X
“Cooperating with you is naturally possible, but first I need to hear if the price Miss Xiao offers is fair,” Wei Lan said.
After all, no matter how nice the words, if the price was too low, there would be no need for cooperation.
“Fair enough,” Xiao Nanyan nodded readily.
She picked up the nine-tailed fox pendant from the table and said, “In my opinion, among all your carvings, this nine-tailed fox jade plaque has the finest craftsmanship.
This plaque is only the size of a palm, yet it is entirely openwork carving.
Every openwork section inside is uniformly sized, and the nine tails have a wonderful sense of curvature.
It is truly an exceptional piece.
The only drawback is that the raw stone for this plaque wasn’t the best.
Although you’ve removed all the black spots from the green jade, the raw material itself isn’t very valuable.”
Xiao Nanyan looked at Wei Lan and smiled lightly.
She changed the subject and continued, “However, just for your skill alone, I am willing to offer 100 taels of silver for this pendant.”
Wei Lan thought for a moment.
Xiao Nanyan was clearly an expert.
Among her green jade carvings, this jade plaque indeed had the best craftsmanship.
And what she said was absolutely right; the raw green jade itself wasn’t worth much.
Yingniang had even given her these green jade rough stones for free.
Considering the price Xiao Nanyan offered, it was fair.
After all, she had no reputation at all in the Great Zhou right now.
One hundred taels of silver was equivalent to about 100,000 yuan in modern money.
Although it couldn’t compare to her crafting fees in the modern world, for a new, unknown carver, offering a price like this showed the other party’s sincerity.
“Miss Xiao’s price is fair.
Since that’s the case, I am willing to cooperate and willing to give Yuyaxuan priority when selling my carvings,” Wei Lan said, matching the other’s straightforwardness.
“Good, you can rest assured.
If your reputation really takes off, Yuyaxuan will definitely not undervalue your prices.
We will offer the fairest acquisition price based on evaluations from all sides,” Xiao Nanyan continued.
“Mm, then thank you, Miss Xiao.”
Wei Lan smiled at her.
This cooperation was quite pleasant, especially since the other party was a woman.
Xiao Nanyan laughed, “Then there’s no need for us to be so formal.
Since it’s settled, we can consider each other friends.
Just call me by my name.”
“Alright, then thank you, Nanyan.”
Wei Lan thanked her again.
“No need.
Our cooperation is bound to be a win-win.”
As she spoke, Xiao Nanyan’s gaze returned to the other ornaments and plaques Wei Lan had brought.
Including the fox jade plaque, there were ten pieces in total.
She said, “As for the other two landscape ornaments, although their craftsmanship is slightly inferior to the nine-tailed fox jade plaque, their overall size is larger and the composition is quite complete.
For these two ornaments, I’m also willing to offer 100 taels each.
For the remaining small jade plaques, 30 taels each.
What do you think?”
A smile appeared on Wei Lan’s face.
Everything Xiao Nanyan said was accurate.
Those other jade plaques were pieces she had used for practice when she first arrived in this world.
Although they looked quite complete, their craftsmanship was far inferior to the nine-tailed fox jade plaque she carved after getting the hang of things.
Xiao Nanyan really seemed to know her stuff.
“Alright, just give me the price you said,” Wei Lan agreed.
“The nine-tailed fox jade plaque and the two landscape ornaments total 300 taels.
The remaining seven small plaques total 210 taels.
Together, that’s 510 taels.”
As she spoke, Xiao Nanyan continued, “Although it might be a bit rude, I still want to ask one more time: did you really carve all of these yourself?”
Wei Lan nodded.
Her current body was only around seventeen or eighteen years old.
Being able to carve jade pieces like this was indeed hard for people to believe.
So she didn’t blame Xiao Nanyan for asking and instead said, “If you don’t believe me, I can carve something right here on the spot.”
“Really?
That would be excellent.
I have a complete set of jade carving tools in this courtyard.
I’ll take you over.”
Xiao Nanyan’s eyes lit up slightly.
She also had her own considerations.
In three days, it would be Panyang City’s annual Jade Appreciation Competition.
At that time, various jade shops and carvers would bring their best pieces there.
