The famous jewelry store is located on East Street.
The shop is very grand, three stories high and decorated with carved beams and ornamental decorations.
There are three steps up to a wide door. A waiter has been standing at the door waiting for a long time. As soon as the car arrived, he went down the steps and asked, "Which house does it belong to?"
The driver said, "We are from the Lin family!"
The waiter smiled and said, "Mrs. Yan is waiting." After setting up the benches, Beifei got off the horse first and turned around to help Lin Zhixiu. Lin Zhixiu put on his hat and got off the car lightly. Dongyun and Aunt Song were behind him.
Holding a few brocade boxes.
Another steward came out of the store. He was handsome, well-dressed, and polite. Even his smile was standard: "Girl, please come in!"
Lin Zhixiu led several people into the store.
The steward smiled and said, "Girl, please go to the third floor. Madam Yan, wait in the box."
Lin Zhixiu looked at this store through the gauze. It was really grand. If you have the chance, you must visit it.
She went up to the third floor and entered. Lin Jiangwan was sitting inside, with Yan Xin next to her.
Lin Zhixiu saluted and called, "Auntie."
"Well, you're here." Lin Jiangwan said with a calm expression.
"Auntie, I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Yan Xin sat next to Ms. Lin, looking at her lightly.
Lin Zhixiu took off his hat, revealing a delicate and beautiful face.
Yan Xin suppressed the jealousy in her heart, and the two of them met.
Lin Zhixiu was as polite and courteous to Yan Xin as Yan Xin was to Lin Zhixiu.
Lin Jiang saw her in the evening and understood in her heart that this girl was indeed not close to him and Yan Xin! She felt even colder in her heart.
Lin Zhixiu sat down. There was a box on the table in front of him. There were also several boxes on the desk next to it. They were the jewelry that had just been shown to Lin in the store.
The female steward in the store, wearing a clean and neat skirt with narrow sleeves and narrow body, stood by the side with a smile.
Lin Jiangwan didn't want to waste time and directly said to the guy who brought Lin Zhixiu up, "Please ask Master Qin to come over."
After the guy left, the female steward quickly packed away the boxes on the table.
He signaled to Bei Xiang and Nanny Song that they could put the box on the table.
The room was quiet, and no one spoke. After a while, the door opened, and an old man in a blue shirt walked up.
"Mrs. Yan!" He saluted respectfully.
Lin Jiangwan said, "Master Qin, I brought some pieces of jewelry that are different from ordinary jewelry. I want you to review them."
The master agreed, Dongyun took the box to the desk and found it, and Sister Song opened it one by one.
Master Qin stood over and picked up one, his eyes lit up.
He is very calm, has been in this business for so many years, and has enough vision.
He looked at several pieces of jewelry carefully and then said, "Mrs. Yan, this jewelry also has its own style. Our capital city follows the Chen style. The Hangzhou area in the south is the Liu style. More than thirty years ago, the Liu style had
A master with excellent skills, surnamed Bai, had a disagreement with the Liu School, so he came out to establish a faction, which is commonly known as the "Xiao Bai School" in the industry. This Master Bai pays attention to being unconventional and has superb craftsmanship. As for the materials he uses, there is no other.
The two sects are so particular. The pieces that Madam has in her hands today should have been made by Master Bai of the "Little Bai Sect" or his disciples. You see, the materials of these pieces of jewelry are not special, but their shapes are amazing and their workmanship is even better.
It’s extremely complicated.”
Master Qin picked up the golden wheat hairpin again, squeaking in his mouth, admiring in his eyes, and nodded, but in the end, he shook his head.
Lin Jiangwan said, "Oh, that's right! So what do the other two factions say about this little white faction?"
Master Qin said, "To be honest with you, madam, I will give you equal parts praise and slander."
"Oh?" Ms. Lin raised her eyebrows.
"If you like it, he always has endless whimsical ideas, and he can achieve what you want through tricks. If you don't like it, he is mysterious and grandstanding. He puts all his efforts and tricks but doesn't know what he means."
Lin didn't speak, but was thinking carefully.
