"Mrs. Gu, hello," Xia Chuyi took the initiative to greet her.
Today’s Gu Xiuji looked somewhat different from the last time they had met.
Her once dry and yellow hair was now combed into a small bun at the top of her head, and she wore a qipao that boasted plum blossom buttons and was embroidered with a pattern of bamboo forests and landscapes.
A touch of powder and rouge graced her face, making her appear much more radiant than before.
"Child, come here," Gu Xiuji extended her hand, beckoning Xia Chuyi over.
"Okay," Xia Chuyi nodded, obediently walked over, and sat beside the bed. "Mrs. Gu, are you wearing Gu Embroidery today?"
Hearing this, Gu Xiuji smiled gently, "Good child, you really have studied Gu Embroidery. You recognized it in a glance."
"Indeed, the dress I am wearing is stitched with the Embroidery Needlework of Gu Embroidery."
Gu Xiuji looked down at the embroidered dress she was wearing and said, "Sadly, with my illness now, I cannot do this dress justice."
Xia Chuyi shook her head, smiling, "Not at all, Mrs. Gu still looks very beautiful in it."
Women, no matter their situation, always enjoy compliments about their things. Gu Xiuji smiled gently, smoothed her hair, and asked, "Really?"
Despite her emaciated appearance, which made it hard to discern her former beauty, one could still glimpse her past grace between her brows and eyes.
"Yes," Xia Chuyi nodded earnestly.
Gu Xiuji’s smile brightened, and she took Xia Chuyi’s hand, "Good child, you are a perceptive child. Although you’ve only learned the bare essentials of embroidery, your appreciation skills are quite good."
Gu Xiuji could really hit the nail on the head.
Her ability to appreciate indeed surpassed her embroidery skills, but not for the "perceptiveness" Mrs. Gu spoke of. It was because her Master was a true successor of Gu Embroidery, whose skills were so refined that any design she embroidered came to life, expressing a sense of free-spiritedness and realism.
Thus, with a broadened horizon, she could distinguish authentic Gu Embroidery at a glance.
However, thinking back, did Professor Bao and his wife also see that her skill was subpar?
Yet both parties did not call each other out, silently preserving each other’s white lies.
Gu Xiuji continued to speak, "Child, if I were to teach you authentic Gu Embroidery, would you be willing to learn?"
"What?" Xia Chuyi was stunned.
"This..." Xia Chuyi hesitated.
Indeed, years ago, her Master had also considered seriously teaching her Gu Embroidery, but she wasn’t particularly interested, and eventually, her Master gave up, content with just teaching her the basics for fun.
Now, hearing Gu Xiuji offer to teach her Gu Embroidery, she was flooded with emotions.
Her Master and Mistress were currently drifting, without a fixed place to live. It would be two years before they would settle down and open a private restaurant in G city.
So, she couldn’t find them now.
She had to wait until two years later, in G city, where she would find the address of their private restaurant.
At that time, she planned to seek them out and ask to study under them once again.
With that in mind, Xia Chuyi shook her head regretfully, "I’m sorry, Mrs. Gu, I have my own Master; I can’t just accept another teacher."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xiuji first looked a bit disappointed but then said, "It’s all right not to become an apprentice. You would simply be learning the Embroidery Needlework from me."
"It’s like the schools nowadays, where a teacher can have many students, and a student can have multiple teachers."