Chapter 91: Appreciation

Xia Shirong came into the living room on Wu Yinghong’s arm.

Xia Xiyue and Xia Xiyun greeted them at once.

Shen Qingyi also rose and said politely, “Uncle, Auntie!”

Xia Shirong and Wu Yinghong answered in kind.

Before the couple could even ask a question, Xia Xiyue took the initiative. “Dad, Mom, this is Shen Qingyi.”

They had heard their son and daughter speak of her often, but this was their first time meeting her. Wu Yinghong smiled as she studied Shen Qingyi. “You’re really beautiful. No wonder the clothes you design are so lovely. The outfit I’m wearing today was designed by you too, wasn’t it?”

Seeing that her smile was warm and gentle, unlike Old Lady Xia’s scrutinizing gaze, Shen Qingyi replied with proper courtesy, “Thank you for your appreciation, Auntie Wu. The outfit you’re wearing is from my previous collection. It’s called Whispering in the Wind.”

Wu Yinghong exclaimed in surprise, “It even has a name? That’s lovely. Does it have a special meaning?”

Shen Qingyi’s bright eyes curved slightly as she explained unhurriedly, serene and elegant, without the slightest trace of self-promotion. “A rainbow’s reflection, with a dragon-banner hanging below; listen to the wind’s soft chant, as though from afar the phoenix bells ring.”

Xia Shirong nodded in admiration. “Learning under Old Master Fan, and yet the difference is still this great.”

Xia Xiyun teased, “Dad, don’t say that about A-Yue. He studied there for so long; it wasn’t for nothing. Didn’t he also bring back a talent for our factory? Otherwise, how would he have met Qingyi?”

Wu Yinghong also laughed. “This dress is beautiful. I wore it to a little gathering today, and everyone kept asking about it. If they knew the meaning behind it, they’d probably all be fighting to place orders.”

After a pause, she asked, “What do those lines mean?”

Shen Qingyi explained, “They’re from a poet of the Tang dynasty. She was actually painting a scene: the rainbow is likened to a beauty’s silhouette, and the brilliant colors of the rainbow harmonize with her graceful bearing. As for the ‘dragon-banner,’ it refers to a long, coiling pennant. The rainbow hangs down like a beauty herself, like a long banner on her body fluttering lightly in the wind.”

As Xia Xiyue watched Shen Qingyi’s red lips moving with that gentle explanation, he fell into a slight daze. It seemed to him that when she spoke, her entire being was glowing.

Having grown up abroad, this was the first time he realized how exquisitely beautiful the meanings woven from Chinese characters and poetry could be.

Wu Yinghong looked down at her dress. “Oh my, so it really does carry such atmosphere. The hem of this skirt seems to bloom with lotus steps as one walks, and when one stops, a breeze sets it softly swaying.

“Honestly, there’s no need to bother with selling abroad and then bringing it back home. This is plainly our own style, with real cultural depth. Qingyi, after your explanation, I feel that anyone who can wear this dress has become a little more refined.”

Xia Xiyun objected, “I’m afraid not for now. People here still don’t have enough confidence in domestic products, and we can’t sell them at a good price, let alone get them into the overseas Chinese shops in different places.”

Then she turned to Shen Qingyi apologetically. “For now, your designs can’t carry your name. You’ve been put at a disadvantage. When the time is right, I’ll have the factory make a special batch of high-end clothes based on your designs for export.”

It was all about having the right information at the right time.

Shen Qingyi smiled. “Then I’ll be waiting!”

Wu Yinghong hurried over and took her hand. “Sit, sit. A-Yue said just now he was taking you out to eat. Are you hungry?”

“Not really,” Shen Qingyi said with a smile.

Old Lady Xia watched the lively conversation among them and gave a soft cough. “I had the kitchen prepare dinner. It should be about ready now.”

Only then did Wu Yinghong and Xia Shirong turn back together and call out, “Mom!”

Soon the meal was served: a table laden with dishes, many of which Shen Qingyi had never seen before, most of them seafood.

