Qi Surong spread out the rice paper, dipped his pen in ink, and sketched with concentration. She has been practicing calligraphy and painting since she was four years old. Although she is not a popular artist, she has her own charm. In the past, I was proud of my talents, and there was always a certain coldness in my paintings and calligraphy. Today's state of mind is quite different, natural and peaceful, neither arrogant nor impetuous, quite the essence of "the form of nothing, the image of nothing".
Putting down his pen, Qi Surong drew more than ten pictures in one breath. With the longevity flower as the theme, he drew a complete set of clothing patterns, including upper skirts and lower skirts, corsets, hanging belts, shoes, headdresses, earrings, bracelets, etc., etc. They were all specially designed by Qi Surong for Zhuang Qiao'e. Zhuang Qiao'e has a cold face, and people who don't know her well may find her difficult to get along with. Therefore, Qi Surong specially selected longevity flowers that are warm in color, beautiful in shape, and imply good luck.
Kalanchoe flowers mainly grow in warm and humid places in the southwest, and are relatively rare in the capital. Its petals are clustered together, the shape is pretty, the color is bright and shiny, which just softens Zhuang Qiao'e's cold temperament, making her look gentle, pleasant and elegant.
The birthday banquet in the palace is very particular. Rich and gorgeous flowers such as peony and hibiscus, as well as less auspicious flowers such as narcissus, oleander and datura are not suitable. Clothing should not be too gorgeous and distract from the guest appearance. The longevity flower is neither flirtatious nor clichéd, and the word "longevity" perfectly matches the characteristics of the longevity banquet.
I believe Auntie Qiao's outfit will definitely make her a good success at the birthday banquet.
Qi Surong rolled up the drawings and asked her maid to send them to Zhuang Qiao'e.
Within half a day, Zhuang Qiao'e sent a message saying that she was very satisfied with the design designed by Qi Surong and paid a deposit.
Qi Surong didn't waste any time and started preparations immediately.
She knows all the major silk and satin jewelry shops in the capital, and she knows which ones have good quality goods, which ones have fair prices, and whose bosses are honest. All this is due to the previous life...
Qi Surong lowered his eyes, forget it, it's useless to think too much, let's take care of the immediate things first.
To ensure nothing goes wrong, she plans to go shopping for materials herself.
Qi Surong changed into a rather unique outfit, put on a veil, and then took Ping'er out of the house.
Businessmen are generally more practical. If you dress too shabbily, you will be looked down upon by them, which will affect the smooth progress of the transaction.
Qi Surong first went to the silk and satin shop and touched the silk and satin fabrics one by one.
What she wants to choose is not the most expensive one, but the one that is most suitable for matching and of the highest quality.
After several comparisons, she selected two pieces of high-quality silk. After negotiating the price, she said: "Boss, your price is quite fair. If necessary in the future, I will select the cloth specifically from you."
"Thank you, Miss, for taking care of our store's business. What do you call Miss?" the boss asked humbly.
"Just call me 'Miss Rong'."
"Okay, Miss Rong, do you need me to send a guy to help you deliver the fabric to your house?"
"No, no need." Qi Surong's eyes suddenly fell on the corner of the room and asked, "Boss Chen, what is that?"
The boss looked back and said with a smile: "Those are the leftovers left when cutting the cloth. They will be thrown away later."
Qi Surong thought for a while and said, "Boss Chen, can you sell these scraps to me? You can calculate the price by weight. I will take whatever amount you have in the future."
The boss was stunned and asked, "What use does Miss Rong have for these things?"
"I have several little girls at home who are learning embroidery. It would be too wasteful to use high-quality silk and satin. If these are leftovers, there is no need to worry."
"I see, Miss Rong is really good at running a household." The boss praised it and then asked the waiter to bring over the box of scraps. "If you don't mind, miss, just take it and I'll give it to you for free."
"Thank you very much. I will ask someone to pick it up later. I need to ask Boss Chen to keep it for me first."
"no problem."
After the transaction was completed, Qi Surong took Ping'er to another company.
