Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 424: The Rooster Announces the Dawn

In October, the temperatures in the Northeast have already dropped, and in some places, snow is even falling.

But in Yangcheng, it’s as hot as midsummer with heat waves rolling in.

Because it’s so hot, the pedestrians hurry along the road.

Yi Chichi also has no mind for wandering around. After getting off the tram, she went straight to the Friendship Store and headed to Ning Jiandong’s office.

"Knock, knock."

A knock on the door, a girl with a beautiful face dressed in a bolero opened the door. After glancing at her, she showed a look of disdain, "Who are you? Do you know where this is before you knock?"

Yi Chichi’s raised smile fell away as she stared blankly at the girl. She seemed about the same age as her, looked decent, but her speech was rude and annoyingly arrogant.

Who is this?

"Yi Chichi, looking for Ning Jiandong!"

The girl’s expression instantly changed, and she thought, did she offend her master?

"Oh, Master Yi, my uncle went out for a bit, you see..."

"Then I’ll come back later."

Yi Chichi turned to leave. The girl became anxious and quickly caught up, holding her hand, saying, "Master Yi, Master Yi, listen to me..."

"No need to talk."

Not wanting to listen, nor willing to hear.

She shook off the girl’s hand, lifted her foot, and left, leaving a message before she went, "When Manager Ning gets back, tell him to find me at Master Tang’s place."

The girl’s idea to continue pursuing her immediately evaporated.

"Okay, okay."

This time, she became obedient, but the now aware Yi Chichi was unmoved, appearing in the embroidery room after five minutes.

The weather was too hot, and the fans in the embroidery room were running at full capacity; they used ice blocks placed in corners to cool down, preventing sweat from the embroiderers’ hands from staining the fabric.

Compared to the heat outside, the temperature in the embroidery room was much cooler.

Everyone sat busy in front of their embroidery frames, and Yi Chichi’s arrival didn’t catch anyone’s attention.

Until—

"When did you come?"

After finishing a line of embroidery, Qiu Yu, who ran out of thread of the same color on her frame, put down her needle and was about to get more thread when she turned around to find Yi Chichi standing behind her, suddenly surprised and delighted.

"I’ve been here for a while. Seeing you all working seriously, I didn’t disturb you."

She probably deliberately lightened her movements and adjusted her position. Otherwise, even in an immersive work environment, it’s impossible not to notice someone standing nearby.

"Weren’t you going to the island with your man, what’s with coming to Yangcheng in the blazing heat?"

In this weather, ferry rides are truly a torture.

Even the sea breeze is hot.

Yi Chichi occupied her chair and sighed after hearing this. If she could, she really didn’t want to come.

Such a pity, "Uncle Ning hurriedly called me over, I also have no clue why."

Hearing this, Zhang Zhenzhen and the others exchanged glances and started talking.

"It’s definitely for Zhuo Xuezhen."

"This girl is no good, has no skills but a big temper, I don’t even know what she’s so proud about."

"What pride? She just looks down on us."

"Since she looks down, why bother learning embroidery, isn’t that just making trouble for nothing..."

Listening to what everyone said, Yi Chichi had a bad premonition.

Could it be that Ning Jiandong called her to teach this Zhuo Xuezhen person?

Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "Is the Zhuo Xuezhen you’re talking about a young woman around my age with two big braids?"

"That’s right."

Qiu Yu responded instinctively, and then realized something was off, "You’ve met her?"

"Met her."

Yi Chichi nodded, "I came from Uncle Ning’s office, didn’t see him, but I did meet this Mr. Zhuo."

Qiu Yu and the others did not have a good impression of this person. After a few chatters, they then pulled Yi Chichi to look at their works.

They even asked her to critique them.

Yi Chichi, "?? I think you misunderstood. I don’t have the qualifications to critique, exchange is more apt."

"It all means about the same, don’t bother with the details, hurry and take a look at Little Tan’s ’Cranes and Deer Bring Spring’."

"Let me see."

Tan Tang, surnamed Tan, known as Little Tan, became nervous when his master asked Yi Chichi to look at his embroidery and give an evaluation, his ears perked up high.

This piece ’Cranes and Deer Bring Spring’ is a typical example of Yue Embroidery, with dynamism and vividness as its main traits. The painter who drew the embroidery design is also a master level, famous for color coordination.

It uses light and shade to show the three-dimensionality of the embroidery, and perspective to present the scene’s depth.

While Tan Tang was embroidering, he used sharp split stitches, hair stitches, and other techniques to represent the muscle and fur textures and forms of the running and jumping deer.

The colors blend naturally and realistically. Top needle, Engraving Scale Needle, Windmill Needle, and other needlework techniques were used to show the layers and light-dark contrasts of mountains, trees, and grass, as well as the feathers and textures of the cranes.

’Double Deer Bring Spring’ was not finished, it was a half-finished piece.

Even so, after looking, Yi Chichi couldn’t help but praise, "Compared to last year’s embroidery skills, Little Tan’s skills have progressed a lot this year."

Last year’s work carried a slight hint of greenness; the handling of some details was not terrible yet not excellent either.

But this year, those small problems were gone.

What was left was a natural and skilled flow.

"A tremendous improvement."

Pointing at the mountain rock and flora sections, she smiled, "I remember last year Little Tan embroidered a Red-crowned Crane, which also had mountains and flora. The handling of light and shade, and depth was not well executed; this year’s..."

She paused, meeting Little Tan’s expectant gaze, and gave an earnest evaluation, "The handling is extremely well done!"

"Really?"

Little Tan’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Truly."

Yi Chichi nodded, "You all know, I’m honest about embroidery work, good is good, bad is bad."

The apprentices instantly recalled Yi Chichi’s evaluation of their embroidery last year; their faces turned almost green.

Last year, her critiques almost made them doubt their career choice, questioning if they were unfit for this craft.

Questioning whether their idea to earn foreign exchange for the country through this craft was too naïve.

Luckily, she didn’t just criticize but taught them how to improve and solve the issues.

"Sister, please look at mine too."

Wu Baoceng was the other male embroiderer in the room apart from Master Xiao Qian, studying Li Embroidery, working on a ’Rooster Crows at Dawn’.

The colors are bright and exhibit a rich ethnic flavor.

As for the needlework...

"This I can’t critique. I can only say it’s embroidered very well."

Wu Baoceng, waiting for her detailed critique, was dumbfounded, "How could you not evaluate?"

Dismissing with ’embroidered very well,’ isn’t that too dismissive.

"Sister, I’m looking for criticism, for improvement, not just praise."

This request is hard to evaluate.

Yi Chichi felt helpless, "I don’t know Li Embroidery, the only thing I can assess is the composition and artistic conception. The technique, I’m not familiar enough with, can’t evaluate. But from an artistic appreciation perspective, this ’Rooster Crows at Dawn’ really is embroidered well."

At this, she patted Wu Baoceng’s shoulder, "Comrade Xiao Wu, the fact that you can work in the Friendship Store’s embroidery room means you have a gift in this area. Be confident, your embroidery skills are excellent. Believe in yourself."