"Bring the brewed tea to the journalist in front of me." Hua Jin glanced at the entrance and noticed that the tightly wrapped female customer had already left. It seemed that her decision not to greet her after the journalist arrived was correct.
In this bustling city, everyone has their own secrets. As a shop owner, it is against professional ethics to be overly curious about customers' privacy.
"Hello, this is my press pass." Sun Ya had made various preparations before coming. She had been in the field for less than two years and had already encountered all kinds of interviewees—those who spoke extremely, those who couldn't utter a word in front of the camera, those who refused to be on camera no matter what, or those who asked how much they would be paid.
The more people she met, the more composed she became in the face of different individuals and situations. She took a sip of tea and said, "I apologize for intruding like this. Our program was established to promote positive energy in society and uplift the social atmosphere. We learned about Mr. Guo's story and his deceased wife online, so we helped him take care of the funeral arrangements and provided educational support for his child. From him, we learned that during his most difficult times, he received help from two kind-hearted individuals—one being an internet celebrity and the other being you. Can you talk about why you were willing to put in so much effort and energy to create such a beautiful embroidered piece for a poor person?"
Only now did Hua Jin realize that they had come for the embroidered piece. The events that happened a few months ago had become somewhat blurry to her, and she didn't expect journalists to come specifically to interview her about it.
Facing the camera, she remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "Perhaps because I myself come from a poor rural area, I can better understand how rare it is for a husband with poor financial conditions to be willing to spend so much money on seeking medical treatment for his wife at a major hospital."
Sun Ya thought Hua Jin would say she was moved by the couple's affection or take the opportunity to elevate her own character, but she didn't expect her response to be like this.
"The value of a person's heart cannot be measured by money, but it is rare for a man to be willing to sacrifice all his money for his wife, even willing to incur debts for her. And despite the hardships they both endure, they insist on educating their child and broadening his horizons. The child feels for his parents and works part-time during vacations to lighten the family's burden." Hua Jin smiled. "I'm not moved by this affection, but I admire this family. In this world, there are countless families like this—perhaps not wealthy, but very warm."
"I admire them, and I envy them."
As a journalist, Sun Ya was sensitive to others' emotions. Listening to Hua Jin's words, she instinctively speculated that this lady might have had an unhappy upbringing or a lack of familial affection.
Rather than pursuing this line of questioning further, Sun Ya continued, "Mr. Guo said he didn't know the true value of the embroidered piece initially. It was only later, as he gradually stabilized emotionally, that he went out to investigate and realized that the so-called principal you collected was just a small amount compared to the price of a bedding set. If it weren't for Mr. Guo's deliberate inquiry, your good deeds would never be known in a lifetime. Is it worth it?"
"There's nothing about worth or not worth it. As they say in TV dramas... the most important thing in life is to be happy." Hua Jin laughed at herself first. "I have little financial pressure, my parents have passed away,
"Of course, I don't mind," Hua Jin said, standing up. "Please."
The cameraman was a bit surprised. Originally, they didn't plan to promote Fuhua Studio, but since his partner had spoken, he chose a few good angles and included shots of the embroidered products in the store.
"Thank you very much for supporting our work," Sun Ya said, taking out a three-finger-wide gift box from her backpack. "This is a souvenir from our program. I hope you don't mind."
"You're too kind," Hua Jin said, accepting the box with both hands. She stood up and retrieved two wooden boxes from a drawer. "Summer is coming, and I don't have much to offer, so I'll give you two handkerchiefs to wipe away your sweat."
"How can we accept this?" Sun Ya knew that handmade embroidery items were expensive, and she declined politely.
"Embroidering handkerchiefs doesn't require much effort. It's just that these two handkerchiefs have a good meaning. I wish you all the best and smooth work," Hua Jin explained. "There isn't much embroidery on the handkerchiefs, and most of them were done during my leisure time. I'm not very skilled, so I hope you don't mind."
She was a simple person, and when she heard that the program might include shots of her embroidery, she couldn't help but feel excited. It would be a good thing for more people to see the beauty of Shu embroidery, both for the embroidery industry as a whole and for the studio.
In the end, Sun Ya accepted the handkerchiefs from Hua Jin. She sat in the interview car heading back to the TV station and opened the gift box. The folded handkerchiefs were placed inside, and they felt smooth to the touch. She gently unfolded one of the handkerchiefs and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
The peony embroidery was so beautiful.
She flipped the handkerchief to the other side, and the embroidered pattern was completely different—it was a blooming red plum. The craftsmanship was so exquisite, without any flaws. It reminded her of a Su embroidery artwork hanging in her aunt's house, which her aunt's friend had gifted her on her fiftieth birthday. When she saw that embroidery at the time, she was also amazed.
