Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Wife A in Ancient Times - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Wei Lan stood up and walked to a drilling tool. She prepared to pre-drill holes in the jade plaque so she could later carve intricate patterns. She placed the jade plaque carefully, then pulled the curved bow. The curved bow drove the diamond drill at the bottom of the rod to make holes on the jade surface.

Wei Lan maintained steady pressure. She drilled the holes round and precise. She was the first among all the carvers to complete the surface carving on the jade. The crowd immediately buzzed with discussions.

“Wow, look at that Qing Lan! She’s already started drilling holes? Others have barely finished outlining the jade surface, right?”

“Yeah, that’s way too fast! And look, that Liu Bingkun keeps wiping sweat. Is it even that hot?”

“Ugh, I think carving fast doesn’t mean carving well. That Qing Lan doesn’t seem that great to me.”

“I agree. Slow work makes fine pieces. She’s just standing out now, but her final carving will probably be mediocre.”

Wei Lan couldn’t hear the crowd’s chatter at all. She was about to start carving intricate patterns on the jade plaque.

This step was the most critical. Hollowed-out carving required a steady hand and moderate force. Otherwise, too much pressure could ruin the entire jade piece. Ordinary carvers wouldn’t attempt intricate patterns in a competition. It tested the carver’s mindset too much. But Wei Lan wasn’t ordinary. She wasn’t afraid of people watching her.

“Look, that Qing Lan went to the tool table with the carving bow!”

“What? With such tight competition time, she’s doing intricate patterns? Is she crazy?”

“Yeah, this is the first time I’ve seen someone attempt hollowed-out carving at the Jade Appreciation Competition. Either she’s crazy, or I am.”

“I bet she’s just giving up and going all out.”

The crowd discussed heatedly. The fat shopkeeper had no choice but to step in and urge, “Please, everyone, keep your voices down. Give our carvers some convenience.”

After he said this, the crowd quieted down slightly.

Wei Lan didn’t know any of this. When she carved jade, it was like she had a shield installed. She couldn’t hear what others said. Her full attention focused on the small piece of jade in front of her.

Wei Lan took a deep breath and started pulling the carving bow. The bow stayed steady in her hands. She began carving hollowed-out patterns on the four corners.

She wore a mask on her face, which was somewhat uncomfortable. But it was bearable. Wei Lan’s movements remained fast and steady.

The other carvers were more or less affected by Wei Lan. Some sped up their actions but made frequent mistakes. Others had already lost their composure.

Liu Bingkun was among them. His clothes were now soaked with sweat. His gaze kept drifting to Wei Lan’s progress involuntarily. When a carver’s mind became unsettled, defeat wasn’t far away.

Time passed bit by bit. The crowd’s discussions about Wei Lan gradually quieted. It was now around four in the afternoon. The nobles in the private rooms had the privilege to come downstairs to watch the carvers up close. However, they couldn’t interact with the carvers. They could only stand nearby and observe.

Several young masters, wealthy merchants, and the city lord Lu Feng came downstairs from the upper floor. They passed by each carver in turn.

Xiao Nanyan did the same. She looked at Liu Bingkun and Huo Feng. Her brows furrowed slightly. Liu Bingkun’s carved flowers and birds today had mistakes. Several areas were incomplete, and the lines were odd. It didn’t meet his usual average standard.

After looking at Liu Bingkun, Xiao Nanyan turned to Huo Feng. Huo Feng’s carving was slightly better than Liu Bingkun’s. But it was still noticeably inferior to his usual work.

Just as Xiao Nanyan wanted to check on Wei Lan, she saw Wei Lan’s area already surrounded by wealthy merchants. They had almost formed a circle around her.

It wasn’t surprising for these jade-loving nobles. The jade plaque in Wei Lan’s hands was too beautiful. Though she had only carved the border and hollowed-out patterns on the four corners, it was still stunning. Paired with the carp and waterweed pattern in the center, they would willingly pay a high price to buy it as it was.

Wei Lan sighed helplessly and said, “Everyone, move aside a bit. You’re blocking my light.”