"Just like this wheat ear hairpin in my hand, let's not say what his thoughts are...but look at these wheat ears, they seem simple, but their craftsmanship is extremely complicated. There are some things added to the gold to make the gold
It is hard and shows this pure color. In the craft, there are many techniques such as casting, chiseling, hammering, gluing, clamping, inlaying, polishing and so on. These twelve hairpins also have different branches and shapes. According to the craftsmanship,
, to be able to do this, only a master can complete it! Moreover, I am afraid it will take a lot of time. But... you see, when it is done, it looks like a rough mark." He smiled bitterly.
Lin Jiangwan nodded silently.
Master Qin looked at it for a while and said, "However, madam, every school has its strengths and weaknesses. It is inevitable that they will be mean and contemptuous towards each other. Haha! So, my opinion may not be right.
! Madam, please make your own decision."
"Master Qin, can you do this?" asked the female steward next to me.
Master Qin nodded, then shook his head, "Actually, looking at it this way, I have learned and done all these crafts. But after all, the schools are different and the ideas are different. I don't have this concept of finished products in my mind. I just copy the cat and the tiger."
, it is also possible that they are similar in appearance but not in spirit.”
Mrs. Lin listened and nodded silently.
"For this piece of jewelry, it can be seen that the owner of the jewelry has a high taste. The things he likes have jumped out of the idea of wearing them and are pursuing novel shapes and craftsmanship. This piece of jewelry, whether it is
It is a very interesting object to wear or keep for viewing.”
After hearing this, Lin Jiangwan felt sour in his heart again.
"Moreover, the endurance is not low. Don't look at such a thing. It takes a long time and cannot be cheap!" Master Qin also smiled bitterly. It took so much effort, cost so much, and took a long time to make, but what came out was just
It’s a gadget that is a bad hobby for rich and idle people! “Moreover, its layout is also limited. If it is a more formal occasion, it may not be able to bear the load enough...”
According to Lin Jiangwan herself, she agrees with Master Qin.
But her original intention this time was to subvert her previous understanding...
But... that is the palace, the Queen Mother, the Queen, the concubine who hides a knife in her smile... If my daughter shows off like this, will she appear frivolous? Will she be stabbed? If there is no good outcome in the end, she will be laughed at.
dead.
At this moment, she hesitated.
"Madam, if you want to make these sets, you can't ask for them to be exactly the same except for the concept. In terms of shape and details, I guarantee that there will be no problem. The materials are also available in the store. Only one set will be made in less than three months.
, we will definitely be able to do it well. But... the cost is not low! At that time, whether we can get what we want, Madam needs to weigh carefully."
Lin Jiangwan was still hesitating.
Master Qin added, "I can understand what Madam is thinking. In fact, there are some things in the store, or they are just as Madam requested. Can you take a look?"
Lin Jiangwan nodded, "Let's take a look! It doesn't have to be these." She was a little annoyed by Master Qin's affirmation of An's taste.
The store clerk came in with a few more boxes.
Lin Jiangwan looked at it carefully and fell in love with one item at a glance. This set was also very novel, and there was no need to worry about it as much as before.
But Yan Xin took a fancy to another one. "Mother, my daughter likes this one. It's much better than the ones my cousin had just now."
Lin Jiangwan looked at it carefully for a long time and felt that it was good. It was a bit difficult to choose between the two sets. Somehow, this was the first time since she was a child that she had lost her confidence...
"Send both of these sets to my house." Lin Jiangwan was unwilling to choose again.
When the store owner heard this, he was naturally happy and smiled quickly, "Thank you, Mrs. Yan, for the meal..."
Lin Zhixiu asked, "Aunt, why don't you do these sets?"
As if she had just remembered her, Mrs. Lin said, "Oh, your mother's treasure is just a one-of-a-kind thing, so there's no point in imitating it. I have other things to do and can't send you back. You can go back with the carriage at home."
After saying that, she stood up and left. Yan Xin ignored her and followed Lin.
Lin Zhixiu went downstairs, and the master and servants, holding jewelry, watched the Yan family's carriage go away...
Lin Zhixiu feels sad in her heart, Lin Jiangwan is selfish and self-centered, hateful and pathetic. No matter what the outcome will be in the future, I will remember this moment with a clear conscience.
Ah! Fortunately, I went back by myself and could finally visit Uncle Fu!
Aunt Song directly gave the Lin family two taels of silver for driving the car, and said to him, "It's a rare occasion for me to come out. The third lady wants to go shopping. Don't talk too much when you go back."
