The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl

87. The Embroidery

Translator: Iris Guo

“Much better. I feel warm inside.” A’Chou smiled shyly and wiped her face which was dripping with sweat. It seemed that every pore of hers had opened, and she felt very refreshed and comfortable.

“From now on, make some ginger tea with brown sugar when you get a stomachache during your period, and you’ll surely feel better.” said Mrs. Chen. She paused, and continued seriously: “You have to keep yourself warm, and you should take it seriously, because it will affect your fertility.”

“Ma’am, I’ll remember that.” A’Chou blushed scarlet.

“Okay, I’ll stop talking then.” Mrs. Chen smiled and patted the back of A’Chou’s hand. Then, she showed A’Chou several pieces of embroidery from the sewing kit: “There will be a wedding in our village at the end of this year, and I got you a job from the bride’s rich family. She’s a picky girl and turns up her nose at the local embroidery, but her family are very satisfied with the piece of bamboo leaf that you embroidered. It’s just that they couldn’t totally trust a non-local, so they asked an embroiderer in town to make the wedding dress, and your job is to embroider four pieces of patterns for her underwear. She told me that if she likes your work, she would pay generously, at least one qian of silver ingots.”

“Seriously?” A’Chou was so surprised that she asked joyfully, “Did she say what patterns she prefers?”

“Two Mandarin ducks playing in the water, two birds flying side by side, twin lotus flowers on one stalk, and two fishes swimming under lotus leaves. [1] You know these?” Mrs. Chen worried inevitably since A’Chou was so young, “You need me to find some samples for you?”

[1] Note: Metaphors for a happy couple

“I’m fine! I know them.” A’Chou hastened to shake her head. She had seen everything in the Imperial Palace, so there was no way that several patterns would baffle her.

“Good. If it’s well done, next time people will ask you to make wedding dresses, and you’ll earn a lot more.” said Mrs. Chen with a smile while pushing the sewing kit in front of A’Chou. “Here are your tools, and the deadline is by the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

“I see. Ma’am, thank you so much. When I’m paid, I’ll buy you some cakes from the market!” A’Chou held the sewing kit in her hand, looked at the needles and thread, and felt overjoyed.

“Haha, I will be counting on you!” said Mrs. Chen with a smile.

…

After thanking Mrs. Chen, A’Chou went uphill with the sewing kit, where Mrs. Chen put a bag of brown sugar in. She felt warm physically and mentally. On her way back home, she had made up her mind to finish this job carefully so she wouldn’t harm Mrs. Chen’s reputation, and she decided to repay Mrs. Chen in the future.

It was already noon when A’Chou got home. Brown sugar was more expensive than crystal sugar, and she valued it, so she didn’t put the brown sugar in the kitchen but in a box in the house in case there were mice in the kitchen.

“Girl!”

As soon as A’Chou put away the brown sugar, she heard Zhong Mingwei call her, so she hastened to answer and came over.

“You need something?” A’Chou entered the chamber hurriedly, “Thirsty?”

A’Chou walked towards Zhong Mingwei, saw half a bowl of tea that she put on the nightstand before going out, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“What was wrong with you last night?” asked Zhong Mingwei while turning his face. “Why you kept tossing and turning? You weren’t feeling well?”

“You could still hear that from your room?” murmured A’Chou while sitting on the edge of the bed and massaging Zhong Mingwei’s waist. Then, she answered casually: “I was fine. Just couldn’t sleep because of a nightmare.”

“You’re afraid to sleep alone?” As soon as Zhong Mingwei asked, he knew his question might be a little weird.

“Why should I be afraid?” A’Chou murmured, got a glimpse of Zhong Mingwei, and lowered her voice: “You’re right here, and you can answer me when I call you.”

Zhong Mingwei felt a little bitter. All he could do was making a sound.