Early the next morning Ji Ruan knocked on the door of Cheng Zizhang’s ward.
It was Cheng Yunxiu who opened the door. She was wearing a simple light-colored long dress, her hair was tied behind her head, and she had an outstanding temperament. Seeing Ji Ruan, she smiled softly: “It’s Xiao Ruan, I finally met you, I am Zizhang’s mother I often hear Zizhang talking about you.”
Her facial features were gentle and she was very friendly. Ji Ruan smiled and said, “Mr.Cheng, I have admired your name for a long time.” Take in the ward, “Come on, come in quickly, Zizhang can’t be discharged yet, thank you for coming here.”
Ji Ruan handed the flowers she brought to Cheng Yunxiu: “No, I should have come to see my senior.”
Single The area of ​​the ward is small, but the lighting is transparent, and the whole room is filled with the smell of warm sunshine.
Cheng Zizhang half leaned on the bed and drank noodle soup, and smiled warmly at Ji Ruan, even if she was ill, she was still a beautiful woman.
“-Ji Ruan?”
Ji Ruan turned around and saw Lin Qing coming out of the bathroom.
His eyes were a little red, and he looked quite haggard. He was completely different from his gentle and elegant appearance when he came on stage yesterday, and he felt exhausted after suffering.
He stopped at the same spot, turned his eyes around Cheng Yunxiu’s mother and daughter, and his face gradually became a little embarrassed: “What did you ask him to do?”
Lin Qing felt resentful and puzzled. The matter was over, and he still needed to find an outsider Come see him and see his jokes?
Ji Ruan raised his eyebrows, it seemed that the whole night had passed, and Lin Qing hadn’t figured anything out.
Cheng Zizhang swallowed her soup as if nothing had happened and ignored him, her mother was returning, so she didn’t need to speak.
Cheng Yunxiu poured a glass of water and walked straight past Lin Qing, and still said to Ji Ruan in a friendly tone: “Come on, Xiao Ruan, sit down first, drink some water and we will talk slowly.”
Cheng Yunxiu was silent for two seconds as if thinking about where to start, and then looked at Lin Qing with a more serious expression: “Do you know what you did wrong?”
This sentence can be said to be quite gentle, and Lin Qing seems to have thought that there would be After asking this question, he calmly said, “Teacher, where do you think I am wrong?”
Cheng Yunxiu sat down beside Ji Ruan: “Okay, since you don’t want to say it yourself, let me ask you, the work on the promotional activity is from your own hands?”
Lin Qing twitched the corners of his mouth: “Teacher, you clearly know that you asked me and my senior sister to do it together, and we are doing as you said.”
Cheng Zizhang sneered.
Cheng Yunxiu looked at Lin Qing quietly for two seconds, then sighed: “Go and get the things on the table.”
Although she has a gentle personality, when she became serious, her eyes were quite sharp.
Lin Qing felt a little nervous when she saw her, she was in a daze for a moment before doing what she said, and his steps were stiff during his actions.
It was a rectangular object wrapped in cotton cloth, about half a meter long, and felt like a wooden picture frame. Lin Qing vaguely guessed what it was.
He sent the things to Cheng Yunxiu, but she didn’t take them, she just said, “Open it and have a look.”
Lin Qing rolled his Adam’s apple, and his fingers trembled slightly when he lifted the cotton cloth.
He guessed right, it was indeed the work “A Corner of the Small Courtyard” they exhibited at the event site yesterday.
Cheng Yunxiu’s eyes fell on his face, as if he didn’t want to let go of any trace of his expression: “Now you have seen it yourself, point to it and tell me clearly which ones were embroidered by you and which ones were embroidered by Zizhang?”
Lin Qing hands trembled violently, almost dropping the things in his hands to the ground.
“…The pond was embroidered by me, and the fish, water, and trails were senior sister…” He stopped when he pointed to plum blossoms, opened and closed his lips twice, but finally failed to make a sound.
Cheng Yunxiu’s eyes were sharp: “Who embroidered them?”
Lin Qing’s lips turned white, but he didn’t say a word.
Cheng Yunxiu looked at him for a long time, and after getting no response, she finally looked away in disappointment: “Do you remember what you said on stage yesterday? Do you need me to help you remember?” Lin Qing’s chest heaved twice
, Suddenly raised his eyes: “Do you believe in Cheng Zizhang that much?”