Two taels of silver, for the driver, was a huge amount of extra wealth that fell from the sky! At that time, he nodded and bowed with laughter, "Miss, just give me orders wherever you want! As long as you don't leave the city."
Nanny Song smiled and said, "What city are you in? There are so many shops and you can't get enough?"
So they went to the inn owned by Boss An.
She arrived without prior notice.
This inn is located near the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. It is luxuriously decorated. Most of the officials who go to Beijing to run business live here. The business in the inn is very good.
When I got off the bus, I saw people coming and going, neatly dressed and with servants.
When the boy saw their group, he quickly came up and asked, "How many of them are staying in the hotel?"
Aunt Song said, "We are old friends of Boss An. Let's come to the store to visit."
The waiter hurriedly said, "Wait a moment, I'll fetch the younger one for you!"
Not long after I entered, a middle-aged man rushed out.
Several people laughed out loud when they saw him.
When An Jianfu saw it, it turned out to be his own lady, and he hurriedly said, "Girl, why are you here? Why didn't you say a word, and they were the only ones following you?"
Lin Zhixiu smiled and said, "Uncle Fu, why are you so nervous? It's not enough for them to follow you?"
"No, no... Ouch, please come in, please come in."
As he let her in, he muttered, "This capital city is full of people and cars, and it's very chaotic. You have to bring someone in order when you come out."
They walked directly to a reception room inside, which was quite decently decorated.
Lin Zhixiu looked around, "Uncle Fu, this place is very nice!"
"On weekdays, Uncle Fu works here. If my uncle has something to do, he will come here to look for him."
"I heard what uncle said! We have done well in the past two years." Lin Zhixiu was also very happy to see Uncle Fu.
"Yes, yes! Even the purchase of the front yard of the palace was given to your uncle, and my uncle gave it to Uncle Fu. This piece of money earns a lot of money every year. I heard that the princess has explored the backyard twice, and my uncle is not too worried.
I want to get involved."
"Yes. My uncle is following the prince, and everything is subject to the prince's wishes. Let's not be greedy for too much."
Lin Zhixiu took a look and saw that Uncle Fu was wearing a blue silk coat, dark blue face and white shoes, a purse and jade pendant, his hair was neatly combed, and he was wearing a turban. He looked rich and steady.
Lin Zhixiu really didn't know that Butler Lin loved to dress up so much.
"Well, Uncle Fu, you look very respectable!"
Boss An smiled sheepishly, "If you don't dress like this when you go out to socialize, you will be looked down upon by others."
"That's right, we earn so much money, don't we just have to enjoy it? How are Aunt Fu and my two brothers?"
"Okay! An Chaoyang has a little girl!"
Lin Zhixiu smiled and said, "Well done, my dear. I will pay her one hundred taels of silver in the account later, and I will go find the gold lock and deliver it to her."
Boss An smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed, "Thank you, girl, what use is there for such a little girl?!"
Lin Zhixiu said unhappily, "Girls must be raised well, but boys must not be favored over girls!"
Boss An quickly nodded, "No, no!"
Lin Zhixiu said, "She has a good future."
Boss An said, "I'll lend you my good words. When she becomes sensible, I'll send her to you and serve you."
Lin Zhixiu said, "Okay! This girl will open her eyes."
After speaking politely, Boss An pointed to the box in the room, "I know everything is ready when you come back. Here is the directory of our property, the contract, and this is the account. Those gold and silver notes are all kept in the basement of my home.
.The properties of those people you asked me to investigate, I asked Aunt Song to bring them back to you last time. But what I know is only a rough idea. Especially Huang, she is very close to her brother. She
My brother has been promoted recently and is quite capable. He once caused some trouble for her business, but it seems that her brother helped solve the problem later."
Lin Zhixiu smiled and said, "Uncle Fu, don't worry! Take your time, first of all, ensure our own safety. I am very satisfied with what you have done over the years."
"That's the good news you gave me, girl. We're all in for grabs. We're not greedy either. The property in our hands is pretty safe now."
Lin Zhixiu said, "Yes, you can't make enough money, but insurance comes first."
The two people got together to discuss the matter, and they heard An Jianfu say, "People from both places are already here. Mrs. Wang, these days..."