Chapter 116 You Haven't Even Made Me Socks
It meant she would be entitled to payments of thirty-three dollars whether she made it or not, which was tempting enough to get Su Jiuyue to give it a try.
"Well, I'll try. But how can you get it when it's done?" she asked.
"Just drop it at Cui's in Well Alley and tell them it's for Miss Cui."
"Okay, I see."
Su Jiuyue took the pattern and got some floss for it before going home with Liu Cuihua.
Tian Xuiniang was the first to oppose the idea of Su Jiuyue doing the embroidery at home.
"What? So all the chores will be left to me? Why do I bother to take care of the home and her children to enable her to earn money without my share? It's so unfair!"
Liu Cuihua was sick of the way Tian Xuiniang kicked up a fuss without sparing any thought for the whole family's benefits. After all, the possible payments of three hundred and thirty dollars meant a great deal to them.
Su Jiuyue was going to propose splitting the money with Tian Xiuniang if she got the payment which didn't mean that much to her now.
But Liu Cuihua preempted her, saying, "Well, will it be an acceptable solution if I pay you two dollars to do the chores?"
Ten didn't mean a good pay. Tian Xiuniang would even get a daily wage of six dollars if she worked in town.
But no one would get paid to do the chores and she was no exception.
Over the past years, the purse strings had been held by Liu Cuihua and Tian Xiuniang only saved a little by doing some embroidery.
So Tian Xiuniang was beamed with pleasure upon hearing that she would get paid only two dollars. After all, it was a good beginning.
"Mom, are you serious?" she asked.
Liu Cuihua sat on the chair behind grains she carried back home. "Of course. It's a promise witnessed by all the family."
"Alright. Then I'll take care of the garden from tomorrow on."
Tian Xiuniang was in a good mood at the thought of such an easy job with payments. Besides, she even intended to get an additional income by doing some embroidery during working hours.
Chen Zhaodi was jealous of it, but she couldn't do anything and had to settle for making clothes of some soft cloth from Su Jiuyue for children.
Since Su Jiuyue had been out of practice in embroidery for a long time, she cut a piece of cloth to keep her hand in by starting with a small one.
Wu Xiyuan knew she was busy, so he just sat beside her and watched it without making any trouble.
She had nimble fingers for the embroidery and the patterns of begonia which seemed like a magpie on the reverse side was done in no time.
Such a wonderful job won a clap from Wu Xiyuan who acted like a naÏve and surprised child.
"What a great job! You've got two different patterns on both sides!"
Su Jiuyue checked it and found it not good enough in places. Then she undid it to make it better.
Wu Xianyuan who bent over the table suddenly complained pitifully, "Jiuyue, you're so good at needlework, but why haven't you even made me something like socks?"
Su Jiuyue paused and realized she had never made Wu Xiyuan anything
Thinking of this, she was guiltier about it.
The next day, Liu Cuihua came to see how the embroidery went, only to see Su Jiuyue embroidering a belt for men.
Such an intimate thing was obviously for Wu Xiyuan.
Liu Cuihua gave a knowing smile with her eyes narrowed. "My son is so lucky to have a wife who's done great needlework."
Su Jiuyue thought it was a complaint about the overdue clothes since she had got Liu Cuihua's size. She was somewhat embarrassed. "Mom, your new clothes will be ready in a few days."
Aware that Su Jiuyue mistook her intentions, Liu Cuihua immediately waved her hands. "There's no hurry for that. The priority is Miss Cui's order."
It took Su Jiuyue only one day to finish the belt with auspicious clouds embroidered on it.
Wu Xiyuan knew it was for him and couldn't wait to take off his trousers to put the belt on as soon as it was done.
Su Jiuyue was startled by his movements. Although the two of them shared a bed, they were only married nominally without any intimate contact.
She couldn't help but regret having made him a belt instead of something else like socks.
She found his old belt was worn out yesterday and that was why she made such a choice.
But what Wu Xiyuan wanted was only to put on the new belt from Su Jiuyue.
Now he bounced up and down excitedly on the bed only in underwear and a belt, saying, "Jiuyue, look! Do I look good in it?"
Su Jiuyue watched it worriedly lest the bed would be broken and hurriedly coaxed him, "Stop it, or we'll have no bed for the night once it's broken."
"You haven't answered my question."
"Well, you can't look better."
"Exactly. The belt is good too."
Then he jumped down from the bed, put on his shoes, and was about to run outside. "I'll show it to mom."
Su Jiuyue stopped him in time from showing up in such a compromising way in front of the others in the yard.
"No! You can't!"
"Why not?" It was beyond Wu Xiyuan why he couldn't share the joy with others.
"Because it's a secret between the two of us." Su Jiuyue tried to convince him.
"But I want to share it with them." Wu Xiyuan still insisted.
Then Su Jiuyue immediately pretended to pull her face. "If so, I will never make anything for you!"
Hearing that, Wu Xiyuan instantly gave up on it. He climbed into bed and covered himself with the quilt.
"I will never show it to others. I promise!"
Su Jiuyue smiled with relief. "Good boy! I'll make a sachet for you next time and then you can show it to others."
Wu Xiyuan fixed his eyes on her lovingly. "Jiuyue, you're so sweet..."
After pacifying Wu Xiyuan, Su Jiuyue began to work on Miss Cui's order.
According to the lifelike drawing which required exquisite skills, she needed to get the pattern of peony and pomegranate embroidered on both sides.
When Su Jiuyue worked out the rough version, she showed it to Liu Cuihua who gave her some advice on revisions.
The embroidery wasn't over and done with until the deadline was only three days away.
"What great embroidery!" Chen Zhaodi looked with envy at it, but she knew it was too late for her to master such skills which required long practice. What she was able to do was just some needlework that was far from embroidery.
It used to be beyond her why some people's embroideries cost much more than hers until she saw such exquisite embroidery.