Wufu was short of money, but she also knew that in negotiation, whoever was in a hurry would lose first, while the one who remained calm would hold the winning ticket.
So even though she was tempted by the ten thousand taels of silver as a reward, she couldn’t show it on her face, especially after Wen Congrui made such a proposal.
More than five pieces of jade ware a year?
It wasn’t that she couldn’t do it, but rather, it was too mentally draining and too restricting, which didn’t suit her nature.
"Lord Wen, those extremely rare Spiritual Artifacts cannot be crafted in less than a few years," Wufu said with a faint smile, "I wonder if the Lord has ever heard of Jade Mountain for ’Mount Yu the Great Controlling the Waters’ which took a craftsman ten years to complete, one that amazed and garnered admiration from all."
Mount Yu the Great Controlling the Waters?
A flicker of confusion passed through Wen Congrui’s eyes, and he quickly reviewed his memory, realizing he had never heard of such a jade carving, turning to Shopkeeper Lin, who also shook his head.
Wufu lowered her head to sip her tea, but from the corner of her eye, she caught the exchange of looks between the two men and used the lid of her teacup to cover the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
If they really had heard of it, she would have been genuinely impressed, as this Mount Yu the Great Controlling the Waters was from the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. She was fortunate enough to see it with her master back in the day, and it greatly shocked her, igniting a passion for jade carving.
That Jade Mountain, not only in terms of materials, cost, and time but also in the quality and skill of the carving, was one of the best and most exquisite in China’s jade ware treasury and also one of the largest jade carvings in the world.
If Wen Congrui and his company had heard of it, then she truly wouldn’t know the historical standing of how the country, divided from Zhao State into Nanyue and Beiyan, really existed.
Of course, she mentioned it primarily as a bluff.
Wen Congrui laughed and said, "It seems I am uninformed and do not know of the Spiritual Artifact the lady speaks of."
"I have no intention of piquing the Lord’s curiosity, as it is an antique after all," Wufu replied with a smile, feigning regret, "Just talking with the Lord makes it clear that the time it takes to craft jade ware is unpredictable. Therefore, forgive me for not being able to agree to the Lord’s request. It seems I won’t be able to contribute to your esteemed shop."
Shopkeeper Lin frowned, "Lady, in these two to three months, have you not also produced two small pieces? Five pieces should be of little concern to you."
"Such little trinkets indeed do not take long to create, but Shopkeeper Lin should also see that their value is not so precious," Wufu said with a smile, "They are merely about being finely made and having innovative designs."
The things she carved were a fusion of the essence of five thousand years of carving and the innovation of modern young jade craftsmen, so when her jade ware came out, it had an additional touch of novelty compared to those made by the ancients alone.
Her words seemed reasonable, and Shopkeeper Lin involuntarily looked towards Congrui.
However, Congrui just smiled slightly. He wasn’t foolish and could see that Wufu’s words and demeanor were a strategic retreat.
She simply didn’t want to satisfy the conditions he laid out, right?
"Miss Wufu, what would it take for you to agree to participate in the contest?" Wen Congrui asked with a smile, "You should know, once you win the contest, yet our shop lacks your work, it would be a disappointment to the public."
Wufu was surprised. While she was indeed playing the game of strategic retreat, she hadn’t expected Wen Congrui’s resolve to be so strong that now he seemed ready to make concessions. It appeared his determination to have her compete was genuine. Strange, why was that?
Was he truly that confident in her? Or, was this the halo that she, as the protagonist, was supposed to have?