Zhao Jinshu gave a sly smile. "You know the one. A few years ago, when we all had dinner together, Old Yang was bragging about taking on a young disciple with first-rate talent. He mentioned it many times, but we never got to see the kid. Today, he finally dragged him along to show off. Aside from everything else, that little boy is really good-looking — like a movie star."
Yu Xiang pursed her lips and smiled. "Oh, now I really want to see him."
"Enough," Zhao Jinshu said, setting the tea classic and the box on top of it aside. "Don't mind him. We won't open his gift either; let him open it himself."
With the top layer removed, what lay beneath was the round fan that Qiuyun had fastened with silk ribbons.
Zhao Jinshu's eyes lit up with surprise. She untied the ribbons and held the fan in her hands. The moment she looked at it, she was utterly captivated.
On the fan's surface, orchid leaves were embroidered in varying shades of green using layered stitching, giving them a highly dimensional twist. The orchids themselves were done in the faintest blue-green, employing a couching technique with blurred edges, as if shrouded in mist. Most exquisite of all were the shadows between the orchid leaves and flowers. The embroiderer had used a hue close to the brocade's own color and a carving technique, making the leaves appear half-hidden within the silk pattern like shadows. From a distance, they looked like mere outlines; only up close did they reveal themselves.
A knowledgeable wife nearby exclaimed, "Which master crafted this new piece? It resembles Su embroidery, but it has a transcendent quality that surpasses it."
"No, no, the stitch technique here is clearly more like Shu embroidery, though Shu embroidery is finer and stricter. This piece has a nimble, light style instead."
Zhao Jinshu couldn't bear to put it down. As she lightly held the fan, a fragrant breeze wafted up — so pleasant and refreshing that even in such a crowded room, she didn't feel stifled. Instead, the scent was utterly delightful.
She couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Xiang, which master embroidered this? Must be hard to get an appointment, right?"
Yu Xiang let out a muffled laugh and tilted her chin toward Qiuyun. "As luck would have it, I brought her specially today. I wanted our teacher to taste her tea ceremony."
In an instant, all eyes in the living room fixed on Qiuyun, who stood behind Yu Xiang.
Despite so many people staring at her, Qiuyun remained poised and composed. "Congratulations to both esteemed mentors on your golden wedding anniversary. Qiuyun wishes you enduring love and eternal happiness."
"What a pretty girl!" Zhao Jinshu had always liked good-looking children. "Come over here and sit."
But others, seeing such masterful embroidery coming from so young a woman, harbored doubts.
After Qiuyun sat down, someone nearby asked, "Young lady, your embroidery skills are remarkable! Could you embroider a piece for me too? I need a Guan Yin painting for the entryway of my master bedroom."
Qiuyun replied politely, "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I don't sell my embroidery."
"Don't sell?"
The lady was surprised. She was offering a decent price — for a Guan Yin painting, she'd pay at least 1.2 million at market rate, and still no?
Just then, a woman in a wide-sleeved cheongsam spoke with a pointed tone. "Ha, never seen anyone turn down easy money. I say, Yu Xiang, are you sure she embroidered that fan yourself? Don't let yourself be fooled."
Qiuyun looked at Sister Zhou. Sister Zhou rubbed her thumb and index finger together.
Got it.
This was the Ye Erfang that Sister Zhou had mentioned before — the one who had fallen out with Madam, alternating between love and hate, once a friend, now a sworn rival.
Before Yu Xiang could speak, Qiuyun said, "It truly comes down to a family rule: embroidery pieces are not for sale."
Before Ye Erfang could respond again, Qiuyun stood up. "But I noticed your sleeve seems to have caught on something and come unstitched. May I mend it for you?"
Someone sitting near Ye Erfang exclaimed, "Oh! It's true! Could it have snagged on a rose bush in the yard just now?"
Since the young woman had offered, and Zhao Jinshu also wanted to ease the tension between the two old rivals, she said, "Erfang, let Xiaoqiu fix it for you. That way, we can also see how a master embroiderer mends clothes in daily life."
The others chimed in with laughter. "Yes, this is a rare sight. She doesn't work casually!"
For the sake of her mentor's wife, and because wearing a frayed thread through an entire evening party was unbearable, Ye Erfang's expression remained stiff as she turned sideways to reveal her wide sleeve. She said curtly to Qiuyun, "I'd appreciate it."
"It's nothing."
Qiuyun smiled lightly. She reached up to her bun and pulled out a silver needle, then took a spool of thread from her skirt pocket, casually picking a color close to the loose thread's shade, and began to stitch.
As the saying goes, when a master makes a move, you know if they have the skill.
The fine thread and tiny needle seemed to come alive in the young woman's hands — her fingers nimble, the needle darting swiftly!
What was merely a simple repair of a loose thread took Qiuyun just two minutes to finish. And the mended spot was so seamless that it left people dizzy — because they couldn't find where the loose thread had been at all!
With such solid basic skills, no one in the room doubted anymore whether Qiuyun had embroidered the fan.
After mending the sleeve, Ye Erfang said only a stiff "thank you" to Qiuyun, without even glancing at Yu Xiang.
Yu Xiang was long accustomed to this and gave Qiuyun a reassuring smile, telling her not to mind it.
"Such beautiful craftsmanship. Really not selling?" The lady who wanted the Guan Yin painting still couldn't let it go.
Qiuyun shook her head apologetically. "This is just a small hobby of mine in my spare time. If I were to make a living from it, I'd inevitably lose my original intent, and it would lack spirit."
Since she had repeatedly refused, and she was a guest brought by Yu Xiang, the others sighed with regret and let it go.
But some quick-witted person said, "Professor Yu mentioned bringing Xiaoqiu here to brew tea for our teacher, right? We can at least be lucky enough to have a cup of tea, can't we?"
Amid the teasing from the crowd, Yu Xiang couldn't hold out and quickly said, "That depends on our teacher. What if he drinks Xiaoqiu's tea and doesn't want to share it with you?"
The room burst into laughter, and people began offering to show off their own specialties in exchange for even a sip of tea from the teacher.
Qiuyun's heart felt warm.
Madam was truly a very, very kind person.
It was nearly six o'clock, and all the guests had arrived, yet the host still hadn't come downstairs.
Zhao Jinshu scowled and urged her grandson to go upstairs and fetch him. "Doesn't he know what day it is? Still up there fiddling with his tacky calligraphy and paintings!"
Feng An stretched lazily and was about to pull out his phone to call when he saw his grandfather coming downstairs with a few old friends, all looking spirited. "...Let him look all he wants. He's a strong young man, missing one meal won't starve him to death."
On the stairs, silver-haired Professor Feng looked at the guests. "Oh, everyone's punctual! Xiao Liu? Xiao Liu, get everyone started on dinner!"
The kitchen housekeeper looked at the lady of the house. "Sister Jinshu, shall I serve the meal?"
Zhao Jinshu gave the old man a glare. With him and so many of his disciples present, she could only scold through a smile: "Serve it!"
The villa's dining room was spacious — one main table, one side table, and an extra table set up temporarily in the living room.
Yu Xiang followed her mentor's wife to the dining room. Qiuyun and Sister Zhou, being not very familiar with the host family and brought as secondary guests, were seated in the living room.
Since the guests had been chatting there earlier, Xiao Liu was directing people to set up tables and lay out dishes when someone came downstairs. Qiuyun looked up in surprise and met their gaze.
—Demon Boy!?
