The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 672 Friendships Smell Better Than Money

"Miss Su has arrived."

Li's second aunt and eldest aunt warmly invited Su Qing to sit down.

"Mingxiu, please sit down too."

The two of them were not as enthusiastic towards Li Mingxiu.

"I accompanied Mingxiu to visit her grandmother, and I also stopped by to sit for a while."

Su Qing plopped down and then kept looking at her second aunt's clothes.

The second aunt felt uneasy under Su Qing's gaze and couldn't bring herself to ask what Su Qing's purpose was in coming to their house.

At this moment, she was afraid that Tong Huaqiong would really anger them and that Su Qing would have to stand up for Li Mingxiu.

"Miss Su, is there something wrong with my clothes?" Second Aunt asked timidly.

Su Qing waved her hand and said with a smile, "No problem. The embroidery on your dress is superb; I was captivated. May I ask who embroidered this dress for you, Aunt? I've been helping the weaving workshop recruit embroiderers these days, and I wanted to ask you about it."

Aunt Li was flattered by Su Qing's words.

She sewed the clothes herself.

It's amazing that he caught Su Qing's eye.

Aunt Li said excitedly, "I sewed this dress myself."

Su Qing smiled and didn't reply.

Actually, the embroidery looked ordinary, but Su Qing said that on purpose to lure her second aunt into a trap.

Aunt Li tried her best to steer the conversation toward her embroidery skills, but Su Qing just kept drinking her tea and didn't say anything more.

Li's second aunt winked at Li Mingxiu.

This time, Li Mingxiu, unusually, understood her expression and said, "Su Qing, isn't our embroidery workshop short of embroiderers? What do you think of my second aunt? Didn't you just say that my second aunt embroiders clothes well? Since we're short of embroiderers, why don't we hire my second aunt?"

Aunt Li was deeply moved.

That brat, she's starting to speak up for her now.

She thought to herself that if she could get into the embroidery workshop, her son would probably have girls willing to marry him even without spending fifty taels of silver.

Everyone knows that a female worker in an embroidery workshop can support her family on her monthly salary.

However, the embroidery workshop had strict entry and exit rules, and she was rejected three times despite applying.

That brat Mingxiu doesn't even know how to say a good word for her.

I never expected to run into Su Qing today.

Su Qing was a favorite of Tong Huaqiong, and every female worker who entered the embroidery workshop had to be tested by Su Qing.

Su Qing smiled faintly and said, "I visited many villages during the first month of the lunar year to recruit embroidery workers for our embroidery workshop, but as you know, the number of positions is limited. If we recruit Second Aunt, what will happen to the families I promised to settle down with?"

Mingxiu pouted and said, "It doesn't count if no notice is posted."

Su Qing sighed, hesitated, and finally said, "Let's wait until next year when we recruit embroiderers again, then my second aunt can apply."

Aunt Li looked disappointed. Aunt Li, on the other hand, smiled. They were all sisters-in-law, and she couldn't even hold a needle. She didn't want her sisters-in-law to work in the embroidery shop to earn a monthly salary.

She'll feel bad when the second wife's family lives a good life.

Li Mingxiu and Su Qing sat for a while longer before getting up and leaving.

Just before leaving, Su Qing had to go to the outhouse because she needed to use the restroom.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li's second aunt secretly pulled Li Mingxiu into the kitchen under the pretext of boiling eggs for her, and asked Li Mingxiu to put in a good word for her with Su Qing.

Her son is now engaged, and the other party wants fifty taels of silver.

She really didn't want to give it.

If I were to enter Tong Huaqiong's weaving workshop, there would naturally be girls who would offer themselves to me without asking for a dowry.

Li Mingxiu sighed and said, "Second Aunt, it's not that I don't want to speak up for you, but this is a difficult matter. I also want you to work in the embroidery shop to earn money. You always tried to hold onto my marriage, just to get my dowry. The other women who work with me say it's not your fault, it's all because you're poor. They say if you had money, you wouldn't care about my meager earnings. So I think if you work in the embroidery shop and earn money, you won't keep thinking about marrying me off to a rich old widower."

