Meng Anci, who was returning home from school, happened to overhear this and a slight smile crept onto his lips. He thought to himself, "I knew it! The idea that doing bad things will get you struck by lightning is just something my aunt told us to believe."
Right now, Auntie is teaching others how to use this method... But why won't Auntie let them do it? Meng Anci pondered for a long time, and suddenly it dawned on him.
It turns out that you can't do bad things yourself; you have to let someone else do them. Lord Zhou schemed against his aunt, and his aunt used Lord Zhou to curry favor with others. This is called using someone else to do the dirty work.
Lord Zhu offended his aunt, and she immediately used him to deal with Lord Zhou, thus killing two birds with one stone.
Meng Anci in satisfaction. His aunt was indeed his aunt; he was still too young!
Thinking of this, he turned back to his study, intending to re-analyze the situation with his sister that evening to see if there was any deeper meaning.
Jin Shanyao was completely unaware of all this; at that moment, she was receiving the Jiang family mother and daughter.
Jiang Jinshu nestled in Meng Anzhi's arms, reading " Compendium of Herbs) ". Because the book had illustrations, the little girl read it with extra care.
She pointed to the morning glory, turned to look at Meng Anzhi, her big eyes full of anticipation. "Sister Anzhi, how about I embroider a purse for you with this flower?"
Meng Anzhi saw through her intention and smiled, "I can't lend you this book... I have other books in my study, why don't you come with me and take a look?"
The little girl's eyes lit up when she heard this. She had heard from Xiao Huzi that Sister Anzhi's study was incredibly large, and she had never been inside before. Then she looked at the book with some reluctance.
Meng Anzhi understood, took a piece of paper, dipped a brush in ink, and scribbled the morning glory on the page.
He placed the finished drawing paper aside, hugged Jiang Jinshu, and smiled, "Once it dries, you can take it."
Jiang Jinshu nodded obediently, picked up the fortune-telling tube, and pressed it down on the paper to prevent the drawing from being blown away by the wind.
Seeing how outstanding Meng Anzhi was, Madam Jiang said with admiration, "You've taught this child so well. Not only is her medical skill excellent, but her drawings are also so beautiful."
Jin Shanyao foolishly, "Nothing much... It's mainly because the child works hard; she refuses to sleep before 9 PM every day. I'm worried that staying up late will stunt her growth."
Seeing her proud expression, Madam Jiang chuckled, "I knew you were a good teacher, that's why I came to find you. I have something I can't figure out, can you help me analyze it with your quick thinking?"
Jin Shanyao, feeling dizzy from being held so tightly, looked smug, her voice trailing off... "Hmm... you say..."
Madam Jiang smiled and said, "Do you know about Cloud Brocade Workshop in Jing'an Prefecture?"
Jin Shanyao her head. "Your competitor?"
"Oh... you overestimate me. My little shop can't possibly compare to Cloud Brocade Workshop... that's a huge shop, with over a hundred embroiderers alone."
She sighed, "This year, Cloud Brocade Workshop is taking on apprentices, and I'm wondering whether to send Jinshu there."
Jin Shanyao declared righteously, "I won't go."
"Ah... why?" Madam Jiang was a little confused; the answer had already come out before she could finish her sentence.
Jin Shanyao thought of Wu Zhuangzi's words and said with a disdainful expression, "If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked too. The prefect of Jing'an Prefecture is not a good person, and the place he governs will not be much better."
Besides, Jinshu is still so young. Aren't you worried about sending her so far away?"
Madam Jiang wrung out her handkerchief, her face full of worry. "I'm just undecided, that's why I came to ask for your opinion. My daughter has no brothers or sisters, and I only hope that after I die, she can find a way to make a living."
Jin Shanyao understood Madam Jiang's concerns. This small world was too unfair to women. It would be better to have the ability to survive and not have to depend on anyone.
" Jinshu is too young, and she went to another prefecture. She was bullied and didn't even dare to cry. How pitiful she is."
