Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Wife A in Ancient Times - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Lu Zijin stayed in the study until the hour of Xu before returning to her bedroom. The mansion’s businesses spanned various industries, and she handled endless tasks daily. Although Lu Zijin delegated work to subordinates, she often inspected shops and routinely checked accounts each month.

When she returned to her bedroom, she felt tired. She asked the servants to prepare bathwater, bathed, and went to bed early.

Meanwhile, Wei Lan completed the fourth step of jade carving, called “chong duo,” in the afternoon. This step involved grinding the jade’s edges into a round shape.

This step also used the spinning wheel. Wei Lan sat at the wheel, removed the thin steel disc from the wooden axle, and replaced it with a thick steel disc. She poured red sand mixed with water onto the jade, then pressed the jade against the thick disc. Her legs pedaled the boards below, and the hemp rope turned the thick disc on the table, grinding the jade’s edges.

After this step, the jade’s rough shape formed. Wei Lan carefully smoothed the edges and even ground two symmetrical small corners at the top.

She ate dinner, then returned to the jade carving room to continue the next steps.

Wei Lan rinsed the jasper with water. In modern terms, it was a “wushi” plaque, but to her, it was not even a semi-finished product.

She sat down, removed the thick steel disc used for “chong duo,” and replaced it with a steel disc about 0.6 centimeters thick.

Wei Lan pressed the jasper against it, pedaled the boards, and began grinding the plaque. This was the fifth step, “mo duo.” Unlike the fourth step, which rounded the edges, the fifth step polished the jade’s surface to make it smooth and fine.

When she meticulously completed the “mo duo” process, the sky was nearly dark.

The next carving steps strained the eyes, and ancient times lacked lamps. Wei Lan stopped, planning to continue the remaining steps at daylight.

She stood, brushed off the dust from grinding jade, and returned to her bedroom. She asked for bathwater to be prepared.

Li Zhufeng and Zhao Linghui sat in a room, hearing noises outside. Zhao Linghui asked, “So, what happened? You went to the steward today. What’s his attitude toward the lord?”

Li Zhufeng shook her head. “I can’t tell, but I think he doesn’t take her seriously. Otherwise, what right does a steward have to question the lord’s actions?”

“True. As long as we don’t provoke her and keep up appearances, that’s enough. Following her is just bad luck,” Zhao Linghui sighed.

“Exactly. Before, the lady was about to get engaged to the cousin. But after the eldest young master died, the lady married her to protect the Lu Mansion from outsiders. She doesn’t even like her. If the lord were the cousin, we’d curry favor, since he’s a merchant and grew up with the lady,” Li Zhufeng said, sighing.

The mansion’s servants wanted benefits, and the fastest way was serving a useful master. Clearly, Wei Lan was not useful.

Wei Lan did not know people discussed her behind her back. She thought about how to carve the jade tomorrow to remove all the black spots.

After her hair dried, she went to bed early. In her past life, overworking at night cost her life. This time, she valued her life and eyes.

The next morning, Wei Lan ate breakfast and dove back into the jade room.

The sixth step of traditional jade carving was “tou tang,” hollowing out pieces like snuff bottles. Since Wei Lan was carving a plaque, she skipped this step.

She sat at another table. Her main task that morning was “shang hua,” the carving step in modern terms. In modern times, she could use an electric drill needle, flexible and convenient, but now she relied on ancient tools.

This step used many small chisels for “ya duo.” She pedaled the boards below for power, and the wooden axle drove the chisels to leave lines on the jade’s hard surface.

Wei Lan worked carefully. A slight mistake could ruin the entire jade.

Fortunately, she had used these tools before, or she could not have adapted.

Soon, as Wei Lan moved, the chisels left patterns on the jade’s surface.

She focused on using the lines to remove the small black spots on the jade’s surface. She carved skillfully, relying on experience without detailed sketches. The flower-and-bird pattern on the jasper took shape.

Wei Lan soaked the jasper in a nearby basin to wash it. She took it out, looked at it, and smiled. So far, everything was successful. The jasper looked completely different from the scrap, now taking proper form.

Wei Lan held the jasper up. Except for the black spots, the carved flower-and-bird pattern had formed. She still needed to remove the spots.

She moved to another tool table to begin the eighth step of traditional jade carving, “da zuan,” drilling to hollow out patterns and remove the jasper’s small black spots. She also wanted to add more depth to the carving.

This tool table, unlike the one for “ya duo,” consisted mainly of a curved bow and a rolling rod with a diamond drill at the bottom.

Wei Lan sat at one end of the table. She held the jade in her left hand, pressing it under the diamond drill at the rod’s end. Her right hand pulled the curved bow back and forth, rotating the rod. The diamond drill at the rod’s tip created a round hole in the jade.

The diamond drill’s tip was replaceable. Wei Lan switched to a very fine drill bit, pulled the bow with her right hand, and pressed the jade under the drill with her left. She slowly turned the black spots into intricate patterns.

Wei Lan focused intensely. This step required drilling the plaque’s surface with depth, so no mistakes were allowed.

She kept working. Ancient tools were less efficient than modern ones. It took great effort to remove all the black spots and turn them into an intricate small mountain with carved flower-and-bird scenes.

When Wei Lan stopped, washed the plaque in water, and took it out, the plaque was entirely green, free of impurities.

Her calm eyes finally showed a ripple of emotion. Her lips curved slightly. She looked at the plaque, nodded with satisfaction, and felt relieved. Her skills remained.

The hollow carving was only roughly formed and needed the ninth step, “tou hua.”

Wei Lan switched to another table. She took a saw bow, untied one end of its steel wire, passed it through a hole in the tool, and retied it. Her right hand pulled the saw bow back and forth. The wire, coated with wet jade-dissolving sand, left final lines on the jade surface according to her vision. This step was fine carving.

Her hands, from continuous effort, had blisters from the previous day. Wei Lan didn’t mind much. She asked the maids for ointment, applied it, and continued working. With more use, her hands would develop calluses, preventing further blisters.

Wei Lan ate a simple lunch, skipped her nap, and dove back into her jade studio.

Since she was carving a plaque, she skipped the tenth step, “da yan,” used for drilling holes in items like snuff bottles. She began the tenth step, “mu duo,” polishing.

Wei Lan sat at the spinning wheel, removed the thin steel disc, and replaced it with a thick wooden disc.

She pressed the jade against the wooden disc, sprinkled wet jade-dissolving sand on its surface, and pedaled the boards below. The hemp rope turned the axle, spinning the wooden disc. Pressing the plaque against it roughly polished it.

Wei Lan polished carefully, taking about half an hour to complete the rough polishing.

Then came the final step, “pi duo,” using leather to polish and brighten the jade.

Wei Lan was even more cautious in this step. She pressed the jade against the moving leather belt, polishing all sides. Soon, the dull plaque became entirely green and glossy.

Wei Lan rinsed the plaque and gently wiped it clean with a cloth. She examined it in her hand. It was a qualified landscape jasper plaque, with craftsmanship surpassing many plaques she saw at Yuya Pavilion.

Still, ancient carving tools limited her potential. An electric carving knife would have been much easier.

Wei Lan looked at the plaque, her eyes softening with affection. She grew fonder of her work. She planned to spend a few days carving more pieces and take them to Yuya Pavilion to see how much her jade carvings could sell for.

In modern times, carving a single plaque earned her hundreds of thousands, the cheapest rate. Finer carvings or ornaments cost more. Wei Lan wondered how much silver her carvings would fetch in this era.