As the fashion week approached, Hua Qing, the manager of the external publicity department, had everything prepared. She then called Quan Jiu to report on her work and, incidentally, mentioned Fang Tian.
After listening, Quan Jiu said, "I know about Fang Tian. Try to avoid any conflict with her at the fashion week. I have my own plans."
Hua Qing agreed and then asked, "Quan, this year's fashion week is hosted by the Embroidery Bureau, with national style embroidery as the theme, so there will be embroidery exhibits. We have an exhibition area. I'll send you the exhibits via email. Please let me know if any adjustments are needed."
Quan Jiu opened her email and reviewed it carefully. She made adjustments to two sections and then said, "Also, I have a long landscape embroidery scroll here. Send someone to pick it up and exhibit it under Wang Ping's name."
Hua Qing acknowledged and immediately dispatched a courier to collect the embroidery. She then took the embroidery directly to the Embroidery Bureau, as individual exhibits had to be submitted for review first.
Bai Jing, one of the main organizers, received Hua Qing.
After they were seated in the VIP conference room, Hua Qing stated her purpose directly, "Our boss asked me to deliver an embroidery piece to be exhibited under the name Wang Ping. Please take a look, Teacher Bai."
Bai Jing exchanged pleasantries, took the scroll from Hua Qing, put on the gloves she carried in her bag, and then opened the scroll cover on the clean, tidy table.
After opening the cover, she didn't immediately take out the embroidery but first observed its thickness, murmuring, "This is a two-meter long embroidery, quite a massive piece."
Hua Qing was also an enthusiast of national style embroidery, which was why she joined Yun Lan Pavilion. Although she couldn't embroider, she was good at appreciating it.
Knowing that whatever the boss provided would be excellent, she leaned in with curiosity and excitement, waiting for Bai Jing to unwrap it.
Bai Jing estimated the work to be two meters long and pushed another table to join them. After carefully unfolding the scroll, she took out the embroidery.
However, as soon as a portion of the embroidery was revealed, she was astonished, holding her breath in disbelief, and proceeded with even greater care.
Only after the entire seventy-centimeter wide embroidery was revealed did she gasp in amazement, "This is actually..."
"Kesi," Hua Qing exclaimed. "This is Kesi! Such a large Kesi piece must have taken over ten years to complete. Quickly, quickly, let's see it." She urged impatiently.
Bai Jing, after her initial shock, slowly exhaled and carefully unfolded the embroidery. Before her eyes appeared a landscape veiled in swirling mist, with the golden-red glow of sunrise illuminating the mountain peaks. The moisture and chill on the shaded side, and the hazy morning atmosphere depicted throughout the piece, along with the dynamic colors...
"It's perfect."
Bai Jing couldn't find words to describe her feelings at that moment. She could only express her sincere admiration.
Hua Qing also gazed greedily at the undulating patterns, not wanting to blink.
"It's so beautiful, so magnificent. The Kesi skills are masterful. This piece is comparable to the Kesi that Teacher Wang Huiping presented to neighboring countries back then."
Bai Jing was somewhat surprised, "You've seen that piece?"
"I made a special trip to see it. They keep it in the National Museum. That piece was truly beautiful, just as beautiful as this one."
As Hua Qing looked, a hint of confusion arose, "Speaking of which, the two pieces are so beautiful they seem to be from the same hand."
Bai Jing nodded approvingly, thinking that she was indeed from Yun Lan Pavilion. Even as an external publicity department manager, she understood embroidery so profoundly.
"Indeed, unless there is another embroidery master as skilled as Teacher Wang Huiping in the world, this piece..."
"It is Teacher Wang Huiping's work," Hua Qing added excitedly.
Bai Jing's hands trembled uncontrollably. She wanted to touch it but dared not, her speech becoming faltering, "You said Wang Ping, gave it to you? Did you hear correctly?"
"Our boss gave it to me. The boss said it was to be exhibited under the name Wang Ping. I'm sure I heard correctly, the boss said Wang Ping." Hua Qing confirmed.
However, she didn't understand Bai Jing's implication, so she tentatively asked, "Teacher Bai, do you think this piece is actually Teacher Wang Huiping's work, not Wang Ping? Or perhaps my boss misstated the name to me?"
Bai Jing took out her magnifying glass from her bag and examined it meticulously. Finally, on a wispy white cloud, she found the three characters "Wang Huiping."
She cried out in delight, "It really is Teacher Wang Huiping's work! Her signature is here."
Bai Jing handed the magnifying glass to Hua Qing, who also got goosebumps all over her body after carefully examining it.
"I never imagined I would see a new work by Teacher Wang Huiping in my lifetime. I've never seen her exhibit this piece before. Is it a work from after her retirement?" Hua Qing guessed excitedly.
"It should be. The style of the entire piece is casual, joyful, and relaxed, possessing a sense of broad-mindedness. This should be a late-stage work," Bai Jing analyzed seriously.
Hua Qing, however, was still a bit puzzled, "Since it's Teacher Wang Huiping's work, why did the boss tell me it was Wang Ping? Did I mishear? I'll call to ask again."
Bai Jing nodded in agreement, "Yes, confirm it again. If it is indeed Teacher Wang Huiping... although, based on her age, she might have already passed away, but your boss might truly know her. I've always felt that the embroidery needlework of the Pavilion Master of Yun Lan Pavilion was the same as Teacher Wang Huiping's. I even speculated if the Pavilion Master was Teacher Wang's disciple."
Hua Qing quickly made a call.
Just as Quan Jiu was about to go out for lunch, Hua Qing called again.
She answered the phone, and before she could ask, Hua Qing spoke first, "Boss, I'm sorry, but was the author of the embroidery you mentioned Teacher Wang Ping, or Teacher Wang Huiping?"
"Wang Ping, what's wrong?" Quan Jiu asked, confused.
Hua Qing explained, "After I showed the embroidery to Teacher Bai Jing, Teacher Bai found Teacher Wang Huiping's signature on the work, so I'm calling to confirm with you, Boss, if I misheard the name."
Wang Huiping, Wang Ping. Quan Jiu vaguely felt that both might be her grandmother. Her grandmother's ID card had the name Wang Ping written on it, and she had always thought her grandmother was called Wang Ping.
However, she knew of the renowned senior, Wang Huiping, a top embroidery master. Could her grandmother be that master? But she had never heard her grandmother mention it.
In her memory, her grandmother had always been a very kind, hardworking, and selfless rural old woman. How could she be a world-famous embroidery master?
"Boss?" Hua Qing called out tentatively as there was no response from the other end of the phone.
Quan Jiu snapped back to reality. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Does the author's name need to be confirmed?"
Hua Qing replied with an "Mm," "Works exhibited under a personal name require the author's name and information to be provided."
Quan Jiu understood. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "Then write 'Wang Huiping'."
Although surprised, she was mostly certain that her grandmother must be Wang Huiping. She had known of Teacher Wang Huiping's great name and had even seen her works abroad. However, perhaps due to the underdeveloped photography equipment of that era, and because she hadn't specifically searched for related news on foreign websites, she hadn't discovered the truth.
No wonder the embroideries her grandmother left behind were worth over a billion yuan.
Thinking of this, Quan Jiu felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. It was truly a case of "the lamp under the stove." The master was right in front of her, yet she had never noticed.