Chapter 100 The Eighteen Martial Arts of Embroidery
But the girl's mother wasn't to be trifled with. "Chu Xiangcao, why are you still learning embroidery when your eyesight isn't good enough? Aren't you afraid the needle will snatch away your useless eyes? Get out of here! My daughter clearly grabbed this stool first."
Aunt Chu Xiangcao was not happy about being called. "Your names are written on this stool? I want to sit here!"
"Okay, you want to fight, right? Mother-in-law, sister-in-law, third sister-in-law, hurry up, someone is bullying our Lotus!" The woman rolled up her sleeves while calling for help.
"Who? Who dares to bully my lotus?" Two women supported a white-haired old lady as she walked over tremblingly.
Seeing the overwhelming number of people on the other side, Chu Xiangcao felt a little short of breath. "Here, here, it's just a stool. You're so petty."
She left in disgrace.
The woman put the stool in place and helped the little girl Lotus sit on it. "My dear girl, this is a good position that your mother has snatched for you. You must learn from Master Hua well. If you miss this opportunity, you will never have another chance."
Gu Jiayue, who was watching the show from the side, tugged at Hua Chao's sleeve. "That's great, Master Hua. So many people like your class."
Hua Chao was also very happy. At first she thought no one wanted to listen to her lecture.
She didn't know that compared to the things in the books that Gu Jiayue talked about, what Hua Chao taught were practical skills.
In this area, if a girl can do good embroidery, many families will line up to marry her. Marrying her is like a gold nugget that can lay eggs.
Look at the embroidery works that Hua Chao brought out, which one is not a classic?
Especially the double-sided embroidery, which no one in Taohua Village had ever seen before.
"Don't worry, everyone. Several sisters from the Gu family have been learning from me for a while. They will sit in different positions to demonstrate. If you can't see mine, you can watch theirs."
As soon as Hua Chao said this, everyone realized that the four girls from the Gu family were already sitting in four different positions in the semicircle, ensuring that everyone in the classroom who wanted to learn embroidery could see them.
"Wow, Master Hua is so thoughtful. He even thought of such a small thing."
"Really? Look at all those things she showed off. How much would they sell for? If someone marries her, wouldn't that be like marrying a goose that lays golden eggs?"
"You woman, do you know how to speak? Mrs. Hua is so beautiful, she must be a fairy, right? How can you call her a chicken?"
Seeing that everyone had found a seat, she also took the embroidery cloth and needle and thread she usually used for embroidery. She also imitated Gu Jiayue and struck the gong next to her. "Okay, let's start the class."
Everyone looked up at her quietly.
She felt sweat on her palms and felt confused.
But when she met Gu Jiayue's encouraging gaze, she took a deep breath. She put the embroidery pieces together. "Everyone has just looked at these embroidery pieces up close. Do you see any differences between them?"
After she finished speaking, she paused and looked at her students.
Everyone tilted their heads left and right, trying to discern the difference.
"I didn't notice it, I just thought it looked beautiful, like the real thing."
"Yes, especially that orchid. The dew on it is exactly the same as the one at my doorstep."
"Actually, if you look carefully, you can still see some differences." Lotus in the front row said softly.
Hua Chao looked at Lotus encouragingly.
Lotus blushed and cautiously pointed at the orchid painting in the middle and the butterfly painting on the left. "The stitches on these two paintings are different. This one seems messy, while the lines on this one are all flat."
Hua Chao nodded in agreement. "Yes, Lotus is right."
A little girl nearby also stood up. "The orchid's color scheme looks elegant and clean. The Hundred Butterflies painting has much richer colors."
"You're right."
Then several girls also expressed their opinions, and Hua Chao praised them one by one.
Aunt Chu Xiangcao, who was sitting at the back, slapped her thigh with a pale face. "Oh, if I had known, I would never give up my seat to that little bitch Ding Xing."
Hua Chao didn't know Aunt Chu's regret. She gestured to the girls to get ready first. "You're all right."
"Dagan has a wide variety of embroidery, and the stitches are varied. Most people use the basic flat stitch on a daily basis."
