Page 1152

As soon as the subject of becoming an embroidery lady at the Red Smoke Pavilion was broached, the girl’s eyes sparkled even brighter, "The Red Smoke Pavilion, the largest Embroidery Pavilion in the Capital city! If I can work there for two years as an embroidery lady, I’ll earn enough Silver to go back to my hometown and open my own embroidery shop. "

"Really?" Xiao He obviously didn’t believe it, "How easy is it to open an embroidery shop?"

The girl slapped her chest to assure, "Of course it’s true!"

Regardless of whether it was true or not, what the girl said had elated Lin Yuan. An embroidery lady competition! Before this, she had been thinking of acquainting herself with Madam Cheng to introduce Lin Wei for an apprenticeship, but she hadn’t expected to run into such an opportunity so soon!

It’s like finding something you’ve searched for with great effort without any trouble at all!

"Big Sister!" Lin Wei was obviously on the same page as Lin Yuan, she excitedly grabbed Lin Yuan’s hand, her voice beginning to tremble, "Embroidery lady competition, embroidery lady competition!"

"Yes, yes, the embroidery lady competition. Big Sister believes, with your skills, you will definitely be selected," Lin Yuan reassured her.

It wasn’t Lin Yuan boasting; the embroidery that Lin Wei had learned during her time with Lady Liu and Mo Sanniang had significantly improved her skills.

Additionally, she was naturally intelligent and industrious, spending every spare moment at home practicing her embroidery.

She had filled two large bags with just her practice pieces.

After making some inquiries, Lin Yuan took Lin Wei and Xiao He to the registration location.

The process of selecting embroidery ladies at the Red Smoke Pavilion was simple, first register the name, then submit one of your own embroidery works.

These works would be jointly screened by Embroiderer Ru and Embroiderer Qiao of the Red Smoke Pavilion, looking for the cream of the crop, and selecting the twenty best works.

Then, on the twenty-eighth day of the first lunar month, they would post the list of twenty finalists outside the Red Smoke Pavilion’s entrance.

On the second day of the second lunar month, these twenty people would each embroider a piece within two hours on a stage in front of the Red Smoke Pavilion, based on a theme given by Madam Cheng.

The works would then be judged by Madam Cheng, Embroiderer Ru, and Embroiderer Qiao to determine the top three winners.

Hence, each piece submitted at registration played a crucial role. If one couldn’t even pass this first barrier, there would be no need to think about competing in the finals.

This presented a problem, though. It would be difficult to detect if someone had cheated by submitting another person’s work.

Fortunately, the Red Smoke Pavilion had taken this into account.

The registration conditions clearly stated that anyone caught cheating would be banned from all future activities of the Red Smoke Pavilion.

This meant that having attire made at the Red Smoke Pavilion would also be impossible.

In reality, there weren’t many who dared to cheat.

After all, even if they made it onto the list of twenty, when the final day came, wouldn’t their true abilities be exposed anyway?

Moreover, during the competition, the Red Smoke Pavilion would display each submitted work on the wall.

Any discerning person could tell at a glance whether the contest entry and the final piece were embroidered by the same individual.

Since Lin Yuan and her party had arrived on short notice, they hadn’t brought a suitable piece. Although the handkerchiefs used by Lin Yuan, Lin Wei, and Xiao He were all embroidered by Lin Wei, such an important occasion couldn’t be taken lightly with a random work, could it?

Furthermore, listening to the crowd’s chatter, the others who had registered had all begun preparing a month in advance, unlike Lin Wei who had decided spontaneously.

"Do we have a suitable piece at home?" Pulling Lin Wei aside, Lin Yuan asked worriedly.

Lin Wei frowned in thought and then shook her head, "I’ve always embroidered as practice. Apart from the handkerchiefs I made for Mother and you, there are no perfectly finished pieces."

Lin Yuan believed her because they didn’t need to sell their embroidery work for Silver at the moment, and she herself had recently been focused on researching two-sided embroidery, so there weren’t many finished pieces in the house.

Despite having two large bags filled with her work, most of them contained two-sided embroidery studies, which couldn’t be considered final products.

Could it be that they’d really miss out on such a great opportunity?

Lin Yuan took out her handkerchief; while the embroidery was exquisite, it was immediately apparent that it wasn’t new.

What if the embroiderers at the Red Smoke Pavilion saw it and assumed Lin Wei didn’t take the competition seriously?

That would cost her the impression points.

Today is already the twentieth day of the first lunar month, and there are only two days left to register; not even tomorrow would work.

"However," Lin Wei bit her lip, suddenly remembering the double-sided embroidery she had half-finished, which was too simple and also very small. It couldn’t compare with the works those registering were submitting at all. Wouldn’t presenting such a piece be shameful?

"However what?"

When her older sister asked, Lin Wei shared about the nearly completed double-sided embroidery with her.

"On the front of the piece, there are two red carps, while the back features a peony." Lin Wei gestured with her hand, the entire piece, once finished, wouldn’t even match the size of her palm. Could something so small really be presentable?

Xiao He immediately disagreed, "It’s too small.

Just look at that girl who was here earlier, what she brought was the entire ’The Riverside Scene at Qingming and Changjiang River.

’ Never mind the craftsmanship, but that kind of sincerity is surely something the Red Smoke Pavilion will value highly. "

Lin Wei frowned; this was exactly what she was worried about.

Lin Yuan was also concerned, yet a small new piece was surely better than an old one.

"It’s okay, this embroidery lady selection focuses on quality, not quantity. If it were all about who has more or who has bigger pieces, then wouldn’t we just bring those two big bags from home?"

Lin Yuan patted Lin Wei on the shoulder, "How much more do you need to do to complete that double-sided embroidery?"

Initially buoyed by Lin Yuan’s words, Lin Wei’s spirits drooped upon hearing this question, "At least four more hours. Double-sided embroidery requires not only skill but also careful thought. If it weren’t for Sister Chang coming over these past two days to teach us etiquette, I would have already finished it. "

Four hours?

Lin Yuan looked at the sky, as less than four hours remained until nightfall; she wondered when the Red Smoke Pavilion’s registration would close for the day.

Well, no use worrying about it now, better to give it a try!

"Have Lin Yi take you back to the house now, and bring your embroidery here to work on. Just make sure to submit it a moment before the registration closes." After repeatedly urging Lin Wei not to panic, Lin Yuan sent them off and squeezed into the crowd to find out when the deadline was.

Fortunately, Lady Luck didn’t make things difficult for them this time as registration would close when the Red Smoke Pavilion shut for the day.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Red Smoke Pavilion had been open until late at night; even if they didn’t stay open that late today, they likely wouldn’t close immediately after dark. Lin Wei had an opportunity.

Before long, Lin Yi returned with the carriage, and Lin Yuan had already booked an elegant room in an unassuming tea house across from the Red Smoke Pavilion, reserved specifically for Lin Wei’s embroidery work.

But, as soon as she picked up the needle, Lin Wei started to tremble.