Chapter 175: Ma Jie

After dinner, Master He called the two of them into the study again, sitting on either side of the long wooden table, watching them study.

What Bai Zimu was studying today was also a copybook. He raised his eyes and saw what Lei Dongchuan was writing opposite him, so he also changed to the Stele of Wei.

Master He held a small teapot in his hand, drinking tea while asking strangely:

“Why did you change the copybook? Zimu, didn’t you say before that the Stele of Wei looked clumsy and you didn’t like it?”

Bai Zimu blew a breath and raised his hand to smooth out the Xuan paper: “I’ll just try one page today.”

Master He naturally agreed. Bai Zimu learned everything quickly, and the old man was happy to let him be.

After Bai Zimu finished writing one page himself, he swapped copybooks with Lei Dongchuan again. Taking advantage of the moment the chef came to the door to bring Master He mung bean soup, he quietly stuffed the two pages he wrote into his brother’s stack of homework.

Lei Dongchuan looked up at him. Before he could speak, Bai Zimu stepped on his instep under the table, reminding him not to make a sound with just the right amount of force.

Lei Dongchuan lowered his head and continued writing large characters.

With these few pages of homework mixed in, his heart felt settled.

Master He primarily checked Lei Dongchuan’s characters; Bai Zimu’s excellent handwriting went without saying. He was just afraid this boy from the Lei family would embarrass him when going out.

After Lei Dongchuan finished writing his ten pages of characters and handed them over, it indeed went much smoother than usual. Master He nodded and let him move about freely.

Lei Dongchuan got up and stretched his muscles and bones. Sitting there for a while made his whole body ache. He smiled and said to the old man:

“Grandpa He, I saw a few sacks in the courtyard, what are those?”

Master He said: “Oh, planted some flowers and plants a few days ago, Lu Ping said he would transplant a hydrangea over. That thing is delicate and ordinary soil can’t nourish it well, so he specially went to buy some good soil exclusively for flowers and plants. I’ve been busy these past two days and haven’t had time to tidy it up…”

Lei Dongchuan rolled up his sleeves and said: “I’ll go get it sorted for you, just be a moment!”

Master He called out to him but he didn’t answer, entirely focused on going outside to work.

Master He stood by the window, took a look, and was amused himself, shaking his head and smiling:

“This boy Dongchuan, hasn’t changed after so many years. The moment he hears about writing and studying, he sneaks away.”

Sitting at the table with his chin propped up, Bai Zimu was also smiling.

Master He turned back to look at him:

“What are you amused about, don’t think I don’t know, you helped Dongchuan write large characters again today, right?”

Bai Zimu didn’t answer but asked instead:

“Grandpa, you used to guard against my brother. When you taught me, you specifically sent him out. Why are you unhappy now when he goes outside to work?”

Master He let out a snort.

He indeed did this in his early years, afraid that Lei Dongchuan would secretly learn his craft. Later he found out this boy couldn’t understand it at all; at most, he could only do the job of smashing stones.

With Lei Dongchuan not around, Master He didn’t let Bai Zimu continue writing either, calling his grandson over to accompany him in playing chess to relax a bit.

The two chatted while playing chess. Master He said:

“Zimu, what exactly are you thinking? Your Uncle Lu called twice, but you wouldn’t let them come back. That batch of Lucky Transfer Beads has already been made…”

Bai Zimu placed a chess piece down and chuckled softly: “Are you also anxious?”

“I’m not anxious, just a bit curious. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] I don’t understand this battle formation of yours.”

“I told Uncle Lu today, they will set off to come back tomorrow, and within three days they will be able to stock a batch of Lucky Transfer Beads.”

“Why didn’t it work before?”

“I was waiting for the He family to set up their gold counter, waiting for him to tie up a bit more money.”

……

The He family had abundant capital, he had to wear him down a bit.

As long as the He family set up a gold counter, they wouldn’t be able to withdraw in a short time. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Moreover, with Boss He’s personality, nine times out of ten he wouldn’t be willing to withdraw.

