29

"It's a memorial picture for Father, of course I won't rush it. I will take my time." The fish had already taken the bait, if she were to reel it in too quickly, the line would break. So, she will reel it in, loosen it a little, then reel it in again, till it reaches her hand.

"Shopkeeper, how much would the thread cost? I naturally want the best for Father, but seeing that these thread are such great quality, I'm afraid I do not have enough silver for all of them. I shall only buy the ones that I urgently need."

"Ah, Lady, don't rush. You are so young and already so filial, I am thoroughly moved. I can give Lady some of these thread. But not all the colours are here…could lady perhaps tell me your stitching speed, perhaps I can get my servants to collect all the thread faster."

"If I really do tell you, you might think that I am bluffing. I have seen many mountains and rivers pictures with Father, so I am extremely familiar with every colour and thread. If I were to rush, it would take me about two months to finish."

"Lady is telling the truth?" Although he was a bit suspicious of her claim, if it really were to be true, he might be able to get incredible benefits from it. "Excuse my rudeness, but seeing Lady and your family's clothes, I think that you belong to an ordinary family. All these high grade thread and cloth, on the other hand, are incredibly expensive."

Mu Yunyao's smile did not fade. "Shopkeeper is right. Thus, I decided to take my time to accumulate the silver that I need to buy the thread. In the end, I will still be able to finish my mountains and rivers picture."

"I have a suggestion, Lady. I can use my own wealth to give you the best thread and cloth."

Mu Yunyao's expression immediately changed into a guarded one. "Why is shopkeeper so nice?"

"Do not panic, Lady. Your Flying Needle technique has been lost for a very long time. Seeing it today has filled my heart with immense satisfaction. An elder from my family is going to have his birthday soon, if Lady has the heart to give up the picture, I will buy it at a very high price to give it to my elder as his birthday present."

"This is for Father, I do not want to sell it." Instead of begging other people to buy her picture, why don't she get them to beg her to sell it? This way, the picture will fetch an even higher price.

"I understand Lady's hesitation, but if Lady were to stitch the picture using the best thread and cloth, it might take Lady many years to get enough money to buy them. I am very aware of this fact and I don't want Lady to go through this torture. If Lady finishes stitching out the picture, it would already serve as a filial action. Then, selling it to me would earn you enough silver to make your lives better, and also allow me to be filial to my elder. That is killing three eagles with one arrow!"

(T/N: There is this Chinese phrase "一箭双雕" that means "one arrow two eagles" in the literal meaning. It has the same meaning as "killing two birds with one stone". Originally, the phrase in this story was "一举三得" which literally means "one action three benefits" which sounds a little weird? So yeah, I changed it…)

Mu Yunyao studied him. With this silver tongue of his, she could understand how he was able to become the shopkeeper of Spring Embroidery. "Shopkeeper's words do make sense."

Seeing that Mu Yunyao was starting to waver, the smile on the shopkeeper's face became even bigger. "I can see that Lady is a very kind and honest person. I will pick out some thread and send it to your home. You can think about it while stitching."

"Is this not improper?"

"I have been the shopkeeper of Spring Embroidery for many years, I do think that I have a good eye for judging people's character. Lady can definitely be trusted. Hey, I need two people to help prepare a carriage for the Lady. Also, get one batch of these cloth and thread and send it to Lady's house."

"Shopkeeper, really...," Mu Yunyao seemed very unsure.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper became even more certain with his decision. "No worries, no worries, I'm doing this to be on good terms with Lady." He would not publicise this deal. If he is successful, he would reap immense benefits from this. If this deal fails, the people who are sending the goods to this little girl's house would know her address. Dealing with a little villager girl would be as easy as lifting a finger.

(T/Nonsense: Can we just take a moment to pray that the shopkeeper has a peaceful trip to the Underworld? Or no?)