Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 296: Threatening with Death

"How much should I adjust it?"

Yi Chichi gestured with her hand, "This much."

Wen Shi, "..."

It felt like such a small height change didn’t need an adjustment; just put something underneath it.

But since the wife suggested it, let’s adjust it.

"Step aside for a bit."

Yi Chichi responded with an ’oh’, got up, watched him adjust the height in no time, tested it again, and nodded with satisfaction, "This is enough."

"Should I buy you a paperweight?"

"Buy what?"

Yi Chichi, suspecting she misheard, dug at her ear. Did she hear wrong, or did Wen Shi speak wrong? She doesn’t practice calligraphy; what would she need a paperweight for?

"The one for the wrist, you know?"

Wen Shi gestured, "We used to have one from before."

Yi Chichi’s mouth twitched, "That’s for the wrist, not a paperweight."

"Oh right, for the wrist. Should we get one?"

"No need, just take the previous one off and put it back on."

This task was indeed for Wen Shi to handle.

Then, under Yi Chichi’s direction, he managed to install the wrist rest.

"Want to try embroidering for a bit?"

"Okay."

Yi Chichi sorted the thread and started hanging it up, then drew out a strand from the black thread, preparing to begin, but then moved her fingers and split a silk thread into several parts.

If his eyesight weren’t good, he wouldn’t even see the thread.

"...Wife, won’t this thread break being so thin?"

It felt as thin as spider silk, really too thin.

"It won’t."

Yi Chichi, skillful with threads, threaded the needle expertly, and then confidently made the first stitch on the silk.

Wen Shi looked up at the glowing light bulb overhead, feeling the light was still a bit dim. After thinking for two seconds, he quietly slipped into the room and came back with a flashlight, turning it on.

In an instant, the area where she was stitching became much brighter.

Yi Chichi paused her hand, not lying; the intention was good.

She was touched, but only to a limited extent.

"Turn it off."

"Why?"

Wen Shi obediently turned off the flashlight, yet his heart was full of questions.

"The light was even before. When you used the flashlight, the light became uneven, which isn’t good for the eyes."

To prevent him from overthinking, she reassured him, "Besides, I’m only stitching two threads; it won’t take long."

Wen Shi made a sound of comprehension, though he didn’t fully get it, and sat beside her, watching her hands, like butterflies, threading through the nearly transparent silk textile.

The threads were split too thin, and right at the beginning of the stitch; even after stitching two threads, nothing was visible.

Feeling he saw nothing at all and couldn’t hold back his curiosity, Wen Shi asked, "Wife, what are you stitching now?"

"Tiger and leopard."

"I know that, but which part are you stitching?"

"The head!"

Her answer made him fall into silence. He leaned over for a look and yes, it indeed looked like nothing.

Truly, the saying that specialization requires skill is no joke.

Thinking of this, he stood up and said, "I’ll go boil water for your bath."

"Okay."

Boiling water took some time, and originally planning to stop, Yi Chichi decided she could embroider a few more minutes.

However, she had a bad habit: once she began working, she could easily get into a state of immersion.

As a result, even after calling her several times once the water was ready, Wen Shi didn’t get a response, so he had no choice but to walk over, pinch her cheek, and say, "Wife, time to bathe and sleep."

"Can you finish this tomorrow?"

Yi Chichi responded with a sudden realization, "You’ve already boiled the water?"

"Yes, it’s ready."

That was quite fast. Looking at the thread in her hand, she said, "I’ll finish this strand."

"...Alright."

Five minutes later, she stopped working, and Wen Shi’s heart was happy, "Can I put away the things now?"

Before he finished speaking, he moved his hands. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Yi Chichi quickly stopped him, "No need to put it away, just leave it here."

The threads couldn’t be touched randomly; she had laid them out, and any entanglement would make organizing them a hassle.

It was better to just leave them directly until it was time to clean up altogether.

Wen Shi had many good traits, and being obedient was certainly one of them.

Yi Chichi told him to leave things as they were, and he obediently responded, staying by her side while she bathed, unable to be chased away.

If she used a harsher tone, he’d act cute and pitiful.

There was no way around it; Yi Chichi could only relent.

After a night of madness, Yi Chichi, who slept soundly until the next midday, was woken by a series of knocks on the door.

"Who’s there?!"

She groggily climbed out of bed, combing her messy hair with her fingers, and just as she slipped her feet into slippers, a somewhat familiar voice sounded outside the door.

"Sis, open the door, it’s Jiang Xingxing."

The follow-up of the melon was here.

Yi Chichi instantly woke up, "Coming, coming."

She rushed to the door like her pants were on fire, and as she opened it, Jiang Xingxing’s bright smiling face came into view. Yi Chichi’s eyes fell on her hair — a thick, glossy plait transformed into a short crop above the ears.

"Sis, did you just get up?"

"Yeah."

"Then hurry up and brush your teeth and wash your face; I’m not in a rush."

Indeed, there was no rush.

But the hospitality needed to be there.

"Sit here, have tea, there are snacks on the plate, help yourself to whatever you like."

After going through the complete process of tea and snacks and settling the visitor, Yi Chichi went to freshen up.

Jiang Xingxing couldn’t sit still, disinterested in drinking tea on a hot day, so she grabbed a few lychees and followed her inside, saying, "My dad agreed to find me a teacher."

This was good news.

"But judging by my dad’s tone, it might be a bit difficult."

It truly was; in today’s era, knowledgeable intellectuals weren’t having an easy time.

"My dad asked if I was truly set on pursuing a path in mechanical design and if I would give up halfway."

Yi Chichi replied unclearly, "What did you say?"

"Of course, I’m determined, and there’s no way I’d give up halfway."

She chuckled, "To show my dad my resolve, I even cut my hair."

This determination was indeed well expressed.

This girl never took her hair lightly.

According to Auntie Guan, ever since she could speak coherently, she wouldn’t let anyone touch her hair.

Even when she couldn’t fully stretch her arm, she learned to comb and tie her hair herself.

From childhood to now, her hair had only the ends trimmed; as for cutting it short...

Not even a sliver of a chance through a window gap was given to anyone.

It’s said that her grandmother mentioned that long hair was harmful to young girls, and wanted to cut it, but Jiang Xingxing cried hysterically, threatening to die if it were cut.

Now, to show her determination, she had cut off the braid she cherished for over ten years; if she wasn’t granted her wish, Old Jiang would probably feel guilty towards his daughter’s long hair.

"Your journey in mechanical studies is most likely set."

"Hehe, I think so too."

Perhaps with the path to her dream right before her, Jiang Xingxing was in an extraordinarily good mood, "Sis..."

She looked around, saw no one, and asked quietly with a lowered voice, "I looked into it, and many mechanical medical books are in foreign languages. Did you know about this?"

Indeed, Yi Chichi did know. At present, her country’s state was quite backward in various aspects, and high-tech craftsmanship was practically as blank as a sheet of paper.