The blue-tiled alleys and mossy bluestone roads after the rain should have been a picture full of artistic conception, but because the road was slippery and difficult to walk on, the artistic conception was completely destroyed by the brocade.
Pei Yan really didn't understand why a woman like Hua Jin would run so far just to buy an umbrella and take pictures. Seeing Hua Jin lifting her skirt and moving forward step by step, he stretched out his arm in front of her, "I'll lend you my wrist, don't touch my hand."
"What will happen if it touches your hand?" Hua Jin put her hand on Pei Yan's arm and looked at him with a smile.
Pei Yan looked away: "Men and women should not touch each other, I can't let you take advantage of me for nothing."
Hearing this explanation, Hua Jin couldn't help laughing: "Don't worry, I'm not a lustful woman."
Pei Yan glanced at her and said in a strange tone: "Have you ever seen a pig climb a tree?"
"No."
"Do you think you can trust what you said?"
Hua Jin's eyes widened: "If a man is reliable, even a pig can climb a tree. This sentence is used to describe you men. What does it have to do with me?"
"Miss, it's the 21st century now." Pei Yan said lazily, "Men and women are equal." Seeing that Hua Jin was still about to refute, he added, "If you say one more word, I will take my hand back."
Hua Jin immediately shut up.
After walking down the long stairs, Hua Jin let go of Pei Yan's arm and snorted, "You said that my hand took advantage of you, but I also think that your arm took advantage of me."
This was the first time in Pei Yan's life that he had seen someone destroy a bridge so quickly after crossing it. He turned his head to look at the stairs behind him, and crossed his arms over his chest: "It seems that you don't need my help later."
"Mr. Pei, you misunderstood what I meant." Hua Jin smiled brightly at him, "What I meant is that if this happened to other men, they would definitely take advantage of them. But you are different. Not only are you good-looking, but you also have a noble character. I must have taken advantage of you."
"You shouldn't be a Shu embroidery master, you should learn Shu opera." Pei Yan turned his head and walked forward slowly. "You are so talented in face changing, it would be a waste if you don't pursue this career."
Hua Jin: “…”
Because it was not a holiday and it was raining, there were not many people on the street. This street still retains the architectural style of wooden buildings from the last century, and even the shops have an old-fashioned flavor from the last century. Many shops are hung with some low-quality handicrafts that can be seen in other scenic spots. I walked more than half of the street, but I couldn't find any oil-paper umbrellas.
In desperation, she bought two bottles of water in a small shop and took the opportunity to ask the owner about the whereabouts of the oil-paper umbrella.
"Oil-paper umbrellas?" The shop owner looked at Hua Jin in surprise and said, "Go straight ahead, there is a small shop on the right that sells oil-paper umbrellas." Online shopping is so convenient nowadays, you can buy all kinds of beautiful umbrellas from all over the world. It is rare to see young people coming to a small place like theirs specifically to buy oil-paper umbrellas.
"Thank you." Hua Jin handed another bottle of water to Pei Yan, who took it and said, "Let's go and look for it in the front."
The two walked forward for a while and finally found the shop selling oil-paper umbrellas. An old man in a navy blue Zhongshan suit was sitting behind the door, concentrating on cutting umbrella ribs. Behind him, a young couple was tidying up the messy shop, complaining that it was raining and they couldn't take out the umbrellas they had just made to dry.
The old man's hands were rough, with white scars on the back. When he saw Hua Jin and Pei Yan coming over, he put down the umbrella ribs and knife in his hands and dusted off the bamboo strips on his body: "Do you two want to buy umbrellas? Please come in and take a look."
The store is not big, and the lighting is not very good, so many umbrellas can only be put away. When Hua Jin stepped into the store, she smelled a strong smell of tung oil.
The couple who were packing up their umbrellas saw Hua Jin and Pei Yan come in. They were a little nonchalant at first, but after seeing their appearance and clothes clearly, they couldn't help but take the initiative to step forward and greet them.
The man is handsome and the woman is beautiful, this couple is simply a perfect match.
"Our shop is an authentic traditional oil-paper umbrella handmade shop, which has been passed down from our ancestors for nearly two hundred years." The old man has wrinkles on his face, but he speaks with full energy. He bends down and selects two umbrellas, one red and one blue, from the shelf: "The big red umbrella is the most famous one among our oil-paper umbrellas, but this gentleman may be more suitable for the blue one. If you like, you can take your time to choose."
"Thank you." Hua Jin opened a red oil-paper umbrella with white plum blossoms painted on it. The white plum blossoms were in full bloom on the red umbrella, which was gorgeous and elegant. The ribs were as smooth as silk, and there was not even a trace of oil smell. The workmanship was very delicate. "It's so beautiful. You have been doing this craft for many years, right?"
"I've been doing this for many years." The old man stroked the umbrellas on the rack, his movements as gentle as if he was treating his own children. "When I was very young, almost the entire street was selling oil-paper umbrellas. When outsiders came here, they would also buy an umbrella to take back, only then would they be considered to have really been to our Jiangjiu City." When he mentioned the past, it was unclear whether his tone was one of emotion or regret.
