Re-embroidering life

Chapter 141 State Ceremony

Jiangnan has nothing, just give me a spring branch.

From the capital to the south of the Yangtze River, the Ji family chose to take the water route, following the canal southward. The further south they went, the warmer the weather became, the more humid the air became, and the greenery on both sides of the river gradually expanded from scattered patches to mountains and plains.

In addition to Shen Xin, Xiao Hulu and Minister Ying also traveled with them.

Yes, we went to Linhai to supervise the construction of coastal defense, and the leader of the team was Minister Ying.

At this moment, Shen Xin stood quietly at the bow, staring at the sparkling river. The magnificent scenery of Jiangnan was the first time for others, but it was ordinary to her.

Minister Ying stood quietly at the other end of the boat, seemingly enjoying the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers leisurely. In fact, the scenery in his eyes was only for that one person.

When boarding the ship in the capital, Shen Xin appeared in front of everyone with a calm step. Her features were delicate on her sick face, and her folds were blown by the wind. As she walked, she formed a beautiful picture of a Jiangnan lady. Minister Ying seemed to be under a spell and could no longer take his eyes off her. When he learned that she was a famous Jiangnan embroidery expert and everyone called her "Master", he was in awe of her.

Seeing his dazed look, Ji Zimo couldn't bear to see him fall into it, so he kindly reminded him secretly, "Mrs. Shen's husband's surname is Yu, and they are a family from the south of the Yangtze River."

Minister Ying looked at Ji Zimo with a strange look and said seriously: "Such a beautiful woman like Mr. Shen is a fairy from the world. I have only admiration and respect for her, how dare I have any desire for her, that would be a blasphemy to her!" Ji Zimo did not expect to get such an answer. He was frustrated and had to walk away embarrassedly.

Since the boat started, Minister Ying has been paying attention to Shen Xin silently. She was in poor health and often needed to boil medicine. She only brought a young maid with her. When the boat stopped to rest, he went ashore to hire a well-dressed woman to take care of Shen Xin's food, clothing and daily life. He himself stood far away, strictly observing the separation of men and women.

Minister Ying looked nearly 40 years old, but he was actually only 36. He lost his wife at an early age and never remarried, leaving him with only one daughter. Shui Qinghua and his wife sighed. Minister Ying was a thoughtful and honest man, but fate played tricks on them and the two met at the wrong time.

It was impossible for Shen Xin to be unaware of Minister Ying's thoughtfulness. It would be a lie to say that she was not touched, but her status meant that she could not accept such care with ease. So she made the journey to Jiangnan in an awkward manner.

The Linhai County Magistrate had already learned of their arrival and sent people to greet them. Minister Ying and Ji Zimo went to see the county magistrate and were busy with official business, but Shen Xin was worried about returning to Suzhou as soon as possible. It was still a day's journey from here to Suzhou, so Shui Qinghua took the children and Xiao Hulu with her.

Shen Xin had a small house as a dowry on the outskirts of Suzhou, and the group settled down there.

It was the best season in Jiangnan. The suburbs were covered with red flowers and green willows, white walls and blue tiles, and it was picturesque. The streets were paved with bluestone slabs, and small rivers could be seen everywhere, winding through the streets. People lived along the river. A woman washing clothes hit it with a mallet, startling a line of egrets. The egrets spread their wings and flew twice, then leisurely landed on the top of a black-sailed boat, and slowly drifted with the boat towards the stone bridge in the distance.

Except for Shen Xin, everyone felt that their eyes were not enough.

As night fell, everyone was exhausted after more than a month of traveling, and the children fell asleep early. Shen Xin was a patient, but it was always exciting to return to her hometown, and her complexion was better.

The two of them were packing their bags together. Shen Xin suddenly thought of something and asked Shui Qinghua, "Do you remember Manager Wang? The year you went to the capital, he was transferred back to Jiangnan, and now he is in charge of the nearby Si Yi Fang branch."

Shui Qinghua became excited when she heard this. Although the short and fat old man was a little shrewd and stingy, he was undoubtedly her mentor. She had to pay him a visit as he was her mentor.

The next day, Shui Qinghua got up early and took a closer look at Shen Xin's small house. Jiangnan gardens are full of winding paths. Even if they only cover a few acres, they have everything from sedan chair halls, living rooms, study rooms, embroidery towers, and guest houses. Although there are many buildings, they do not feel crowded. Although the mountains and pools are small, they do not feel cramped. There are gardens within the gardens, and there are views outside the gardens. It is exquisite and deep, and there is no end to the walk.

Shui Qinghua sighed: "To be able to spend the rest of my life in a garden like this is the greatest joy in life!"

The two of them went to the nearest Si Yi Fang together. Who else could the short and fat figure seeing off the guests in the lobby be but Shopkeeper Wang?

When Shopkeeper Wang turned around and saw Shen Xin coming, he couldn't help but wipe his eyes with his hands. When he looked carefully, he realized that it was really the boss who came. He was so excited that he couldn't describe it.

"Uncle Wang, how are you?" Shen Xin greeted with a smile. These old shopkeepers in the family have watched her grow up.

"Okay! Okay!" Shopkeeper Wang replied, looking at Shen Xin with a worried look in his eyes: "The big boss is too thin, you need to eat well!"

Shen Xin agreed and pulled Shui Qinghua over: "Uncle Wang, look who's here?"

Shopkeeper Wang was shocked. "Mrs. Shui, why is it you?"

Shopkeeper Wang was so happy to see his old friend again after a long separation that his face looked like it was blooming with a smile.

Upon hearing about Shui Qinghua's adventures in the capital and that she had received the empress dowager's commendation, Shopkeeper Wang clapped his hands in applause, as if he had also gained a huge benefit.

There was only one thing that made him unhappy. "Mrs. Shui opened an embroidery workshop in the capital, why didn't she call it Siyifang? Instead, she let that old man Ye Jincheng eat all the food?" he said angrily.

Shui Qinghua could only bite the bullet and persuade her. Shen Xin hurriedly came out to help: "Uncle Wang, now that the Shui family has come to Jiangnan, you can find a way to cooperate with her in Jiangnan."

This remark awakened Shopkeeper Wang, and he asked his clerk to bring him a piece of paper, which was a letter from the local Embroidery Chamber of Commerce.

"Master, Lady Shui, you didn't know on the way, but a big event happened in the court! It is said that there is a country on the other side of the sea, called Ainolia, which sent an envoy on a huge ocean liner to pay homage to our emperor. The court wants to collect state gifts to present to the envoy, and has specially issued an order to Suzhou Weaving, saying that the silk weaving and embroidery industry in Jiangnan is well developed, and it wants to present craft embroidery products for the court to choose."

Shopkeeper Wang was full of excitement: "You are all masters of embroidery in the world. It is rare for you to get together. If you two work together, wouldn't you be able to create unprecedented embroidery?"

Shen Shui and the other looked at each other and were both quite moved. One of them had been famous for a long time, and the other was a newcomer; they were close friends and colleagues; they admired each other and were eager to compete with each other.

"It's just Sister Shen's body..." Shui Qinghua stopped talking abruptly. She realized that Shen Xin didn't want the outside world to know her true condition.

Shen Xin also frowned, her face full of disappointment.

"Sister Shen, how about this? I brought a favorite disciple with me this time, and you can send a disciple as well. We two will take care of the idea, and the disciples will do the needles. This shouldn't be too stressful."

Shen Xin looked at Shui Qinghua gratefully. This was a good idea. Sister Shui was really considerate and kind.