She hid the baby in her space and told the outside world that it was dead because she did not want the Tian family to use the child as an excuse in the future.
It was fine if Tian Sanzhuang died, but if he didn't die, it would be troublesome if he knew about the child's existence.
Qiao Mai thought as she walked. She looked up at the sky. It was blue, and the clouds were white.
She took a breath of air and felt comfortable in her lungs. She really liked this environment. Thank God for letting her transmigrate. She loved this place!
Along the way, she met villagers. They were all from the surrounding villages. Some were working in town, while others carried a load to sell goods in town. When they saw her unkempt hair, dirty face, and her clothes patched up, they all revealed curious gazes.
She staggered and put on a weak appearance. Finally, she made it to Tianshui Town.
Standing in front of the town sign, she looked at the scene in front of her. The ancient town was not big. An official road divided it into two parts. All the shops were concentrated on both sides of the road, and the residents were behind the shops. They were divided into small streets in an orderly manner.
Vendors set up stalls by the roadside. The shops were seven or eight meters away from the official road, so it was convenient for people who came to buy goods to park their carriages.
Qiao Mai slowly walked over and pondered as she looked at the shops.
In her previous life, she was a special agent. Other than doing missions and studying, she liked those ancient things in her spare time, especially collecting embroidery. Sometimes, she would even embroider herself.
Whenever she had no missions during the summer break, she would spend a high sum to learn from an embroidery master.
She didn't like antiques, so she didn't collect them. However, she collected many pearls, agate, jade, and other things.
She also had many traditional clothes. She bought them when she saw the ones she liked and put them in her space. When she was free, she would take them out and wear them. Qiao Mai was a sweet girl with a fashionable appearance, but she was an ancient heroine on the inside.
Every time she completed a mission, she would use all her money to collect these things.
At the same time, she had space for everything from cars to daily necessities. She felt they were useful because they were sometimes used for outdoor work.
She didn't expect to be here. Qiao Mai can only say that it's just what she wants!
When she passed by the medicine shop, she shook her head because she didn't know anything other than bandaging wounds. Even if other people needed such talents, she was a woman who had just divorced. The medicine shop wouldn't want her. It would be futile to go in.
When she passed by the pawnshop, she smiled bitterly. She had come out of Peach Blossom Village without a penny. Could she pawn something in her space?
That was impossible. If someone with ulterior motives found out, she would be in trouble.
She didn't bat an eyelash while passing by a clothes shop.
When she passed by an eatery, Qiao Mai pursed her lips. In her previous life, she only knew how to eat. She was a complete foodie. She had been to many high-end restaurants. However, the consequences of her cooking were unpredictable.
Well, there was one thing she could do. The instant noodles that she cooked were chewy and delicious. Moreover, she had eaten them in various ways.
She could cook the ordinary version and the luxurious version easily. Thinking of this, she swallowed and shook her head. Qiao Mai lifted her leg and walked past, not considering it.
She walked past the grocery store, the blacksmith store, and the carpenter store. Finally, she stopped at a door.
Qiao Mai raised her head and looked at the shop's name. Although she did not smile, her eyes were filled with joy. She had finally found an opportunity to make a comeback.
"Ruyi Embroidery Manor!"
She took a deep breath and adjusted her state of mind. She saw that there were not many people inside. There was only a 12 or 13-year-old girl arranging the racks. A middle-aged woman who was still charming sat behind the counter, pulling an abacus to do the accounts.
Qiao Mai walked in. Noticing a customer, the little girl turned her head and saw her. There was only a slight surprise in her eyes.
"Sister, do you want to take on embroidery work, or?"
She couldn't say the word 'buy.' How could such a poor person come to the shop to buy embroidery?
Qiao Mai smiled at her. "I'm not buying or taking jobs. I want to talk to your shopkeeper or boss about something."
The little girl turned around and said to the counter, "Mother, this sister is looking for you."
The woman raised her head. When she saw Qiao Mai, she frowned and said, "Sister, tell me. I am the shopkeeper."
Qiao Mai came to the counter. "Could you please find a piece of useless white cloth and bring me some needle and thread? I want to show you my skills."
The woman sized her up. "Ruyi, prepare them."
"Yes, Mother!"
Qiao Mai saw a seat at the side. She didn't need anyone to offer her and went straight to sit down. She was already tired after walking for half a day.
"Sister, what's your name?"
"My surname is Qiao. You can call me Qiao Mai. What about you?"
"Lu. They call me Lu Sanniang. That's my daughter, Lu Ruyi."
"You and your daughter look kind. One look, and I can tell that you're good people."
Lu Sanniang grinned. Based on her experience, the young lady in front of her must be from a poor family. If she wanted to show off her skills, she would at most want to take on a job without a deposit.
If that was the case, it was not impossible. Lu Sanniang had a long-term vision and was not a calculative person.
This little woman looked like a kind person. Otherwise, she would not have let her see her craftsmanship first.
The little girl quickly brought over the needlework. There was a white cloth inside propped up with a round support.
"Sister, please!"
Qiao Mai nodded at her and moved a finger.
There were scars on her hands, frostbite, and dirt that had never been washed for a day. It was an eyesore.
Qiao Mai calmly took an embroidery needle from the case and pulled out a thread. She skillfully identified it, picked up the cloth, closed her eyes, and thought of a pattern before starting to embroider.
The woman stood up and walked to Qiao Mai's side, watching her embroider every single needle and thread.
It was not difficult to tell from her technique that Qiao Mai's embroidery skills were decent. Why did she end up like this?
An hour later, a perfect little bee was embroidered on a fresh flower to collect honey.
Qiao Mai handed the cloth to Lu Sanniang. "Sister Lu, please take a look!"
Lu Sanniang had been watching from the side for a long time, and her heart was itching. This craftsmanship was not just ordinary. It made her, who had been in the embroidery business for many years, praise it in her heart.
She couldn't wait to pick it up and look at it. She even stroked it from time to time with a smile on her face.
"Not bad. Your embroidery skills are decent. Unfortunately, I don't have any work suitable for your skills here. However, if you continue to work here, I can take on big jobs for you."
"I don't accept jobs."
"You don't want to take any jobs? Didn't you come here to take on a job?"
"Yes, I want to embroider my work and sell it here, such as screens, palace fans, and so on. I don't accept work because the work customers request is usually complicated. It's troublesome to do and easy to get into trouble."
Shopkeeper Lu thought about it and agreed. After doing a commission, the customer would either complain about this or that. They wanted to take the opportunity to lower the price. If the finished product was sold directly, a customer could buy it as they like and leave if they didn't. That was quite good.
"That's fine. I just don't know if the customers will like it."
"I'm sure they will. Sister Lu, look at the back."
Lu Sanniang quickly flipped it over, and her eyes widened." This, this is double-sided embroidery?"
"Yes, this is what I'm best at. I also know other embroidery techniques."
"Double-sided embroidery can only be done by the famous embroiderers in the capital. Ah, it's really better to see than to hear."
Qiao Mai glanced at her and slowly said," To tell you the truth, I'm currently in dire straits and need someone to help me. At the same time, I'm looking for a partner."
Before she could finish her words, Lu Sanniang hurriedly said, "With your skills, I can't wait to curry favor with you. How can I not be interested?"
"Then can I make a few requests?"
"Girl, what do you want? As long as I can do it, I will do it for you!"
"First, can you help me rent a room in town? Second, can you help me buy some daily necessities? I can start to embroider after I recover. How about that?"
"What happened to you?"
Only then did Shopkeeper Lu size her up. She had only seen that Qiao Mai was not dressed well, but now that she looked carefully, something was wrong.