Chapter 14 Entanglement
Jiang Ran thought about the drawing for a whole day, but still couldn't figure out why Lu Weiqing wanted this wooden bookmark.
She wondered, could this thing be mastered quickly?
It seems that most of them are skills learned as children, and it takes several years for an apprentice to lay the foundation.
Could it be that he felt that she had no special skills but was quite talented in carving, so he urged her to start learning the craft?
She looked at her own white fingers and shuddered, as if she had already foreseen the miserable days when she would tremble even when holding chopsticks.
After struggling for a long time, Jiang Ran finally called the owner of the wood carving workshop to her house and asked him to find a good master for her as soon as possible.
When the master heard that she wanted to learn wood carving, he tried to dissuade her, "Miss, this is physically demanding work, you..."
Jiang Ran was unhappy and retorted angrily: "What's wrong with hard work? My father is the General of Zhennan. I am like him and I am also strong!"
The abbot's expression changed for a long time, but he finally compromised.
I think the lady was just in the mood for it for a while, and after a few days she got tired of it and naturally gave up.
"Master, I know what you're thinking. You think I can't endure the hardship and will definitely give up halfway."
Jiang Ran smiled cunningly, "To be honest, I'm afraid too. So you draw a copy of this blueprint and let my master practice it. Then I'll start from here."
Even after arranging the wooden bookmark, Jiang Ran still felt uneasy.
What if she doesn't learn the skills well enough? Will this gift be delayed forever?
That won't work.
After much thought, Jiang Ran decided to make a second-hand preparation. She would go to Huaishanju, the most famous place in Chang'an, to customize a jade bookmark.
Seeing that it was a regular customer, the shopkeeper picked up a magnifying glass, solemnly took the drawing and looked at it carefully.
"Miss Jiang, may I ask if the pattern in the middle is a peacock?"
Seeing her hesitation, the shopkeeper began to praise her, "As the old saying goes, the peacock possesses nine virtues: a handsome appearance, a clear voice, an orderly gait, and the ability to act at the right time... Furthermore, a peacock spreading its feathers is a good omen, perfect for a bookmark. It implies that you'll soon pass the imperial examination. Very good."
"Ah, that's good."
Jiang Ran looked embarrassed. If she had known this earlier, she would have said it directly. But now the shopkeeper praised her a lot, and it was even more embarrassing to say it out loud.
She made up her mind and stumbled over her words, "Parrot, this is a parrot."
She had no special considerations when carving the parrot, it was simply because her family had one at that time.
She always caught the parrot and looked at it, drew pictures of it, and occasionally pulled out a few feathers. Soon the parrot flew away in anger.
The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, then quickly tried to make amends: "Parrot, parrot, that's fine, that's fine."
He looked at the picture again and couldn't help shaking his head.
Not only is the parrot's shape not well depicted, but the auspicious cloud patterns and ruyi patterns around it are mixed together, making the overall look unsightly.
Huaishanju’s custom jewelry is quite expensive. Craftsmen repeatedly revise and compare the designs to create the most beautiful drawings. He has never received such a casual sketch before.
"Ms. Jiang, do you think this will work? I'll ask a master to help you optimize a version of the drawing. Do you think you like it?"
"No, no, just do it this way."
Jiang Ran quickly refused. This was the drawing drawn by Lu Weiqing himself. How could he change it casually?
The shopkeeper tried to persuade her but failed to change her mind, so she had no choice but to agree.
He secretly decided that when he delivered the goods, he would never use boxes with the Huaishanju logo on them, so as not to damage his own reputation. It would be better to use boxes from the Jinyutang next door.
Jiang Ran readily paid a deposit of three thousand taels and asked the shopkeeper to help her find the best jade material.
Since I came out specially, of course I have to have a good meal before going home.
Jiang Ran thought about it and chose Qingfeng Tower, a place he seldom went to. It was far away from Lu Mansion, so he would not meet the plague god again.
But as soon as she entered, she was stopped by the waiter, "Sir, today Qingfenglou has a distinguished guest celebrating his birthday, so the whole place is reserved. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please come back another day."
"Okay." Jiang Ran waved her hand and didn't force it. She had already decided to go to Fuxingju next door to eat roast goose.
"Jiang Ran, I knew you would come." Lu Yu, the plague god, appeared out of nowhere, grabbed her elbow and dragged her into the alley next to her.
Jiang Ran was not paying attention for a moment and was dragged for a few steps. He quickly shook off his hand.
"Let go."
"Let go! It's inappropriate to pull and tug in public."
Lu Yu looked haggard and pale, but the look he gave Jiang Ran was full of joy and confidence.
"A Ran, I knew you would come when you heard I was holding a birthday party for Lin Bu Qiu."
"I know you're mad at me. But it wasn't my fault for breaking the appointment that day. It was Mother who didn't let me see you. She even used family rules to stop me."
Jiang Ran rolled his eyes and looked him up and down, "Family rules? Why didn't they break your legs?"
Lu Yu looked troubled and thought for a moment before saying, "Sister Bu Qiu, she rushed over to help me block a few sticks, but was beaten so hard that she vomited blood and passed out."
"Before she fainted, she kept trying to stop my mother and told me to go see you quickly."
"oh."
Jiang Ran was too lazy to listen anymore. What would happen next was bound to be Lu Yu's overflowing sympathy, begging Mrs. Lu to stop beating him, and then he would stand up, hug Lin Buqiu, and cry loudly to find a doctor.
There are definitely some stories like staying up all night to take care of the patient without taking off his clothes, or accidentally getting burned while boiling medicine even when he was extremely sleepy.
"Since you like acting so much, why don't you start a troupe? You can make some money there."
Jiang Ran sneered coldly and turned to leave.
Lu Yu quickly stood in front of her and stopped her from leaving.
He recalled last night when Lin Buqiu cried and begged him to keep Jiang Ran by his side as a concubine or even as a slave after he married her.
But he refused. He had never been attracted to Lin Buqiu, not even a little bit.
His whole heart was on Jiang Ran. He was willing to disobey his parents and endure the family rules just to marry her.
But now Jiang Ran was mocking him, completely ignoring his best efforts, just to see her and explain to her in person.
"Jiang Ran, I'm already very tired. When will you become sensible?"
Lu Yu looked at her with disappointment, as if she was the one who was wrong.
Jiang Ran retched a few times and once again deeply doubted his previous aesthetic taste.
She had been deceived into shedding many tears, and now seeing Lu Yu's performance, she had only four words to describe it - disgusting.
"Lu Yu, I only have one thing to say to you now."
"A good dog stays out of the way."
Jiang Ran moved his joints, took out the long whip from his waist, and slammed it hard on the ground, leaving a whip mark.
If Lu Yu insisted on stopping him, she wouldn't mind letting him see what true domineering meant.
"Miss, Miss! Something happened."
"The owner of Jixian Bookstore has been thrown into jail."
The servant had been looking for her for a long time. Finally, he saw Taoli waiting at the entrance of the alley and hurried over to report.
"Where is it? Lead the way."
Jiang Ran's expression changed, he kicked Lu Yu away and strode away.
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