The chess piece Master He held in his hand hadn’t been put down for a long time; his mind also arrived at this point. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] He had single-handedly established Baohua Silver Building early on and was also someone who had seen storms and waves, figuring it out clearly after taking a few turns. Master He looked up at Bai Zimu. Grandfather and grandson smiled at each other, the arc of their eyes curving identically.

Like one large and one small fox.

Three days later.

A master craftsman from Baohua Silver Building accompanied Fang Jin back to Dongchang.

The person Baohua Silver Building sent this time was surnamed Ma, called Ma Jie. He had been at Baohua Silver Building for many years, and in terms of seniority, he was only beneath Lu Ping. As soon as he arrived, he headed straight to the studio. Upon seeing Master He, he first called out “Master”, and without saying a word, tears welled up in his eyes.

Master He: “…”

Master He had a terrible headache and urged him to get up:

“Go, go, go, if you want to cry, go cry outside, looking at you is annoying!”

Ma Jie hurriedly wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand, tried hard to lift the corners of his mouth a bit, and smiled:

“Master, look at me, all these years I could only see you in my dreams every time. I just missed you too much, couldn’t hold it back as soon as we met… My mistake, my mistake, won’t cry anymore! You are right, it’s a good thing for master and disciple to meet. From now on, I will stay by your side and filial you properly, I’m not going anywhere else!”

These words shot out like a machine gun. Ma Jie also recovered his spirit, stood up vigorously, and was about to stand behind Master He.

Master He couldn’t dodge in time and waved his hand saying:

“Who said that! I only said one sentence in total, no, who told you to stay?”

Ma Jie looked surprised: “Didn’t you tell me to bring the new products over?”

Master He: “I told you to deliver the things, and leave after delivering.”

Ma Jie’s lips trembled, tears about to well up again.

Seeing Master He sitting opposite him with a dark face, he hesitated, then held his tears back.

“Don’t put on an act here with me, Lu Ping cries more genuinely than you do!”

Master He lowered his voice to lecture him, feeling resentful towards him for failing to meet expectations:

“A yard full of juniors outside, aren’t you afraid of being seen and laughed at!”

Ma Jie didn’t care; even the eldest senior brother took the lead in crying, what was he afraid of?

At noon, Bai Zimu and Lei Dongchuan came to the studio after hearing the news. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they smelled a pungent fragrance.

Bai Zimu’s nose twitched, and he said with certainty: “It’s Sizzling Eel Paste. Brother, it must be Uncle Lu cooking…”

The sound of the oil wok stir-frying dishes sizzled in the kitchen. Very quickly, someone wearing an apron brought out a dish. It was a middle-aged man Bai Zimu didn’t recognize, looking like an intellectual, with a fountain pen even in his front shirt pocket. Upon seeing him, the other party immediately smiled warmly:

“Zimu is back? Come, come, the dishes are all done, just missing one green vegetable, waiting for you to arrive before putting it in the wok. You don’t know, these green vegetables must be freshly stir-fried to be tender and juicy… Don’t just stand there, come in!”

Bai Zimu went to the dining room and only learned after seeing Master He that this was the newly arrived Senior Uncle Ma Jie.

Ma Jie was still wearing an apron, looking particularly virtuous. When mentioned by his master, his face glowed even more with health. Standing to the side, he said:

“No need to be so restrained, Zimu, just calling me Uncle Ma is fine. Uncle’s name is very easy to remember. Look, if you take apart the character ‘Jie’ (劼), it becomes ‘Ji Li’ (吉力 – auspicious power/luck). Doesn’t it sound auspicious too? Your grandpa gave me this name back then!”

Bai Zimu smiled, nodded and said yes.

Ma Jie had a glib tongue and also cooked a good hand of dishes. That Sizzling Eel Paste was made full of flavor, with heavy oil and rich sauce, exceptionally appetizing.

Eating this dish, Bai Zimu finished an entire bowl of rice in one go, and even added half a bowl more, still wanting more.

