The sudden bad news robbed Li Mingwei of her interest in copying books, leaving her disheartened and unable to lift her head from the desk.
Mr. Jin, after finishing his class, returned and saw her lackluster state. He knocked on her head and said, "You're occupying my stove and not copying books properly. Don't be lazy here."
Li Mingwei pouted and pointed to Liu Yizhu beside her, saying, "Let him copy. He's faster at it, and I'm not in the mood."
"What happened? Weren't you fine when you came here?"
Facing Mr. Jin's inquiring gaze, Liu Yizhu shook his head and said, "I just told her that she might not be able to go out for the next month or two, and she reacted like this."
This kind of situation happened every year here, and everyone continued with their normal lives without being affected.
Mr. Jin was also puzzled and said, "Since you arrived in Qingshi Town, you've only gone out once. If you can't go out, then you can't go out."
"You don't understand!"
Li Mingwei was furious. She was not afraid of road closures; what she feared was that by the time she could receive news from outside, it would be too late for her to go back.
"This girl!" Mr. Jin had other classes to attend to, so he couldn't be bothered with her tantrums. He told Liu Yizhu to handle her.
After Mr. Jin left, Liu Yizhu asked Li Mingwei why she went to the county town when her foot wasn't injured.
The news of Wu Dong borrowing money at high interest and hurting someone before being sent to work as a laborer in the far north had long reached Qingshi Town, and Liu Yizhu naturally knew about it.
He had been somewhat suspicious of the matter, and it was only when Mr. Jin mentioned it that he remembered to ask. He was also curious about Li Mingwei's background, as he didn't think she was from the Wang family.
Tang Daren had already found a reason for her, so Li Mingwei naturally couldn't admit that she had gone to the county government office to file a complaint. She didn't blush or skip a beat as she said, "My foot isn't injured, but other parts of me are."
"Other parts?"
Liu Yizhu recalled and looked at the collar of Li Mingwei's clothes.
Li Mingwei cleared her throat, and he immediately averted his gaze. No impropriety, no impropriety.
"What were you two doing?"
Old Lady Wang's voice came with some skepticism. Liu Yizhu stood still and smiled as he replied, "Mother, is there something wrong?"
"Dinner is ready. Come and have your meal." Liu Yizhu nodded, put down his book, and walked towards her. Old Lady Wang asked him again, "What were you just doing?"
"We were discussing some issues from the book."
"With her?" Old Lady Wang didn't believe it. Her son was a scholar, so what could he discuss with a young girl? "Can she even understand? If you want to discuss something, you should do it with Mr. Jin."
"Mother, Miss Mingwei is very knowledgeable."
"Wasn't she just good at writing characters?"
Liu Yizhu helplessly said, "Mother, who practices calligraphy without reading? Surely it's because of reading that she practices calligraphy."
Old Lady Wang thought about it and realized it made sense. However, she still warned her son, "I'm illiterate, so I don't know whether you were really discussing something or just pretending. But I know there is a difference between men and women. You, an unmarried man, and a young girl..."
She paused for a moment. "She's technically not married either. It's still not appropriate for you to be alone in a room. If someone sees it and spreads rumors, it will be very scandalous. You're a scholar, so you mustn't tarnish your reputation."
"Understood, Mother. I will be careful."
They went to have a meal, and Li Mingwei estimated the time and tidied up before returning to the Dong family's house.
The weather in the mountains was changeable. Sometimes in the morning, warm sunlight would still hang in the sky, but in the afternoon, the sky would darken, and snowflakes would start falling. Li Mingwei felt like she was constantly sweeping snow and copying books—snow, books, snow, books, every day.
Today, something was finally different. Early in the morning, Yu, the female embroiderer, sent someone to find her. She received a custom-made spring garment that required Li Mingwei to embroider some patterns on it.
"A spring garment? Is it too early to make a spring garment?"
"In wealthy households, it is customary to have them custom-made in advance."
Yu pulled her towards the back to look at the fabric and introduced her to the real owner of the embroidery shop.
"This is my man, Yu Ping. You haven't met him before. He usually takes care of the store in the county town and only comes back to accompany me during the New Year. He took on this spring garment job."
Yu, the embroiderer, turned to Yu Ping and said, "This is the Mingwei sister I mentioned. The handkerchief and purse that were sent before were all made by her."
Yu Ping nodded and praised, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mingwei sister. Your embroidery skills are excellent, and you have a wide variety of patterns. Many girls in the city like to choose your embroidery. I've attracted quite a bit of business."
Li Mingwei saluted and modestly replied, "Thank you for the kind words, Manager Yu. It's just a few tricks that are not worthy of praise."
"Ah, Mingwei sister is too modest."
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Yu Ping finally mentioned the main matter. He turned around and took out a piece of fine satin and a design sketch for Li Mingwei to see.
"This sketch was given by a certain madam. She probably wants a spring garment like this, but she said she is not knowledgeable in this area, so if you have any better ideas on this side, you can make some changes."
"According to what her servants said, she intends to wear it to attend a rather important banquet, that's why she started preparing so early. If we can make a dress that amazes everyone, there will surely be a reward."
Li Mingwei understood. In the past, when making clothes, she also started one or two months in advance. For a banquet, she would have to inquire about the higher-ranking attendees and avoid choosing styles and colors that might offend them.
But with her status in the capital, she only needed to inquire about the attire of the Empress, Noble Consort, and a few other royal consorts. Other people would naturally avoid her.
Now, let's not talk about whether Yu Ping has any manpower to inquire. They can't even pass on the information freely, so they can only rely on their own creativity. They discussed it and decided to follow the madam's sketch for the most part, but they made some improvements to the edges and corners of the garment while leaving the rest as it is.
Yu, the embroiderer, meant that if the lady really wanted them to make changes, why would she provide such a detailed sketch? If they were to make changes, it would be equivalent to indirectly negating the lady's work.
"Great!"
Li Mingwei raised her thumb, acknowledging that Yu, the embroiderer, understood more about social etiquette and customs.
Yu, the embroiderer, smiled and drew a range for her, saying, "You can add some embellishments, but don't touch these larger sections."
The embroidered part of a high-quality spring garment cannot be completed in just one or two days. So Li Mingwei's daily schedule became going to the Dong family's house, attending school, and going to the embroidery shop. Her daily routine turned into eating, copying books, and embroidering flowers.
Liu Yizhu almost went to the schoolyard to clear the snow every day, and then he would read on the second floor until his mother finished preparing lunch for the children. Only after they finished eating and tidying up would they leave together.
Li Mingwei couldn't stand the way Old Lady Wang looked at Liu Yizhu when she came to call him for lunch. Her guarded eyes seemed as if she coveted her son, as if she wanted to do something to him.
Clearly, she was the girl, so if anyone were to do something, it would be Liu Yizhu benefiting from it, right?
After figuring out their schedule, Li Mingwei took on embroidery tasks for the workshop. She reserved the entire morning for the workshop. Once she estimated that they had left, she would go to copy books and attend classes in the afternoon, so as not to invite suspicion.
