Chapter 78: The Golden Buddha's Hand

  Wang Chengdong heard this and immediately stopped in his tracks.

  Those onlookers, having watched the commotion, had already stood for a long time with tired legs. If they weren't determined to watch the whole show, they would have dispersed when Ye Yuqi went over earlier. Now that Ye Yuqi has written the IOU and Wang Chengdong is about to leave, the matter has been settled, and the Ye family's fate is sealed. With a sigh, they were just thinking of heading back to rest when they heard Ye Zhuo say something, so they pulled their legs back in, wanting to see what assets the Ye family had to put up for sale. Such an event of selling off family property would be a topic of conversation among people for a long time. Having watched the commotion for so long, if they didn't see the most memorable part, wouldn't it have been a waste of their standing there for so long?

  Having been with Ye Zhuo for so long, Ye Yuqi knew that his granddaughter was very steady and wise in doing things, often bringing him unexpected surprises. At this time, hearing her say this, he knew that she had used the little time just now to carve out something, and immediately said loudly: "Everyone, please stay a bit longer and take a look at our jade carving before leaving."

  "What good things does your niece have? Bring them out! We won't leave." Yun old man said with a strong tone.

  "Right, bring it out, we're not leaving."

  Ye Zhuo saw that everyone hadn't left, so Wang Chengdong also stopped in his tracks. She smiled slightly and waved her hand, and Qiu Yue brought out a brocade box - this kind of brocade box was the packaging provided by Yu Zhuo Fang for selling jade carvings. She opened the brocade box and displayed it in front of everyone.

  "This...this isn't..." Wang Chengdong stood closest. Waiting to see clearly what was inside the brocade box, he was so surprised that he couldn't speak.

  Seeing Wang Chengdong's reaction, everyone became curious and wanted to squeeze forward to see what was inside the brocade box that made Wang Chengdong look like this. The people standing in the back were even more anxious, shouting: "What's inside the box? Tell us, you who are standing in front!"

  Ye Zhuo heard this and his heart moved. He signaled to Qiu Yue to close the brocade box, and said loudly: "Our Jade Pavilion is a bit small, so that the uncles and elders standing in the back can't see the things in the brocade box, it's really sorry for everyone. Why don't we go outside? We'll stand on the steps and show everyone what's inside the brocade box."

  "Good." The people standing behind him all echoed in agreement. Even if the place was larger, a circle of people surrounded the front. Those who couldn't be seen from behind still made up the majority, so there were quite a few people echoing in agreement.

  "Then please step back outside for those standing at the door," Ye Zhuo said loudly.

  Those standing in the back went out first, and they could still occupy the most advantageous position. With a loud "hurry", everyone rushed out. Those standing in the front saw that everyone had left and couldn't help but go out too. Moreover, most of the people in the front were those who were familiar with Ye Yuxi and arrived at Yu Zhuo Fang first. They naturally hoped that Ye's things could be sold at a high price to repay some debts, so they followed out without any objection.

  Everyone has left, so Ye Zhuo took Qiuyue out with him.

  "Taor, what's in your brocade box?" Ye Yuke couldn't help but ask.

  Ye Zhuo smiled and said in a low voice, "Just now when you went to handle the household registration, I redesigned and carved the jade that was damaged by Master Luo. It should be able to sell for a good price. In addition to this, there is also that piece of waste jade. I have also carved it. Its quality is much better than the jade material we usually buy back, and it should be able to sell for 300 or 400 taels of silver."

  "In such a short time, you've carved two things?" Ye Yu's mouth was agape.

  "Yes." Ye Zhuo nodded. Perhaps due to the pressure, she had entered a state of complete focus as soon as she picked up the carving knife, with only the jade material in her mind, eyes, and hands. And since it was probably the first time she carved such high-quality jade material, her heart surged with an indescribable passion, making her thoroughly understand every vein and spot on the jade. Her carving was effortless, like a fish swimming in water. Due to the tight schedule, she had originally planned to only carve out the good material and leave the waste for later. But once she entered this state, her efficiency was extremely high, and it didn't take long to finish carving the good material. However, just carving one piece was not satisfying, so she decided to also carve the waste material. After completing both jade carvings, which didn't take much time, she still had time to polish them well.

  Nodding, Ye Zhuo said with some embarrassment: "I know my carving skills are not yet mature, but what can we do? Firstly, time is tight, and secondly, it's better to take advantage of the current situation. Moreover, after such an incident, I'm afraid other jade carvers won't dare to take on the task, and we can't afford to take that risk again. So, I took action."

  "Hey, don't belittle yourself. Your craftsmanship is unknown how much stronger than ordinary jade carvers. Grandfather didn't praise you in the past because he was afraid you would become arrogant and self-satisfied." Ye Yuqi laughed happily. Although something big happened today, Ye Yuqi has always been open-minded and optimistic, and many hardships have passed, so now it's just a loss of money, as long as no one is hurt, he doesn't think it's a big deal. So there was no frowning or complaining about heaven and earth.

