Rebirth of a Farming Wife

“Mother, you truly understand me. I do have something I need your help with,” Su Wenyue cooed, latching onto An Family’s arm with an air of entitlement.

“Tell me, what is it this time that you need Mother’s help with?” The An Family drew Su Wenyue to sit down and felt comforted to see her daughter not behaving in a distant manner.

Su Wenyue opened the bundle she had brought and presented several embroidered pieces to the An Family, “Mother, what do you think of these embroideries? Are they a cut above what our family’s embroiderers can produce? If we were to sell them in our workshop, they would surely fetch a good price.”

“Is this?” The An Family examined the embroidery in her hands. Initially, she thought these pieces were her daughter’s work, but upon closer inspection, she wasn’t so sure anymore. Such fine embroidery was beyond her daughter’s level, and she knew it—even a sudden improvement couldn’t account for such a leap in quality.

“The craftsmanship of these embroideries is indeed good. Selling them in our workshop would indeed fetch a good price. Not even the finest embroiderer in Chang’an can do much better than this. Lady Yue, where did you get these embroideries from? Who is this embroiderer? If possible, invite her to join our family. We’ll offer her a good salary.”

Although the An Family was merely a woman of the inner house, she had her own way of handling business affairs. She managed her dowry properties meticulously. At first glance at these embroideries, she knew their maker was truly talented. It would be a great coup to lure such a star to work in her workshop; after all, there was competition among the embroidery workshops.

“Mother, you must believe me, these were all embroidered by me. How’s that for skill? Your praise doesn’t come easily.” Su Wenyue said cheerfully. She hadn’t intended to keep it a secret from the An Family and couldn’t have even if she wanted to. Not just this time, but in the future, her embroideries were to be sold in her mother’s family’s workshop. Besides, what couldn’t she share with her own mother?

“Yueyue, you’re joking with Mother again. How could Mother not recognize your embroidery? I can tell at a glance whether it’s your work or not.” The An Family flatly refused to believe what Su Wenyue said, knowing her daughter all too well.

Su Wenyue understood this too well and didn’t argue with the An Family. Instead, she took a needle and thread and demonstrated a few stitches right before her mother’s astonished eyes, feeling somewhat smug about it.

“Mother, do you believe me now? These embroideries were indeed made by me. Your daughter is capable of anything, isn’t she?”

The An Family, having seen much in life, recovered quickly from her surprise. She was both annoyed and amused at her daughter’s smugness.

“Alright, alright, I believe you’re talented, my daughter. To think you can produce such exquisite embroidery, you’ve really grown up. When you were still at home, I could never persuade you to practice more; now, on the other hand…” The An Family began with pride, but then her heart ached. She remembered that her daughter intended to sell these embroideries at the workshop—to think her pampered daughter was now toiling away at a task meant for a professional embroiderer.

“Yueyue, tell Mother the truth—is it because the Han Family treats you badly that you’re laboring over these embroideries to make money? Didn’t Father and Mother prepare a generous dowry for you? Thousands of silver coins, even for lavish spending, wouldn’t run out so soon. Why would you need to sell embroideries for money?”

“Yes, Daughter, if you’re short on money, just tell your Father. There’s no need for you to work so hard and sell embroideries for money. It pains me to see you like this,” said Master Su, whose thoughts weren’t as complex as the An Family’s, but who was nonetheless reluctant to see his daughter working so hard.

When Su Wenyue left the family for marriage, Master Su and Madam Su did not prepare an extensive dowry, considering practical circumstances. They worried that too much might be hard for their daughter to manage and could attract ill-intentioned people. Furthermore, given her character, it wasn’t wise to entrust her with too much at once. Rather than having her spend it all immediately, it seemed wiser to offer support when she matured and truly needed it.

“Father, Mother, you’re worrying too much. I haven’t spent much of the dowry you gave me, and I’m not short of money. I just want to earn money using my abilities. I don’t have many skills, but my needlework is decent, so I came up with this idea. I still need your help to sell it in the workshop.”

Mr. and Mrs. Su were about to dissuade their daughter from putting in so much effort, but seeing her determination, they held back. If their daughter was willing, that was all that mattered.

“It seems our daughter has truly grown up. Alright, I’ll personally take charge of these few pieces of embroidery,” conceded the An Family, pulling out five hundred taels of silver from a box and handing it to Su Wenyue. The price was obviously higher than the market rate, but selling them wouldn’t result in a loss for the workshop. Su Wenyue didn’t decline the offer and accepted the silver with a beaming smile. She then brought out another bundle.

“Father, Mother, these are clothes I made for you and Elder Brother; please try them on to see if they fit.”

“Good girl, you even made clothes for your Father. Bring them here so I can have a look.” Master Su, learning that his daughter had tailored clothes for him, was overjoyed and immediately tried on the new Clothes. The An Family, too, couldn’t wait to wear the Dress her daughter had made. The fact that they fit so well made it all the more special, as this was the first time their daughter had made clothes for them.

“Ah, our daughter is really considerate, isn’t she? Look how filial she is, much more so than your two brothers, those rascals.” Master Su couldn’t wait to put on the Clothes made by his daughter and found them more comfortable than any crafted by a professional embroiderer.

Watching her parents so happy, Su Wenyue also brimmed with smiles. In her previous life, she had been ungrateful and had failed to appreciate her parents’ efforts, leading to later regrets. This life, she would leave no such regret.

“Lady Yue, you’ve been busy with both embroideries and making clothes. Don’t overdo it and wear yourself out; it wouldn’t be worth it.” The An Family, while happy with her daughter’s thoughtfulness, was more meticulous as a woman and concerned about different things.

“Yueyue, your Mother is right. Whatever you want to do, go ahead, but don’t wear yourself out. If you’re ever short on silver, just let me know; Daddy has plenty.” Master Su, heeding his wife’s words, quickly chimed in.

“Father, Mother, don’t worry. I know my limits. Besides, Han Yu is always watching over me, afraid that I’ll overwork myself. Otherwise, I’d have done even more.”

Hearing that her son-in-law was considerate of their daughter, Master Su and Madam Su felt relieved.

“By the way, when is big brother coming back? He has been accompanying Grandfather to Chang’an City for quite some time now. By my calculations, he should be returning soon.” Su Wenyue brought up her brother, whom she missed acutely since she hadn’t seen him since her rebirth.

Upon hearing Su Wenyue’s question, Master Su and Madam Su’s expressions subtly shifted.