Those carvings would be sold to everyone present through bidding, and carvers would also compete in skills on the spot.
It was an excellent opportunity for new carvers to make a name for themselves.
If this young female Qiankun really had such skill, she could definitely make a name for herself in Panyang City at the competition.
Xiao Nanyan covered her face with her veil again.
Even among these managers and assistants, very few had seen the face beneath her veil.
Wei Lan followed behind Xiao Nanyan as she led her to a workshop in the courtyard.
Several carvers were busy working inside.
When the few people saw Xiao Nanyan arrive, they all rose and bowed to her, “Owner.”
Xiao Nanyan nodded to them, “Stop for a moment.
Do you have any cut jade rough stone?
Give me a piece.”
“Owner, here you go.”
One of them handed her a piece of jade the size of a palm, already cut open, ready for the cutting wheel.
Xiao Nanyan took it, looked at the piece of jade, then turned to Wei Lan and asked, “Is this alright?”
Wei Lan nodded.
Carving jade was simple for her.
“Of course.”
“Excellent.”
As she spoke, Xiao Nanyan also took a new apron and handed it to Wei Lan, “Put this on, so you don’t get your clothes dirty.”
“Thanks.”
Wei Lan took it, put the apron on, held the jade plaque in her hand, and then sat down in front of the lathe.
The few carving workers exchanged glances with each other, thinking the young female Qiankun was just playing around.
They didn’t believe she really knew how to use the lathe.
After Wei Lan sat down, she stepped on the wooden pedal below and used the round steel disc on the lathe to begin the first step of shaping the jade plaque.
Wei Lan sprinkled water-mixed abrasive sand on the surface of the jade plaque and began using the steel disc to slowly cut out the shape she wanted, while also cutting away some of the impurities on the jade.
Then, unhurriedly, Wei Lan replaced the thin steel ring on the lathe with a thicker one.
She patiently sprinkled the abrasive sand on the jade surface again, this time to polish the edges and corners of the jade and determine its outline.
Whenever Wei Lan started carving jade, she entered a very remarkable state.
Even if there were many people watching around her, she felt like she was the only one there.
Her mind and body completely calmed down, as if nothing else existed in the world except the jade plaque in her hand.
Her polishing technique was skilled and her movements were very clean, clearly showing she was a carver with many years of experience.
The few carvers watching, waiting to see a joke, were all amazed.
“She really knows how to do it?
And her technique looks quite skilled, not like a beginner.”
“That’s right, she’s clearly an expert.
Judging by her technique, she has at least five or six years of carving experience.”
“I think so too.”
Wei Lan didn’t answer them.
Instead, she patiently and carefully continued polishing with the wheel.
During this process, Xiao Nanyan had already moved a chair over and was sitting not far away, watching Wei Lan’s movements.
After polishing the edges and corners of the jade smooth, Wei Lan changed the steel disc again.
This disc was finer than the previous one.
Again, she sprinkled abrasive sand on it and began polishing bit by bit.
This process was to bring out the luster on the jade’s surface.
Wei Lan was very patient, and her hand movements were steady.
Soon, she completed this step.
The next step was carving the design.
This step used a small drill bit to carve patterns on the surface of the jade.
Wei Lan simply used a brush dipped in pomegranate juice to draw a rough outline on the jade surface, and then began carving.
Her movements were fluid and fast, with no mistakes in between.
Every line was very clear.
Soon, a vivid landscape appeared on the jade plaque.
The carvers behind her were all stunned.
“So fast?
And carved so completely?
I think this requires at least ten years or more of hand skill, right?”
“Yeah, the lines are so smooth.
Truly impressive.”
“No wonder she’s someone the owner brought over.”
The few people murmured in amazement, but Wei Lan continued carving with concentration.
She picked up the jade plaque with the carved pattern and got up to find a bow drill.
This step was to do the openwork carving on the jade plaque.
This was the most difficult step in carving a jade plaque.
Those carvers hadn’t expected Wei Lan to also do openwork.
Wei Lan indeed stopped in front of the tool table holding the bow drill.
One end of the bow drill had a diamond bit.
By pulling the bow drill back and forth continuously, the diamond bit could drill holes in the jade.
Wei Lan controlled her strength.