Li Mingxiu bluntly revealed Li's second aunt's scheme, which made Li's second aunt's face turn very ugly.

Unaware of the situation, Li Mingxiu lowered her voice and whispered in her second aunt's ear, "Second Aunt, do you know why Su Qing thinks your embroidery skills are good but doesn't want you? Let me tell you the truth. Su Qing is now second only to Tao Hua in the weaving workshop. She manages recruitment, and who gets in and who doesn't is all up to her. I've seen people giving her money. I heard that anyone who wants to get in has to bribe Su Qing, and each person needs at least twenty taels of silver. There are many applicants for the embroidery job you want, so the competition is fierce. It's said that it costs eighty taels of silver to get in."

Aunt Li gasped.

"That Su Qingxin is really ruthless."

Eighty taels of silver—even if we lost everything we owned, it wouldn't be enough.

She only has fifty taels of silver left, which is for her son's wedding.

Li Mingxiu continued, "Second Aunt, think about it, if you were in Su Qing's position, would you have done the same?"

Aunt Li wanted to say, "Of course, I'm afraid she'll be even more ruthless than Su Qing in getting what she wants."

Li Mingxiu said, "Even if it's just to stop Uncle and Aunt from coveting my money, I'd like Aunt to work with me at the embroidery shop. I do want to help Aunt, but as you saw, she's ignoring me. Su Qing and I are friends, but what good is money compared to friendship? Aunt, don't you think that makes sense?"

"Even if Su Qing gives me face, it will still cost fifty taels of silver. Last time, one of our embroidery workshop's female workers got her aunt to work as a cotton fluffer, and she only got thirty taels. Not to mention that being an embroiderer is such a sought-after job; so many people are scrambling to get in. Why would someone spend money to get in? They're not stupid. They can earn back the money they spend when they get in. As long as you're willing to work hard in the embroidery workshop, you can earn at least fifteen taels a year. That doesn't even include the gifts and clothes for the four festivals. Everyone knows our boss is generous."

"No matter how good the weaving workshop is, Second Aunt, you shouldn't even think about it. Anyway, you don't have that much money."

Aunt Li pulled Li Mingxiu aside and said, "Do you really think fifty taels can buy a job as an embroiderer?"

Li Mingxiu said, "That's not necessarily true. Some people are offering eighty. Anyway, the amount of money has nothing to do with Second Aunt. By the way, Second Aunt, I heard from Grandma that Second Brother is getting engaged. Which family is it?"

Aunt Li wanted to curse whenever she mentioned this. She asked the family for fifty taels of betrothal money, saying, "Why don't you just rob us?"

“She’s a girl from my aunt’s side in Pingyang County,” Aunt Li said with dissatisfaction. “Girls are all about looks. Your second brother is at a disadvantage because of his face. If he looked like your young master Gu Dashu, he wouldn’t have to spend a single penny; the girl would have to pay him.”

A girl from Pingyang County?

The owner mentioned that Manager He's ancestral home was also Pingyang County. Could it be that Manager He's family and his second aunt were in cahoots?
Otherwise, why would he have thought of giving her to Manager He as a concubine?

Li Mingxiu wanted to spit, but suppressed her disgust and said, "To be honest, saying it's all about looks is just an excuse. It's all because of poverty. Look at those rich young men, even if they look like a mountain demon or have incomplete legs, they still have suitors. If Second Aunt worked in our weaving workshop and had a fixed monthly salary, the threshold for arranging marriages for Second Brother would be worn down by the crowds."

Aunt Li couldn't help but nod.

That's true. Putting everything else aside, people used to say that this girl, Xiu, was unlucky and would bring bad luck to her husbands, so no one came to propose marriage to her. But ever since she started working as a cotton carder at the weaving workshop and was able to earn money, people have been coming to propose marriage to her from time to time.

But this girl is too proud and doesn't think much of any of them.