“Grandma Wen, are you here to chat with my grandmother again?”
A maiden dressed in a white embroidered garment came out quickly hearing the sound. When she saw Wen Ruomin, her pure eyes immediately looked surprised. She trotted and cleverly assisted.
Wen Ruomin’s eyes were full of love towards the maiden, and she could not help but slightly nod, “Min, how is your grandmother feeling recently?”
“Thanks to you, my grandmother is in good health but dim for age. She is unable to embroider at all.”
Wen Ruomin couldn’t help but be relieved, “It doesn’t matter if she can’t embroider. She has you as her granddaughter and can have a qualified successor.”
“Grandma, you flatter me. I am still far from it.”
Gong Min said, but her eyes were shining joyfully. It was obvious that she was very happy for Wen Ruomin’s praise.
“Ruomin, how do you find time to come here?”
A deep voice of an old woman came from the study. Gong Min quickly stuck her tongue out and assisted Wen Ruomin to go in. After pouring a pot of tea for the two old ladies, she retired.
The old woman sitting in the study had all white hair, and her face was covered by senile plaque. It was clear that she was older than Wen Ruomin. Now, she was holding a book far away from her eyes and looked at something.
Wen Ruomin sat down and looked at the old woman. She could not help but sigh and said with a gentle smile, “Gong Xiangjun, you are old. Don’t you know to take a break?”
Gong Xiangjun put down the book and hummed, “You have occupied the position of the dean and don’t want to retire. Do you have qualifications to criticize me? Come on. You say it every time when you come here. I am just five years older than you. I know my body. If you can find someone to replace me, I will not give a class.”
“I really have such an ideal candidate.”
Wen Ruomin smiled with quite profound meaning and put a small half of embroidery on the table. Gong Xiangjun saw it from a distance and looked back on the book. She said, “You say the girl Qingru. Her Dahan flower needling skill is good. She will upgrade to the first class in one or two years, but it’s still early. What do you want to do with her embroidery?”
Wen Ruomin heard it and instantly laughed. She shook her head and said, “It is not embroidered by Feng Qingru. Take a closer look.”
What?
Gong Xiangjun heard it and was distracted for a moment. Then she picked up the embroidery and gently brushed it. Her face immediately showed a bit of surprise. Her hands had been maintained well and looked ten years younger than her age. Although her eyes were not good, she could basically understand an embroidery by hands.
However, this time… she had no idea.
“Strange, strange…”
Gong Xiangjun talked about it. Then, she opened the drawer on the left and took out a pair of glass lenses. She put it in front of her eyes and carefully observed the embroidery.
Wen Ruomin’s expression also was a little more serious. She just cracked a joke and did not think that Gong Xiangjun would take out the glass lenses. The dedicated lenses were made by the best artisans, who were invited by Satrap Yan. Relying on them, Gong Xiangjun could still be active in the embroidery workshop at an advanced age of seventy-five.
It could be said that the glass lenses were the most treasured possession of Gong Xiangjun, which wasn’t shown easily.
Time passed by, and the tea had been cold. Gong Min came in to pour tea again. She saw the two old women staring blankly at a small piece of embroidery and felt curious. However, she consciously did not bother them. After pouring tea, she retired again.
When the second cup of tea became cold, Gong Xiangjun finally looked up and said solemnly, “I have never seen this Dahan flower needling skill before. It has a tendency to become a school. If she can succeed, she will be the originator of the school! Ruomin, where did you get the piece of embroidered cloth? Is its owner the one that can succeed me? She is qualified indeed…”
Wen Ruomin opened her mouth and was surprised in her heart. It was a joke which became true. She really didn’t know how to say now.
“Which master was found by you? Is it Meng Litong of the Yuezhi Province? Or Lv Yaxuan of the Siqi Province? Tell me and take me to see her!”
Gong Xiangjun saw that Wen Ruomin did not speak and was impatient instantly. Wen Ruomin came to her sense and quickly calmed her, “Don’t worry. She is there and will not run away. She is in the college now, and the embroidery is just embroidered.”
“Why didn’t she embroider it completely?”
Gong Xiangjun heard it and breathed a sigh of relief, but then she frowned and said, “If an embroidery is incomplete, it doesn’t have soul! Based on her demonstrated strength, she should know it.”
“Well… something unexpected happened.”
Wen Ruomin braced herself and explained. Wu Shuqin seemed to get into trouble… If she said it, according to Gong Xiangjun’s temper, she might immediately expel Wu Shuqin from the college.
“What happened?” Gong Xiangjun’s face changed, “Did someone dare to bully such a master?”
Wen Ruomin felt badly battered and forced a smile helplessly, “Don’t ask me. I’ll let her come to see you.”
“It is not appropriate!”
Gong Xiangjun immediately stood up and took the cane around her, “Even if the person is a little younger than me, she can innovate a school, which means that her embroidery skills have already reached mine. How can we let her come to me? It is not appropriate! I am going to change my clothes, and then you should see her with me. You haven’t said who she is. Is it Meng Litong or Lv Yaxuan?”
Gong Xiangjun’s mouth was like a machine gun. Wen Ruomin collapsed forthwith and quickly let Gong Xiangjun sit down, “My old sister, you can sit comfortably. The little girl is only fifteen years old. Her age is not a little smaller than you. She is several generations smaller than you!”
Fifteen-year-old?!
Gong Xiangjun was stunned instantly. After a long time, she stammered and asked, “Do you play a trick on me?”
