The shopkeeper smiled and said: "More than that, this longevity lock is not only about engraving silver patterns, but also about making it. There is a lot of craftsmanship involved. The longevity lock in the hands of the lady is considered to be top quality, starting from the selection of silver.
the best."
Silver is also divided into grades, and the silver locks made of different silvers are naturally different.
Compared with the selection of silver and the craftsmanship of making silver, the silver pattern on the longevity lock only ranks at the bottom, but even the craftsmanship at the bottom is the best craftsmanship among silversmiths.
There are many people in Jin Dynasty who can have such skills.
Outsiders may not know who is doing this, but they can tell at a glance that it is the craftsmanship of Master Xia from Shangzhou.
A layman looking at the excitement will only see the silver patterns on the longevity lock, but what the experts see is the craftsmanship of making the silver lock. This is the foundation. Only if the silver lock is well made, the silver pattern will not be stagnant when it is engraved on it.
, and the silver lock will not be damaged.
Man Bao asked: "Master Xia is so powerful, isn't it expensive to buy the longevity lock he made?"
The shopkeeper smiled and said: "It depends on how you buy it. If it is ready and displayed in the store, it won't be much more expensive. But if it is custom-made like this, let alone a hundred and eighty taels, it will definitely not be possible.
I’m afraid it’s also difficult to recruit Master Xia in terms of favors.”
Man Bao asked curiously, "How can you tell that this is custom-made?"
The shopkeeper glanced at Manbao suspiciously. He recognized Manbao. After all, Jishi Hall was diagonally opposite, and the incident with Young Master Ji had caused quite a stir. As the shopkeeper of a wealthy and powerful owner in Yizhou City,
He wondered whether it would be difficult to fill a treasure trove.
That's why he explained it to her so carefully now, but seeing her clueless look, the shopkeeper couldn't help but hesitate, didn't this longevity lock belong to her?
Also, which young lady from a rich and powerful family would come out to learn medical skills and treat people?
Most of the time I go in and out every day, I have to walk up and down by myself.
Although he had doubts, the shopkeeper still said: "There are two words engraved inside this lock."
He could see it when he took a closer look just now. Now he turned the lock over and faced the sun so that Manbao could look inside. "Here, there are two small characters engraved on the inside of the lock, one for 'week' and the other for 'summer'."
', is it the surname of the young lady’s parents, right?”
Man Bao was stunned. She squinted her eyes and looked through the small hole. She almost looked cross-eyed and could not see any words inside.
Seeing Manbao rubbing his eyes, the shopkeeper smiled and said: "The characters are a bit small, and the hole is also a bit small. It's normal that the lady can't see it."
Man Bao blinked his sour eyes and gave up. He accepted the longevity lock and thanked the shopkeeper, then said goodbye and left.
When Man Bao returned home, Mr. Zhuang was waiting for her in the study, "Why did you come back so late today?"
"I talked to a few people on the way." Man Bao had something on his mind, but he didn't tell his husband. Instead, he sat obediently on the chair and took out the textbook.
Mr. Zhuang glanced at her and opened the textbook, "Then let's come to class."
Man Bao attended two classes in the afternoon and then left school. She put away the notes she had made, stood up and saluted her husband respectfully.
Mr. Zhuang sat on the chair, looked at her, nodded and said, "Go ahead."
Manbao stepped back and left the study. She stood in front of the door and thought for a while, then said to Daji who was waiting for her outside the door: "I won't go to the library today. You can let Shanbao go by himself."
After saying that, Man Bao turned back to his room and took out the longevity lock.
She looked at the light again and found that she still couldn't see anything, but through the small hole, she could indeed see that something was carved inside, but it was just a hazy area and nothing could be seen.
Man Bao rolled her sore neck, sighed, and looked down at the longevity lock in her hand in a daze. After a while, she still couldn't help but ask for help from Keke, "Koko, can you let me see the words inside?
"
Keke: "Yes, the host can buy a magnifying glass in the mall, or you can pay points to have me scan it for the host to view."
"Then scan it."
This is the first time that Manbao placed an order directly with Keke without asking for points.
Keke silently scanned it for her and then projected the image in front of her. Manbao then saw the structure inside the longevity lock.
Only then did I realize that not only were the words "Zhou" and "Xia" symmetrically engraved on the upper and lower locks inside, but there were also two symmetrical longevity chrysanthemums. If it hadn't been for Keke, no one would have been able to see that these things were engraved inside.
.
Man Bao rubbed the longevity lock in a daze, and after a long time, she put the longevity lock back on her neck. She suddenly felt a little sour in her heart, and before she could do anything, tears rushed out.
Manbao sat by the window and wiped her tears silently. She didn't know why she was sad, but she was very sad.
There was a vague guess in my heart that Magistrate Tang's other words might be wrong, but one sentence was quite right. Her family didn't have enough money to buy her such a long-lasting lock.
Even if their family was not short of money before the fourth brother gambled, they would never be able to afford such a longevity lock.
Bai Shan couldn't wait for Man Bao in the academy, so he ran out of the gate and saw Daji waiting outside. He ran over with a basket of books and asked, "Where is Man Bao?"
Daji said: "Miss Man didn't look too good, so she didn't come and asked the young master to read by himself."
Bai Shan put the book basket in the car and jumped onto the driveway: "No, let's go home. Is she sick?"
Daji said: "It doesn't look like it, but it looks like he's in a bad mood."
Bai Shan looked around and asked, "Where is Bai Er?"
"Master Tang said that he and his classmates were going to Qixia Mountain to play, and he would go back by himself later."
Bai Shandao: "There will be exams at Yuefu School in three more months. Is he still in the mood to have fun?"
"Do you want me to go find him and come back?"
"Forget it," Bai Shan was anxious to go home and decided to let him go today, saying, "Let's go home first."
Bai Shan jumped off the carriage, first ran to the study to greet Mr. Zhuang, and then ran to find Man Bao. He ran past the window in a hurry, then walked back backwards, and approached the window that had been opened a crack at some point.
side.
He opened the door and poked his head in, only to see Man Bao lowering his head and wiping tears.
Bai Shan was stunned for a while and then asked: "Man Bao, what's wrong with you?"
Man Bao was concentrating on crying when he suddenly heard his voice and was startled, and he immediately raised his head.
Bai Shan saw that her eyes were red and swollen, and even her nose was swollen. He quickly ran to the front without knocking, just opened the door and ran in.
He asked angrily: "Who bullied you?"
Man Bao wiped away the tears on his face with the back of his hand and said in a hoarse voice: "No one bullies me."
"Then why are you crying?" Bai Shan bent down and looked at her face. He nodded a few tears on her face and said, "Look, your eyes are swollen. Could it be that the patient you treated is not good? Or maybe it was arranged by your husband.
You can’t do any of your homework?”
Man Bao said: "I won't cry because of my homework."
She turned around, facing away from Bai Shan, and saw that her window was opened wide, facing the yard, and Daji was standing in the yard looking here curiously.