Chapter 15
Knowing that she would have new clothes to wear, Lin Zhao was so happy that she ate even faster. Afterward, she followed Chu Xihuan into the east room with a joyful heart to have her measurements taken.
“You can even make your own clothes! You’re so amazing!” Lin Zhao said with a face full of admiration.
Chu Xihuan glanced at her. “I’m not making them from scratch, just altering the size a bit.”
But… she could also make simple clothes herself.
As for why she knew how…
A dark look flashed in Chu Xihuan’s eyes. She shook her head, pushing the images from her mind, unwilling to think about those meaningless people and things anymore.
“That’s still amazing!” Lin Zhao praised generously. “Unlike me, I can’t even sew properly.”
The clothes she sewed were just barely held together. As for the stitching, it was a complete mess.
Chu Xihuan said nothing more, just recorded the measurements, feeling a little relieved.
Lin Zhao was a bit thinner than her, so she only needed to make them a little smaller, which wasn’t a big alteration.
After taking the measurements, Chu Xihuan started to work on the alterations, wanting to finish them as soon as possible so that if they didn’t fit Lin Zhao, there would still be time to fix them.
Lin Zhao looked around the newly renovated room and rubbed her ear, a little embarrassed. “When I was little, this room was indeed intended to be my study.”
But at that time, she had no interest in studying, so the room was never used. She never thought that it would now be turned into a study by Chu Xihuan.
Chu Xihuan didn’t look up, just let out a low laugh. “How many characters have you written in this room?”
Lin Zhao was speechless.
She fell silent. She had no memory of ever properly writing in this room.
Chu Xihuan chuckled. “Don’t worry, you will be writing in here in the future.”
This room had good lighting, making it the most suitable place for reading and practicing calligraphy.
Lin Zhao fell silent again. She was worried that Chu Xihuan would find her stupid in the future…
To avoid the topic of literacy, Lin Zhao abruptly changed the subject.
“Xihuan, for the homecoming visit tomorrow, what should we bring? Should I go buy something now?”
After saying this, Lin Zhao felt a little apprehensive again, and at the same time, her heart ached. She was now completely using Chu Xihuan’s money.
“No need, I’ve already prepared everything,” Chu Xihuan replied. During the month of waiting for the wedding, she had prepared gifts for each family member according to their different preferences, just waiting for the homecoming visit to give them.
“Ah? Oh, oh, okay.” Lin Zhao’s expression was a little awkward, and she felt a little dejected, as if she were useless.
Chu Xihuan looked up at her. “If you have nothing to do, why don’t you go and bring in the clothes that are drying in the courtyard?”
The clothes the two of them had changed out of yesterday had been washed and hung up to dry by the maids. The sun was good today, so they should be dry by now.
“Oh, okay.” Lin Zhao immediately got up and went to bring in the clothes from the courtyard as she was told.
She touched them to make sure they were completely dry, then carried them back to the room and folded them neatly. After finishing, she felt idle again.
She went back to the study and said cautiously, “Xihuan, I’m going out to find work.”
At her words, Chu Xihuan looked up at her. Seeing the lack of confidence on her face, Chu Xihuan smiled. “Go ahead. There’s no rush. Take your time.”
Lin Zhao’s lips curved into a smile, and she nodded vigorously. “Mm! I’ll be back before dinner!”
Chu Xihuan said, “…Alright, be careful on your way out.”
It seemed that buying a cookbook was also a pressing matter.
Lin Zhao practically floated out the door, not even feeling her feet touch the ground. When she ran into a neighbor, the person couldn’t help but stare at her.
Being stared at, Lin Zhao gradually came back to her senses. She quickly composed her expression, glanced at the neighbor, and said in a harsh voice, “What are you looking at!”
Don’t think she had forgotten that this family’s youngest son had bullied her as a child. Although she had gotten her revenge and made him cry, she still remembered the grudge!
The neighbor was taken aback and, without another word, went back into his house.
Lin Zhao looked around. Fortunately, there weren’t many people around at this time. She rubbed her face to make sure there was no expression that would ruin her imposing manner, then went out to find work.
She had almost wandered through the entire town. Finally, she squatted by the ferry landing, dejectedly feeling the wind, when she saw the large boats docked and people carrying cargo off them, trip after trip…
Lin Zhao shot up. Her legs were already running before her brain had even caught up. She found a man who looked like a foreman, standing to the side and watching the others work. “Are you still hiring here? Can I work?”
She really couldn’t find any other work. This would be good enough.
The foreman turned to look at her, his eyes scanning her from top to bottom, his brow furrowed tightly.
“Go on, get out of here. What can you do?”
Everyone who worked here was big and burly. Even the women looked strong. This one in front of her, let alone carrying cargo, would be lucky not to be crushed by it.
“I can do whatever they can do!” Lin Zhao said quickly. “Don’t judge me by my appearance. I have some strength!”
If she didn’t have any strength, how could she fight back when she was bullied?
The foreman looked at her with suspicion and pointed to a sack of cargo. “Go and try to carry that.”
Without another word, Lin Zhao ran over, hoisted the sack onto her shoulder, and ran back to the foreman, looking at him expectantly. “How about it? Can I do it?”
The foreman was speechless.
“Alright, two wen per sack. Go over there and register,” the foreman said reluctantly.
If it weren’t for the fact that the person’s clothes were so tattered and she looked like she needed the money, he wouldn’t have let her do it.
Lin Zhao was overjoyed and quickly walked in the direction the foreman had pointed. There was a person there keeping count. After telling her where to put the things, the person let Lin Zhao get to work.
Although carrying cargo was tiring, thinking that this was the only job she could find at the moment, Lin Zhao cherished it and worked hard, wanting only to earn a little more money so that she wouldn’t seem so useless.
She spent almost the entire afternoon unloading cargo at the ferry landing. Her neck was stiff from keeping her head turned to one side for so long, and her shoulders and arms were sore. But after getting her wages, Lin Zhao felt that all the fatigue was worth it.
She had earned money on her own.
Proper, legitimate money.
Two wen per sack. This afternoon, she had carried 53 sacks, earning a total of 106 wen.
She touched the money, and suddenly, her nose stung.
Earning money was so hard!
Seeing her on the verge of tears after getting her money, the foreman found it a little hard to watch. “We need to load a shipment tomorrow at the Hour of the Dragon (approx. 7-9 AM). Do you want to come?” he asked.
This person worked well, without slacking off or being sneaky, just working hard with a determined spirit. The foreman was willing to give such a person a chance.
At his words, Lin Zhao’s eyes lit up, but then they slowly dimmed. She pressed her lips together. “I have a homecoming visit tomorrow. Will there be work the day after?”
Tomorrow, she had to go with Chu Xihuan for the homecoming visit. It wouldn’t be right to show up all sweaty after working.
The foreman looked at her in surprise, his eyes scanning her from top to bottom again. He couldn’t see any trace of a newlywed on her…
What kind of bride would go out to do heavy manual labor so soon after getting married? Was the family she married into that heartless?
The foreman’s expression was complicated. “Then come on time at the Hour of the Dragon (approx. 7-9 AM) the day after tomorrow.”
“Okay!” Lin Zhao replied happily. Seeing that the sun was about to set, she quickly ran home. As she passed by Rising Step Bridge, she looked at the sweet soup stall at the head of the bridge, pressed her lips together, touched the money pouch in her robes, and walked over.
“Boss, a bowl of sweet soup, please.”
She had earned money. She could buy delicious food for Chu Xihuan.
**
Author’s Note:
Zhaozhao: It’s delicious~ [Please][Please]
