Among these people, Xue Hengzhao was slow at sewing.
She stayed with her grandmother all year round, and the old lady doted on her, which made her a bit lazy.
Because they had to rush to work, they were asked to eat a meal while the lights were on, and then continued working. They were not allowed to sleep until after the second watch.
"Mr. Zhou said that it's not easy for anyone during this Chinese New Year. Ask the kitchen to make some meals for you to keep you hungry." Aunt Hu has two teeth missing and her words are a bit off-kilter. However, she speaks slowly, so she doesn't care. Losing composure, "But don't eat too much, or you may get drowsy and ruin your work."
Palace residents are not allowed to eat enough on weekdays. No matter how tiring the work is, they can only eat eight percent full.
If you are served in front of the master, it will be even more harsh, and you can only eat seven percent full.
In order to prevent you from dozing off or feeling weak after eating too much, you should not eat anything with flavor, such as fish, leeks, and garlic. These are not allowed to be eaten.
After Aunt Hu finished speaking, there was a chorus of praise.
It is said that Mr. Zhou is truly a bodhisattva.
Zhou Hong was indeed kind to the people below him, and was much kinder than Qian Sanchun and others.
For dinner, there are tofu braised with gluten and fresh meat buns, served with powder soup.
After finishing the meal hot, everyone wiped their mouths and washed their hands, and then sat down in their seats to do their work.
Qu Linglong relied on her seniority, and since Aunt Hu and Aunt Ma were not around, she sneered: "I'm afraid I'm not asking for a beating if I do it so slowly."
Although she didn't name him, she was obviously talking about Xue Hengzhao.
Xue Hengzhao had long known that she would not be able to bear it, so he ignored her and continued to embroider the flowers in his hands.
Seeing her like this, Qu Linglong thought she was timid.
He said even more bitterly: "Isn't there someone who is usually sharp-tongued and sharp-tongued? How come he is now a gourd with a sawed-off mouth?"
Chi Su couldn't listen anymore and retorted: "Why do you care whether others are slow or not? Just do your job well and don't care who's liver hurts!"
Then he whispered to Xue Hengzhao: "Don't be afraid, I will do it faster and just make up for yours."
"Chi Laosan, you look great everywhere!" Qu Linglong rolled her eyes at Chi Su and said, "Be careful of hitting the first bird with a stick!"
"I'm happy to!" Chi Su turned around and glared at her.
"Stop arguing. It's hard for everyone to blame." The speaker was Liu Xianghuan, who entered the palace with them. She always tried to persuade peace but not fight.
Aunt Ma's palace maid, Chuan Zhuer, was here to supervise the work. Seeing that the fuss was getting worse, she cursed, "You're so full! If anyone tries to bite a pack of mules again, get out!"
The two of them were silent just now.
However, Qu Linglong did not put this matter down. She had long disliked Xue Hengzhao and had suffered losses from her, so she always wanted to make up for it.
The next day, it was time for lunch.
Everyone put down their work and went to eat, but Xue Hengzhao was still sitting there.
Chi Su urged her: "Let's eat first, there's no rush at this moment."
Xue Hengzhao said, "You go ahead and I'll finish embroidering these two petals."
Chi Su couldn't urge her so she had to go first, and said, "Then I'll save your food. Remember to come over and eat as soon as possible."
They can rest for half an hour at noon, and many people go back to lie down for a while, take a nap or stretch their backs.
Sitting like that all the time is really tiring.
Qu Linglong kept this in mind and walked out slowly. When everyone had left, she turned back.
He tiptoed and peeked inside. Not to mention, she actually saw it.
Xue Hengzhao sat sideways, holding the purse material in one hand and scissors in the other, cutting it again and again.
Qu Linglong looked carefully and saw that she was cutting without any order. It was obvious that she was just cutting randomly.
"This girl said she wanted to finish the work, but it turned out she was here to vent her personal anger," Qu Linglong thought, "If the people in charge know about this, they won't kill her!"
They were very particular about the silk and satin materials they used to make their purses. If they accidentally scraped the silk during work, they would be punished by a ruler, not to mention she cut it randomly like this.
Qu Linglong suppressed the ecstasy in her heart and watched Xue Hengzhao cover the piece of material with something else and then stood up.
She was afraid of being seen and hid quickly.
Xue Hengzhao went out to eat. Qu Linglong was worried and walked in again, taking out the piece of food and taking a closer look.
It was a piece of satin made of ten kinds of brocade, with more than a dozen holes, large and small, cut out.
"Xue Hengzhao, you asked for this!" Qu Linglong looked at the satin and smiled through gritted teeth, "I don't think it's cramping your muscles!"
In the afternoon, everyone came to the embroidery workshop to work again.
Qu Linglong looked forward eagerly, wanting to wait until Aunt Hu and Aunt Ma came to tell Xue Heng Zhao's condition.
Sure enough, Aunt Ma came over first, looked at the work in everyone's hands, and urged them to be more agile.
Then Aunt Hu also helped the little palace maid Xian'er over.
When Qu Linglong saw that the opportunity was right, she said she wanted to pay her respects.
She stood up and deliberately walked around Xue Hengzhao. She tilted her body and bumped Xue Hengzhao.
"What are you doing?!" Chi Su stood up abruptly, supporting Xue Hengzhao while glaring at Qu Linglong, "Are you looking for trouble?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry. It's too narrow here." Qu Linglong pretended to smile, "Miss Xue, I'm sorry."
The purse Xue Hengzhao was working on fell to the ground, and Qu Linglong quickly knelt down to pick it up.
Taking advantage of the situation, she pushed the things piled in front of her, and then said in shock: "Xue Hengzhao, are you crazy?! How dare you waste things like this!"
Then he picked up the piece of cloth and showed it to everyone: "I'm not talking nonsense, everyone should take a look!"
When everyone saw the piece of cloth, their color changed a little, and they secretly thought that Xue Hengzhao was finished now.
At this time, Aunt Ma also came over, and Qu Linglong quickly handed the piece of cloth over as if offering a treasure: "Auntie, look! She has no good intentions."
Aunt Ma asked Xue Hengzhao: "Did you cut this? Is the leather too tight?!"
"Auntie, please don't be angry. I'm not wasting anything."
"It's a joke! It's all cut like this, and it's a new trick. Do you think I'm a fool?" Aunt Ma's voice dropped a little lower.
People who often work under her know that the angrier she gets, the lower her voice becomes.
"Everyone of you, stop watching the excitement and get to work quickly!" Nanny Hu said, "Come to me!"
The last sentence was said to Xue Hengzhao.
Qu Linglong bit her lip and smiled to herself, feeling that she was really smart.
It’s time to wait and see the show.
"Aren't you going to go out? Why don't you go?" Chi Su stared at her and asked.
"I don't want to go," Qu Linglong said, "You care about me!"
Chi Su gritted her teeth in anger, knowing that she had clearly done it on purpose, and was even more worried about how Xue Hengzhao would pass this test.
"You said this is a new trick you thought of?" Aunt Hu fiddled with the piece of cloth in her hand several times. She sat there, hunched over and looking at Xue Hengzhao with raised eyes.
"Yes."
