Re-embroidering life

Chapter 124 Embroidery School

"Mom, we can open an independent embroidery school. The rise of Furong Garden embroidery has proved that the art of embroidery is worthy of being accepted by the upper class and is highly respected. If we can recruit more students and give more people the opportunity to learn this skill, wouldn't it be better?" Ji Fei said in one breath.

Shui Qinghua nodded and encouraged her: "Go on."

"We stratify students according to their ability levels and teach them in accordance with their aptitude. Not everyone has to start with flat stitch, so that each student can receive the most suitable instruction for them. Now these embroiderers all have extraordinary backgrounds, so we can encourage them to become teachers and give them a share of the teacher's salary, which is better than having them work themselves to death alone."

Shui Qinghua listened to her daughter's words, with admiration in her eyes, and nodded frequently.

Ji Fei continued, "After the students graduate from the Embroidery School, the outstanding ones can directly enter the Water Embroidery Workshop to display their talents. Those who are not so outstanding can also go to other embroidery workshops to work based on what they have learned. In this way, they will all have the ability to support their families, which can be regarded as a good deed we have done."

"Wait!" After hearing this, Shui Qinghua finally felt something was wrong: "Our original intention in opening the Embroidery School was to train embroiderers for Shuixiu Workshop. Natural embroidery and random needle embroidery must be taught. If these students don't join Shuixiu Workshop in the future, won't they take our unique skills and work for other embroidery workshops?"

It’s no wonder Shui Qinghua thought too much, it was really Meng Xiuniang who left her with a profound lesson.

"This..." Ji Fei scratched his head, "Mom, I haven't thought about it so much."

Shui Qinghua smiled and nodded: "I have thought it through very thoroughly, and it has given me a lot of inspiration."

Ji Fei stuck out her tongue, turned around and ran to her sisters' room. Shui Qinghua shook her head behind her. It seemed that she had gone to consult with the dog-headed military advisor again.

Shui Qinghua began to seriously consider opening an embroidery school. Running a school requires a large investment and a long time, but it is a way to fundamentally solve the problem.

She asked Ye Jincheng for his opinion, and he agreed and was willing to allocate another courtyard in Furong Garden to serve as a school. Chen Jinlan was also willing to be a teacher in the school, and she also tried to persuade the group of embroiderers who did not want to show their faces.

With the support of the two, Shui Qinghua made up her mind to open an embroidery school. She began to carefully plan the layout of the embroidery school. The courtyard that was set aside was quiet and peaceful, so she asked people to plant flowers and plants in the courtyard, and the breeze blew through the courtyard, filling the courtyard with fragrance. She also learned from Mr. Yu's experience in running a school and divided the main room into small rooms, so that students could be divided into different small classes according to their level and taught in different levels. The east and west wing rooms were the students' residences.

Furong Garden Embroidery was already quite famous in Beijing. Once the sign of "Furong Garden Embroidery School" was hung, many people came to the school. On the day of enrollment, the entrance of the embroidery school was crowded with people. The number of women who came to register was beyond Shui Qinghua's imagination. Some were in ragged clothes, some were in simple cloth clothes, there were little kids, young girls, and middle-aged women. The most surprising thing was that there was a boy in the crowd.

Shui Qinghua felt embarrassed because of space limitations and she could only admit 20 students in the first batch. The admission requirements were clearly written and hung outside the gate: only girls, aged 10 to 15 years old, with literacy priority.

Chen Jinlan and Ji Fei were doing the registration work in an orderly manner at the door.

The boy was in ragged clothes, about 12 or 13 years old, and perhaps literate. He looked at the enrollment notice with disappointment on his face. After hesitating for a long time, he finally stepped forward and joined the team. There were women in front and behind him. One of the more aggressive ones pointed at his nose and scolded him: "Can't you see that we only accept women? How dare you, a man, mix with women!"

Someone else cursed: "You stinky little beggar, you came to Furong Garden to beg for food!"

The boy's face turned red, and he lowered his head. No matter how the girls scolded him, he did not leave the team. Gradually, more and more people scolded him, and the noise became louder and louder, finally alarming Shui Qinghua.

Shui Qinghua saw that Jin Lan and the others were unable to take care of the situation, so she decided to step in herself. She asked someone to call the boy over.

When the boy came closer, Shui Qinghua realized that his face was barely clean, but his hair had not been washed for many days and was matted together. The clothes he wore could barely cover his body, but a sour smell still emanated from him.

Shui Qinghua said to him gently, "Do you know that the Embroidery School does not recruit men? Students in the Embroidery School need to eat and live together, and you, a man, cannot arrange that."

The boy lowered his head and said sullenly, "This isn't fair!"

Shui Qinghua patiently explained: "Men have many more options than women. You can learn carpentry, pottery, and ironwork, but women have almost only one option, embroidery. In terms of fairness, this world is even more unfair to women. If you want, I can recommend a school that suits you. The teachers there are all very good..."

"I don't want to!" The boy raised his childish face and said firmly, "I'm not going anywhere. I just want to learn embroidery! Who said embroidery is only for women? Qian Lao, the most famous embroiderer in Beijing, is a man!"

Shui Qinghua shook her head helplessly: "Then tell me, why do you think you are suitable for embroidery?"

The boy looked at Shui Qinghua seriously: "My mother said so. She was also an embroiderer. My father died early, and she raised me by doing embroidery. When she was dying, she no longer had the strength to hold a needle, so I embroidered for her. I embroidered whatever my mother said. My mother said I embroidered very well, and she also said that if I were a girl, I would definitely be the best embroiderer in the world!"

Shui Qinghua was quite moved after hearing this. She took out a purse and handed it to him: "Take this money, find a place to clean yourself up, and then try your luck in other embroidery workshops. Furong Garden Embroidery School really does not have the ability to recruit male students at the moment."

The boy stammered and said nothing. His face was full of disappointment and struggle. After a long time, he finally reached out to take the purse, drooped his head and shoulders, and walked out with dragging feet, looking back three times.

Looking at his thin back, Shui Qinghua felt a strong sense of pity, and when he turned back to look at her again, Shui Qinghua called him. He immediately ran back to Shui Qinghua, stood still, and his eyes were full of hope again.

Shui Qinghua asked: "What's your name?"

"Little Gourd." The boy answered timidly. He didn't have a real name. Little Gourd was the nickname his mother gave him, and she has called him that ever since.

Shui Qinghua's eyes were immediately touched. Little Gourd?! She remembered this name very clearly. In her previous life, she often went to the embroidery workshop to take jobs for a few years. She heard the embroiderers talking about a male embroiderer in the capital. He was just a young boy, but he was a genius in embroidery. Even the embroidery bureau in the palace wanted to recruit him.

When an embroiderer said his name, the whole workshop burst into laughter, because that name was not a normal name, it was called Xiaohulu.