The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

Chapter 519: Chapter 506: Wimp

“Why do you suddenly want to make shoe soles? Are you thinking of making a pair of shoes for yourself? If you’re not in a hurry, I can glue them for you today and they’ll be ready in a couple of days.”

“Well, it’s urgent and not urgent at the same time…” Zhuang Qingning scratched her ear.

It is basically something she needed to complete. There was no other major purpose for it.

Zhuang Qingning casually looked at the bamboo basket used for sewing and spotted a pair of freshly carved unmade soles. She reached out and picked them up, “Aren’t these shoe soles?”

“These were just carved out for your Uncle Yonghe to make a pair of shoes, and they were left aside after that, I didn’t have time to finish them.” Seeing Zhuang Qingning’s persistence about these shoe soles, Mrs. He said, “These soles could be used. I know your shoe size. I could trim them for you now.”

As Mrs. He spoke, she went to get the scissors.

“No need, really.” Zhuang Qingning swiftly persuaded her, “It’s wasteful to alter the finished soles. Let’s leave them as they are. I will bring them back after sewing them and then return them to you.”

“To be honest with you, I didn’t come for the soles because I wanted to make shoes for myself. I just wanted to practice a bit…”

“As we grow older, it won’t be right if we can’t do a little bit of needlework…”

“I’m not sure what to practice on, so I figured I would start with Uncle Yonghe’s shoes. Don’t mind the end result.”

Zhuang Qingning casually fibbed.

“Right.” Mrs. He nodded her head.

No matter how capable or noble a girl is, she must learn some needlework. This is for convenience, after all, in the future, she would have to sew her own clothes.

Even when she gets married, the gifts she gives to her in-laws and clothes she makes for her husband are all necessary tasks.

It’s better to be prepared early.

“You can take it back and give it a try.” Mrs. He found a piece of cloth, wrapped up the two soles, and handed them to Zhuang Qingning. She also gave Zhuang Qingning a bundle of thread that had been prepared, “This is hemp rope thread. I’ve already twisted it for you. You should use this for sewing, as a small needle won’t hold up against these thick soles.”

“Ok, I understand.” Zhuang Qingning took them, saw Zhuang Yonghe outside by the stove, moved closer to Mrs. He and lowered her voice, “Auntie, I still have to ask. In everything, it’s best to voice out.”

“Just like these shoe soles, if I didn’t say anything, you would assume I’m making shoes for myself. But I clarified, so now you know I want to practice.”

“If you don’t ask Uncle Yonghe about this matter, you’ll be left guessing. If you ask clearly, it might turn out there’s nothing at all…”

“I understand.” Mrs. He nodded.

Zhuang Qingning saw Mrs. He’s serious face and knew Mrs. He had taken her words to heart. She said no more, picked up the shoe soles with a smile, and said, “I’ll be going now.”

Having said that, she grabbed the shoe soles and left. In the entryway, she said goodbye to Zhuang Yonghe.

“Go slow, Miss Ning.” Zhuang Yonghe lifted the curtain for Zhuang Qingning. He didn’t let it drop until she was out of sight. He then sat back down in front of the small heater and rubbed his hands, “It’s really cold today. My hands were too cold to be outside.”

“Luckily Miss Ning had all the workers make cotton gloves. Now even the people working outdoors don’t feel the cold in their hands. The cotton gloves, I don’t know how Miss Ning instructed them to sew them, but they’re lightweight, soft, and warm, and don’t impede work.”

“Right, when you have time these days, make some warm sleeves. I see Mingli and Qingsui need to protect their hands when they study. Even though the house is warm and they won’t freeze their hands, it’s a bit chilly. Having a warm sleeve around the wrist would be cozy…”

Hearing Zhuang Yonghe’s continued chatter, Mrs. He was in a daze. She didn’t really listen to what Zhuang Yonghe was saying, as she was contemplating how to ask him about Mrs. Liu.

“What’s wrong?” Zhuang Yonghe noticed Mrs. He wasn’t responding to his chatter and was slightly confused.

“No, nothing.” Mrs. He sat down next to Zhuang Yonghe, clutching her sleeves, and biting her lips.

“Really nothing?” Zhuang Yonghe didn’t quite believe it.

“Really…” Suddenly, all the things Zhuang Qingning had said echoed in Mrs. He’s mind. After considerable hesitation, she struggled to ask, “I do have something I want to ask you.”

“What is it?” Zhuang Yonghe stared at Mrs. He, his eyes bright.

This look made Mrs. He nervous, and she hung her head, a layer of mist forming in her eyes, “About that day…uh, this morning, when I went to the tofu workshop to collect water…”

“What were you doing this morning?”

The question caught Zhuang Yonghe off guard, but he answered truthfully, “I didn’t really do anything this morning, just discussed the matter regarding the duck eggs. The ones we recently bought are smaller and two of them spoiled. We were deciding which households not to purchase from in the future.”

“By the way, Mrs Liu came today…”

Mrs. He did not expect Zhuang Yonghe to bring up Mrs. Liu. As soon as she heard about Mrs. Liu, she straightened up, “She came…for what?”

“The thing is a bit long-winded to tell.” Zhuang Yonghe scratched his ear, “I originally didn’t want to tell you about this, afraid that you would worry. But after what she said earlier, I thought I should tell you about it…”

“Just say it, what can’t you tell me?” Mrs. He forced a smile, while secretly clutching a corner of her sleeve.

“Do you remember the day Big Nephew presented the betrothal gift, I returned home saying that I got a stomachache?” Zhuang Yonghe asked.

“I remember…”

“In fact, I didn’t have a stomachache that day. I just made up an excuse to return earlier…”

Zhuang Yonghe suppressed the awkward expression on his face, “That day, I went with Big Brother to deliver the betrothal gift. When we got there, I had lots of tea and wine. I needed to relieve myself. That’s when I saw Mrs. Liu secretly taking some of the cloth from the gift box.”

“The gifts sent for the betrothal are counted. If any are missing, we certainly wouldn’t notice. Even if the bride’s family did, they might attribute it to us not sending enough, feel a bit displeased, and keep quiet about it.”

“Nothing’s more frustrating than this. It could ruin the marriage proposal. I saw it and felt anxious. I scolded Mrs. Liu. She got upset and cursed at me.”