Hearing Wei Lan’s words, the crowd immediately stepped aside. They made space for her. Wei Lan raised her eyes and scanned around. She saw Xiao Nanyan standing a few steps away, smiling at her. Wei Lan nodded at Xiao Nanyan, then lowered her head to continue her hollowed-out carving.

Xiao Nanyan stepped closer and looked for a moment. Her eyes filled with amusement. She had truly found a treasure this time. The outcome of today’s competition was already decided.

The crowd finished their tour. The fat shopkeeper ushered them off the venue. On their way back, the nobles started discussing.

Young Master Zhou, in particular, was very interested in Qing Lan. He sidled up to Xiao Nanyan, wanting to inquire about Wei Lan’s situation.

“Miss Xiao, where did you find this Qing Lan carver? How does she have such exquisite carving skills?” Young Master Zhou asked. The others perked up their ears to listen.

Xiao Nanyan smiled and brushed it off, “Just a fortunate coincidence. She needed to sell jade, and our Yuya Pavilion happens to deal in jade. That’s all.”

“Then why does she wear a mask? Her voice sounds clear, so she’s probably a young female Qianyuan, right? Is she disfigured or something?” Young Master Zhou pressed further.

Xiao Nanyan didn’t want to entertain him anymore. His questions were too specific. But since they were all prominent figures in Panyang City, she couldn’t ignore him. “She is indeed young. As for the rest, that’s Miss Qing Lan’s private matter. She likely has some personal reasons. I haven’t asked in detail.”

Hearing Xiao Nanyan’s response, Young Master Zhou didn’t press further.

Chen Zhou walked behind them. He overheard most of the conversation. He hadn’t expected Qing Lan to have such skill at such a young age. That was truly rare. He decided he’d send someone to gather information later. It would be a pity if Xiao Nanyan snatched such a talent.

Wei Lan didn’t know what these people were thinking. She continued carving. By six in the evening, she finished the hollowed-out patterns on the entire jade plaque. Wei Lan looked at the plaque. She was fairly satisfied. Though the hollowed-out patterns weren’t as refined as her previous plaques, given the short time, this was the best she could do.

Wei Lan stood up and stretched. Then she returned to the lathe. She replaced the steel disc on the lathe with a wooden wheel. She poured a layer of wet jade-polishing sand onto the plaque and began polishing it with the wooden wheel.

The calmer Wei Lan appeared, the more frantic the other carvers became. Lesser-known carvers were relatively unaffected. But Liu Bingkun and Huo Feng’s mindsets had already collapsed under Wei Lan’s influence.

Liu Bingkun looked at his own jade plaque and sighed heavily. His position as Panyang City’s top jade carver was likely lost today. Thinking of this, Liu Bingkun felt like crying.

Wei Lan didn’t care about the stares from others. She was upright and had nothing to hide. Soon, she deftly polished the jade. She replaced the wooden wheel on the lathe with a leather wheel for the final polishing step.

Her movements were steady. Every step was methodical. Wei Lan never looked at what others were carving. It was as if everything else was irrelevant to her.

Soon, Wei Lan completed the final polishing. The jade plaque gleamed smooth and bright.

After finishing, Wei Lan stood up and raised her jade plaque. “I’m done.”

“Great! Please wait a moment. I’ll have a servant carry your plaque around the venue for display.” The fat shopkeeper smiled and said.

Wei Lan nodded. She placed the jade plaque on a tray lined with brocade. The servant then carried the tray into the crowd. The crowd immediately started discussing again.

“She carved hollowed-out patterns in such a short time? That’s incredible.”

“Yeah, and she’s so young. Panyang City’s top spot is about to change hands.”

“Those arrogant old carvers are going to cry this time. She’s young, talented, and has limitless potential.”

“Exactly! She might even become the next Gong Jin in Panyang City.”

“Today’s 100-wen ticket was totally worth it. We can say we’ve seen Qing Lan in person.”

“Absolutely, absolutely.”

Most of the remaining carvers reached the final leather wheel step. But no one paid attention anymore. Wei Lan had stolen all the spotlight this year.