It wasn't until they had gone a long way that the owner of Buzhuang suddenly remembered: How did the lady just know that his surname was Chen? Have you done business with her before
Qi Surong's master and servant spent the whole morning shopping and bought only cloth, embroidery thread, spices and other items.
As for gold and silver jewelry, you need to find another craftsman to customize it.
"Qi Surong."
As soon as he walked into an alleyway, he heard someone calling his name.
Qi Surong subconsciously stopped and then screamed secretly. That voice was all too familiar to her. It was her former "best friend" Luo Yanyi. I thought that if I avoided entering the embroidery workshop, I would not meet her again. Who knows, if I change my fate or not my luck, what is supposed to come will still come.
"What? You think I can't recognize you when you put on a veil?" Luo Yanyi, dressed in fine clothes, slowly walked up to Qi Surong, looked her up and down, covered her mouth and said with a smile, "Sister, we have more than one Is the moon gone? Why doesn’t sister invite us to her house for tea? "
Before Qi Surong spoke, Luo Yanyi said again: "Oh, I almost forgot, Qi Mansion seems to have been sealed off by the emperor. Sister... is she homeless now?"
Qi Surong looked at her with cold eyes. There are only eight words to describe her: her face is like a hibiscus and her heart is like a snake or scorpion.
Although she was cold and arrogant in her previous life, she never had any intention of harming others. This person is acting erratically, and he will be punished. My mother's death was a gift from her.
Qi Surong lowered her eyes slightly, hiding the hatred in her eyes.
"My sister is in trouble, how can I just sit back and ignore it? How about it? Do you want your sister to help me?" Luo Yanyi walked to Ping'er, reached out and touched the cloth in her hand, and said with a smile, "Oh, The material is good. My sister can still afford such high-quality goods, which shows that her life is not bad. My sister seems to be a little nosy. "
"Have you said enough?" Qi Surong said coldly, "I'm still rushing to go home, please get out of my way."
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Luo Yanyi stopped her, "My sister wants to treat her to a meal, and she wants her to show her favor."
"No need, Ping'er, let's go." Qi Surong didn't want to get entangled with her, she knew exactly what would happen next.
"Sister is always so arrogant." Luo Yanyi's faint voice came from behind her, and then she saw several servants rushing over, surrounding Qi Surong.
"Sister, what do you think of my outfit?" Luo Yanyi walked over slowly, spread her hands and said, "You used to often say that I was tacky and tasteless, and even the most expensive hairpin on my head would look bad. It seems extremely cheap.”
She took off a golden hairpin from her head, traced it on Qi Surong's hair, and said with a sarcastic smile: "Now that a hairpin like this is worn on your head, it will probably become cheap, right?"
Qi Surong continued to remain silent.
Luo Yanyi lifted the silk and satin in Ping'er's hand to the ground, stepped on it, raised her chin and said: "Untouchables should look like untouchables. Do you think this kind of silk and satin is still suitable for you?"
Qi Surong's face was expressionless, and he looked at her as if he was looking at something dirty.
Luo Yanyi couldn't stand this look. Even though Qi Surong had become a pariah, she was still so proud. It made her feel like she was always inferior.
Why
"Come here!" Luo Yanyi shouted, "Teach this arrogant pariah a lesson."
"Miss Luo, please show mercy." Ping'er knelt and said, "My young lady is feeling a little unwell today. Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way."
"Go away." Luo Yanyi kicked her away, took a few steps back, and said coldly, "What are you still standing there for? Come on, as long as she breathes, you can do whatever you want."
She wanted to see if she could still be arrogant after being trampled like mud.
"No, don't." Ping'er stepped forward to protect Qi Surong, but was kicked hard in the back and fell to the ground.
"Ping'er." Qi Surong wanted to help her, but someone else grabbed her hair and pulled her hard, causing her whole body to be knocked against the wall.
She screamed in pain and stared at Luo Yanyi with a pale face.
Luo Yanyi covered her mouth and said hypocritically: "Oh, don't glare at me like that, I'll be scared."
