Chapter 76: Flattery

"Open the door!"

"I'm not opening it!"

"Open the door!"

"I'm not opening it!"

Zhou Qing stood at Zhou Huaishan's door, angrily banging on it.

"If you've got the guts, stay inside forever and never come out! When it's time to eat, don't even think about coming out! I brought something good back from the county today!"

Inside the room.

Leaning against the door, Zhou Huaishan blinked, weighing his options.

If he opened the door, at most he'd get scolded by his daughter. After all, she wouldn't actually hit her father.

But if he didn’t open the door, he'd miss out on the delicious food and good stuff!

So...

What’s there to even consider?

Zhou Huaishan turned and swiftly opened the door.

He scrunched up his face, looking pitiful as he said weakly, "Daughter, I was wrong."

Zhou Qing glared at Zhou Huaishan.

"You egged Ping on to make trouble, and now that he's gotten beaten up, you're just going to watch?"

"If I don't just watch, am I supposed to beat him up too? I can't do that!"

A rush of anger shot up to Zhou Qing's head.

Seeing Zhou Qing's expression turn dark, Zhou Huaishan quickly grabbed her arm. "Calm down, daughter, calm down."

"Calm down, my foot! Can't you find something else to do? Making clothes for chickens and pigs? How bored do you have to be?"

Zhou Huaishan pouted, looking pitiful. "I was just thinking of coming up with some way to get rich."

Get rich? By making clothes for pigs?

Who are you trying to fool?

"Seriously, daughter, before I came here, back in our hometown, rich families would dress up their cats and dogs. My family’s big yellow dog had three whole chests full of clothes."

Zhou Huaishan said this with complete sincerity.

Zhou Qing could actually believe this.

After all, in her world, people dressed up their cats and dogs too.

But!

Just because she believed that didn’t mean she believed that Zhou Huaishan was doing it to get rich.

Zhou Qing’s eyes bore into Zhou Huaishan like a stern school principal.

His shoulders slumped, and he hung his head.

"Fine, I admit it. I just wanted one last bit of fun before dedicating myself to serious study. But starting tomorrow, daughter, I’m going to work hard, study day and night, hang my head from the beam, jab my thighs with needles, burn the midnight oil, rise at the crow of the rooster..."

Zhou Qing waved a hand, cutting off his rambling.

"I’m not going to lecture you. Go explain things to Third Uncle so he stops beating up Ping."

As Zhou Qing finished speaking, Zhou Ping’s voice came from behind her.

"Big Sis, it's too late. My father already beat me up."

Zhou Ping hobbled into the room.

However, though he had been nervous before the beating, he found that afterward, it wasn’t as bad as he’d feared.

Even though Zhou Ping was limping, his face was all smiles.

"Big Sis, why did you buy so much fancy silk? You can’t make clothes with it! It’s see-through!"

He had never seen this kind of fabric before; it was Shen Li who told him it was called silk gauze.

The conversation was successfully derailed by Zhou Ping.

Zhou Huaishan immediately seized the opportunity. "What? You bought silk gauze? Let me see!"

He grinned and, raising his hands to his ears, squeezed past Zhou Qing through the door gap.

Zhou Ping gave Zhou Qing a quick glance and limped after Zhou Huaishan.

The big one and the small one whispered as they walked.

Zhou Qing watched them, her eyelid twitching as a bad feeling crept over her.

"I’m warning you two—don’t even think about using my silk gauze to make clothes for pigs! Not for chickens either!"

Ahead, the shoulders of the big one and the small one both slumped.

At dinner, Zhou Qing learned that Third Uncle and Third Aunt had gone to town that day.

Zhao had written down her recipe for fried small fish and even brought her own fish to a restaurant in town to demonstrate how to fry them. She successfully sold the recipe.

They sold it for fifteen taels in total.

Zhao was so excited that her eyes shone throughout the entire meal.

After all, it was money she had earned!

