Seeing Qiao Muyang's mysterious demeanor, Lin Jicheng's interest was piqued. The group drove through the bustling modern streets, speeding along the elevated highways for a long time before finally stopping at a quiet riverside.
This place is a completely different world from the modern city—
A clear river flows through it, flanked by tall white-walled and black-tiled houses. A stone bridge spans the river, seemingly transcending the long passage of time...
It turned out to be a quiet and peaceful town in Jiangnan!
Compared to the modern metropolis of Shanghai, this place seemed incredibly peaceful and tranquil. Qiao Muyang led the group along the uneven stone path, stopping in front of a seemingly inconspicuous house.
Lin Jicheng took a deep breath and strode in. If it weren't for Qiao Muyang, she would never have known that such an exquisite and spacious top-class garden existed in this quiet town.
Passing through the winding corridor, a vast lake comes into view, connected to the outside world by flowing water. Countless lotus flowers bloom in full glory on the clear blue water, their beauty exquisite. A refreshing breeze carrying the fragrance of lotus blossoms blows on Lin Jicheng, completely dispelling the midsummer heat. Passing through a huge artificial mountain made of Taihu stones, even more exquisite buildings come into view. Everywhere you look, there are pavilions, towers, winding paths, artificial mountains, and secluded ponds—all are exquisite and elegant. The area is so large that it doesn't seem like a private garden, but rather like a vast royal palace!
In a corner of the courtyard, there is an elegant study hidden in a bamboo grove, which connects to a three-story library behind it, which houses a number of cultural relics and ancient books, which broadened Lin Jicheng's horizons!
"This garden has a history of nearly a thousand years. It was once the private residence of an official in the Song Dynasty. The ownership of the property was not clear before, so it is not easy to sell it in one piece."
Qiao Muyang sighed:
"To be honest, this kind of property shouldn't be sold in the first place. After all, it's a historical and cultural heritage site, and private purchase for commercial use could easily damage it... However, I just saw that Ms. Lin has professional resources and connections. If she could buy it, it might add more luster to this place..."
"Let's sign the contract!"
Lin Jicheng nodded in satisfaction.
As night fell, Lin Jicheng and his group lingered in this thousand-year-old house. The night here was exceptionally quiet, with only the sound of flowing water and a few croaks of frogs. It was nothing like the noisy nights they had spent in the city before, and more like a poetic and picturesque ink painting.
Lin Jicheng stepped into this tranquil scene. A cool breeze blew across the stream. As she walked, she was drawn to a dim, yellow light ahead—
Lin Jicheng walked in curiously and found several cheongsams displayed at the entrance of the wooden house. Their elegant cuts and unique styles almost instantly caught her eye.
On the soft, moon-white satin background, delicate silk threads of varying shades vividly depict the delicate luster of lotus leaves and flowers under the moonlight. Under the lamplight, light and shadow flow, and the interplay of light and shadow connects reality and illusion, making the lotus flowers in the picture seem to come alive. Next to this cheongsam, there are many other Chinese garments of different styles, but all with equally neat and elegant cuts. The colors, such as sky blue, faded red, light blue, and autumn fragrance, showcase endless classical charm.
Lin Jicheng held her breath, feeling a pure sense of awe in the face of this work of art!
Taking another step forward, Lin Jicheng saw the creator sitting under the warm yellow light—
A woman nearing fifty, dressed in an indigo cotton-linen cheongsam, had her hair meticulously styled with a simple silver hairpin. A thin, almost invisible silver needle moved up and down in her hand with dazzling speed, and a magnificent Chinese landscape painting seemed to emerge from her hands.
"The interplay of light and shadow, the meticulous stitches—they are even more textured than a real ink painting!"
Lin Jicheng couldn't help but sigh. The creator looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, which quickly turned into a calm smile:
"You flatter me, Miss. My name is Shen Lanyun. I'm just an inheritor of the embroidery craft, and I happen to have opened a qipao experience store here. Feel free to browse around the store!"
Lin Jicheng's hands caressed the different delicate fabrics in the store, and the exquisite and lifelike patterns shone brightly under her touch.
"The stitches here are so fine; it must take a lot of effort to make each piece!"
"yes……"
Shen Lanyun sighed:
“Each cheongsam takes several days to make, just for the embroidery. In addition, the carefully selected fabrics make each cheongsam very expensive.”
Have you considered taking on a few apprentices to speed up the work process?
Lin Jicheng asked curiously.
"Nowadays, there are far too few young people willing to settle down and learn this hard skill..."
There was a hint of melancholy in Shen Lanyun's tone:
"A piece of work takes several months to complete and costs a lot of money, but it is still a drop in the ocean compared to the effort invested. In addition, with the changing times, how easy is it to promote traditional clothing in the market?"
Lin Jicheng nodded silently:
"It would be such a shame not to promote and spread something so beautiful... Although I own quite a few clothes from international brands, the craftsmanship of this piece is even better than that of those international brands."
"Those international brands can sell their products all over the world, and capital can reap huge profits. Perhaps our own country's brands can also reach that point..."
A faint smile appeared on Shen Lanyun's face:
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