The two aunts checked the silk thread several times and shook their heads, saying, "Yes, there are four colors."
"Wrong, there are clearly six colors." Lin Dan took the silk threads and arranged them in different categories, one bundle of dark green, one bundle of dark green, one bundle of medium green, and one bundle of light green. She then picked up the other two bundles and said slowly, "This color is between dark green and dark green, and this color is between medium green and light green. The difference is so obvious, can't you see it?"
Seeing the two concubines shaking their heads blankly, she took out a piece of white embroidery cloth and placed the silk threads on it as a reference. Seeing that they still could not tell the difference, she then spread the dark green silk threads underneath, and placed the silk threads between dark green and dark green on top. In this way, the two of them finally could see some tiny differences, but when they looked more closely, they felt that they had seen it wrong.
"There really is a small difference, right?" The Third Aunt looked at the Fourth Aunt uncertainly.
"Is that so?" Fourth Aunt answered very reluctantly.
Lin Dan held his forehead and wanted to sigh. How can I teach her if I can't even recognize all the colors myself? The two aunts are too unreliable.
Soon, however, the two concubines laughed ecstatically and said proudly, "We originally thought that our Dan'er was mediocre, but now it seems that this is not the case. Dan'er, do you know that in the art of embroidery, embroidery skills are important, but color matching is also of utmost importance. Even the simplest pattern will become completely different if you add a little color. The colors you just pointed out to us are simply indistinguishable to ordinary people. This shows that you are born with a great sensitivity to the intensity of colors, and you are more adept at color matching than others. This kind of talent is rare, and even Meng Si is far inferior to you. Today we will demonstrate to you the use of colors in embroidery."
The two concubines each painted two five-petal flowers on the embroidery cloth, embroidered one with silk threads of different shades but of the same color, and embroidered another with solid-color silk threads, so that Lin Dan could see the contrasting effect. Solid-color five-petal flowers are lovely, but they are much more bland than multi-color five-petal flowers.
The multi-colored five-petal flower is embroidered with silk thread of the same color. The tips of the petals are a little pink, which slowly turns into light red. When it extends to the stamen, it has turned into a crimson color with a slight hint of purple. The colors of different shades are rendered and laid out layer by layer, and there is almost no trace of needlework.
It is such an ordinary pattern and such simple embroidery, but adding some color changes can give people a sense of splendor. Lin Dan stared at the two flowers for a long time, and then realized, "Aunt, I understand. Color matching is the soul of embroidery. If the color matching is used well, even the most ordinary pattern can shine. I will definitely study painting and color application well."
"Great! Here are some paintings. You can learn to copy them first, and then learn to paint by yourself. Draw whatever you want. Slowly you will be able to hone your painting skills." The two concubines handed Lin Dan a few picture albums and then went out to work.
The album includes several works of Meng Si, all of which are ink paintings, showing small bridges, flowing water, houses, and a small boat floating downstream, which looks very artistic. Lin Danyuan intended to copy her paintings, but when he picked up the pen he was unable to move for a long time. These paintings should come from Meng Si's memory. She discovered the beauty in life and imprinted them in her heart, and then sketched them out with a brush after returning home.
But Lin Dan had no memories, and all she could see in her mind were the fragments left to her by the original owner. She could not discover the beauty in life, nor could she use her imagination to depict it on paper. She has no past and no future, she only has the present.
She was unable to start writing and remained in a daze for a long time before she closed the album and began to sketch a peony blooming in the garden. She could only paint what she saw verbatim. The refraction of sunlight, the gradient of shadows, the brightness and darkness of colors, she recorded them all exactly on paper. With a brush and three primary colors, she blended countless blocks of light and dark colors, which she embellished and painted one by one, slowly piling up to form a shape, but she had no idea how shocking her work was.
Cuilan, who was a little nonchalant at first, was now dumbfounded: "Girl, the peony you painted looks just like the real thing!"
Lin Dan stared at the painting for a while, shook his head and said, "If we want to restore it to embroidery, we need at least more than a hundred colors. As far as I know, the embroidery thread on the market has only more than thirty colors at most, which is still not enough."
"No, no, no, young lady, you are wrong. Many embroiderers only buy white embroidery thread and dye it themselves at home. If you want to embroider this flower, we can dye it ourselves. The third and fourth concubines both know how to do it." Cuilan waved her hands repeatedly with an excited expression. She was really amazed by her daughter's painting skills. Having been immersed in Lin's Embroidery Shop for many years, she naturally understood what qualities a top embroiderer should possess. Exquisite embroidery is only one of them. In addition, she also needs excellent painting skills, exquisite composition, accurate and unique color matching, and a little ingenuity.
My daughter's embroidery skills are just average, but she has unique talents in painting, composition, color matching, and ingenuity. As long as she is given some more time to improve her embroidery skills, she will definitely surpass Meng Si! Cuilan had no hope for Lin Dan at first, but as she watched him day by day, she completely changed her mind.
Lin Dan was very confident in herself from beginning to end. She took out a piece of white paper and wrote as she spoke, "Well, in addition to embroidery, painting, and color matching, I now have one more skill to learn." She flicked her wrist and wrote two large, flamboyantly written characters - dyeing.
