Chapter 102: The Jiang Family

  "As white as sliced fat, as smooth as cut skin"

  Mr. Jiang held the piece of sheep fat white jade in his hand and observed it, occasionally bursting out with some adjectives.

  "Come and see, this seed material is warm and dense, crystal clear and pure, white and flawless, like condensed fat. This is the top-grade white jade 'Yangzhī Yù' in Hetian Jade." Old Master Jiang said after finishing, then he picked up the seed material again, looked at it against the light, and said even more affirmatively: "No mistake, this piece is Yangzhī Yù."

  Qiu Ye stood beside, hearing Old Master Jiang say that this piece of material is good, she was also very happy, although Tiewu Dage also said that this is sheep fat jade, but it's not as convincing as what the master craftsman said.

  Mr. Jiang was excited for a while, then came back to himself and said to Qiu Ye: "This seedling material of Little Ye's is excellent, top-notch quality, the kid has a good eye."

  Qiu Ye made Old Man Jiang praise her until he was embarrassed, but this wasn't something she had chosen, it was Iron Wood's choice that was good, and she just wrapped it up nicely. She didn't know what to say, so she just smiled foolishly in response.

  This made Old Master Jiang appreciate him even more, this child is indeed calm and composed, a good kid.

  "What do you want to carve?" Old Jiang couldn't bear to put down the piece of sheep fat jade, so he continued to hold it in his hand and play with it.

  Mr. Jiang also understood that since they brought it out, they must want him to carve it; otherwise, why would they look for him? He saw the good material and his hands itched, wanting to try if he was still in his prime. Besides, it had been many years since he last saw such good material.

  "Grandpa Jiang, I've already designed them. What do you think? Are they okay?" Qiu Ye then pulled out a few sheets of paper from her backpack, which were jewelry design drawings she had done at home.

  Mr. Jiang took a look and indeed they were well-prepared. Without being overly polite, he accepted the design drawings and began to carefully examine them.

  It's called a design drawing, but in fact, Qiu Ye just drew the basic shape of the jewelry, which didn't even meet the standard of a design drawing. Qiu Ye knew this herself, so she added text explanations at key points to make it understandable at a glance.

  "Hmm, your drawing looks simple enough to be made, but if this material is used in the way you've drawn it, it will be very wasteful..." After saying that, Old Man Jiang fell silent, furrowing his brow as he thought about the problem.

  Qiu Ye remained silent beside him, not wanting to disturb Old Master Jiang's train of thought. She had already made up her mind. The other party was a big shot, if they said no, then it was no. Her priority was to maximize the use of this piece of sheep fat jade, and her own appearance was secondary. Of course, if she could take care of both, that would be even better.

  Mr. Jiang thought for a while before saying: "I have a preliminary plan, Xiaoye can paint, right? Come and tell me, you draw, see if you like it."

  He pulled Qiu Ye to the back of his desk. It was actually putting Fang Haibo there, and Fang Haibo didn't get angry either. Looking at this pair of temperamental old men, he said: "Alright, Uncle Jiang, you and Little Ye study together, I'll leave first."

  Mr. Jiang only remembered that there was another person in the house, and he impatiently waved his hand at Fang Haibo, saying: "You go out first, wait for me to finish carving Little Ye's sheep fat jade, then it will be your turn." Mr. Jiang's mind is now all on Little Ye's piece of sheep fat jade, where does he have the energy to carve others at the same time?

  Fang Haibo said casually: "Alright, I'm not in a hurry. Whenever you're free, just do it for me. If you're really too busy, let Haitao do it for me."

  Mr. Jiang waved his hand impatiently and sent Fang Haibo away.

  Then the two of them discussed it in the study, and since Qiu Ye was just a supporting character, she agreed to whatever Old Master Jiang said. In the end, they decided that this sheep fat jade stone could be carved into four sets of jewelry, each set consisting of a bangle, a necklace, a ring, and a pair of earrings.

  After finishing the discussion, Old Man Jiang couldn't wait to take the sheep fat jade to a room next to the study.

  Qiu Ye followed him in and only then discovered that this should be Old Master Jiang's workshop, small, with a long table in the middle, on which was placed a wooden box.

  After entering the house, Old Ginger sat down at the table and opened the box. Qiu Ye took a look and found out that it was a toolbox, inside which were all kinds of carving knives and other tools.

  Mr. Jiang sat down at the table, picked up a carving knife, thought for a moment, and began to carve with precision. Qiu Ye brought over a stool and sat down beside Mr. Jiang, trying to learn from him in secret. She had many jade stones of her own that she couldn't let others process all the time. If she could master the skills herself, wouldn't it be great to work on them at home whenever she wanted? That way, she could carve whatever design she liked.

  Two people stayed in the study until after five o'clock in the afternoon, outside was pitch black, Jiang's family had all returned, they were called out to eat by Grandma Xu.

