“Lecturer Cui!”
Su Li slightly rose her intonation, which made Madam Yang shocked and furious, and said, “Do not think anyone is as ignorant as you. However, Lecturer Cui is complacent and conservative without fighting will, so we can understand that she is shallow.”
“What are you talking about? Am I ignorant?!”
Madam Yang screamed. She was very anxious to tear Su Li’s face!
“I am the embroiderer artificer of the embroidery workshop in the Muyang Town!”
“Even the workshop owner praised me that I was expected to inherit her workmanship in this life and become the next workshop owner.”
“My level of skipping stitch is only under the workshop owner!”
“You are only fifteen years old. The salt I have eaten is more than the food you have. How dare you say that I am ignorant?!”
Madam Yang said in one breath. Then, the expressions of all the misses in the room slightly changed. It was not easy to work in the embroidery workshop. There was only one official embroidery workshop in each town, so the embroidery artificers of the embroidery workshop had the most powerful embroidery skills in the whole town.
Madam Yang was actually from the embroidery workshop, which made many misses take a new look on her. Maybe she could marry into the Yang Family, because she had an embroidery artificer identity.
However, there was a person whose look became more eccentric.
Mei Ruohan looked at Su Li. Her eyes were full of curiosity, surprise, and more and more intense worship. She was the only one who had seen Su Li’s overall embroidery process.
Su Li not only studied well, but also had the top embroidery level!
Hearing Madam Yang’s a series of brilliant deeds, Su Li smiled slightly and indifferently said, “Since Lecturer Cui does not believe, how about joining in a competition with me to compete for the title of the fastest embroider?”
Madam Yang was about to agree quickly. Suddenly, she woke up and completely calmed down.
The little slut was so calm, so she must rely on something. If Madam Yang really lost to Su Li in front of all the students, wouldn’t she feel ashamed and leave the Muyang Girls’ School?
Su Li looked at Madam Yang’s phantasmagoric face and frowned secretly. She continued to say, “Is Madam Yang, who is the Embroiderer Yang of the Muyang Town scared to compete with a student?”
The little slut’s mouth was too malicious!
Madam Yang was so angry that her internal organs were entangled.
She thought rapidly. Suddenly, her brows loosened. She disdained to say with a cold voice,
“Do I compete with you for embroidery? You are not qualified! But… In order to make you admit mistakes, I will compete with you for knowledge of embroidery. If I lose, I will admit that your skills of embroidery are good. If you lose… just get out of the Muyang Girls’ School! The Muyang Girls’ School does not teach a misbehaved girl!”
Immediately a series of cold gasps rang in the room.
Shameless!
Too shameless!
Mei Ruohan was angered, and her face reddened all over. She stood up and shouted, “Lecturer Cui! Aren’t you bullying her? Su Li is only fifteen years old, while your age is more than twice of hers. Of course, you are well-informed. It is not fair!”
“Yes. Madam Yang, choose another field for the competition!”
Mei Ruohan’s words immediately caused a peal of echoing. Although the maidens had their own thoughts, they were still simple and willing to believe that justice naturally inhabited a man’s heart in the world.
“Shut up!”
Madam Yang looked back to scream and menace at them. All of them turned pale and became silent.
Mei Ruohan had a pale face, but still took heart of grace and exclaimed, “Madam Yang, you are too shameless! If Su Li loses, I will quit school with her. It doesn’t hurt to leave such a school.”
Su Li was stunned. Her sight skipped Madam Yang and rested on the petite figure, which still trembled slightly but refused to yield.
Unexpectedly, the girl seemed to have a soft temper but in fact a hot one.
Madam Yang heard Mei Ruohan’s words and was crazy with anger. She aimed at Su Li but had never thought that someone was nosy nowadays.
The Mei Family was also a large family, and Mei Ruohan was the apple of her family’s eye. Madam Yang did not want to offend her, so she had to persuade her.