  Ye Chou smiled slyly and was about to speak, but saw that the two had already walked outside, so he changed the subject: "Grandfather, you'd better sell these two jade carvings yourself."

  Ye Yuqi nodded. Ye Zhuo was an unmarried young lady from a good family, and it wasn't suitable for her to appear in public so openly. Just now when he wasn't around, something big happened at the workshop and Ye Zhuo had to take charge, but that was unavoidable and besides, it was within their own workshop, others wouldn't say anything about it. Now that they were on the main road, with people coming and going, if Ye Zhuo were to preside over the auction from a high platform again, she would easily be subject to gossip.

  "Old Master Ye, what's in that brocade box of yours? Hurry up and open it for us to see!" The person who had occupied the best position had been waiting for a long time, and as soon as Ye Yuxiu came out, he couldn't wait to say.

  Ye Yuke stood on the steps, bowed to all sides and said loudly: "I think everyone is clear about what happened at Yu Zhuo Fang. Now, we are going to sell a piece of jade carving to raise some money to repay our debts. If anyone likes this jade carving, please make an offer, the highest bidder will get it." After finishing speaking, he waved his hand backwards, indicating that Qiu Yue should open the brocade box.

  Qiu Yue opened the brocade box and slightly tilted it to show everyone.

  The one standing in the front row, who had a clear view of the jade carving in the brocade box, was taken aback and asked with wide eyes: "Excuse me, is the material used for this jade carving the same piece that Master Wang brought over and had Master Luo carve incorrectly?"

  "That's right." Ye Yuqi replied, "Just now my granddaughter asked Mr. Wang if it was possible to redesign and re-carve the original jade material, and compensate for the difference in price. Mr. Wang did not agree. Now that the IOU has been written, we have taken over Master Luo's debt, so this piece of jade belongs to our Jade Carving Workshop. We have re-carved it once, and now it is being sold as a finished jade carving product. If there are any friends who like it, please take a look."

  "Let me see, let me see." Everyone heard this and suddenly became curious. To know that Yu Zhuo Fang, except for Luo Jing Sheng, there is no second jade carver master. Earlier, after the incident, Luo Jing Sheng had been in the main hall, and later followed Ye Yu Qi to the government office and never came back. Even if Ye Yu Qi's jade carving skills are still good, he didn't have time and opportunity to carve jade earlier. After he left with Luo Jing Sheng, only Ye Zhuo and that maid brought jade material into the room. Is it possible that this jade was carved by Ye's family daughter, and in such a short period of time?

  Qiu Yue stepped down under Ye Yuqi's gesture, holding the brocade box and walking slowly in a circle, letting everyone see the jade carving inside. Those who saw the jade carving clearly all gasped.

  Everyone still remembers that the jade material around this piece is transparent like glass, and the middle is translucent red agate. The yellowish-red jade material in the middle was designed by Wang Chengdong as a fairy presenting peaches, and the transparent part around it was a jade plate. Now, the damaged fairy presenting peaches has become a bright red Buddha's hand, and the damaged part has been hollowed out to form the tail of the fist-like part with a void inside. The jade carver made good use of the uneven color of the red agate to design each finger's color, and combined with the crystal clearness of the jade material, it perfectly presented the three-dimensional texture of the Buddha's hand; while the brightest red parts at both ends were carved into round beads like fruit or seeds, and a flying red dragonfly, dynamic and static, complementing each other, making the Buddha's hand more lively and interesting. What is even more astonishing is that the original circular and rigid jade plate was transformed into an elliptical chrysanthemum-shaped jade disc, with the reverse side carved with patterns, giving it a hazy feeling when viewed from the front, which can better set off the clarity of the Buddha's hand, making it clear and distinct. The entire jade carving is colorful, dynamic, and harmonious, exquisitely crafted, and is a rare masterpiece in the world of jade carvings.

  "The Buddha's Hand" is called "the immortal among fruits, the rarest of flowers in the world". Due to its beautiful fruit shape and strong fragrance, it is often placed on the table for appreciation. Also, because its most famous production place, Chixiang Township, is the true source of Huang Daxian's attainment of immortality, the Buddha's Hand is called "immortal fruit" by people, symbolizing good luck and fortune when given as a gift. Therefore, this jade carving, whether in terms of modeling or meaning, is not inferior to the original "Immortal Presenting Peaches" carved by Wang Chengdong for Luo Jing. Its color usage, overall design effect, and craftsmanship are even more outstanding.

  "May I ask, whose handiwork is this jade carving?" someone asked.

  "Yes, this jade carving is not only exquisite in workmanship, but also has a kind of dynamic feeling, worthy of being called a master's hand. I don't know which jade carver's hands it came from, Old Ye said to let us all know, but don't keep it private!"

  Ye Yiqi stroked his beard, cupped his hands and chuckled: "The matter of Yu Yuzhu's jade carving, if you are all interested, let us sit down and talk slowly later. For now, I am in a hurry to sell this jade carving for silver coins to alleviate my immediate needs, please forgive me."