Master He specifically named and praised Ma Jie a few times. Even Lei Dongchuan was somewhat curious about the improvements in his recipe, actively poured tea for him, and called him “Uncle Ma” repeatedly. Ma Jie just blended into Dongchang small city in such a warm atmosphere.

After dinner, the osmanthus glutinous rice cake Ma Jie was steaming also just came out of the pot. Brought over, it went perfectly with tea.

Bai Zimu was just saying the tea today was slightly bitter, but with the sweetness of this osmanthus cake bitten in his mouth, drinking the tea again was just right, leaving a slightly sweet aftertaste. Unknowingly, he took a piece of osmanthus cake and nibbled away almost half of it.

Master He saw this and was also happy in his heart.

Their group of people had all watched Bai Zimu grow up beside them. Getting him to eat normally was difficult enough, and in summer he needed to be watched and fed even more. He had never actively eaten on his own like this time before.

Ma Jie refilled Master He’s teapot again.

Master He waved him to sit down, his attitude much milder:

“Ma Jie, it’s just as well both children are here. Don’t mind that they are young, this idea was all thought up by Zimu. Discuss it with him.”

Ma Jie said humbly: “Master, what are you saying? As soon as I saw it back then, I knew this Lucky Transfer Bead could make money. Later hearing it was thought up by Zimu, I even praised him to Senior Brother Lu, saying among so many people in the entire Baohua Silver Building, Zimu is the youngest but has the biggest ideas, possessing the elegance you had back then!”

Master He felt comfortable listening to this, and also found his second disciple much more pleasing to the eye.

Ma Jie turned to Bai Zimu again:

“Zimu, I brought about 500 of these Lucky Transfer Beads this time. Didn’t know how many to make for the first batch, you take a look first, then I’ll have an idea when I make more later.”

He brought over the suitcase he brought, opened it and placed it on the table for them to see, “This bag is 50 pieces, paired with red string as you said.”

This time, the Lucky Transfer Beads were solely handled by Ma Jie. Lu Ping’s area of expertise wasn’t in this, leaning more towards precision mechanical parts like gold watches. Relying on being the second senior brother, Ma Jie rushed up to snatch this good task, and came to Dongchang small city voluntarily.

The Lucky Transfer Beads placed on the table were glittering with gold one by one, reflecting a charming brilliance under the sunlight, delicate and exquisite.

Master He had no interest in such trinkets. After taking a look, he nodded and said:

“Made with a bit of flavor. Zimu, take a look, is it like this?”

Ma Jie looked full of expectation, explaining on the side:

“This is hand-polished, the specific craftsmanship is too complex. Anyway, it’s just like the old-fashioned rings, I specifically made some patterns on the hollowed-out middle to make it look big, but absolutely not exceeding 1 gram.”

He glanced over at Master He’s side, and quietly softened his voice a bit, “I am also showing off my slight skill before an expert. I learned it from the ‘Turn of Fortune’ made by you, Master. Master nested seven layers back then, mine is just…”

Lu Ping standing behind coughed.

Ma Jie caught his eye signal and immediately stopped speaking, not daring to talk too much about the past at once.

Bai Zimu held it in his hand to look. It was a very beautifully carved golden ball with exquisite craftsmanship. He stood and looked for a long time, suddenly asking:

“Uncle Ma, can this be made smaller?”

Ma Jie: “This? Probably can, but if you want so much craftsmanship, these will also have to be shrunk…”

“No, the craftsmanship can be removed, just the simplest surface pattern is fine.”

Bai Zimu gestured the size of a soybean for him to see, “About this big, hollow in the middle. If put on machines, how many can be made at the fastest in a day?”

Ma Jie looked bewildered.

Thinking he hadn’t explained it well, Bai Zimu simply found a piece of paper and drew it. He had a good aesthetic sense and his drawing skills were also good, drawing a simplest and plainest small golden ball as if it were a 1:1 real object.

Ma Jie: “…”

Ma Jie’s expression was complex. He looked for a while, then looked up and asked him:

“Are there any specific requirements? Or want a bit of carving or something?”

