Chapter 116: Successfully Helped Xiao Ya's Family

After all, she had spent a lifetime doing needlework.

With good patterns and good materials, Grandma's calloused hands seemed almost as if they had been cast with magic.

Cutting, threading the needle, drawing the thread, matching colors... every step was done cleanly and decisively.

On the azurite-colored base cloth, the patterns woven from gamboge and cinnabar slowly took shape.

The most amazing part was the eyes of the cloth tiger; Grandma used black and white silk threads to stubbornly embroider a distinct, layered Dazi Embroidery.

In no time, a brand-new cloth tiger was placed on the table.

The cheap fluorescent colors were replaced with a steady, atmospheric ancient-style palette, and the tiger's eyes shone with spirit.

It looked as if it were about to pounce out at any moment.

The cloth tiger had no superfluous decorations, perfectly combining the majestic elegance of the Great Tang with the rustic simplicity of folk talismans against evil.

The texture was simply comparable to high-end cultural creative products sold for hundreds of yuan in a national-level Museum.

"This—this is what I made?" Grandma looked at the cloth tiger she had embroidered, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

A flash of sharp light passed through Lin Xuan's eyes as he snatched the cloth tiger from the table.

"Elder, do you trust me?"

"Mr. Lin, what do you mean by this?"

Lin Xuan took the cloth tiger and walked into the courtyard.

The late autumn sun felt comfortable on the skin; the courtyard walls were built of old green bricks, and a few golden fallen leaves were piled at the base of the wall.

Lin Xuan placed the finished cloth tiger on the green bricks and deliberately set a fallen leaf beside it as an accent.

Then he took out his Mobile Phone, opened the professional mode of the camera, and adjusted the aperture and focus bit by bit.

Crack! Crack!

Several high-definition product photos with a blockbuster feel were taken in an instant.

The green bricks carried an old, weathered sense of history, and the fallen leaves radiated a strong autumn atmosphere, making the cloth tiger's thousand-year-old warmth even more prominent.

After taking the photos, Lin Xuan immediately operated on his Mobile Phone.

Using Grandma's identity information, he quickly registered a personal online store on a fairly large-scale handicraft platform.

Next, he listed the product, uploaded the images, and set the price at 68 yuan per tiger.

Then, he typed a line of copy on the product details page:

【Glimmer in a humble room of late autumn, auspicious beast blessings in Great Tang ancient method colors, Intangible Cultural Heritage Dazi Embroidery craft. Every stitch, every thread, is the warmth of grandparents and grandchildren relying on each other. Purely handmade slow work; urgent orders are refused.】

After finishing all of this.

Lin Xuan opened WeChat and directly threw the link into the main VIP customer groups of his own antique studio.

In these groups, the people who usually didn't speak were all wealthy individuals particularly interested in traditional culture, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings.

Lin Xuan sent a voice message: "Good weekend to all the bosses. Today in the urban village, I met an old folk artisan making purely handmade cloth tigers in Great Tang colors."

"The pattern is exceptionally authentic, using the Dazi Embroidery craft. The elder took this job to save up heating fees for her granddaughter this winter."

"The items are absolutely no problem; I, Lin Xuan, guarantee it with my own eye. The quantity is small; if you want one as a desktop ornament, just place your order yourself."

The group remained silent for a minute.

Immediately, messages popped out nonstop like a pot exploding.

"Damn, this color scheme really has something! Azurite paired with cinnabar, this feeling is just right!"

"Dazi Embroidery? Someone is actually still doing this now? Selling for only 68 yuan? Boss Lin, are you sure you aren't doing charity?"

"This design is absolutely stunning; it has a bit of the flavor of the stone carvings at Zhaoling of the Tang Dynasty. I bought three for my little grandson to play with."

"Purchased +1."

"Purchased +5; quite nice as a gift for clients."

"Alipay received, 68 yuan."

"Alipay received, 136 yuan."

"Alipay received—"

One crisp notification sound after another rang continuously in the house.

Grandma was completely stunned; less than an hour had passed from start to finish.

—

The backend page displayed: Total inventory 50 items, all sold out.

"Elder, these 50 items are pre-orders; I have set the delivery time for one month from now."

"You don't need to rush; just take your time making them, and be sure to protect your eyes."

Lin Xuan smiled and handed the Mobile Phone over.

"After deducting the platform's service fee, there is still over 3,300 yuan in total, and you can keep this store of yours open forever without closing."

Grandma looked at the numbers on the screen, her lips trembling violently.

There were actually over 3,000 yuan!

Making those cloth tigers for fifty cents each, she couldn't earn that in less than two months.

"Mr. Lin—Mingda—I—"

The elder's legs went weak, and she looked as if she were about to kneel to the ground.

"Grandma, what are you doing!" Lin Xuan moved quickly and immediately caught the elder's arm.

Xiao Sizi also hurried over and hugged the elder's legs.

Looking up with a small face and a bright smile, she said, "Grandma, don't cry; the big tiger Grandma made is the most amazing."

The elder pulled Xiao Sizi and Xiao Ya into her arms, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

This was the joy born of survival against all odds, and the confidence that had sustained them through this harsh winter.

The sky slowly darkened.

From inside the narrow, single-story house drifted the scent of braised pork.

Beneath the dim yellow lightbulb.

Four people sat around the wobbly, folding square table.

The vegetables stir-fried with the soybean oil Lin Xuan had brought were golden in color, and the rice cooked from the newly bought grains smelled particularly fragrant.

"Brother Lin Xuan, eat the meat!" Xiao Sizi, with great effort, picked up a piece of braised pork with her chopsticks and placed it into Lin Xuan's bowl.

Xiao Ya followed suit, picking up the largest piece of meat for her grandmother.

Outside, the autumn wind blew cold and biting; inside, however, steam rose, laughter filled the air, and warmth was everywhere.

Monday afternoon.

On both sides of the old street, the plane tree leaves rustled and fell; when people stepped on them, a crisp sound could be heard.

Lin Xuan, holding Xiao Sizi's hand, pushed open the wooden door of the antique studio he had opened in his own home.

The copper bell hanging on the door rang out, its sound clear and crisp.

"Xiao Ya told me at school today that her grandmother made three big tigers again yesterday."

Xiao Sizi waved Lin Xuan's finger as if presenting a treasure.

"Is that so? The old lady is so skilled with her hands. If we have time this weekend, let's buy some good thread to take over there." Lin Xuan smiled as he took off his thin jacket and hung it on the wooden coat rack nearby.

A faint scent of agarwood always drifted through the air of the studio.

As soon as someone entered, they felt their mind and spirit calm.

Xiao Sizi put down her schoolbag and, knowing the way well, climbed onto the high wooden stool specially reserved for her beside the workbench.

The little girl stretched her neck to look at the tabletop.

Right in the center of the workbench sat a tray made of red sandalwood.

Inside the tray lay several shards of broken black porcelain, quiet and still.

"Brother Lin Xuan, is this a bowl that was dropped and broken?"

Xiao Sizi pointed with her finger, curious.

"This is a black-glazed tea bowl fired in the Jian kiln during the Song Dynasty."

Lin Xuan took a pair of white cotton gloves from the drawer and put them on.

"A client just delivered this this morning; they didn't hold it steady while moving house, and it shattered into five or six pieces all at once."

Xiao Sizi tilted her small head, looking at the broken shards on the floor with a face full of regret.

"Can it still be repaired? Will you use the same glue as last time when restoring the ancient painting?"

Lin Xuan shook his head.

"This time, we won't need to make glue."

"You are showing progress in your studies, so naturally my work is progressing too."

"Today, Brother will teach you an old craft called Kintsugi."