Chapter 333: Chapter 333: So All of Your Family’s Fortune Stays Hidden
The Cuiyu Fox Fur and the Raccoon Fur Cloak are understated yet luxurious, as if draped in the most substantial and warm blanket.
Wearing it is not cumbersome at all.
Under the fluffy cloak, the girl’s eyebrows and eyes are exquisite, her lips red and teeth white.
Shen Hua likes it so much!
She tries to keep a straight face, desperately suppressing the corners of her mouth from crazily turning upward. Yet she doesn’t succeed. Like a child showing off their candy, the girl’s youthful innocence glimmers in her eyes.
With smiling eyes, she tenderly ruffles the girl and watches her step lightly, eagerly spinning around to show off her newly acquired cloak.
"Does it look good?"
Cui Rong is dying of jealousy, unable to stand her showing off. She even prefers to play dumb now rather than believe that from now on she’d have to call Shen Hua a Second Aunt.
What a curse!
Day and night you guard, but it’s the thief within the family that’s hardest to defend against!
"What’s so good-looking about it!"
Cui Rong’s hands are trembling: "How can you be so lacking in self-awareness?"
"I advise you to take it off; having the embroidery lady make it smaller would be better. I, as the Commandery Princess, would look a hundred times better wearing it than you!"
Shen Hua is delighted, too lazy to bother with her.
She eagerly turns her gaze to Cui Yun.
Who would have expected Cui Yun’s deep and profound gaze to be terrifying, mingled with unreadable tenderness, staring unblinkingly at her.
"The weather is turning warm, which is not quite suitable. It seems it would be better to wear it when winter comes."
She’s not hot!
She can withstand it!
She’s even willing to wear it out just to make Wei Yingying green with envy!
The shopkeeper, seeing this, hurriedly speaks: "We’re in a rush, and the people below only managed to finish these two pieces. I brought them quickly for the lady to try. Last time, the Marquis gave five top-quality furs; the rest are reserved for making lined jackets, hand warmers, wallets, and hand pouches... That should be plenty. Wearing them as a complete set during New Year’s would truly be rich and splendid."
"Since there’s no need for alterations, I’ll take my leave for now. Once the other items are done, I’ll bring them over to the lady."
As she speaks, she respectfully bows and departs with due respect.
Shen Hua deeply falls for Cui Yun’s honey-trap tactics.
She even regrets not having agreed sooner!
Cui Yun has truly given her something that touches her heart!
Cui Rong covers her ears with her hands. She is still so young, why should she have to bear so much.
The little girl can’t take it anymore, just about to open her mouth, when she notices Cui Yun’s gaze falling on her. Her shoulders shrug and with a whining sound, she walks out dispiritedly.
After a few steps, she breaks into a small run.
Shen Hua watches her retreat.
"She has been fairly diligent at school these past few days; it’d be appropriate to reward her. The little ghost is small, after we divide it up, we should also make a few outfits for her."
Cui Yun hears this and laughs lightly: "Her room is already full of them, all made by Yunxiang Pavilion. The furs she’s received over the years are mostly saved for her; would that leave her feeling neglected?"
Indeed, that’s how it is. The little ghost is pampered by the entire Cui family.
Shen Hua narrows her eyes.
"For such a small matter as gifting clothes, does the shopkeeper of Yunxiang Pavilion need to come in person? Don’t tell me that is also under your name?"
"That’s not the case."
Cui Yun: "It’s part of Mama’s dowry."
Shen Hua understands.
Turns out your whole family keeps their wealth under the radar.
"Shen Hua." He suddenly calls her softly.
Everyone else in the room has left, only Cui Yun still remains standing there.
Shen Hua looks over suspiciously, her ears inexplicably warming up. She hears him chuckle softly and say.
"Turn around once more."
————
At 11:45, Ningzhu rushes in from outside.
Behind her, Cheng Gui carries in a screen half a person’s height. It’s a "Spring Butterfly Play Map." It is yet another new arrival at Juchao Pavilion.
Among them, fifteen butterflies and one bee. Frolicking beneath a canopy of springtime flowers.
