Chapter 23: Needlework

When Cheng-shi saw what Jiang-shi had brought, she immediately called over Liu Lang and Zao Hua to thank her.

Jiang-shi felt a little embarrassed but also secretly satisfied.

Especially when Cheng-shi sincerely praised Jiang-shi’s eldest sister-in-law for doting on her as a younger sister-in-law and being generous and thoughtful in her dealings—this satisfaction nearly overflowed from Jiang-shi’s heart.

She stayed in the fifth household for a full quarter of an hour before finally returning home contentedly.

Once home, Jiang-shi let out a long sigh of relief, picked up a chopstick, and placed a perilla leaf into her mouth, slowly chewing and savoring the flavor.

After tasting the perilla, she tried a bite of spicy cabbage. Just as she was about to pick up a tofu meatball, Xia Youtian woke up.

The children woke up right after him.

Jiang-shi cooked a pot of coarse cornmeal porridge and stewed the tofu balls with pickled vegetables and pork belly. She arranged the fried yellow croaker, spicy cabbage, perilla leaves, and beetroot on separate plates and placed everything on the table for Xia Youtian and the children to eat.

Xia Youtian grinned happily and asked Jiang-shi to pour him a bit of wine:

“Good wife, I won’t drink much—just one small cup! With dishes this hearty, it’d be a waste not to have at least a sip!”

His tone made Jiang-shi and the children burst into laughter. Jiang-shi, feigning annoyance, said with a smile:

“What’s with that nonsense? When have I ever stopped you from drinking?”

“Yes, yes, wife, you’re the most virtuous!” Xia Youtian quickly cupped his hands to her in mock gratitude.

Jiang-shi lightly slapped him, then went to fetch a small bowl and poured him half a shallow bowl of wine.

In the Xia family’s cupboard was a fist-sized wine jar made of rough pottery, containing only a small amount of the cheapest bulk yellow wine. The jar was covered with a piece of cloth to supposedly preserve the aroma.

After pouring the wine, Jiang-shi carefully sealed the jar and replaced the cloth over the top.

Xia Daohua stared at the cloudy wine in the bowl, taking two deep breaths.

Opportunities were everywhere.

Everywhere.

At the next big market, maybe she could try her luck!

Suppressing her slight excitement, Xia Daohua tightly clenched her fists in front of her mouth.

Xia Youtian misunderstood her expression. After a brief hesitation, he dipped his chopsticks into the wine and brought them to her lips:

“You can have a taste, but your wound hasn’t healed yet—no drinking, understand?”

Xia Daohua nodded without trying to explain the misunderstanding.

The two drops of wine on the chopstick touched her taste buds—very bland, and slightly sour.

Even the cheapest liquor in the supermarket tasted better than this!

A bright light sparkled in Xia Daohua’s eyes. Xia Youtian burst into laughter:

“This girl Daohua is great—just like me!”

Jiang-shi, both amused and exasperated, said, “So Daohua takes after you, but the others don’t?”

Xia Youtian laughed heartily. “Of course not! All our kids take after me!”

But Xia Daohua’s eyes still shimmered brightly. Her thoughts had already moved far beyond wine to all sorts of items that could be sold at the market—like puffed rice candy and crispy rice crackers.

Both were already common snacks in this era, and ordinary families could make them.

But the puffed rice candy and rice crackers from the supermarket had a dizzying variety of flavors that local homemade snacks couldn’t match.

If she sold them at the market, she might be able to keep it secret—from outsiders and from the Xia family alike.

Still, she needed to research thoroughly before making any moves.

Her understanding of this world was still very limited. She didn’t know the local market conditions well. The last time she’d gone was with the Xia family elders just before the New Year.

Children didn’t need to pay an entrance fee to go into town—but what if they were bringing goods to sell? Would they still be exempt?

And this era had human traffickers, commonly called “snatchers.”

Every year at the Lantern Festival, there were cases of children and young, pretty women being abducted.

If she went into town to sell things on her own, how would she protect herself?

Sure, she had her space supermarket to escape into—but if she vanished like that too many times, someone was bound to notice. And if they took her for a demon and burned her at the stake… well, that would be a real injustice!

Xia Youtian and Jiang-shi had no idea all these chaotic thoughts were running through Xia Daohua’s head. Seeing her dazed and her eyes glazed over, they assumed the two drops of wine had gone to her head.

Jiang-shi stealthily pinched a bit of soft flesh on Xia Youtian’s side and gave it a sharp twist.

Xia Youtian winced in pain. “Wife, have mercy!”

Jiang-shi huffed angrily, “See if you dare give liquor to a child again!”

Lihua, trying not to laugh, pulled Xia Daohua aside. “Daohua, are you done eating? I’ll teach you how to make clothes!”

“Lihua, it’s only the third day of the new year—we shouldn’t be using needles or scissors today!”

“Don’t worry, Mama! I won’t actually sew. I’ll just teach Daohua how to take measurements today!”

With Lihua pulling her away, Daohua snapped back to reality and followed along.

Linghua and Wulang quickly got down from the table too. They’d eaten their fill and also knew when to leave their parents some space.

The group of older kids laughed and ran next door. Lihua actually pulled out a garment and began teaching Daohua and Linghua how to make clothes.

Though Lihua usually had a fiery and impatient temper, when explaining clothing construction to her younger sisters, she was surprisingly calm and patient.

It was a summer top—neither long nor short. Judging by its color and texture, it likely belonged to Jiang-shi. It didn’t have buttonholes but was fastened with cloth loops and a narrow cloth belt.

Lihua started at the collar, explaining how to measure, cut, and sew—clear and methodical. The more Xia Daohua listened, the more impressed she became.

Lihua was truly worthy of the phrase “clever and skillful.”

She was a natural!

The almost worshipful admiration in Xia Daohua’s eyes made Lihua uncomfortable. “Daohua, are you even listening properly?”

Xia Daohua grinned. “Of course I am! Sis, you’re amazing!”

Lihua blushed slightly but quickly brushed it off and said nonchalantly:

“Don’t act like it’s such a big deal—everyone knows how to sew! When you’re my age, you might be even better than me. Besides, my skills are nothing compared to Mom’s!”

Xia Daohua knew that Jiang-shi was also extremely skillful.

She could embroider.

In Beiguan Village, among all the young women and daughters-in-law, those who could embroider as well as Jiang-shi could be counted on one hand.

(End of Chapter)