Chapter 115 – Dressed as a Girl
Since crossing over, Yan Xiaosi rarely looked in the mirror.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but the third branch of the Yan family was so poor that even mice wouldn’t bother to visit – they had no mirror for her to look at.
In this era, mirrors were typically made of cast copper and were considered a luxury only affordable by wealthy families. For those who were less fortunate, a basin of water served as their makeshift mirror, offering a less clear reflection. Whenever Yan Xiaosi washed her face, she would catch a glimpse of herself in the water, but the image was never clear enough to truly appreciate her features. With her focus primarily on cultivating in her portable space, she rarely took the time to examine her own body in the mirror. Consequently, despite spending a considerable amount of time in this world, her understanding of her own appearance remained vague, limited to the knowledge of a vivid red mole adorning the corner of her right eye.
Noticing the amazed looks on the faces of her mother and three sisters, Yan Xiaosi reached out to touch her own face.
Witnessing the astonishment on the faces of the four women, Yan Xiaosi couldn’t help but wonder if her beauty, when adorned in women’s attire, had the power to incite jealousy among both humans and gods.
“Big sister, second sister, third sister, look at you all, you’re drooling over me.”
Yan Shuqin and her two sisters instinctively reached out to touch the corners of their mouths, but to their relief, they didn’t find any drool. They realized Yan Xiaosi had been teasing them.
Yan Shuqin glared at Yan Xiaosi and said, “Xiaosi, you little rascal.”
Yan Xiaosi playfully raised an arched eyebrow, her mischievous gaze sweeping over her three sisters who wore pouting expressions. With a smirk, she teasingly remarked, “Big sister, second sister, third sister, now that you see how good I look, do you all want to marry me?”
Yan Shuxue blushed and said, “Xiaosi, your words are getting less and less serious.”
Yan Shuyun stamped her foot shyly, “Mom, you need to control Xiaosi.”
“Mom, I was wrong.” Afraid of Ms. Zhong’s nagging, Yan Xiaosi quickly apologized. “I just wanted to make my three sisters laugh.”
From the moment they left the dilapidated grass temple in the morning until now, Ms. Zhong and the three sisters hadn’t smiled.
“Mom, big sister, second sister, third sister, as long as our family of five is together, even if we live in a cave, we will be happy. Trust me, it won’t take long for me to take you all away from here and move into a big house.”
Yan Xiaosi’s full of confidence gave Yan Shuqin and her sisters a glimpse of hope.
Finally, smiles spread across the faces of the three sisters.
Yan Shuqin said, “Second sister, third sister, we should not be afraid. Xiaosi is right. As long as our loved ones are around, anywhere can be home. Xiaosi is the youngest in our family, and she’s not afraid, we three older sisters should learn from her.”
The sisters’ despondency vanished in an instant.
Watching her daughters glowing as usual, Ms. Zhong smiled happily.
At this moment, Yan Shuyun handed her own clothes to Yan Xiaosi. “Xiaosi, Mom has already tied up your hair in a girl’s bun, hurry up and take off the men’s clothing you’re wearing and put on these women’s clothes.”
Yan Xiaosi lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the clothes handed over by Yan Shuyun.
Yan Shuyun’s clothes, adorned with delicate floral patterns, displayed a slight fading from repeated washing, but they remained free from any visible patches. This set of clothing was likely her newest addition. Each of the three sisters possessed only two or three sets of clothes, which they would continuously mend and patch. Clothes that were slightly faded from washing and lacked patches were considered their best attire, reserved for special occasions like New Year celebrations, holidays, or visits to Daxing Town for the market.
Yan Shuyun, without a moment of hesitation, graciously offered her best set of clothes to Yan Xiaosi, a gesture that deeply touched Yan Xiaosi’s heart.
“Third sister, this is your finest set of clothes. I’ve noticed how you rarely wear it, even when we went to the market in Daxing Town. And yet, you’re now giving it to me,” Yan Xiaosi expressed, a mix of gratitude and surprise evident in her voice.
Yan Shuyun smiled and said, “I’m your older sister, you’re my younger sister. As an older sister, it’s my responsibility to take care of my little sister, to make her look pretty.”
“Thank you, third sister.”
“Listen to your third sister, quickly change into it.”
Sigh.
Touched by Yan Shuyun’s kindness, Yan Xiaosi couldn’t bring herself to refuse. She nodded in agreement and proceeded to remove her male clothing, replacing them with the women’s attire that Yan Shuyun had offered.
“Third sister, you have given me your finest set of clothes today. In return, I promise that in the future, I will bring you the most exquisite silk and satin garments,” Yan Xiaosi pledged with gratitude and determination.
She wasn’t saying this lightly.
Someday, she would use her own ability to create enormous wealth, and make her mother and three sisters as beautiful as flowers.
“Xiaosi, your third sister believes in your words.”
Yan Shuyun was moved by her words, when suddenly she heard Yan Xiaosi exclaim: “Ouch.”
The women’s clothing in the Great Chu Dynasty was much more complex in design than men’s. This was the first time Yan Xiaosi was wearing women’s clothes. As she pulled the collar to fasten the buttons, she was a little too forceful and ripped a button off with a snap.
“Third sister, look at my clumsiness. I ruined your clothes.”
Holding the button in her hand, Yan Xiaosi looked embarrassed.
Yan Shuyun had a helpless expression, “It’s just a bit of damage, I can sew it up. But Xiaosi, you really don’t act like a young lady. Having a pretty face isn’t enough for a girl, you also need to be graceful and intelligent…”
Listening to Yan Shuyun’s sermon, Yan Xiaosi felt a twinge in her brow and pushed her, “Third sister, hurry up and get the needle and thread to sew the button back on.”
Yan Shuyun fetched the needle and thread, threaded the needle, and swiftly mended the torn clothes. The stitches were so fine they resembled embroidery.
“Third sister, have you ever thought about opening an embroidery shop in the Great Chu Dynasty one day?”
Yan Shuyun loved embroidery. Her biggest dream was to be an embroiderer in an embroidery shop, earning a steady income each month. But she didn’t dare to fantasize about opening her own embroidery shop.
Lowering her head, Yan Shuyun used her teeth to bite off the thread and then handed the mended clothes back to Yan Xiaosi. “Xiaosi, opening an embroidery shop isn’t as simple as you make it sound. Finding a spacious shop is just one of the many challenges. Unfortunately, our family doesn’t have the means to achieve that,” she explained with a touch of regret in her voice.
“So, third sister, you do have the desire to open an embroidery shop.”
As Yan Xiaosi said this, her eyes shifted, looking towards Ms. Zhong, “Mom, how much would it cost to rent a two-story shop in Daxing Town of our Xize County for a month?”
Ms. Zhong, who usually stayed in the village and occasionally went to the market in Daxing Town to sell firewood, had no idea about renting shops. However, she had some knowledge because Yan’s second family had rented a shop to open a tavern in Daxing Town over a decade ago.
After some thought, she answered Yan Xiaosi, “Over a decade ago, when your second uncle and aunt first started doing business in Daxing Town, they rented a shop. For a two-story building, the monthly rent was about one or two silver taels.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Xiaosi furrowed her brows in concern. She knew that a two-story shop that cost a monthly rent of one or two silver taels over a decade ago would have likely increased significantly since then. Without utilizing the assets in her portable space, opening an embroidery shop would be quite difficult.
