That night, Qi's father drank heavily and did not get up until noon the next day. Qi's mother had to stay in the room to take care of him.
As the saying goes: One drink can solve a thousand worries. Qi Surong sincerely hoped that her father could forget all the pain and worries and get back on his feet. At present, they have not overcome the predicament, and there is not much money on hand. Even if they save province after province, there will always be a time when they run out of money. They cannot just sit back and have nothing, they must find a way to make a living.
There was no hope for my father for the time being. He knew nothing but leading troops to fight. With his temperament, it was impossible for him to lose face and go out to work. The mother is introverted, physically weak and not suitable for hard work. As for the other servants, they are employed by the Qi family and should be supported by the Qi family. They can't be allowed to go out to make money, right? Anyway, she, Qi Surong, couldn't do such a shameful thing.
Thinking about it, it seems that I am the only labor force in the family.
Qi Surong bit the tip of her pen and frowned in thought.
At this time, Ping'er walked in, handed her a letter, and said, "Miss, this is sent by someone from the Song Mansion."
"Song Mansion?" Qi Surong quickly realized that the "Song Mansion" Ping'er mentioned refers to the residence of Song Boyi and Song Zhongcheng in Xicheng. His wife is her mother's cousin, whose surname is Zhuang and whose maiden name is Qiao'e.
Thinking of Qiao'e, Qi Surong remembered something, which was related to this letter.
"Ping'er, go and give the letter to my mother." Qi Surong handed the letter to Ping'er again.
"yes."
After a while, Qi's mother came to the study, with a bit of joy on her face, and said to Qi Surong: "Rong'er, your pretty aunt asked your mother to go to Nanshan Temple for a reunion. Are you willing to go with her?"
"Okay." Qi Surong nodded, found the steward, and asked him to hire a carriage.
Although they need to save money now, mother and daughter are not suitable for public appearances for the time being, so they can only spend money.
Nanshan Temple was about two or three miles away from Wangu Lane where they lived. The carriage drove at a steady speed and arrived in just a short while.
Qi's mother was a little excited and a little uneasy.
Qi Surong looked as usual and helped her mother into the temple. Under the guidance of a monk, she came to the Zen room where Qiao'e was.
"Cousin!" As soon as Qiao'e saw the Qi family's mother and daughter, she immediately stood up to greet them and invited them to sit down.
Qi Surong looked at her with a lot of thoughts in her heart. Although Aunt Qiao has a beautiful appearance, her eyebrows are slender and she looks a bit mean. This is why Qi Surong didn't like her in her previous life. She believed that people with this kind of appearance must be ruthless and scheming. Therefore, when Aunt Qiao offered help to her mother, she regarded it as a kind of charity and ridicule with ill intentions.
"Cousin, how have you been lately?" Aunt Qiao asked while pouring tea.
Qi's mother sighed, forced a smile and said, "It's okay."
"Cousin, don't feel too bad. Look at it openly. Qiao'e believes that the Qi family's downfall is only temporary."
"Thank you cousin, I don't have to." Even so, his brows did not relax.
Qiao'e turned to look at Qi Surong and said, "Surong, I haven't seen you for more than half a year, and you look even more lovely."
"Thank you, Aunt Qiao. In front of mother and Aunt Qiao, Su Rong is just a yellow-haired girl." Qi Su Rong poured a cup of tea for Qiao'e herself.
A flash of surprise flashed in Zhuang Qiao'e's eyes. Her niece had never been so polite to her since she was a child. She used to have a cold and arrogant look on her face, but now she shows a bit of sincerity.
Several people chatted for a while, and the atmosphere was quite warm.
After a while, Qiao'e suddenly took out a package of things from her arms, put it in Qi's mother's hand, and said, "Cousin, Qiao'e's husband is very soft-spoken and can't really help. Qiao'e is uneasy about the Qi family's affairs. The only thing is that Qiao'e is very quiet. All I can do is give some common things, hoping that they can alleviate temporary needs. The amount is not much, so please don’t dislike it, cousin."
"No, no." Qi's mother quickly declined, "How can I ask for your things?"
"Cousin, just accept it!" Qiao'e said seriously, "Do you want me to watch you suffer without paying any attention?"
Qi's mother frowned and hesitated, her eyes unconsciously falling on Qi Surong.
Zhuang Qiao'e also followed Qi's mother's gaze and said, "Surong, please advise your mother on behalf of Aunt Qiao, we are a family, why do we care so much?"
Qi Surong thought for a while and suddenly said: "Aunt Qiao, Surong, can I ask you a favor?"
Zhuang Qiao'e was stunned for a moment and replied: "But it doesn't matter."
"I would like to ask Aunt Qiao to rent a small shop for me. I can use anyone's name. As you know, it is not convenient for us to show up for the time being. I want to find some work, but there is nothing I can do."
"You mean, you want to do business?" Zhuang Qiao'e was surprised. The eldest lady in front of her was the Qi family. She had never had a finger in the sun since she was a child, and she looked down on businessmen who smelled like copper. Now she wants to open a store, what can she do
Qi Surong nodded and said calmly: "Aunt Qiao, you also know the situation our family is in now. Without a source of livelihood, the whole family will be hungry. We can't rely on Aunt Qiao for support all our lives, right?"
