Wei Wei didn't have a fan on hand, so she had to commission a carpenter to make two fan frames before she could play the fan game with the young girl. Until then, she focused on continuing her lessons.
After attending several of Mrs. Bates's classes with Dolores, Wei Wei confirmed her initial impression: Mrs. Bates's teaching skills were indeed not exceptional, and her talents were rather ordinary. However, she was very responsible. Although she appeared strict, she was quite kind to Dolores, never resorting to physical punishment or harsh words. Under her guidance, Dolores had developed a solid foundation, even if her skills weren't particularly outstanding.
In literature, Dolores was only proficient enough to read and write. She didn't enjoy reading much, so her knowledge was limited. Her arithmetic skills were also basic, limited to simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and she often made mistakes with numbers exceeding four digits.
In other subjects, her performance was merely average.
No wonder Felix was concerned about Dolores's education.
After observing for a few days, Wei Wei decided on the subjects she would teach: embroidery and arithmetic.
Dolores was already learning the harp, and Wei Wei could have taught her that as well. However, the girl had no natural talent for music and didn't enjoy it much, so teaching her the harp seemed unnecessary.
On the other hand, Dolores loved embroidery. While Mrs. Bates was decent at sewing and tailoring, her embroidery skills were mediocre, and she couldn't teach Dolores much. In fact, after two years of learning, Dolores's embroidery skills were almost on par with her teacher's.
Wei Wei, however, excelled in this area. She could teach Dolores far more than the girl imagined.
As for arithmetic, although Wei Wei's math skills were average—she had long since forgotten most of what she learned after graduation—she could still teach Dolores the multiplication table and basic vertical calculations.
Once she finalized the subjects, Wei Wei approached Mrs. Bates to discuss the schedule, worried that the teacher might be displeased. However, Mrs. Bates didn't mind at all.
The Earl had already informed Mrs. Bates that her salary would remain unchanged regardless of which subjects Wei Wei took over. The more Wei Wei taught, the lighter Mrs. Bates's workload would become.
Wei Wei's first lesson with Dolores was embroidery.
Unlike in the East, where silk threads were commonly used, Western embroidery relied more on linen, cotton, and wool threads due to the scarcity and expense of silk. Wealthy nobles often embellished their embroidery with gold and silver threads, as well as pearls, gemstones, and even finely ground seashells.
The handkerchief Dolores had given Wei Wei, for example, featured flowers and birds embroidered with gold thread and colored linen. While the stitching technique seemed monotonous to Wei Wei, the tight, precise stitches and the lively design gave it a certain charm.
However, compared to the exquisite and lifelike embroidery of the Four Great Embroideries of China, the techniques Dolores had learned were rough and abstract, far from meeting Eastern aesthetic standards.
At this time, Europeans hadn't even encountered cross-stitch, which wouldn't spread from China to Italy via Turkey until the 14th century.
"Today, we'll practice Su embroidery techniques," Wei Wei announced.
Thanks to her gaming experience, Wei Wei was now a master of sewing. She had privately experimented and found that she could execute all four major Chinese embroidery styles, but her expertise lay in Su embroidery, likely because her in-game faction was based near the Jiangnan region.
Thus, she decided to teach Dolores Su embroidery.
The first lesson in Su embroidery should technically be thread splitting—dividing a single strand of embroidery thread into multiple finer strands. A single Su embroidery thread consists of two "rong" (16 strands), and the finer the thread is split, the more delicate the embroidery becomes. Beginners typically use one rong (8 strands) for practice, but true masters can split a 16-strand thread into 70 or 80 strands for their work.
Wei Wei hadn't tested whether she could achieve this level of skill, but she had a feeling she could. However, due to the lack of silk threads, she couldn't teach Dolores thread splitting and had to start directly with stitching techniques.
Su embroidery encompasses over 40 stitching techniques, though only about 13 are commonly used. These basic techniques are relatively simple; the challenge lies in combining them to create a beautiful piece.
Wei Wei had pre-drawn patterns of stones, flowers, leaves, and butterflies on two pieces of linen, each representing a different stitching technique. She demonstrated each technique on her piece before having Dolores practice. The first lesson was all about familiarizing Dolores with the basic stitches, which she would continue practicing for a long time.
