Chapter 24. Gan Rouyu handed over starlight-colored silk, her silent words revealing her tender heart. ...
As dawn broke, Su Jinxiu sat before her embroidery frame, her eyes still slightly flushed, but her fingertips held the silver needle steadily, finishing the unfinished "Deer Milk Offering to Parents" painting on An Chisu.
The silver thread, as fine as an autumn hair, traces the soft fur of a deer's chin on the silk fabric. The silk thread also blends with daylilies. The stitches are tight and the flowers are easily tied, meticulously weaving the filial piety of Tanzi offering deer milk into the pattern.
Occasionally, the warbling of orioles would drift through the morning mist outside the window, and the intermittent sound of horses' hooves could be heard from the end of the long street, deep and resonant like a drumbeat beating in the heart, yet it could not disturb her focused concentration.
She breathed a sigh of relief only after the last thread of silk was embroidered. She stroked the embroidered scene and then looked at the plain scroll spread out to the side.
That was the base fabric for the last filial piety picture, but it couldn't be started because the crucial embroidery thread was missing.
She stared blankly at the white expanse, a lingering worry rising in her heart, so much so that she didn't even notice the sudden cessation of the sound of horses' hooves outside the window or the sound of someone dismounting.
What is the true nature of the King of Jing? If this fragment is presented to him, wouldn't it be a case of framing someone without a pretext? Will Hua Yunge's close friends all suffer collateral damage because of her?
Suddenly, a young man in black lifted the curtain and entered. His outfit was slightly dusty from his journey. Everyone in the room was focused on their work at their respective embroidery booths until Linlang looked up and caught sight of him. She then exclaimed softly, "Oh, this young master looks very familiar... Jinxiu! Could he be your younger brother?"
Upon hearing this, Su Jinxiu turned around abruptly and saw that the person who came was tall and slender. After a closer look, she realized that it was indeed Wen Shiqin, and she stood there stunned for a moment.
Before she could react, he had already turned to the three embroiderers in the pavilion, nodded in greeting, and said in a clear voice, "Greetings, ladies." His manners were impeccable, and they responded with smiles.
He then walked straight toward Su Jinxiu in front of the embroidery frame, his gaze fixed on her, his steps heavy with the weariness of his journey. When he reached her, seeing that she was still sitting there motionless, lost in thought, he knelt down on one knee, bringing them to eye level.
"Sister?"
Seeing this, the three embroiderers exchanged a knowing smile, then quietly put down their needlework and left, leaving the two of them alone to express their heartfelt feelings after their separation.
Su Jinxiu then realized what was happening, her hand unconsciously resting on his shoulder, her voice trembling with surprise: "You...you said you wouldn't be back for more than a month? Why are you back now?"
Wen Shiqin did not respond. He only frowned and pursed his lips. His gaze swept over her dark circles and the messy hair at her temples like a fine comb, and then fell on her bloodless lips. It was clear that she had been suffering for days.
His eyes were filled with tenderness, almost overflowing from his eyelashes.
Their eyes met, and as he scrutinized her, she couldn't help but gaze at him intently. After not seeing him for many days, she felt that his shoulders and back seemed broader, and his spirit more radiant. Even setting aside the sibling-like favoritism and the selfish thought that "family is always better," she had to admit that the man before her was a rare and handsome young man.
She was so engrossed in watching him that she suddenly realized his gaze was also lingering on her. She was startled to discover that she must look haggard and disheveled from working non-stop these past few days. She hurriedly turned her face away like a startled butterfly, barely managing to avoid his gaze.
Wen Shiqin's Adam's apple bobbed as he suppressed the urge to scold and feel sorry for her, trying to keep his tone calm, but he couldn't hide the tremor in his voice: "I've only been away for half a month, and my sister has already ruined herself like this. If she really stays away for a month, wouldn't that break my heart?"
Before he finished speaking, Wen Shiqin bent down and picked her up in his arms, his arms as steady as a rock, and turned to head towards the door.
Startled, Su Jinxiu grabbed his collar and hurriedly said, "Aqin, wait! We can't go back now. The embroidery is due the day after tomorrow, I..."
"What embroidery is more important than your life?" Wen Shiqin interrupted her, almost gritting his teeth as he said, "Which customer dares to pressure you like this?"
The anger in his words was like a cold blade being drawn from its sheath. Su Jinxiu wanted to persuade him again, but he didn't give her any room at all. He strode out of the embroidery pavilion, placed her steadily on the horse's back, and then mounted the horse himself. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and urged the horse to gallop away with a "Giddy up!"
The wind whistled past her ears as Su Jinxiu nestled in his arms, her words of argument scattered by the wind.
Upon returning home to Xiuxiang, Wen Shiqin carried her straight into the inner room, gently placed her on the bed, and tucked her in: "Rest now, don't think about anything."
Su Jinxiu was about to speak when he silenced her with his cold gaze. He turned around, found a low stool, and sat on the edge of the bed, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the wood grain of the bed frame, simply keeping her company quietly.
Even with my eyes closed, the worries in my heart are like tangled threads.
She opened her eyes again after a moment: "Achin, I can't sleep..."