Madam Jiang felt a pang of pain in her heart at the thought of that scene, and reluctantly said, "Never mind... I won't see you off. I heard that the embroiderers at Cloud Brocade Workshop aren't allowed to go home for three years, and only once a year after they've mastered their craft."
Jin Shanyao in surprise, "The conditions are so harsh? And people still send their children in?"
"Don't be fooled by the strictness; it's a place everyone's desperate to get into. The instructors at Cloud Brocade Workshop are all veteran women from the palace, and they're all top-notch."
The embroiderers she trained were in high demand by various shops, and even their marriages were better than others... At this point, Madam Jiang sighed again, "If it weren't for Jinshu's future marriage, I wouldn't have been willing to send her to suffer."
Jin Shanyao her head. "To be able to teach others how to make a living is indeed extraordinary... Is that Shu Xiugao?"
"High, the annual cost for food, lodging, and all sorts of miscellaneous expenses adds up to eight taels of silver. Some families even sell their pots and pans to send their daughters there, just to give them a way out."
Madam Jiang with some regret, "It's a pity that Cloud Brocade Workshop is located in Jing'an Prefecture. It would be better if it were in Qingzhou Prefecture." As she said this, she heard someone shout from across the street, " Shopkeeper Jiang... someone has come to the shop..."
"Oh..." Madam Jiang hurriedly responded and went outside, instructing Jiang Jinshu, " Jinshu, come back after playing for a while... Don't disturb Sister Anzhi while she's reading, understand?"
"Yes, Mother..." Jiang Jinshu replied crisply.
After Madam Jiang left, Meng Anzhi half-hugs Jiang Jinshu and looks at her small face, asking, " Jinshu, would you like to go to the embroidery workshop?"
Jiang Jinshu shook her head, her mood somewhat downcast. "I don't want to leave my mother. There are only two of us left in my family... If I leave, how lonely my mother will be."
She embroiders handkerchiefs every night... and I can still help her embroider...
Meng Anzhi held her hand and looked at her palm. At such a young age, her thumb already had a thin callus. She rubbed Jiang Jinshu's little hand.
"I'll get you some ointment later... Apply some after you finish embroidering the handkerchief, okay?"
Jiang Jinshu's eyes lit up with joy, but then dimmed, and she shook her head, saying, "No... Anzhi Hall's ointments are all for making money, I can't take them."
Meng Anzhi feigned worry, "I don't know if this ointment will work after I finish it, so I wanted you to help me test it out... but..."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinshu turned to look at Meng Anzhi and nodded seriously, "Okay... bring it to me and I'll help you test the ointment. You can ask me to test any new medicines you come up with in the future."
Meng Anzhi poked her cheek and laughed, "Wow... that's great! I'll definitely ask you for help in the future."
Jiang Jinshu blushed and nodded emphatically, then tugged at Meng Anzhi's sleeve and said shyly, "Sister Anzhi, may I still visit your study?"
"Of course... Come on, I'll take you there right now," she said, taking Jiang Jinshu's hand and walking towards the backyard.
Inside the study, Meng Anci was doing her homework when she saw Meng Anzhi bring Jiang Jinshu in and smiled, " Jinshu's here."
Jiang Jinshu hadn't yet recovered from being surrounded by books when she heard Meng Anci call her. She quickly responded, "Hello, Brother Anci."
After speaking, his gaze fell on the wall of books again. Xiao Huzi was still too conservative. This wasn't just sitting in a pile of books, it was living in a mountain of books! Good heavens... She had never seen these books before, even when she went to the bookstore to buy embroidery patterns.
She looked up at Meng Anzhi and said, " Anzhi, don't you get a headache from reading so many books every day?"
Meng Anzhi smiled and said, "At first, I wasn't used to it, but I forced myself to learn every day, and after a few years, it became a habit."
Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci have exactly the same personality; they will never let go of any opportunity to climb the social ladder.
Since her aunt was willing to teach her, she naturally wanted to learn wholeheartedly.
After all, not all women in this world have the opportunity to study and learn.