Chapter 42: A Way to Make Someone Stay

Zhou Yu originally intended to use this as an excuse to offer some food support to the Zhao family and was ready to accept the mended clothes however they turned out.

Ever since arriving in Qinxian, he had given up his former fussiness. It wasn’t that he truly refused to wear patched clothing—it’s just that he usually wore them as inner layers.

But when he saw the garments Aunt Zhao presented, he was rather surprised.

For example, if a sleeve was damaged, she would cut off the torn part and replace it with a light-colored fabric, then embroider a simple pattern, making it look like an entirely new piece of clothing.

If the pant leg was ripped, she’d cut it from the knee down, then connect the two parts with fabric of another color. While walking, the patched area didn’t show at all.

The cloak, in particular, was especially stunning.

Where it had been torn, she embroidered a pattern of clouds supporting the sun, with a pine branch below it. On the other side of the cloak, two clumps of pine needles were embroidered to complement the design.

The stitching was fine and even, and the embroidery was impressive. What was once a plain, unremarkable cloak had become a vibrant and unique garment.

He had seen professional seamstresses in his household mend clothes, and this was on par with their work—those women were among the best of the best.

And yet, Aunt Zhao and Qin Ying were just country women…

“Uncle!”

Just as he had this thought, An’an’s voice called out.

The little one had been eating in Qin Ying’s arms. The moment she saw Zhou Yu arrive, she quickened her pace to finish her food. As soon as Qin Ying wiped her mouth, she eagerly reached out to be held by the handsome uncle.

Zhou Yu quickly took her into his arms, playfully tapped her nose, and asked, “Are you full?”

“Mm!” An’an nodded seriously and patted her round little belly. “Full!”

After playing with her a bit, Zhou Yu turned to Aunt Zhao and said, “Your handiwork is truly excellent!”

“See? I wasn’t exaggerating, was I?” Xu Xia beamed as he helped fold the clothes and wrapped them up in a bundle. “Aunt Zhao, do you have any more time?”

Aunt Zhao suddenly had a bad feeling. “Xiao Xu, you—you’re not thinking of asking me to make clothes for Master Zhou, are you? Auntie really can’t do that!”

Seeing her so troubled, Xu Xia was genuinely surprised. “Why not? The clothes you made for me were great! I think they’re ten times better than anything sold in ready-made shops!”

Aunt Zhao quickly waved her hand. “That’s not thanks to me. I only make the kind of clothes our village folk wear.

“I don’t know how to make your kind of style! It was my Yingzi who did the cutting.”

Zhou Yu suddenly asked, “The clothes An’an is wearing—did Miss Qin make those too?”

“Yes,” Aunt Zhao answered proudly. “My Yingzi is clever and good with her hands. I wouldn’t dare say anything else, but in our Tongshu Village, she’s one of a kind!”

Just then, Qin Ying came back inside after emptying the dishwater and overheard this part of the conversation. She quickly said, “Mother, please stop saying that!”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Aunt Zhao ignored her. “I’m just speaking the truth!” She rummaged on the kang bed and pulled out a cloth tiger made from fabric scraps that Qin Ying had sewn, showing it to Zhou Yu.

“Look, my lord—if we didn’t tell you, who would guess this adorable little tiger was made from nearly rotting cloth scraps?”

Qin Ying tried to stop her, but Zhou Yu had already taken the cloth tiger into his hands.

It wasn’t very big, just the right size for An’an to hold in her arms and play with. Yet every detail was exquisitely done, especially the tiger’s facial features—silly and cute, but with a sense of spirit.

An’an hugged the cloth tiger to her chest, poked its whiskers, looked up at Zhou Yu with twinkling eyes, and sweetly said in her childish voice, “Mama! Tiger!”

“Yes,” Zhou Yu responded with a smile, “This is the little tiger Mama made for you!”

She blinked her eyes rapidly—no emotional reaction triggered, so no bonus energy for her! What else could she do to stir up some emotional waves?

Zhou Yu had already turned to speak with Qin Ying. “Miss Qin, I still need a new outfit for the New Year, one I can wear to receive guests after the holiday. I wonder if I could trouble you to make it for me?

“I’ll pay you, and there’s no rush—just so it’s done before the fifth day of the New Year…”

Then he suddenly remembered something. “Ah, I forgot. It’s taboo to sew during the first lunar month. In that case, never mind.”

Aunt Zhao was just about to say that villagers didn’t follow such superstitions, when Qin Ying gave her a discreet tug, making her shut up immediately.

An’an’s eyes swirled in thought. What? Her mother was always trying to keep her distance from the handsome uncle?

I don’t agree! Sure, making clothes is tiring, but if done slowly, it’s not so bad.

She wanted to use some energy to damage Zhou Yu’s clothes, but sadly, she failed.

Forget it—she was just around a year old now, the age where she couldn’t control her bladder.

As for being embarrassed? As long as she didn’t care, other people’s judgmental stares and teasing words were just passing clouds!

And so, Zhou Yu suddenly felt a warm sensation on his leg. Looking down, he realized that the cheerful little toddler had quietly peed.

A faint scent of urine immediately spread through the room.

Aunt Zhao and Qin Ying’s expressions changed at once.

Zhou Yu quickly raised his hand. “Don’t panic—let her finish, don’t startle her.”

Huh? An’an tilted her head curiously, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes. He wasn’t disgusted at all?

Zhou Yu gently patted her head and said with a smile, “I’ve heard that if you interrupt a baby while peeing, they may have trouble controlling their bladder in the future.”

Qin Ying looked at Aunt Zhao, who nodded. “That’s a common saying.”

Qin Ying still felt uneasy and gave Zhou Yu a bow. “I apologize for the trouble.”

“No need,” Zhou Yu chuckled and shook his head. “It just needs to be washed.”

Xu Xia chimed in smartly, “But my lord, you only have this one cotton outfit! In this cold weather, it won’t dry for a couple days after washing. What if you catch a cold?”

Zhou Yu looked up and saw the boy’s eager-for-praise expression. He immediately understood and said, “I’m not that fragile.”

But Qin Ying grew more uneasy. It was one thing not wanting to get involved with Zhou Yu, but he was the county magistrate. If he got sick, it might impact all of Qinxian. That was too great a consequence—one she couldn’t bear.

So she took the initiative and said, “My lord, do you still have fabric and cotton? If you don’t mind, we can quickly make you a new cotton robe.”

“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?” Xu Xia tried to politely decline. “We can take this one back and dry it over the fire. Worst case, our lord can wrap himself in a blanket while he works on his papers.

“Unfortunately, we each only have one cotton robe—we can’t lend him ours.”

Qin Ying quickly added, “We’re very quick with our hands. It’ll just mean our lord has to stay at our home a little longer.”

“In that case,” Zhou Yu nodded slightly, “I’ll have Xu Xia go back to retrieve the materials.”

By now, An’an had finished peeing and looked a bit disappointed that she still hadn’t triggered any emotional reaction.

Qin Ying quickly took the child back and began changing her clothes.

Zhou Yu got up and stepped into the other room where Zhao Hu lived, giving them privacy.

The soaked clothes were no longer wearable, but fortunately, there were mended clothes in the bundle. Though not very warm, at least they were enough to cover her.

Aunt Zhao quickly had Zhao Hu bring in a bundle of firewood and ordered him to heat up the kang bed thoroughly. If Master Zhou caught a cold because of them, it would be a serious offense.

Qin Ying changed An’an’s clothes, washed and wrung out the soiled ones, then laid them near the kang to dry. She gently pinched An’an’s little nose and whispered, “You little troublemaker!”