Yuyao gazed at the woman in front of her, looking to be over thirty, her clothes washed to a pale white, evident of a life of hardship.
She paused for a moment, then said, "Of course, but if your craft fails to satisfy me, I cannot employ you."
The woman nodded eagerly, her eyes brimming with gratitude: "Thank you very much, madam. I will do my utmost."
At this moment, an older woman beside her spoke up, "Madam, I have been engaged in embroidery for over thirty years. Double-sided embroidery is nothing new to me. May I have a chance to be employed?"
Yuyao examined her carefully and smiled in response, "From your appearance, you do indeed have abundant experience. However, mere words are not enough. We need to see your actual skills."
The older woman replied with confidence, "Madam, please rest assured. I will immediately show you what I can do."
She said that, and then she took out a piece of embroidery fabric and needles from her carry bag, sitting down beside her and skillfully began to embroider.
Soon enough, a lifelike peony bloomed on the embroidered fabric.
"Madam, it's done. May I have your inspection?"
The older woman handed over the embroidered peony flower for Yuyao to see.
She leaned in and glanced at it, nodding in satisfaction: "Indeed, it's quite excellent. Your craftsmanship is commendable."
The older woman smiled happily, "Thank you, madam for the praise."
The woman with less embroidery experience before saw this and eagerly spoke up, "Madam, although my embroidery skills may be lacking, I do have my own strengths. I can quickly adapt to new patterns and styles, and I am very diligent. I will definitely work hard to improve my skills."
Yuyao turned her gaze towards her, noticing that she led a difficult life but approached the matter with sincerity. She pondered for a moment and then said, "In that case, please showcase your skills and let me see your embroidery."
If your skills are up to par and you have potential, it's not out of the question to consider hiring you.
Of course, if there's a significant difference, it's not suitable. She's not a charitable organization.
The woman did not bring any needle and thread with her, so she took out a piece of embroidery fabric and needles from the shop for her to work with.
The woman took the embroidery fabric and thread and sat down to work on it.
The woman was embroidering a lotus flower, which, although not as exquisite as the older woman's work, had its own unique features.
Yuyao walked over to take a look and said, "Your skills are still lacking, but you have good potential. I can give you a trial period. If you perform well during this time, you can become a female embroidery master."
"The starting salary during the trial period is one liang of silver, and the commission remains the same. Is that acceptable to you?"
Upon hearing this, the woman was overjoyed. One liang of silver was already quite satisfactory to her, and she had no complaints. She quickly said, "Thank you, madam. I will definitely work even harder."
Subsequently, many more women came forward, regardless of their years of experience. Yuyao would let them try, as long as their skills met the standard, they could be hired.
Over time, an increasing number of women applied to become embroidery masters, each showcasing their own embroidery skills.
By the time of the afternoon at noon, the female embroidery masters were almost all hired.
Yuyao dismissed everyone, leaving only the female embroidery masters who were hired, a total of 20.
Standing in the center of the shop, she gazed around at these people, her lips parting slightly, "Ladies, today's gathering here is all due to fate. I promise that as long as we work together and diligently, I will not let you down."
She changed the tone of her words, her tone becoming more serious, "As you can see, the shop has just been renovated and has not yet opened. Before the official opening, we need to prepare some exquisite garments to be hung in the shop for display. Everyone should come early tomorrow, and I will assign the work to you then."
Upon hearing this, the women responded affirmatively, promising to come earlier the next day.
Afterward, they left one by one.
"Zhou B, go and order a plaque over. The inscription should be 'Yáo Huá Fóng'. The plaque must be exquisite and majestic. This will be the entrance of our shop."
Yuyao's gaze fell on Zhou Bo, who was busy over there, and instructed.
"Alright, madam."
Zhou Bo heard this and immediately put down the work he was doing, answering in a hurry, and went to order the plaque.
At this moment, there was only her left in the shop, which seemed empty and lonely.
Inside the shop, the southern Chinese style of decoration was beginning to take shape, with wooden window frames intricately carved with delicate patterns.
The faint fragrance of the gauze danced lightly, making people feel as if they were in the enchanting southern Chinese water town amidst misty rain.
Yuyao looked around, her heart filled with both anticipation and nervousness.
She gently closed the door and went back as well.
Returning home, Anan and Youyou lay in the cradle playing, one playing with their own fingers, the other blowing bubbles and making giggling sounds.
Zhou Auntie watched her affectionately from the side, and upon seeing her, she quickly stood up and greeted with a bow: "Old servant greets mistress."
She waved her hand and walked to the cradle, "Aunt Zhou, how are Anan and Youyou today? Did they cry or fuss when they didn't see me?"
Although Anan and Youyou are only two and a half months old, these young children may not be able to see clearly. However, they can still sense whether their mother is present.
Aunt Zhou knew that the mistress was worried about the children, so she quickly replied, "Mistress, at first, both young masters and mistresses cried for a while, but as soon as the old servant comforted them, they fell asleep. After waking up and drinking their milk, they started playing by themselves, behaving very well."
Yuyao nodded slightly, her worries easing a bit.
However, thinking about the children's tears, her heart could not help but ache.
She gently picked Anan out of the cradle and held her in her arms, soothing her for a while before turning to pick up Youyou.
She played with the two children.
Aunt Zhou watched from the side, moved by the mistress's effort, a woman herself, who had to accompany her children and work to support her family. She had to rely on herself without any man's help.
Fortunately, the mistress is strong, not a weak woman; this household can stand on its own.
Yuyao didn't know what Aunt Zhou was thinking, but she was happily playing with the two children.
After dinner, after cleaning up, the night had fallen.
She put Anan and Youyou to sleep. Perhaps because they hadn't seen their mother all day, the two children were especially attached to her, holding onto her shirt with small hands that refused to let go.
Yuyao's heart melted seeing this, and she couldn't help but feel a wave of bitterness in her heart.
But this emotion lasted only a moment, and she quickly returned to normal.
She gently patted the backs of Anan and Youyou, humming a lullaby to soothe them to sleep.
The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting their light onto the white walls and black tiles of the courtyard, it was a scene of ancient tranquility.
After having breakfast, Yuyao instructed Aunt Zhou to take care of Anan and Youyou before heading to the shop in the eastern part of the city.
Upon her arrival, the female embroidery masters were already waiting at the door.
"Met the lady."
Upon seeing her appear, these women bowed in greeting.
She nodded slightly and opened the shop to let everyone in.
The shop serves as the area for displaying goods, while the backyard is where the female embroidery masters work.
Of course, the warehouse is also here.
Yuyao assigned each of them a task, requiring them to produce the clothing needed for the opening in the shortest possible time.
She also passed them a folder, which contained various clothing styles. All of these were carefully designed by her, based on the different occasions and slightly modified.
Each design exudes traditional charm yet incorporates innovative elements, making each style distinctively unique.
The female embroidery masters took the folder and, upon seeing the designs inside, exclaimed in amazement, their eyes sparkling with astonishment.
"Madam, these styles are really beautiful. I've never seen anything like this before."
"Yes, they are indeed very beautiful. However, some of these styles are quite complex and may require a bit of effort to make."
