I Became a Medical Genius in the 80s
Chapter 20: Baoniang Embroidery Workshop

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Baoniang Embroidery Workshop

"Big sister, how much is this handkerchief?" Beisitian asked.

"Five cents for two, ten cents for five! Handkerchiefs are something you need to replace often, so buying a few more is convenient for whatever you need. Miss, would you like to get twenty cents’ worth?" the big sister said with a cheerful smile.

Beisitian wouldn’t buy this handkerchief even if she had money. They were thick, and the embroidery was terribly poor. There were several loose threads left on the little red flowers.

Beisitian chuckled and said, "It’s certainly cheap, but the embroidery is too poor. Do you have any with better craftsmanship?"

"For something you use to blow your nose and wipe your face, the embroidery quality doesn’t really matter; as long as it works, it’s fine. It’s just a handkerchief; who would put effort into this? If you want to see good embroidery, take a look at this curtain. The embroidery on this is quite good; all done by professional embroidery women!" The seller brought out a curtain embroidered with big peonies.

Beisitian glanced at it and didn’t want to look any further. Although there were no obvious loose threads on it, the embroidery was very coarse, and it didn’t appeal to Beisitian at all.

At such a stall, even if Beisitian showed her own craftsmanship, the seller probably wouldn’t accept it. So she merely glanced and left.

After visiting a couple more handkerchief stalls, Beisitian found that the quality was quite similar, leaving her somewhat disappointed.

At these temporary markets, you couldn’t expect much in terms of craftsmanship. They served the needs of people from nearby areas, and in such times of material scarcity, being able to eat and stay warm was enough. Asking for anything more would be a bit too much.

Beisitian, feeling a bit down, was prepared to head back to meet up with Mrs. Qin but paused as she passed by a shoe stall.

The small tiger-head shoes were very cute. What caught her attention most was the embroidery on the shoes. Although the workmanship still seemed coarse to her, it was way better than anything else at the market, drawing her gaze.

"Auntie, how much are the tiger-head shoes?" Beisitian asked.

The auntie looked Beisitian over. Although she was very young, in the countryside, girls married and had children at sixteen or seventeen, but at twenty without marrying, she’d be considered an old maid.

The reason she scrutinized Beisitian was because she seemed so frail. How would she care for a child if she had one?

She looked like someone who wouldn’t be able to nurse.

However, that wasn’t the auntie’s concern. With a smile, she said, "Three dollars and fifty cents for a pair! My shoes are the most expensive at this market, but they sell the best too!"

Afraid the price might scare Beisitian away, she quickly added a follow-up.

Beisitian believed that. Just looking at the embroidery, they probably wouldn’t sell poorly.

"They are quite expensive," Beisitian responded.

Hearing this, the auntie hastily said, "There’s naturally a good reason for the high price. Look at this craftsmanship. The shoe soles are thick yet soft, perfect for children. Look at the stitches on these shoe tops, so fine you can’t even notice them unless you look closely. But that’s not the best part. Look at the tiger design; it’s done with over ten colors of thread and looks almost alive. Try to find another pair of tiger-head shoes with embroidery like this! And look in here, there’s not only no threads outside, but also inside! Kids wearing shoes with internal loose threads is a hassle; they can wrap around toes easily. Buy these and they’ll never have that trouble!"

Beisitian examined the tiger-head shoes inside and out. This auntie’s words could easily sway an average person.

"The embroidery is indeed good. Did you do this yourself, Auntie?" Beisitian followed up with a question.

Seeing that Beisitian seemed persuaded, the auntie added even more, "I don’t have such skill." She looked around and leaned slightly closer to whisper to Beisitian, "You seem kind-hearted, so I’ll let you in on a secret. These shoes are all sourced from Baoniang Embroidery Workshop, costing me three dollars per pair. Selling them for three fifty, I don’t really profit!"

Beisitian inwardly found it amusing. Not making a profit? Who would come to set up a stall early in the morning if there was no profit?

She knew this, but didn’t call her out. The common theme among small vendors is that they always say they’re not making money, so please don’t haggle.

"Baoniang Embroidery Workshop, huh? I’ve heard of it. In that case, these shoes are quite good," nodded Beisitian. "Alright, I’ll come to buy them next time."

Saying this, she walked off without looking back, leaving the shoe-seller aunt stunned in place, only recovering when Beisitian disappeared into the crowd. Why ask so much without buying, she wondered, giving the vanished figure a big eye-roll!

Beisitian decided not to sell her handkerchiefs at the market anymore. No one would buy them for fifty cents apiece, so she thought about visiting Baoniang Embroidery Workshop.

She had indeed heard of Baoniang Embroidery Workshop, through Mrs. Qin’s mouth. Back when Mrs. Qin still had her sight, most of her hand-made shoes were sold there. Because of her good skill, they fetched a higher price than at the market.

Baoniang Embroidery Workshop, why hadn’t she thought of it before? It’s probably because Mrs. Qin hadn’t mentioned it for a long time.

Wasting no more time, since the market only spanned three streets, it wasn’t very large, she reckoned Mrs. Qin had gone to buy pork and headed straight that way.

Soon, she saw Luo Anping walking out hand in hand with Mrs. Qin.

Beisitian quickly caught up with them.

Upon spotting her, Luo Anping greeted with a big smile, "Sis, you’re back! Did you see anything interesting?"

Beisitian felt a bit guilty. Luo Anping must have wanted to wander around and have fun too. She initially thought of telling him to go play, but then reconsidered. Although this market was frequented by locals, it was still too chaotic for a five or six-year-old to run around alone, so she dismissed the thought.

Once Mrs. Qin’s eyes healed, Luo Anping wouldn’t need to be her eyes anymore.

"Mother, let me carry the basket," Beisitian said, taking the basket off Mrs. Qin’s back.

The basket was already filled with things, two big pieces of pork—one lean, one purely fatty—and various odds and ends.

Among those odds and ends, apart from daily necessities, there was actually a small bag of colored thread and a small box of embroidery needles. Additionally, there was a stack of yellow paper and a small box of ink!

"Mother..." Beisitian’s call of ’mother’ was heartfelt. She hadn’t expected that in such tight times, Mrs. Qin would still buy her these things.

In her previous life, with many siblings, her mother favored the sons and the youngest daughter. As the middle daughter, doing well was expected, failing was met with scolding and punishment. Her mother aimed to match her with a good family, hence the strictness. But after she ’destroyed’ her own prospects, her mother’s attitude towards her turned cold.

When her parents, under family pressure, agreed to send her to a family temple, she harbored no more expectations.

In this life, her mother-in-law, who should have been naturally hostile, surprisingly treated her well. Mrs. Qin might be sharp-tongued, but her heart was soft.