“Miss Mei, do not be deceived by the hypocritical appearance of Su Li. Since she can cheat in embroidery, she can also pretend her character. Furthermore, Su Li also said that there was always someone who was better than us. Since she believes she is better, why can’t I compete with her in knowledge?”
The speech was weird but almost unassailable.
Mei Ruohan felt angry and depressed for a long time, and finally she had to curse resentfully, “A sophistical and evil-minded woman!”
Madam Yang looked sullen and was about to argue more. However, there was a chuckle coming from her back.
“Thanks for Lecturer Cui’s nice remarks. I accept the competition. However, I hope to change the rules. I will be evicted from the school when I lose. If Lecturer Cui loses, she only needs to praise me. Doesn’t Lecturer Cui think the rules are too shameless?”
Now that she had offended Madam Yang openly, Su Li said relentlessly and aggressively.
Madam Yang heard it and was happy in the heart. The wicked girl dared to promise her. Her embroidery skills were not top-notch, but her knowledge of embroidery was absolutely top-notch and even better than the workshop owner of the Muyang Town. Su Li dared to compete with her, so she would lose definitely!
“OK!”
For fear that Su Li went back on it, Madam Yang immediately revised the rules.
“You and I have different status, so it is unrealistic for me to make the same bet with you. In this way… If I lose, I will stand at the highest place of the Muyang Girls’ School and shout ‘Su Li, I’m sorry!’ three times. How about it?”
After hearing what she had said, other people instantly looked at each other in amazement. If Madam Yang lost, she would be discredited even if she might not be evicted from the school.
“It seems that Madam Yang is very confident!”
“No matter what the result is, after today, Su Li will be famous!”
“Su Li should say yes, right?”
They all looked at Su Li, who gently shook her head.
“I disagree!” Su Li smiled and said with a resolute tone, “If you lose, you will kneel down to call me grandmother and kowtow to me three times! If you agree, I’ll bet!”
What???
Too ruthless!
Too vicious!
Madam Yang’s face was pale. In fact, she was Su Li’s great aunt. If she kowtowed and called Su Li grandmother, wouldn’t it make the Cui Family ashamed?
At the moment, students of other classrooms had already been dismissed. More and more people gathered outside the classroom.
Madam Yang had no way to back down. She glanced at the window and gritted her teeth and then said, “OK, I promise you! Best two out of three. I will not only test your embroidery, but also test your girls’ ethics!”
The crowd was in uproar, and many people pointed at her. Unexpectedly, Madam Yang increased such a shameless condition by this time, which was eye-opening.
Madam Yang turned a deaf ear to them and stared steadily at Su Li.
The winner took it all. If she won, everything would be easy!
“I promise.” Su Li indifferently nodded.
Mei Ruohan also chuckled covering her mouth. Competing for scholarship with Su Li, Madam Yang’s move was so funny.
“OK!”
As soon as Su Li promised, Madam Yang immediately showed a smirk, “Let me ask you. Where is the embroidery of my dress from? What’s the origin? If you can tell me something about it, you will win.”
The implication was that Su Li would lose if she only gave the name of the embroidery!
When the question came out, bystanders inside and outside exclaimed in a low voice.
“It is too difficult!”
“I have never seen this kind of a pattern!”
“She needs to give not only the name, but also the specific origin. It is an imposition.”
Mei Ruohan stared at Su Li. She believed in Su Li inexplicably and always felt that the omnipotent maiden could work miracles again. Although she was very knowledgeable, she did not know what the origin of Madam Yang’s dress was.
Su Li took a look at Madam Yang’s dress and seemed like being lost in memory. Madam Yang thought that Su Li was speechless. Her expression was sarcastic, and she laughed at Su Li,
“Su Li! Don’t you believe that you are better than others? Why can’t you even give the name of the embroidery? Were you bluffing and blustering to scare me? The Muyang Girls’ School can’t be insulted by students who fish for compliments like you. Clear away your stuff and get out of the school!”
