Full House Spring

Chapter 10 A trivial trick
Xia Li's breathing stagnated, and the feeling of powerlessness surged into his heart again.

She wanted to tell Qiao He that it was wrong to think this way, but the original sin that caused their situation was the evil feudal system, which was not something they could easily resist or overthrow.

Xia Li lowered his eyes and said in a faint voice: "If you think like this, you will suffer endless grievances. Even when you grow up, you will still be bullied. Madam Lu is not the first, and she will not be the last."

Qiao He's fingers trembled slightly. She suppressed the sadness in her heart and said seriously:

"It's not as serious as you say. Madam Lu has a bad temper, and she assigned me a lot of work, but she must be good at being the chef of this small kitchen. I can always learn a few tricks from her, and in the future... it will be useful."

Qiaohe used to be simple and honest, but that didn't mean she was stupid. Every failure makes one wiser, and environment makes talents. Now she also knows how to make long-term plans for herself.

There was something different in Xia Li's eyes when he looked at her. Qiao He held back her tears. She kneaded the dough while narrating in a calm tone.

"I am grateful to you from the bottom of my heart. When you asked Madam Xie for help, it touched me deeply. It turns out that opportunities can be fought for by yourself. I am not afraid of you laughing at me. I just want to learn from Madam Lu. I am young, and I can only rely on it if I learn a skill that I can show off. So I just regard the beatings and scoldings as a gift, and I don't lose anything!"

Xia Li was a little dazed, she didn't know Qiao He was so insightful, she raised a faint smile at the corner of her lips and reminded seriously:
"Then you have to be smart. It's not easy to steal a master's skills. You have to work harder on your studies. If you have a chance, you can go to the market and have a look at the taverns. Food is the first necessity of the people. You can never go wrong if you learn from the common people."

Qiao He's eyes were full of yearning. She smiled and said, "Reading and learning to read are still useful. Look how reasonable you are. I never thought of that."

Xia Li shook her head slightly, but she didn't feel complacent. She didn't think she was that great.

The noodles were cooked while they were talking. Each person was given a large bowl. Sitting on a stone bench in the moonlight, the three of them gobbled it all up.

It was late at night, and the three of them helped Qiao He with the work. Before leaving, Xia Li did not forget to ask Qiao He for a few cow leg bones with the meat kicked off, and a lot of pig bristles.

Mai Dong covered his mouth and nose and said disdainfully: "What do you want these pickled things for? They are not edible or drinkable, and they won't taste good even if you use them to make soup."

Xia Li shook his head and laughed, "This is not for eating. You will know when I make it."

Mai Dong couldn't figure out what she could make, but she was looking forward to the finished product. She said cheerfully, "That's great. Let me learn something from her."

In Maidong's eyes, Xia Li is a strong man who can do everything.

Xia Li smiled without saying anything. On the way back, she looked up at the full moon in the sky, and her mood suddenly became much more open-minded. The moon has its phases, and people are subject to misfortunes and blessings at any time. The most important thing is to live in the present moment seriously.

The servants in the courtyard all knew that they were busy until late at night before going to bed. The old woman who assigned them work the next morning, perhaps out of sympathy or something, did not assign them too much work. They just had to sweep the courtyard and let them rest.

Xia Li was overjoyed and did not delve into the reason. After breakfast, she started to busy herself with the beef leg bones she brought back last night. The temperature has been rising in the past few days, and these things will become smelly if left for too long. It would be a pity if they could not be used.

Ophiopogon japonicus and Elsholtzia ciliata accompanied her, wanting to see how she did it. Xia Li first rummaged through the empty utility room and found an old clay pot, which she cleaned and used as a pot. She then cut the cow leg bone she brought back into the shape of a toothbrush.

At first, she was not very good at using the knife and even broke her leg bones. Xia Li stopped and thought for a while. She changed the angle and tried again, and then she slowly found the right feeling.

Maidong took the long strips that Xiali had cut, handed them to Elsholtzia, and asked, "Can you tell what this is? It looks a bit weird."

Xiangru pondered it for a while, then shook his head and said, "I can't tell either. Just go ask Xia Li."

Xia Li took the time to turn around and said, "Don't worry, I'll explain it to you after I finish it. It's hard to explain it clearly now with a half-finished product in hand."

Maidong had nothing to do anyway, so she went back to the house and got out a bag of candied fruit. She sat in the shade with Cymbopogon and watched Xiali busy herself.

Xia Li planned to make a few more toothbrushes and give them to her good sisters, as well as Grandma Xie and Manager Chai. It was better to be more friendly with them on weekdays than to go to them only when there was something to ask for.

