MQSP - Chapter 78
Chapter 78
"Mmm… Ugh… Sigh…"
"What are you doing?" Lin Yuqing tapped Xiao Ye on the head. The girl was lying on her stomach on the bed, chin propped in her hands, a pencil held between her lips, and her little feet swinging as she sighed dramatically.
"Mmm… Why didn't I inherit Godmother's amazing artistic talent?" The little one looked troubled. She already had a design concept for the wedding dress, but she just couldn't draw it. Every time she tried, the proportions went wrong.
"…Is that something you can even inherit?!" Lin Yuqing glanced at her. Wait, inherit?
Lin Yuqing frowned and thought carefully. "Xiao Ye, are you very fond of your godmother?"
"Of course. Godmother is amazing. She can do anything. She's practically omnipotent! A true high-quality idol!"
"Hey, an idol? Isn't your idol me?"
"Hm? Not for a long time."
"What?" Lin Yuqing's eyes went wide, clearly displeased.
"Hmph, stop glaring. No matter how wide you make them, they won't be bigger than Miao Miao's!" The little one scrunched her nose and reached under the bed to pet the little cat.
"Tsk, Gu Baiye!"
"If you're mean to me again, I'll tell Godmother tomorrow."
"You! You've gotten bold, haven't you?" She even learned how to tattle?
"It's not that I'm bold, it's that I have a strong backer now~ Right, Miao Miao~"
"Well, your backer isn't here right now." Lin Yuqing huffed, then pounced on the little one from behind and nibbled her ear.
"Hey, stop messing around. If you're this bored, then why don't you…"
"Hm?"
"Hehe~"
Half an hour later, Lin Yuqing stood on the floor with an expression of someone who had lost the will to live. She held her arms out, watching as the little one draped layer after layer of fabric over her, measuring and arranging it in various poses. Being wrapped in seven or eight layers of fabric was sweltering.
"Hmm… it doesn't look very good…" After fiddling for a long time, the little one's brow remained furrowed.
Lin Yuqing ripped the fabric off her body. "Alright, fine. I'll wear it even if it's just a loincloth, okay?"
"Pah, what are you saying." Baiye shot her a look, then suddenly paused. "Hey, would a bikini work?"
"Stop right there!" Lin Yuqing waved a hand dismissively. Give her an inch and she'll take a mile!
The little one burst out laughing, sizing her up with a critical eye. "Mmm… Auntie Lin has such a great figure. It'd be a shame not to show it off."
"Tsk!" This little brat!
A month, when you're busy, passes in the blink of an eye.
The two of them had been in seclusion for a month and had finally finished Lin Yuqing's wedding dress. The little one had run back and forth to the Flower Witch's place, learning how to make fabric flowers. Lin Yuqing's dress was embroidered with a large number of black fabric roses. The language of the black rose was "gentle and true heart," "you will eventually be mine," and, of course, "you are a demon, and you belong to me."
As soon as the little one learned the meaning behind the black rose, she immediately decided on it, and the rest of the design fell into place naturally.
It was a semi-off-the-shoulder, gown-style dress. The left shoulder was bare, and a line of staggered roses ran from the left side of her neck to her right abdomen. The waist was fitted like a corset, with a sash slung diagonally across it. For the lower half of the skirt, she borrowed an idea from her godmother, creating a design with distinct layers. There were five layers of fabric; the bottommost layer was a long train, with the upper layers gradually shortening. The edge of each layer was also sewn with different pleats. The overall look was dignified and grand. Lin Yuqing was extremely satisfied. When she saw the finished product, she was grinning from ear to ear, nodding incessantly. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she loved it so much she couldn't put it down. This was the first piece of clothing the little one had ever made for her, and a wedding dress at that. The significance was immense!
By comparison, she felt she hadn't prepared anything proper for the little one, which made her feel a bit inadequate.
Lin Yuqing held up the wedding dress, wishing she could put it on right away and never take it off!
"Oh, not bad. It's quite beautiful."
"Auntie Jiang, you're here." Baiye turned at the sound of the voice. It was Jiang Boyan and Lu Qing.
"Yes, your wedding dress is finished, so we brought it over. See if anything needs to be altered, and we can do it soon. Hey, this one uses a flower motif too, huh." Jiang Boyan looked closely at the dress in Lin Yuqing's hands, a little surprised.
"Hehe, yup. Black roses~"
"You didn't use orchids, did you?"
"I did. Your mother loved orchids the most. If she were designing it, she would have used an orchid motif too."
"Mmm~ Let me see~" Baiye eagerly took the bag from Lu Qing's hands, pulled out the dress, and carefully unfolded it.
"Wow, you painted this on!" The hem of the skirt featured a large, blooming orchid, which looked like it had been painted with a brush in an ink-wash style. The edges of the flower were smudged with light blue ink, giving it a simple and elegant appearance.
"Hey, this style… it was Teacher Lu's idea, wasn't it?" She remembered that Teacher Lu was fond of pastoral-style clothing.
"Mhm."
"What do you think? Not bad, right?" Lu Qing was a little smug. Just as she was about to ask the little one to try it on, she turned and caught sight of Lin Yuqing.
"Hey, what are you still doing here?"
"Me? Where else would I be?"
"Don't you know it's bad luck to see each other before the wedding? See each other before the ceremony, and you won't see each other after. Haven't you heard that?" Lu Qing started pushing Lin Yuqing out the door.
"I… really haven't heard that… Hey, where am I supposed to stay?"
"Go down the mountain. Go find Fang Yi and check on the venue. Help her set up. I heard she found a manor and is trying to contact the owner to see if she can borrow the place."
