He Xu flipped through the information. The address was not very familiar, though he had some impression of it. He entered the phone number into WeChat’s contact field, and the contact displayed was Na Xuehui.
“I have this number saved here. The name is Na Xuehui. She’s Feng Qing’s friend. What did you find?”
“So she’s Feng Qing’s good friend. That explains it. Thanks.”
Su Yufan hung up the voice call without the slightest hesitation and stopped the recording.
After several consecutive days without sleep, she no longer wanted to look at the comments online. Once day broke, there would be a hard battle to fight.
Without hesitation, she tore open the box of eszopiclone, swallowed three pills, and ensured that she would be able to enter a deep sleep tonight.
When Su Yufan woke, she glanced at her phone. It showed eleven in the morning.
She had slept a full twelve hours.
The sound of a carving knife chiseling came from outside the window. She washed her face, let her hair fall loose, and went downstairs.
Her fair, delicate skin was bathed in sunlight, giving her an innocent, youthful air while also revealing a stunning beauty.
Zhao Wulan was washing vegetables under the water pipe in the courtyard. Seeing her come downstairs, she forced out a smile and pointed toward the kitchen. “I steamed a lot of rice cakes, and I also made Xizhou baba.
He Jun also bought the milk curds and rushan from that place you loved when you were little. I made chicken soup too, and I can also cook ersi. What do you want to eat? I’ll heat it up for you.”
Su Yufan suspected Zhao Wulan had taken the wrong medicine. She wouldn’t have put poison in the food, would she? Why was she being so attentive?
Ever since Su Yufan had come back, Zhao Wulan had never shown her a kind face. Why was she acting so strange this morning?
“I’ll have the milk curds and rice cakes. I can do it myself. You go do your own thing.”
“What do I have to do? There isn’t much business in the shop either. Sit on the chair and rest for a bit. I’ll steam them right away and bring them out.”
Zhao Wulan trotted off to the kitchen, leaving Su Yufan even more depressed.
She heard the sound of chiseling coming from the shop to the north.
She walked over and saw that Xili was carving a tray of flowers. He was working so intently that he did not even notice Su Yufan approaching.
“Xili, you’re really focused when you work. Is this a piece a client ordered? Or is it for practice?”
Su Yufan looked at the round wooden carving tray, which was covered in wood shavings. The design sketched on the white paper was vivid and lifelike, with several different floral patterns. He had probably only just begun carving not long ago.
Dozens of tools were laid out on his table, carving knives with every kind of blade edge imaginable.
“A tourist ordered it before. I’m rushing to finish it. Master told me to work for him for free for a year, and it’s also practice along the way.”
“How long does it take you to make a piece like this?”
Su Yufan carefully observed the floral pattern on the tray. It was intricate and elaborate, and carving it would be a great test of skill. If one cut was made wrong by accident, it would be very hard to fix.
“About a week.” Xili set down the carving knife in his hand and focused on talking to Su Yufan.
“Then you’re pretty fast. How much can this sell for?”
“Three thousand.”
“Three thousand? That cheap? For such complicated craftsmanship, why don’t you charge more?”
“Master sets the price. I’m only responsible for carving it well. Have you had breakfast? I’ll go get it for you.”
“Not yet. Don’t you think it’s strange? After I woke up, He Jun’s mother suddenly greeted me with a smile and went to make breakfast for me. What happened?”
“Do you want to hear the truth?” Xili deliberately put on an air of mystery.
“Of course. I hate lies.”
“They know about your illness and probably think you won’t live much longer, so they want to treat you a little better.”
“You told them?”
“He Jun saw it online. Their family aren’t bad people either. They still have at least that much sympathy. Hurry and go eat. After you’re done, come watch me work.
Today, I’m going to display my full strength. You’re very honored to be the first audience member to witness me completing such a complicated piece.”
Xili’s tone was deliberately light.
He had already discussed it with the He family. As long as Su Yufan was home for a day, they all had to keep her company cheerfully.
For whatever reason, the He family had agreed to this request.
Su Yufan happily finished two Xizhou baba, then ate a small half-bowl of milk curds, feeling especially satisfied.
