Reborn As Super Heiress
Chapter 805 - 801: Moonlit White Agate

Chapter 805: Chapter 801: Moonlit White Agate

However, holding the lacquerware in her hand, Huo Sining hesitated a bit. She had learned about lacquerware, but dealing with it was tricky because the contents were covered with paint, and improper handling could ruin what was inside.

"Why did you buy this thing?"

Huo Sining was still deep in thought when Gu Xu suddenly spoke.

His meaning was clear: the lacquerware didn’t reveal much about its origin, and from the surface, it seemed to have little value.

"Hmm?" Huo Sining snapped out of her daze, her expression pausing before she said casually, "This cylindrical lacquerware is somewhat different from traditional lacquerware. The lacquer application is excellent, but the carving is mediocre. So, I suspect this piece is meant to deceive and possibly contains something inside."

Huo Sining’s words were purely speculative, but they piqued Gu Xu’s interest. He scrutinized the peculiar lacquerware closely, his eyes flashing with a hint of surprise.

Seeing Gu Xu’s reaction, Huo Sining knew he was also intrigued. She smiled and said, "The lacquer carving technique is from the Jiangnan region, where skilled craftsmen are plentiful. Lacquerware is not easy to handle, but when I held this piece, I felt its weight was off. It doesn’t feel like porcelain; it’s much lighter than metal, more like a wooden core. We might as well break it open here and see. It’s just a plaything, not something valuable."

If Yan Feng were here, Huo Sining wouldn’t find it so tricky. Yan Feng was a master woodcarver, skilled in using lacquer, and could easily break open this Carved Red Lacquerware.

But distant prospects can’t quench present needs, so Huo Sining had to do it herself, self-sufficiently.

She took out a small toolbox from her suitcase, which contained various cutting and polishing tools. Huo Sining prepared to carry out some preliminary processing on the lacquerware.

Seeing Huo Sining travel with a small toolbox, Gu Xu was somewhat surprised. His gaze was filled with even more puzzlement.

If he remembered correctly, when they were packing before coming to Zhouzhuang, his wife only packed a few changes of clothes. When did she bring this toolbox?

Huo Sining showed no sign of panic. She had just taken the toolbox out from her storage ring in the brief moment when Gu Xu wasn’t looking,

She selected a thick-backed, thin-bladed scraper from the toolbox and started scraping little by little around the top edge of the lacquerware.

Lacquerware is relatively tough, unlike dry wood. It’s impossible to cut open quickly with a knife. Removing the outer layer of lacquer was the only way Huo Sining could think of.

But scraping required control over speed and force. Too thick and it could damage the core; too thin and it wouldn’t be fast enough, especially with Gu Xu waiting to see the result.

Choosing the starting point was also critical. The cup wall was too smooth, and the base was too large to observe the exposed parts easily, so the upper ring was the best spot.

Huo Sining had learned this method from Zhou Shitao, though she had only seen him do it once and had merely grasped the basics without real practice.

Once she had determined the goal, selected the position, tools, and the method of breaking open, Huo Sining was ready to start. Only when she began did she realize that this seemingly clumsy method actually required skill and rhythm!

Holding the blade, at first, Huo Sining felt unsure where to exert force. Fortunately, her intuition was good, and she slowly started to get the hang of it.

While scraping, she couldn’t go too fast, but the frequency had to be consistent. Bit by bit, she scraped around the top ring, and soon little flakes of lacquer began to fall off.

However, the flakes she scraped off were of varying lengths and thicknesses, whereas Zhou Shitao’s fragments that day were almost all uniform in length and thickness.

This was the difference between being inexperienced and practiced. But Huo Sining couldn’t afford to worry about such details. After scraping off the lacquer on the upper ring, she saw the contents inside and a slight smile of relief appeared on her face: "It’s not a wooden core inside, but something wrapped in burlap."

As she spoke, she set down the scraper and picked up a razor-thin long blade, slowly cutting along the ring.

Knowing it wasn’t wood, porcelain, or metal, Huo Sining’s actions became less cautious, and her speed noticeably increased this time.

In no time, all the lacquer pieces fell away, revealing an object wrapped in burlap inside.

Huo Sining’s eyes lit up with surprise, and she thought to herself: Sure enough, something was hidden inside!

Unwrapping the burlap, there was another layer of oilpaper. Huo Sining carefully peeled away the oilpaper, revealing a bright and translucent white agate wine cup that shone like crystal. In the center of the cup, there was a cluster of spots resembling purple grapes.

Seeing this cup, Huo Sining’s eyes immediately brightened, and a whirlwind of emotions surged within her—shock and ecstasy.

The characteristics of this agate wine cup were so distinctive that Huo Sining almost instantly guessed its origin.

According to historical records, Shen Wansan used a White Agate Plate with a pattern of a branch of purple grapes and five monkeys picking them, known as "Five Monkeys Competing for Fruit," considered an utmost treasure. This agate cup was similar to crystal, but with a design like grapes in the moonlight, known as "Grape Under the Moon."

At the time, this cup was said to be worth an entire salt voucher for Jiaxing county, highlighting its extraordinary value and rarity.

Huo Sining was awestruck, realizing it was true. This agate cup matched the historical description perfectly, confirming it as Shen Wansan’s Grape Under the Moon agate cup. This also meant that the old granny wasn’t just rambling—this box was likely stolen by her ancestors from the Shen Family Mansion.

The Shen Family committed a major crime at the time, provoking Zhu Imperial Family’s wrath, who wanted to annihilate them. Zhu Yuanzhang harbored jealousy over Shen Wansan’s Cornucopia, wishing to dig up the treasure. Thus, the Shen family’s possessions were heavily guarded by the authorities. The old granny’s ancestor had undoubtedly taken great risks to steal this box from the Shen Family.

Maybe that’s why the thief went to such great lengths to conceal the cup’s true nature.

While Huo Sining was carefully examining the agate cup, Gu Xu picked up the oilpaper she had peeled off from around the agate cup. Whether out of curiosity or another reason, he unfolded the oilpaper.

To his surprise, he was stunned by what he saw.