Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Wife A in Ancient Times - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Thinking about it, Wei Lan headed toward the East Market. She had no carving tools and planned to buy everything she needed. If she found some good raw stones, she’d buy those too.

Carving jade in ancient times was harder, but Wei Lan had no intention of giving up. Without jade, her days felt meaningless. Even if it was tiring, as long as she could create a finished piece, she’d be happy.

Panyang City’s market was bustling. When Wei Lan arrived, the East Market’s streets were filled with small vendors selling all sorts of things.

Wei Lan approached a young man selling candied hawthorns and asked, “Excuse me, where in the East Market can I find tools for carving jade?”

The young man glanced at Wei Lan’s clothing, thinking she must have asked the wrong question. Dressed so elegantly, she looked wealthy. “Miss, are you asking about a jade shop? The big jade shops in Panyang City aren’t here. The jade here isn’t valuable—not a place for someone like you.”

Wei Lan smiled and said, “I’m here to buy tools.”

“Alright, they’re at the far end, near the jade stalls. Just ask around there,” the young man said, pointing inward.

Wei Lan thanked him and walked on. At a jade stall, the vendor saw her fine clothing and eagerly said, “Miss, are you buying jade? Look here, these are all good pieces.”

Wei Lan glanced at the stall’s carved items. To her, they were worse than defective—poorly crafted, inadequately polished, and made from low-quality jade.

“I’m here to buy tools for carving jade,” Wei Lan said with a smile.

The vendor’s smile froze. “Miss, don’t tease us. Jade carving is complex. You can’t just buy a couple of knives and be done with it.”

Wei Lan nodded. “I know. I need a full set of jade-making tools, including those for sketching, cutting, shaping, inlaying, polishing, and engraving. I want them all.”

The vendor hadn’t expected Wei Lan to know these terms, but still skeptical, he asked, “You really understand this?”

Wei Lan nodded. “Do you have grinding wheels and large saw blades here? What about jade-polishing sand? If you have ready-made sand, I’ll buy some. And bow drills—I need a complete set of tools.”

Seeing Wei Lan name tools only insiders would know, the vendor finally believed she was serious. He scratched his head and said, “Miss, wait a moment. I’ll get my master. We mostly sell jade here, not many tools, so I’m not sure about the price.”

Wei Lan smiled at him. “Thank you.”

Soon, the vendor brought his master, a female Qianyuan in her thirties. She looked at Wei Lan, clearly surprised. “Miss, you’re the one buying a full set of jade-making tools?”

Wei Lan nodded. “Thank you, boss.”

“A full set of jade-making tools isn’t cheap,” the boss said. “I must warn you, carving jade isn’t something you can learn on a whim. Without five or six years of experience and a master to guide you, you can’t carve anything worthwhile. Are you sure you want to buy?”

Wei Lan smiled. “Thank you for the reminder. I’m sure.”

“There are many types of grinding wheels and bow drills. What about polishing sand? Want that too?” the boss asked.

“I want everything—different types of grinding wheels, various sizes of bow drills, all of it,” Wei Lan said.

These tools weren’t expensive to make, but in the Great Zhou, where jade was prized, wealthy nobles loved jade carvings. Skilled jade carvers held high status, some even becoming honored guests of the imperial family, which drove up the price of jade-making tools.

Learning the craft could lead to great success, but most gave up halfway. Carving jade required focus, patience, and hard practice. Many couldn’t endure the hardship, producing only rough work or abandoning the trade entirely.

Ying Niang, the boss, had seen this often. She noticed Wei Lan’s smooth, delicate hands and thought she was just a rich young lady acting on impulse. Real jade carvers always had calloused hands.

Seeing Wei Lan’s insistence, Ying Niang didn’t argue further. She needed to make money, after all. “Alright, a full set of carving and polishing tools, plus polishing sand, delivered to your estate. Five taels of silver, how’s that?”

Five taels was like five thousand yuan in modern times—a fair price for a full set of tools. Wei Lan thought it was reasonable and added, “Boss, do you have raw jade stones? Nothing too fancy, just some for practice.”

