Chapter 29: In the Forest, All Together

“Judging from your extraordinary speech and manner as well as confidence in the sculpting technique, I guess it’ll be a real master piece.” The lord in the carriage thought for a while, adding, “In seven days, it’ll be old madam’s birthday. Shall we set the deliver day on six days later? At Baiyunju in six days, Xin Yiming will wait for the great work.”

Xin Yiming! A good name and a decisive person. He uttered a question, but it was in fact a decision.

The time was just right. If he didn’t mention it, Mo Qianxue would also suggest this day. Seven days later would be the day when the shops were open for investment.

Once the business was decided, Mo Qianxue’s nerves became tense.

To complete a work of root sculpture was impossible, but today, she wanted to take this challenge. Even without eating or sleeping, she was determined to finish the work on time.

The jade must be kept to her!

The land at the dock must be bought too!

She hurried to buy some tools for sculpting and hired a carriage, rushing all the way back to the village.

She had to go back quickly and to find the raw root!

In the luxurious carriage, the young lord in white half leaned in it. Gao Lang sat next to him, ready to serve him, and asked with caution.

“Lord, is this lady trustworthy? Why did you agree so easily? It’s five hundred taels! The one made by the first-level master of that wooden-pieces shop is just three hundred…”

“Gao Lang, didn’t you hear her said that we can refuse to take it if we’re dissatisfied? Don’t worry too much. If I like the one she offers, it will be her honor. If it’s too unpleasant to the eye, we won’t suffer any lose and just go back to the shop…”

“Lord you’re so wise!”

……

At Tianyou dock, there left only some end work to finish, so the work load was light. Fang Datong and other married men had been paid yesterday, and they all stayed at home to help their wives with domestic work and didn’t go to the dock. Only those boys who felt too idle went to work at the dock again.

When she got back to the village, it was afternoon already. Mo Qianxue didn’t go home and headed directly for sister Fang’s home to ask Fang Datong to help her find a group of men and to go to the mountain with her for roots digging.

After designating eight roots above which the trunks had already been chopped off, Mo Qianxue posted a reward that anyone who could dig out a complete root without damaging it and send it to her home before the next dawn would be rewarded two hundred cents.

Usually, it took at least two or three days to dig out an intact tree root.

However, she believed that with a big reward, there must be a capable person.

The several village men were stunned, believing that Mrs. Ning became crazy out of the joy of making some money through tofu.

The stumps dug out could only be thrown into hearth and burned as firewood. What else could it be? Two hundred cents? Insane!

However, who would hate to earn too much money? Everyone had doubts in their minds, but none of them spoke out. Fang Datang and two other men dissuaded her, an action which not only failed to convince Mo Qianxue but also encountered with the eye-rolling from the rest of the men, so they shut up.

The men taking the task were both happy and anxious, because Mo Qianxue told them that if the main root hair was hurt, then they could get no money at all, and that if they didn’t deliver the root on time, they could get no money at all either.

Obviously, it would be impossible for one single person to dig out a root. Therefore, all of them went back home to bring their families and take tools.

Suddenly the village was boiling. Digging out one root in one night could obtain two hundred cents. What a good business! All the families and relatives of those men were coming. Even women and children helped take out the slimmer root hairs with their bare hands.

Sister Fang and Shuanzi went there too. Before leaving, they let Mo Qianxue take care of Yaya.

After all, who would hate to earn too much money?

This evening, the back mountain of the village of Wang clan was light up by torches and put in great cheer.

Indeed, when all people joining together, they achieved great things. When Mo Qianxue woke up in the next morning, the eight complete intact tree roots were tidily placed in the small yard of Ning family.

These roots generated zeal in Mo Qianxue’s eyes while Ning Shaoqing was puzzled.

Yesterday, even when she saw the jade which worth a thousand taels, she didn’t look this zealous. Were these trees worth more than the jade?

Looking at the roots in various shapes and then taking a glance at the beams shooting out of Mo Qianxue’s eyes, Ning Shaoqing was intrigued suddenly. Without any suspicion, he laughed, “Are these roots some kind of treasure? I’m so ignorant. Would you tell me?”

Mo Qianxue fixed her eyes on the shapes of these tree roots, replying without turning to him, “Of course these are treasures. They are our shop at the dock!”

“Shop? The jade didn’t exchange enough money?” Ning Shaoqing was a little surprised.

The jade could sell at least three thousand taels on the market, so it shouldn’t be hard to exchange for a thousand.

Was she cheated by the dealer?

His face gradually cooled down.

Mo Qianxue turned around and saw his expression, knowing that he might misunderstand. She hurriedly took out the jade from her neck, “I like the jade very much and didn’t put it on pledge.”

Seeing Mo Qianxue wearing the jade on her neck, Ning Shaoqing showed complicated expression.

At the sight of his sullen look, Mo Qianxue suddenly wanted to tease him, “This is the first time you give me a gift. How can I put it on pledge?”

Ning Shaoqing flushed to even the tips of his ears, and Mo Qianxue felt satisfied, “Even if I didn’t put it on pledge, it’s mine already. Don’t try to take it back.”

While speaking, Mo Qianxue gently put back the jade, as if she feared that he would grab it back. Ning Shaoqing couldn’t help laughing, “It belongs to you already. No matter how you deal with it, it’s your right.” He should have given it to her long before.

The tofu-making work had been totally entrusted to sister Fang and sister Guihua. After the breakfast when Ning Shaoqing left, Mo Qianxue asked sister Fang to help her cook for these few days. Then she concentrated on examining the tree roots, trying to select one to make the raw material of the root sculpture.

Having examined these roots, Mo Qianxue began to feel them with her hands. When she touched one of the roots, there suddenly sent over a subtle fragrance, which lit up her eyes.

The shape of this one wasn’t as good as another one, but she still chose this one without hesitation.

The one she selected was a root of a camphor tree. It was an evergreen arbor which had a slow growth period and was famous for its rarity. The dense special aroma it sent out could last for years.

Moreover, the camphor wood has fine and naturally beautiful texture which was not easy to break or crack. It had been since ancient times the top materials for the art of sculpting.

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