Re-embroidering life

The third floor of Zhenjiang Pavilion is newly decorated today. It is rumored that Ji Zimo, once the most talented scholar in Jiangxia, will exhibit his calligraphy and painting works here, and the proceeds from the auction will be used to help the victims of the Qianzhou flood.

The name Ji Zimo is familiar yet unfamiliar to Jiangxia people. He is a well-known talent, but he suddenly fell silent seven or eight years ago and has rarely appeared since then. Talented people emerge in every generation, and Jiangxia is not short of talented people. There are literary gatherings every month, and new people are replaced one after another.

In order to attract customers to the auction, Tang Hao and his friends put a lot of effort into it. They sent people to distribute flyers in advance to restaurants, teahouses, and academies frequented by scholars, posted notices on the streets, and Tang Hao also strictly ordered these playboys to find a way to get their fathers and brothers to come to the auction.

The works auctioned today are 20 pieces carefully selected by Ji Zimo, including calligraphy and painting. Each piece is a painstaking work, with vigorous brushwork and profound artistic conception. The embroidery paintings jointly created by the five girls are also on display, but they are displayed on a separate shelf with the inscription "Furong Garden Embroidery" at the bottom.

The auction was scheduled for the evening, and it was just a display during the day. Seeing that there were few spectators on site, Tang Hao became anxious and pulled Ji Zimo aside: "Brother Zimo, I said that the auction idea is not appropriate. Don't be angry when I said it. First, your fame is not as good as it was in the past, and you lack appeal. Second, because of Brother Ji's dismissal, people in the circle are very cautious about the Ji family. You might as well find a channel to sell it privately. I can help you make connections."

Ji Zimo understood what Tang Hao said, but he insisted on holding the auction. Selling paintings to raise money was only one aspect. He hoped that by holding the auction, the wealthy people in Jiangxia Prefecture would know about the flood in Qianzhou, arouse their sympathy for the victims, and attract more people to donate generously. He also had a secret idea. After the trip to Qianzhou, he was sure that he wanted to protect and benefit the people in the future, so he could not hide in the study and he had to return to the public eye and pave the way for himself.

"Don't worry, I'm not a 'half-idiot' for nothing, and my seven years of dedicated research are not in vain. I have confidence in myself, so you should stay calm too."

After saying that, he put his hands behind his back and strolled around the exhibition hall, as if he was an outsider. Tang Hao, on the other hand, was busy everywhere, calling on his younger brothers to call more people over.

The first group to come were the literary friends that Ji Zimo had made when he was active. After many years, these people have scattered all over the place for their future, and only three or four of them came today. One of them, Chen Huai, has the deepest friendship with Ji Zimo and rushed over early in the morning to show his support.

Seeing Ji Zimo's works, he was full of praise. "Brother Ji, you are a great painter who is not famous at all, but you are amazing when you make a splash! Your painting skills are second to none that I have seen in Jiangxia." On the way here, Chen Huai thought that buying a painting would be a way to show his support to his old friend and fulfill their friendship over the years. But now he has given up the idea. Such a masterpiece is worth a fortune. It would be an insult to offer a lower price. He doesn't have enough financial resources, so he should take a closer look at the paintings before they are sold. Once they enter the rich man's warehouse, he won't be able to see them anymore. He didn't bother to greet people and looked at them one by one. The same was true for other literary friends.

The second person to come was Ji Zimo's loyal supporter, Mrs. Fang, the second wife of the Chen family. A painting of "Dragon Boat Races" made Mrs. Fang admire Ji Zimo so much that she rushed to the exhibition as soon as she heard that he was going to hold an exhibition. Mrs. Fang's mouth has never closed since she entered Zhenjiang Pavilion. Every painting amazed her. She put her fingers in her sleeves and quietly moved them in the air, imitating Ji Zimo's painting method.

There were also groups of scholars coming over. They saw the flyers or notices and stopped by to take a look. They didn't have any expectations, but they were fascinated by them after one look.

Several young women came together wearing veils and hats. They must have loved painting and calligraphy. I don't know who noticed the embroidery first and immediately called her companions over. Several women were whispering around the embroidery. One of them was tall and slender, and seemed to be the center of the group. She kept looking at Ji Zimo.

Ji Zimo today is very different from before. He is still wearing a light blue brocade robe, with a duck-playing-with-lotus-pod sachet and a white jade pendant embroidered by Fei'er hanging around his waist. His eyes are calm, and under his gentle and jade-like appearance, there is a kind of tempered determination. This temperament makes him look more profound and charming.

Ji Zimo felt the woman's gaze and immediately moved aside, wondering why Qinghua hadn't come yet.

Shui Qinghua was rushing to Zhenjiang Pavilion with Dong Yajing at this time. She had no doubt about Ji Zimo's painting skills. With his level, one thousand taels of silver for each painting was not too high. What she was worried about was that people who could really afford it would not look at his paintings, so she specially asked the rich Dong Yajing to go with her to show her support.

The tall woman noticed that Ji Zimo was avoiding her, and instead of restraining herself, she walked straight towards Ji Zimo.

"Brother Zimo." A voice as sweet as a yellow oriole singing out of a valley.

Ji Zimo was about to avoid her when he heard the woman calling his name. He couldn't help but freeze. He couldn't remember any woman calling him like that.

Turning around, the woman was gently lifting her veil, revealing a stunning face. When she saw him looking at her, she smiled sweetly.

Ji Zimo was dumbfounded. Although he hadn't seen her for many years and she had long been lost in his memory, he still knew her.

His ex-fiancée, Tang Fu.

Ji Zimo quickly came back to his senses, took a step back, bowed, and said, "It's been a long time since we last met. Miss Tang, how are you?"

In fact, he shouldn't call her Miss Tang, but he didn't know her husband's last name.

"Brother Zimo is so polite to me, it seems that we are really unfamiliar." She locked her beautiful eyes on Ji Zimo's face, wanting to say more but not enough. There was a bit of anger on her face, and a small cinnabar mole in the middle of her eyebrows, adding a touch of charm to her.

Ji Zimo choked up. No woman had ever spoken to him so intimately, not even his own wife. He was at a loss as to how to respond.

Shui Qinghua and Dong Yajing had already walked into Zhenjiang Pavilion hand in hand. On the stairs leading to the third floor, she saw a graceful woman talking to Ji Zimo with her back to her. Ji Zimo looked nervous, and the atmosphere between the two of them showed that they knew each other. Shui Qinghua took a few steps forward suspiciously, and the woman seemed to sense something and turned around to look at her.

Shui Qinghua's face suddenly changed.