Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 121: The Newcomers Are Hard to Deal With

Chapter 121: Chapter 121: The Newcomers Are Hard to Deal With

Old Sir Bai looked troubled, "How am I supposed to feed it?"

Foxes eat meat, and it’s rare for people to even have meat, truly can’t afford to raise it.

"I’m worried it’ll start targeting the team’s chickens."

This was indeed a serious problem. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Currently, families are not allowed to raise too many chickens; it’s all rationed.

When there’s no meat to eat, eggs are the best supplement and can be exchanged for money at the purchasing station, a real chicken butt bank.

If someone’s chickens get targeted, it’s not something a simple apology can solve.

"But if we can’t drive it away, what should we do?"

Yi Chichi was worried for him, wondering how he got targeted by a fox in the first place.

And it’s a high-intelligence fox that’s lived for quite a few years.

"I’ll try chasing it away again."

He picked up a stick to chase it away. Before, it at least ran a bit, but this time the white-browed fox couldn’t be bothered to run, as if it understood the old man couldn’t bear to and wouldn’t dare hurt it.

Even using dogs had no effect.

The hound pounced entirely, even had its head in its mouth, and still, it didn’t budge.

Now, they really had no solution.

Uncle Yaozi could only advise the old man, "No matter what, take it back first; maybe it won’t need you to raise it at all."

Just like he raised Da Li, it managed to feed itself until it was full of muscles and its fur sleek and shiny, occasionally bringing back wild game like mountain rats, pheasants, and snakes.

The old man sighed and could only go along with it.

Thus, their returning group gained a new member—the white-browed fox.

Since he needed to settle accounts for the old man, he didn’t rush back but first followed Yi Chichi and the others to the medical room in Kao Shan Village.

After putting down their things, Yi Chichi said, "Uncle, I’ll go back to get the money and coupons; you entertain the old man."

"You don’t need to worry; go handle your business."

Yi Chichi acknowledged, greeted the old man, and then turned to leave.

He hadn’t left the medical room for more than a few minutes before he ran into Liu Lan.

"Chichi, you’re back from the mountain?"

"Yeah, I’m back."

Seeing her with nothing in her hands, Yi Chichi curiously asked, "Lanlan, what are you up to?"

"I want to show you my embroidery."

Before she finished speaking, she came closer, pulling out a handkerchief from her pocket and unfolding it, revealing a cluster of bright red azaleas.

Among a few scattered green leaves, the various shapes of blooming, half-blooming, and budding azaleas were in different forms, with varying density.

The most remarkable part was that a few petal segments had dewdrops embroidered on them, so realistic they seemed to be rolling.

It involuntarily brought to mind the stunning scenery of azaleas all over the mountains under the morning mist.

"It’s good, very good, a huge improvement..." After a few praises, Yi Chichi took the handkerchief and carefully observed it. This chaotic needle embroidery of azaleas, in terms of embroidery technique and color matching, had already reached a fine grade.

But the whole piece didn’t reach fine grade; at best, it was just an ordinary piece of embroidery.

"It’s still not enough?"

Seeing her slight frown, Liu Lan, who had been observing her expression all along, instantly had her already uneasy mood plummet, with her voice tinged heavily with disappointment.

"The technique and color matching are enough to graduate, but the composition isn’t right."

Yi Chichi spoke frankly, then detailed her weaknesses and areas for improvement, finally concluding, "My favorite part of your work is the dewdrops."

"Dew, dewdrops?" Liu Lan was dumbfounded. Before coming, she thought of many possibilities, like Yi Chichi saying her needlework was lacking and needed more practice, or her color matching was missing something and needed further observation.

But never did she expect the dewdrops she casually embroidered received Yi Chichi’s high praise.

This development, how to put it, was quite confusing for her.

"Yes, the dewdrops."

Seeing her puzzled expression, Yi Chichi raised the handkerchief, "Take a good look yourself, see the difference between the dewdrops and the flowers."

Liu Lan stared at it for a while, hesitantly saying, "I feel like the dewdrops look real, but the flowers don’t quite match."

"Exactly."

Yi Chichi showed a smile of appreciation, "Judging from a professional perspective, the dewdrops you embroidered have vitality, while the flowers do not."

As she spoke, she smilingly asked, "Try to recall the state you were in when embroidering the dewdrops. Try to maintain that state, and maybe your next piece will make it to the Friendship Store."

"State, fine pieces..."

Liu Lan’s eyes lit up, her gaze fervently on Yi Chichi, "So as long as I maintain that state?"

"Theoretically yes, but individuals differ, and the specifics depend on the outcome."

Such a thing as state is quite mystical, sometimes referred to as inspiration, much like in the arts; when lacking the feeling, one simply can’t get into the state, and the resulting works aren’t worth mentioning.

But when the feeling comes, most can produce fine pieces, though some still might mess it up.

Ultimately, it boils down to personal talent.

"But I believe in you; you might succeed."

Liu Lan wanted to succeed too. Her parents and brothers were all very supportive, not letting her do much work to focus on her embroidery skills, really only letting her protect her hands when necessary.

However, she hadn’t earned a single penny since starting last year, making her feel a bit insecure, or you could say guilty.

She desperately wanted to earn money.

And now, hope was in front of her.

If she just worked a bit harder, even if she couldn’t sell to the Friendship Store, selling to the county’s department store would do.

Thinking of this, she sought confirmation from Yi Chichi again, "Chichi, does the Friendship Store really take embroidered pieces?"

"I don’t know about Hei Province, but they do in my hometown."

Yi Chichi didn’t entirely commit to an answer. Seeing her disappointed expression, she smiled and said, "You don’t need to worry; I’ll find someone to ask about it sometime."

It’s hard to find others, but Aunt Ma is easy to find.

Yu Ritang is married to a provincial capital city with a Friendship Store, so it should be possible to have her gather some information.

"Okay."

With this, Liu Lan’s fighting spirit once again rose.

She also had a change of heart.

"If it really doesn’t work, we can continue to embroider, and when there’s a chance to sell, it won’t be a loss."

Indeed, that’s the truth.

As long as the embroidery is good, there’s no fear it won’t sell.

"Are you heading back to the Youth Corps Courtyard?"

"...Uh."

The topic had shifted rather quickly; Yi Chichi hesitated before responding, prompting Liu Lan to immediately remind, "The three new arrivals are tricky to deal with."

This was indicative of some situation.

"What do you mean?"

"Two women and one man arrived, all from the same place, and their relationship is..."

She deliberated for a while before organizing her thoughts, "I feel it’s a bit complicated, like I..."

Maybe it was hard to express, but Yi Chichi saw her look around to ensure no one was around before whispering, "A man and a woman are a couple, and the other one also likes the male Youth Corps member."

Yi Chichi sighed, "It feels like the peaceful days at the Youth Corps Courtyard are gone forever."

Liu Lan shared a sympathetic look, "Yesterday, on the way back, they were quarreling like a drama all the way, making the team leader so mad that he scolded them, telling them to talk less or be sent to haul manure."

Yi Chichi felt even more hopeless; after finally getting along well with Bai Chen and the others, now these three...