Miss Truth
Chapter 304 - 192: Powerful Relatives of the Matrilineal Clan

Chapter 304: Chapter 192: Powerful Relatives of the Matrilineal Clan

Upon entering the East Market, the hubbub of noise came from all around, noisy and clamorous, teeming with excitement.

Seated beside the coachman, Wan Lu didn’t forget to share with Ran Yan everything she saw and heard, "Wife, it seems true that the ladies of Chang’an do not wear masks!"

"The noble ladies of great families still need to wear a veil or a face-covering. Those who aren’t good-looking need to cover up, and the beautiful ones want to maintain a sense of freshness. They have nothing serious to do all day, yet their diversions are plentiful and varied," Ran Yun said with disdain.

Ran Yun was a pragmatic person. In her eyes, the noble ladies of great families were not even comparable to the street vendors who used their charm to attract customers for their tofu flowers.

The corners of Ran Yan’s lips rose. This little girl, Ran Yun, would surely be called a "youth activist" in the future world. She spared no effort in mocking and ridiculing things she disapproved of.

The carriage stopped in front of Linglang Pavilion, and Ran Yun and Ran Yan got out one after the other.

Standing on the main street and looking around, the roads were straighter and the shops were lined up meticulously; one could see the tall walls of the East Market from here.

Like other streets in the city, there were drainage ditches on both sides of this street. Outside the ditches, there was a seven-foot-wide pedestrian walkway to facilitate the spassage of customers. People bustling about the street occasionally glanced over at Ran Yun and Ran Yan.

"Let’s take a look at the finished jade products first, and then we’ll take a stroll," said Ran Yun as she walked inside, "Actually, there isn’t much to see in the East Market; the West Market is better, with merchants from various countries gathering there, and one can often find good things."

In common terms, the West Market was the trading center combining local and international goods, whereas the East Market was the high-end market for luxury goods. Ran Yan smiled faintly, knowing that Ran Yun, who was so budget-conscious, would certainly not be willing to make purchases in the East Market lightly.

As the two of them led their maids into the shop, a servant came up to greet them. Seeing Ran Yun, he hurriedly bowed and said, "Wife has arrived. The shopkeeper is out on business, and I’ve been waiting here for your orders."

"Hmm, go to the workshop," Ran Yun directed.

The shop was roughly a hundred square meters, with stairs leading to the second floor along the north wall. Linglang Pavilion was indeed not a small jade shop. There were already quite a few customers picking out jade articles on the first floor, each attended by a servant who introduced the latest jewelry creations.

The servant stole a glance at Ran Yan, started in surprise, then slightly shrank his neck, not daring to ask more and quickly led the way to the workshop located behind the shop.

"Without my lead, no one is allowed to enter my private workshop! Not even my brother!" Ran Yun turned her head and instructed the servant behind her.

The servant immediately replied, "Shilang would naturally understand the rules of the Wife."

Upon entering, the sounds of hammering rang out.

There were four rooms dedicated to jade processing, and Ran Yun led Ran Yan to the one farthest in.

The room was unexpectedly clean, with only the debris of carved jade. In the small room, two jade craftsmen around forty years old were carving. Among the pieces was a large piece of Lantian Jade, the very one Ran Yan had won in her wager.

Seeing Ran Yun enter, the craftsmen put down their work and stood up, "Wife."

"This is the Seventeenth Lady of our family," Ran Yun introduced briefly.

After greeting Ran Yan, the jade craftsmen watched eagerly as Ran Yun couldn’t wait to show off her masterpieces of the past half-month.

The originally over two-foot-long piece of Lantian Jade had been carved into an oval-shaped fish tank. Although incomplete, one could already make out the basic form. The basin was carved with peony branches, each flower plump and lifelike, varying in form. Glistening beads occasionally adorned the vines. The flowers concentrated mainly on one side and gradually lessening towards the other.

Ran Yun proudly reached into the basin and pointed out to Ran Yan, "See there?"

Ran Yan bent slightly and could clearly see Ran Yun’s hand!

"This part of the Hetian jade is the finest, but it was in a curved plate form, so I came up with this idea," Ran Yun withdrew her hand and pointed to a Lantian Jade ornament a foot tall with pine and cranes on the shelf, "The piece carved out from the fish tank was turned into the ’pine and cranes of longevity.’

Several smaller pieces of Lantian Jade had been carved into exquisite jewelry and crowns, others into round and plump longevity peaches. The skill of the craftsmanship was something that the majority of jade carvers in the later times could not match.

One of the jade craftsmen took a small box from the shelf and said, "Wife, the small pieces you commissioned are done."

Ran Yun took it, opened it, and immediately beamed with delight, "Master Chen’s skills are truly impressive!" Then, turning to Ran Yan, she said, "These are small items we got for free. You can pick a few too!"

It was rare for the stingy Ran Yun to be so generous, and Ran Yan was definitely not going to be polite. Looking into the box, she couldn’t help but sigh in admiration; not a bit of that jade went to waste in the hands of Ran Yun!

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