The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 805 - 783: Longevity Lock

Chapter 805: Chapter 783: Longevity Lock

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Not just that. The value of this longevity lock isn’t only in the engraved silver patterns but also in its craftsmanship, which involves numerous skills. The one in Miss’s hand is considered top-notch, starting with the finest silver chosen."

Silver is also graded, and naturally, locks made from different grades of silver are not the same.

Compared to the choice of silver, the craftsmanship of making silver, the patterns on the longevity lock only come last. But even these last-place skills are of the highest order among silversmiths.

And those with such skills are few in all of Great Jin.

Outsiders may not know who it is, but those in the industry can tell at a glance that this is the handiwork of Shangzhou’s Xia Dajiang.

Laymen watch the excitement and only notice the patterns on the longevity locks. However, experts like us scrutinize the craftsmanship of the lock making. That’s the foundation. Only if the lock is well made will engraving upon it not become sluggish or damage the lock.

Manbao asked, "Is Xia Dajiang so skilled that purchasing a lock he made would be very expensive?"

The shopkeeper laughed, "It depends on how you buy it. If it’s already made and displayed in the shop, the price isn’t too high, but for a custom order like the Miss’s, not to mention that it can’t be done for less than a hundred and eighty taels, it would probably be difficult to request such a favor from Xia Dajiang."

Manbao’s curiosity was piqued. "How can you tell that mine was custom-ordered?"

The shopkeeper gave Manbao a skeptical look. He recognized her, after all, Jishi Hall was just diagonally across the street, and the scandal involving Young Master Ji had been quite a spectacle. As the proprietor of a wealthy and influential household in Yizhou City, it would be difficult for him not to know Manbao.

That was also why he explained so patiently to her. But now, seeing her clueless, the shopkeeper couldn’t help but hesitate. Could it be that the longevity lock wasn’t hers?

Indeed, which young lady from a wealthy and influential family would come out to learn medicine and treat people?

And she usually comes and goes on foot.

Though doubtful, the shopkeeper still said, "There are two characters engraved inside the lock."

He had noticed carefully earlier and now turned the lock over, holding it up to the sunlight for Manbao to see the inside, "Look, inside the lock, there are two small characters, one above the other, ’Zhou’ and ’Xia’, which are likely your parents’ surnames, right?"

Manbao was stunned. She narrowed her eyes and peered through the small hole but could not make out any letters no matter how hard she looked.

Seeing Manbao rubbing her eyes, the shopkeeper laughed, "The characters are a bit small, and the hole is a little tight. It’s normal for the Miss not to make them out."

Manbao blinked her sore eyes, gave up, thanked the shopkeeper for the longevity lock, and then took her leave.

Manbao arrived home to find Mr. Zhuang waiting for her in the study, "Why did you come home much later today?"

"I talked with someone on the way." Manbao had something on her mind but didn’t tell her husband. Instead, she obediently sat down and took out her textbook.

Mr. Zhuang glanced at her, then opened his own book, "Then, let’s start the lesson."

Manbao had two classes in the afternoon, and after finishing, she gathered her notes, stood up, and respectfully took her leave from the teacher.

Mr. Zhuang, sitting in his chair, looked at her and nodded, "You may go."

Manbao stepped backward out of the study and stood in front of the gate, thinking. She then said to Daji, who was waiting for her outside, "I’m not going to the Book Collection Tower today. Tell Shanbao to go by himself."

After speaking, Manbao turned and went back to her room, took out the longevity lock, and examined it in the light again. She still couldn’t see anything, but looking through the hole, she could indeed tell something was engraved inside, just a vague shape, unrecognizable.

Manbao turned her sore neck and sighed deeply, gazing blankly at the longevity lock in her palm. After a long while, she couldn’t help but ask Keke for help, "Keke, can you let me see the characters inside?"

Keke replied, "Yes, the host can purchase a magnifying glass from the shopping mall, or pay points for me to scan it and display it for the host to view."

"Just scan it then."

This was the first time Manbao had placed an order with Keke without asking about the points.

After Keke silently scanned it, he projected the image in front of her, and Manbao then saw the structure within the longevity lock.

It turned out that not only were the characters "Zhou" and "Xia" symmetrically engraved on the top and bottom pieces of the lock but there were also two symmetrical chrysanthemums signifying longevity. If not for Keke, it was likely that no one would have been able to discern these details.

Manbao absently caressed the longevity lock for a long time before finally putting it back around her neck. Suddenly, a sour feeling emerged in her heart, and tears began to stream uncontrollably down her face.

She sat by the window, silently wiping away her tears, without understanding why she was so heartbroken, yet she felt profound sadness.

She had a vague suspicion that although some of County Magistrate Tang’s words might be wrong, one thing he said was unquestionably accurate; her family simply didn’t have the funds to afford such a longevity lock.

Even before her fourth brother gambled away their wealth, there was no way they could have afforded to make such a lock.

When Bai Shan couldn’t find Manbao in the academy, he ran out to the main gate only to see Daji waiting outside. Carrying his book basket, he ran over and asked, "Where’s Manbao?"

Daji said, "Miss Man seemed a bit off today, so she didn’t come. The young master should go read by himself."

Bai Shan put the book basket on the carriage, jumped in, and said, "Let’s not go, let’s head home. Is she sick?"

Daji replied, "She doesn’t look sick, more like she’s upset."

Bai Shan glanced around and inquired, "Where’s Bai Er?"

"The young master said he went to play on Qixia Mountain with his classmates and would return home later on his own."

Bai Shan said, "The school exams are just three months away, and he’s still in the mood to play?"

"Should I fetch him back?" asked Daji.

"Forget it," Bai Shan, anxious to get home, decided to let it slide for the day and continued, "Let’s go home."

Jumping down from the carriage, Bai Shan first went to the study to greet Mr. Zhuang before running to look for Manbao. He dashed past the window and then, in reverse, came back to the window, which had somehow been cracked open.

He opened the door, peered in, and saw Manbao with her head down, wiping away her tears.

Bai Shan was startled and stood dumbfounded for a moment before asking, "Manbao, what’s wrong?"

Manbao, engrossed in her tears, was startled by his voice and suddenly looked up.

Seeing her swollen red eyes and even her nose, Bai Shan hurried over, not bothering to knock, just pushed the door open and rushed in.

He asked angrily, "Who has been bullying you?"

Manbao wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand and said hoarsely, "No one has bullied me."

"Then why are you crying?" Bai Shan bent down to examine her face, touching a tear on her cheek, and said, "Look, your eyes are all swollen. Did one of your patients not get better? Or is it because you don’t know how to do the assignments the teacher has given?"

Manbao said, "I wouldn’t cry over schoolwork."

She turned around, her back to Bai Shan, and noticed her window was wide open, facing the yard, where Daji was standing, curiously peering in.

She got up and with a snap closed the window.