Chapter 143 The Secret in Embroidery
Seeing Granny Li's expression change and her fingers trembling slightly, Gu Qiuyue leaned over and asked with concern, "Granny, did you remember anything? Is there anything special about this mark?"
Granny Li recovered a little from her initial shock, but her eyes were still complicated. She did not answer directly, but carefully looked at the butterfly "Qin" mark again. Her skinny fingers gently stroked the gold thread, as if touching a long-lost memory through the silk thread.
"It's similar... too similar..." Granny Li murmured to herself, her voice almost inaudible, "But how is this possible? Why would Xiufen use this..." She stopped mid-sentence and carefully spread out the embroidery "Spring in the Garden" flat, her eyes unable to move away from the mark for a long time.
Gu Qiuyue waited patiently. The sunlight filtered through the branches of the old locust tree in the yard, casting mottled shadows on the embroidery. She noticed that Granny Li's eyes were slightly moist, and she became even more certain that there was an unknown story behind this mark.
"Mother-in-law," Gu Qiuyue said softly, breaking the silence, "If you want, you can tell me about it. Maybe it will make you feel better."
Granny Li sighed deeply, then finally looked up, her eyes far away. "This mark isn't Xiufen's." She paused, as if gathering her thoughts. "This is a secret design created by her aunt, Qin Wanrong."
"Qin Wanrong?" Gu Qiuyue remembered that Grandma Li had mentioned this name a few days ago, saying that she was Lin Xiufen's aunt. She also heard Teacher Zhou talk about Master Qin.
"Yes, Wanrong..." Granny Li's eyes softened as she lost herself in memories. "That was more than fifty years ago. Wanrong and I studied together under embroidery master Zhou Yuzhen. She was extremely talented, especially skilled in gold embroidery and double-sided embroidery. She was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside.
This 'butterfly holding the character Qin' logo was her original creation, implying a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, and very few people know about it.
Gu Qiuyue listened attentively, not daring to interrupt the old man's thoughts.
"Wanrong's gold embroidery skills are truly exceptional," Granny Li continued, her eyes gleaming with admiration. "Her wrist is so flexible and effortless, the gold threads seem to come alive at her fingertips. The lesson I taught you just now about keeping your wrist active was actually something I learned from her."
Gu Qiuyue opened her eyes wide in surprise: "So that's how it is."
Granny Li nodded, her expression darkening again. "Later, the situation became turbulent, my disciples dispersed, and I lost contact with Wanrong. I only knew that her life wasn't happy after she got married, and then there was no news from her at all. I thought this mark had been lost with her in time..."
The old man stroked the marks on the embroidery and shook his head in confusion. "So I don't understand why the work Xiufen sent has her aunt's original mark? Did Xiufen inherit her aunt's technique, or..."
Gu Qiuyue keenly grasped something, and the content of her conversation with Xie Shiyu a few days ago flashed through her mind - he was looking for an embroidery successor named Lin. She hesitated for a moment, but then asked, "Mother-in-law, do you know what Qin Wanrong's husband's surname will be after marriage?"
Granny Li was stunned for a moment, frowning and thinking for a long time: "It's been too long... I think I heard Xiufen mention it once, but her aunt had an unhappy marriage, and later it seemed that she restored her original surname..." She shook her head, "I can't remember clearly."
Gu Qiuyue's heart moved, and she felt as if she had touched some clues, but it was not very clear. She turned her attention back to the embroidery, and with the eyesight accumulated from recent research, she carefully examined every detail of "Spring in the Garden".
"Mother-in-law, look here," Gu Qiuyue pointed to a spot of gold-embroidered petals on the embroidery. "The way the gold thread is coiled here seems to be subtly different from the overall style. It appears more sophisticated and calm, and the stitching is more subtle and delicate."
Granny Li leaned in for a closer look, her eyes brightening. "You're right. This needlework... this strength and flexibility of the wrist..." She grew excited. "This is more like Wanrong's work. Xiufen's skills were good back then, but they weren't at this level."
A bold guess formed in Gu Qiuyue's mind: "Mother-in-law, do you think it's possible that this embroidery was actually mainly completed by Senior Qin Wanrong? Or at least, the core part was embroidered by her? This mark is her 'speaking'?"
Granny Li was shocked. She picked up the embroidery again and examined it carefully against the light. The more she looked, the more her expression changed. "Could it be...could it be that Wanrong is still alive? But Xiufen clearly said in the letter that this is her work..."
She suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly got up and went into the house to take out Qin Xiufen's letter and read it again. Gu Qiuyue waited quietly by the side, and the only sound in the yard was the rustling of papers.
“Look here,” Granny Li pointed to a section in the letter, “‘fulfilling my mother’s last wish’, ‘pouring all my heart and soul’… At the time, I just thought it was a way of showing gratitude to my teacher and the inheritance. Now, looking at it in conjunction with this mark…” She didn’t finish her words, but the shock in her eyes said it all.
Gu Qiuyue whispered, "Maybe Sister Xiufen didn't tell the truth, or couldn't say it openly?"
Granny Li pondered for a long time, her expression shifting from confusion to determination. "Qiuyue, you're right. We can't just let this go. This mark... this embroidery... I'm afraid it's more than just a token of Xiufen's love." She held Gu Qiuyue's hand tightly. "I'm going to write back to Xiufen and ask about the true origins of this mark and embroidery."
Gu Qiuyue nodded: “I support you, mother-in-law, if necessary, I can help you with the wording or even send the letter.”
Granny Li clapped her hands gratefully and stood up to get paper and pen.
Just as her eyes swept over the painting "Spring in the Garden" again, she suddenly exclaimed "Huh" and moved closer to a bunch of peonies next to the butterfly mark in the lower right corner of the embroidery.
"What's wrong, mother-in-law?" Gu Qiuyue asked with concern.
Granny Li did not answer immediately. Instead, she took out her reading glasses from her lapel and put them on, almost pressing her face against the embroidery. Her fingers trembled as she pointed at a very small and hidden pattern under the peony leaves. It was a symbol embroidered with silk thread that almost blended with the background color. It looked like a part of the petals, but in fact it was an exquisite Chinese character "Zhou".
"This symbol..." Granny Li's voice trembled with disbelief. "This is the secret code that our master, Zhou Yuzhen, left for us disciples. It's used to identify each other in times of crisis... How could Wanrong... Xiufen definitely wouldn't know..."
She suddenly looked up at Gu Qiuyue, her eyes filled with shock and confusion: "Is Wanrong really still alive? And she sent this embroidery through Xiufen, not just to reunite with me, but also to convey...some message?"
The reading glasses in the old man's hand suddenly slipped, reflecting a dazzling light in the setting sun.
Gu Qiuyue hurriedly caught the glasses, a surge of unease and curiosity welling up in her heart. She realized that this exquisite embroidery might not only be a work of art, but also a key that would unlock a long-forgotten past...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