"Grandpa, that was a long time ago." The boy who was bending over to sweep the floor said helplessly, "There are so many beautiful folding umbrellas on the market now, who would still carry an oil-paper umbrella that takes up space when going out every day?"
Hearing his grandson's words, the old man was not angry, but laughed cheerfully and said, "It is definitely inconvenient to carry it with you every day, but it is also very beautiful for young girls and boys to take pictures with umbrellas."
Hua Jin smiled and nodded in agreement: "You are right."
"Technology is advancing, people's living standards are improving, and the gradual decline of traditional industries like ours is inevitable," the old man said. "This is actually a good thing, which means everyone's life will be better."
"Even so, this traditional craft will still be passed down." Hua Jin put away the umbrella and said to the old man, "Just like you said, they may withdraw from the necessities of life, but they can become handicrafts for appreciation. As long as there are still people who like them, they will not disappear."
Hearing Hua Jin's words, the old man smiled even more happily, turned around and took out a box from the house: "Take a look at these two umbrellas, do you like them?"
If the umbrellas I just saw can be called fine products, then the two umbrellas in the box can be called top-notch works of art. These are two red umbrellas with dragons and phoenixes painted on them, which are so lifelike that Hua Jin almost lost his mind.
She bought it without hesitation, and also bought a few more and asked the store to express them to her friends.
It takes more than 90 processes to make a qualified oil-paper umbrella, and it takes half a month to a month to make an umbrella fully formed, so the price is not cheap. Seeing Hua Jin buying so many umbrellas at once, the two young men and women in the store were very happy.
After the two left, the boy said with emotion: "What a pity."
"What a pity?" The girl looked at her puzzled.
"The man just now was quite good-looking, but when he took out the money, he pretended not to see it and waited for his girlfriend to pay." The boy shook his head, "If I had such a beautiful girlfriend, I would definitely not let her spend money."
"You're overthinking. You'll never get such a beautiful girlfriend in your life." The girl lazily wiped the dust off the furniture. "Besides, that guy is so handsome. Maybe he's the gigolo kept by that beautiful lady."
boy:"……"
"Mr. Pei, can I ask you a question?" Hua Jin looked at the photo Pei Yan took of her on her phone, and the disdain in her eyes could hardly be concealed. "You...have never had a girlfriend?"
"What does it have to do with you?" Pei Yan's face looked unhappy.
"Because men who have had girlfriends won't look so ugly in photos." Hua Jin whispered, "I'm 1.68 meters tall, but you took photos that looked like I was 1.45 meters tall. Do you deserve this expensive phone in your hand?"
"I'm sorry." Pei Yan had no expression on his face. "If you don't want to take the photo, just go back to the hotel."
"Come, I'll take two pictures for you, so you can see what real photography is." Hua Jin took out his cell phone, "Open your umbrella."
"Wait." Pei Yan accidentally glanced at Hua Jin's phone screen and his expression became serious. "You share your location with others?"
"Ahem." Hua Jin was a little embarrassed and exited the location sharing. "We're late, late."
Pei Yan continued to look at her expressionlessly.
Being stared at by such a pair of beautiful eyes, Hua Jin turned her head away without any attitude: "Well... it would be safer for a girl to share her location with a friend occasionally when she goes out alone."
Pei Yan was silent for a moment, then said impatiently, "Hurry up."
"What?"
"Photograph."
The young man in a white shirt and holding a bright red umbrella in the quiet rain alley is so beautiful that he looks like a painting.
Hua Jin raised her cell phone and pressed the shutter.
She put down her phone and looked at Pei Yan with a smile, her eyes twinkling: "Thank you."
Pei Yan stared into her eyes for a moment, then put away his umbrella and asked, "Can we go back to the hotel now?"
Hua Jin smiled and nodded.
As he walked up the stairs, Pei Yan tilted his head to look at the woman who was holding his arm through her sleeve: "Is business in your traditional craft industry so bad?"
"We are fine because Shu embroidery can be integrated into every aspect of life, such as clothes, shoes, socks, bags and even jewelry." Hua Jin said, "It's just that there are fewer and fewer top embroiderers, and it's even harder to find young people who are willing to learn this craft. If traditional crafts are to be passed down and developed, there must be successors."
"Wouldn't it be boring to sit there and embroider every day?"
"How come?" Hua Jin's smile became gentle, "It's a very fulfilling thing to turn bright silk threads into beautiful patterns."
"Shu embroidery is a very important salvation for me..." She lowered her eyelids to hide all her emotions.
"Do you want to brag about being a successor who is capable of carrying forward traditional craftsmanship?" Pei Yan asked.
"Oh." Hua Jin raised her head, her eyes full of smiles, "Did you hear that?"
Pei Yan sneered and turned his head away. He was really a peacock who only liked to brag about himself.
The author has something to say: Huajin Classroom reminds you: Regardless of whether you are a man or a woman, when you go out alone, you should be vigilant and often use chat software to send your location to friends and family. At the same time, try to avoid exposing your personal privacy on public platforms.
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