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In the night breeze, Zhui Feng and Wangcai were quite excited, barking and running ahead of the carriage, while the two parrots had already fallen asleep in the grass basket carried by Dabao.
The swaying of the carriage soon lulled the Yang siblings to sleep. Normally, they would have been asleep at home by this time. Chen Feng and Old lady Huang each held a child, wrapping them in small blankets.
Although Dabao was somewhat drowsy, he didn’t let his mother hold him and instead took care of the sleeping parrots, covering them with a cloth.
In a poor household, the children mature early. Chen Feng looked at Yang Chao and then at Dabao, feeling a pang of guilt. She softly said, “Chao, he’s our guest.”
Dabao rubbed his head against Chen Feng’s arm and said, “I know, Mom. I won’t be jealous of Chao.”
Old lady Huang whispered, “Dabao is such a good kid.”
As they entered the house, Lu came out to greet them. Chen Feng felt a bit embarrassed, realizing that it was one of the most important days in Lu’s life, yet she hadn’t immediately shared in his joy.
Chen Lu had wanted to talk to his sister about it but stopped upon seeing her holding the sleeping Yang Chao.
Once Chen Feng had settled the two children, she took the now-awake Dabao to the bedroom in the east wing, where Chen Ming, Mrs. Wang, and Lu were waiting.
The family crowded onto the warm heated brick bed, listening as Lu recounted the day’s events at school in great detail. Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang listened with beaming smiles, wanting to hear more.
After offering him some words of encouragement, Chen Feng hugged Chen Lu and said, “Your sister is looking forward to seeing you flourish and support the family.”
After nearly half an hour, they each went to rest.
The following day, Chen Feng rose early once again and made two trays of golden silk cake, one of which she intended to send back with the Yang family.
After breakfast, Yang Mingyuan arrived at Chen’s house. Yang Chao and Yang Qian, crying and fussing, were still forcefully placed into the carriage.
Even as the carriage had traveled some distance, the siblings leaned out of the window, tearfully saying, “Aunt Chen, next time we come to your house, we want to stay longer.”
Chen Feng nodded with a smile, and Dabao, in a loud voice, said, “Okay, we’ll be waiting.”
Later, Chen Feng learned that Yang Mingyuan had managed to raise funds by mortgaging the restaurants in the county town and had used his entire personal assets to start a business in the capital. He truly was an adventurer!
Suddenly, it was already the winter month. With many hands, the bushy area had been cleared a few days ago, and construction of the houses had already begun.
Construction was ongoing in both courtyards. Chen Ming wanted to move in before the New Year.
Since there weren’t enough people from the village, a team specializing in building houses from the county town was hired. This meant providing meals, and they also paid a sum to hire helpers from San Yeye’s (Third Grandfather’s) family to cook and deliver the food at noon. San Yeye’s family had many children, and during the slow agricultural season, they sought work everywhere. Not only did two grandsons help with building the houses, but the women also assisted in cooking, earning several wages at once.
Chen Ming’s courtyard was slightly smaller, covering only three acres, and he had grandly designated half an acre as a “buffer zone” between the two courtyards. On the other hand, Chen Feng’s courtyard, serving as a kindergarten, was slightly larger, covering not just three and a half acres but also including an additional three-tenths of an acre, totaling three acres and eight-tenths.
Both properties were curved, two-section courtyard residences with a main hall, east and west wings, a rear hall, and an annex, each with a well.
Chen Ming’s home resembled those of most small landlords in the countryside, with flowers, trees, and stone tables and stools in the front courtyard, and the back courtyard planned for barns, pigsties, chicken coops, and vegetable gardens.
Chen Feng’s home, however, was different. In addition to flowers, trees, and grass, it was adorned with carved railings, painted pillars, lattice windows, and wooden floors for the four rooms in the west wing. What set it apart even more was the plan for a children’s playground.
Originally, Chen Feng wanted Chen Ming to have similar elements, at least carved railings and painted pillars. However, Chen Ming was adamant. He defined himself as a small landlord and strictly adhered to this standard in arranging his home, deeming it practical and unnecessary to create an ostentatious display in a rural household.
Every day on the way to work at Tangyuan, Dabao would pull Chen Feng to look at their new house, delighted for a good while. Almost every day, he would ask the same question, “Mom, when will the new house be finished? When can we move in?”
Chen Feng would always smile and reply, “Our home is more complex, so we’ll have to wait until after the New Year. Your grandpa’s house will be ready to move into before that, so we’ll stay there first.”
His grandpa’s house was also a large tiled residence, which brought a wide smile to Dabao’s face.
Both families had contracted Wu’s carpentry for their furniture. Chen Feng had also drawn some sketches and commissioned Wu’s carpentry and the local ironworks to create some peculiar items.
When she went to see Wu the carpenter, Wu Chanshen looked at her with a lot of resentment and kept trying to get close to her, but Mrs. Wu chased him away. Wu Chanshen was already betrothed to her cousin and they would be married next year.
As Chen Feng was leaving, Wu Chanshen ran out and said to her, “Feng, from now on, I’ll treat you like my own sister. If you ever need help, I’ll be there for you, just like before.”
Touched by his injured eyes, Chen Feng smiled and replied, “Thank you, second brother Wu. I wish you a lifetime of happiness.”
During these days, Abbess Liao Chen had stayed at Tangyuan for two days, and Chen Feng only had these two days to rest at home. However, last month, Steward Luo had given her five taels of silver as her monthly allowance, which was more than the two taels originally discussed.
On the fifth day of the winter month, Chen Feng was playing with the children in the main hall when she saw Luo Xiao loitering around the door. He had gone to the capital two days ago and had taken the two sets of clothes, the lucky cat doll, the handbag, the cotton robe, and the slippers to the Ni Shang Embroidery Workshop, and had just returned.
Clapping her hands, Chen Feng said, “Class is over.”
As she walked out, Luo Xiao mentioned that his Aunt, Manager Luo was very pleased with those items.
Thanks to these items, the reputation of the Ni Shang Embroidery Workshop had become even more prominent. Many young ladies from wealthy families now exclusively used the Workshop’s buttons to adorn their clothing, making it a fashion statement. Furthermore, the sale of fabrics at the workshop had also improved.
In fact, many affluent families now had sewing rooms and didn’t always buy ready-made clothes from the workshop. However, if the workshop displayed a beautiful, unique garment, or attractive accessories, the women would buy fabric from the Workshop to replicate the style. If a workshop’s garments were distinctive and appealing, the women would frequent that particular workshop. Some bought ready-made clothes, others bought fabric.
Thus, beautiful garments and accessories not only made money but also attracted customers to buy fabric from the workshop.
Luo Xiao mentioned that the Manager Luo wanted Chen Feng to have more lucky cat dolls and handbags made regularly and delivered to the workshop. This was a task that Chen Feng had requested from Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Gao.