The head judge announced, "All contestants are present. Here are your topics. The elderly group’s theme is 'Centennial.' The middle-aged group’s theme is 'Life.' The youth group’s theme is 'Vitality.' The juvenile group’s theme is 'Morning Sun.' You have three hours to embroider. When the bell rings outside, the competition begins. When it rings again, you must stop immediately, no matter where you are in your work. You now have twenty minutes to prepare. Your materials are on the table. Check them now. If you need special colored threads or other tools, ask the staff. Begin your preparation."
Zhu Yanyi checked her supplies. Everything was there. She thought for a moment, then raised her hand to a staff member nearby. The staff member came over. Zhu Yanyi said seriously, "Please, can I have one strand of gold thread?"
"Gold thread?" The staff member confirmed and nodded. "Okay, please wait." He went to find the gold thread.
Usually, special colors like gold were rarely used. But after hearing the topic, Zhu Yanyi decided to use some gold thread.
Twenty minutes passed quickly. The bell rang outside. Everyone, both contestants and staff, fell silent. Supervisors walked around, but no one made a sound. It was so quiet that one could only hear the scratch of pens drawing patterns or the whisper of needles passing through fabric.
Old Master Li, sitting at the judges' table, looked at Zhu Yanyi in the corner. She had closed her eyes for nearly ten minutes. Her behavior was surprising. Many judges wondered what she was doing. After ten minutes, she opened her eyes. She looked at the white base cloth on her embroidery frame, measured it slightly with her hand, then picked up her needle, threaded it, and began to embroider directly. This was completely different from others who drew their patterns with pens first.
Some judges frowned slightly. To them, Zhu Yanyi’s method seemed arrogant. Old Master Li, however, smiled faintly. She knew her apprentice well. She wouldn’t act this way without confidence. She just wanted to see how she would express the meaning of "Morning Sun."
Zhu Yanyi embroidered according to her own thoughts. She had her own interpretation to convey.
Three hours, not a minute more or less. Zhu Yanyi finished her work five minutes before the bell rang. She then packed up her things. The bell rang outside.
The judges did not collect the works immediately. Instead, they reviewed them group by group and then scored them. Although the judges whispered and occasionally pointed out strengths or weaknesses, they kept their scores private. They went to the international contestants’ section first. After scoring them, they came to the Chinese section.
They started with the elderly group again. Although the scoring was grouped, the same judges were reviewing, so everyone had to wait.
Zhu Yanyi waited patiently. Before her turn, she picked up a book to read. By the time it was her turn, she was the last one. Originally, everyone had dismissed Zhu Yanyi’s direct embroidery method, thinking she was just filling a spot. However, when they saw her finished work, they were all stunned.