She used a small wooden awl to drill holes in the toothbrushes that had been cut into shape. Seeing that she was struggling, Xiangru walked over and said, "Tell me how to do it. How long will it take you to drill so many toothbrushes by yourself? I can help you, so it will be faster."

Xia Li smiled and nodded in agreement, and reminded her to drill the hole neatly and smoothly. The leg bone had already been thinned, so drilling the hole was not particularly difficult. The two of them had finished drilling in a short while.

Xia Li then put the prepared ox leg bones and pig bristles into wood ash water, boiled them to defatted them, then tied a rope around the middle of the defatted pig bristles, passed it through the small holes on the toothbrush to fill the holes, and then trimmed them neatly with scissors.

Xia Li was holding the finished toothbrush, feeling very happy that he no longer had to use willow twigs to clean his teeth. Mai Dong came over and asked curiously:

"This thing looks quite exquisite. What is it used for?"

Xia Li said with great enthusiasm: "This thing is called a toothbrush, it is used to clean teeth. Dip the brush head in plant ash or fine salt tooth powder, it is clean and hassle-free to clean teeth."

Mai Dong frowned and said, "Can you put this pig bristle in your mouth? Don't you feel disgusted?"

Xia Li put the toothbrush directly under her nose and said, "Smell it and see if there is any strange smell."

Mai Dong sniffed it doubtfully and said in surprise, "There's really no odor. How did you do it?"

Xia Li smiled and said, "I used wood ash water just now to boil away the dirt on the pig bristles. You can use it without any worries. It's a pity that I'm short of money now, otherwise I could make a toothpaste that can make your breath fresh and your teeth white."

Mai Dong sighed, "I don't know what's wrong with your brain. You are so smart, why can't I be as smart as you?"

Xiangru teased, "If you focus less on eating, you might be able to accomplish something."

Maidong rolled his eyes at her and refused to tell her to stop thinking about food. Xiali handed two trimmed toothbrushes to them.

"You two take these two and use them first. Don't put these small things randomly, or you may lose them easily."

Holding the Ophiopogon japonicus in her hand like a treasure, she said with a smile, "Don't worry, I will keep it well and will never let you down."

Elsholtzia also liked it very much. What girl doesn't like cleanliness? This toothbrush really touched her heart. Xia Li was very happy to see that they liked it. She trimmed all the toothbrushes neatly and was busy for most of the day before finally finishing.

Although it takes effort to do handicrafts, Xia Li is happy, especially when she sees the finished product, she feels a sense of accomplishment, which is different from doing rough work. She knows very well that these are just trifles after all, and it is fine to do them occasionally to support herself. If she wants to win the respect of the old lady, she must rely on more exquisite works. She has outstanding embroidery skills and can make various handmade accessories. She has no worries about having no way out. She is still young and has plenty of patience.

In the afternoon, Xiali went to water the flowers and plants under the scorching sun. After dinner, she went to the sewing room with Xiangru.

Unless there are special circumstances, the embroiderers will not stop embroidering after dark. At this moment, there are only Madam Chen and a few cleaning maids in the embroidery room. When the two men went in, they were cleaning up the useless embroidery threads and scraps of cloth.

Xia Li saw that the embroidery thread was about five or six inches long. It would be a pity to throw it away. She couldn't help but said, "Mrs. Chen, it would be a pity to throw away this embroidery thread. Can you give it to me?"

Her voice was so abrupt that both Madam Chen and the maid looked up at the same time. Madam Chen said unhappily, "Which courtyard are you from? What do you want in my sewing room?"

Madam Chen raised her eyebrows and looked at her with disdain. Xiangru quickly stepped forward and said, "Madam Chen, please don't be upset. We are maids from Leshou Hall. We came here just to buy some needlework from you. I heard from the sisters in the courtyard that you take care of the maids the most. You know that it is not easy for us to go out, so you did this kind thing. That's why we came here."

Upon hearing this, Madam Chen's expression softened. She raised her chin and said, "I do have needlework and fabrics for sale, but they are not cheap. Are you sure you want to buy them?"

Xia Li said in a gentle voice, "I want to buy it. Can you let me pick out the embroidery thread first?"

How could Madam Chen not make some money when it was delivered to her door? She frowned and said, "You just asked for this broken thread, but it's useless. Why did you ask for it?"

Xia Li pretended to be shy and said, "I like to think about some small things every day. I think the color of this embroidery thread is beautiful. I want to keep it for making things in the future. I wonder if Miss Chen can give it to me?"

Mrs. Chen was sure that the embroidery thread on the ground could not be used to embroider a finished product. She waved her hand generously and said, "Since you like it, take it. It will save the cleaning girl some trouble."

Xia Li was very happy and couldn't help but say a few words of thanks. Madam Chen had a complete range of embroidery threads. Like Manager Chai, she did unique business and the prices were indeed a bit too high.

