Chapter 221: Zhao Ya Becomes an Apprentice

Chapter 221: Chapter 221: Zhao Ya Becomes an Apprentice

221 Sister Yaya Seeks a Teacher

Since the distance wasn’t too far and the ox-cart bumped heavily on the small path, Zhao Dong didn’t hurry.

After a little over an hour, they arrived at Wuli Village.

At that time, many villagers were working in the fields, and groups of children were playing on the streets.

When their ox-cart entered the village, it attracted the attention of the villagers. Many curious children looked towards them.

Just then, a thin little boy curiously approached their ox-cart. He looked at Zhao Zhitong and Zhao Ya on the cart, then at Zhao Dong, and asked, "Who are you? Are you visiting relatives, or are you planning to settle in our village?"

The little boy didn’t seem at all afraid of strangers.

Wuli Village was not an old village with deep roots and long-standing family lineages. Most of the families there had settled after fleeing famine.

Evidently, the little boy had seen other people settle in their village before, which was why he asked.

Sun Mei smiled, took out a piece of candy, handed it to him, and asked, "Hey kid, here’s a candy for you. I want to ask, is there an old woman named Yunniang in your village? She knows embroidery."

Seeing the candy, the little boy’s eyes lit up. He happily took it and replied, "I don’t know any Granny Yunniang, but there is a strange old woman in our village. We all call her Yun Pozi. I don’t know if she can do embroidery, or if she’s the person you’re looking for."

Yun Pozi, huh?

The boy, having received the candy, was very helpful. "I know," he said. "I’ll take you there!"

With that, he took the lead and ran ahead of the ox-cart.

Other children, seeing the little boy get candy, were envious and ran to follow the ox-cart, hoping that if Sun Mei asked any more questions, they too might get a piece of candy.

After turning two corners, they arrived at a rather remote area at the end of the village.

From a distance, they could see a thatched hut with a small courtyard, standing alone. This, they presumed, was Granny Guan’s house, the one the boy had mentioned.

Sure enough, upon seeing the courtyard, the little boy stopped and pointed at the thatched hut, saying, "Granny Guan lives here."

Sun Mei nodded, smiled at the little boy, and thanked him.

The little boy turned and ran off happily.

The string of children who had been following them stopped in their tracks when they realized Sun Mei and her companions were actually looking for the ’strange old woman’.

So, by the time the ox-cart stopped, only a few children remained, and they too scattered and ran away.

Sun Mei first lifted Zhao Ya down from the ox-cart. She then turned to help Zhao Zhitong, only to see the young girl refusing Sun Lan’s assistance and sliding down from the edge of the cart all by herself.

Thankfully, her two small feet landed steadily on the ground.

After everyone was off, Zhao Dong led the ox away, saying to Sun Mei, "You go in and take a look. I’ll find a tree to tie the ox to."

Sun Mei nodded. Together with Sun Lan, she led Zhao Ya and Zhao Zhitong to knock on the door of Granny Guan’s house.

"Who is it?"

A moment later, a weathered voice sounded from the courtyard. Then, a slightly hunched old woman walked out of the thatched hut.

The wall of Granny Guan’s courtyard was a simple fence, so they could see inside from where they stood.

Thus, when the old woman emerged, Sun Lan recognized her and said excitedly to Sun Mei, "Sister, it’s her! It’s Yunniang!"

Hearing the confirmation, Sun Mei was also relieved, thinking they hadn’t made the trip in vain.

Sun Lan smiled at the woman inside and said, "Aunt Yun, it’s me."

Yunniang’s eyesight wasn’t very good anymore, but she recognized the voice. She smiled and said, "You are... you’re Mrs. Sun from the Wang family, the one who opened the embroidery workshop!"

As she spoke, she opened the door.

"And who are these people?" Yunniang asked, looking at the others outside with confusion.

Sun Lan smiled and explained, "Aunt Yun, this is my older sister, and these two children are hers. Also, I’m no longer Mrs. Sun of the Wang family. I’ve divorced him."

Hearing this, Yunniang was quite surprised. After all, the Mrs. Sun she remembered was submissive and wouldn’t have had the courage to seek a divorce.

But she still invited them into the courtyard, saying casually, "It’s just an old woman like me here. I don’t have much to offer you..."

Sun Lan stopped her, placing the snacks they had brought on the table. "Aunt Yun, please don’t trouble yourself," she said with a smile. "We came today because we have an urgent matter to discuss with you."

"Oh?" Yunniang looked at them, surprised and puzzled. "What urgent matter could you have with an old woman like me who’s nearly blind?"

Sun Lan glanced at Sun Mei and said with a smile, "It’s like this, Aunt Yun. My sister’s young girl, Zhao Ya, loves embroidery, and my sister wants to find a reliable embroiderer to teach her."

"Coincidentally, she heard about you from me, and she wanted to come and see if you would take her young girl as an apprentice."

Yunniang paused for a moment, then laughed. "Ah, I thought it was something serious. So, it’s just about that."

"But I’m afraid you’ve made this trip for nothing. Now, I’m an old woman, nearly blind. Even threading a needle is difficult. It’s been a long time since I’ve touched a needle, and I’m quite rusty. I can’t teach an apprentice anymore."

This was clearly a polite refusal.

However, Sun Mei didn’t give up immediately. She said, "Aunt Yun, I’ve often heard my younger sister, Sun Lan, mention you. She said your embroidery skills are truly outstanding. When my daughter heard about it, she admired you greatly."

She then called Zhao Ya over. "Yaya, come. Didn’t you always want to meet Aunt Yun? Come and greet her properly."

Zhao Ya was very obedient. She walked over and greeted Yunniang.

Seeing the well-behaved little girl, Yunniang spoke a few more words with Zhao Ya, but she didn’t change her mind.

She was clearly determined not to accept an apprentice.

When they left, Sun Mei didn’t press further, only saying they would visit again another day.

Naturally, Sun Mei hadn’t given up. After this brief interaction, Sun Mei’s keen intuition, picking up on small details, told her that Yunniang was no ordinary person and possessed truly exceptional skills.

Afterward, Sun Mei began taking Zhao Ya to visit Yunniang every few days. She would only say they were there to see her, never mentioning the apprenticeship.

Gradually, Yunniang became less resistant to their visits and would occasionally chat with Zhao Ya for a while.

Through these interactions, Yunniang also discovered that Zhao Ya indeed had a talent for embroidery. This made her waver slightly, but she still didn’t agree.

This continued until another visit.

When Zhao Zhitong accompanied them this time, she reminded Zhao Ya that although Yun Pozi didn’t want to accept apprentices, Zhao Ya could still bring her own embroidery and ask for some advice.

So, Zhao Ya followed Zhao Zhitong’s suggestion and brought her embroidery with her.

At first, Yunniang’s reaction to Zhao Ya’s embroidery seemed quite indifferent, but inwardly, she was already deeply impressed.

Finally, she couldn’t resist offering a few words of guidance. In the end, she found herself teaching Zhao Ya hands-on.