From that day on, the Lin family had one more expense, which was buying dyes. The dyes on the market were quite expensive, so Zhang Hui gritted her teeth and sold some of her dowry to buy them in truckloads. She doesn't know whether the expenses are worth it, and she doesn't know whether her daughter can become successful, but it's always good to have a hope in her heart.
In this way, Lin Dan lived a busier life than ever before. When she came to her senses, more than half a year had passed, and the wood piles in the woodshed had not been wasted for three or four months. Without having to vent, she was able to sit still for a whole day, and her embroidery skills improved by leaps and bounds.
One day, she passed by the garden and heard the familiar sound of chopping wood stakes coming from next door. She couldn't help but feel curious, so she jumped onto the wall without thinking and looked down. Du Rushong was seen holding a big knife and chopping the wooden stakes around him. His steps were moving quickly and his figure was changing. His martial arts skills were surprisingly amazing.
Perhaps he was tired of chopping, he had taken off his shirt, revealing his strong body. His jade-colored skin was covered with beads of sweat, which were sliding down his abdomen along the texture of his muscles, merging into his mermaid line, and disappearing in the fluttering hem of his robe. He usually likes to wear elegant and graceful long robes, with his hair neatly tied behind his head. He looks extremely dignified and noble. But today, his clothes were disheveled, his hair was hanging down, and he exuded an indescribable wildness and temptation.
Although he looks thin, he is actually stronger and more robust than anyone else, and his martial arts skills are also quite impressive. Lin Dan had never seen anyone use martial arts, but he was inexplicably convinced that anyone who even he himself praised for his good martial arts must be a master.
"What are you looking at?" While she was in a daze, Du Rushong turned around and wiped the sweat slowly.
"Look how good you are." Lin Dan said matter-of-factly.
Du Rushong saw that there was no shame on her face, and no obsession in her eyes. She looked at him as if she was looking at a wooden stake. He suddenly felt a little amused. The little girl not only has a tough personality, but also has no distinction between men and women in her mind. I don't know how her parents taught her.
Lin Dan didn't think there was anything wrong with the man being shirtless. She seemed to have seen this kind of scene many times, and continued, "You used to practice swordsmanship, right?"
Glancing at his sword on the weapon rack, Du Rushong nodded and said, "Yes, I have just recently switched to practicing with a broadsword." He was in a depressed mood and could not find a way out. Seeing the little girl chopping the wood stakes so enthusiastically, he could not help but give it a try himself. The result was very gratifying. Since he started practicing swordsmanship, he hasn't thought about the bad things in the past for a long time.
“The sword technique is very powerful and it is very well mastered. It has great destructive power on the battlefield. It is indeed more practical than a sword. Since you are so powerful, why don’t you join the army? With your strength, you can become a general in a few years!” Lin Dan sat astride the wall, his serious tone revealing a little regret.
If she were as capable as a man, she would have joined the army long ago. Why would she stay at home embroidering?
Thinking of Lin Dan's bold words, Du Rushong couldn't help but smile. He wiped off the sweat, put on a robe, and said slowly: "Do you think it's feasible to join the army?" Li Ran had just arrived in Zhejiang and was only in charge of government affairs, and had not been able to get involved in the army. If he joins the army, he may not have no future. But the relations in the army are no simpler than those in the court, and the swords on the battlefield are even more ruthless. He was not afraid of death, he was just afraid that if he died, his sister and aunt would be left unattended.
Lin Dan was unaware of his concerns and said confidently, "It's feasible. In the military camp, whoever has the strongest fist will be able to get ahead. You are so capable, it would be a pity if you don't join the army."
Du Rushong pondered for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject: "How is your embroidery skill going?"
Lin Dan was stunned for a moment, then took out a piece of embroidery cloth from her arms, "This is my new work, take a look."
Du Rushong's nonchalant expression was instantly replaced by astonishment, as he saw a peony blooming on the white embroidered cloth. The tender yellow stamens were furry, as if covered with some fine pollen. The petals were spread out layer by layer, and the color gradually faded from dark to light. The side facing the sun was moist, while the side facing away from the light was slightly thicker and had more texture. A few dewdrops rolled on the leaves with clear veins, as if they would fall off with a slight shake.
This is not an embroidery at all; it is clearly a real peony blooming in the wind.
Du Rushong subconsciously touched the petals to confirm whether they were real or not.
"How is the embroidery going?" Lin Dan asked expectantly.
Du Rushong exhaled slowly and smiled cheerfully: "I will join the army tomorrow."
Lin Dan frowned slightly, not understanding why he could change the subject so much.
Du Rushong returned the embroidery cloth to her and explained, "Since you can master the embroidery skills to this level, I can naturally join the army." He watched Lin Dan progress step by step with his own eyes. At first, she couldn't even hold the needle and thread steadily, but she never thought of giving up. She forced herself to sit in front of the embroidery frame and practice, day after day, month after month... In the end, she mastered the embroidery skills and smoothed her temper. Such perseverance was something he had never seen in his life.
He still remembers that Lin Dan's first work was a piece of stuff with no discernible shape at all. However, just over five months later, she could already capture a fresh flower exactly as it was in her embroidery.
The vividness of her painting and the excellence of her embroidery skills simply astonished him, and at the same time made him understand that everything is possible, all it takes is action. If a little girl can do it, why can't a grown man like him do it?
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