Wufu had said that it would take several days just to repair the chipped corner of the Chicken Blood Stone entrusted to her by Merchant Liu and she wasn’t exaggerating.
At the moment, she had spent half a day just drafting and etching the design on the lotus pedestal, and she still hadn’t carved out the most ideal pattern, let alone start the actual carving process.
Putting down the charcoal pencil, Wufu stood up and swayed, feeling dizzy and lightheaded as the sunlight coming through the window was blinding.
She had been sitting for too long!
Wufu stretched and kicked her legs in the air before walking out the door. The courtyard outside was filled with the noise of people, slightly chaotic. Standing under the eaves, she observed the people in the yard more clearly.
They were men of various ages, all dressed in blue and white tunics with cloth belts and head cloths, each holding a big porcelain bowl.
These were the craftspersons employed by the Hundred Treasures Silver Building.
Seeing Wufu appear, the crowd was stunned for a moment before they turned their heads away and snickered.
"Shopkeeper Lin has been deceived as well, entrusting such a fine piece of Chicken Blood Stone to a green young girl for carving. It truly diminishes us all."
"Indeed, who here isn’t a great craftsman? Even our youngest, Xiao Zhu, is a craftsman with ten years of experience, yet..."
"Blinded by lard, thinking it’s a treasure. Just wait and see. There will come a day when Shopkeeper Lin will regret this, and Merchant Liu certainly won’t let this pass."
"Let it be, none of Mr. Lin’s disciples have spoken yet. When is it our turn to be discontent? Let’s just collect our wages quietly and not offend anyone."
"Even so, it shouldn’t be... the Hundred Treasures Silver Building is probably heading for decline!"
"Exactly, Mr. Lin should come back to take charge. Ahem, enough said..."
Wufu, with her keen hearing, caught the entire conversation. Looking at the few who were lining up for their meal, they all averted their gazes disdainfully. They seemed very dissatisfied and displeased with her!
And why not? She was so young, yet she was the lead carver for a piece of top-quality Chicken Blood Stone. Naturally, this would make those seasoned workers feel skeptical and resentful.
"Miss Wufu," Shopkeeper Lin came over, having specially come to lead Wufu to her meal, concerned she might be unfamiliar with the arrangements.
He had Old Granny Chen serve Wufu a portion before guiding her to the small wooden stool set out under the eaves.
"Is there anything you’re not accustomed to? Just tell me!" Shopkeeper Lin said with a smile.
"Everything is fine, thank you for your concern," Wufu replied as she toyed with her meal and glanced at the others sitting under the eaves.
Each of them was pricking up their ears to listen in. Did they think she had some unclear relationship with Shopkeeper Lin, which is why she received this task?
Noticing her silence, Shopkeeper Lin followed her gaze and saw several people immediately turn their heads back to their meals, eating in a flustered manner.
His expression soured slightly as he said softly, "Miss Wufu, just do your work and don’t mind others’ looks. True gold does not fear the test of fire, and whether or not you have genuine skills will be evident once your work is out, leaving them with nothing to say!"
He knew that employing Wufu had made the craftsmen of the Silver House rather upset, and some even approached him, volunteering themselves and hinting that he had made a wrong decision. However, since the young master had already given his orders, what choice did he have?
"Don’t worry, Shopkeeper Lin, I’ve never been one to care about the gazes of others," Wufu said with a faint smile.
Wufu truly didn’t care and wasn’t planning to explain herself. That wasn’t her style. When the work was complete, everyone would see with their own eyes and then know whether she was genuinely skilled or not.
She had always let her craftsmanship do the talking.