She sat obediently beside Xili’s worktable and watched him work seriously.
“Xili, tell me about this piece you’re creating. If I just watch like this, I can’t understand anything.”
“The peony symbolizes wealth, honor, and auspiciousness. Its blossom is layered and full in shape, so the carving of the petals has to be delicate and intricate, presenting a gradual unfurling posture from the heart of the flower to the outer edges.
The half-open buds and lush branches and leaves set each other off, creating a layered sense of movement and stillness in harmony.
For the carving technique, I’ll use a combination of deep relief and openwork carving. The petals and leaves will be raised in high relief to a depth of about two to three centimeters, and the edges will be outlined with sharp knife work to form curves.
Then I’ll use pierced openwork for the branches and leaves, with hollow patterns interwoven between the leaves to simulate the effect of natural light passing through, showing a transparent and deft technique.
The wood is high-quality camphorwood. The grain of the wood must merge with the veins of the peony. The surface of the petals will retain the natural wood grain to simulate a smooth texture.
The leaf veins will be deepened with incised lines. The main veins will be bold and rough, while the side veins will be fine and dense as silk, enhancing its three-dimensional vitality.
The peony occupies the center as a single branch standing out alone, paired with twining vines to symbolize endless life. I’ll do my best to make the knife work clean and the layers reach as many as five to seven, highlighting the refined, meticulous, elegant, and graceful style of woodcarving.
The other flowers are all supporting elements. The peony has to be carved with full effort, and it is also the most mentally taxing. It is the heart of this piece. There can’t be the slightest mistake.”
When Xili spoke of his own work, he was extremely professional.
Although Su Yufan could not fully understand, she understood Xili’s creative concept and his pursuit of perfection.
“How long did it take you to carve the urn for my mother? That golden peacock was really beautiful.
I remember that the first-generation Peacock Dance King once performed the Golden Peacock Dance, and my mother danced it too. The golden peacock you carved was exactly the kind my mother would have cherished.”
“Two days and two nights. I stayed up all night carving it. I’ve seen the Golden Peacock Dance too. Your mother mentioned that dance king to me.
Unfortunately, I had too little golden-thread nanmu that I could piece together. Otherwise, I could have carved it with even more openness and elegance.”
Su Yufan took out the photos she had taken before, pointed at the golden peacock in them, and said, “Tell me about this peacock.”
“The wood grain of golden-thread nanmu flows like floating golden threads. Wisps of dim luster seep through the gaps between the feathers. The peacock stands tall with its head raised, its long neck elegant. Three slender main plumes stretch into the air, their ends curling like condensed clouds.
The main tail feathers are layered and staggered, with light and shadow carved through into starbursts, allowing the natural golden threads to radiate along the direction of the feathers’ growth. The feather barbs are incised with fine lines denser than hair. The main thing is to embody the peacock’s pride and elegance, the same temperament as your mother.”
Su Yufan nodded repeatedly. Xili indeed had the bearing of a master. Whenever he talked about his work, he spoke with ease and eloquence!
“Xili, you’ll definitely become a master carver of your generation! Do you have to wait until a year later before you can buy your freedom from your master?
I think you could start your own studio. With your knife work and comprehension, you should be making more artistic pieces. Only making these ordinary handicrafts is simply burying your talent.”
“How could I be as outstanding as you say? I haven’t even finished studying Yingzao Fashi, let alone the huge pile of materials on ancient architectural structures.
I’ve only focused on studying the architecture of ancient temples in Shanxi and Southeast Asia. Carving these things now is also for practice. This is a necessary path for growth.
Aside from comprehension and creativity, carving also requires a great deal of time to accumulate experience. Unfortunately, I didn’t become your grandfather’s disciple. The works he left behind are what can truly be called masterpieces.”
“My grandfather was that amazing?”
“Of course. He was very famous in Southeast Asia. I only learned about him overseas, and that was why I chose to come here to seek a master. Hurry and go eat. We’ll go to Kunming later to see Dr. Duan.”
“Xili, I suddenly thought of an idea. I’ll discuss it with you after eating. I think we can launch a powerful counterattack against the online public opinion.”