A Chance Encounter At An Embroidery Shop

For the next two days, Shi Yan did not leave the house. She only went to the courtyard with Jiang Rui occasionally. However, everytime she went for a walk in the courtyard, Shi Yan would subconsciously go to the pavilion in the lotus pond.

Unfortunately, other than the servants who occasionally passed by, she did not see anyone.

On the third day, at Jiang Rui's request, Shi Yan accompanied her to the embroidery shop that she had mentioned before.

After getting out of the car, the two of them walked into the alley.

Jiang Rui glanced at the dark alley with only two or three pedestrians and the dilapidated shops on both sides, sighing, "This place is really hidden. No wonder I haven't found an embroidery shop here for so many years. The things in this shop are so good. Why didn't the owner choose a more conspicuous shop? Business must be good that way."

It was probably because the boss here did not sell embroidery for a living.

Many people wanted to find a quiet place to retire after experiencing prosperity. They would do some small business, but it was not for a living, just for fun.

Shi Yan did not say that even though she was thinking about it. She only smiled and said, "Maybe the boss has feelings for the old shop and is reluctant to leave."

Jiang Rui thought about it and felt that it made sense.

Although this alley was desolate, if it was the natives here, they definitely didn't lack money.

"Are we almost there?"Jiang Rui asked.

"It's just around the corner."

They could actually get in the car, but the alley was narrow and inconvenient to drive in. That was why they chose to get out of the car at the entrance of the alley and walk over.

After a while, the two of them arrived at the embroidery shop.

The words "Shen's embroidery house"were written on the wooden plaque.

Standing at the entrance of the shop, Jiang Rui was very surprised. 

"Embroidery House?"

It was not her fault for being surprised. Not every embroidery shop was worthy of the word "Embroidery House."

The shop was not big, but the old house here should have a facade and the design of the inner courtyard. The size of the inner courtyard could not be seen from the outside.

"Because it is a unique skill, every piece of embroidery was made by Master and me, so this can be considered our own embroidery house."

A woman in her twenties walked out of the shop. She was wearing a light-colored qipao and her hair was tied with a hairpin. Her temperament was very special.

She smiled and asked, "Do you two want to come in and take a look?"

Then, her gaze fell on Shi Yan, and surprise flashed in her eyes. 

"Ah, I remember you. You came to our shop before, right? About twenty days ago."

Shen Yuying had a deep impression of Shi Yan, because even though Shi Yan was wearing ordinary clothes, the ancient charm on her body could not be hidden. She had the charm of a lady from an ancient aristocratic family more than someone like her, who wore a cheongsam all day long. Moreover, Shi Yan was very beautiful. She was not the kind of person who was stunning at a glance, but it was enough for people to remember her.

In addition, there were not many customers in the shop usually, and most of them were regular customers. Therefore, Shen Yuying had a deep impression of Shi Yan, so much so that she still remembered her after so many days.

Shi Yan smiled and nodded, "Yes."

"You still remember when someone came to your shop twenty days ago? You have a good memory,"Jiang Rui praised.

"There are not many customers in the shop."

As she said this, Shen Yuying smiled politely. "Do you two want to come in and take a look?"

As the two of them walked into the shop, Shen Yuying said, "The embroidery in the shop is all made by me and my master. It's a unique skill, and the fabric is also of high quality. See if there are any that you like. There's an important guest in the inner court. My Master is serving him alone. I'll go and help with the tea. Please let me know when you're done. By the way, my name is Shen Yuying."

She only said that much and didn't try to sell anything.

After saying that, she smiled at the two of them and slightly leaned over. Then, she turned around and walked into the inner court.

"This shop is really interesting. There's no one left to look after the shop. Aren't you afraid that we'll run away without paying?"

It was the first time Jiang Rui had seen people doing business in such a Buddhist way. It was very novel.

Shi Yan smiled lightly and pointed at the camera in the shop.

Jiang Rui said, "Well, it's my fault for being small."

"However, this shop is a little special. The other shops would like to praise their own products so much that they wouldn't even praise them when their embroidery is so good."

It was not the first time that Shi Yan had come to this shop. She was already used to the style of the shop, so her reaction was not as big as Jiang Rui's. However, she agreed with what Jiang Rui said.

The business of this shop was indeed very special.

She looked at Jiang Rui and said with a faint smile, "Let's see if there's anything you like first. If there is, then buy it. Didn't you say that you wanted to come and have a look?"

"Then let me have a look. Don't tell me that the things here are really not bad. Xiao Yan, do you want to have a look?"

Shi Yan wanted to say that there was no need. She just wanted to accompany her to have a look, but she suddenly saw a white handkerchief embroidered with bamboo not far away.

It was very simple and had clean embroidery.

She walked over and picked it up.

After rubbing it a few times, she said, "I want this one. I won't look at anything else."

Jiang Rui glanced at the handkerchief in her hand and said, "Bamboo is elegant and pure. It suits you quite well. Since you don't want to watch for anything else, go over there to sit down and rest. Wait for me as I look around for a while."

Shi Yan didn't insist. She walked over to the sofa in the shop for customers to rest on and sat down.

She held the handkerchief in her hand and studied it carefully. A faint smile appeared on the corner of her lips.

After about half an hour, Jiang Rui finally picked out what she wanted, which was quite a lot.

Jiang Rui was a discerning person. She could tell at a glance whether the stuff was good or not. She liked this and that too. Also, as she was mostly picking out gifts for her relatives and friends, it was hard for her not to get some snacks for free, so naturally, she spent some time.

"Xiao Yan, I've chosen."

Just as she was about to call the boss to settle the bill, she suddenly heard movement from the inner courtyard.

"It's rare for you to come here. Why Don't you sit down for a while before leaving? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Shi Yan could hear the boss's voice. It was that of Shen Yuying's master.

"I'll come to see you again when I have time."

A man's voice was mellow and clear. It was very pleasant to hear.

Shi Yan was stunned when she heard this voice.

Jiang Rui said, "Why do I feel that this voice sounds a little familiar?"

"Didn't you say that you would come visit me again when you have time? It's already good enough that you can come to my place once a year. I don't know what kind of wind blew you here today, but it's so rare for you to come here. You haven't even sat down for a few minutes and you have to leave again."

The man did not respond to her, only said, "Thank you for the pastries."

"If I didn't have the skills to make pastries, would you not even want to come to my door?"

The man did not respond to her.

Then, the sound of a wheelchair rolling could be heard in the silence.

Shi Yan stood up from the sofa.

At this moment, someone pushed the wheelchair out of the backyard and bumped into Shi Yan and Jiang Rui.

"Fifth… Fifth Uncle?"Jiang Rui was stunned.

The man sitting in the wheelchair was wearing a white shirt. There was a button loose at the collar of the shirt, and one could vaguely see the delicate collarbone. His outstanding face was a little sickly pale, and his temperament was elegant and gentle.

He glanced at Jiang Rui and then turned his eyes to Shi Yan, who was beside Jiang Rui.

Their eyes met.

When they met again, the girl was still dressed in simple clothes, but her waist-length black hair was tied up, and it was not as loose as before.

Compared to when they first met, Shi Yan was more reserved and experienced.

"Do you... Know each other?" Shen Yuying, who followed them out, asked in surprise.