Chapter 55: Miss Fang Jinniang 2/3

She didn’t have any thoughts about marriage, but what her mother did really saddened her.

Her father is no longer around, leaving her and her mother as orphans and widows. Therefore, the families who come to propose to her usually have average conditions.

The result is her mother asking for a hundred taels of dowry!

She knows why her mother would do this. She works hard and fast, earning twenty taels a year from embroidering for others. If the dowry offered is too little, her mother would hesitate to marry her off.

But which family would be willing to pay a hundred taels of silver to marry her?

So she’s been delayed like this. In the blink of an eye, she’s twenty-four, her eyesight is getting worse, and she can’t embroider delicate things as she used to. Her speed at doing embroidery is also getting slower.

She almost has to stick to the cloth just to see clearly!

After earning less money, her mother is dissatisfied, always complaining at home, and urging her to find someone to marry.

It was only recently that she suddenly realized her mother didn’t like her.

But she has nowhere to go. The money she earned before was taken by her mother, so she can only drift along, living day by day like this.

Before coming to find Jin Xiaoye, she hadn’t been out for a long, long time. She didn’t know where she could go.

And she came to find Jin Xiaoye because her mother asked her to. Before coming, she didn’t know her mother had dirty dealings with Jin Xiaoye.

After knowing this, she felt guilty and wanted to leave immediately, but Jin Xiaoye told her to take care of herself.

Fang Jinniang couldn’t see Jin Xiaoye’s expression very clearly, but at that moment, as if a light split through the fog in front of her eyes, she suddenly realized something.

She wanted to make some changes, she wanted money.

Not long ago, she asked her mother to buy some fabric for her to make clothes, but her mother refused no matter what.

The old clothes she’s wearing are barely presentable, and the underwear inside is from ten years ago. She doesn’t dare to wash them too hard, fearing they’ll turn into rags with a little force.

Over the years, she has earned a lot of money, but her mother said she rarely goes out, so she refused to buy fabric for her to make clothes. What about her brother? Over the years, her brother has made at least four sets of clothes a year.

Jin Xiaoye was somewhat surprised to hear Fang Jinniang’s words. Fang Jinniang appeared gentle and soft-spoken, and she initially thought she had a docile personality. It turns out that’s not the case.

Although Jin Xiaoye didn’t want Fang Jinniang to work for her due to her dislike for Mrs. Fang, she actually quite liked Fang Jinniang—she was so good-looking!

Jin Xiaoye said, “Of course, you can work here. I’ll pay you according to the work you do, and you won’t be shortchanged.”

Jin Xiaoye had recently hired two elderly ladies to help paste shoe soles, and there were already two people working with her. She didn’t mind having one more. Besides, Fang Jinniang was so pleasant to look at that it improved Jin Xiaoye’s mood.

So Fang Jinniang stayed.

Then… when Fang Jinniang, with her exceptionally fair skin, started working, all elegance vanished.

It’s challenging to maintain a graceful demeanor when dealing with fabric up close and personal.

When Fang Jinniang did ordinary tasks that didn’t require constant focus, she could pinch the fabric’s edge, not even looking at it, and sew rapidly. Her free and unique movements, coupled with a distinctive aura, gave off an otherworldly feeling.

However, after sewing for a while, she would bring the gloves to her eyes to inspect them, and she would suddenly descend from the heavens to the mortal realm.

But she was still very attractive.

Fang Jinniang worked fast and well. Without embroidering flowers, she could sew two pieces of fabric together with her eyes closed. Her stitches were exceptionally delicate.

Jin Xiaoye felt like she had found a treasure.

After working for a while, it was time for lunch. Fang Jinniang sat still, not moving.

Jin Xiaoye said, “Jinniang, do you want to eat with us? The cost will be deducted from your wages.”

Fang Jinniang didn’t hesitate. “Sure!”

Fang Jinniang scooped some rice and asked, “What are we having today?”

Both Jin Xiaoye and Sister Wang knew about Fang Jinniang’s eyesight after spending the morning with her. Jin Xiaoye introduced the dishes on the table and asked, “What do you want to eat? I’ll get some for you.”

Fang Jinniang smiled gently at Jin Xiaoye. “I’m not picky. I’ll eat anything.”

Hearing this, Jin Xiaoye served some dishes to Fang Jinniang.

Fang Jinniang ate slowly and in a way that was indescribably pleasing. Jin Xiaoye couldn’t help but want to imitate her.

Of course, she didn’t actually try.

Eating at such a slow pace was unbearable for her.

Fang Jinniang only ate a small bowl of rice, while Jin Xiaoye was different. The bowls at Sister Wang’s house were a bit small for her, but she ate three bowls in one go and then went back to work energetically.

In Li Qingzhi’s study session at Li Xiucai School, he spent the day and had lunch provided by the Zhu family.

Seeing that it was almost time, Li Qingzhi informed Li Xiucai and left for Sister Wang’s house.

The front door of Sister Wang’s house was open, and there were several people inside doing needlework. Li Qingzhi walked in and immediately spotted Jin Xiaoye. He couldn’t help but smile and say, “Xiaoye.”

“You’re here!” Jin Xiaoye stood up and offered her chair to Li Qingzhi, “Sit down and rest.” Sister Wang’s house had a shortage of chairs.

“You sit.” Li Qingzhi said.

“I’ve been sitting for a long time, and it’s a bit uncomfortable. You sit!” Jin Xiaoye pressed Li Qingzhi into the chair, “I’ll be fine soon. When I’m done, we can leave together.”

“Alright.” Li Qingzhi agreed, then went to see the other people in the room.

At a glance, Li Qingzhi saw an outstanding young lady making leather gloves.

This young lady appeared to be in her twenties, not particularly beautiful in appearance, but her demeanor gave her a considerable advantage. Her exceptionally fair skin was also quite rare, making her seem special.

This person looked like a young lady who wouldn’t dirty her hands with anything, but why was she doing needlework?

While Li Qingzhi was thinking this, he saw the young lady bring the leather gloves to her eyes, holding them less than a foot away. She scrutinized them carefully.

Such nearsightedness, probably around 700–800 degrees!

With such severe nearsightedness… in her eyes, he might just appear as a blurry figure, and she wouldn’t be able to see his facial features clearly.

Li Qingzhi had been nearsighted in his previous life.

When he was in his senior year of high school, more than half of the students in his class were nearsighted, and he was no exception.

However, after the apocalypse arrived, he awakened supernatural abilities, adjusted his eyes, and his vision was no longer nearsighted.

In modern times, even if someone became nearsighted, it was manageable with glasses or corrective surgery. But for people in this era, it would be quite unfortunate as there were no glasses available.

“What are you looking at?” Jin Xiaoye asked in a low voice, feeling a bit displeased.

She occasionally glanced at Fang Jinniang, but she didn’t like it when Li Qingzhi looked at her.

Li Qingzhi asked, “Her eyesight isn’t very good?”

“Yes, too much needlework has damaged her eyes,” Jin Xiaoye replied.