Cheng Yunxiu met his gaze: “What does this mean?”
“Cheng Zizhang told you that she embroidered the flowers, and you believed her directly, so you think I lied, isn’t it like that?”
He chuckled lightly, pointed at Ji Ruan, and said, “In order to show you are selfless, you specially hired an outsider to be a witness, is it necessary?”
Cheng Yunxiu’s eyes suddenly became strange when she saw Lin Qing : “So you still don’t want to admit it, are you?”
“Then why do you think I’m lying?” Lin Qing blurted out: “The needlework of that plum tree doesn’t exactly look like Cheng Zizhang. It couldn’t have been done by me? Why did you choose to believe her without even asking?”
He waited for two seconds, and seeing Cheng Yunxiu shaking her head in silence, he thought he was right, so he took a step closer.
“Is it because pear blossoms were temporarily changed to plum blossoms? She loved doing this kind of thing since she was a child, so you think I’m lying without even thinking about it? It’s been like this since you were a child, and you have been partial since you were a child!” Lin Qing’s eyes gradually turned red,
like The resentment that had been suppressed for a long time found an outlet at this moment, and it was out of control at the slightest sign, and the dissatisfaction with Cheng Zizhang intensified.
Cheng Zizhang is like this every time, never embroidering works according to the original plan, as soon as she thinks about it, it seems that she is the most unconstrained style in the world, but the teacher just likes her, and thinks she is smarter.
“But I didn’t embroider the plum blossoms.” Cheng Zizhang who had been drinking soup quietly on the hospital bed suddenly said.
Lin Qing was taken aback.
Cheng Zizhang put down the soup bowl and met his gaze: “I never said such a thing.”
Cheng Yunxiu sighed: “You said I made a decision without listening to your explanation, but I asked you, and you said Are you telling the truth? You are still lying!”
The blood on Lin Qing’s face gradually receded, and he said in a low voice: “It’s not her…it’s not her or anyone else, it’s the two of us-“
Suddenly he stopped .
“Could it be you?”
Ji Ruan returned him a faint smile.
Lin Qing took half a step back uncontrollably, as if she couldn’t believe what she saw.
“That’s right, it was Xiao Ruan who did it.” Cheng Zizhang said, “I was sick that day, and you couldn’t get in touch with anyone. It happened that Xiao Ruan came to me and helped me when I was in trouble.”
With a drastic change of expression, she said leisurely: “It was not intentional to change pear blossoms to plum blossoms. Xiao Ruan had to change it when his finger was pricked and dripped blood on it.”
“As for why the stitches are very similar to mine,” Cheng Zizhang gave Lin Qing a sneering look, “It’s just because he doesn’t want to show off, and because he cares about the coordination of the work, he intends to move closer to the overall style.” “–It’s that simple, I’m also surprised why you haven’t been able to guess.”
Lin Qing’s face turned blue and red, and it seemed that it was more difficult for him to accept that the work was by Ji Ruan than by Cheng Zizhang.
“Why, how could it be possible for him,” he laughed absurdly: “How could he have such a show of skill even if he hasn’t learned it… and imitating you, are you deliberately defrauding me Cheng Zizhang?”
He took two steps closer: “You Is it so easy to imitate the acupuncture method? It’s really so easy that others don’t have to spend ten or twenty years to learn it!”
“Don’t believe me?”
Cheng Zizhang didn’t bother to talk nonsense with him, so she gave Ji Ruan the needle for himself. A handkerchief came in front of Lin Qing: “Look for yourself.”
“Xiao Ruan’s plum blossom is trying to imitate me, but it also brings a lot of his own style. If you put these two together, you still can’t see it. My mother has taught you for nothing all these years.”
Lin Qing stared blankly at the two embroidery works in front of her, one was a mountain primrose and the other was a plum blossom, they were indeed very similar. The stitches are fine and the thread is tight and solid, which is a very solid basic skill.
He saw it, so he felt more like a clown.
The water in his hand was getting cold, Ji Ruan took a sip, saw Lin Qing was stunned, and said lightly: “So now you know why I didn’t believe you that day in the operating room?” Lin Qing’s eyes
moved , turning to Ji Ruan somewhat stagnantly.
“Because you don’t need senior sister to tell me how much you embroidered and what content you embroidered,” he shrugged, “I just saw it myself, but you didn’t believe it at the time.”