Hua Chao pointed at the orchid painting. "Let's talk about the types first. According to different regions, this orchid painting is Su embroidery. Produced in the Suzhou area, it's a general term for embroidery products from the region. Its designs are beautiful, the conception is ingenious, the embroidery is meticulous, the stitches are lively, and the colors are elegant. It has a strong local flavor and is known for its precision, detail, elegance, and cleanliness, embodying the gentle and soft beauty of the Jiangnan region."
"Look at this tiger painting. I used Hunan embroidery, which is popular in the Xiangzhou area. It is known for its rich color layers and scroll-like embroidery. There is a folk saying that 'Su cats and Hunan tigers' are the same. The lions and tigers depicted here have strong and upright fur and piercing eyes, which are extremely realistic."
"This painting of a hundred butterflies is Shu embroidery. It primarily uses materials like soft satin and colored silk, encompassing twelve categories and a total of 122 stitches. Its hallmarks are rigorous needlework, neat stitches, varied forms, vivid images, and a strong sense of three-dimensionality. This is why the butterflies appear to be about to take flight."
"This painting, 'Phoenix Flying,' is Beijing embroidery. Also known as palace embroidery, it's an ancient embroidery craft. It uses fine materials, rigorous stitches, and vibrant colors. It often features dragons, phoenixes, and unicorns, reflecting the majesty and wealth of the royal family."
"Zizizizi, a piece of cloth and a handful of thread can actually have so many details."
"You've got to say, these embroidery styles out there are indeed much more beautiful than our Miao embroidery."
"What nonsense are you talking about, little girl? These Hunan embroidery and Su embroidery are indeed not bad, but the Miao embroidery and horsetail embroidery passed down by our ancestors are also very good. Don't forget your ancestors just because you learn something new!" The old man standing behind sternly reprimanded the girl in front.
The little girl stuck out her tongue. "Yes, yes, Grandma, I was wrong."
"Okay, now everyone basically knows the differences between these embroideries, right? But what I want to teach you today is how to embroider such a vivid and lifelike embroidery!"
Seeing that Hua Chao was about to get to the point, the old woman who was speaking at the back quickly shut up and signaled the younger person in front to listen carefully.
"To create a good embroidery piece, we need to use many different stitches. The most commonly used ones are straight stitch, spiral stitch, loop stitch, drop stitch, soothing stitch, and grab stitch."
"Now let's talk about the straight needle. Everyone, pay attention to the way I hold the needle and the point where I place the needle."
"For straight needle embroidery, remember that we must use vertical lines to create the shape. The starting and ending stitches are all at the edge, all parallel and parallel, with neat edges. The color matching is one unit and one color thread, without any color matching. If the stitches are too long, add thread to pin it down."
Hua Chao said as he demonstrated slowly.
The women at the scene were all learning very seriously. Those in the back row who couldn't see Hua Chao's movements clearly also turned their heads to look at the four sisters of the Gu family.
The four little girls of the Gu family have been learning for a while. Hua Chao first taught them straight needle embroidery, so when they saw that the people next to them didn’t understand, they demonstrated and explained at the same time.
For a moment, the whole area beneath the banyan tree was filled with a scene of peaceful tranquility. Even the breeze was gentler.
A quarter of an hour later, Hua Chao clapped her hands. "Okay, that's all for today's embroidery class. If you still have any questions, you can talk to me privately later."
Everyone put down their embroidery cloths with a sense of reluctance. "Why is it over? I just learned a new stitch. Aren't there more to come?"
"Look, the trumpet creeper I embroidered with this needlework is indeed much more beautiful."
"It does look good. Look at mine."
The old ladies and young wives surrounded Hua Chao in an instant.
"Hey, Master Hua, please tell us more. We still want to learn."
"Yes, Master Hua, shall we continue for another hour?"
"One hour is not enough? I'll watch for two hours."
Gu Jiayue stepped forward and rescued Hua Chao. "Everyone, everyone, don't worry. We have other teachers coming to teach us. We should also learn from their skills."
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