Goudan chuckled and went to take out his precious stone from the backpack. Chen Yitang followed him and just in time saw the stone that Zeng Wenjuan had brought back.
He was shocked and took out a small flashlight from his pocket and shone it on the stone. It turned green. If he was not mistaken, it was still emerald jade. It would depend on the water quality after it was cut.
"Goudan...did you pick up this stone from the mountain too?" Chen Yintang picked up the stone and said to Goudan.
Goudan shook his head and fiddled with his own stone: "My mother picked up that stone. She said she would make pickled cabbage for me. Pickled cabbage is delicious."
This really shocked Chen Yitang. This is jadeite! Although it cannot be put on the market now, many people still buy it, buy low and sell high, and wait to make a fortune when it is released in the future.
Chen Yitang took the stone to the kitchen and found Zeng Wenjuan. He said to her, "Nannan! Do you want to use this stone to pickle sauerkraut?"
"Well, this stone looks pretty good, about the same size as a pickle jar. It's just right for pickling pickles, and the maple we planted will be ready for harvest in a while." Zeng Wenjuan knew it was a good thing, otherwise Chen Yitang wouldn't have brought it over to ask. But she wasn't sure what the good thing was yet, so she could only go along with the conversation.
"Nannan! This is a good thing. It contains emerald jade. If you trust me, give me the stone and I will help you cut it." Chen Yintang said excitedly.
Zeng Wenjuan had heard the older generation talk about jadeite over the years, and after seeing the rabbit jade plaque carved by Chen Yitang, she nodded and agreed: "Okay, it's just a piece of stone picked up from the mountain. If it's really a good thing, I'll make a jade plaque for Goudan as well."
"Okay, then I'll go back and get the tools." Chen Yintang said happily, put the stone down and walked outside.
Goudan was bored and wanted to see what treasures were inside the stone, so he followed Chen Yintang and ran out.
Soon, Chen Yitang picked up the tools and gave Goudan two pieces of peach cake. He took Goudan's hand and said, "Let's go back! Grandpa will show you a magic trick later."
Both the old and the young walked home excitedly. When they got home, Chen Yitang greeted Zeng Wenjuan, closed the gate, sat in the yard and began to cut the stone carefully.
Little by little, the emerald jade slowly revealed its green color, and Goudan was amazed. Such a beautiful thing could be found in an ordinary stone.
When it was time to eat, the emerald jade was completely exposed, about the size of a goose egg. Zeng Wenjuan came out to call them to eat after finishing the meal, and then she saw the jade.
"Oh my God, is this jade? It's really beautiful. If it were in the past, this jade could be exchanged for some money, enough for the family to use and even to build a house. But now..." It's just a piece of broken stone.
"Times will slowly change. The motherland needs development and certainly needs talents. Now many elderly people are buying these, one for collection and the other because they want to wait for the reform to make a lot of money." Chen Yitang told Zeng Wenjuan about the current social environment.
Zeng Wenjuan nodded and said, "Since we have such a good thing, could Master help make a jade plaque for Goudan?" Although she hadn't become his disciple yet, Zeng Wenjuan addressed him like this without knowing what to call him.
"Of course you can. This jade is quite big. It can be made into a jade bracelet and a jade pendant. Otherwise, I can make them for you too." Chen Yitang said to Zeng Wenjuan while staring at the emerald.
Zeng Wenjuan nodded: "Okay, just do what you think. I just need a jade pendant." She mainly wanted to ensure Goudan's safety.
…
…
The next day, Zeng Wenjuan went to work, and Goudan stayed at home with Chen Yitang. If it were before, she probably would not let Goudan follow Chen Yitang.
But after seeing the jade plaque carved by Chen Yitang yesterday, she completely believed in Chen Yitang. He was a good father who loved his daughter.
Goudan and Chen Yintang sat together. Chen Yintang held the knife in his left hand and began to cut the jade. After a jade plaque came out, he changed the knife to grind it and the carving knife to carve patterns. Soon the outline of a piglet came out.
"Wow... Grandpa is so awesome! This pig next door looks like this! It would be great if it was white. It looks so delicious when it's white and plump." Goudan praised in amazement.
Chen Yitang laughed and looked at Goudan: "Do you want to eat meat? Grandpa will take you to the front mountain later. Grandpa is very good at hunting. Do you want to eat pheasant or rabbit?"
"I want to eat them all. The pheasant can be stewed into soup, and the remaining chicken soup can be used to cook noodles in the morning. The wild rabbit can be fried and eaten deliciously." Goudan said with a greedy look.
"Hearing Goudan say that, I'm already envious." Chen Yitang imitated Goudan's words and then asked, "Goudan... just call yourself Goudan! You don't have a real name."
Goudan nodded: "Of course I have. My mother said that it was my father who gave me the name Zhao Pingjin. My father read it in a book."
"As a guest in Pingjin, I have always had a lot of money when I went out of the border. Tsk... this name is too materialistic. But it's not old-fashioned either." Chen Yintang said with a little dissatisfaction.
Goudan was a little unhappy when he heard Chen Yitang say this. He pouted and said, "I like this name very much. My father gave it to me."
"You little brat, as long as you like it. It's better to be a little materialistic, so that you won't have to suffer. Do you want to learn jade carving from grandpa?" Chen Yintang asked Goudan.
Goudan's eyes sparkled as he asked back, "Grandpa, can I do this? Will the knife hurt me? This stone is so hard, can I carve it?"
“You really can’t do it now. What I mean is that if you want to learn, you can start by carving radishes. After two years of learning, you will be old enough by then and can start jade carving.” Chen Yintang also started learning at this age.
"Okay, Master, please accept my disciple's greetings. I will learn well." Goudan didn't know where he learned the etiquette of paying respect to a master, but he knelt down to Chen Yitang.
This frightened Chen Yitang. He hurried over to help Goudan up. He patted the dirt off his body and said to him, "You little brat! I'm your grandfather. If you call me master, then I'm a generation below your mother."
"Then you teach me things, then you are my master. I have seen movies where people have to learn from a master." There would always be people in the village walking to show the movie, so Goudan happened to have seen it too.
"We are grandfather and grandson, so it's my duty to teach you some things. You don't need to become my disciple. Just be obedient and study hard." Chen Yintang said in a gentle voice.
Goudan nodded half-knowingly, indicating that he understood.
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