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Hearing the voice, Embroiderer Ru and several younger embroidery ladies all fell silent, turned around simultaneously, and bent at the waist to greet the person coming down from the floor above, "Madam Cheng!"

The person descending the stairs was none other than the proprietor of Red Smoke Pavilion, Cheng Panzhen.

Lin Yuan looked up and although she had heard from Xia Zheng before that Madam Cheng had never married in her life, upon actually meeting her, she exuded a motherly gentleness and quiet elegance, which was incredibly heartwarming.

Moreover, she seemed even older than the rumors suggested; even though she took great care of herself, the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes were very noticeable, indicating that running the Red Smoke Pavilion must be very taxing on her.

Madam Cheng walked down, took the handkerchief from Embroiderer Ru’s hand, looked at it with a smile, and nodded repeatedly, "Indeed, not bad."

She then turned to Lin Wei with a smile and said, "However, I can only say that it’s not bad.

Look, your final few stitches were too hurried, the koi’s tail lacks the fluid movement shown in the front.

And, look at the peony on the back, the transition of the colors in the petals has become unnatural. "

With Madam Cheng’s comments, Lin Wei’s face turned slightly red, and she nodded while speaking softly, "Madam, you are right. I was indeed worried you would close the doors and stop accepting registrations, so I got a little anxious towards the end."

Madam Cheng shook her head with a smile and said, "Embroidery isn’t just a skill, it’s also a way to cultivate patience and perseverance. If one merely seeks speed and overlooks the quality of the embroidery, then it’s a loss not worth the gain."

Lin Wei nodded repeatedly, feeling that her visit today was not in vain. Even if she couldn’t enter Red Smoke Pavilion to learn embroidery, just the conversation with Madam Cheng alone was enough for her to reflect upon for a long time.

Madam Cheng truly liked Lin Wei’s cleverness and nimbleness, and couldn’t help but smile, "Of course, the issues I just mentioned are minor flaws, easily correctable.

And, your double-sided embroidery is more exquisite than the double-sided embroidery in Jiangnan, with different patterns on each side.

Truthfully speaking, your work is genuinely double-sided embroidery.

Even such a simple piece, if it ended up in the hands of those in Jiangnan who claim to have invented it, would certainly impress them greatly. "

With Madam Cheng praising her in this way, Lin Wei was both happy and embarrassed.

"However, although I greatly admire your intelligence, and your embroidery is not bad, I can’t promise you will definitely be selected. After all, I haven’t yet seen the work of the others."

Having spent a long time in business, Madam Cheng naturally developed a keenness beyond the ordinary. It would not benefit Lin Wei to make an exception and select her just because of her exceptional double-sided embroidery. It might even foster pride within her and impede her progress.

Hearing Madam Cheng’s words, Lin Wei was visibly disappointed but still managed to smile and nod.

Lin Yuan, standing aside, discerned her thoughts and said with a smile, "Madam, you are correct. As the saying goes, ’There’s always someone better,’ and I believe Red Smoke Pavilion will make a fair and just selection."

After handing the embroidery to Embroiderer Ru, Madam Cheng turned her attention to Lin Yuan, remembering her distinctly; this was the very champion of the lantern riddle guessing contest on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month!

"No wonder the young sister is so clever. It turns out she has a wise older sister," Madam Cheng joked with Lin Yuan with a smile.

Lin Yuan replied with a light smile, exchanging a few words with her.

The day was getting late. After lunch, the three sisters left. Although Lin Wei and Xiao He went back once to retrieve the embroidery, they merely gave Lady Liu a brief explanation and didn’t clarify the entire situation.

After Lin Wei registered her name, the three sisters bid farewell to Madam Cheng and took the carriage home.

In the elegant room on the second floor, Madam Cheng pushed the door open.

Cheng Haoxuan was perched with one leg up, peeling an orange. Seeing her enter, he handed her a neatly peeled, whole orange and scooted closer with a grin, "How did it go?"

Madam Cheng took the orange, broke off a segment, put it in her mouth, and nodded, "Mm, sweet."

Cheng Haoxuan frowned, "I’m not asking about the orange; I’m asking about the girl!"

Madam Cheng gave him a sideways glance, set the orange aside, and poked his forehead with her finger, "You’re truly a fool who forgets his mother for his wife!"

This poke really confused Cheng Haoxuan. What was this about wives and mothers?

Seeing him play dumb, Madam Cheng rolled her eyes, but nonetheless sincerely said, "That girl’s embroidery skills are not bad, and she’s also very clever. If I could get her to be my daughter-in-law, then I could confidently leave Red Smoke Pavilion in your hands."

"Hold on!"

Cheng Haoxuan quickly raised his hand to interrupt her, somewhat baffled, "Embroidery? Mother, who are you talking about? And daughter-in-law, didn’t you see who she was with at the lantern riddle contest? That was the Second Young Master Xia; I wouldn’t dare compete with him for a woman!"

"Spineless!"

Madam Cheng glared at him and then realized her mistake, crying out, "Who told you to compete with Young Master Xia for a woman? I wasn’t talking about the eldest, I meant the second sister, her embroidery is particularly good!

Wait, weren’t you the one who sent me down to see her just now?

Or was it to see the eldest? Forget it, get that out of your head.

You’ve never met Second Young Master Xia, but haven’t you heard of his reputation?

Competing with him for a woman is suicide! "

"Mother, when did I ever say I’d compete with him for a woman? Why do you always misunderstand me?" Cheng Haoxuan jumped up in agitation, his handsome face contorted with frustration, "I want to learn culinary skills from her, not fight for her hand in marriage!"

As long as he wasn’t competing with Xia Zheng for a wife, Madam Cheng felt relieved.

However, upon hearing her son’s wish to learn cooking, she widened her eyes fiercely, "No! Who allowed you to learn cooking? You just stay at Red Smoke Pavilion and manage the Embroidery Pavilion well. Don’t you dare think about learning any cooking! "

"Mother!"

"Don’t bother me. No matter what you say, I will not agree to let you learn cooking. Just give up on that idea!"

No matter how much Cheng Haoxuan pleaded, Madam Cheng wouldn’t budge.

In the end, she sharply scolded, "Don’t think I don’t know that you sneaked out of the capital to Zhuma Town.

I was puzzled during the last lantern riddle contest—how did you come to know this woman?

So, you went to Fuman Building to compete in cooking!

You scoundrel, I brought you back from the countryside to take over Red Smoke Pavilion, not to pick up some hodgepodge cooking skills.

In the last two years in the capital, you can’t even understand an account book, yet you manage to slip away for a contest!

Impressive, aren’t you, growing so bold! "

With Madam Cheng revealing the secret in his heart, Cheng Haoxuan’s face flushed and paled alternately.

Indeed, he had gone to Fuman Building under the alias Second YMaster Bai to compete in cooking with Lin Yuan, and it was then that he had seen Xia Zheng and Lin Yuan.

Otherwise, how could he have recognized them at a glance during the lantern riddle contest?

He would not have asked Madam Cheng earlier to meet Lin Yuan when she entered the Red Smoke Pavilion.

But he genuinely wanted to learn how to cook!