Ying Niang smiled. “No need to buy. Since you’re getting so much, I’ll throw in some stones for free.”

She pointed to the ground nearby, where various raw jade stones were scattered—some scraps, others as big as a human face.

Wei Lan knew jade well. She squatted down, picked up a stone, and examined it. It was greenish with small black spots—it was jasper.

In modern times, this type of jade, especially with black spots, was cheap. When Wei Lan was a beginner, she practiced with it often. She remembered her master once tasked them with carving a hollow jade ornament, avoiding the black spots in jasper.

That piece had taken great effort, balancing artistic expression while dodging the scattered black spots. It drove her and her peers nearly mad.

Recalling those times, Wei Lan smiled. “Great, thank you, boss.”

“No problem. Tell me your address, and after noon, when we’re less busy, I’ll have everything delivered, including these stones. You can pay half now,” Ying Niang said, ensuring Wei Lan felt secure.

Wei Lan smiled and handed over five taels. “No need, boss, I trust you. I live at the Lu Mansion in the city. Deliver to the back gate—it’s closer to my place.”

“The Lu Mansion? Which one?” Ying Niang asked. Panyang City had more than one Lu family, and she didn’t want to deliver to the wrong place.

“The richest Lu Mansion in Panyang City, the one with a Qianyuan who married in,” Wei Lan said casually, as if she wasn’t the one who married in.

“Miss, you’re from that Lu Mansion?” Ying Niang was speechless for a moment.

Wei Lan nodded. “Yes, please have it delivered this afternoon. I’ll inform the back gate.”

“Alright, alright,” Ying Niang replied.

“I’ll head off then,” Wei Lan said, walking toward the market’s exit. As she went, she glanced at nearby raw stone stalls, observing others buying to gauge ancient jade prices. She had fifty taels a month from marrying into the Lu Mansion, but she didn’t want to waste it or be taken for a fool.

After observing, Wei Lan noticed that among the jades, emeralds were the most valuable, followed by pure white mutton-fat jade. Some stones resembled modern Hetian jade.

In modern times, Hetian jade had many types, and after new standards, stones with over 90% tremolite could be certified as Hetian jade, distinguished by origin. In ancient times, without precise instruments or testing agencies, Wei Lan relied on her eyes to identify jade types.

She spent the whole morning outside, unbothered by her fine clothing standing out.

At noon, Wei Lan returned to the estate. Nanny Li, having upset her that morning, now fawned over her.

“My lord, you’re back? The small kitchen has prepared food. Shall we serve it now?” Nanny Li asked eagerly.

Wei Lan nodded faintly. “Yes.”

Soon, a maid brought a wooden tray with a small copper basin for washing hands.

After Wei Lan washed her hands, dishes from the small kitchen were brought in.

Nanny Li smiled. “My lord, enjoy your meal. We’ll step out. Call us if you need anything.”

Wei Lan nodded. “Go.”

Her eyes fell on the small stir-fry dishes—meat, vegetables, and a tofu fish soup.

Wei Lan sipped the soup, which tasted good, far better than the food at her original home.

She ate heartily. The vegetables were fresh and seasonal, the stir-fry used fresh pork, and the rice was flavorful.

Having spent the morning out, Wei Lan ate a lot.

That afternoon, Ying Niang sent people to deliver the jade-making tools.

The delivery workers arrived at the Lu Mansion’s back gate and knocked. The guards, seeing the items on the mule carts, twitched their mouths. “What’s this?”

“Someone from your estate bought these this morning and asked us to deliver,” one replied.

The guard, recalling Wei Lan’s instructions, frowned. “Fine, but the carts can’t come in. Carry everything inside.”

“Alright,” the workers said, familiar with the strict rules of wealthy estates. They began unloading.

Wang Yiding, a guard, watched with irritation. Being near the back gate, he and three others reported daily to the steward and head guard. Usually, nothing happened, but this new lord was already causing trouble. Wang Yiding didn’t like Wei Lan and had no intention of helping, leaving the workers to carry everything themselves.