Bai Zimu shook his head: “No, make it more affordable, as long as the gram weight is enough, it’s fine.”

Seeing Ma Jie looking disappointed, he comforted:

“These ones Uncle Ma made are very beautiful, but its craftsmanship has already exceeded the gold price. Selling it like this would be too much of a pity. If you are willing, I can—”

Before Bai Zimu finished, Lei Dongchuan on the side preempted, “I can have Baichuan step forward to buy these for collection. With so many golden beads, they can be pieced together into a painting or something, it will definitely look magnificent on display!”

Sitting there drinking tea, Master He heard this and chuckled. Putting down his teacup, he said:

“Dongchuan kid is talking nonsense, where is there a reason to piece them into a painting? Leave them, I just happen to have free time these two days. I’ll reassemble them to make a set to display in the shop.”

Once these words came out, the originally disappointed Ma Jie was shaken in place, his eye sockets suddenly turning red.

This time it wasn’t an act. He truly hadn’t thought he would have such treatment, his Master wanted to modify his work. The works of their master and disciple were going to be combined into one.

Ma Jie specialized in gold and silver. That “Turn of Fortune” hanging in Baohua Silver Building for so many years was the driving force for his progress throughout his life.

As long as he saw it, he felt Master was still there.

With Master watching him, he didn’t dare not to work hard.

……

Ma Jie lost his composure a bit, but he couldn’t control it, raising the back of his hand to wipe his tears several times.

Deeply afraid he would anger Master He, Lu Ping hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over, laughing:

“Zimu, does your shop want a gold watch? Uncle Lu has no other skills, but recently made a pretty good gold pocket watch. Why don’t I also display it at your place?”

Bai Zimu went with the flow, nodding and agreeing:

“Thank you Uncle Lu, I was just needing a gold watch to hold the fort.”

Master He raised an eyebrow: “Zimu, a few days ago I wanted to give you one, but you wouldn’t accept it. Why do you want a gold watch today, am I not as good at craftsmanship as Lu Ping?”

Bai Zimu said: “Not at all, Grandpa has been too tired recently. What the Uncles gave is enough. The master craftsmen in Baohua Silver Building are all very amazing. The small golden Buddha an Uncle gave last time was also very beautiful…”

He looked at Master He, deliberately raising his voice, “But none of them are as good-looking as what Grandpa gave. I’ve kept it, saving it for marrying a wife later.”

Master He originally had a straight face, but hearing the last sentence, he still couldn’t hold back a smile.

Seeing Master smile, Lu Ping also hurriedly grinned and followed along, even secretly tugging Ma Jie behind him with his hand.

Ma Jie had also recovered at this moment, sniffled, and became proud again.

Who cares about that, Master just praised him!

He made those beads exceptionally well. Master said he wanted to cooperate with him to finish a new piece of work. Once this work started, it wouldn’t be finished in ten days or half a month. What train ticket… He wouldn’t be going back to Pingjiang City this month!

The little abacus in Ma Jie’s heart crackled loudly, feeling wonderfully pleased.

That model of Lucky Transfer Bead was also under Ma Jie’s charge. Master He’s studio here had a small grinding and polishing machine, making production extremely easy, much easier than those Ma Jie made originally. The two apprentices plus one chef in the courtyard, three people were at Ma Jie’s disposal. Besides, he also made a call to Pingjiang City to give instructions, telling them to hurry and put it on machines for mass production according to this.

The youngest junior brother on the phone was indignant:

“Senior Brother Ma! I told you back then, it was clearly written on the blueprint to use machine production, but you insisted on playing with handmade. You don’t understand, you should have let me do it! You wouldn’t let me bring the ones I made, insisting on bringing those small golden beads you polished by hand—”

Ma Jie plugged one ear and said:

“What? You received the news, right? The signal here is bad. Since you’ve made them, I’ll have someone go pick them up these two days. That’s it, hanging up first!”

“Senior Brother Ma, this is a landline!!”

“…”

Ma Jie hung up cleanly on his end, leaving only the doot-doot sound coming from the receiver.