A Good Country Wife

"Then thank you so much! Since you said the Jiang Family’s industry is huge, I won’t be courteous with you." Lin Yue was thrilled and, knowing what kind of person Jiang Ziqi was, she did not bother with pretense and gladly accepted all the fabric without any pressure. A large box of embroidery threads also arrived, all of the finest quality. Whatever the Jiang Family treasury had, Jiang Ziqi had asked for a portion of it for her; there was no need to pick and choose, just leaving it all for Lin Yue would be fine.

Jiang Ziqi had other matters to take care of that day and did not plan to stay for lunch. He was about to leave when Lin Yue stopped him. Seeing such fine fabric, Lin Yue was so happy that she only now remembered she had another favor to ask of him, "Big Brother Jiang, wait for a moment, I have something to request from you, also related to the embroidery work."

"Oh? What is it? Do you still need some materials?" Jiang Ziqi could only think of materials in relation to the embroidery work.

"No, I would like a portrait of the Empress Dowager. Big Brother Jiang, could you help me obtain one?" Once Lin Yue confirmed the identity, she could act without reservations. Seeing Jiang Ziqi hesitate, Lin Yue did not beat around the bush; after all, Jiang Ziqi was the buyer of the embroidery work. Even if she had an idea, she had to seek his approval before proceeding.

Lin Yue shared her rough plan with Jiang Ziqi, who, upon hearing it, lit up with approval. His gaze towards Lin Yue grew even more fervent, "Yueyue is truly ingenious, thinking of such a method. I can imagine the Empress Dowager will be delighted when she sees your embroidery. Let’s do it this way. I trust Yueyue’s abilities."

"There is no need to look for it; I’ll draw it for you right now." Jiang Ziqi, as an aristocrat raised by his family from a young age, was not only skilled in medicine but also quite good at painting. Having frequented the court, he was very familiar with Empress Dowager Huici. Therefore, instead of looking elsewhere, he took paper and ink from Lin Yue and drew a portrait of Empress Dowager Huici, which he then handed over to Lin Yue. He instructed her to take good care of the portrait and to destroy it immediately after its use.

Lin Yue was well aware of the severe implications and earnestly promised to do so. It was, after all, a portrait of the current Empress Dowager Huici, drawn by Jiang Ziqi himself. If anything went wrong, she would be unable to bear the consequences.

There was no rush to embroider the Longevity Picture. Lin Yue carefully stored away the fabrics and threads Jiang Ziqi had sent. In the next few days, Lin Yue put aside other tasks and decided to first finish making the baby clothes for Zhao Xinglin’s son. Choosing an auspicious number, she made a total of eight sets in different styles, four for indoor wear and four for outdoor. Once finished, Lin Yue felt a great weight lift from her heart. With some leisure and mood over the past two days, Lin Yue was eager to take a walk in the mountains with Zhao Erhu.

The season was ripe with various game and mountain delicacies, and with Zhao Erhu present, she didn’t have to worry about safety. However, at that moment, Zhao Erhu was busy fertilizing and watering the vegetables in the field and planned to finish these tasks before heading to the mountains the next day. Lin Yue, on a whim, could hardly hold back and insisted on dragging Zhao Erhu into the mountains immediately.