Su Li shook her head and smiled slowly, “Don’t worry, Lecturer Cui. Listen to me. This kind of embroidery is named the Zhushou embroidery.”
The Zhushou embroidery?
Everyone was dumbfounded. What was the embroidery method? They had never heard about it.
Madam Yang’s face was pale immediately. The wicked girl! She recognized it actually!
Impossible! It must be an accident!
Based on her knowledge, it was impossible to tell the specific origin absolutely!
Madam Yang’s expression changed, which immediately made everyone know that Su Li was right.
“The reason why no one has seen the Zhushou embroidery is that it is not from the Dahan Country.” Su Li talked with confidence and composure, “The northeastern frontier of the Dahan Country borders on the Zhushou Country. The Zhushou embroidery is from the Zhushou country. The folk custom there is doughty. There are eight out of ten persons practicing martial arts. The people of the country are extremely straightforward, so the Zhushou embroidery looks enthusiastic and jazzy.”
With Su Li’s popularization of the embroidery, the whole room was silent, and the sound of whispering became increasingly lower. Everyone calmed the mind to listen, as if they were listening to a lecturer.
“Ordinary girls of the Zhushou Country are not qualified for such embroidery. Only when the martial arts are practiced to a certain extent can they bear pulling silk thread in high strength and piercing special cloth. Therefore, the price of the embroidery is higher than the Dahan embroidery, and one piece of the cloth is worth a thousand pieces of gold. It is extremely rare in the Dahan Country. Madam Yang must cost a lot of money to get the cloth in order to show off.”
Then all people can’t help but burst out guffawing.
Madam Yang was as stiff as a puppet, and her face was pale. She wished to find a ground crack to hide herself. After buying the dress, she had been proud of it. However, it seemed that her cheek was clawed by Su Li and her bare vanity was exposed. The sense of shame made her itch to stab Su Li by a knife!
“The islanders who live in the East Sea have doughty folk custom and are extremely keen on the Zhushou embroidery. Their geographical condition is not suitable for sericulture, so they cannot make the Zhushou embroidery. Most of the Zhushou embroidery from the Zhushou Country are taken by merchants to make overseas sales. Few of it can be sold in inland regions. Therefore, it is normal for us not to know it. I knew it on some uncommon ancient books and records.”
Su Li went on, and her eyes slowly moved to Madam Yang’s face. She said, “Lecturer Cui, do you have anything to add on it? If you can add one sentence, I will lose. How is it?”
After she said, there was a burst of guffaws, which were more reckless than the repressive ones before.
Madam Yang’s face was rigid. She racked her brain to add something, but didn’t think of any point to add on. All she knew was that the Zhushou embroidery came from the Zhushou Country, and few people could master it. However, she didn’t even know why few people could master it. Besides, she had never heard of other things related to the islands in the East Sea!
“The Zhushou embroidery…”
Before Madam Yang spoke, she was interrupted by Mei Ruohan, who guffawed recklessly, “Lecturer Cui, you had better not lie. Although there are not many embroiderer artificers of the Zhushou Country in the Dahan Country, there must be someone! It’s not difficult to find an embroiderer artificer to confront. If you lie, perhaps you even can’t stay at the Yang Family anymore.”
Madam Yang trembled slightly and closed her mouth hurriedly. Apparently, her thought was guessed by Mei Ruohan.
Her action attracted many people who were snickering. After today, Lecturer Cui would be discredited.
“You win the first match.”
Madam Yang took a deep breath and unwillingly said, “Don’t forget what I have said before. Only when you pass the test of the girls’ ethics will I lose! I set a question for you. If you can answer it, I will kowtow to you. How is it?”
When talking about the girls’ ethics, Madam Yang regained her confidence and said, “I ask you. When the Mrs Gu of the Dahan Country went out to fight the enemy, she handed a letter home. Whom did she write the letter home to?”
