Chapter 908 - Chapter 908: Piercing Pearls
Chapter 908: Piercing Pearls
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Luo Jin’an shook his head. “Don’t worry about me. I ate quite a lot for lunch.”
Su Binglan remembered it was still noon. She smiled and said, “Mother, we passed by another town and saw one of Wenwu’s hotpot restaurants. We wanted to check it out, so we ate there. We’re still pretty full.”
When she mentioned Su Wenwu, the older woman began to miss him, saying, “Your brother has expanded his business a lot, but he’s still in the South. He wrote to us, saying he’s pretty busy and probably won’t be home for a while,
“He told us that his business is booming there and that he’s treating Feiran well.” Shen Qiuhua sighed. “They’re doing fine, so I don’t have to worry about them. Feiran is a good one, huh? Wenwu says she takes good care of him.
“l even thought of getting them married as soon as possible. I’ll have to look and set a date.” As a mother, Shen Qiuhua could not help but miss her children.
Su Binglan said, “Feiran probably hasn’t revealed her true identity to her family yet. We should ask Wenwu and Feiran what they think first. Still, you don’t have to worry, Mother. Our family is no longer as before.
“Even if the Ye family finds out that Feiran is a woman, they won’t dare to remove her status as their heir.’
Shen Qiuhua felt relieved when she heard that. “You’re right. We’re capable of defending her now.”
Su Binglan smiled, saying, “Her family needs her now. It’s not Feiran who needs them. Wenwu and Feiran can rebuild the Ye family, even without their help.”
Shen Qiuhua smiled in relief. “You’re right. I’ll discuss the marriage with your brother later. I wonder if I’ve met Feiran’s parents before,”
“Mother, the crabs and crayfish I received from Wenwu were excellent. They’d profit a lot if they introduced those things to the market.”
Shen Qiuhua raised her brows, saying, “Wenwu mentioned that in one of his letters. I didn’t know what those things were, so I didn’t ask him to send them over.
Su Binglan responded, “I’ll get Wenwu to get more crabs and crayfish. 1 can make a dish for you. Those things are delicious.”
“If you say so, I’ll believe you.”
Luo Jin’an listened as the mother-daughter duo talked. He looked at her gently and could tell she was an entirely different person when she was home. She appeared more relaxed and looked happier than ever.
Luo Jin’an would be in a good mood when he saw his happy wife. He felt a sense of warmth in his heart as he quietly watched his wife and mother-in-law talk. He felt at home at that moment.
Shen Qiuhua seemed to have thought of something and said, “Oh, let me show you the pearls your aunt gave us.”
She went into the house to take out a box and continued, “Look, these are pearls.
The box emitted a glow when she opened the box. The luster was soft and possessed a hint of clarity. Su Binglan’s eyes sparkled as she had not expected to see pearls yet.
She had considered getting some jewelry after building all the buildings in Chu Country. Indeed, the jewels of this era were gorgeous. Some of the craftsmen were highly skilled and could make exquisite jewelry.
However, people had yet to discover modern pearls, agates, coral beads, or gems in this era. Instead, they used cheap raw materials for decorations and jewelry. They looked beautiful but were affordable to ordinary people, too.
Su Binglan had wanted to make jewelry, but she had not expected to see pearls so soon.
Shen Qiuhua removed a pearl from the box and placed it in her daughter’s hand. The former sighed, saying, “Isn’t it gorgeous? It’d be great if 1 could wear it, but I don’t know if that’s possible. I can only admire it by holding it.”
She realized how much she liked the pearls. Su Binglan had even bought her some jewelry, which Shen Qiuhua wore when she went out sometimes.
The family no longer had to keep a low profile like they did before. After all, everyone knew about the Su family, so Shen Qiuhua did not mind wearing jewelry when she went out. Even so, pearls differed from gold, silver, and Su Binglan said, “l can string up pearls into necklaces or bracelets. We can also crush these things to make facial masks. These things are pretty useful.” She could not stop smiling as she looked at the pearls.
“Then how do we make this into jewelry?” Shen Qiuhua asked curiously. “I wanted to wear them but didn’t know how. I was worried I’d ruin them.”
Su Binglan said, “I’ll design a manual drilling needle and make a mechanical one later. For now, we can get a simple one to pierce the pearls first. I’ll make a necklace out of these pearls Aunt Ding gave you.”
“Wait, these are for you, Binglan. I was just keeping them until you returned.” Shen Qiuhua always wanted to keep the best things for her daughter.
Su Binglan knew from her mother’s expression that she liked the pearls. The former smiled, saying, “Mother, I’m not used to wearing such things. Besides, I plan to discuss a collaboration with Cousin Wenxian’s wife. I’ll buy pearls from her, and then we’ll make them into jewelry to sell.”
“You can do that?”
“Of course I can. These things will look exquisite when I make them into jewelry. They’ll be famous with the nobles and high-ranking officials.”
Su Binglan also planned to crush some pearls to make face masks. After all, pearls had many uses.
“Okay, I’ll follow your lead, Binglan.”
Su Binglan then found a large metal rod at home and sharpened it with a whetstone. Afterward, she ground the pointy part to make a flathead screwdriver to make it easier to use.
Soon after, she took a piece of cloth and wrapped the back of the metal rod to make holding it more comfortable. Then, Su Binglan used a self-made drilling needle to make holes in the pearls.
She controlled her strength and spun the pearl bit by bit. She finished making holes in a short while.
Shen Qiuhua happily picked up the pearl and looked at it. “You really did it. The holes are so small, too. So, can we string them together to make a necklace now?”
Su Binglan explained, “We can’t string them up with a single string. We must require skills to string them up properly. Since I’ve made the holes, I can string them together. You’ll know what 1 mean when 1 demonstrate it.”
“I’ll help, too,” Luo Jin’an said as he watched his wife’s actions. He also quickly made a drilling needle.
Su Binglan was amazed at how quickly he completed the needle. “Jin’an, could you help me make a few more of those? Theyll be helpful when I open a pearl factory..”