The force in this step had to be consistent; otherwise, the openwork patterns would vary in size, which would look very ugly.
Wei Lan’s hand was very steady.
The openwork she carved even had a sense of depth.
By this step, the mouths of the few jade carvers were hanging open, all shocked by Wei Lan’s hand skills.
“Oh my god, this skill?
Did she start practicing from the womb?”
“Her hand is so steady.
The openwork is uniformly sized, and the trees are carved with layers of depth.
I’m over forty, and I can’t do this.”
“Exactly.
This young lady is truly remarkable.
I think even Liu Bingkun can’t compare to her.”
“Yes, yes, it’s amazing.
I don’t think there’s any carver in Panyang City as skilled as her.”
Xiao Nanyan was also shocked.
Jade carving most tries one’s patience.
Carvers with means had high requirements for their environment, preferably their own workspace without outsiders disturbing them.
And Wei Lan was now carving in an unfamiliar place, with the four of them watching.
Yet her hand could still be this steady, her carving standard not diminishing at all.
Xiao Nanyan was truly stunned.
She considered herself to have seen many skilled carvers, but someone like Wei Lan, calling her a genius wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Two hours had already passed.
It was already past noon.
Xiao Nanyan quickly came over and said, “Wei Lan, it’s already late afternoon.
Let’s eat first.
You can take this plaque back and carve it slowly.”
Wei Lan looked up at Xiao Nanyan and smiled, “No need to keep watching?”
Xiao Nanyan smiled and shook her head, “It was presumptuous of me.
But honestly, you are the most skilled jade carver I have ever seen.
Come on, let’s eat first.”
Wei Lan nodded.
She took off her apron.
Xiao Nanyan had someone bring her clean water.
Wei Lan washed her hands and also rinsed the half-carved jade she had just worked on, planning to take it back and finish it.
Xiao Nanyan led Wei Lan to the dining hall.
After the servants had withdrawn, she removed her veil and said, “Let’s eat first.
I have some other matters to discuss with you later.”
Wei Lan nodded, “Okay.”
Wei Lan and Xiao Nanyan weren’t very familiar with each other, so they didn’t say much during the meal.
Wei Lan was hungry by then and ate quite a bit.
After lunch, Wei Lan followed Xiao Nanyan back to the study to continue their conversation.
“In three days, it’s Panyang City’s annual Jade Appreciation Competition.
I plan to take your ornaments there to sell and also to build your reputation.
Furthermore, it would be best if you could come with me, because every year the competition has a segment where carvers compete in skills on the spot.
It’s a perfect opportunity for you to become known.”
Xiao Nanyan looked at Wei Lan as she spoke.
Wei Lan thought for a moment, “I don’t want to use my real name for attribution, and I don’t want people to know for now that I carved these jades.”
She had her reasons for saying this.
Once she became famous, more and more people would undoubtedly seek her out, and Wei Lan didn’t like that.
Also, public security in ancient times wasn’t like in modern times.
Suddenly becoming famous would definitely attract unwanted attention.
Wei Lan didn’t want to cause trouble for herself, so she needed to temporarily conceal her identity.
Xiao Nanyan smiled and nodded at Wei Lan, “Come to think of it, using a pseudonym is good.
Suddenly making a name for yourself could inevitably attract the attention of malicious people.”
Wei Lan nodded, “That’s what I thought too.”
“But your name sounds familiar to me.
And judging by the fine quality of the clothes you’re wearing, you must come from a wealthy family.”
Xiao Nanyan thought through the wealthy families in Panyang City but couldn’t think of any named Wei.
Seeing that she couldn’t guess, Wei Lan simply said, “I’m the Qiankun who married into the Lu residence.”
Wei Lan said it frankly, but Xiao Nanyan was stunned.
So that’s why it sounded familiar – she was the female Qiankun Lu Zijin had recently married.
Xiao Nanyan almost envied Lu Zijin’s luck.
Not only was she rich herself, but the Qiankun she married into the family also had such skill.
That was something else.
“No wonder it sounded familiar.
Not using your real name is fine.
You can make up any name.
As for not wanting people to know your true face, you can wear a mask at the competition.
