jdhmnovel Chapter 120 Recruitment
Chapter 120 Recruitment
Having invented a new skill and with the financial support of Ye Jincheng, Shui Qinghua, Jinlan and Ji Fei quickly set up a new embroidery workshop.
Ye Jincheng showed great sincerity this time. The embroidery workshop was not located outside Zhengyang Gate, where every inch of land is worth a lot of money, even though this is the most prosperous place for business in Beijing. It is said that it will not be in the market, so it is not. I don't know how Ye Jincheng arranged it, but he actually found a very elegant garden on the edge of the outer city.
Shui Qinghua had visited this garden. As soon as he entered, he felt like he was trapped in a maze. He saw endless buildings, surrounded by clear water, and mountains in all directions. There was a mirror-like lake in the garden. From the invisible center of the lake, melodious fishermen's songs could be heard from afar. At night, the clouds and mists retreated, and lights rose on the lakeside. There were several wooden boats below the shore, and the sky was full of stars and a bright moon, shining brightly.
Riding on a wooden boat, sailing along amidst the sounds of oars and lights, a small building looms in the shadow of the beautiful scenery, looking like a mirage from afar. Who would have thought that such an elegant place is actually a private embroidery workshop?
The interior decoration of the embroidery workshop was drawn by Ji Zimo himself. In contrast to the magnificent style of Jingxiufang, Shuixiufang seeks to be light and elegant, and to make light of heavy things. Although it takes a lot of effort, it must give people a feeling of being light and natural, which is what literati and poets love.
In order to echo Shui Qinghua's embroidery logo "Hibiscus Garden Embroidery", Ye Jincheng spent a lot of money to temporarily change the name of the garden to Hibiscus Garden, and planned to plant a batch of hibiscus trees around the small building to suit the scene. It was really well-intentioned.
The embroidery workshop has both the shell and the lining, but the problem now is that there is no one.
Shui Qinghua also tried to recruit existing embroiderers on the market, but after trying them out, almost none of them were available. Natural embroidery is already an extremely complex technique that is not easy to master, and random needle embroidery is even more difficult. Without a solid foundation in painting and a lack of perception of light and shadow, it is almost impossible to achieve the requirements.
"To embroider Furong Garden, only those who have read books and those who have painted can do so. This is my recruitment standard." Shui Qinghua was not willing to lower the requirements at all.
Ye Jincheng was worried. With people who studied painting, who would be the embroiderer? He had already invested a lot of money. As long as the embroidery workshop was not open, his cost would be wasted.
Shui Qinghua was also worried. She sat in the main room, staring blankly at the hanging flower door. A figure flashed before her eyes, and her elder sister came back from outside.
Shui Qinghua was stunned. She realized that she hadn't seen her elder sister for a long time. What was she busy with every day?
Shui Qinghua called Shui Minghua and found that after not seeing her for many days, she looked very good. Her hair was casually tied up in a high bun, and she was wearing a plain dress. Her face was rosy and her eyes were bright. She was still full of energy and free and unrestrained.
"I've been very busy lately. In addition to the elementary school, I've also started an adult school with Mr. Yu."
"Adult school?"
"Yes, Mr. Yu believes that for the court to prosper, it is inseparable from two things: one is industry, the other is education. What he wants to do is to enlighten the people. Our school not only teaches reading and writing, but also teaches crafts, such as farming, pottery making, carpentry..." Shui Minghua listed them all.
"Wait!" Shui Qinghua interrupted her and asked excitedly, "Is there anyone learning embroidery?"
Shui Minghua shook her head: "No, we haven't found a teacher to teach embroidery yet. Second sister, you can do it!"
Shui Qinghua looked embarrassed and told her elder sister all her problems.
"It's not that I don't want to teach, but I'm really worried about opening an embroidery workshop and I don't have time."
Shui Minghua suddenly said: "Second sister, there are many women who read and paint in our school."
Shui Qinghua's eyes lit up.
Shui Minghua lowered her voice and said, "There are several girls who seemed to be rich ladies in the past, but later fell into poverty and were taken in by Mr. Yu. They are good at reading and painting, but never show their faces in public. Now Mr. Yu has arranged for them to take care of children and do miscellaneous chores in the elementary school. Their lives are quite difficult."
Shui Qinghua frowned. If the rich girl in trouble had a complicated background, it would be hard to tell whether it would be a blessing or a curse for her to use her.
The next day, Shui Qinghua followed her elder sister to the quiet little courtyard hidden in the large compound.
Mr. Yu was wearing light blue clothes today. Shui Qinghua found that he was very suitable for wearing light colors. He was really as gentle as jade. He recognized Shui Qinghua at a glance: "You are Minghua's second sister. I haven't seen you for a long time."
After the greetings, Shui Qinghua quickly stated her demands.
Mr. Yu listened with a smile, his eyes brightened: "There are indeed such girls in the elementary school. They were once born into rich families, and they are proficient in everything. But later they fell into trouble because of the decline of their families. If you can help them, we will all be grateful."
Shui Qinghua looked worried: "Mr. Yu, let me be frank. I don't know why their families fell into poverty. Will employing them bring trouble to the embroidery workshop?"
Mr. Yu's face was covered with a trace of pain that disappeared in an instant. He looked solemn and gentle, "Mrs. Ji, the past is their scar, I'm sorry I can't mention it. I can only guarantee that although these women have suffered, they are now clean. They also want to be self-reliant, but they are still unable to get rid of their inner demons, and they lack an opportunity."
Shui Qinghua pondered for a while and said, "Mr. Yu, in this case, I would like to meet these women first."
Mr. Yu nodded, slid the wooden wheel, and personally led them to a courtyard. The courtyard was narrow and low, and there lived five or six women, the youngest in her twenties and the oldest in her forties. They were dressed simply, and although they were past their prime, they still had beautiful faces.
Mr. Yu whispered a few words to them, and then a younger woman led them over to pay their respects. From the way they walked and saluted, it could be seen that each of them had received a good upbringing. Perhaps because they had experienced a huge change, everyone looked a little unconfident and their eyes were evasive.
Shui Qinghua looked at them and softly told them her needs. "Ordinary embroidery uses the idea of craftsmanship, but my embroidery uses the idea of painting. Women who don't know how to paint cannot enter my embroidery workshop. I wonder if you have this ability."
After hearing this, the women's eyes lit up with hope. The leading woman stepped forward and said in a trembling voice, "Madam Ji, we have all been studying and painting since elementary school, and we are not inferior to others in needlework. But, as your embroiderer, do I need to show my face in public and attract customers?" The other women also looked at Shui Qinghua eagerly, their eyes full of expectation.
Shui Qinghua sighed in her heart. The Ji family had been in poverty for many years, and she had longed for an opportunity to earn money and improve her family's financial situation. Looking at the earnest eyes, she gave a reassurance: "No need. I have a garden, and I can allocate a yard for you to live in. You just need to work, and someone will take care of the outside affairs."
The women were relieved, tears welling up in their eyes. "Mrs. Ji, please recruit us!"