Chapter 12: The Embroiderer

Wen Ruyu wasn’t completely unsympathetic toward her poor relatives—everyone had difficult times.

But the burden couldn’t always fall on one person alone.

Since moving back to her husband’s hometown in recent years, the original owner had spent at least a hundred taels of silver supporting relatives.

One day it was this aunt, the next day it was that uncle. Five taels here, ten taels there—so many relatives had come asking for help that even her own household was starting to feel the strain.

Yes, their family was well-off, but that didn’t mean they should lower their own standard of living just to help others.

Back when these same relatives helped support the old master of the Lu family, all they did was offer an extra bowl of soup or an extra piece of meat—they never sacrificed their own quality of life.

Wen Ruyu had heard her mother-in-law talk about their hardships in the past. Her husband’s schooling and exam travel expenses had mostly come from her mother-in-law’s painstaking embroidery work, stitching day and night.

Her mother-in-law had passed away early, and Wen Ruyu suspected it was due to overwork in her younger years, leaving behind too many health problems.

It was true that her husband’s family had been poor back then, and they owed much to their relatives for their support. The Lu family had never been ungrateful, nor could they afford to be.

Now that they were better off, it would seem wrong not to help their struggling relatives.

Relationships were complicated.

The original owner had given out money many times simply because she had no way to refuse.

Once or twice was fine, but continuing like this wasn’t a solution.

Early that morning, a woman had come with her child and waited at the Lu family’s gate.

She had been sent by an uncle from the main Lu family branch, who had business in town and would pick her up in the evening.

With things set up this way, Wen Ruyu had no choice but to acknowledge her.

If she avoided meeting the woman, not only would it be embarrassing, but she had no idea how the woman would talk about them once she returned to the village.

Since their uncles and elders lived nearby, if word spread that the Lu family had grown wealthy but refused to help their struggling relatives, it would damage their social standing.

So, Wen Ruyu had to meet her.

After listening to the woman’s complaints for a while, Wen Ruyu forced herself to be patient. The thought of giving away money was already testing her limits.

“I understand your situation. A child’s education is important, and tuition fees must be covered,” Wen Ruyu finally spoke.

“To be honest, sister-in-law, I’m also struggling for silver. You might not believe me, but just recently, my eldest son went to the capital. Traveling back and forth twice a year, all the hard work barely covers our household expenses. You know how hard it was for our family to secure a place in officialdom, but my husband passed away too soon. He didn’t get the chance to save much for the family.

If the children do well and one of them becomes a scholar, our family’s future will be better. But if no one passes next year, forget about the servants— even my own maids might have to be dismissed.”

Hearing this, the woman looked a bit awkward but still said, “Yes, it’s the same for everyone. A child’s education is a heavy burden on the heart.”

Wen Ruyu smiled politely. “Since we are relatives, I can’t have you come all this way for nothing. Stay for dinner, and I will take care of the tuition fees.”

The woman’s eyes turned red with gratitude.

“We really wouldn’t ask if we had any other choice…”

Just as she was about to continue complaining, Madam Yan, the housekeeper, suddenly entered from outside.

She approached Wen Ruyu and said, “The embroiderer from the shop has arrived. Madam, they’re asking for you to take a look.”

Wen Ruyu felt relieved, immediately perking up.

She glanced apologetically at the woman. “There are some urgent matters regarding the business.”

Since Wen Ruyu had already agreed to give money, the woman didn’t dare delay her work and quickly said, “We’ll make ourselves comfortable here. You go ahead with your matters.”

“Please make yourself at home, and if you need anything, just ask the maids,” Wen Ruyu replied before leaving with Madam Yan.

Her maid, Xia Zhu, had already prepared her cloak and stood waiting at the door. As soon as Wen Ruyu reached the entrance, Xia Zhu skillfully draped the thick cloak over her shoulders.

A hand warmer had also been prepared in advance, which Wen Ruyu took with her as she stepped out.

Heading to the front hall, she was followed by Madam Yan and two of her usual maids, Chun Tao and Xia Zhu.

She disliked being surrounded by too many people, as it made even turning a corner feel cumbersome.

Seeing such a grand procession, the visiting woman couldn’t help but be taken aback, thinking, The Lu family has been in officialdom for so many years—how could they possibly be short on money?

She must have been tricking me earlier.

On the way to the front hall, Wen Ruyu instructed Madam Yan, “Have Qiu Mai take five taels of silver from my private stash. Also, take a bolt of cloth from the fabric we set aside for the maids’ new clothes and give it to her. We can get more from the shop later. This should be enough to satisfy her for now.

Tomorrow, send someone to Lu Village and invite the clan leader here. Tell him I have a matter to discuss regarding setting up a private school in the village.”

She had noticed that the child accompanying the woman wore patched clothes, while the woman’s own servant was dressed in something half-new.

To avoid gossip, she had to handle things properly.

In ancient times, unlike modern times, personal relationships were crucial.

Madam Yan, seeing that Wen Ruyu had already planned things out, simply nodded and didn’t say more.

The embroiderer arrived and greeted Wen Ruyu.

The family owned two embroidery shops, each employing only two master embroiderers. Whenever custom orders came in, these skilled women were needed.

This time, Wen Ruyu wasn’t planning on mass production, so she had only called in one embroiderer and handed her a set of patterns she had designed.

“Follow these designs and coordinate with the tailor. Make two sets of each style. These will be for the family’s women.”

It was tradition for the Lu family to have new winter clothes made for every member, including Concubine Qian.

The tailoring had been delayed a month because Lu Songnian had returned home late this year, so Wen Ruyu had taken charge of the arrangements.

“Make two sets of each design—one for the family and another for display in the shop. Once they’re ready, I’ll decide where to place them.”

Although people bought ready-made clothes, it wasn’t very common.

Most families purchased fabric and sewed their own garments, as cloth was precious. Wealthier families preferred custom-tailored clothing for a perfect fit.

By displaying finished garments in the shop, Wen Ruyu hoped to attract more customers who would order custom designs.

After finalizing the details with the embroiderer, she asked about the timeline. The woman estimated they could be completed before the end of the year if they rushed.

“Good. Work well, and there will be rewards at the year’s end,” Wen Ruyu said.

The embroiderer acknowledged her orders and left with the fabric patterns.

With the business matter settled, Wen Ruyu remained seated in the hall, warming her feet by a brazier.

She had no interest in returning to deal with her visiting relative.

Deciding to avoid the woman a little longer, she planned to visit her eldest daughter-in-law and check on her one-year-old grandson, who was still learning to walk.