After finishing work, Sun Ya returned home exhausted. Her parents were still sitting on the sofa watching TV and drinking tea, and her aunt and uncle were also there. She changed into slippers and greeted her elders.
"Has Xiaoya come back?" Her aunt saw her and smiled kindly. "Sit down and rest for a while."
Sun Ya sat down next to her aunt and casually threw her backpack to the side, leaning against her aunt and acting spoiled. "Auntie, I'm so tired." She had been close to her aunt since she was a child. When she was very young, her aunt used to weave interesting little animals for her. With those little animals, she became the envy of all the children in the neighborhood.
"I've been telling you, what's the point of being a journalist for a girl? Always running around in the wind and rain. You're almost thirty and you don't even have a boyfriend," her father couldn't help but reproach when he saw his daughter acting immature. "I told you to come back and join me in the business, but you didn't listen. Now you know how tiring it is?"
"Brother, how can you say that?" Aunt gently patted Sun Ya's shoulder, preventing her from getting into a conflict with her father. "Back then, you didn't want to learn Dad's craftsmanship either. Children have their own ideas, as long as they don't go down the wrong path of illegal activities, us elders shouldn't interfere too much. And what's wrong with girls? Women can also achieve great things."
Upon hearing his sister's words, Sun Ya's father instantly lost his tough stance. Back then, when their father wanted to pass on the craft of grass weaving to him, he was unwilling to learn. It was his sister who stood up and prevented their Sun family's craft, which had been passed down for four or five generations, from being lost. Faced with his sister's words, he didn't dare to argue.
"I'm just worried about her..."
"If you're worried about your daughter, go to the kitchen and peel some fruit. Don't bother us women who are watching TV," Sun Ya's mother looked at her husband disdainfully. "You look down on women so much, go sit by yourself."
Sun's father didn't dare to speak anymore and obediently went to the kitchen to wash the fruit.
"Auntie, today when I was on the interview, I received a gift that you'll definitely like," Sun Ya said, knowing that her aunt was involved in the traditional handicraft industry and had a great interest in traditional art. She took out the handkerchief given by Hua Jin and said, "Look, the embroidered patterns on both sides of this handkerchief are different."
"This is a double-sided different-color embroidery technique created by Su embroidery artists several decades ago. This embroidery method requires exceptional needlework skills and is mostly used in Su embroidery. The material of your handkerchief is Shu brocade, and the color scheme leans towards the style of Shu embroidery. It seems to combine the best of both. You're lucky to have received this piece. I wonder which master's work it is?" Aunt examined the handkerchief multiple times, not hiding her admiration. "The colors are bold, the stitches are delicate, and the symbolism of the design is excellent. Such a beautiful piece, you should preserve it well and not let this treasure go to waste."
"It's not a master's work; it's the creation of a very young embroiderer," Sun Ya explained, briefly recounting the story and showing the business card she exchanged with the person before leaving. "This is her contact information."
"Hua Jin..." Aunt suddenly remembered. She had encountered someone named Hua Jin at an internal exhibition of traditional handicrafts a while ago. She compared the business card she received that day with the one in Sun Ya's hand and found that the name and contact information were the same.
"So it's her," Aunt recalled that she had promised to introduce Hua Jin to her friend who excelled in embroidery. However, she had been busy these days and had forgotten about it, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
She was in her fifties and still couldn't keep her word. Thinking about how Hua Jin, in her twenties, could embroider such exquisite double-sided different-color embroidery, Aunt felt a sense of gratification. Her talented junior would surely be welcomed by her friend.
To complete the customized work for Pineapple Spirit, Hua Jin and Tan Yuan had been busy for several days in a row. In her dreams at night, Hua Jin imagined the needles on the embroidery frame moving on their own and quickly finishing the entire embroidery pattern.
But dreams were just dreams, and when she woke up the next morning, she had to face the unforgiving, harsh, and busy world.
When she was in the midst of her busy schedule, her phone rang. Without hesitation, she took out her phone and answered, "Hello, this is Fánhuā Studio. May I ask who's calling?"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, and then a cold voice spoke, "Pei Yan."
"Ah, it's Mr. Pei," Hua Jin paused her work and walked over to the sofa, stretching her waist. "I'm sorry, I was too busy just now and didn't pay attention to the phone number."
"You probably didn't even save my number, did you?" Pei Yan's tone of indifference had crawled out of the phone. Hua Jin forced a laugh a few times and changed the subject, saying, "Why do you have time to call me today?"
Tan Yuan, who was on the side, made faces and gestures, but seeing Hua Jin glaring at her, she covered her mouth and moved aside. As an impure person herself, she didn't want to interfere with the pure relationship between these two.