After about five minutes, Su Li stood in front of the courtyard of primitive simplicity. Gong Min looked curious, but still maintained courtesy. She nodded and said, “My grandma wants to see you. Come with me.”
Su Li followed behind Gong Min and stepped into the room. She saw Wen Ruomin and Gong Xiangjun at first sight. She composed herself and went to salute. She said, “Su Li is here to salute Dean Wen and Dean Gong.”
Gong Min wanted to stay but was given a sign by Wen Ruomin’s eyes. She only could go out and close the door.
Gong Xiangjun saw Su Li with an immature face but still could not believe her eyes. She picked up the embroidered cloth and asked, “You are called Su Li? Is the piece of embroidered cloth embroidered by you?”
Su Li nodded and then hesitated a moment to say, “As a junior, I have some doubts and do not know whether to ask or not.”
Wen Ruomin immediately laughed and said, “I know what you want to ask. This Dean Gong, who you have not heard of before, has retired for many years and has been teaching at the school. Now half of the top embroidery artificer in the embroidery workshop of the Qinghe Province are her students. Feng Qingru is taught by her personally. Do you know her?”
Su Li heard of it, and her eyes shined. Was the granny Feng Qingru’s mentor?
She had heard about her in the previous life but had never seen her. Gong Xiangjun had passed away when she met Feng Qingru. Feng Qingru always talked about that she hadn’t seen the last time of her mentor. It was because Gong Xiangjun caught a nasty disease suddenly and died too fast. At that time, Feng Qingru was in other places and couldn’t get back.
Recalling the memory, Su Li quietly looked Gong Xiangjun up and down. Gong Xiangjun looked dark and unhealthy as expected. Because she hadn’t diagnosed her, her judge was not accurate enough.
Gong Xiangjun promptly stood up and interrupted Wen Ruomin’s words, “Why do you tell her these? How shameful!”
Then she touched the embroidery in her hand and sighed with emotion, “In the Changjiang River the waves behind drive on those before. The foundation of your embroidery skills is very solid. You may work very hard. From the flatness of the embroidery, I can know your fundamental stitches also reach the level of the top embroidery artificer. The Dahan flower needling skill is the extremely difficult embroidery method of the Dahan embroidery. You can get rid of the stale and bring forth the fresh actually. I’m eye-opening. Seeing it in the rest of my life, I may die without any regret…”
“Xiangjun…”
Suddenly hearing her old friend’s words, Wen Ruomin could not help but be worried.
Gong Xiangjun waved her hand and smiled to say, “I am fine. I just feel an urge.” She turned around to speak to Su Li, “Su Li, would you like to take over my position and teach the special class?”
Even if Su Li was steady, she was dull at the moment when she heard it.
Special class?
What was it?
She saw the volume. Weren’t there only senior and primary classes?
Wen Ruomin was also shocked and quickly prevented Gong Xiangjun. She said, “Xiangjun, it is not appropriate. Su Li is too young to convince students.”
Gong Xiangjun waved her hand and said, “Afraid of what! I’ll never take back my words. Besides, that group of girls are all arrogant. They need a person to take the edge off their spirit. Su Li, are you willing to do that?”
Looking at Gong Xiangjun’s smiling face, Su Li was silent for a moment and asked rather than nodded, “Dean Wen and Dean Gong, I want to ask you. How much free time can I have to read books if I take over the special class? I heard that there are many ancient books and records in the Qinghe Girls’ School.”
Then the two old ladies were dumbfounded instantly.
If other people had heard Gong Xiangjun’s words, they would have been mad with joy and been moved to tears of gratitude! It was not excessive for them to look upon Gong Xiangjun as their great benefactors. However, Su Li… She even hesitated to accept it?!
After being stunned for a long time, Gong Xiangjun suddenly laughed heartily. Wen Ruomin also covered her face with a forced smile.
“Ha ha ha… Su Li, you really don’t know what the special class represents, do you?”
Su Li was helpless and said, “I just arrived in the Qinghe Province yesterday.”
“Girl, don’t worry at all.”
Although she was rejected by Su Li once, Gong Xiangjun was in a good humor surprisingly, “The special class only has five students. Those little girls don’t have much time at school. Usually there will be a lesson for seven days. Therefore, you have plenty of time to stay at the library of the Girls’ School! In addition, the treatment of the special-class lecturer is excellent…”
Su Li almost didn’t listen to Gong Xiangjun later. There would be only one lesson for seven days. It could not be better. In this way, she could spend more time on herself and would not delay her practicing and refining of elixirs. It was excellent.
“Besides, the special-class lecturer’s salary…”
Gong Xiangjun was still saying enthusiastically. Wen Ruomin could not help but interrupt her, “All right. Say something else.”
She obviously saw that Su Li was distracted. Except time, the girl was not interested in other things.
Gong Xiangjun cheerfully shut up and was not angry. Her eyes were full of fondness looking at Su Li. She was so chuffed that she could meet such an outstanding junior in later life.
Wen Ruomin also sighed with emotion. Su Li reminded her of a person, who was from a humble family but was not as stunning as Su Li. However, she heard that the maiden died young and didn’t leave any works, which was plaintive.
After no more than an hour, Su Li left the courtyard with a golden badge in hands.
“There are many large or small residences of the special-class lecturer in the hill which can be selected by you. The senior-class courtyards can’t be occupied fully, not to mention the special-class courtyards. In addition to us, there are some old people from the College of Martial Arts. You are also a lecturer. Don’t be afraid of them.”
Remembering Wen Ruomin’s words, Su Li went away. There was only the maiden dressed in white stood here with a dull look.
What did she see? That badge…
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