The Jade Appreciation Competition is a really great opportunity, it only happens once a year.
Think it over.”
Xiao Nanyan urged.
She was a businesswoman.
If Wei Lan became famous, acquiring jade from her would cost more silver, but she could also sell Wei Lan’s jade at higher prices.
It was a win-win situation, so of course she had to persuade Wei Lan to participate.
Wei Lan thought for a moment and nodded.
It was true; she wasn’t familiar with the skill levels of other carvers in Panyang City.
This would be a good chance to see their abilities.
And in their line of work, reputation was very important.
“Alright.
Can I change clothes and disguise myself here then?
Doing this kind of thing at the Lu residence probably wouldn’t be convenient.”
Actually, Wei Lan’s initial thought was to use the money from selling jade to buy a small courtyard, then change clothes and disguise herself there to switch identities.
But thinking about it, that would be too obvious.
If someone really was watching her, leaving from a small courtyard in disguise and then returning directly to the Lu residence would still be too conspicuous.
Using Yuyaxuan as a base was different.
People came and went here every day.
If she changed here and then left among the customers buying jade, no one would notice her.
Xiao Nanyan immediately agreed.
Wei Lan saying this naturally meant she trusted her.
“Of course.
I’ll have someone prepare a room right away for you to use anytime.
And your identity, I will absolutely keep it secret.”
Wei Lan nodded, “Good.”
“Don’t worry about the cloak and mask for concealing your identity either.
I’ll have someone arrange them for you.
In three days, just come here directly in the morning.
I’ll wait for you here, and we’ll go to Bright Moon Tower together.”
Xiao Nanyan figured since Wei Lan was showing such sincerity, she naturally had to arrange everything properly.
“Okay, thanks.”
Wei Lan thanked her politely.
“No need.
Having you prove your skills took up most of your day for nothing.
Here are six hundred taels in silver notes, take them.
I usually come here once every half month.
If you need to find me, you can go to the Xiao residence south of the city.”
Xiao Nanyan usually preferred quiet, so she had bought her house on the outskirts of the city.
Wei Lan didn’t refuse and accepted Xiao Nanyan’s six hundred taels in silver notes.
Then she took her leave.
When she came out of Yuyaxuan, it was already late afternoon.
Wei Lan was in a great mood having earned silver.
Six hundred taels was equivalent to about six hundred thousand yuan in modern money – no small sum.
And Wei Lan knew that as her reputation grew, the silver she earned would only increase, not decrease.
She knew she could rely on her skill to make money.
However, Wei Lan didn’t plan to leave the Lu residence.
After all, she was already used to living there, and the food at the Lu residence was delicious, which she really liked.
For example, the meal she just had at Yuyaxuan, although it looked delicate, actually didn’t taste as good as the food from her own small kitchen, let alone the meals from Lu Zijin’s courtyard.
Wei Lan realized that her taste buds seemed to have been spoiled by Lu Zijin.
Now she didn’t really like outside food much anymore.
Wei Lan, in a very good mood, browsed two more jade shops.
After all, she had already helped Lu Zijin get through her heat, and no one in the residence was looking for her.
***
At this time, at the back gate of the Lu residence, Cao Qiushuang was pacing back and forth with a few guards.
Cao Qiushuang cursed, “Wei Lan still isn’t back?
It’s already early evening, and she still hasn’t returned to the residence?
Does she really think she’s the master of the Lu residence?”
“Captain, what do we do?
Could Wei Lan have fled because she’s guilty?”
Wang Yiding asked.
Cao Qiushuang snorted coldly, “Probably not.
How could she bear to give up the wealth and honor of the Lu residence?
Wait a little longer.”
“Yes, yes.”
The few guards continued to wait at the back gate.
After another quarter of an hour, Wei Lan finally appeared at the back gate of the Lu residence.
As soon as she arrived, she saw Cao Qiushuang leading about ten guards, all gathered around the back gate.
Wei Lan frowned and asked, “What are you all gathered here for?
Get out of my way.”
Cao Qiushuang, seeing that the bundle in her arms was indeed gone, said, “Get out of your way?
I should be asking the master where you’ve been.
I heard you took a big bundle of things from the residence out.
What’s this?
