why his elder brother was always dissatisfied with Qinghua and why he always interfered in their affairs. When their mother died, the brothers would always have to separate. His elder brother had three sons, so it was enough for someone to support the first house. As for the third house, he really didn't care about that, as long as he could settle his three daughters.

He paced for a long time, and only returned to his room when his anger had completely dissipated. Shui Qinghua could not see any clues from his face, but as a couple for many years, how could she not understand him? Neither of the couple mentioned the issue of offspring, and they blew out the lights to rest.

On the second day, Shui Qinghua took a few maids to pack the boxes and baskets they brought from Jiangnan.

"Third Madam, where is this package?" a little girl asked her.

Shui Qinghua looked up and saw that it was some of Shen Xin's belongings that Minister Ying had given her before she left. Minister Ying had taken care of Shen Xin's affairs after her death, and he had sorted out the embroidery-related items from the belongings and entrusted them to Shui Qinghua.

Shui Qinghua gently opened the package, and inside was Shen Xin's original manuscript of the embroidery pattern and her embroidery works. Shui Qinghua flipped through them one by one, and her eyes suddenly widened. A one-foot square embroidery painting lay in the bundle. Shui Qinghua recognized it at a glance. It was the "Looking" embroidered by her to raise funds for the Qianzhou flood.

Wasn't this work bought by Tang Fu for five hundred taels of silver? How did it appear here with Shen Xin?

Shui Qinghua's mind raced, but she smiled with relief. It was not surprising that Tang Fu knew Shen Xin after marrying to Jiangnan. This world was just that small.

Looking at this embroidery painting, Shui Qinghua recalled the scene when she, Yajing, Yuhua and others embroidered together in the embroidery room of the old house, and she couldn't help but feel nostalgic.

"Come here, prepare the car and go to Echeng!" Shui Qinghua ordered.

The carriage sped along and soon arrived at the Shuixiufang in Echeng. Shui Qinghua could not wait for the maid to help her and jumped off first.

The familiar door, the familiar three gilded characters "Shuixiufang". Shui Qinghua stood in front of the door and looked at it for a long time. Even though she had been to many places, and had seen the majesty of the imperial city and the beauty of the south of the Yangtze River, at this moment she clearly felt that her roots were here, in this small shop.

"Second sister!" With a scream, a woman shot towards her like an arrow. She subconsciously moved to the side to avoid the huge impact. The woman rushed to her, knocked her back two steps, and then hugged her tightly, "Second sister, second sister!"

Shui Qinghua hugged her sister with her backhand, also very excited: "Yuhua!"

Yuhua had obviously matured, no longer a young girl. Her hair was tied up high, and she was wearing a dark purple dress, which made her look smart and capable. In her, Shui Qinghua seemed to see herself a few years ago.

Behind Yuhua, Dou Jianzhi and Song Huixin also followed out. They were extremely happy to see each other as old friends.

After reminiscing about the past, Shui Qinghua told her experiences along the way from Beijing to Jiangnan. Dou Jianzhi was very excited: "Boss, can you let me see Fei'er's charter? It's the same situation here in Chu. Since Boss Ye went to Beijing, Chuxiu Pavilion is not so concerned about us, and our sales have been falling. Or we are inexperienced and thought that signing a cooperation agreement would be enough. Now we know that there is so much knowledge involved."

Shui Qinghua nodded: "I copied a few copies and will give them to you later. Everyone should think about this charter carefully. I have a feeling that if we use this charter well, we can not only do business in Chu and Jiangnan, but also go to all the territories of our dynasty!"