Amid Lin Fang’s unease, over ten days passed, and as the year drew to a close, Li Cuimei returned from Yuncheng. The two carriages she had left with had now become four. Her mentor, Guo Siniang, had accompanied her back, along with two maidservants and several servants gifted to her by the Li family. The maidservants had since married the servants and could now only be referred to as matrons. Under Guo Siniang’s careful tutelage over the years, the two matrons had become fully capable of managing affairs independently. Guo Siniang suggested they assist her in running the shop, and Li Cuimei readily agreed, as she was short-handed at the time.
Lin Fang and her father shared the same suspicion—had the Li family planned this all along? How else could it be such a coincidence that just as Li Cuimei wanted to establish a tailoring workshop, Guo Siniang happened to have trained people ready for her use? Father and daughter silently agreed that whether or not there had been a scheme, even if they dared to ask, the Li family would never admit it. After all, Guo Siniang was naturally skilled in this trade, and it was only logical that those who served her closely would learn her craft.
“Cuie, come and pay respects to your mentor,” Li Cuimei said once everything had settled, instructing Lin Cuie to perform the formal apprenticeship ceremony for Guo Siniang.
“No, no,” Guo Siniang quickly stopped her. “Since you are the elder master’s sister, I will naturally teach you with care. But the apprenticeship ceremony is unnecessary—it would overwhelm me. The madam mentioned there is also a niece—is this the third young lady?”
“Indeed,” Li Cuimei replied, sensing Guo Siniang’s discomfort and not pressing the matter.
Guo Siniang had originally been a close friend of Li Ziyi’s wife, Guo Jiayi. Widowed at a young age with no children, she was left alone after her in-laws passed away, struggling to make ends meet while fending off unwanted advances from men. With no other options, she returned to her natal family for help. However, her brother and sister-in-law, superstitiously believing her to be ill-omened after three deaths in her husband’s family within five years of her marriage, gave her a meal and turned her out. By chance, Guo Jiayi was visiting her family at the time and heard of the situation. Li Cuimei had been searching for a needlework instructor, and Guo Siniang was exceptionally skilled. Guo Jiayi asked if she would be willing to lower herself and enter the Li household to teach embroidery. With no means of survival, Guo Siniang had no choice but to agree and followed Guo Jiayi back to the Li residence.
It wasn’t until Li Cuimei married that Guo Siniang was able to leave the Li household. Due to her rare double-sided embroidery technique, the Li family proposed a deal: if she refrained from taking on any more apprentices, they would support her for life, ensuring her comfort and safety with attendants to accompany her wherever she went. By the time Li Cuimei married, Guo Siniang was nearly forty, her eyes no longer suited for prolonged embroidery work. Moreover, she had no intention of taking on new students at her age and agreed to the terms. From then on, Guo Siniang lived under the Li family’s patronage—though not bound by contract, she was not entirely free either.
If Lin Cuie and Lin Juan were to formally address her as “master” or “grandmaster,” it would weigh heavily on her conscience.
“Young mistress, niece, from now on, simply call me Guo Siniang. I will withhold nothing of what I know.”
“Cuie greets Siniang.”
“Lin Juan greets Siniang.”
At Li Cuimei’s subtle prompting, Lin Cuie and Lin Juan still bowed respectfully, marking the informal beginning of their apprenticeship.
Once they straightened, Li Cuimei said, “Cuie, Juan, from now on, you will not only learn skills from Siniang but also how to manage the tailoring workshop.”
“Yes, sister-in-law. Cuie will devote herself fully,” Lin Cuie replied with another bow. Her sister-in-law and Liu Ma had both impressed upon her the importance of a woman learning to manage affairs, ensuring she could support herself even if her future marriage proved unsatisfactory.
Lin Juan, however, reacted differently. “Aunt, I’m still young. I don’t know many characters, and my needlework is far from refined. How can I take on such responsibility?”
Guo Siniang chuckled. “Third Young Lady, you are nine this year. When the madam began managing the household, she was only eight. She knew only a few characters, and her needlework was just beginning, yet she single-handedly oversaw the entire Li family.”
“Really? Aunt was that capable?”
“If you don’t believe me, ask your mother.”
