Chapter 40: The Ingenious Artisan (Part 1)

  There are many kinds of nobility in this world, or dignity that cannot be invaded, or elegance that cannot be insulted, or sanctity that cannot be deceived... But they all have a common characteristic, that is, being high above and inaccessible. These people seem to be born with pride, even if they hide their arrogance in their hearts, even if they feel that pride is not right, but others think it's natural and reasonable. No matter how calm and friendly the smile on his face is, others still feel that he is high above, and the more humble and friendly he is to others, the more uncomfortable others feel.

  The silence is so intoxicating because it shows a nobility that has never been seen before, this demeanor makes people feel warm and familiar at first sight, like a spring breeze. Can't help but get close to him, pour out to him, can entrust everything to him.

  Even Hou Xian, the fiercely competitive county magistrate, seemed to be intimidated by Shen's calm demeanor and involuntarily returned a bow, saying: "May I ask, young master, did you bring that vase with you?"

  "It's here." Shen silently patted the wooden box and smiled slightly.

  That Wang Da Guan Ren, seeing this young man stealing the show as soon as he appeared, was extremely indignant and couldn't help but say with a sour tone: "Youngster, what are you pretending for? Is my bottle gilded or something? Don't take it out to let me, your elder, take a look?" As soon as he got angry, his true nature was revealed.

  "It's not time for you to see it yet." Shen Mo said with a faint smile. Shen Jing told him yesterday that Shen Lian was continuously putting pressure on the county magistrate of Shanyin, and now the eldest son had been taken to the Shanyin County government office under soft detention, finally escaping the tiger-headed gang's clutches.

  "Why?" Wang Lao Hu said with a dark face.

  "You asked me to gild this vase, and now I have. " Shen Mo turned his head towards the audience, smiling and saying: "What's next?"

  "Give him the money." The common people laughed and said, "Material costs, labor costs, that's a lot of money, how can we let the young master pay for it himself?" It's no wonder that public opinion is biased towards one side. When a fierce-looking, evil-hearted gangster and a gentle, refined scholar stand together, the common people will naturally choose who to support.

  "Hey kid, don't push me!" Wang Lao Hu was so angry that his nose was crooked, and he now regretted handing over Yao Zhangzi to the authorities.

  Xiang County's assistant magistrate advised on one side: "Tongda brother, just give him a few taels for now. When the box is opened, won't it still be yours?"

  Wang Lao Hu said with a sudden realization, "Ah, good! You little scoundrel is trying to deceive me! You're thinking of letting me take the fall and then taking advantage of the situation to smash this box, aren't you?" This was a trick that Wang Lao Hu often used himself, so he thought others would also resort to such base tactics.

  The silent smile made Wang Lao Hu even more determined, and he couldn't help but grin: "Youngster, I have a pair of golden studs here. If you can gild that bottle of mine with gold, they're yours. If you fail to gild it or damage the bottle, you'll owe me double, how about it?"

  He nodded silently and smiled: "Very good." County Magistrate Hou then took the two small ingots from Wang Lao Hu and weighed them in his hand, before loudly announcing: "Two gold sycee, totaling one tael eight qian." As a former treasurer, he was naturally authoritative, and no one disputed him.

  "Little kid, what other excuse do you have?" Wang Lao Hu laughed and said.

  "Take it!" Shenmo chuckled and tossed the wooden box lightly into his arms.

  Wang Lao Hu wasn't paying attention and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, he was a skilled martial artist, with quicker reflexes than ordinary people. After a flurry of frantic movements, he managed to catch himself. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he sneered, "You little scamp, you think you can outsmart me? You're still too green." With that, he opened the wooden box and pulled out the bottle, laughing loudly without even looking at it, "Everyone, what do you think I should do to punish this young whippersnapper?"

  "Give money! Give money!" The onlookers chorused in unison.

  "Spare you the trouble, kid." Wang Lao Hu finally felt a sense of satisfaction from public opinion and decided to be magnanimous: "Bring it here!"

  "It should be you who pays." The crowd burst out laughing and said: "Let's take a look at the bottle first."

  Wang Lao Hu was shocked and looked down, only to see that the crystal bottle had indeed turned into a pure gold color, shining brightly in the sunlight, emitting dazzling golden light.

  "What, how is this possible?" Wang Lao Hu's wide-open mouth could swallow a toad, and he almost dropped the bottle in shock.

  The two county lieutenants took a joint appraisal, and then Zhang County Lieutenant, who had regained his composure, loudly announced: "The body of the vase is intact and undamaged, the gold plating is perfect!" The crowd had been deeply attracted by the clever craftsmanship, and now they cheered repeatedly, as if they had won a victory.

  He silently shook his head, thinking to himself: "It's actually true that no one knows this method." Before he could even react, he was surrounded by a crowd of people rushing up to him. It turned out to be those gold and silver craftsmen with red eyes, who all kowtowed to him and said: "Young Master Shen, we are willing to acknowledge you as our master, please accept us as your disciples."

  "Am I a master of gold and silver, teaching you guys how to recite poetry?"

  "With this one hand, the gold-plated craftsmanship inside the bottle is enough to make you our master." A leading goldsmith said respectfully: "Master, accept us as your apprentices." "Yes, Master, please accept us as your apprentices." The crowd of goldsmiths made another noisy plea.

  The silent ones didn't respond, so he could only sigh and say: "Listen to me for a moment... This method I learned from a book, if you want to know, I'll tell you, but there's one thing, don't mention anything about becoming my apprentice."

  The goldsmiths were naturally pleased, but a buzz arose from the crowd, and it was those scholars who were stunned. A dignified-looking scholar stepped forward, cupped his hands and said: "This younger brother has asked for your instruction, I am Da Xun of Shanyin, there is something that is not clear to me, please enlighten me."

  "I dare not instruct, let's discuss together." Shen Mo hastily returned the courtesy and said: "Please speak, brother."

  His polite attitude immediately won the favor of the bigwigs, and he also smiled and asked: "May I ask which book you saw this method from?" This remark was actually quite inappropriate... In a public place, asking someone where they saw it in a book, and then everyone goes back to flip through the book, that method becomes a well-known secret, what's the value of it?

  But Zhu Dajin's face was calm and unruffled, as if he wasn't worried about this at all. The people around him also looked like it was a matter of course, no one thought what he said was inappropriate... Who is Zhu Dajin? A top scholar, book-loving to the point of madness, known for "reading every book, memorizing everything at a glance". If even such a person hasn't read this book, just how rare and obscure can it be?