Chapter 388 Fude

She has a special connection with stones.

Song Chunxue suddenly remembered that the stone she picked up on Wuquan Mountain in Jincheng had been exchanged for a large house.

What if this is also valuable? Who will ultimately own it?

Yao Man was in dire need of money, and since the stone was a gift from her, Song Chunxue couldn't keep it all to herself.

She held the heavy stone and turned to look at Yao Man.

"If this stone is valuable and can be sold for a lot of money in the future, how about we split it equally among the three of us?"

Yao Man laughed, not thinking that such a stone would be valuable. Although jadeite is carved out of stone, she felt that a valuable stone would never end up in her hands.

She didn't remember how she got the stone; it was probably a gift from someone before her husband passed away.

"Sister Song, you're being too polite. Since I'm willing to give it to you, even if it's wrapped in gold, I'll accept it." She waved her hand. "Take it and try it out, but I don't think it's enough to cover the craftsman's wages."

“I heard that there are a lot of people gambling on stones in the Nanzhao Kingdom, and they have a lot of stones there. Here we are mostly loess and red soil, and there are only stones in deep river gullies, but not many. There are more stones further north from here, closer to the Yellow River. What valuable stones could we possibly have here? If we did, we would have been famous long ago.”

Song Chunxue nodded, "That makes sense, but I'm just curious. It would be nice to carve something nice."

"Then you go ahead, and when you come back, carve something nice for us to see."

Mei Yang led Song Chunxue through many twists and turns, finally arriving at the courtyard of the craftsman he had mentioned.

It was less a courtyard and more a cave dwelling with a door that was so simple it couldn't be simpler, just to let others know that someone lived there.

The willow sticks were tied together with ropes made of tree bark. This should be the legendary wooden gate, but Song Chunxue thought it would be more appropriate to call it a rotten gate.

The upper and middle parts of the door were shiny with oil from frequent handling, while the rest of the door was covered in black grime and dust. The entire door frame was about to fall apart, and the door itself was crooked and tilting towards the middle.

It was as if two elderly people, nearing their end, were holding on, encouraging each other, hoping that the other would live one more day and serve as the doorman for the owner inside for one more day.

As evening approached, the air was cool and comfortable, and a refreshing breeze blew in through my sleeves.

In the past, she would have shivered from the cold air right now.

But since she started practicing cultivation, she is no longer so afraid of the cold wind.

Mei Yang crawled into an old earthen kiln. The wooden door had been dried to a color almost identical to the kiln itself. The once narrow gaps between the wood grains had widened, and the entire door was warped from being dried too much, resembling a hunched centenarian.

But the door panel is quite thick and can last for decades.

Song Chunxue threw the stone on the ground and sat outside the door to wait.

The old man in the house spoke slowly and was hard of hearing, so Mei Yang's voice grew louder and louder.

After discussing it for a while, they opened the wooden door and came out.

"Squeak~"

Song Chunxue stood up and looked at the old man.

The old man in front of me was no more than four feet tall, with a hunched back. His clothes were blemished and darkened by the sun, and covered with various wormholes, making them look like they could melt if you pulled them too hard.

The old man had gray hair, but the wrinkles on his face were not deep. His eyes were bright and alert. He glanced at Song Chunxue and then turned his gaze to the stone.

"This stone is beautiful."

The old man bent down and squatted down, his thin, pale hands stroking the stone. His knuckles were enlarged, and his palms seemed unable to open properly, making him appear less agile.

He smiled, like a child, stroking the smooth stone. "You want me to crack open and carve something?"

As he spoke, he got up and went to get his tools.

Song Chunxue took two steps back and found that the yard was full of stones of all shapes and sizes. Besides that, there were mostly weeds, the kind that would never fit in a grain field.

But here, it grows in a haphazard yet orderly fashion, freely in the cracks of rocks and in open spaces, without the annoying weeds like ice grass and foxtail grass, which have obviously been carefully removed.

It looks quite nice at first glance.

This old man is quite mysterious; his skills must be excellent.

Mei Yang smiled and said, "Uncle Wen, it would be best if you could make bracelets or something like that. You're an expert, so whatever you think is best, we'll do it your way."

This was the first time I'd ever heard Mei Yang speak to someone so politely; I didn't even need to look at his expression to know he was smiling very brightly.

This old man might be a reclusive master.

Seeing a low bamboo stool next to the stone table, Song Chunxue sat down comfortably.

Mei Yang was familiar with the other person, so she didn't interrupt.

The old man held a hammer in one hand and a chisel in the other, gently chipping away at the outer layer of the stone.

This technique is like peeling an eggshell.

Song Chunxue's eyes widened in surprise.

That's impressive.

She stood up and said, “I have another one at home. It looks a lot like this one. It’s very smooth and the color looks good. I’ll bring it over now.”

Mei Yang raised her hand to stop her, saying, "It's not too late to knock on it and take a look first."

The old man didn't even look up. "Go ahead, bring it here so I can take a look."

Song Chunxue smiled and nodded, "Okay, you wait here."

After taking a couple of steps, she stopped. "Would you like me to bring you a pot of wine?"

"Red sorghum, white pear blossoms, and another roast chicken, please." The old man didn't stand on ceremony, his hands never stopping.

"Okay, I'll go right now." Song Chunxue happily walked out.

I'm afraid they won't speak up.

If someone is willing to ask for something, it means they are very willing to help.

That stone must be pretty good.

When they got home, the third child had just returned, and the fourth child had already peeled the potatoes and was waiting for Song Chunxue to cook.

"You two cook for yourselves. I'm going out for a bit. Don't wait for me tonight, just leave the door open for me."

When the fourth son saw her carrying the stone away, he ran over and said, "Mother, let me go with you."

"No need. You stay home with Sanwa. One of you can wash the dishes and the other can cook. You don't need to save any food for me."

Before the fourth brother could ask anything else, Song Chunxue had already left the courtyard with the stone in her arms, and turned to close the gate.

"..." The fourth child looked a little disappointed and turned to look at the third child, "Aren't you curious about what your mother went to do?"

“I’m not curious. It can’t be more dangerous than digging up a grave. Let her go if she wants. Anyway, she’s skilled in martial arts, and ordinary people can’t get the better of her.” With that, Sanwa went into the kitchen. “Get some firewood to start a fire.”

...

Song Chunxue was holding a stone in her arms and carrying a heavy bundle on her shoulder.

Back in the old woman's courtyard, she gently placed the stone on the ground, then spread the bundle out on the ground.

Mei Yang had been watching the old man break stones when she got up and saw that he had brought wine, meat, peanuts, and a bowl of stir-fried potato noodles with eggs.

"You brought dinner with you?" Mei Yang pointed to the door. "I'll go tell the wife, or she'll yell at me."

“Go ahead, you’re quite virtuous as a husband, not bad, your wife is lucky.” Song Chunxue took out two pairs of chopsticks and said to the old man, “Old man, eat first, it’s not too late to do your work after you’ve eaten.”

"Husband virtue?" Mei Yang was so shocked that his voice cracked. "You're saying I have husband virtue? What kind of thing is husband virtue?"

“If a woman has virtue, she will have virtue in her husband. Is that so strange?” Song Chunxue said irritably. “You’re making a fuss over nothing. You’ve studied for a few more years than me, but you don’t seem to have much more knowledge.”

"You..." Mei Yang laughed angrily, "I've never heard of the word 'husband virtue' in all my life!"

“I think that makes sense. Kid, hurry back and have a drink with me. I’ll tell you about the value of this stone.”