"Ah!" Qi Surong was kicked in the stomach again. She bent down. Although her expression was painful, her eyes were calm. She didn't resist because she knew that the more she resisted, the more harm she would suffer. In her last life, she was just too stubborn and refused to show weakness even if she was beaten until she vomited blood.
This time, after receiving a few punches and kicks, Qi Surong pretended to be seriously injured and fell to the ground.
"Miss, miss, what's wrong with you?" Ping'er rushed over, supported Qi Surong, and cried.
"Huh, I can't help but beat her." Luo Yanyi came over and kicked her calf, "Let me see if the injury is serious?"
Qi Surong hugged her belly, her shoulders shaking slightly.
"Haha." Luo Yanyi laughed proudly, "Qi Surong, I'll give you two choices. One is to kneel down and kowtow to me ten times; the other is to let me leave something on your face."
She played with the golden hairpin and looked down at her.
Qi Surong knew that kowtowing was actually the best choice at the moment, at least his body would suffer less. But no matter before or now, she, Qi Surong, would never beg for mercy from others.
She raised her head and said firmly: "I will not kowtow to you."
"Oh?" Luo Yanyi snorted coldly, "Then you chose the second way?"
She bent down, raised her chin, held the gold hairpin and gently moved it around her face, tut-tutting: "What a pity, what a lovely face this is."
Luo Yanyi's eyes flashed with excitement, she raised the gold hairpin and swiped it towards her face.
At this time, Qi Surong suddenly reached out and held Luo Yanyi's wrist, stopping her movement.
"What, you want..." Before she could finish her words, she saw Qi Surong holding her arm and moving it downwards, aiming the tip of the gold hairpin at his throat.
"Luo Yanyi," Qi Surong said in a cold tone, "You shouldn't stab your face, you should stab it here."
Luo Yanyi stared at her: "Me, why should I stab here?"
"As long as it penetrates, I will definitely be splattered with blood on the spot, and I will die with my eyes open." Qi Surong slowly stood up along the wall, and Luo Yanyi also straightened up. The two faced each other, so close that they could hear their breathing.
Luo Yanyi could even clearly see her own reflection in Qi Surong's pupils.
"Your hand must be steady. If it only penetrates halfway, I'm afraid I won't be dead for a while. I can only hold you and bleed while looking at you helplessly until my blood dries up and I am completely dead."
"You..." Luo Yanyi swallowed.
"Have you ever heard that if a person is full of resentment in life, he will turn into a ghost and linger in the world after death." A smile suddenly appeared on the corner of Qi Surong's mouth, and he whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, you You are my good sister, I will go to you."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Luo Yanyi said angrily, "If you want to die, just die by yourself. What does it have to do with me?"
"That's right." Qi Surong continued to smile, "You just insulted me verbally and then asked people to beat me. You never thought of killing me. Yanyi, you know my character. I can't stand grievances and insults. , if you want to relieve your anger, you have to use more methods. This kind of small fight is really nothing. When you torture me to the point of mental collapse, I will live to the end."
"you you… "
"When I live to the end," Qi Surong let go of his hand, put the bloody finger to his lips, and licked it with his tongue, but never moved his eyes away from Luo Yanyi's face, "I will go to Luo Mansion At the door, I will die in person. Even if I die, I will die at the door of my good sister's house."
Luo Yanyi breathed rapidly, a little frightened, and cursed: "You, are you crazy?"
She had never seen Qi Surong like this before. He was so strange and ghostly and so aggressive that it gave people a chilling feeling.
If Qi Surong really died in front of her house, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Luo Yanyi took a step back and angrily said: "Forget it, you seem to be a little abnormal, I will let you go today."
As she spoke, she greeted the servants and walked out. When she found that the hairpin was still in her hand, she immediately threw it to the ground in disgust and left quickly without looking back.
"Miss, are you okay?" Ping'er patted her chest, "I was really scared to death just now."
Qi Surong took out his handkerchief, wiped his hands, and said calmly: "Let's go. Oh, by the way, pick up that hairpin and sell it back. It should be worth a few taels of silver."