After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 608: Madam Mei

Ma Youli's wife was originally the manager of the sewing room of the third branch of the Zhou family, and was also Zhou Ma's confidant.

As a result, she became a thorn in the side of Madam Ma, and was exiled from the third branch of the Zhou family on the pretext of something. Even her husband and children were implicated, and the whole family was arranged to live in another village and farm for several years. It was not until the Hai family returned to Chang'an that Zhou Ma said hello to her sister Ma and asked Ma Youli's family to transfer to the Hai family to work, and the family finally got rid of the days of making a living in the countryside.

Ma Li's family now works for Ma. Her husband is a doorman, her son is a coachman, her daughter-in-law is a needleworker, and even her two daughters are now maids at home. The eldest daughter, Grape, works with Hai Chang'an's wife, Hu, and the youngest daughter, Pomegranate, does odd jobs for Haitang. There is also a youngest son, Suozhu, who works as a servant for Hai Chang'an, but most of the time he stays at home to run errands.

Ma Li's eldest daughter Xiu Ju still stayed in the third room of the Zhou family. Her husband was Zhou Shigong's confidant and eldest son. She usually went out with Zhou Shigong. Xiu Ju worked in the sewing room. She learned sewing from her mother, which could be said to be a family skill.

The women of the Ma family were trustworthy in their needlework skills. When Ma Li's wife was called by Ma to teach Haitang needlework, she came without saying a word and gave instructions without reservation. After all, the young lady in the family could not take her job, so why should she hold back? If she taught the young lady well, she might even get more money as a reward!
Although Haitang pretended that she had limited knowledge of needlework and that she was just gifted, she was actually more knowledgeable than Ma Youli's family. After listening to Ma Youli's family's advice, she didn't spend much time to figure out the other party's level - the skills were very skilled, the needlework was very delicate, and she was especially good at making clothes for men and women in all seasons. She was a little worse at embroidery, mainly because the needlework was very ordinary, and the color matching tended to be Chang'an style, gorgeous and grand, but not delicate enough.

It seems that Aunt Ma is not suitable to be a shield.

Haitang came to this conclusion and sent Ma Li's family away on the pretext that she had learned new skills.

Ma gave Ma Li's family a red envelope and asked her to leave. Then she said to Haitang, "How is it? Did you learn something? Do you know what to do now?"

"I see." Haitang said obediently, "It doesn't look difficult, but I've never done it before, so I'm not sure. Once Aunt Ma told me, I understood."

Ma smiled and said, "That's good. I know Tangtang is the smartest. This little thing will not be difficult for you!"

Haitang smiled and showed curiosity: "Grandma, I think Aunt Ma's needlework is a little different from yours. Both the needlework and the color matching are different. Isn't she a servant of your Ma family? I thought she learned needlework in the Ma family, so it should be the same as what you learned. Even if the needlework is different, the color matching style should be consistent."

Ma understood: "You mean she sews in the style of Chang'an, but I don't, right? Of course. She learned sew in the Ma family, but I spent many years in Shanhaiguan when I was a child!"

The old man of the Ma family gave a large dowry when marrying his eldest daughter, Zhou Ma, which caused the family to suffer serious financial losses. He recommended himself for a post outside the capital and was transferred to the newly built Shanhaiguan to work as a civil servant in the local garrison. At that time, Ma was still young and had lost her mother. She had a rift with her brothers and sisters left by her first wife, so she followed her father to take up the post.

The father and daughter stayed in Shanhaiguan for several years. When the old man of the Ma family felt that he was in poor health and might not be able to hold on for much longer, he was worried that his little daughter would lose her father's protection and be at odds with her brothers and sisters, and would lose her support. So he hurriedly looked for a son-in-law for his little daughter near Shanhaiguan, and finally chose Hai Xiya, a young man from Yongping who was born in a military household. Not long after Ma got married, the old man passed away, and even her funeral was handled by her son-in-law Hai Xiya. However, less than a year later, Hai Xiya found a way to transfer to Chang'an, allowing Ma to return to her hometown smoothly and reunite with her family.