His jaw was tense, and it took a long time before he looked at Cheng Yunxiu, and his voice became hoarse:
“So you actually saw it at the first glance. You have been holding off on it since yesterday until today, just to wait for him to come? Wait for him to come over and dismantle me in person, making me a monkey?”
There was no respect at all, but Cheng Yunxiu didn’t care too much, and said coldly: “No one wants to make things difficult for you deliberately. You have impersonated someone else’s work. A face-to-face apology is the most basic, but I didn’t expect you to be so stubborn.”
” Heh.” Lin Qing laughed out loud, he didn’t speak, but his eyes were full of unwillingness.
Cheng Yunxiu closed her eyes: “I know you are sensitive and have a lot of thoughts, so I have always taken good care of you. Although Zizhang is my biological daughter, I dare say that I have not treated you badly over the years, even if you think I am partial , You are always excellent. In the past two years, you have neglected your homework and neglected to practice. How much has Zizhang helped you? If I don’t punish you cruelly, will you really think I’m a fool?”
Lin Qing’s expression was stiff: “I’ve said so much, No, you’re still biased, you have praised Cheng Zizhang more than me since we were a child, you are always encouraging your daughter, but you only know to let me practice, practice, practice, am I so inferior to her?”
Cheng Yunxiu shook his head: “I don’t know why you have such thoughts, but you have been impetuous since you were petty, and if I don’t suppress you, will you be allowed to float to the sky?!” Lin Qing let out a cry from his nasal cavity
Laughing, with vain eyes, I don’t know if he listened or not.
Cheng Yunxiu waved his hand, as if he didn’t want to continue talking about this matter: “It’s useless to talk, please apologize to Xiaoruan, and apologize sincerely!”
An apology is simple to say, but for a person like Lin Qing who has a higher self-esteem than the sky Say, how can it be so easy?
He stood there, his back tensed, but he didn’t say a word.
Cheng Yunxiu waited for him for a long time, and finally every minute and every second turned into a sigh.
Lin Qing watched helplessly as Cheng Yunxiu got up, walked up to Ji Ruan step by step, and bent down little by little:
“I’m sorry Xiao Ruan, Lin Qing is my apprentice who I taught by myself, it’s my responsibility for not teaching him well, I will replace him, He apologizes to you.”
Lin Qing’s eyes suddenly turned blood red.
Ji Ruan quickly supported Cheng Yunxiu: “Ms. Cheng, don’t, you don’t need to do this.”
Cheng Yunxiu patted Ji Ruan’s hand, “Replacing someone else’s work is a big taboo.”
But Ji Ruan still couldn’t make Cheng Yunxiu like this The master at the same level bowed to himself, and he couldn’t bear it: “It’s really not good, Teacher Cheng.”
Seeing this, Cheng Zizhang on the hospital bed pulled Ji Ruan’s clothes and shook his head: “Little Ruan, let go.”
Ji Ruan After hesitating for a long time, seeing that he was in a stalemate, he had to let go of Cheng Yunxiu’s hand.
Only now did Cheng Yunxiu smile softly at him, and bowed deeply.
Because of this, Ji Ruan’s palms were sweating.
Cheng Yunxiu saw that Ji Ruan was uncomfortable, patted the back of Ji Ruan’s hand to make him sit down, and then walked a few steps towards Lin Qing.
She looked at Lin Qing, and the pain in her eyes gradually turned into deep exhaustion: “This is the last time I will help you speak as a master, the future road…you go on your own.” Lin Qing was stunned for a moment,
Because he didn’t understand this sentence, he froze in place and couldn’t even blink his eyes.
“What do you mean, you… You, you don’t want me? You want to drive me away?” His eyes were full of disbelief.
Cheng Yunxiu closed her eyes and didn’t look at him: “If you still want to save some face for yourself, you should apologize to others and then leave?”
“What are you talking about, Master?!” Lin Qing seemed to have heard some ridiculous joke, the expression on his face became distorted: “I..I have been with you since I was twelve years old, even if I made mistakes, you can’t just let me go!”
He pointed to Ji Ruan: “you… I can’t be abandoned just because of such a person, he’s not even a Han embroidery worker!”
