CHAPTER 84: CHAPTER 84: SENSATION IN THE INDUSTRY (PART 2)

If the double-sided embroidery ’Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix’ had already piqued their curiosity to the highest degree, then the double-sided three-different embroidery that appeared now made everyone’s hearts itch with eagerness, wishing they could see the work immediately rather than wait until the exhibition the day after tomorrow!

But they all knew that after tonight’s final round of the jury’s review, all the works would be sealed and transported to the exhibition hall.

...

Nowadays, what Zhang Baoli does most is read newspapers and watch the news, but because the area here is quite remote, there’s often power outages, which can last a whole day, rendering her black-and-white TV almost useless.

On this day, Zhang Baoli was stationed right on time at the newsstand, and she spotted Zhou Jiren in a glance. Due to Beisitian, the two of them were acquainted, so how could they not exchange a greeting upon meeting?

"Mr. Zhou, here to buy a newspaper?" Zhang Baoli said politely.

Although both were in the East District territory, the East District was divided into sections. The section Jishi Pharmacy is located in is the best, while Bao Niang Embroidery Workshop is not the worst, but ranked behind in the middle section.

"Yes." Zhou Jiren responded coolly, nodding slightly to greet.

Seeing his cold and distant demeanor, Zhang Baoli wasn’t about to humor him by sticking her warm face to a cold butt, so she said no more. She quickly bought a paper as soon as the new ones arrived.

Once she purchased the paper, she began flipping through it swiftly, a sight the newsstand owner had grown accustomed to, and Zhou Jiren glanced at her twice from the side.

Suddenly Zhang Baoli stopped at a page, pulling it close to her face and staring wide-eyed.

"Little Tian’er... Little Tian’er really succeeded! She really did it!" Zhang Baoli’s hand holding the newspaper was trembling.

Zhou Jiren, who had just bought a newspaper and was preparing to leave, suddenly halted upon hearing the familiar name and turned to ask, "What succeeded?"

Overwhelmed with immense joy, Zhang Baoli needed someone to share this happiness with, even if it was a mere passerby. So she completely forgot Zhou Jiren’s earlier indifference and didn’t notice his sudden change in demeanor.

"It’s Beisitian! Her work participated in the Shanghai embroidery exhibition and caused a sensation! Look, look!" Zhang Baoli held the newspaper and pointed at the section.

This newspaper was People’s Daily, and having a whole page dedicated to this was a sign of respect.

Zhou Jiren was intrigued by the content above, forgetting he had a newspaper in hand, he took it for a closer look.

Double-sided three-different embroidery!

Zhou Jiren had no understanding of this field at all, but judging from the introduction in the newspaper, it seemed to be a very challenging embroidery technique to master.

Beside the introduction were two small black-and-white images, depicting two screens. No, it should be said one screen. The top image showed a coiled dragon, while the bottom featured a phoenix spreading its wings.

"Is this embroidered by Miss Bei?" Zhou Jiren asked again for confirmation.

"Of course, doesn’t it have the name written right there!" Zhang Baoli replied proudly and confidently.

"Will Miss Bei be here today?" Zhou Jiren inquired further.

"Not today, perhaps in a couple of days. I can’t wait to share this good news with her!" Zhang Baoli exclaimed, her spirits high.

Zhou Jiren returned the newspaper to her, saying, "If Miss Bei comes, please let me know. I would like to congratulate her in person."

"Hahaha, I’ll thank you on Little Tian’er’s behalf first! I’ll definitely inform you when she arrives!" Zhang Baoli laughed.

After Zhang Baoli left with the newspaper, Zhou Jiren finally turned and left, thinking deeply with lowered eyes and slightly furrowed brows as he walked.

This feeling of complete uncertainty was something he had never experienced.

Beisitian, to him, was a mysterious and peculiar girl.

When Zhang Baoli returned to the embroidery workshop, she saw Zhang Ziquan waiting for her, and she hurried her steps into the hall.

"Where did you run off to? I came with the news immediately but didn’t see a trace of you!" Zhang Ziquan complained, but his smile was undeniable.

"Uncle, I went to the newsstand, look, Little Tian’er made it into the newspaper!" Zhang Baoli waved the newspaper.

"Is there any doubt! Let me tell you, five people from our Bao Niang Embroidery Workshop were there, all thinking their submitted ’Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix’ would receive the most praise. They even aimed for first place. But unexpectedly, everyone gathered around to comment and discuss Little Tian’er’s ’Phoenix Dance Dragon Plate’!"

Taking a sip of water, Zhang Ziquan continued, "To put it plainly, when Little Tian’er’s embroidery was showcased, it nearly overshadowed all other works in the exhibition hall! There’s no doubt about first place!"

His enthusiasm was contagious, as Zhang Baoli listened eagerly!

"Three from the group led by Fifth Uncle witnessed this and turned green with envy. But after seeing Little Tian’er’s work, even they had to admire it!" Zhang Ziquan got more excited as he spoke.

Fifth Uncle refers to Zhang Baoxia’s side.

"Serves them right, now let’s see Zhang Baoxia show off! If the people upstairs find out Beisitian was suppressed by Zhang Baoxia, they probably wouldn’t tolerate Zhang Baoxia." Zhang Baoli said angrily.

"This matter depends on Little Tian’er, we shouldn’t decide for her, or it might backfire," Zhang Ziquan said, now truly trusting Beisitian. She not only had skill and courage but also stratagems, surely she had plans for what’s coming next.

Zhang Baoli certainly understood this logic, now she only awaited Beisitian’s arrival to share the good news.

Bao Niang Embroidery Workshop is headquartered in Beijing, as the Zhang family’s roots trace back to Old Beijing.

The main branch over there was in an uproar as well. The double-sided three-different embroidery unexpectedly appeared at the Shanghai embroidery exhibition, causing a stir in the industry, and this person didn’t belong to any embroidery workshop!

Embroidery workshops everywhere had started preparing to find this person, intending to pull out all stops to recruit them.

Everyone was giving it their all since this person gained instant fame and shook up the industry. Only recruiting them would work; any negative means would just push them into someone else’s arms.

As the industry leader, Bao Niang Embroidery Workshop naturally wasn’t falling behind. The Fifth Uncle’s group was almost going all out because the person was from Qingzhou Town, and they naturally thought of the branch there first to see if they could find the person.

On the other hand, the group led by Zhang Baoli, ranked ninth, couldn’t stay calm either. Although there had been negotiations before, Beisitian would only be recruited by them, but they hadn’t valued it much at the time, not realizing her piece would have such a big impact!

When Zhang Baoxia saw the name, her brows furrowed, "It can’t be the same person, can it?"

After all, many people named Sitiang existed back then, even if the surname Bei was rare...

Holding onto the slim chance, she once again set off for Qingzhou Town.