Xia Li couldn't afford expensive embroidery threads, so she only picked some in common colors, which cost her five hundred coins. Xiangru wanted to persuade her to buy less, but she had to do embroidery work, and these were essential materials, so she couldn't save on them at all.

It wasn't too bad that she could take away so many broken threads. After paying the money, Madam Chen had to give them a few warnings and told them not to talk nonsense outside.

The two of them nodded in agreement. They were just the lowest-ranking maids in the mansion and would not meddle in other people's business unless it was absolutely necessary.

Coming out of the sewing room, it was pitch black outside, and the sound of insects rang in her ears. Xiangru asked curiously, "What are you going to do with these broken threads? I don't believe your excuse just now."

Xia Li didn't want to hide it, she told the truth: "I want to keep it to make a velvet flower headdress. It doesn't matter if the thread breaks. I can always use it after sorting it out. It's better to save as much as possible."

Alocasia looked puzzled, "I know this silk flower, but what does velvet flower look like?"

Xia Li smiled faintly and said, "I've also seen it in a book. It takes some research before I can make it. I'll show it to you when I make it."

Xiangru smiled and nodded. She said with emotion: "No wonder you have so many clever ideas. It turns out that you read a lot of books and it's better to be literate."

Xia Li said casually, "It's not that easy. When I have time in the future, I will teach you and Maidong how to read. You don't need to be very knowledgeable, just be able to understand simple letters."

Xiangru was excited when he heard this: "Are you really willing to teach us to read? There is no room for regrets on this matter."

Xia Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "It's such a simple thing. Why should I regret it? I've only been in school for a few years, so I can't recognize all the words. I can only do my best."

Xiangru's blood boiled, and she said honestly: "We are not taking the imperial examination. It is a great fortune to be able to recognize a few words. Why should we care about so many things?"

That's true. There are many illiterate maids and servants in this mansion. Anyone who can read a few words will have more face in front of the master.

After the two of them returned to the house, Xia Li carefully put away the needle and thread. There were people coming and going in the house, and it was not safe to leave any valuables there. Xia Li only dared to keep the little money on his body.

She heard that the first and second rank maids in the courtyard had their own rooms. Perhaps because there were few maids in Leshou Hall, she had to work hard to get a promotion even if it was just to get a better place to live.

Xia Li was not lying when she said she wanted to make a headband for Grandma Xie. Every time she saw Grandma Xie, she felt as if she was seeing her grandmother. This was her only comfort in this strange world. No matter how Grandma thought of her, it would not stop her from fulfilling her filial piety.

Xia Li worked day and night for several days and finally embroidered a headband with floral patterns and a set of snow-blue undergarments. She wanted to send the cow bone toothbrush and these things to Grandma Xie.

Xia Li had a good memory. After she had been to Grandma Xie's room, she remembered the location. Unfortunately, when she went there, Grandma Xie was serving the old lady.

A third-rank maid like her could not enter the main room, so she had to wait outside. She didn't know how long she waited before Madam Xie finally arrived.

When Xia Li saw her figure, she immediately perked up. She didn't dare to make a loud noise, but quickly quickened her pace and walked up to her, smiling happily, "Grandma, I'm here to see you."

Aunt Xie was originally in a bad mood, but when she saw Xia Li's little face, she couldn't calm down for some reason. She said coldly: "Why do you come to me instead of doing your job properly?"

Xia Li said shamelessly, "Of course I came to give Grandma a thank you gift. I am so lucky because of your kindness. I don't have anything valuable, so I made a headband myself to honor you."

Aunt Xie was always unkind, but she couldn't say anything harsh when she met Xia Li's eyes. Seeing a maid sticking her head out to look, Aunt Xie said helplessly, "Come back to my room first."

Xia Li sighed and followed her happily. After the two entered the house, Aunt Xie sat on the bed by herself. Xia Li put the things in her hand on the kang table and introduced with a smile:
"Grandma, this is the floral headband I made for you. This is the snow-blue undershirt. The size is not very accurate, and I don't know if it will fit you. If it doesn't fit, I can make some adjustments for you. This is a cow bone toothbrush. You can dip it in fine salt or tooth powder to clean your teeth."

Nanny Xie picked up the headband expressionlessly, a hint of amazement flashed in her eyes. Although the floral pattern was small, it was extremely delicate, and looked lifelike and very vivid.

She asked in disbelief: "Did you embroider this yourself?"

Xia Li nodded slightly and said calmly:

"My roommates all saw me embroidering. I've been doing a lot of rough work lately, so my hands are a little rusty. I don't dare to embroider large patterns for fear of wasting the fabric."

(End of this chapter)