The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme - Chapter 517:
Chapter 517: Chapter 504: Wiping Tears
Zhuang Qingning’s corners of her mouth, which had just started to lift in a smile, suddenly sagged again.
Just as someone had warned her, these everyday tasks were tailored to her specific circumstances, and they targeted her weakness.
Sewing was the thing she was least skilled in. Even though she had done much work under the supervision of Zhuang Ruman and Mrs. Song in this body before, she had always been bad at sewing.
Getting her to sew soles was not an easy task.
However, in order to repay her labor credits as soon as possible so that she could facilitate the exchange of what she needed in the future, she had to tackle this arduous task!
Zhuang Qingning silently psyched herself up.
It just so happened that Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Mingli had gone to Qingzhuyuan together with Chu Jinzhou today and they were not likely to return until tomorrow. This was good, in case she messed up when she first started, Zhuang Qingsui wouldn’t see it.
Sewing soles requires a large needle, hemp rope, and material for the sole.
She had the first two at home, but that last thing…
The material for soles was typically made from the worn-out, irreparable clothes of farmers, cut into sections, smeared with paste, then layered on the cloth, each layer glued on top of one another until it was about half an inch thick. The layered cloth was then dried under the sun.
Once it was dried, the cloth was cut according to the size of the foot to produce a suitable shoe sole, ready to be sewn.
Zhuang Qingning’s family didn’t have this material.
After some thought, Zhuang Qingning put on an extra coat and headed to Zhuang Yonghe’s house, intending to ask Mrs. He to borrow a shoe sole.
“Miss Ning is here.”, Mrs. He was the only one at home. On seeing Zhuang Qingning, she hurriedly invited her in and offered her a hot cup of tea. “Warm your hands.”
“In such cold weather, why have you come?”
“I wanted to come and ask aunt to borrow a shoe sole. I wanted to learn how to sew soles.”
Zhuang Qingning was speaking, she noticed some red in Mrs. He’s eyes and tear stains on her face, which made her somewhat puzzled. “Auntie, what’s the matter…”
“Did something happen?”
“Nothing, nothing, I just lit the stove, the charcoal was smoky…” Mrs. He waved her hands, not lifting her head and giving a vague explanation.
Although she said that, as Mrs. He spoke, her voice started to quiver and her tears began to fall.
Perhaps realizing that she couldn’t hold back her emotions, Mrs. He stopped trying. She just covered her face and began to cry softly.
Zhuang Qingning guessed Mrs. He must be upset about something. Seeing her reaction, Zhuang Qingning was taken aback. She quickly helped Mrs. He to sit down on a stool nearby. Without pressing her about what had upset her so much, she simply sat beside her in silence, gently rubbing her back.
Mrs. He sobbed for a while, about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Whether it was because venting her feelings made her feel better, or she was embarrassed to be crying in front of Zhuang Qingning, she gradually stopped sobbing, drying her tears on her sleeve.
“Auntie, what happened?” Zhuang Qingning finally asked.
Mrs. He’s eyes, which had just been dried, now welled up with tears again. After a while, she said awkwardly, “I don’t know how to begin explaining it…”
Especially in front of a junior like Zhuang Qingning.
“Auntie, you are crying so hard, it must be something really difficult. If I keep it to myself and don’t know what to do, why not talk to me?”
Zhuang Qingning spoke softly, “You always said before, there is nobody at home to whom you can talk freely. Although I am not a close confidante, I am a friend you can rely on, right? Why can’t you say anything to me?”
Usually, Mrs. He seemed soft and weak, but Zhuang Qingning understood that she was quite strong internally.
The fact that she was crying now indicated that the situation was very serious.
Mrs. He looked at Zhuang Qinging after hearing her comforting words. Her eyes rimmed red again, and after a few gulps, she finally started to speak with difficulty, “In a few years my nephew is going to marry, as his aunt, I decide to visit my natal home to see if there is anything we need to prepare…”
“I didn’t manage to arrange anything before my sister-in-law took me aside and told me to look after your Uncle Yonghe a bit more in the future.”
“I initially thought that it was because it was nearing the end of the year and the workshops were busy. Also, all the matters at home fell onto your Uncle’s shoulders, she just wanted me to help him a bit more and give him some rest to avoid overworking. I hurriedly assured her that I would, and mentioned that it was just for a couple of days and once the business is over, it would be fine.”
“But my sister-in-law gave a sigh and told me that when I was living with them before, I was naive and still am, that I don’t plan for anything or prevent contingencies. When I heard this, I became confused and quickly asked her what she meant.”
“She said that in the past when our family was poor and barely managed to scrape by, we were too busy with basic survival to worry about extraneous matters, but now that we live in comfort, we naturally have more concerns. Even the landlord, with a few more baskets of grain in his house, would consider taking in a concubine. Our family is doing so well now, there are bound to be people who harbor more ideas.”
“At that moment I understood she was referring to your uncle Yonghe. I told her that Yonghe is an honest man who will never commit such deeds. But she reminded me that while Yonghe might be honest, he can’t guard against the cunning of others. Recently there have been rumors in the village that Mrs. Liu, a widow from our hometown, has an ambiguous relationship with Uncle Yonghe.”
“Initially, I didn’t believe those rumors. I have known Yonghe for many years and I understand his character. Moreover, Mrs. Liu has a notorious reputation, and even she would occasionally make inappropriate remarks. I thought that she might not happy with our family and deliberately spread these rumors to damage our reputation.”
“But the rumor detail every mismatch, and it was even mentioned that when my nephew went to the bride’s house to deliver the betrothal gift, he saw Mrs. Liu giving a handkerchief to Uncle Yonghe… I, I just…”
On hearing this, Zhuang Qingning also felt a heavy heart.
On the day of Mrs. He’s nephew’s engagement, Zhuang Qingning came to visit Mrs. He because she had heard Mrs. He had caught a cold. As a result, she met Zhuang Yonghe who was in a hurry to get home. He said he had a stomach upset and diarrhea.
At the time, Zhuang Qingning had been puzzled since if he had diarrhea, he wouldn’t be able to walk so far back home. This meant that he probably wasn’t seriously ill.