Zhuang Qiao'e hesitated for a moment and said: "There is a risk of losing money when opening a shop. If Rong'er is willing to help the family, why not let me introduce you to Jingxiang Embroidery Workshop. This embroidery workshop is opened by a friend, and I will never treat you badly. you."
Qi Surong knew that Aunt Qiao couldn't trust her, and was worried that she would end up miserably because she didn't know the limits of the world.
In her previous life, Aunt Qiao also proposed that she go to Jingxiang Embroidery Workshop to be an embroiderer. She refused unceremoniously at the time, but due to the pressure of life, she finally compromised. However, this compromise made her regret it.
The status of the eldest lady of the Qi family used to be a symbol of dignity, but now she has become the target of ridicule and ridicule by others. Most embroiderers would not dare to speak rudely to her. After all, she was once a noblewoman, and even though she was now down and out, she still had more dignity than them. But she was arrogant and looked down on others even though she was doing the same job, so she was isolated by other embroiderers. She didn't mind being isolated, but she didn't understand what it meant to be alone until she was really in trouble.
Luo Yanyi, the daughter of Shangshu, was once one of her best friends. They are said to be best friends, but in fact they only keep in contact with each other because of their status. Among noble women, she has always been at the top. As long as she is around, other women can only succumb to them. She enjoys the honor of the stars and the moon, but she doesn't know how many people hate her.
The news that she was working in the embroidery workshop was quickly learned by Luo Yanyi. So, she brought several other girlfriends here every day to provoke him. They ridiculed, insulted, made things difficult, and even sent people to surround her on her way home, beat and kick her, and bullied her to the extreme.
But the pain in her body was far less than the shame and anger of having her dignity trampled on.
Finally, she left the embroidery workshop and stayed in her room all day long, unwilling to face outsiders anymore.
But the matter was not over yet. Her mother took over her work and went to the embroidery workshop to work every day. She has a gentle temperament and never likes to argue with others, but the eldest ladies did not restrain themselves at all. My mother endured it for the sake of her family. I thought that by being so forbearing, the suffering would eventually pass.
Unexpectedly, a few days later, my mother returned home with blood on her hands and could no longer hold the embroidery needle firmly.
Qi Surong closed her sour eyes, gently held her mother's hand, and tried to suppress the anger and regret in her heart.
She said: "Aunt Qiao, do you think I am suitable to work in the embroidery workshop?"
"this… "
"Aunt Qiao," Qi Surong picked up the bag of silver and said seriously, "this money will be regarded as your initial investment, and I will give you the corresponding share in the future. I just hope that you can help me rent a shop. The store doesn’t need to be big, but the location must be good.”
"What kind of store do you want to open?" Zhuang Qiao'e continued to ask without directly agreeing.
"Xiuzhuang."
"'Embroidery' shop? Do you buy and sell embroidery?"
"No, no." Qi Surong smiled, "Not only embroidery, but also all kinds of clothing."
Zhang Qiao'e frowned and said, "Can you tell me more specifically?"
"I plan to open a boutique specially tailored for noble people, selling headwear, clothing, accessories and various embroideries, all in combination."
"In this case, I'm afraid it will require a lot of capital, right?"
"I thought about it carefully. If we only take one or two orders a month, my mother and I will be enough."
"Only one or two orders a month?" Zhang Qiao'e said in disbelief, "Wouldn't this be a loss?"
Qi Surong smiled and said, "What if the order is at least a thousand taels?"
"A few thousand taels?" Zhuang Qiao'e thought for a while. With the spending power of the aristocratic children in the capital, a few thousand taels is not unusual, but the store must be famous first, otherwise everything will be empty talk. People in the capital value reputation and face most, which is definitely not something that ordinary people can impress.
"Aunt Qiao, what do you think of my outfit?" Qi Surong asked suddenly.
Zhuang Qiao'e looked intently and saw Su Rong wearing a plain satin skirt with a blue background, with branches wrapped around the collar, butterflies and flowers blooming on the sleeves, a finely embroidered brocade bag inlaid with gold hanging on her waist, and a yellow wishful knot hanging down. Look at her bun, with clouds and hanging silk, hairpins on the temples, simple yet complex, elegant and graceful. If she had eight points of color, and matched with this outfit, it would be ten points.
"Outsiders only know that I am proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but they don't know that my best skills are actually embroidery and hairpins." Her embroidery skills were passed down from her mother, and because of her high talent, she can often bring out new ones and match them with the jewelry she made by herself. Her dress is always the most unique among the ladies. It’s just that she has never shown off her skills in this area to anyone. She believes that this is the work of inferior people. Rather than saying it to make people laugh, it is better to let others think that their family has the best embroiderers and craftsmen in the world.
Zhuang Qiao'e was surprised again. She felt that her appearance seemed to be very different from before. Whether it was her demeanor, behavior, or temperament and conversation, she was a little less domineering and arrogant, and a little more calm and mature.
If it were in the past, she would definitely not agree to her request to open a store, but now, she is a little shaken.
She asked: "It's not difficult to open a store, but how do you plan to make the store famous?"
"Aunt Qiao, if I remember correctly, the Queen's birthday will be in one month. You will definitely attend, right?"
"What do you mean..." Zhuang Qiao'e's eyes lit up.
Qi Surong also had a slight smile on her lips.