"I'm always thinking about that embroidery. If I can't finish it, I'm afraid it will implicate the people of Huayun Pavilion."
Wen Shiqin turned his head away, avoiding her gaze, suppressing his surging emotions. Only after his breathing gradually calmed did he slowly turn back, softening his tone: "Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Su Jinxiu began her story by recounting how the Prince of Jing's mansion demanded the scroll of the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars. She described how the embroiderer was poached by Hua Manzhu, how she encountered setbacks everywhere in her search for thread, how she couldn't dye the thread because she lacked bluestone, and how the last piece of fabric for her design was still unfinished. She recounted her anxieties over the past few days and her fear of implicating others. As she spoke, her nose began to sting, and at the end, she even felt a touch of grievance that she herself was unaware of.
It's strange, no matter how strong someone is, they always crumble before him.
Wen Shiqin understood after listening, and raised his hand to tidy up the stray hairs on her forehead: "I came back late. Leave this to me. Sister, you just need to get a good night's sleep and don't need to worry about anything else."
Su Jinxiu had never entrusted anything she wanted to do entirely to others, always thinking that she could only feel at ease if she did everything herself. But now, looking at the certainty in Wen Shiqin's eyes and listening to his calm words, the panic that had been hanging in her heart strangely settled down.
She stared at him, nodded blankly, and finally whispered, "Mm."
For the first time in nearly half a month, I had a good, restful sleep.
When I woke up, it was drizzling outside the window.
After quickly washing up, Su Jinxiu returned to her room and found a plain note on the table, written in Wen Shiqin's vigorous handwriting.
"I will return around noon. You don't need to wait for me for lunch."
So she took her umbrella and headed to the morning market at the alley entrance. At Zhang's Eatery, she ordered a crab-stuffed orange, the orange segments hollowed out and filled with crab roe and glutinous rice, steamed until fragrant, soft, and sweet. She also bought a box of milk candy frosting, the glistening white sugar coating a milky aroma that melted in her mouth. Finally, remembering that Manshu and the others might not have had breakfast yet, she also ordered a quail dumpling, with a thin skin and generous filling.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw An Chisu, Linlang and Manshu gathered around the table, unfolding the embroidered Twenty-Four Filial Piety Pictures one by one, their fingertips brushing against the silk cloth with regret.
"It's such a pity that only the last chamber pot is left with an empty frame," Linlang sighed regretfully.
Su Jinxiu felt even more frustrated than the others. She walked to the embroidery frame, picked up a strand of ordinary blue thread with her fingertips, and said softly, "What if we use this thread for embroidery? Although the color is not as good as the sky-blue velvet thread after rain, it is still better than blank. At least we can complete the whole set."
An Chisu frowned upon hearing this: "But the Prince of Jing already intends to make things difficult for you. If he sees that the color is not right, he might say that you are perfunctory and insincere, which would give him a reason to criticize you." Manshu also nodded: "If he really wants to find fault, even if the embroidery is very fine, he can find the flaws in the stitches."
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over her head. Su Jinxiu's hand, which was holding the silk thread, froze, and she couldn't utter a word of rebuttal.
Yes, if someone is determined to dislike you, no matter how well you try to please them, they will still find fault with you.
She silently sat back down in front of the embroidery frame, her fingertips unconsciously combing through the silk threads. The dejection she had just suppressed surged up again, leaving her feeling utterly helpless.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside the door, clattering on the bluestone slabs.
Su Jinxiu looked up and her heart pounded as she saw who it was.
The boy was still dressed in a black outfit, but he was no longer as sharp as before. His clothes were covered in dust and grass, and there were several cuts on his shoulders and arms.
The path I walked on was covered in lush green grass, and the hollyhocks were still in full bloom, their colors as intoxicating as a beautiful woman.
He didn't use an umbrella; the gentle rain and breeze fell just like that, falling gently like someone's heart.
Hearing Shi Qin's hurried steps, Su Jinxiu subconsciously quickened her pace to meet him, and the two were soon very close.
Only then did she notice that there were several shallow bloodstains on his cheek, stained with some grass clippings, and his dark outfit was torn and ripped. He even walked with a slight limp in his left leg, as if he was enduring something with every step.
Before Su Jinxiu could even ask the question, Wen Shiqin had already pulled something out of his pocket as if presenting a treasure.
What's laid out in my palm is a lustrous and translucent azurite stone, along with a few rare dye stones that are in high demand.
Su Jinxiu's heart tightened, and she immediately knew that he had gone to Dragon Ridge Ravine. Although that place contained such a good thing, it was a dangerous place in the western suburbs of Bianjing. It was so dangerous that even the mountain people who had guarded the ravine for generations dared not step into it alone. Not to mention that it had just rained this morning, and the ravine walls were even more slippery with the rain. If one was not careful, he would fall into the cold pool and never come back.
“You…” Su Jinxiu’s throat tightened, a mix of emotions welling up inside her. She was angry at his recklessness, but also felt an overwhelming heartache. In the end, it all turned into a trembling voice.
"How could you be so stupid?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Shiqin chuckled softly amidst his embarrassment: "Does my elder sister know how I felt yesterday? You always put your embroidery work before your own, but for me, I always put my elder sister first."
"So I'm happy to take this risk."
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