"Qing, why did you buy so much silk gauze?" With a light smile, Zhao asked Zhou Qing.

"To make silk flowers."

"Silk flowers?" Zhou Yao and Zhou Ping asked in unison, both baffled. "What’s that?"

"They’re flowers made from silk gauze—fake flowers, but they look nice."

Zhao exchanged a glance with Zhou Huailin, then asked Zhou Qing, puzzled, "Qing, when did you learn how to make silk flowers?"

They’d never even heard of such a thing, and Qing had grown up in the same courtyard as them. How had she suddenly picked up this skill?

"I’ve never made them before, but every time the village holds a funeral, they have paper flowers, right? I figured silk flowers can’t be too different. I know how to make paper flowers."

Zhou Huaishan silently rolled his eyes.

Keep making things up!

Zhou Qing shot him a glare.

Zhou Huaishan immediately said, "Yes, Qing knows how to make paper flowers, and they’re beautiful! Way better than the ones sold outside—more realistic and delicate."

When it comes to his daughter, flattery is the only way to go!

Hearing this, Zhao and Zhou Huailin’s earlier suspicions started to fade.

After all, they had seen plenty of paper flowers, but no one had ever thought to try making one themselves.

Qing was just clever.

"Qing, are you planning to sell the silk flowers?" Zhou Huailin asked, chewing on a piece of meat. "Do you think they’ll sell? After all, they’re fake flowers."

Zhou Qing smiled. "Third Uncle, trust me, they’ll definitely sell. And if they don’t, once the flowers are done, we can decorate the house with them for New Year’s. It’ll look festive and beautiful."

Hearing this, Zhao suddenly understood.

"In the dead of winter, there aren’t any real flowers. If our silk flowers are pretty, who wouldn’t buy some to brighten up their home?"

Zhou Yao chimed in, "If you can make small hairpins out of the flowers, they’d look so pretty—soft and pink!"

Zhou Ping piped up, "What if you made a big broadsword out of—"

Before Zhou Ping could finish, Zhou Huailin smacked him on the head. "Shut up! Are you going to make a broadsword out of silk?"

Zhou Ping nearly had his head knocked into his bowl.

Rubbing his sore head, he obediently fell silent.

Since Zhou Qing had found a new business venture, after dinner, the family got right to work.

The third family had never made silk flowers before—they hadn’t even seen one—so they watched Zhou Qing work while helping out on the side.

Shen Li and Zhou Huaishan had seen silk flowers before.

But seeing something and making something are two different things.

Zhou Qing first used bamboo strips to form the shape of a peony, then layered the pink silk gauze over it, one piece at a time.

Making silk flowers required patience and time.

After a while, Zhou Huaishan, who had been watching, lay down next to Zhou Qing and fell asleep.

The third family, eager and curious, kept their eyes glued to Zhou Qing’s hands, hoping they’d learn the craft after watching once.

Shen Li sat to the side, tilting his head, resting his cheek on his hand, and looking at Zhou Qing.

He couldn’t get enough of watching her.

Zhou Qing’s fingers flew as she worked, and under Zhou Ping’s gasp of surprise, a lifelike silk peony blossomed in her hands.

"Wow! Big Sis, you’re amang! It looks just like the real thing!"

Even though Zhou Ping had no idea what a real peony looked like, it didn’t stop him from showering Zhou Qing with praise.

At Zhou Ping’s exclamation, Zhou Huaishan, who had been sleeping, jumped up.

"My daughter is amazing! This flower is so lifelike you can’t tell the real from the fake. Just sprinkle a little dew on it, and if anyone says it’s fake, I’ll fight them!"

He hadn’t even fully opened his eyes and hadn’t even gotten a good look at the flower.

"Yes! My big sister makes the best flowers in the world!"

"Yes! My daughter’s flowers are unmatched!"

Zhou Huaishan and Zhou Ping went further and further down the path of mindless flattery.