Is it because the young lady won’t give you silver, so you stole things from the residence to pawn?”
Wei Lan thought Cao Qiushuang was a mad dog, completely insane.
“You’re crazy?
Not to mention that I was taking my own things out, even if they were things from the residence, you, a servant, have no right to question me.
Get lost.”
Cao Qiushuang hadn’t expected Wei Lan to be so tough.
He taunted, “Oh?
I call you ‘master‘ out of respect for the young lady’s face.
Wei Lan, look at yourself in the mirror.
Do you really think you’re the master of the Lu residence?”
He then mocked further, “Ask them, does anyone here really see you as the master of the Lu residence?”
Wang Yiding and the other guards watching the back gate all burst into loud laughter.
“Wei Lan, you’re just luckier than us.
Someone like you, acting like a master?”
“Exactly.
You only have this face going for you.
If you went to a brothel, you might earn some silver as a Qiankun hostess.”
“Hahaha, hilarious.
No one in the Lu residence cares about you.
To be honest, our Captain Cao would be more fit to be master than you are.
You’re completely overestimating yourself.”
Wei Lan’s expression turned completely cold.
She hadn’t bothered with the servants’ affairs before, but now they dared to shit on her head.
“What do you want?”
Wei Lan asked coldly.
“What do we want?
If you’ve got guts, come with me to confront the young lady face to face.
Let her take a good look at what kind of thing she married.”
Cao Qiushuang, imagining Wei Lan’s miserable state soon, laughed out loud.
“Fine.
I haven’t done anything, why would I be afraid?”
Wei Lan said calmly.
Seeing her so composed, the gatekeeping guards began to hesitate.
“Captain, maybe we should forget it.
She doesn’t seem scared at all.”
“Yeah, this little matter probably isn’t worth bothering the young lady over.”
Cao Qiushuang shot them a cold glare, “What do you know?
She’s just putting on a brave face.
When she gets to the young lady, we’ll see how scared she is.”
With that, Cao Qiushuang stepped aside and said, “Let’s go.
I want to see how you explain this to the young lady.”
***
On the other side, the shadow guards had also noticed the situation.
Seeing Cao Qiushuang blocking Wei Lan with his men, one quickly went to report.
They had a unified whistle that sounded like bird calls.
Qianxue heard the sound and immediately went to the room where the whistle had come from.
She pushed the door open, quickly entered, and closed it again, seeing a shadow guard inside.
“What’s wrong?”
The shadow guard quickly reported, “Cao Qiushuang and the master had an argument at the back gate.
He took over ten men and waited at the back gate all afternoon.
When the master returned, those guards surrounded her.”
“And now?
What’s the situation?”
Qianxue asked hurriedly.
“I rushed back to report, I don’t know what’s happening now.”
“Quick, go back and follow them.
Don’t let them lay hands on the master.”
After saying this, Qianxue hurried off to find Lu Zijin.
Lu Zijin had just finished dinner and was sitting by the table, drinking tea and resting.
When she saw Qianxue arrive, she dismissed all the young maidservants waiting in the bedroom.
Qianxue closed the door before speaking, “Miss, the master has been stopped by Cao Qiushuang and some guards.
I don’t know the exact reason, but those people seemed to have been waiting for her all afternoon.”
Lu Zijin’s expression turned completely cold.
“Hmph, I didn’t realize Cao Qiushuang had grown this bold.
Go quickly with some people and check the situation.
Bring them all to me.
It seems it really is time to deal with these disobedient servants in the residence.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Qianxue took a few maidservants and immediately headed towards the backyard.
Meanwhile, Wei Lan was already nearing Jingchen Courtyard.
Cao Qiushuang, seeing her expression neither hurried nor flustered, sneered, “Tsk, some people really have thick skin.
They won’t cry until they see the coffin.
We’ll see you weep soon enough.”
You’ve got to see this next! The Defeated Magical Girl Won’t Turn Into a Dark Princess will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : The Defeated Magical Girl Won’t Turn Into a Dark Princess
If You Notice any translation issues or inconsistency in names, genders, or POV etc? Let us know here in the comments or on our Discord server, and we’ll fix it in current and future chapters. Thanks for helping us to improve! 🙂