Chapter 497 - 33: Beautiful Rattan Mat
Around the edges of the mat, a deep colored satin is used, embellished with patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water, and the stitches are also very neatly finished. The young woman stroked it with her hand, finding it very soft to the touch and highly skin-friendly; she already liked this Purple Vine Mat quite a bit.
Although Xiao Xian had picked out the Purple Vine Mat, when she saw the mat, she was still taken by surprise, not knowing who possessed such good craftsmanship to weave such a fine mat.
"This Purple Vine Mat is purely handwoven. If you take a closer look, you’ll notice that each rattan strip is carefully selected, almost proportional in length and width. It’s particularly good at being moth-proof and slip-resistant, and this type of rattan is also imported from North Korea, which has a long lifespan. It’s gentle and nourishing when slept on, and the longer it’s used, the better it feels." This statement left both the buyers and sellers momentarily astounded.
There was a clatter as someone among the diners couldn’t even hold their chopsticks anymore.
"Hearing you say that, I think there’s some truth to it. How much is this set of Purple Vine Mats?" Actually, neither Xiao Xian nor the salespeople noticed the fleeting wistfulness in the young woman’s eyes when she saw the rattan mat.
In fact, the young woman was not entirely ignorant about mats; she did know a bit about them.
The young woman was not someone who could easily be fooled; her family was not well-off during her childhood.
Water buffaloes and straw mats had once been luxury items in her life, and Xiao Xian’s words today inadvertently stirred her emotions.
Everyone has a childhood, even if that childhood wasn’t affluent, especially as one grows older, childhood memories become like yellowed old photos, perhaps no longer exquisite, yet immensely precious.
For the young woman, now adorned in gold and silver, her childhood was far beyond what city folks could imagine.
Her parents worked in the fields, and she and her brother helped along the edges, wishing she had a water buffalo at home to help lighten her parents’ burdens.
What she often did was stand by the river at the edge of the village, enviously watching neighbors leading their water buffaloes to soak in the river, listening to their deep mooing.
As she grew older, every early spring, her mother and the women from the village gathered around rush grass, weaving straw mats together to supplement household income. Although life was tough back then, her health was good, and her complexion was always rosy, without the need for expensive cosmetics to cover dark circles or pallor.
As the young woman touched the new cool mat Xiao Xian brought out, which was indeed purely handcrafted and well-finished, she sincerely nodded her head.
"One thousand two hundred, this Purple Vine Mat isn’t part of any promotion," Xiao Xian, having realized the young woman liked purchasing high-priced products, immediately restored the promoted Purple Vine Mat to its original price, and with a swift motion, pulled the mat back. Watching Xiao Xian’s composure, a trace of admiration flashed in the young woman’s eyes.
"This one is good, it’s very nice, seems reliable for a good sleep," the young woman took out a stack of cash and handed it to the cashier.
The cashier snapped back to reality, hurried over to count the money, and the two salespeople nearby lost interest in their meal, becoming fidgety as they stood up, wondering who had initially called Xiao Xian an amateur.
"The mat is new, but it’s best to wipe it with lukewarm water before using it, and then let it dry. A good mat, just like a person, needs gentle care," Xiao Xian reminded, while the young woman seemed to listen indifferently, took the mat, and before leaving, she turned her head to look back at Xiao Xian, as if trying to find something on her.
After the young woman walked away, seeing the two saleswomen standing awkwardly aside, Xiao Xian gave them a glance, one of them took the initiative to pick up the flyers and went out to distribute.
The cashier pulled Xiao Xian aside, full of admiration, "No wonder Manager Mao recommended you, you really know the mats," Xiao Xian was too embarrassed to explain, her comment about buffalo leather was indeed a lucky guess.
This morning, while she was distributing flyers on the commercial street, she had just encountered a couple returning buffalo leather they bought for their child, saying the child had stomach troubles after sleeping on it, her comment earlier was just seizing the moment to expound.
After a busy day, as Xiao Xian was about to finish her shift, Mao Dazhu came over, hands behind his back, leisurely checking on the work. The cashier reported Xiao Xian’s performance throughout the day without missing a word, listening to Mao Dazhu nod continuously.
Taking the opportunity when Xiao Xian was leaving, Mao Dazhu praised her a lot.
"Master, does your flower art company only sell mats?" More than being praised, what Xiao Xian wanted to ask was about the real business of Five Gentlemen Flower Art. Mei Nian surely wouldn’t want her to come just to learn how to identify different mats.
"Xiao Xian, how can you belittle your master like that? Your master’s flower art company has a lot more to offer, you’ll know in time," Mao Dazhu said, clearly brushing off the question. Xiao Xian pursed her lips and didn’t expose him, anyway, there was still a month or so, she would find a chance to ask more from the driver who last helped drive to Yanqing Farm, who seemed much more reliable than Mao Dazhu.
The young woman who bought the mat during the day had already returned to her residence. She spread out the Purple Vine Mat, didn’t let the hourly worker help, but carried a bucket of lukewarm water herself and carefully wiped it again and again, not in a hurry to lay it on the bed, but just placed it on the sofa of her beautifully decorated apartment.
"Meixin, what are you doing? I kept ringing the doorbell but you didn’t respond," the person in charge of Yanqing Milk Factory walked in, seeing his sister sitting on the sofa, staring blankly at the mat.
"Brother, why is it only you? Where is Brother Chong?" The world is so small, the young woman who bought the Purple Vine Mat sold by Xiao Xian today, is indeed Huang Tengchong’s mistress.
"Brother-in-law is busy. I just accompanied him back from Mingkun Lake after checking the Hairy Crabs, then he went off to meet guests from Europe. Don’t always look so gloomy, look, brother-in-law’s business is growing bigger; all you need to do now is dress yourself up beautifully, find a chance to kick his wife out, and stop fussing over these worthless trinkets," the head of the milk feed factory sat right on the Purple Vine Mat, Meixin bit her lips, remaining silent.
**
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Regarding this mat, well, if you’re interested, guess who wove it, leading to the next plot twist
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