"A manor?" Lin Yuqing's heart sank. They had found Xinran's place after all. It wasn't surprising. The place was too eye-catching, especially recently. The orchid transplanting was complete, and they had started to bloom. You could smell the fragrance from far away. It was no wonder it had attracted those wolves!
"Fine, I'll go down and take a look."
"Hey, you're not allowed back until after the wedding."
"But that's six days from now! We can't see each other for six days?" Lin Yuqing was stunned. Six days! That was too long!
"That's right. You two have been stuck together for too long. We're letting you experience how a short separation makes the reunion all the sweeter. Go on, go. Leave now."
She was literally shoved out of the room by Lu Qing. Watching the door slam shut with a bang, Lin Yuqing felt utterly helpless. Six days!
"Hey, can you at least let me grab a change of clothes?"
"…" As expected, there was no reply.
Great. It seemed she had completely lost all status.
Baiye was completely focused on examining her wedding dress. She had to admit, Auntie Jiang's embroidery was superb. The stitches were neat and dense, and the collar, cuffs, and hem were all reinforced with a line of thread.
Her dress didn't use a layered design; it leaned toward simple elegance, nothing too complex. The lower part of the skirt had been gathered with a few simple stitches. Though just a few stitches, they created some perfectly placed, irregular pleats.
The edge of the skirt flared out slightly, opening like a flower. Upon closer inspection, the reinforced edges were actually made of thumb-sized little petals, each with a different shape. This detail was what moved the little one the most; it was clear that a great deal of effort had gone into making it.
Moreover, the dress seemed to have been designed with warmth in mind, as a lining had been sewn inside. By comparison, Baiye suddenly realized the dress she had designed for Auntie Lin was focused entirely on aesthetics, and she hadn't considered the issue of warmth. It was, after all, the middle of winter. Making her wear an off-the-shoulder dress… that wasn't very good…
"We didn't use an overly ornate or complex design because angels… they are just like this, simple, pure, and holy. Anything too complicated would be overstating it," Jiang Boyan explained simply.
"Thank you, Auntie Jiang. I really appreciate all your hard work. I love it! This embroidery must have taken a lot of effort, right?"
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime event. A little effort is nothing."
"Try it on first and see if it fits."
"Okay!" Baiye nodded and turned to look for Lin Yuqing, only to realize she was gone.
"Huh? Where's Auntie Lin?"
"You two can't see each other before the wedding. We all agreed. For the next few days, we'll take turns staying with you."
"Huh???"
Meanwhile, Lin Yuqing rushed down the mountain in a panic. She went to their temporary residence and checked around, but no one was there. A sense of foreboding washed over her, and she immediately hurried toward Xinran's manor.
As she got closer, she saw that the manor was already surrounded by tourists. The fragrance of flowers was palpable even from a distance.
Lin Yuqing walked closer and saw many tourists peering through the fence, taking all sorts of pictures. She glanced inside as well, and her eyes were met with a sea of orchids.
Broad-Leaf Winter Orchids, as the name suggested, had lush foliage. The stems were a vibrant green, while the leaves were slender and tipped with a delicate pink. At the center of the leaves were white flower buds, poised to bloom.
One or two plants wouldn't be remarkable, but a rough count suggested there were at least a thousand, creating a spectacular sight. It was hard to imagine how beautiful, how magnificent it would be when all these flowers were in full bloom. It was even harder to imagine that all these flowers were the masterpiece of Xinran alone.
Lin Yuqing sighed in admiration, then suddenly spotted Fang Yi squeezed in near the manor gate and hurried over.
"Fang…" She was about to call out to her but saw that Fang Yi was staring straight ahead, lost in a daze. Following her gaze, she saw the Flower Witch, busy by herself in the sea of flowers. She was wearing dark blue clothes and was squatting among the flowers; Lin Yuqing hadn't even noticed her at first.
"What's wrong? What are you looking at?" Lin Yuqing was terrified that Fang Yi would notice something. After all, the woman's powers of observation were astonishing.
"Hm? Nothing. I'm just curious about what kind of extraordinary person owns this manor. Broad-Leaf Winter Orchids are very difficult to cultivate, let alone planting a whole sea of them." Fang Yi sighed, then paused. "Hey, what are you doing here?"
"I got kicked out. Lu Qing said Xiao Ye and I can't see each other before the wedding."
"That's probably not a good idea. This is someone's private residence. It's usually not open to the public." Lin Yuqing didn't want them to get too close to Xinran, especially Fang Yi. After all, the two of them had spent so many years together day and night. Fang Yi knew all of Xinran's little habits and could easily find telltale signs.
"Renting it for a day would be fine. With a view this good, it would be a shame not to use it."
As the two were talking, they suddenly noticed the tourists around them retreating like a receding tide. Startled, they looked up and saw the Flower Witch walking over. She was only using a scarf to cover half her face, leaving the burn scars exposed, along with the scars on her hands and arms. The average person was a bit frightened by the sight and immediately kept their distance.
Fang Yi's eyelids twitched, but she had seen her share of things. She held her ground and maintained a smile. "Hello, I was wondering if it would be possible to rent your manor for just one day. My niece is getting married, and I want to hold an unforgettable wedding for her." She stated her purpose concisely.
The Flower Witch raised a hand and opened the gate. "Come in." Her voice was hoarse and deep.
Fang Yi frowned, her eyes fixed on the woman's scarred hand for a moment before looking up at her eyes. Her heart gave a sudden, inexplicable lurch.
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