High-class Spring Joy

Shen Sha's fierce aura was honed through years of hard work, coupled with his over eight-foot-tall stature and fists as big as sandbags when gripping his sword.

In her frustration, Qingyuan faced his gaze with dread, fearing that if he were to make a move, he might punch her so hard that she would be dented into the wall.

Qingyuan said timidly, "Replying to... Third Young Master, this servant did indeed find a light green handkerchief just now, but this servant thought..."

As she spoke, she could only take out the handkerchief, but it was snatched away by Chen Sha as soon as she handed it over, and Chen Sha interrupted her.

"You little brat, how could you be so dishonest, even trying to keep the handkerchief for yourself?" Chen Sha turned and handed it to Chu Jingxian: "Reporting to Young Master, I told you that this girl must have picked it up and taken it."

Hey!

Qingyuan was a little unconvinced by these words.

She picked up her own handkerchief, how did that become something else?

Despite her resentment, seeing Chu Jingxian carefully caressing the handkerchief, Qingyuan could only smile and explain, "Guard Chensha, you flatter me. I just thought the embroidered rice seedlings on the handkerchief were so lifelike and exquisite that I decided to keep it for the owner. If we can find the owner in the future, that would be great. If not..."

To his surprise, the person standing in front of him was a truly straightforward person. Chen Sha snorted coldly, "So what if we can't find it? It'll still end up in your hands anyway, which is no different from keeping it for ourselves."

What a physically strong but mentally challenged brute!

Even if you're right, you can't explain it clearly.

Qingyuan cursed secretly.

Hearing Chu Jingxian's voice turn slightly colder, he asked, "When did you become so talkative?"

The once imposing Chen Sha immediately stepped back: "It was Chen Sha who was being noisy. Please forgive me, young master."

Chu Jingxian turned to Qingyuan: "You just said that the handkerchief is embroidered with rice seedlings?"

That handkerchief was the first complete and decent-looking handkerchief that Qingyuan embroidered when she first started learning embroidery from her older sister Qingmei.

When Qingyuan embroidered the green rice seedlings, she had just turned fourteen and had only learned the basics of embroidery, so her embroidery was not very realistic.

Moreover, Chu Jingxian couldn't see it with his own eyes, so it would be difficult for him to recognize anything.

Her bodyguards, like Chen Sha, were rough and uncouth men who knew nothing about women and couldn't see through their mannerisms.

If she hadn't said anything, the two of them probably would have mistaken it for weeds instead of rice seedlings.

Qingyuan choked up for a moment, wishing she could slap herself twice.

She had never made such a mistake in front of Chu Jingyu before, so why was she so full of loopholes in front of Chu Jingxian?

Qingyuan hurriedly explained with a smile, "This servant...this servant comes from a farming family. Before entering the manor, the thing I saw most often was rice seedlings in the fields, so...so I subconsciously thought it was rice seedlings. This servant is uncultured, and the things I've seen are naturally lowly. I'm just talking nonsense."

As she spoke, Qingyuan carefully raised her head to observe the reaction of the person in front of her.

"There's no need to be nervous. It's just that Qingyuan's words are incorrect," Chu Jingxian tilted his head slightly, the curve was very small, and his voice was not very inflected: "The rice seedlings grow day and night, and the people take care of them day and night. They exchange the rice they produce for the livelihood of their whole family. It's very good. How can it be considered lowly?"

Chu Jingxian spoke calmly, as if it were a casual conversation.

Qingyuan stood there, her mind blank for a moment from what he said, his words still echoing in her ears.

Before she could react, Chu Jingxian put away the light green handkerchief: "I've always heard that Fifth Brother's ordinary robes were always embroidered with lifelike designs."

What he said was true. Chu Jingyu always had Qingyuan embroider his desired designs on his sleeves, belts, and wherever Chu Jingyu wanted them.

Originally, Qingyuan was delighted. This little bit of embroidery was all she could offer, so she was naturally very willing to embroider it for Chu Jingyu.

In summer, she embroidered inner garments; in winter, she embroidered padded jackets. In short, as long as it was related to clothing, Qingyuan would embroider according to Chu Jingyu's wishes.

When Chu Jingyu first saw him, he said that Qingyuan's embroidery skills were first-rate, second to none in Bianjing City, and even the young ladies from high-ranking families could not compare.

Qingyuan didn't think she was as good as the young ladies from wealthy families, but hearing Chu Jingyu say this made her extremely happy, even though she knew he was just trying to appease her because he was in a good mood.

Unfortunately, Chu Jingxian was right again: In the past.

Yes, that was in the past.

Later, Qingyuan embroidered more and more, and Chu Jingyu got used to it and never mentioned it again. He only said that it was just a girl's hobby and that it was inappropriate to wear it out. Qingyuan thought that he was reserved and that the patterns she embroidered were really too small-scale, so she stopped embroidering.

This year, on Chu Jingyu's birthday, Qingyuan remembered that Chu Jingyu used to always want her to embroider a cape by hand, saying that Qingyuan was good at embroidery and that when he wore it out, people would definitely envy him.

Qingyuan spent all her money on a fine leather garment, thinking that since it was for Chu Jingyu, it couldn't be anything less than excellent.

She stayed up for ten days and ten nights, burning countless candles, before finally finishing embroidering a cloak. From then on, her vision was always a little blurry at night.

But Qingyuan didn't care. She held the cloak with great satisfaction, wanting to give it to Chu Jingyu. But she forgot that Chu Jingyu had long since stopped wearing the clothes she embroidered.

Jiang Qingge also embroidered a cloak for Chu Jingyu. Chu Jingyu was a well-bred young lady who never lifted a finger, and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was known for doting on his daughter, so he never forced her to learn embroidery from a young age.

The bamboo embroidery on the cloak was crooked, but when Chu Jingyu put it on, his smile was as bright as the moon in the sky. Qingyuan had never seen such a joyful smile on his face before.

Chu Jingyu saw her cloak and simply said, "It's like you two all made a pact... Ah Yuan, you know Ge'er is different from you. She's never been good at needlework, and she rarely touches a needle. I can't let her be sad."

So, Chu Jingyu casually gave Qingyuan's cloak to...the servant who accompanied her.

As Qingyuan was thinking, a pang of sadness welled up in her heart, when she heard Chu Jingxian change the subject:

"I've heard you're an excellent embroiderer. Could you tell who painted the rice seedlings on that light green handkerchief?"

Qingyuan was immediately stumped by the question.

She not only recognized it, she also knew who it was.

Qingyuan quickly waved her hand: "Third Young Master, you flatter me too much. I only handle embroidery needles a lot, and I can't really say I'm skilled at it, much less that I'm exceptionally good at it. I was just talking nonsense just now, how could I possibly tell who did it? Please, Third Young Master, find someone more skilled."