A Good Country Wife
Chapter 321 - 315

Chapter 321: 315

"How is that possible!" Axin exclaimed as he looked at the embroidery painting, thinking his eyes were deceiving him, so he rubbed them and looked again.

Axin didn’t know how to describe it; it wasn’t an embroidery painting at all but rather it seemed as if living scenery had been captured on the canvas. When Lin Yue asked Zhao Erhu to flip the painting over, to everyone’s surprise, this was not the usual double-sided embroidery they had seen, where both sides display the same pattern. Instead, one side depicted the Queen Mother’s birthday celebration and the other side the Longevity Painting—two completely different designs.

Jiang Ziqi was aware of Lin Yue’s embroidery skills; otherwise, he would not have entrusted such an important task to her. Contrary to Axin’s assumption that it was merely for personal reasons—although he did indeed want to spend more time and develop a closer relationship with Lin Yue—he was, after all, the Family Head of the Jiang Family. Having taken this position, he was committed to upholding his responsibilities; he would spare no effort in considering the welfare of the Jiang Family.

Jiang Ziqi’s gaze lingered on the embroidery painting. While his expression did not betray the astonishment and admiration that Axin’s did, his face nonetheless could not hide his surprise and delight.

In fact, when Lin Yue had asked him for a portrait that day, she had already shared with him her general conception. Yet, seeing the actual embroidery, the impact was completely different. No wonder Lin Yue had been so careful and cautious; such craftsmanship could certainly arouse some people’s ambitions, prompting them to vie for and seek possession of this skill. Describing the painting in four words, it was nothing less than "transcendently ingenious"; it was perfect. Jiang Ziqi could imagine how overjoyed the Empress Dowager would be upon seeing this embroidery, which was definitely a significant and thoughtful gift for her.

"Excellent, truly excellent! Little Yueyue is indeed remarkable to possess such embroidery skills. She could be regarded as the top embroiderer of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Who else under the heavens could produce such a work? I really do have an eye for talent, to have identified such an extraordinary individual, haha." Jiang Ziqi clapped repeatedly and praised while his gaze never strayed from the embroidery. Had he not been worried about soiling or damaging it, he would have loved to touch it and feel the subjects depicted within, even though he knew full well it was merely a painting.

If Axin had previously looked down upon or underestimated Lin Yue, by now he had completely abandoned such ludicrous notions, even feeling somewhat ashamed. While he was not inherently arrogant, the difference in their social statuses led him to view people like Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue, who hailed from rural areas, with disdain, harboring a sense of superiority. Only in this moment did he realize the truth of the adage his young master cited: "Never judge a book by its cover, nor the sea by its breadth." Talents like Lin Yue could indeed be found in rural villages; though he knew little else about her, this single skill was enough to earn his respect.

After Jiang Ziqi enjoyed the embroidery for a while, Lin Yue’s arms were starting to feel sore. It was only under Zhao Erhu’s dissatisfied prompting that Jiang Ziqi reluctantly allowed Lin Yue to put the painting away, his desire to keep looking at it still unabated. He seized the moment for a few more glimpses, knowing once it was delivered to the Empress Dowager Palace and kept as a treasure, he would seldom have another opportunity to see it.

Reluctant to part with it, Jiang Ziqi’s gaze unintentionally swept across the wooden box housing the embroidery. He had paid little attention to it before due to the box’s modest quality. Only now did he realize that this box was also unusually novel and chic in design. The carving was a bit rough, though; with better materials and a master carver, Jiang Ziqi was sure the box would be an impressive piece. He decided to have his family’s craftsmen create a similar box out of red sandalwood once he returned home.

"Where did you buy this box? It’s quite novel and chic, looks pretty good." Jiang Ziqi inquired of Lin Yue about the origins of the box.

It would be more accurate to say that Jiang Ziqi was interested in the carpenter who had carved and designed the box rather than the box itself. Although lacking in craftsmanship, the carpenter’s creativity was certainly fresh. Such a visionary person could be considered for recruitment into the Jiang Family, to be nurtured and taught, and given time, would undoubtedly become exceptional, contributing to the Jiang Family’s cause.

The Jiang Family had been practicing medicine for generations, primarily dealing in medicinal herbs. However, they were not limited to a single field and had dabbled in other industries as well. The depth of a prominent family like theirs was beyond an outsider’s imagination. Even if Jiang Ziqi did not fancy these things, as the head of the Jiang Family, he had to consider what was best for the family. From the moment he took over as the Family Head, the rise and fall of the family rested on his shoulders. There was no more indulgence as before; this was why Lin Yue found Jiang Ziqi much more composed during this meeting than he had been previously.

"That box was designed by me and crafted by the carpenter we hired at home. The workmanship is a bit rough. You’ve seen so many fine things that I’m afraid you won’t think it’s good enough. If you find it unsatisfactory, I can have it replaced. Our house doesn’t have anything else suitable for holding it," Lin Yue replied, somewhat embarrassed as she saw Jiang Ziqi examining the wooden box. She thought that Jiang Ziqi found the craftsmanship too crude. Although she considered the box quite refined—after all, what he had brought was worth a fortune, and certainly not ordinary items, such as the embroidery fabric and threads, which weren’t available in the marketplace. Lin Yue had accepted them, but she also planned to repay the favor by embroidering a couple more paintings for Jiang Ziqi as a token of gratitude.

Lin Yue had indeed considered procuring a better box to complement the embroidery, but generally speaking, either the workmanship wouldn’t satisfy her, or the high-end ones made from expensive woods like red sandalwood were prohibitively priced—costing hundreds or even thousands of taels of silver, which her family simply couldn’t afford. Therefore, she designed one herself and had Zhao Fuquan carve it according to her ideas. While Zhao Fuquan’s skills had improved since his apprenticeship days, he was still learning, and his best effort resulted in something neatly made, but nothing more, given the limits of his current ability.

"Did you really design this?" Jiang Ziqi’s eyes lit up as Lin Yue confirmed, looking at her intently. "Little Yueyue, what am I to say? How can you be so clever? Truly, you are a treasure! What do you have in that brain of yours? It’s simply astonishing. How could such a fine person like you end up married to a brute like Zhao Erhu? It’s truly lamentable."

This was something Jiang Ziqi had muttered to himself in his heart and now, in a burst of excitement, he let it slip. However, he didn’t much care what Zhao Erhu thought about it; he was keen on riling up Zhao Erhu, perhaps to offset a bit of the regret in his heart.

Indeed, Zhao Erhu was infuriated by Jiang Ziqi’s words, with his whiskers blowing and eyes glaring. Once again Jiang Ziqi had diminutively referred to his wife as Little Yueyue and brazenly belittled him. Whenever Jiang Ziqi held himself with decorum, it was tolerable, but now his true colors were showing. Listen, just listen; it wasn’t that he was being petty, but that evening he would definitely need to ’school’ his little wife well. As long as she remained steadfast, the thoughts of others mattered not at all.