“Mm.” Jiang Chuling’s eyes nearly closed in pleasure as Qiuyun massaged her.
Yu Xiang entered shortly after, and seeing Qiuyun’s skilled technique, she curiously asked her to give a massage as well.
“Ahh—ohhh—”
Since it was for an adult, Qiuyun’s pressure was much firmer than when she massaged the child. Madam Jiang’s brows furrowed and then relaxed, clearly reveling in the sensation.
“That technique of yours… ohh… it’s truly seasoned. Can’t be done without at least three to five years of experience.”
Qiuyun lied without a flicker of hesitation. “My grandmother back home wasn’t in good health, so I learned a few tricks from a blind uncle next door.”
Yu Xiang admired kind and sincere young people. “You’re a good kid with a filial heart.”
“Madam Jiang flatters me.”
Massage was strenuous work, and Yu Xiang, feeling some relief, asked Qiuyun to stop. “Thank you for your trouble.”
Qiuyun’s eyes curved into a smile, softening the allure of her almond-shaped eyes, making her look more like an innocent young girl of eighteen or nineteen. “It’s nothing, Madam Jiang and Miss Jiang pay me such a high salary.”
Yu Xiang chuckled. Then she remembered that shortly after the Old Master’s birthday came her teacher’s birthday. This year, his lunar birthday happened to coincide with his and his wife’s golden wedding anniversary—fifty years of marriage and his seventieth birthday—a milestone that demanded a grand celebration.
After some thought, Yu Xiang shared the matter with Qiuyun. “Xiaoqiu, you’re young and quick-witted. Help me think: for such an important occasion, what gift should I give?”
Yu Xiang’s teacher had been her graduate adviser and doctoral supervisor, and also her university course instructor—he had essentially guided her for over a decade. He had even helped secure her a position as a faculty member. Calling him her mentor of reincarnation wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Thus, every year on his birthday, she visited and paid her respects. Over the years, she had already gifted tea, tea sets, tea towels, ancient books, calligraphy, rare manuscripts, porcelain cups, vases, jade carvings—everything imaginable.
After all these years, she could no longer think of any heartfelt gift.
Gift-giving. Qiuyun’s eyes flickered.
To be honest, among high-status families, social exchanges hinged on gift-giving. One couldn’t commit a taboo or make a mistake. The gift had to suit the recipient’s status, and the value level had to align with the noble titles of the recipients—for instance, one couldn’t give expensive jade to a countess but inferior white jade to a princess.
There was deep knowledge in this, and Qiuyun, as the confidante of the duchess, naturally had it down to a science.
“May I ask, Madam Jiang, what hobbies does your teacher and his wife have?”
Yu Xiang answered without hesitation. “Teacher loves tea. Teacher’s wife enjoys dressing up and looking beautiful.”
She listed past gifts. “I was thinking, since this occasion is so special, I want to give something unique and satisfying.”
Qiuyun pondered briefly. “I once saw a tea classic at a great-grandfather’s house back in my hometown. I wonder if your teacher would like it?”
“A tea classic?”
“Yes.” Qiuyun pulled out her phone, silently recited a short passage from the tea classic on Baidu, but found no matching reference in any records. “I checked, and it seems to be an unpublished manuscript. If you think it’s suitable, Madam Jiang, I’ll have my great-grandfather back home copy it by hand and send it over.”
A tea-related work, a rare manuscript—this would truly hit Teacher’s soft spot!
“I say, Xiaoqiu, no wonder you learned tea art so well on your own—you must have studied from books.” Yu Xiang said with delight.
Qiuyun humbly replied, “I only picked up the basics. I’m just glad it met Madam Jiang’s approval.”
Half the problem solved, Yu Xiang smiled brightly, sent a message to Sister Zhou to transfer 200,000 yuan to Qiuyun, and said, “100,000 for your suggestion and for contacting your old gentleman back home, and another 100,000 as his writing fee.”
Qiuyun had worried that Madam Jiang might insist on the original manuscript, forcing her to go through the trouble of aging it artificially. But to her surprise, Madam Jiang was considerate enough to understand the principle of not taking what others treasure and only requested a handwritten copy.
“Thank you, Madam Jiang. I promise to deliver the gift before your teacher’s birthday banquet!” Qiuyun beamed.
“No rush. There’s still over a month, plenty of time.” Then Yu Xiang frowned slightly. “Teacher’s gift is taken care of, but what about Teacher’s wife? I’ve already given her scarves, shawls, cheongsams, jade rollers, wooden combs, red wine, and more. I once thought of sending jewelry or gemstones, but Teacher and his wife found them too extravagant and refused to accept them.”
She looked at Qiuyun, silently asking for advice.
Qiuyun thought for a moment. “May I ask, does Teacher’s wife like embroidery?”
“Embroidery?” Yu Xiang recalled her teacher’s wife’s usual attire of cheongsams and horse-face skirts. “I haven’t noticed, but she probably doesn’t dislike it.”
“When I was little, I learned some stitching techniques from my grandmother. I could embroider a fan cover within a month, no problem,” Qiuyun explained. “In a month, the summer heat will linger into early autumn, and round fans are practical and elegant for daily use.”
“Oh?” Yu Xiang was quite surprised. “You even know embroidery? What style, Suzhou or Shu?”
Neither. It was the unique Yunfei embroidery from the Great Qi dynasty.
“Madam Jiang, please wait a moment.” Qiuyun went to her room and brought back a small embroidery hoop with a peony pattern of the most ordinary design.
“I just picked it up casually from my grandmother—no formal training. Would you like to take a look?”
The peonies in her hand were vivid in color, delicate in style, and the stitching was exquisite. The color gradient on the petals flowed naturally and smoothly, feeling as silky as satin to the touch!
Yu Xiang, who had been immersed in wealth for twenty years, was no longer the naive college student she once was. This small embroidery piece would be worth at least 50,000 yuan! In today’s world, it was the level of a master embroiderer!
If commissioned with a deadline, even just a fan cover pattern would cost at least 200,000 yuan!
Yu Xiang decided on the spot, “Good, very good, absolutely good! I remember Teacher’s wife particularly loves orchids. Please embroider an orchid fan cover for me. I’ll pay you another 200,000 yuan.”
Effortlessly, 400,000 yuan was now in reach.
Qiuyun smiled, her eyes squinting. “Thank you, Madam Jiang. I will not disappoint your expectations.”
Previously, Xiaoqiu, the cautious and low-key nanny who had just been promoted to Miss Jiang’s assistant, had been seen by Fang-jie, Yuan-jie, and even Manager Chen as merely gaining the position due to her good looks and ability to charm children.
But no one had expected her to play her cards so close to her chest and suddenly reveal such exquisite embroidery skills—it simply stunned everyone!
Madam Jiang, gentle and easygoing, said nothing, but Fang-jie, being straightforward, directly interjected, “I say, Xiaoqiu, you hide your talents too well! With embroidery skills like that, why on earth did you come work as a nanny in our house?”
Embroidery was her livelihood, and she had naturally considered settling down in this new place, paying off her debts, and continuing to make a living through her craft.
But after researching the four major embroidery styles currently in fashion, she realized that her Yunfei embroidery didn’t relate closely to any of them.
You see, trades like this—especially classic ancient techniques ranked among the “Four Greats”—were all about lineage and school.
How could no-name embroiderer like her succeed by introducing a new, unrecognized Yunfei embroidery, let alone carve a niche for herself? If she didn’t get dismissed as unorthodox by the other four major schools, it would already be considered fortunate.
