What brings you to the Hundred Treasures Silver Building?
Wufu set down her teacup with a smile, "To come to your esteemed shop is naturally to do business with Shopkeeper Lin!"
Not buying, then selling. Shopkeeper Lin’s eyes flickered for a moment as he suddenly recalled the jade raw stone that Wufu had taken from Old Man Shen.
"Miss Wufu intends to sell?" Shopkeeper Lin stroked his beard, his eyes slightly curved.
He thought so. This little girl was so young, even if she could carve, what fine pieces could she possibly create? She had hit a snag, realizing now that she had bitten off more than she could chew, hadn’t she?
But originally, when he asked, she wouldn’t sell. Now saying she wanted to sell, the ball was in his court, and the price wouldn’t simply be what she demanded in silver.
At that moment, two women entered the shop. Seeing this, Wufu asked, "Conducting the transaction here, won’t it disturb your business?"
"Please come with me to the back hall," Shopkeeper Lin said with a smile and a gesture.
Wufu stood up and followed him to a room in the back hall that was arranged with cozy elegance. She admired the surroundings with her hands behind her back and praised, "Such a parlor can only be frequented by the wealthy and distinguished, I presume. I’m basking in your reflected glory by being here."
"You flatter me," Shopkeeper Lin glanced around the room, unable to hide the smugness on his face. "Our clients are mainly womenfolk, and some prefer not to show their faces publicly, so there must be a proper place to receive them, right?" And usually, such clients are from rich and prominent families, incomparable to the poor wives and others.
Wufu nodded in agreement.
She understood. Whether it was about womenfolk being seen or not, even men liked to be treated differently. Such refined rooms are akin to VIP lounges, and who doesn’t have a bit of vanity? She had seen more than her fair share of the pretensions of the VIPs and VVIPs lounges from her previous life.
Without further ado, Wufu set her backpack down and took out several silks from inside, laying them on the table. "The jade stone from last time, I’ve carved several small pieces from it. I would like Shopkeeper Lin to appraise them for me."
Shopkeeper Lin was taken aback, what, not selling the raw stone?
He stared at Wufu in amazement as she unfolded the silks to reveal the jewelry, bracelets, jade hairpins, and jade pendants inside.
"You carved these?" Shopkeeper Lin picked up a hairpin, casually glanced at it, and then his eyes widened in shock.
The hairpin wasn’t large, finely polished, with the head of the pin no bigger than a man’s thumb, but on it was carved a lifelike cat.
Ordinary hairpins are engraved with all sorts of flowers and oddities, and it wasn’t unusual to see animals, but the cat carved by Wufu had a lazy and endearing demeanor. The cat lay with one paw over its mouth and half-closed eyes that beckoned fondness.
Shopkeeper Lin took a magnifying glass and inspected the pin from tip to tail, taking in every line and detail without missing a beat before silently setting it down.
Wufu held her teacup, gently blowing on it, watching his movements out of the corner of her eye, her lips curling slightly as she saw him examine the bracelet and jade pendant.
An hour later, after hearing an almost imperceptible sigh from him, Wufu finally lifted her gaze.
"Miss Wufu, these jade ornaments are your work?" Shopkeeper Lin unwillingly asked yet another question.
Wufu took his magnifying glass, picked up the jade pendant, brought the lens close, and said, "Shopkeeper Lin, please have a look?"
Shopkeeper Lin, somewhat puzzled, leaned in for a closer look and was stunned again.
Under the magnifying glass, a ’Wufu’ carved in the style of a flower entered his field of vision. Was this her signature?