Chapter 47.4

Translated by Aviana

The next day, Lin Qingwan was planning to go to the town. It just so happened that Yang Tiezhu also needed to visit the medical center in the town to get his bandages changed. Thus, Yang Tiegen brought them an ox cart and escorted them to the town.

The ox cart that they had at home was usually used to transport the grains from the fields. As such, the cart behind was quite simple and crude and wasn’t convenient to sit. Moreover, it was somewhat cold outside. Considering these, Lin Qingwan took out worn-out bed sheets that Yang Tiezhu used before marriage and spread them on the cart, on which she spread two bed quilts. And brought another bed quilt for Yang Tiezhu to wrap around himself. This way, it would be soft and comfy to sit upon and also help him ward against the cold wind.

With Yang Tiezhu’s wound healing up to a certain extent, he could sit for a short while without difficulties. But it takes quite a bit of time to reach the town, and the ride would also be full of jolts. Thus, Lin Qingwan hoped that she could make the ride comfortable for him, even if it were only the slightest bit.

The three people got into the cart. Under Lin Qingwan’s watch, Yang Tiezhu sat in the cart; with thick two quits below and another one wrapped around and him, Yang Tiezhu felt comfortable and warm.

After everyone got settled, Yang Tiegen drove the cart.

Leaving the outskirts of Luoxia Village, the cart strode to Luoyun Town, unimpeded. Lin Qingwan found the day to be awfully chilly. Lin Qingwan felt that it was very cold now, especially when sitting in the bullock cart, she could feel the chill wind hit on her face as the cart speedily swished by.

Reaching the town, they stopped at the medical center. The two of them, after getting off, helped Yang Tiezhu down and into the medical center.

Inside, after helping Yang Tiezhu settle down to have his bandages changed, Yang Tiegen returned to look after the cart and quilts in it. While Lin Qingwan, taking advantage of this free time, went to Jinxiufang.

In the shop, when Shopkeeper Su saw Lin Qingwan coming with a big wrapped item in her hand, she guessed it might be some embroidery article.

But after all, as it was only her guess, she waited till Lin QIngwan unwrapped it and put it in front of her. Shopkeeper Su was left speechless.

She held the small kang screen in her hands and scrutinized the left and right of it, then top and bottom, before turning it around, unable to put it down.

The small kang screen was not big, only a chi broad. Its frame was light yellow colored with its edges carved with auspicious patterns. But that wasn’t what caught Shopkeeper Su’s eye. Rather, it was the embroidered design on the screen that caught her attention.

尺 (chǐ): a Chinese foot / one-third of a meter

The background of the embroidery was a very pale blue color, so much that it almost appeared to be white with a tint of blue in it. At the front was a big embroidery of a lotus, while on the back there was an embroidery of a koi playing in a lotus—the designs at the front and the back were completely different.

The superior skills of the embroiderer were clear as the day. Whether it was the koi or the lotus flower, they were vivid and lively, as if they were truly alive.

Usually, very few people choose to embroider such big lotus flowers, dreading that it might appear monotonous if the entire area was covered with lotus. However, contrarily, this embroidery was something else – it’s a realistic and graphical portrayal of the petals using different sizes and shapes, a few lotus heads showing out here and there, tiny specks on lotus leaves…. there were even a few fishtails of koi showing out at some places, making it all the more picturesque……

While on the other side, the entire body of koi fishes was revealed as they frolicked between the lotus flowers…

Shopkeeper Su to a deep breath in to stabilize her mind.

“Younger Sister Qingwan, if this older sister hadn’t misjudged, this is…this is double…this is double-sided embroidery, right?” asked Shopkeeper Su with a trembling voice.

Lin Qingwan calmly nodded.

Shopkeeper Su getting this excited wasn’t any surprise. Because Luoyun town was situated in the remote areas of the north. Whereas ‘double-sided embroidery’ originated in the south. Only very few Su embroidery masters can do this kind of embroidery. Thus, every time a “double-sided embroidery” came out, it was swiftly bought by the various prestigious and aristocratic families, and very seldomly would they reach till the north.

Shopkeeper Su has been running the embroidery workshop for several years, yet she was only able to see a double-sided embroidery only once in a large embroidery workshop, to which she supplies goods in Yangcheng.

It was a double-sided embroidered decorative fan, a sole treasure of that embroidery workshop. On the front was an embroidery design of a butterfly playing in flowers, and on the back was a design of magpies scaling high branches. It was a very small piece of embroidery; however, the artistry was amazing, leaving people with gasps in admiration. It was simply unimaginable how an embroiderer could embroider front and back simultaneously.

Even after observing for half a day, Shopkeeper Su was unable to make heads and tails of the principle behind the craft.

Of course, double-sided embroidery wasn’t as rare as Shopkeeper made it out to be. The only reason it was so mysterious was that they are very few double-sided embroidered products. And every time came into the market, prestigious families would soon buy it.

When Lin Qingwan saw Shopkeeper Su’s expressions, she knew that the business would go well.

However, she also didn’t have high expectations of her product. After all, the value of the embroidered products wouldn’t be too high. But because this was extremely rare double-sided embroidery, its value won’t be quite ow either.

Those people from rich households who buy double-sided embroidery are not fools. No one would spend an astronomical amount to buy mere embroidered decorative articles. After all, the value of these products was displayed there, and they weren’t extremely unique either. Of course, if anytime there is an extremely rare product in double-sided embroidery, there might be some people who might be willing to spend their silver.

But those kinds of embroidery products are simply rare. Ingenuity, exquisite designs, exceptional skills, good embroidery – not a single one is dispensable.

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