CHAPTER 115: CHAPTER 115: IDENTITY (4)

Siliu still seemed a bit confused, but Chunyan understood the implications. Since Lady had sent the person over, sending them away wasn’t an option. Isolating her would only make Lady suspicious, so they must adapt and treat her as part of the family. If it’s not important, there’s no need to hide it; let her see and tell Lady. No matter what’s in their hearts, they must not reveal anything on the surface!

Siliu looked bewildered as she went to see Xiqiu. Xiqiu smiled and said, "Don’t listen to her. Do as you wish. Our days shouldn’t be disrupted just because Nanny Song came!"

"Yes!" Siliu nodded and giggled, "That’s what I was thinking too."

Chunyan and Sixing covered their mouths, laughing. Xiqiu instructed Sixing, "Tomorrow, go see the concubine and have her speed things up. Once I’m working on Grand Dowager’s clothes, I might not have much time. It’s better to finish and send it off in the next day or two."

Sixing nodded in agreement.

Early the next day, Xinzhu came to invite Xiqiu: "Nanny Fang sent the materials to Fourth Miss and brought many new patterns. Fourth Miss said to ask you to come and have a look." Xiqiu put down the needle and thread and said to Xinzhu, "Did Eighth Miss go there?"

Xinzhu nodded, "Eighth Miss went over first thing in the morning, but she doesn’t seem to understand these much, so she’s waiting for you to decide."

"Alright, I’ll change and go over." Xiqiu got up, changed into a lotus-colored overcoat, and followed Xinzhu to Tong Xiyan’s courtyard.

"Sixth Sister is here." Tong Xiyan greeted her warmly and led her into the Warm Pavilion. On the kang were placed side by side a bolt of bright red Floating Light Brocade and another bolt of ivory fabric that Xiqiu hadn’t seen before. It felt as soft as Snow Rolling Gauze, like water...

"Take a look." She handed over a pile of patterns, "These are new designs from Brocade Pavilion. Nanny Fang said peonies are popular. I don’t think much of them, but Eighth Miss finds them nice."

Standing nearby, Tong Xiyu squeezed in to greet Xiqiu, bowing her head, "Fourth Sister said some are tacky, some are frivolous, and others are too gaudy."

Xiqiu flipped through the patterns, furrowing her brows slightly. The various peonies, some budding, some in full bloom, some in pairs, and some in clusters, reminded her that with Marquis Xuanning on an expedition, the Grand Dowager was most concerned about the Marquis’ safety. None of these seemed quite suitable...

"Why don’t we draw them ourselves? Everyone sketch a few, and if they’re good, we’ll let Mother choose. In the afternoon, we can select the thread colors and Fourth Sister can start cutting the clothes." Xiqiu set aside the patterns and examined the fabrics. The bright red bolt was somewhat stiff, suitable for making a double-gilded overcoat, while the other could be made into a gauze skirt. The colors complemented each other well, showing Lady’s careful selection.

"Great." Tong Xiyan smiled, "I was just thinking we should draw a few designs ourselves. Sixth Sister, you read my mind."

Tong Xiyu had no objections; the three of them sat together in the study, each drawing a few designs. Tong Xiyan went to look at Xiqiu’s sketches, "Sixth Sister, is that a peony? It looks more like cotton." Tong Xiyu also peeked over and whispered, "Sixth Sister, did you draw it that way on purpose? While it doesn’t look like a peony, it would look good embroidered on clothes."

Xiqiu smiled, putting away her sketches, and said, "Let’s go see Mother." The three of them went to Zhui Garden together.

Lady had just woken from a nap, smiling as she sat on the kang, sipping tea and looking at them, "Did Nanny Fang send everything over? If you lack anything, just ask her. If you need more hands, call on an embroideress, but ensure the quality."

Tong Xiyan sat smiling beside Lady, showing her the designs they had just drawn, "These are from Eighth Sister, Sixth Sister, and mine." Lady picked up Tong Xiyu’s to look at and then turned to Xiqiu’s and asked, "Did you find the Brocade Pavilion designs unsuitable?"

"Yes, if those designs were embroidered with colors, Grand Dowager could perform on stage; they’re too flashy and lack sophistication." Tong Xiyan frowned, "Sixth Sister suggested we draw our own and let you pick one. Tomorrow, we’ll embroider according to that pattern. What do you think?"

Lady raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh?" She carefully reviewed the patterns, pointing to a spring dew peony drawn by Tong Xiyan, "This one’s nice, looks elegant." Then, looking at Xiqiu’s design that seemed like clouds and flowers, asked, "This too?"

Xiqiu smiled, "It’s a peony," using an oil painting technique. She continued, "I think Mother’s choice of Floating Light Brocade is excellent—the bright red is festive. But if we add flowers, it feels a bit too busy. So, I thought to abstract the peony. If we use lake-green thread with moon-white edges, it pairs well with the red, adding visibility without overshadowing its festiveness."

"This is a good idea." Lady nodded, "I like Sixth Girl’s design."

Tong Xiyan leaned in for a closer look, "At first, I didn’t see the point, but with Sixth Sister explaining, it’s quite impressive. Let’s use this design; I’ll start cutting in the afternoon." Tong Xiyu’s face turned slightly downcast, glancing at her own drawings with a hint of disappointment. She merely nodded in agreement without further comment.

The three of them stayed in Lady’s room discussing, just as Nanny from Tong Xihua’s side came with Grand Dowager’s measurements. The trio returned to Tong Xiyan’s place to start cutting the clothes, Tong Xiyan and Tong Xiyu beginning the seams and hems.

As for the embroidery, naturally, it fell on Xiqiu. This arrangement gave Xiqiu two extra days of free time, during which she stayed up two nights to finish the clothes for Tong Shen Zhi and Tong Minzhi. She wrapped them up and had Sixing send them to the outer courtyard.

She also fetched shoes made the previous year for First Master, retrieving a parcel delivered by Xiuzhi that morning. Unwrapping it revealed a plain bamboo-colored robe; the design was simple, yet crafted meticulously, with evergreen leaves embroidered on the corners, the vivid green catching the eye.

"Miss’s unique approach comes from the concubine, right?" Siliu exclaimed, "It suits First Master’s style."

Xiqiu smiled without reply, examining the contents of the parcel. Inside were also two moon-white middle garments, with the same leaf motifs as the robe, presenting a fresh and elegant appearance.

Xiqiu instructed Siliu to place the middle garments underneath, with the bamboo-colored robe on top and a pair of brown cotton shoes. She wrapped everything and carried it to Zhui Garden, informing Lady. Lady opened the parcel for a look, seeing indeed a robe and shoes inside, smiled, and praised Xiqiu a few times, then said, "Quickly go and return; your father’s been busy lately, don’t stay too long."