Li Cuihong quickly confirmed, “It’s true. Your aunt was remarkable even then. When Siniang entered the household, your aunt was seven. By eight, she had only studied needlework for a year. Your eldest aunt had already married, and your eldest uncle’s wife followed him with the army. Your grandmother deliberately trained your aunt to manage the household. Seeing how quick-witted and organized she was, she handed over all family affairs to her, leaving herself free to enjoy life.”
“And what about you, Mother? Were you as capable as Aunt?”
“Me? Heh.” Li Cuihong faltered, inwardly scolding her inquisitive youngest daughter for bringing up an awkward topic.
“Your mother was also quite skilled,” Li Cuimei interjected on her behalf. “At a young age, she could cook wonderfully. I was fortunate to enjoy her dishes.”
“Really? So Mother was amazing too!” Lin Juan’s eyes sparkled with admiration, making Li Cuihong blush.
Guo Siniang and Li Cuimei exchanged amused smiles.
Li Cuihong had always been carefree. When Li Cuimei took over household management, she was only seven. Tasks assigned to her were rarely completed properly, and even when they were, there were often lingering issues. Despite repeated guidance, she struggled to improve, often reduced to tears in frustration. Eventually, Li Cuimei limited her responsibilities to relaying meal orders, keeping her away from other duties. Unexpectedly, Li Cuihong developed a deep interest in cooking and spent her days pestering the kitchen maids. As a servant in the young mistress’s courtyard, the kitchen maid dared not brush her off and ended up teaching her a few signature dishes. To everyone’s surprise, Li Cuihong expanded on these, experimenting with new combinations that rivaled the maid’s own creations. Recognizing her talent, Li Cuimei assigned her to oversee the kitchen—so her earlier praise was no exaggeration.
Guo Siniang sighed nostalgically. “When the old master and mistress chose you and Cuilian as the madam’s attendants, it wasn’t just because you grew up with her. They valued your exceptional cooking and Cuilian’s financial acumen, knowing they would greatly assist the madam. Who could have guessed the three of you would go from mistress and servants to sisters? Truly a stroke of fate.”
Li Cuilian, who had been sullen throughout, spoke up. “Siniang, that’s all in the past. Why bring it up now?” She had brought her personal maid today, and though the entire Li household knew of her origins as a servant, having it mentioned openly still embarrassed her.
“My apologies, Fifth Aunt. I spoke out of turn.” As Guo Siniang would now be serving under Li Cuimei, she addressed Li Cuilian by her marital title.
“Why shouldn’t it be mentioned? Siniang isn’t wrong,” Li Cuihong said dismissively. “We were Third Sister’s maids. If she hadn’t freed us, who knows where we’d have been sold—or if we’d even be alive today. This fortune is all thanks to her.”
“Third Sister, I have matters to attend to and cannot stay long. Forgive me for taking my leave.” Without waiting for Li Cuimei’s response, Li Cuilian stormed out.
Even the easygoing Li Cuihong was angered by her rudeness. Pointing at the door, she exclaimed, “What was that about?”
Guo Siniang inwardly chastised herself. After over a decade apart, the once cheerful and composed Li Cuilian had become so irritable. She should have known better—people could change drastically in just days, let alone years.
What was meant to be a joyful reunion had ended in discord. Li Cuimei stared at the doorway in thought but made no comment on Li Cuilian’s departure. Instead, she instructed the servants to prepare a feast. Guo Siniang was both her mentor and friend, and she refused to let Li Cuilian’s behavior ruin the occasion.
The next day, Guo Siniang insisted on visiting the tailoring workshop to assess its setup. She also needed to recruit and train workers. Even if, as the madam suggested, they taught different segments separately, it would take at least two months before the workshop could officially open—and even then, only for coarse garments. Embroidered designs would require at least half a year of training unless the embroiderers were already experienced.
Lin Cuie and Lin Juan accompanied Guo Siniang back to the village. Li Cuimei instructed them to meticulously learn every step—from arranging the workspace and selecting candidates to dividing classes, managing trainees, screening applicants, and final hiring. They were also to keep up with their studies, as she would conduct random checks. Any neglect would result in doubled assignments.
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