Farmhouse Green Plum

Chapter 570 Crown and Clothes

The night wind howled, making the trees rustle.

Song Ying was about to go out with two bowls of rice when he suddenly caught a glimpse of Tangtang trying to get into the stove.

She put down the bowl, strode over and pressed Tangtang's fur, then reached into the stove, grabbed the back of its neck and pulled it out.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Tangtang's head and face were already black. She felt dizzy. "Xianren Banban, is this a place to hide? How can I give you a bath in the middle of winter?"

Tangtang raised her head, looked at her innocently with her pair of bright yellow eyes, and meowed in a very aggrieved tone.

Song Ying's nascent anger quickly died down. Looking at the ash on his hands, he said helplessly, "Isn't there a charcoal basin outside? If you're cold, just stay by the basin. Isn't that more comfortable than going into the stove? It's pitch black in here, don't you find it dirty?"

Tangtang meowed twice again and rubbed Song Ying's hand with her head. The small piece of soot on Song Ying's hand was immediately smeared all over her hand, and Tangtang's soot-covered head became even dirtier.

Song Ying: “…”

What should I do if I want to hit the cat?

"You really are my fairy!" She glared at Tangtang and resigned herself to scooping hot water from the pot, adding soap, washing her own hands first, and then using a handkerchief dipped in hot water to wipe Tangtang's hands.

"Hey, Sister Song Ying, why haven't you come out yet?" Zhou Meiyue's voice came from outside.

"Tangtang has gotten into the stove. I'll wipe it off and it'll be fine soon."

Meiyue came over and was very happy to see Tangtang's little flower face. "It's really strange. It doesn't go into the stove when we cook during the day."

Song Ying's mind flashed, and he asked, "Is it staying next to the carbon basin?"

"Yes, since the weather has turned cold, it has been sleeping beside the charcoal basin most of the time. It is hard to get it to eat, so we have to bring it over."

Song Ying looked at Tangtang suspiciously, "Could it be that you are clinging to me and must stay in the same room with me?"

Tangtang meowed, but no one knew what she wanted to express.

Mei Yue suddenly understood, "That's right! It will only leave the charcoal basin when you and Sister Yan Xing come back. We were cooking in the kitchen just now, and only the stove is warm here, so it must have gone in there."

Song Ying felt warm and helpless in her heart, picked it up and said, "I'll cook for you in the future, and I'll bring the charcoal basin in too."

"You dote on it too much," Mei Yue smiled, pursing her lips, "It's like your own child."

"I started raising it when it was just over three months old. It's like my own child."

The two of them went out. Second Aunt Song was fiddling with the charcoal fire, and Luo Yanxing was counting accounts with an abacus. Seeing that everyone was gathered, he hurriedly put away the account books and abacus, "Let's eat, let's eat! Second Aunt, stop it, wash your hands and eat."

Song Ergu adjusted the position, added two more pieces of charcoal underneath, put down the fire tongs, washed her hands and came to sit down.

"By the way, your clothes are ready. Take some time to try them on tomorrow. If there's anything that doesn't fit, I can make some changes."

Although they were worried about the Chen family's revenge, they still had to live their lives, and their coming-of-age ceremony was coming soon.

A girl reaches the age of fifteen and it is impossible to expect her family to prepare the items for her coming of age, and besides, the two of them don't like them now.

The coming-of-age ceremony for girls in the village was simple. All she had to do was wear a copper hairpin, a knee-cover (apron), and a few steamed millet cakes.

Song Ying and Luo Yanxing were not willing to treat themselves badly in this matter. They could not wear the same three-fold crown and robes as the gentry and nobles, so they had to have a new dress and a silver hairpin.

Because there were a lot of things to do this year, it was a bit rushed to hold the coming-of-age ceremony on her birthday, so the two of them simply postponed it and chose another auspicious day.

Since they had their own Shu brocade shop, they decided to be extravagant for the new clothes for the coming-of-age girls and asked the embroiderers at Yunxiu Tower to make them with Shu brocade.

Song Ying's eyes lit up and she felt a little impatient. It was the first time for her to own clothes made of Shu brocade.

Ordinary people could only wear plain patterns on Shu brocade, so she put a lot of effort into the style of the clothes. She spent a long time choosing in Yunxiu Tower and discussed every detail with the embroiderer to ensure that her meaning was conveyed clearly.

"I'm available at noon or in the afternoon. How about you, Yanxing?"

Luo Yanxing had a headache. "Ambassador Xu from the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau will bring people to our workshop tomorrow to check if the patterns are prohibited. Master Chen and I have to accompany them. I don't know when it will be over."

"Then I'll go at noon. If you can't get away, I'll bring it back for you. You can try it on at home in the evening. If there's anything that doesn't fit, please let Second Aunt know."

"That's fine too. Yingwa, you still have to go to the clinic. It's inconvenient to bring her with you. It's the same if I go home tonight and bring her back."

As she spoke, Second Aunt Song couldn't help but sigh that business was not easy to do. Yan Xing was now busier than Song Ying, and he was not idle even when he returned home. He had to find time to settle accounts.

Fortunately, Ambassador Xu was not a pushover. When Song Ying went over at noon, Luo Yanxing had already put on his clothes and was standing in front of the large bronze mirror admiring himself.

The light blue pipa-buttoned double-breasted jacket and skirt made her, who was usually bold and lively, look more elegant and dignified.

Song Ying was a little dazed. Luo Yanxing seemed a little unfamiliar to her.

Aunt Song nodded with satisfaction, "It's different now that you're about to graduate. You've become more mature."

Aunt Cen smiled and said as she helped her put her clothes in order, "That's perfect. You've reached adulthood, you're a grown-up girl now. It's better for you to be more mature."

The two embroiderers also said something to please her, mostly praising Luo Yanxing for being steady and acting like a good wife and mother.

Song Ying frowned when she heard this. She felt that the wild goose pattern was more suitable for bright colors such as bright red and madder red, which were bold and unrestrained.

She walked over and stood beside Luo Yanxing, also looking at Luo Yanxing in the mirror, "Very beautiful, but I still think bright red and madder red suit you better."

Luo Yanxing sighed, "I like it too, but it's a pity that those aren't considered solid colors. With my status, I'm afraid I'll never be able to wear bright red Shu brocade in my lifetime."

"How can you be so unambitious? This isn't like the you I know. If we expand our business, maybe we can even get a government job. We can wear bright red and madder red Shu brocades. Why do we have to wear complicated patterns?"

"Are there any officials that businessmen can become?" Luo Yanxing's eyes lit up. "Which officials can businessmen become? How can they become officials? Can women also become officials?"

"Well..." Song Ying had no idea. She just wanted to encourage her and told her that she couldn't be without ambition. "I don't know yet. Wait for me to ask."

Luo Yanxing lost hope and urged, "Go change your clothes. I just took a look, they look great!"

Song Ying hurriedly followed Aunt Cen. She was wearing a lilac-colored butterfly-buttoned slanted-collared jacket and skirt. The lapels and cuffs were trimmed with soft white rabbit fur, and the hem was trimmed with brocade satin. She looked fresh and pleasant.

Even in this cold weather, if it weren't for the rabbit fur on the lapels and cuffs, it would look a bit cold.

Of course, it’s just for looks. The lining is made of plenty of cotton, all newly produced this year. After being exposed to the summer sun, it is very warm!