"Who told me that they wanted to go to an exhibition?" Pei Yan asked.
"Ah!" Hua Jin suddenly remembered that Pei Yan had mentioned taking her to visit a cultural relics exhibition. With all the busyness these days, she had completely forgotten about it. "I'll go, I'll go, even if it hails, I'll still go. When is it?"
"Tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock, I'll pick you up outside the alley," Pei Yan replied. Then he added, "Of course, if it hails, don't wait for me. I won't come, not even if it's raining knives."
Hua Jin laughed, "Hahaha, Mr. Pei, you're really humorous."
No, not humorous at all. This joke is so cold.
"Not as humorous as Miss Hua, asking for a favor without even saving the phone number, how humorous is that, right?" Pei Yan remarked.
Hua Jin remained silent.
"Mr. Pei, you don't know, I'm used to using WeChat. In my heart, adding someone as a WeChat friend means they are the closest and irreplaceable," Hua Jin tried to salvage the situation.
"How many true friends do you have on WeChat, then?"
"No matter how many true friends I have, it doesn't compare to half of Mr. Pei's elegance," Hua Jin cleared her throat. "As one of the future inheritors of Shu embroidery, my greatest virtue is honesty, really."
"Hmph," Pei Yan let out a cold laugh and hung up the phone.
"No one in my circle of friends can compare to half of Mr. Pei's elegance."
"Irreplaceable true friends."
Tan Yuan shook her head and sighed, "Hua Hua, I never realized you could be so shameless when flirting with men. What's even more shameless is that you claim to have a pure relationship with him. When you say such things, have you ever considered the feelings of purity?"
"I have considered it, and I believe I'm right about purity," Hua Jin put her phone aside. "You don't understand. For me, all the friends on WeChat are irreplaceable."
That night, Hua Jin had another dream. In the dream, many people were crying and shouting to buy embroidery products. Countless people were holding banners with the words "We take pride in preserving traditional craftsmanship and feel ashamed of trampling on it."
Hua Jin laughed beautifully, and when she woke up and opened the window, she saw that it wasn't hailing outside, but it was raining. She didn't know if Pei Yan would still come.
She chose a shoulder-baring dress and thought, whether he comes or not, she should get ready first.
After changing clothes and putting on makeup, she casually embroidered for a while when her phone rang.
"I'm here, come downstairs."
Come downstairs?
Hua Jin walked out and glanced down from the balcony. Pei Yan, dressed in a white shirt and black suit pants, was standing there. Beneath his feet was a dirty ground with muddy water flowing, and around him were dilapidated buildings and swaying weeds in the wind and rain. Only he and the navy blue umbrella in his hand shone brightly in the rain.
"What are you doing standing there? Are you planning to jump down from up there?" Pei Yan suddenly looked up and met Hua Jin's gaze.
Hua Jin sighed, lamenting the beauty of the situation while her mouth was so venomous. "I actually wanted to jump, afraid I might crush you to death."
Pei Yan took a few steps back and looked up at her in silence, his eyes seemingly saying, "Well, you can't hit me now, so go ahead and jump."
Hua Jin:...
Forget it, begging with a soft mouth, she endured it.
Hua Jin went downstairs, with both of them walking in front and behind, each holding their own umbrella, without speaking a word.
"Oh my." Old Lady Chen, who was returning from shopping, walked out from the alley and looked at Pei Yan with a disdainful expression. "Young man, you're quite good-looking, but why are you so clueless? Holding such a big umbrella and not walking together with your girlfriend, and still using separate umbrellas. What kind of behavior is that?"
"Granny Chen, I've told you, we're not..."
"You have a point," Pei Yan put away his umbrella, walked under Hua Jin's umbrella, and lifted his chin slightly. "Hold the umbrella properly."
"Hehe." Hua Jin stuffed the umbrella handle into Pei Yan's hand. "Darling, this umbrella is so heavy. My hands are sore. Can you please give me a massage?"
Come on, let's harm each other and see who can disgust the other more.
"That's right." Mrs. Chen, seeing the situation, felt very pleased. She flashed a smile that hid her true intentions and quickly walked away from the two. Though she was old, she knew that being a third wheel was annoying.
Hua Jin and Pei Yan both turned their heads and watched Mrs. Chen walk away, then they glared at each other in anger.
"So childish!"
"So shameless!"
"Take back the umbrella!"
"No, you come and hit me!"
"As a grown man, it's not dignified to wield a small floral umbrella."
"Nonsense! Who said men can't use small floral umbrellas? That's gender discrimination against our male compatriots. As inheritors of the new era, we must break free from old customs and shatter narrow-minded gender perspectives!"
Author's note: Hua Jin: Anti-discrimination! Support the freedom of our male compatriots to use small floral umbrellas!