Why does the lady in Dream of Red Mansions need to do needlework?

In "A Dream of Red Mansions", there is often a scene, that is, the girls in Jia's family are often doing needlework, and not only the girls, but also the ladies are doing needlework. According to common sense, needlework is only for girls. Why do the ladies in the Jia family need to do needlework? Because ancient and modern times are different, needlework was a compulsory course for girls in ancient times, and it was also a skill that was required before getting married. First, learning to needle and thread is one of the requirements for being a professional. Not only girls must learn to needle and thread.

There were indeed many inventions and creations in ancient times, but for girls, there were many unreasonable requirements. One of them is that girls must learn needlework, which is one of the requirements of women's morality. It can also be said that needlework is a compulsory course for girls in ancient times, and it is even a skill that must be learned before getting married. Therefore, both girls and young ladies in the Jia family must learn needlework.

There are probably two reasons why you must learn it. First, in ancient times, "men farmed and women weaved". Girls could not go out to work and had to learn to weave and do handwork at home. Women's weaving could be sold for money. This was a way to subsidize the family. Girls even did it. I can find a job in an embroidery workshop, so needlework is considered a skill.

Second, because women also have to sew clothes for their families. In ancient times, there were also sets of clothes for sale on the streets, but generally speaking, it was better to buy the cloth and take it home. The clothes made by women themselves for their families were a sign of thoughtfulness and friendship.

Of course there are people who specialize in making clothes in Jia's house, but Baoyu never wears clothes made by craftsmen. Basically, the items on his body are made by a few big girls in his room. This is the study of craftsmanship. Jia Mu also never wears clothes given by others, so in this case Jia Mu only wears clothes made for her by the girls below. Secondly, Xiangyun and Baochai arrived at midnight, indirectly proving the decline of the two mansions

For the girls, doing needlework for their masters is their job and task, so they naturally have to work very hard. After finishing the work, it is rare to see them working in the middle of the night. Except for one time when Baoyu's "golden fur" was mended by no one, and Qingwen had to drag her sick body to work all night, the rest I have never seen sewing done in the middle of the night, but Xiangyun and Baochai often do it in the middle of the night.

The situations of Xiangyun and Baochai are a little different but very similar. Xiangyun was passively asked to make it at home. Xiangyun lived with her uncle and aunt in the Shi family. Her aunt felt that it was wasteful to use handicrafts, so they made almost all the clothes for the family members themselves. So a family like this It would be difficult for many people to complete this task without working together day and night, so Xiangyun would be very tired when she was at the Shi family, because although she was a lady, she had to do needlework all the time.

Baochai’s situation was different. She felt that summer was getting long, so she asked Aunt Xue to do some sewing to pass the time. But the strange thing is that Baochai actually had a lot of things to do in a day. She had to pay her respects to Mrs. Jia and Mrs. Wang, and she had to study and play with her sisters during the day. Only in the evening did she have time to do needlework, but once she did it, it would be midnight.

As the eldest lady of the Xue family, she actually doesn’t have to do anything, and she doesn’t really have anything to do all day long. She is actually quite busy. And if it is just a hobby, then you can do it at any time, and there is no need to have to do it very late, unless it is a situation. Like Xiangyun, she is sewing clothes for herself and her family. Their family invites There are also very few people working on the crafts.

Both Xiangyun and Baochai had to do needlework until midnight. What can be explained is that they rarely hire needleworkers in their two houses, which means that their two houses are gradually declining. I thought of ways to save early. Thirdly, Daiyu and Tanchun only did it by chance and did not do it often

Compared to Baochai and Xiangyun, the ladies of the Jia family, including Daiyu, They rarely do needlework. They only do it to complete their homework, or just on a whim. Most of them do it to give away.

Xi Ren and Xiang Yun once joked about Dai Yu. She only made a sachet for more than half a year and she did not use needlework the rest of the time. This was actually Xi Ren's illusion.

Because Daiyu's needlework skills are very good, it is more troublesome to do, and the needlework basically does not require Daiyu to do it. Daiyu has not been lazy in the arrangements for Jia Mu and Wang Xifeng. Daiyu also often makes clothes that require Daiyu to cut by herself, but Xiren doesn't know about it. However, it is a fact that Daiyu made few. She specially made them to give to others, as a birthday gift for Aunt Xue, a gift for Baoyu, etc.

Three springs in the Jia family did not do much needlework. The only time it was obvious was that Tanchun made Baoyu a pair of better-looking shoes in exchange for letting Baoyu bring back some interesting things for her when she went out. . Since it was specially made for Baoyu, we can also know that Tanchun did not do much needlework on weekdays.

Author: Eleven, welcome to follow: the novel Red Mansions, let’s look for interesting people and things in the Dream of Red Mansions!