She had stayed in Shanhaiguan for several years, which was the age for her to study before getting married. Whether she was managing the household or socializing and doing needlework, she was influenced by the local customs.

Ma told Haitang that after she followed her father to take office, she had no mother to discipline her and only a frail wet nurse by her side. The folk marriage in Zhili was very picky about the girl's upbringing. Her father was worried that she would be disliked when she got married, so he sent her to the home of a respected female teacher to learn poetry, books and etiquette, and then invited a well-known needlework lady to come to the house to teach her needlework.

Ma only learned a little bit at the female teacher's house. She read the "Four Books for Women" thoroughly, but she was far from being able to recite poems and compose essays. However, she was well-mannered and dignified, and Old Master Ma was very satisfied. Ma personally liked the needlework lady who taught her needlework. She was beautiful, graceful, and spoke gently and kindly. She was always very careful when teaching her embroidery and never cursed. This needlework lady had three or four students in the local area, and their situations were similar to hers. On weekdays, she would also accept one or two orders from noble ladies, such as embroidering Guanyin Buddha statues. With her skills, she should have been more famous, but she seemed to dislike being in the limelight and was satisfied with such a relatively leisurely life without worrying about food and clothing.

However, the needlework lady was not in good health. After getting married, Ma returned to Chang'an with her husband. In the first few years, she kept in touch with her relatives and friends in Yongping Prefecture. She heard that she died of illness a few years later. When she heard the news, Ma was sad for a long time.

Although Ma did not study with this needlework teacher for a long time, her skills improved a lot. The biggest benefit was that she was influenced by his aesthetic taste. Her daily dressing, embroidery and sewing were different from the Chang'an style. She then lived in the border town for more than ten years and was influenced by the style of the Western Regions. Her aesthetic concept changed again, which is needless to say.

Haitang listened thoughtfully. She asked her grandmother, "Where is this needlework lady from? She doesn't sound like she comes from an ordinary family."

Ma said casually, "She seems to be from the capital. It is said that she originally taught needlework to the young ladies in the noble family. Because the young lady she served got married, she left and lived in Shanhaiguan."

Haitang blinked her eyes. "Is it necessary for a lady who teaches needlework in a nobleman's house to leave the mansion just because the young lady is getting married? Besides, Shanhaiguan is incomparable to the capital, right? She has to teach students anyway, so why not stay in the capital to teach?"

Ma glared at her granddaughter in disapproval, "Why are you asking so much?!" After scolding her, she still told the truth, "There are rumors that she was banished from the capital because she offended a nobleman in the capital, and she couldn't go back. She has a small reputation in Shanhaiguan, and is willing to teach students, but the slightly powerful families don't know the truth and dare not invite her to their homes. It is only because my father came from outside and was anxious to find someone to teach his daughter that he would not be picky. Otherwise, based on the teacher's talent, appearance and character, and her not being very old, someone would have come to her house to ask for her hand in marriage! Even if she didn't want to get married, she wouldn't have accepted only three or four students! How can she do embroidery in the countryside?"

Haitang immediately perked up: "Did she really never tell me what her origin was? The capital is so far away from Shanhaiguan, which noble in the capital is so powerful that she has to hide in Shanhaiguan, and she still has to be afraid of him?"

"I don't know about that." Ma spread her hands. "I respected her so much at that time. If she didn't want to talk, could I force her to tell me? That's not polite!"

Since that's the case...

"What's her name?" Haitang asked, "What did grandma call her at that time?"

"We call her Madam Mei." Ma smiled, "I don't know whether her last name is Mei or her name contains the character Mei. She never told me about her life."

It is better that one's background is unknown, so that it will be easier to write an article.

Haitang raised the corners of her mouth in satisfaction.

(End of this chapter)