It was a tedious process, but Dolores loved it.
She was a quiet girl who enjoyed embroidery, and her passion for it had been sparked by a small embroidered screen from the East that she had seen among her mother's belongings as a child. Though she had only seen it once, the intricate and luxurious design had left a lasting impression on her.
Unfortunately, such artistry was unheard of in Europe, and no one knew how to replicate it. Now that she had the chance to learn from Wei Wei, Dolores cherished the opportunity.
Watching the girl diligently work on her embroidery, Wei Wei smiled and picked up her needle and thread.
While Dolores practiced, Wei Wei worked on a fan cover.
The carpenter in Satinson County could only make furniture and, at most, plain fan frames without carvings or patterns. Thus, Wei Wei had to find a way to create the fan covers herself.
Paper was out of the question. Although papermaking had reached Europe in the 12th century, it wasn't widely used until the 14th century. Currently, parchment is the primary material, and Wei Wei couldn't think of a suitable source for fan paper.
Since paper wasn't an option, fabric would have to do.
Wei Wei had some patterned fabric, but the designs weren't suitable for fan covers. She also had a pile of unwearable clothes, so she decided to repurpose a piece of fabric, embroidering it with a design before cutting it to size.
One of the fans was for Dolores, so after asking about the girl's preferences, Wei Wei embroidered a bird on a branch and a butterfly among flowers. Using colored cotton thread, the final result lacked the delicate elegance of traditional Su embroidery but had a modern, three-dimensional vibrancy, still exquisite as a work of art.
The proof was in Dolores's reaction. When she saw the embroidered bird and flowers, her eyes widened, and her face flushed with excitement.
Sister Wei Wei had said that once the fan was finished, it would be hers!
How could she be so kind?
As Dolores watched Wei Wei embroider with admiration in her big blue eyes, she received a light tap on the head.
Feeling the need to maintain her role as a teacher, Wei Wei sternly said, "Focus on your practice."
The girl rubbed her head, smiled sheepishly, and returned to her work, though her eyes still occasionally wandered to Wei Wei's side.
Wei Wei's lessons with Dolores lasted one hour each, with only four sessions per week—two for embroidery and two for arithmetic. This schedule had been agreed upon with Mrs. Bates. Dolores had many subjects to study, but Mrs. Bates only scheduled two lessons per day from Monday to Saturday, with Sundays off. By taking over two days, Wei Wei gave Mrs. Bates two extra days of rest.
With Felix's return, Wei Wei had become increasingly busy, so she squeezed in most of her fan embroidery during the lessons. Embroidery required a lot of practice, and while supervising Dolores's basic stitching, Wei Wei worked on her project. Her speed was naturally fast, and the small designs she chose were simple. By the time the carpenter delivered the fan frames, her fan covers were ready.
The embroidered covers were cut to size, glued to the frames with homemade paste, and finished with a decorative edge. The fans were complete.
When Wei Wei gracefully unfolded the fan, the butterfly-and-flower design partially obscuring her face, revealing only her starry, captivating eyes, everyone in the room was mesmerized—Dolores, the maid, and even Felix, who had just entered through the door behind the girl.
For a moment, the young Earl's mind went blank. All he could see were those smiling, enchanting eyes and the words that followed.
"I like you."
His heart raced, pounding so hard it felt like it might burst from his chest.
This was the most beautiful sound in the world, the most romantic moment imaginable.
Felix basked in the joy of the girl's sudden confession, floating on cloud nine until he realized—she wasn't talking to him.
The realization snapped him back to reality, and his expression darkened.
With a mix of anger and impatience, he interrupted the warm, tender atmosphere in the room. "What are you doing?!"
What were they doing?
Wei Wei, who had been demonstrating fan language to Dolores, lowered the fan and looked at the man at the door with her shimmering black eyes.
"We're having a lesson," she said, pausing before adding, "Is there something you need, my lord?"
Only then did Felix, who had been solely focused on Wei Wei, notice that the room wasn't empty. He also realized that his outburst had been inappropriate.
Especially when he saw his sister turn around, holding a fan of her own and mimicking her teacher's graceful movements, he understood that he had misunderstood the situation.