The fat shopkeeper kept track of time. Seeing it was the hour of Xu, he announced, “Alright, please stop, carvers. Time’s up.”

He then instructed the servants to prepare trays. Each tray bore the carver’s name to avoid mix-ups. The servants carried the trays through the crowd, letting everyone see the carvers’ jade plaques clearly.

But looking at the carvers’ faces, except for Wei Lan, all were bitter. Liu Bingkun and Huo Feng, in particular, looked distraught. Liu Bingkun wished he could smash his carved plaque on the spot to avoid embarrassment.

He gritted his teeth and looked at Wei Lan. He asked, “Who are you? Who’s your master? How is this possible at your age?”

“What’s impossible? Didn’t you see it with your own eyes? Just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean others can’t.” Wei Lan had no patience for people who refused to admit others’ superiority. Such people were simply narrow-minded and couldn’t stand others being better.

Wei Lan had no interest in befriending sore losers. It was pointless.

“You, don’t get cocky. Do you really think taking first makes you Panyang City’s top carver? With your experience, you’re far from it.” Liu Bingkun gritted his teeth and said.

Wei Lan laughed. “Is that so? If I’m not first, then you losers probably don’t even know where you’d rank. People should have some self-awareness.”

After saying this, Wei Lan ignored Liu Bingkun. She stepped forward to await the competition results.

Finally, all ten trays were sent to Lu Feng on the second floor. Lu Feng looked at the ten jade plaques and smiled. He said, “The results this time are clear to everyone. Panyang City is truly full of talent. We didn’t expect another outstanding carver to emerge. Yes, the champion of this Jade Appreciation Competition is Qing Lan.”

Lu Feng smiled at Qing Lan downstairs and continued, “Jade carving tests a carver’s temperament the most. Honestly, the environment earlier was somewhat noisy for carvers. Yet Qing Lan’s jade plaque has smooth, flowing lines throughout. She even used hollowed-out carving techniques around the plaque’s edges, and in such an environment. That’s truly remarkable. She deserves to take the championship this time.”

After Lu Feng finished, the crowd began cheering. Of course, Wei Lan’s championship wasn’t just an empty title. Every year, the champion received a raw emerald stone sponsored by the nobles.

Lu Feng gestured to the crowd to quiet down. “Alright, shopkeeper, present this year’s prize to Qing Lan.”

“Got it!” The fat shopkeeper smiled kindly. He lifted the red cloth from a tray held by a servant. Inside was a bowl-sized raw white jade glass emerald stone.

This was a white jade glass emerald stone, crystal clear with almost no visible impurities. It was what later generations called a called glass-grade jade. This stone alone was worth a lot of silver. But the nobles didn’t mind spending on such stones to build ties with renowned carvers.

The fat shopkeeper carefully handed the tray to Wei Lan. She looked at the emerald stone on the tray. Her smile didn’t fade. This was truly a fine piece of jade. Though only bowl-sized, it was enough for her to work with.

This material was perfect for crafting an emerald bracelet. The core could be carved into a beautiful emerald pendant. The scraps could be polished into beads for accessories. It was excellent!

For some reason, looking at the jade, Wei Lan thought of Lu Zijin. When she first arrived here, Lu Zijin had taken her in. Lu Zijin even let her to marry into the Lu Mansion. Without Lu Zijin’s monthly allowance, she wouldn’t have had the money to buy a full set of carving tools.

Though Lu Zijin could be a bit rough in bed sometimes, even acting a little unhinged occasionally, she was quite generous. She gave Wei Lan a monthly allowance, letting her live comfortably in the mansion and eat soft food with ease. When someone framed her, Lu Zijin stood by her side without hesitation. Thinking about it, Lu Zijin was quite a kind rich lady.

Lu Zijin was wealthy and lacked nothing. Wei Lan couldn’t do much for her. So Wei Lan thought of using this newly won emerald stone to make a bracelet and a jade plaque for Lu Zijin. With her fair skin, the glass-grade jade would look stunning on her!