Phoenix butterflies with tail wings long as ribbons, and dainty and exquisite pink butterflies. Some spread their wings flat, while others flutter and dance.
Ningzhu said, "This is the best embroidery piece from Juchao Pavilion this time. Please have a look, my lady."
Shen Hua hummed a little tune: "It’s becoming less and less pleasing to the eye."
As she spoke, she asked Yicui to prepare paper and ink.
Yicui grinded the ink: "Is my lady writing a letter to Lady Zheng?"
Shen Hua snorted: "Her? She’s not worthy."
"This is a provocation towards Shen Qu."
Yicui paused, and even Ningzhu looked over in shock.
Shen Hua wrote slowly and leisurely.
"I, unlike him with his hypocritical face and heart of a beast, will directly inform him to pack up and get lost. After some more time, when I return to Fengzhou, the house and the embroidery workshop will naturally have to be spit back out by him."
"Oh, and Xue Yiwang, and all those dogs from the second room, I’ll deal with them one by one."
As she spoke, she lifted her gaze to the embroidery piece.
"The embroiderer who made this piece will also be driven away when the time comes. It’s alright not to understand Su Embroidery; one can slowly learn. But this piece awkwardly resembles neither Su Embroidery nor Xiangxiu – just a muddled mess – it shames the embroidery techniques passed down from our ancestors."
Shen Hua shook her head inwardly, her gaze fell on the butterfly wings, noticeably puffy antennae, the head, thorax, abdomen, wings, legs... and so on.
"Butterflies dance gracefully, mostly depicted as either pink or colorful butterflies."
"In Su Embroidery, if embroidering butterflies, one mainly uses the Fan Qiang and flat needle techniques. Yet, this embroidery piece doesn’t apply either."
Fan Qiang requires solid basic skills, mostly done by old embroiderers. Conversely, the flat needle is simpler. It encompasses a total of five types of stitches.
"Normally, the flat needle is the main technique used, with the others as supplementary. The flat needle stitch applies here, antennae use the rolling stitch, markings use the even stitch, the twist stitch runs along the outer edges of the wings, and the Shi Mao Needle connects the veins within the wings," she explained while demonstrating each stitch with a point of her finger.
Ningzhu was a little breathless.
She humbly sought advice: "What is the Shi Mao Needle technique?"
Shen Hua was also feeling breathless.
"Have you looked at the ancient embroidery books I gave you?"
"It’s on page 54 of that book, go flip through it yourself."
Ningzhu ran back to her room, and when she came back out, she was holding a book. She flipped it open and glanced at it: "My lady, how could you even remember the page number?"
She was full of admiration.
Shen Hua was a bit overwhelmed by such a gaze. She couldn’t even bring herself to scold anymore.
She felt somewhat elated.
"I’ve got it memorized by heart."
Ningzhu: "Wow!"
Shen Hua: "What’s the difficulty?"
In the beginning, apart from embroidery, she was useless at everything else. There was nothing else she could pride herself on.
Ningzhu: "Wow!"
Finally, Shen Hua recovered her usual spirited demeanor, holding her face: "Keep saying ’wow’, I haven’t had enough."
As they chatted, they didn’t realize that someone was missing from the room.
Outside in the courtyard, Xiaoqi was doling out candies, consoling the aggrieved Cui Rong. Cui Rong took a piece and grumbled with every bite.
"Xiaoqi, right!"
"I know you belong to Heir Xie."
"Sister Shen and my Second Uncle have been secretly arranging things! I don’t know when it happened, but their eyes have met! You must tell him."
Cui Rong pursed her lips: "She has good taste, choosing my Second Uncle over Heir Xie. But I just cursed at her! You better make Heir Xie marry her off quickly, otherwise my life from now on will surely be tough."
Xiaoqi smiled mischievously: "Okay."
Little did they know, when Xie Xun’s people came asking later, Xiaoqi pressed her hands on her stomach, looking straight ahead while respectfully lying through her teeth.
"The Marquis behaves properly in front of others and behind closed doors. A complete gentleman, he never sets foot in the lady’s East Courtyard, nor does he engage in any misconduct."
"This servant will continue to keep watch. Should anything amiss occur, I will report it immediately."