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Xiuxiu's voice wasn't loud, but it vividly brought the ugly and hypocritical face of the old man from the Liu family to Tao'er.

Tao'er leaned back in her chair, tapping the armrest with her fingers, and then laughed at the end.

It's really funny.

The old man went to such lengths, sending his two granddaughters as intermediaries, simply because he was certain that she was young and timid, and that she would be willing to ask for money out of some clan affection.

But Liu Tianbao's vampire uncle is no good either.

I've taken the exam for so many years but haven't passed.

If he treats the eldest son's family well and is a talented scholar, she wouldn't be stingy with the money.

But her fourth uncle and his wife weren't good to the eldest branch of the family, and they were the most selfish people in the Liu family, so there was no way she would lend them money!

Tao'er's gaze slid from Xiuxiu's face to Shiliu's. The two cousins ​​were sitting side by side. Xiuxiu's fingers were twisting the hem of her clothes, while Shiliu had her head down, revealing a small red mark on the back of her neck from a mosquito bite.

She asked, "Xiuxiu, did you sisters come here to persuade me to lend money to Fourth Uncle?"

His tone was as flat as a bowl of cooled water.

Xiuxiu suddenly looked up, and Shiliu was so startled that her shoulders trembled. The two of them waved their hands almost at the same time.

Xiuxiu said hurriedly, "Sister, we were forced to come by Grandpa."

If I don't come, I'll get scolded when I get back.

Shi Liu nodded vigorously beside her, her lips pursed until they turned white, and added, "Grandpa said we should talk to you properly, and that even though we've separated the family, we're still one family. He told you to come back for dinner when you have time."

"I asked you to help my fourth uncle; he's in dire need of money right now."

Tao'er listened and stopped tapping.

She knew Xiuxiu wasn't lying. Old Master Liu was known for his stubborn and domineering temper, and none of his grandchildren were afraid of him.

Xiuxiu leaned forward again and lowered her voice, "Sister, you must not lend the money to Fourth Uncle. He is not a good person."

They used to bully my uncle and aunt a lot.

Shiliu whispered, "Fourth Uncle makes it sound nice to borrow money, but he'll never pay you back."

Cousin Tao'er, don't believe him.

The sisters' words pleased Tao'er.

She looked at her two cousins; these two girls weren't completely stupid.

If they blindly follow the old man's advice, she will no longer concern herself with their affairs.

The worst thing in life is not being able to distinguish between good and bad.

Fortunately, they are clear-headed and know who is good and who is bad.

Tao'er picked up her teacup, took a sip, and slowly put it down. She told them, "Xiuxiu, Shiliu, when you go back later, tell Grandpa that I won't lend Fourth Uncle a single penny. Let him give up on that idea."

I don't owe the Liu family anything.

Xiuxiu and Shiliu exchanged a glance and both breathed a sigh of relief, their shoulders and backs visibly slumping.

Fortunately, my cousin didn't agree to lend me the money.

Xiuxiu touched the end of her braid and suddenly remembered something. She said, "Cousin, there's something else. My aunt is getting married. Fourth Aunt is the matchmaker. She's talking about the second wife of the man who owns the silk shop. He's more than ten years older than my aunt."

"At such an old age, would your grandparents agree?"

Wasn't Liu Jiaojiao the most precious person to the Wang family?

Tao'er was curious.

"I heard the bride price was high, thirty taels of silver!"

There was also a pair of silver bracelets, a pair of lilac silver earrings, and a red gold hairpin.

Moreover, she would have maids and servants to serve her after she married into the family, so her sister-in-law agreed.

The younger sister agreed, so the older sister agreed.

"There are also several bolts of silk, and the wedding dress is quite beautiful."

Pomegranate added.

"Cousin, Grandpa asked Uncle and Aunt to go and do the bedding, as well as you three siblings."

Upon hearing this, Tao'er slightly curled her lips.

Liu Jiaojiao is her aunt, and the two don't get along.

He never gave his niece a kind look.

They want her to go and add to the dowry? They just want her to deliver the money. No way!

She casually replied, "My parents will take care of the dowry; I don't need to worry about it."

As a niece, it's hardly my place to do the dowry for my elders!

My two older brothers don't know how to add extra layers of clothing; it's against the rules.

Xiuxiu wanted to say something more, but her lips moved and she swallowed it back.

If my cousin Tao'er doesn't want to go, then so be it. Anyway, we don't live together anymore, so there's no use in Grandpa and the others getting angry.

Xiuxiu hesitated for a while, then mustered her courage and asked in a slightly lower voice, "Sister, what you said last time... about teaching us how to earn money to pay off our debts, does that still count?"

After she finished speaking, her face turned red, and Shiliu also lowered her head, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her dress.

My family still owes my cousin's family sixteen taels of silver!

I need to earn money quickly to pay it back.

The two girls lived in constant fear at the Liu family's house, doing embroidery and other work to supplement the family income. However, the wages at the embroidery shop were very low; they would only earn a dozen or so coins for embroidering a handkerchief for three days.

"I remember that!"

"Wait a moment, I'll go inside and get something."

Tao'er stood up, turned around and went into the inner room. When she came out, she was carrying a small rattan box.

She placed the box on the table and opened it, revealing small cloth frames, some rectangular and some square.

They are all small in size, and there are many small squares drawn on them.

Next to it were many small bundles of colored thread and several neatly folded sheets of paper.

She first took out a drawing and unfolded it. It showed a branch of orchids, with each leaf marked by a fine grid and small symbols filling the grid.

Tao'er turned the pattern over; the back had instructions on the stitches. She pointed to the symbols with her fingertips and told Xiuxiu and Shiliu that the stitches for cross-stitch were different from the flat stitches and seed stitches in the embroidery shop.

You see, this symbol is a half stitch, this is a full stitch, and this is a quarter stitch.

The thread should be split into thinner pieces, but you don't need to be as particular about the front and back as you would in an embroidery shop. As long as the grid is aligned and the stitches are neat, that's fine.

As she spoke, she picked up a needle, threaded a purplish-red thread through it, and then took a palm-sized piece of cloth frame on which the outline of a small wild chrysanthemum had already been drawn.

Tao'er started her needlework from the very center, the needle tip slanting through the warp and weft of the fabric. When she pulled it out, the thread was right on one square. Then she slanted it down from the opposite side, and a cross was formed.

She moved slowly, breaking down each step clearly. She made four or five crosses before handing the fabric frame to Xiuxiu.

"Did you see that clearly just now?"

Tao asked.

The two sisters nodded. "We saw it clearly!"

"Xiuxiu, you try first. Don't rush. Just follow the grid and stitch."

If you don't understand something, feel free to ask me. It's not shameful or embarrassing!

When Xiuxiu took the cot, her fingers trembled slightly. Holding the needle, she found a square to sew under Tao'er's guidance. The first stitch went astray, and the thread end was sticking out of the square. She panicked and tried to undo it.

Tao'er held her hand and gently pointed to a certain spot. "Don't panic, just pull the thread back and start over. The advantage of cross-stitch is that it's forgiving of mistakes, unlike flat stitch where you have to unravel a large section if you make a mistake."

Xiuxiu calmed herself down, and the second stitch went more smoothly. After three or four stitches, although the stitches were a little crooked, the cross shape was already visible.

Shiliu, who was watching from the side, was also eager to try it out. She came over and took a bandage to try it out. Her hand was steadyer than her sister's. After trying two needles, she got the hang of it. When she looked up, her eyes were bright. "Sister, this is really not difficult."

It's much simpler than the embroidery we used to do!