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Madam Lou, who is also Chu Hanyan’s maternal great-aunt, chuckled and said to the guests after the young girl had left, “Little Yan has been treated so delicately and rarely meets people, so she’s a bit timid and cautious. Please bear with her.”
Someone laughed and remarked, “She’s still young, she’ll grow out of it.”
Another person praised, “This child is truly beautiful, like a flower, dressed just like one too…”
Yet another said, “Oh, this child is as beautiful as a little jade maiden in front of Guanyin…”
In short, Chu, unexpectedly, behaved exceptionally well yesterday, disappointing those who wanted to see a foolish girl. It also made many people skeptical. Wasn’t Chu supposed to be severely foolish? Doesn’t seem like it! At most, the young girl’s responses were a bit slow, perhaps lacking guidance from female elders. Suddenly seeing so many people might have been frightening, but she is truly beautiful…
As for the annoying person from the palace, which noble person, the Steward didn’t specify.
Steward Luo wiped his eyes with a handkerchief and said, “If the madame knew how well-behaved she was in front of everyone, he would be delighted.”
Steward Luo smiled and said, “The old Marquis, the master, and Madam Lou all seem to be pleased. Yesterday afternoon, the master had already sent someone to deliver a message to the Abbess, which made the madame happy.” Then he said to Chen Feng, “The master asked me to thank you on his behalf. The clothes and dolls you made are excellent, and they have made the young miss very happy.” As he spoke, he took out a red packet from his pocket and said, “This is a token of appreciation from our master. I specifically sealed it with a red envelope, so that you can also share in the joy of our young miss.”
Chen Feng expressed her thanks and took the red packet, which felt light and was probably filled with silver notes.
She never expected that her good deed, along with the Golden Swallow’s kindness, not only helped the young girl but also brought so much joy to the Chu family. It seemed as if she had made a small fortune. What she didn’t expect was that Chu’s family background was so prominent.
One good thing after another seemed to befall her. The luck of a transmigrated woman was indeed extraordinary.
After some more laughter and talk, Chen Feng finally mentioned the purpose of her visit to the Embroidery Workshop.
Upon learning that she needed materials for making button knots, the manager not only provided her with the required satin, embroidery thread, and cords but also gave her two feet of gold coins.
Manager Luo also mentioned that Madam Lou had agreed to collaborate with the Embroidery Workshop and allowed Chen Feng to design more button knots. Therefore, she urged her to quickly complete the button knot samples for Madam Lou to review.
The steward and Chen Feng left the embroidery workshop together. He even arranged for a carriage to take Chen Feng home and informed her that he was quite busy these days, but once he was free, he would accompany her to buy land.
Upon returning home, Chen Feng opened the red packet and found a silver note worth one hundred taels. She couldn’t help but smile, realizing that she could purchase an additional twenty acres of land.
Upon hearing that they could buy more land, Mrs. Wang, Alu, and Dabao were also delighted. Dabao’s smile was even brighter because he had heard that his beautiful sister had performed exceptionally well and received praises from everyone the previous day.
Chen Feng and Mrs. Wang then locked themselves in the small room to make buttons. All the money was used on the Phoenix button knots, featuring a bright red phoenix that shimmered with a golden glow, both beautiful and elegant.
The six pairs of button knots were all completed on the morning of the 18th of September. That afternoon, Chen Feng and Mrs. Wang took the button knots and went to the Embroidery Workshop together.
Manager Luo welcomed them into the rear hall and was astonished when she saw the button knots. Holding the Phoenix button knot, she exclaimed, “Oh my, button knots can be made like this! I thought the chrysanthemum button knot was already heavenly beautiful, but there’s even more beauty here.”
She carefully inspected each button knot, covering her mouth with a handkerchief as she chuckled for a while. Then she said, “Ms. Chen is truly skillful, no wonder even our master wants to invite you to be a sewing master for our young miss. Oh, what a reputation you have!” She continued, “These button knots are all beautiful, but some are more intricate than others, and therefore, the pricing for the designs will vary.”
Chen Feng smiled and said, “Indeed, that’s true. I trust the pricing set by Manager Luo.”
The manager chuckled and said, “The Phoenix and Mandarin Duck button knots, being more complex, will be priced at thirty taels each. Meanwhile, the Flower Basket, Pipa, Swallow, and Longevity button knots, being simpler, will be priced at twenty taels each. What do you think, Ms. Chen?”
Chen Feng nodded and replied, “I’ll comply to Manager Luo.”
The manager added, “Button knots are not easy to make. These pairs are crafted so exquisitely, especially the large Phoenix button knot. Even our top embroiderers in the workshop wouldn’t surpass this level. I’ll pay three taels for the work on these pairs of button knots.”
Saying this, she got up and took out a hundred-tael silver note, a forty-tael silver note, and three one-tael silver ingots from a drawer in the cupboard, handing them to Chen Feng.
Chen Feng pocketed the silver notes and coins. Thinking that she had earned so much silver, she decided to offer some additional suggestions. Pointing to a pair of Mandarin Duck button knots that were fastened together, she said, “This type of button knot is not only beautiful but also auspicious, suitable for sewing onto a bride’s wedding dress. The Longevity button knot pair would certainly be fitting for an elder’s birthday attire. These button knots don’t have to be used with only one pattern on a garment. They can be of the same size but with varying designs. For example, the first button can be a Flower Basket, Phoenix, or Chrysanthemum, which are larger and more complex, while the rest can be smaller button knots like Pipa, Swallow, or Longevity. Button knots don’t have to be limited to garments, they can also be used on purses, shoes, and more…”
Manager Luo nodded repeatedly, trying to contain her laughter.
Afterward, the manager brought out six different-colored soft satin fabrics, saying, “With these various button knot styles, it’s already sufficient. My elder brother mentioned that the clothes you made for our young miss were exceptionally beautiful and unique. Take these fabrics back to the countryside and make some beautiful clothes, for the young miss. They must be exquisite and unique. Remember, they must not be seen by others. After making them, have my elder brother or nephew deliver them to the mansion.”
Just then, a messenger ran in and said, “Manager Luo, Madam Lou is here.”
Upon hearing this, the manager quickly stood up, holding the Butterfly and Flower Basket button knots in her hand while locking the other button knots in the cupboard drawer.
Chen Feng said, “You’re busy, so we’ll take our leave.”
The manager nodded and left first, followed by Chen Feng and Mrs. Wang, each holding three pieces of satin. As they reached the courtyard, they coincidentally met Madam Lou.
Madam Lou was dressed in a rose-purple scattered-flower brocade jacket with a light purple plain satin edging at the front, without any embroidery but adorned with over a dozen Chrysanthemum button knots, making it more unique than embroidered patterns. She wore a hairpin embedded with jade and adorned with a ruby and gold phoenix, exuding an aura similar to Mrs. Wang’s.
She actually recognized Chen Feng and, pointing at her, half-jokingly said, “You are the capable person I discovered, but were intercepted by this old fox, Luo Shi. Oh, it’s really frustrating, what a loss.” Then, she mockingly scolded the manager, “Old fox, you’ve intercepted something that could have benefited the mistress. You’re the first to pull a fast one on her.”