Wei Lan was delighted. But Liu Bingkun and Huo Fengkun felt their faces burn with shame. They’d been completely overshadowed by Qing Lan today. There was no room for debate—they lost because their skills were inferior. That made them feel even more humiliated.

After today, Qing Lan would probably be fought over by every jade shop in the city. These veteran carvers would likely fall behind her.

Liu Bingkun sighed. But he wasn’t panic. After all, Qinglan had just gained fame. Her reputation wouldn’t spread so fast that it wouldn’t spread quickly. People elsewhere likely didn’t know her yet. So his carvings could still fetch a good price for now in the short term.

Wei Lan didn’t care what others thought. She happily carried the emerald stone and returned to the second floor.

As she walked upstairs, Zhou Er bowed respectfully to her. “Miss Qing Lan, my master invites you to meet for a chat.”

“I have other matters. Another day.” Wei Lan nodded slightly and headed to Xiao Nanyan’s private room.

Zhou Er wanted to persuade further, but seeing her near the room, he didn’t press. He went back to find Chen Zhou.

Chen Zhou saw him return alone. He asked, “Where’s she?”

“She said another day, then went to Xiao Nanyan’s private room. With so many people outside watching, I couldn’t press further.” Zhou Er hurriedly said,.

Chen Zhou’s face darkened. “True, skilled carvers like her often have big tempers. Send someone to look into her residence. I’ll visit another day.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Wei Lan returned to Xiao Nanyan’s private room. Xiao Nanyan smiled. “Congratulations! After today, the price of your carvings will soar hundreds of times.”

“Thanks. It’s getting late. I’d like to head back now.” It was almost dark. After a tiring day, Wei Lan wanted to rest early. The mask on her face, worn all day, was indeed uncomfortable.

“Alright, let’s go.” Xiao Nanyan stood up and left the private room. They followed behind followed her and headed downstairs.

Along the way, many people came to greet Xiao Nanyan and Qing Lan. Some of them wanted to poach her. But with Xiao Nanyan present, they couldn’t do so openly.

After a few exchanges, they Xiao Nanyan and Wei Lan left Moonlight Tower. They boarded a carriage together.

Chen Zhou was still at Moonlight Tower, waiting. He told Zhou Er to go out and gather information about Qing Lan’s residence to find a visit opportunity later. Soon, Zhou Er returned soon.

“How’d it go?” Chen Zhou poured a glass of wine, drank it, and asked.

“That Qing Lan left in a carriage with Xiao Nanyan. I suspect Qing Lan and her have some connection. After all, it’s nearly dark, and they’re sharing a carriage.” Zhou Er didn’t finish his sentence, but Chen Zhou understood.

His face darkened. If Qing Lan and she Xiao Nanyan were indeed close, it would be hard for them to poach her.

Many others in Moonlight Tower shared Chen Zhou’s thoughts. They all wanted to lure her Qing Lan away from Yuya Pavilion.

Wei Lan, already in the carriage, knew nothing of this. She took off her mask and rubbed her face. “Wearing it all day was pretty stifling.”

“Next time, I’ll have someone make softer fabric masks for you. You worked hard today.” Xiao Nanyan smiled,.

“Not hard at all. I earned silver and won a fine piece of emerald stone. It was worth it.” Wei Lan took a deep breath and put the mask back on again.

Moonlight Tower wasn’t far from Yuya Pavilion. They soon arrived soon.

Wei Lan went upstairs to change clothes. She even redid her hair, securing it with the white jade hairpin she’d used earlier. Then she wrapped the emerald stone in cloth, hugged it to her chest, and went downstairs.

Wei Lan stopped by Xiao Nanyan’s study to say goodbye, then left. Xiao Nanyan offered to have dinner together, but Wei Lan saw it was getting late and declined.

Meanwhile, Lu Zijin had just finished her tasks. She sat listlessly at the round table in her bedroom, eating dinner. As she ate, she thought of Wei Lan.

Today’s river crabs were delicious. Lu Zijin remembered Wei Lan seemed to love them. A smile crossed her face. She asked, “Did we send some river crabs to the master’s quarters?”

