Fu Qingxuan turned his nose up at the coffee table and bookshelf. Still unconvinced, he made her choose another. “They are awful and ugly. Don’t pick these two. Choose something else.”
Shen Xi glanced around. “The sofa and chair. The sofa looks comfortable while the color of the chair is pleasing to the eye. Of course, it would be better without those plushies.”
He was not having it. “Not that. Pick another.”
He glanced at the plushies. What was wrong with them? Plushies were adorable and all girls loved them. She was also wearing a fluffy panda suit.
Shen Xi looked around but found nothing else. All that was left was a pink dressing table with a matching chair. The color was tacky, and it was not pastel pink but a loud hot pink with glitter. “That?”
Fu Qingxuan cleared his throat, trying to keep a straight face. He asked her, “What about it?”
Shen Xi clicked her tongue and shook her head in disgust. “It’s so cheesy. What an ugly color. Glitter pink? The design is so noisy, and I can tell it’s the taste of a classic straight guy.”
“What did you say?” Fu Qingxuan’s face was flushed red from fury. “I dare you to say it again.”
Shen Xi suddenly burst out laughing and stared at him teasingly. “Don’t tell me you bought that!”
Such an acquired taste!
Pale in the face as his nerve got the best of him, Fu Qingxuan shouted at her. “I didn’t buy it!”
What was ugly about it?
Was it that hideous?
He had the feeling that his sister would like the color pink. All girls liked it.
Shen Xi cleared her throat and gave him a look before dragging her speech. “Why are you anxious if you didn’t purchase that set?”
“I’m not anxious,” Fu Qingxuan sounded her out as he frowned. “Is it really that ugly? Don’t girls love this color?”
Shen Xi replied, “You seem to have a misconception about girls.”
With despair in his eyes, Fu Qingxuan looked around the bedroom. His clear voice fell flat. “We don’t know what our sister would like. I bought the dressing table. The coffee table, bookshelf, and hanging lights were bought by Qingye whereas the sofa, carpet, and bed were by Qingli. Qingli designed the closet, and we bought the clothes.”
Shen Xi finally got to the bottom of the reason why a nice bedroom had contradicting styles.
The three brothers prepared the room for their sister. Since everyone had their own opinion of their sister’s preference, the strange room was formed.
Fu Qingxuan curled his lips into a bitter smile, putting out a question to her and to himself. “Whose style do you think my sister would like?”
“She would love them all.” Shen Xi’s heart went out to the young man who turned gloomy. “You poured your heart out to prepare this for her. She will like everything no matter what.”
With his back facing her, Fu Qingxuan’s eyes reflected mixed feelings. “Really?”
He did not even have an idea where she was, how she was doing, what she looked like, what she liked. Fu Qingxuan knew nothing about her. He was an unqualified brother for sure.
“Really.” Shen Xi solemnly gave a nod.
“Get to bed!” As a shattered glimmer sparkled in his eyes, Fu Qingxuan did not want her to see him when he was at his most vulnerable. He turned to leave and warned her while standing by the door. “Try not to be so noisy in the morning. You’ll never hear the end of it if you wake me up!”
Shen Xi obediently nodded, “Got it.”
She decided to let it slide since he was emotional about his sister.
Huo Yuping had never met such a smart, witty, and talented person. Studying Shen Xi’s needlework, he asked her, “Have you learned embroidery before?”
The girl had acquired the skill in less than a day and already showed such intricate workmanship. Huo Yuping must admit that she was gifted with her hands.
“I have learned from my mom,” Shen Xi laid bare. The smile on her face was so proud and warm at the mention of Yun Jinping. “My mom enjoys handicrafts. She even did fancy needlework on our dishcloth.”
“Really? Do you have anything of your mom’s work with you? Can I take a look?” Huo Yuping was excited.
“My mom can sew better than me.” Seeing that Mr. Huo was interested, Shen Xi whipped out her personal handkerchief. “My mom made this.”
Huo Yuping observed the embroidery on the handkerchief which was an orchid. A class of its own, the design was vivid, elegant, and lifelike. The stitchwork was unique and a technique he was unfamiliar with. By then, his eyes reflected admiration and awe. “Is there any more?”
Whipping out her phone, Shen Xi tapped on the photos in the album and showed him. “These are the pictures I took. They’re not in high resolution so you might not be able to get a good look. If you’re interested, I can get my mom to snap some photos for you.”
At first, Huo Yuping was of the opinion that this girl here was good with her hands and had a knack for it. However, his breath was taken away when he caught a glimpse of Yun Jinping’s technique. “Who is your mom’s teacher? What technique is this?”
Shen Xi shook her head. “I’m not sure about this. My mom never learned from anyone. She explored herself and learned from books.”
Huo Yuping was thrilled. “Did your mom come with you?”
Girls of her age would have a family by their side when traveling abroad.
He wanted to meet her mother right now. It was plain to see how gifted the mother was from her intricate and beautiful needlework even though she never learned from a teacher and was merely self-taught.
Her acquisition of the embroidery and technique may pale slightly in comparison to his family’s Kesi. Nevertheless, this was just her dabbling around. He could imagine how stunning her work would be if she put her mind to it.
“My mom was supposed to come with me, but she fell sick. I asked her not to come.” Judging by the look on Mr. Huo’s face, Shen Xi could guess that he fancied Mom’s skills. “Do you wish to see her, Mr. Huo?”
“Yes, I want to meet your mom,” Huo Yuping nodded.
The girl had good technical skills and nimble fingers. With fervent practice, her future would be bright. Nevertheless, she was a long way from her mother. Life was breathed into her mother’s work.
Shen Xi wanted Yun Jinping to come along with her. She knew that she was not as skillful with her hands as her mother. Had it not for her health, Mom would be the best candidate to come here and learn.
Huo Yuping found it unfortunate. Expectant and nervous, he enquired, “Since your mom is interested in embroidery, why didn’t she advance in this career when she was young?”
Feeling bad for Mom, Shen Xi shook her head. “My mom gave up on her dreams for my dad and I, and chose to stay home to take care of us. However, she recently kick-started her career in the clothing line.”