Ever since Luo Xianyun was put under house arrest, the red leaves in the woodshed seemed to have been forgotten by everyone.
Luo Hongyu only had Mrs. Luo in his eyes and never mentioned her again, and Mrs. Luo no longer asked about her.
Three days later, when Luo Hongyu was on his way to court, a servant came to report that Hongye had died from severe injuries.
Luo Hongyu only looked up at the woodshed and said, "Prepare a thin coffin for burial!" He took two steps and turned back to remind her, "Madam is recuperating. Let the housekeeper take care of these things. There's no need to disturb her."
Thus ended Hongye's tragic and vicious life. Luo Xianyun, confined for two full years, was no longer the same person she had been when she was released. Her brother was no longer the only male in the Luo family, and she was no longer the young lady whom Madam Luo loved as her own daughter. A concubine's daughter was always a concubine's daughter, and that could never change. Of course, all this is a story for later.
It is said that after Mrs. Luo left that day, Tian An took out a silver note of one hundred taels from the purse she gave her, which really made her happy for a long time, and she kept praising Mrs. Luo for her generosity.
Thinking that I had only prescribed a prescription, I felt a little guilty, so I decided to give her a bottle of folic acid when she came for another checkup.
Holding the silver note, Tian An took Deng Xue to stroll aimlessly on the street, trying to find something suitable to give to Gu Jinyan as a coming-of-age gift.
Unfortunately, after a day of browsing, she couldn't find anything suitable. The cheap ones were too expensive for her, and the ones she liked were too expensive. She had some spare cash, but it wasn't enough to spend lavishly. With such a large general's mansion under her belt, how could she not keep some reserves?
Besides, the only things you can buy in the shop are jewelry and ornaments. Gu Jinyan should have a lot of this kind of things! There is nothing new at all.
Seeing that it was getting late, Tian An took Deng Xue back home. Along the way, she thought, since buying a gift wouldn't work, she might as well make a gift for Gu Jinyan herself.
Unfortunately, her embroidery skills were fine for her family, but not good enough for gifts. Skincare products wouldn't work either; Gu Jinyan already had everything in her shop. I was thinking of giving her a birthday cake! It would be fine for a regular birthday, but for a coming-of-age ceremony, that gift would be too small, just a bonus.
Oh! It’s such a headache!
When he returned to the house, he saw Uncle Li directing people to plant flowers in the yard. Tian An suddenly had an idea: why not send flowers? Girls all like flowers.
Of course, she wasn't going to give ordinary flowers, but preserved flowers. Giving preserved flowers at a coming-of-age ceremony had a good meaning. And since no one else could make them, or buy them, they were truly unique. It was the perfect gift.
They did it right away. After Uncle Li finished his work, Tian An went to ask him what flowers were in full bloom at the moment. After selecting a few flowers with excellent meanings, she asked Uncle Li to help her choose.
Uncle Li was very efficient and brought the flowers over the next afternoon. To keep the flowers in better condition, Tian An kept them in the space for two more days before starting to work on them.
It took Tian An ten days just to turn the fresh flowers into everlasting flowers.
During this time, she drew a geometric glass box and asked Chen Qiang to take it to someone to have it custom-made. The box was a metal frame with glass inlays, the kind that were so common in her previous life.
Unfortunately, she had overlooked the craftsmanship of the era. On the third day, Chen Qiang came to her with the blueprints. "Miss, I've spent three days searching almost every shop in the capital, but no craftsman can make the glass box you want!"
Tian An was dumbfounded. She had already made the everlasting flowers, but now she couldn't make the box. What would she use to put them in?
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "What did the craftsmen say?"
Chen Qiang pointed at the blueprint and said, "They can make this frame, but they can't make the colored glaze in the middle. We don't have colored glaze in our country. The colored glaze that's available now is imported from foreign countries. It's very inconvenient to transport, so the price is extremely high. And the shapes are all specific. There's no such shape."
Tian An said unwillingly, "Can I buy a whole piece?"
Chen Qiang thought carefully for a long time before saying, "I have seen a whole piece of colored glaze in a shop before, but I don't know the price."
"It's fine if you have it." Tian An asked Chen Qiang for the address of the store, saying that he would go there to buy it and cut it himself.
After Chen Qiang left, Tian An went to find Zhao Yiming. Of course, she wouldn't be so foolish as to spend a lot of money to buy colored glass from outside, after all, there was already a lot of it in the space.
Zhao Yiming was reading in the room. Tian An came in and sent his servant away before telling him his thoughts.
Hearing this, Zhao Yiming looked up at her and asked, "Do you have a way to cut glass?"
Tian An raised his chin and said, "That's right, this thing is only so expensive here. In our time, it was something that was everywhere." He pointed at the wolf-hair brush on the desk and said, "It's not even as valuable as your brush."
Then he glanced outside and took out a glass cutter from his bag and showed it to Zhao Yiming. "Just use this tool to cut it gently and it will cut neatly. Don't be fooled by its small size. Cutting glass is as easy as cutting tofu."
Zhao Yiming took the glass cutter and observed it for a long time, but he still couldn't understand it. He would have to wait and see what it could do. After returning it to Tian An, he said, "I have a day off the day after tomorrow, so I can go with you."
Tian An nodded, "The day after tomorrow then."
…
The agreed day arrived, and early in the morning Zhao Yiming personally drove the carriage and took Tian An to find the craftsman.
In the carriage was the colored glass that Tian An had taken out from the space. The reason she asked Zhao Yiming to accompany her out was just to get something from the space.
Half an hour later, the carriage stopped at the back door of a two-story house in the outer city. It was unknown how Zhao Yiming knew about this place. He didn't say much, only saying that there was a very skilled craftsman here.
Tian An did not suspect anything and followed him in. He found that the owner of the house was actually very respectful to him.
Zhao Yiming introduced her, "This is Yu Bo, the best craftsman in our family's old shop."
Tian An was stunned for a moment before realizing that the "home" he was talking about was the Duke's Mansion.
Yu Bo was also very respectful to Tian An, but after hearing her request, he hesitated a little, "I have never tried to cut glass, and glass is precious and fragile. I am afraid..."
Tian An immediately handed him the glass cutter and asked him to try it on the spot. "It's okay, just try it. It's not your fault if you make a mistake."
Yu Bo looked at Zhao Yiming uncertainly, and only took the glass cutter after seeing him nod.
Although it was his first time cutting glass, his hands were very steady. Following Tian An's method, he easily cut off a small piece of glass.
Zhao Yiming also realized that what Tian An said was just like cutting tofu.
Yu Bo excitedly held the glass cutter in his hand and said, "With this thing, I can cut the glass into any shape I want in the future."
Tian An showed him the blueprint he had drawn and asked him how long it would take to complete it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