“Do you still remember that you are a Han embroidery worker?” Cheng Yunxiu said: “Then do you still remember what I said the day I became a teacher? Although we rely on Craftsmanship to eat, but the character of an embroiderer is much higher than his skills, it is the soul of your work! It is something that we want to pass on from generation to generation, and it is not for you to steal from others casually, do you understand? Ah Qing?”
Cheng Yunxiu had tears in her eyes, as if extremely disappointed, Lin Qing had never seen such emotion in his teacher’s eyes.
He was stunned for a long time, knowing that the teacher was serious this time.
However, being expelled from the school is a great shame. Cheng Yunxiu almost represents the entire Han embroidery community. Once he is expelled today, everyone will know what he has done tomorrow, and everyone will scold him and laugh at him, curse him.
He burst into tears: “I apologize, I apologize.” He rushed to Ji Ruan: “I’m sorry Ji Ruan, I shouldn’t replace your work, I shouldn’t do such a thing, I’m sorry…”
“- – Teacher, teacher, I apologize,” he grabbed Cheng Yunxiu’s sleeve: “I was wrong, don’t drive me away, please!…”
Cheng Yunxiu looked at him steadfastly, with deep eyes, and at the end, she lightly brushed Lin Qing’s hand away: “Ah Qing, there’s no need, and you’ve stopped thinking about it a long time ago, haven’t you?”
The weather is really good today, Bunches of sunlight pushed through the buds on the branches and landed on Cheng Zizhang’s white bed, illuminating Lin Qing’s pale face again.
The hand holding Cheng Yunxiu’s sleeve gradually lost strength, and suddenly fell to the ground, like an unconscious puppet.
Cheng Zizhang tilted her head and looked at him, frowning slightly: “Actually, I never understood. you clearly know what it means to replace other people’s works in our business. It’s just a small activity, and it won’t do you any good. You why do you still do this?”
“Why don’t you know?” Lin Qing chuckled, looked at Ji Ruan, as if unwilling to admit it.
“Because the embroidery is so good.” He said: “… so good that I want to keep it for myself.”
He wiped his face, stood up on Cheng Zizhang’s bed, and looked at Cheng Zizhang’s beautiful face inch by inch : “In that case I will surpass you, and the teacher will not always praise you, but will only say that I don’t work hard.”
Cheng Zizhang seemed very puzzled: “Then why don’t you work hard yourself?”
Lin Qing body shook
When Ji Ruan saw him, his eyes suddenly became dazed.
When we talked about this matter, Ji Ruan got the apology he deserved. Although it is hard to say how much sincerity Lin Qing said, but at least he opened his mouth on the surface, and Cheng Yunxiu also made a very sincere apology on his behalf.
The current atmosphere has obviously involved the internal affairs of their division. Ji Ruan doesn’t care much about whether Lin Qing will be kicked out.
But in the past, his family has been doing Han embroidery for generations, and he knows very well how much impact it will have on his career if a disciple who has been taught by a famous master for ten years is driven away because of a substitute work.
As long as that person has a higher spirit, he will wish to die.
Not to mention someone like Lin Qing who thinks he is extremely noble.
If this was the result that Cheng Zizhang said would satisfy him, he would really be happy to see it.
It’s just that he didn’t like this depressing environment very much, and he didn’t plan to stay any longer, so he got up and said goodbye: “Mr. Cheng, senior sister, I have something to do, so I’ll go back first.”
Wiping her face and smiling guiltily at Ji Ruan: “I’m really sorry, Xiao Ruan, for causing you so much trouble, I’ll come to the door to apologize another day.” “I really don’t need it Ms. Cheng,” Ji Ruan pursed his lips, “It’s okay Yes, you guys still have something to say, so I won’t bother you, and I’ll come to see you another day.”
Cheng Zizhang couldn’t get out of bed, showing shame on her face, “I’m making you laugh.”
Ji Ruan shook his head with a smile, and gently closed his eyes.
It wasn’t until he left the ward that Ji Ruan finally breathed a sigh of relief, and sent a message to Gu Xiuyi to signal that his side was over.
He walked out of the patient building slowly, and waited for Gu Xiuyi at the gate of the hospital. Spring was here, and there were many small flowers blooming in the flower beds by the roadside. They were blue and purple. They couldn’t name them, but they were very beautiful.
He took a few pictures with his mobile phone and sent them to Gu Xiuyi without thinking much.
The other side replied quickly: [Like it?]