Her appetite was small, though, and after half a bowl of rice she stopped eating.

Wu Yinghong asked with concern, “Is the food not to your taste?”

“No, no. I usually eat about this much too.”

Wu Yinghong frowned. “How can that do? Eat a little more. You’re too thin.”

As she spoke, she kept putting food into Shen Qingyi’s bowl. Faced with Wu Yinghong’s boundless enthusiasm, Shen Qingyi felt that refusing would be impolite, so she steeled herself and continued eating.

After the meal, a servant was sent to bring a bowl of bird’s nest congee. “You have to finish this bird’s nest. You’re so thin...” Wu Yinghong said, her face full of distress.

Her hospitality was so hard to refuse, and it was clear Wu Yinghong genuinely liked her.

Shen Qingyi took the congee and drank it slowly.

Old Lady Xia glanced at her with a complicated expression, but said nothing.

This daughter-in-law really was a muddled fool. All day long she either trailed after her son like a little shadow or spent money shopping, knowing nothing of what her son and daughter were actually thinking.

After the meal, Xia Xiyue stood and said to Xia Shirong, “Dad, Qingyi still has a friend to visit here. I’ll take her over, and we won’t be back tonight.”

Shen Qingyi was surprised, but said nothing. Under everyone’s gaze, she slightly nodded in agreement with Xia Xiyue’s words.

Wu Yinghong was reluctant to part with her. “Oh, you’re leaving already? Will you come again tomorrow? I was hoping you could help me pick out a few outfits and pairs of shoes. The way you’ve matched this set is very nice. I really like it.”

Shen Qingyi soothed her gently, “If there’s a chance, I will.”

With that, she followed Xia Xiyue out.

Once they were gone, Old Lady Xia’s face darkened. First she said to Xia Xiyun, “If you have things to do, go ahead and tend to them. Grandma has a few words for your parents.”

Xia Xiyun curled her lips indifferently, rose, picked up her bag, and left.

Her younger brother was truly pitiful. Qingyi still had no clear future here, and Grandma was already acting as if a great enemy had arrived.

“Mom, what’s gotten into you? A-Yue finally brings a girl home,” Xia Shirong asked cautiously, studying Old Lady Xia’s expression.

“You two are really a pair of blockheads. Let me remind you: Miss Shen is married, and she even has a four-year-old child.”

At this, Wu Yinghong’s heart sank. “What a shame.”

“What do you mean, a shame? Have you forgotten about the Wang family?” Back then, when she had remained in the country, it had all depended on the Wang family’s support. It had all been agreed: once the Xia family rose again, there would be a marriage alliance with the Wang family.

Xia Shirong looked troubled. “But he doesn’t want that. This child grew up abroad; his ideas run contrary to convention, and he won’t go along with our ways no matter what. What else can we do? How about giving that plot in Harbor City to the Wang family?”

Mainly, he did not want to make things difficult for the boy. Everyone thought he had lived so well abroad, but who knew how many times he had been bullied as a child? Because he did not want them to worry, even when he was beaten black and blue at school, he never said a word.

At the time, both he and his wife had been consumed with business and only discovered it much later. For that matter, the couple had felt guilty for a very long time.

When he reached high school, he shut himself away for quite a while, and it was only after returning to the country and being sent to study under Old Master Fan that he finally seemed to come back to life.

Old Lady Xia kept her face stern. “Would the Wang family agree?”

Xia Shirong smiled. “Mom, do you know how many people have been eyeing that plot? Even converted to the local currency, it’s worth more than two hundred thousand now. How could the Wang family refuse?”

“And Wang Yi...”

“Mom, don’t concern yourself with the affairs of young people!” Wu Shirong urged.

“Not concern myself? You want to watch your own son walk straight into a mistake? That girl is married. Are you trying to make him marry a divorced woman with a child?” Old Lady Xia was nearly driven mad by this muddleheaded son. If only she had known, she would have had a few more children back then.