Gu Zhang smiled and nodded. "Go on, wear it. You've been with me all these years and haven't had an easy life. Now that we have something nice, don't let it go to waste."
Mrs. Chen still refused. "I really don't need it. I don't go out anyway, so don't waste such a fine thing."
'In truth, she really wanted to wear it.'
'But if I wear it, what would Grandmother do?'
'A daughter-in-law can't be wearing silk while the grandmother is still in homespun cloth, can she?'
'People would point and gossip behind my back.'
'Should I have an outfit made for Grandmother, too?'
'Better not. Grandmother wouldn't appreciate it even if I did. She'd probably just scold me for being a spendthrift. Besides, I couldn't bear to part with it.'
'This brocade was money. It would be better to exchange it for silver; it felt safer to have the cash in hand.'
Mrs. Chen waved her hand. "Alright, that's enough. All of you can go. Get back to what you were doing. Little Fei, you stay behind."