[Pretty isn’t it? ]
[you like flowers so much, but you complained when I sent one to you yesterday? ]
Ji Ruan: “…”
Normal people would not choose to send such a large bouquet of flowers, enough to crush people to death.
He pursed his lips and couldn’t help pressing harder on the keyboard: [Yesterday’s flowers were very beautiful, if only there weren’t so many and not so heavy! ]
Gu Xiuyi did not return.
Ji Ruan waited for two minutes and there was still no movement. Just when Ji Ruan thought he was angry, the phone finally buzzed and vibrated twice.
[Boss Gu: Got it. ]
Ji Ruan: “…?”
What does he know?
It took a while to get here from Gu Xiuyi’s company, Ji Ruan kicked the pebbles on the side of the road idly, but waited for Lin Qing first.
Lin Qing’s condition looked even worse than when he was in the ward. I don’t know what they said after Ji Ruan left. He looked very dazed and lost.
He also hit several pedestrians while walking.
From the day he met him in the villa, Ji Ruan knew that he was a person with extreme self-esteem and face, and his back was always straight on purpose.
He had never seen Lin Qing lose his composure in public.
Lin Qing seemed to be waiting for the car, and walked slowly to Ji Ruan’s side.
Ji Ruan only glanced at him and then looked away, not intending to chat with him.
But Lin Qing said blankly: “Are you very proud?”
Seeing that Ji Ruan didn’t answer, he took another step closer and said quietly: “On the day Cheng Zizhang underwent surgery, you deliberately didn’t tell me that you embroidered the plum blossoms, just to see me get humiliated don’t you?”
His eyes were empty, like a deep nest, faintly revealing scarlet blood, mixed with unspeakable gloom.
Ji Ruan frowned and glanced at him, then moved a step away without any trace.
Lin Qing’s state is obviously not right now, so she rationally told Ji Ruan not to talk to him.
With the experience of being almost beaten by Gu Xiuyi’s cheap brother at home, Ji Ruan has a new understanding of the uncontrollability of human behavior, knowing that they may go crazy under any circumstances.
But now it’s on the street, but if Lin Qing really wants to fight, wouldn’t it be embarrassing for Ji Ruan to beat him?
Ji Ruan glanced at the passing vehicles, and casually said, “It’s almost noon, are you hungry?”
“…What?”
Lin Qing didn’t seem to understand why he said this suddenly, and was stunned for a moment.
Ji Ruan licked her dry lips: “If you’re hungry, go home and have lunch.”
Don’t mess with me.
Lin Qing: “…?”
A low-key black car drove up from the corner of the street, and slowly parked on the side of the road. It had a familiar license plate, and Ji Ruan quickly stepped forward when he saw it.
Gu Xiuyi came out from the back seat, walked towards Ji Ruan with a bouquet of flowers in his hand, and naturally took Ji Ruan’s hand, the warm big hand gradually calmed down Ji Ruan’s nervousness.
The amount of flowers this time is much more than normal yesterday, a small bunch of blue-purple hydrangeas, packaged very delicately.
Gu Xiuyi smiled and said: “I checked the flower in your photo, it is blue flower dandelion, but the nearby flower shop didn’t sell it, so I wrapped a few hydrangea, is it okay?” Ji Ruan hugged the flower in his arms, dimples appeared on his cheeks: “Well, so beautiful…”
Gu Xiuyi pinched his face, opened the car door to let him in, and glanced at Lin Qing behind him out of the corner of his eye.
He paused and looked at Ji Ruan: “Do you have anything else to say to him?”
“Oh yes.”
Ji Ruan almost forgot about that person.
Now that Gu Xiuyi is by his side, he is not afraid of Lin Qing daring to do it. He held the car door and shook the hydrangea in his hand: “You are right, I deliberately did not tell the plum blossoms that I embroidered them.” “But not for the sake of it.”
“I didn’t feel complacent when I saw your jokes,” he said innocently, “We don’t know each other well, don’t we?”
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The author has something to say:
Ruan Ruan: My husband is here, I’m not afraid of you, just a little~
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editor’s note:
I edited this chapter a bit for your eyes/brain. made it kinda readable, but I’m confused about the gender of Cheng Yunxiu, because in the MTL they referred Cheng Yunxiu as mother and Mr.
So I just sticked to the she pronouns.
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