“We sent some earlier, but, but…” Qing Zhi trailed off.

Lu Zijin frowned and asked, “But what?”

“But the master went out early this morning. When we sent the crabs, she hadn’t returned yet.” Qing Zhi explained softly,.

Lu Zijin’s face darkened. She summoned Qianxue and gave a few instructions. Qianxue left quickly soon.

Lu Zijin set down her chopsticks. She couldn’t eat dinner anymore. She’d been busy all day, yet Wei Lan had been out the entire day. She didn’t even know if she’d returned yet.

She had intended to send Qianxue to check if Wei Lan was back. But she seemed too impatient to wait.

Lu Zijin stood up and said, “Prepare a soft sedan. I’ll go see for myself.”

“Yes, Miss.” Qing Zhi hurried to arrange it. She was a bit surprised. Before, Miss had barely paid attention to the master. But since the bonding period, she seemed to care more about her. Of course, Qing Zhi only dared think this, not say it aloud.

Lu Zijin left her courtyard. The servants had already prepared the soft sedan. Lu Zijin boarded it. Her fingers lightly clasped together. Her expression was stern. The servants and maids following her became even more deferential.

When Lu Zijin arrived at Fuqu Pavilion, it was already dark. The servants and maids in the courtyard saw her and were so frightened they could barely speak.

Lu Zijin stepped off the soft sedan and asked, “Where’s the master?”

“The master, she hasn’t returned yet.” The lead maid said, then immediately knelt. The other servants and maids in the courtyard knelt too.

Lu Zijin’s face turned completely cold. She ignored the servants and entered Wei Lan’s bedroom without a word. Several candlesticks inside were already lit. Lu Zijin sat at the round table. Her fingers occasionally tapped the surface lightly.

Her face was calm as water. But Qing Zhi, standing beside her, was sweating. Miss’s silent demeanor clearly showed she was angry. Qing Zhi truly worried for the master.

Meanwhile, Wei Lan walked along the road, her face beaming with joy. She had five thousand taels of silver tucked in her chest and held a glass-grade white emerald stone in her hands. She couldn’t be happier. Though she loved carving any jade, working with high-quality emerald stone thrilled her even more!

Plus, she’d earned five thousand taels in one day. That was like five million in modern times. She was practically a little rich lady now, right? Of course, she still couldn’t compare to Lu Zijin, Panyang City’s top rich lady.

Thinking of Lu Zijin, Wei Lan felt hungry. Xiao Nanyan had offered dinner earlier, but Wei Lan thought about the quality of outside food. She decided to eat back home. The meals at Lu Mansion truly suited her taste. She could eat this soft food for ten thousand years!

Wei Lan was like a happy little dog, bursting with joy. Soon, she reached the back gate of Lu Mansion.

The guards saw her return and hurried over. “The master’s back! What are you holding? Let me carry it for you. Is it heavy?”

“No, no need.” Wei Lan waved them off. This stone was valuable. If it dropped, she’d be heartbroken.

Declining the guards, Wei Lan happily headed to her courtyard. But as she walked, something felt off. Fuqu Pavilion wasn’t usually this bright. At night, they only lit a few lanterns outside. Why was it as bright as Lu Zijin’s Jingchen Courtyard now?

Wei Lan pursed her lips, suddenly nervous. No way. Lu Zijin was such a busy person. She wouldn’t have time to visit her courtyard. Maybe the servants and maids lit extra lanterns? That was possible, right?

Reassuring herself, Wei Lan grew a bit bolder. She tentatively stepped into the courtyard. Then her faint hope was extinguished. Her courtyard was full of Lu Zijin’s people. Lu Zijin’s soft sedan was parked in the middle. Her courtyard’s servants and maids were kneeling everywhere.

For some reason, Wei Lan’s legs felt weak. She forced a calm cough and took two steps forward.

Lu Zijin’s maid spotted Wei Lan immediately. She quickly ran inside to report to Lu Zijin.

“Miss, the master’s back.”

Lu Zijin’s expression didn’t change. Her fingers tapped the table faster. She said faintly, “Is that so?”