  "You old man, what's good about you? As soon as you touch those stones, you forget everything. Hai Bo and Xiao Yan come back once in so many years, and you don't even chat with them. Instead, you sneak inside to play with your broken stones. Don't you have any dignity as an elder?" Xu Nainai scolded this old man who neglected his duties again today for fiddling with the stones.

  "Alright, alright, I know. Haibo and Xiaoyan are not outsiders, what's the need for accompaniment? Besides, I'm doing something serious here, but Haibo and Xiaoye asked me to come out of retirement to carve for them." Old Master Jiang was afraid of his wife's nagging, so he quickly pulled out Fang Haibo and Qiu Ye as a shield.

  Mrs. Xu finally shut up, but she looked at this old child with a resentful gaze that was as hard as iron. She knew her husband well, and over the years, his infatuation with stones had only increased, not decreased. In recent years, due to physical reasons, she no longer allowed him to take on any carving work, which made him very frustrated. Now someone had finally brought it to their doorstep, and she couldn't stop him, so he was naturally overjoyed.

  When the three of them arrived at the dining hall, many people had already gathered around the big table for lunch. Qiu Ye recognized Jiang Yutao, who was the one who picked them up today.

  Qiu Ye was arranged to sit between Zhao Shuyan and Qiu Feng, and Xu Nainai introduced him to everyone present. Qiu Ye smiled and greeted each person, flattering them with sweet talk. As a child visiting someone else's home, it's only natural to be a bit more polite and endearing.

  However, Qiu Ye discovered at this time that she didn't have the halo of a reborn female lead who was admired by everyone. After being reborn, not everyone liked her, and of course, she wasn't trying to win them over either. So when encountering those who were unfriendly, she just maintained basic politeness.

  Jiang Yutao is a serious person, and his relationship with Fang Haibo is the best. They can be said to have grown up together as brothers who wore the same pants, even though they haven't been together for many years. However, they still keep in touch often. He knows how lonely it has been for the Fang couple not having children all these years, and he also knows the joy that Haibo expresses every time he writes a letter since adopting the two kids last year. Therefore, he loves them as his own, and there's no doubt that his brother's children are lovable. When he looks at the two kids, his eyes involuntarily become gentle.

  Jiang Yutao's wife, Wang Juan, is also a very enthusiastic person. Maybe because she is a teacher or maybe because there are no girls in her own family, she likes Qiu Ye as soon as she sees them and sincerely praises the two siblings. She also instructs her children to take good care of their brother and sister who have come from afar.

  Two children, Jiang Bingcheng and Jiang Bingchi, inherited their parents' personalities. Jiang Bingcheng was quiet and reserved, but smiled kindly at Qiu Ye's greeting. The siblings' eyes were clean and clear, without any hint of dislike.

  Another Jiang Bingchi was lively and energetic, seeing a younger brother at home, warmly entertaining him, and also saying that he would be their guide tomorrow to take them on a tour of the scenic spots in Beijing.

  Jiang Haitao and his family were very friendly to Fang Haibo and Zhao Shuyan, but they didn't show much enthusiasm for the two children who came with them.

  Jiang Haitao is still okay, after all, he is a member of the Jiang family and works in the service industry. Although he may not be enthusiastic towards people, he doesn't ignore them either. In response to Qiu Ye's greetings, he replied politely and told them to feel at home and have fun, but Qiu Ye could clearly sense that his words were insincere and just a formality.

  His daughter-in-law, Li Leping, was even more perfunctory. After Qiu Ye entered the restaurant, she hadn't seen her smile once. Qiu Ye politely greeted her, and she just slightly nodded her head, without even making eye contact. She originally didn't like eating at her mother-in-law's house. This place was a bungalow, although it was their own home in a courtyard, but it couldn't compare to the high-rise building of her own family. She also didn't know what her parents-in-law were thinking. Usually, they would lower themselves to make friends with those old men and women on the street who had no skills or abilities. Now, they even arranged for some poor child with no blood relation to live in their home, it was like a shelter or something. Anyone could live here. However, it's okay, Haitao said it was just one meal, and they wouldn't have to come again in the future, so she endured it.

  There were also two children in their family, the elder daughter Jiang Binghan was obviously a spoiled big sister. For the two children opposite her who wore handmade cotton-padded jackets with a Tibetan-style basket and floral outerwear, she looked down on them completely. If it weren't for her parents' requirement that this gathering must be attended, she wouldn't have come at all. What's the point of having a poor relative from who-knows-where come to eat with her, Jiang Big Sister? So she took an attitude of ignoring them, as long as they didn't provoke her, she wouldn't bother with them.

  Finally, there was Jiang Bingyang, the little friend who didn't like the two children opposite him. It wasn't that he looked down on them for being poor, but rather that he resented them for stealing the attention of his elders. In the past, whenever they ate, if there was something delicious, his grandmother would always give it to him first. But today, she gave the chicken leg to those two kids instead. He was extremely unhappy - why should a child the same age as him get the chicken leg that was originally his? He began to feel a sense of crisis, so he simply followed his sister's lead and started disliking them too.