Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 341: Heard but Didn’t Understand

Yi Chichi first looked at the embroidery, and it was fine before she looked, but once she did, she was shocked, "Ms. Qiu, are your specialty is nail gold embroidery within Yue Embroidery?"

Indeed, the embroidery Qiu Yu displayed was a piece of nail gold embroidery, also known as gold and silver embroidery.

Nail gold embroidery is not traditional embroidery; it’s a major stream within Yue Embroidery, characterized by techniques like padding, embroidery, pasting, piecing, and layering, giving the artwork a relief-like three-dimensional artistic effect.

In her original world, Yi Chichi knew a master skilled in Gold Nail Embroidery, which is not very well-known compared to the four famous embroideries.

Yet it does not hinder the technical value and collectible value of nail gold embroidery.

Qiu Yu nodded with a smile and then curiously asked her, "Do you know nail gold embroidery too?"

Many people are unaware of nail gold embroidery, but Yi Chichi recognized it instantly, which shows she has some knowledge.

It seems they can exchange techniques.

The plan was good, but Yi Chichi shook her head and firmly said, "No, I don’t."

She truly does not know it, although she had thought of learning it, she never found the time to put it into action.

If it’s Yue Embroidery or Su Embroidery, she could help somewhat, but she is genuinely unable to assist with nail gold embroidery.

"Sister, I really can’t help."

"No, you can help!"

Qiu Yu had a different opinion and was full of confidence in Yi Chichi.

Before Yi Chichi could ask where her confidence came from, she pointed to the embroidery sample, "You are sensitive to colors; I wanted you to help label the color differences for each color on the embroidery sample."

"Let me take a look."

Yi Chichi picked up the embroidery sample and examined it; the composition was full and even, with rich and vibrant colors dominated by gold and silver threads, with other colors as supplements.

The embroidery sample was a large-scale Plum and Sparrow picture.

The plum branches had strong sense of layers with varied density; the large plum stems were concentrated yet unified; the red plums at the tips varied in poses — bud, flower bud, about to bloom, in full bloom.

The entire picture exuded vivid spirit.

The details of the sparrows halting at the branch with raised neck singing were particularly well-handled, lively as if a playful sparrow was singing right before you.

The artist who drew the Plum and Sparrow embroidery sample was unquestionably master-level.

"The drawing is really good!"

She praised repeatedly, Qiu Yu nodded in agreement, "This is Master Gu’s drawing."

This Yi Chichi had heard of, also a previous collaborator of the Friendship Store.

Mastered both embroidery and drawing, but due to old age, with poor eyesight and unsteady hands, could no longer engage in embroiderer’s work.

"Was this left behind before retirement?"

"Yes."

Qiu Yu nodded, "Left three pieces, the first two have been embroidered, but this one remained unfinished because her vision illness made detailed color treatment impossible, unable to manage the color difference, and dared not start."

Afraid of ruining the Plum and Sparrow piece, and worried about not embroidering well, risking delay for Friendship Store’s event next year.

Yi Chichi heard and understood, but had doubts about her explanation, "The color treatment looks good; where can’t you differentiate it?"

She could instantly discern the color differences over the entire embroidery sample.

"Red Plum!"

Qiu Yu was straightforward, pointing at the Red Plum, "The flower line and yarn colors we have are quite rich, just one red has many types, yet the Red Plum in this embroidery sample, after our group looked at it, felt..."

Like a sense of powerlessness hard to describe paused for a while, she looked at Yi Chichi with a face full of conflict, "I noticed two types of red, Xiao Liu who is more color sensitive noticed four, the rest only see one."

Saying this, she frustratingly scratched her hair, "That sense of powerlessness when struggling to pinpoint colors, do you understand?"

"I understand!"

This Yi Chichi understands well; both her senior sister and Liu Lan have this issue.

Liu Lan’s condition improved somewhat after training, though her senior sister couldn’t improve; without clear color markers on the embroidery sample, she couldn’t handle the colors while embroidering.

Often embroidered failed pieces, upon embroidering few, they could be unraveled, but many couldn’t be unraveled at all, wasting quite a bit on materials alone.

Unless she herself draws the embroidery sample, but her drawing skills aren’t outstanding, has to seek outside help on embroidery samples.

Yi Chichi is indeed her outside help; she’s proficient in dealing with colors.

Looking again at the embroidery sample, Yi Chichi stubbornly pointed at a Red Plum, "Check this bloom, how many types of red?"

Qiu Yu leaned close, stared at the place she pointed at for a while, hesitantly said, "True red, pink?"

"Look again carefully."

"Light red?"

Yi Chichi was almost numbed, "When you learned embroidery, didn’t teachers teach how to manage color variation?"

"This can be taught?"

Qiu Yu was more shocked than her, eyes widened like brass bells, as if the teacher concealed skills, didn’t thoroughly teach.

Yi Chichi, "..."

Good diving into teaching.

Should she teach from scratch?

Glancing at Plum and Sparrow picture, then at Qiu Yu, after hesitating for two seconds, she decided to teach a bit.

"...The color of this Plum blossom changes from light to dark..."

She pointed at the plum blossom and detailedly explained the change in plum blossom colors, the influence of lighting and shadow on colors, down to how to recognize, observe, and confirm color variations through patterns, speaking endlessly with full disclosure.

After finishing, she placed her hopeful gaze on Qiu Yu’s face, only to find a blank expression with an apparent understanding without comprehension.

Swallowing, intending to speak, but hearing nothing from Qiu Yu turned over and asked, "Are you done?"

"...Finished!"

"Would you please go through it again, I didn’t understand, nor see the color changes you mentioned."

Her gentle face looked innocent, a pair of slightly aged eyes filled with anticipation.

Yi Chichi, "!!!"

Yi Chichi gritted teeth, deciding to teach once more; if she can’t learn this time, she must take personal action.

And then, she broke it down, and for directness, took up the embroidery sample to observe and determine Plum and Sparrow picture color variations through visual change.

The effort turned futile, Qiu Yu still couldn’t learn.

Deeply inhaled, let go of the embroidery sample and rub her face, "Stop trying to learn; maybe observe actual objects more when free; train your vision through real object change."

This was a sincere suggestion, also a beneficial method for embroiderers’ vision and color judgment. Qiu Yu knew good and bad, without any dissatisfaction for requiring a young girl teacher, expressing gratitude instead for her proposal.

"Thank you! I will definitely practice observation as you suggested after today."

Saying with a curious face, "Did you train your color sensitivity this way?"

"No, my color sensitivity is innate while not missing out on later training."

Like leaves, from sprouting, budding, growing leaves, reaching mature leaves, to falling leaves, leaf colors show marked variation with weather and seasons.

This point many know, yet if required to describe specific changes in leaf colors in seasons or rainy or sunny days, most cannot articulate.

At best, it’s new green, light green, dark green, etc.