Chapter 145 Call from the Cultural Affairs Bureau
When she opened the door, the principal was holding the receiver. Seeing her come in, he waved quickly: "Teacher Gu, come quickly. It's a comrade from the Provincial Department of Culture who wants to see you."
Gu Qiuyue took the receiver, her palms slightly sweating: "Hello, I'm Gu Qiuyue."
A gentle, yet bureaucratic, middle-aged male voice came from the other end of the line: "Hello, Comrade Gu Qiuyue. We are from the Folk Art Protection Office of the Provincial Department of Culture. I heard that you have been collecting and organizing local embroidery techniques recently, and have been in contact with Comrade Li Shulan?"
Gu Qiuyue's heartbeat suddenly accelerated: "Yes, Grandma Li's embroidery skills are very high, I am asking her for advice."
"Very good, very good." The other party's voice was tinged with laughter. "We just want to know if Comrade Li Shulan has been in contact with any veteran artists recently, especially those from outside the province? Or if she has received any special embroidery works?"
This question came suddenly and strangely. Gu Qiuyue held the receiver tightly, and the painting "Spring in the Garden" and the mysterious code "Zhou" flashed through her mind.
Provincial Department of Culture, why are you suddenly concerned about this?
Gu Qiuyue's heartbeat pounded against her chest, but her voice remained steady. "Old artist from outside the province? Special embroidery work? This... I haven't heard Granny Li mention it specifically. Comrade, is there anything special?"
She deftly threw the question back, her mind racing, analyzing the underlying meaning of the call.
The Provincial Department of Culture, the Folk Art Protection Office... they sound like legitimate counterparts, but the way and timing of the inquiry, combined with the mysterious embroidery, always makes people feel that it is not so simple.
The man's voice on the other end of the phone was still gentle, but it carried an unmistakable official tone: "Oh, it's nothing serious, just a routine inquiry. Comrade Li Shulan is one of the veteran embroidery artists with a good record in our province. It's only natural for us to be concerned about the artist's recent situation and artistic exchanges.
If Teacher Gu learns anything, or if Comrade Li Shulan makes any special discoveries, I hope you'll contact our office promptly." He paused, then added, "This is also to better protect and explore our precious folk art."
"I understand that protecting folk art is indeed very important. If I find anything, I will report it to you in a timely manner." Gu Qiuyue responded, but the doubts in her heart grew bigger and bigger.
Was it necessary to call the school directly to find her, someone who had only recently been there? It was more like a test or... a search.
"Well, I won't bother you any further. This is my phone number. Please write it down." The other party read out a string of numbers, and Gu Qiuyue quickly picked up a pen from the principal's desk and wrote it down. "Thank you for your cooperation. Goodbye."
"Goodbye." Gu Qiuyue put down the receiver, the sweat on her palms had not yet faded.
The principal standing by asked curiously, "Teacher Gu, what does the Cultural Department want to talk to you about? Is it about your collection of embroidery materials?" The principal was a kind old man who had always taken good care of Gu Qiuyue, a talented and hardworking teacher who was a military family member.
Gu Qiuyue collected her thoughts, smiled, and said half-seriously, "Yes, Principal. He said he was concerned about the inheritance of folk art and asked me and Granny Li about what we know." She did not mention the strange content of the question. Her intuition told her that this matter should not be made public for the time being.
"This is great news! It means the higher-ups take it seriously! If you learn more about it, you might even bring honor to our school in the future," the principal said cheerfully. "Class is almost time, right? Go get ready."
"Okay, Principal." Gu Qiuyue responded and walked out of the principal's office with the note with the phone number on it.
Returning to her desk and looking at the note, Gu Qiuyue's mind couldn't calm down.
Throughout the morning's class, while she appeared to be calmly explaining the text to her students, she was haunted by the phone call and the painting "Spring in the Garden." What exactly were the people from the Provincial Department of Culture looking for? What was so special about that embroidery? Who was this "Zhou"? Did Granny Li know the hidden story behind this? Countless questions swirled in her mind.
As soon as the school bell rang at noon, she hurriedly packed her things, got on her bike and rushed home. She absentmindedly made lunch and went to pick up her two children from kindergarten.
The children chattered around her along the way, telling her interesting stories about school.
Looking at the innocent smiles of Huahua and Shuangshuang, Gu Qiuyue temporarily suppressed her worries, carefully picked up food for them, and asked about their studies.
I had just finished my meal and hadn't even cleared the dishes when I heard the familiar sound of a jeep engine outside the door.
"Dad is back!" Huahua, with sharp ears, cheered and ran to open the door.
Sure enough, her husband Xie Shiyu walked in, dressed in military uniform and standing straight. He looked a little tired, but the firmness between his brows remained unchanged. As a deputy division-level officer, his work was always busy and stressful.
"Isn't it going to be two days before you can come back?" Gu Qiuyue was a little surprised and quickly took the military cap he took off and hung it up.
"The mission was completed early, so I came back. I have a meeting nearby this afternoon." Xie Shiyu explained, his eyes sweeping over his wife, keenly noticing a barely perceptible worry between her brows. The tacit understanding between husband and wife over the years allowed him to easily capture the subtle changes in her emotions.
He first warmed up to the children for a while, then said to Gu Qiuyue, "Yueyue, come here and help me find the document on logistics support that I brought back last time."
Gu Qiuyue understood and followed him into the study.
As soon as the door was closed, Xie Shiyu asked directly: "What's wrong? You seem to be worried about something. Are your work at school not going well?" His voice was low and reliable.
Gu Qiuyue hesitated for a moment. She seldom bothered her husband with household matters because she knew he had a heavy burden on his shoulders. But today's incident seemed strange, and perhaps her husband's perspective could give her some advice.
She took out the note with the phone number on it and told Xie Shiyu everything about the call from the Provincial Department of Culture that morning and her discovery of the mysterious embroidery and the secret code two days ago.
Xie Shiyu listened very carefully, his thick eyebrows gradually furrowed. He picked up the note and read it: "Provincial Department of Culture Folk Art Protection Office... The name of the department is fine, but the content of the question is indeed a bit deliberate."
He pondered for a moment. "Our society is in a state of disrepair right now, and all aspects are undergoing reorganization and exploration. It's a good thing that folk art is receiving attention, but normally the process wouldn't be so sudden to find a teacher who is writing an article and learning about it."
"You find it strange too, don't you?" Gu Qiuyue's doubts became clearer after receiving her husband's approval. "I always feel like they're looking for something, or someone. That painting 'Spring in the Garden' might be the key. Moreover, they specifically mentioned 'old artists from outside the province.'"
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