Making a Good Connection

This shop was very small, at most twenty square meters.

Though the sparrow was small, it had all five organs. A row of shelves stood on the left, displaying a dazzling array of wooden carvings and bead bracelets.

On the right was a long workbench, with all manner of tools hanging from the wall.

A small lathe sat inside the room, its motor humming.

A young man in a blue shirt was turning beads.

There were several similar little processing workshops along this street, and Gao Jing had looked through them before.

What drew him back was the old craftsman sitting before the workbench, carving a wooden piece.

The craftsman looked quite old, with grizzled hair and a weathered face.

He hunched over, wholly absorbed in carving the wood in his hands.

He had not noticed Gao Jing at all.

A small piece of Purple Sandalwood was gradually taking shape beneath his hands, already revealing the likeness of a Pixiu.

Gao Jing did not disturb him, merely standing to one side and watching quietly.

In the old craftsman's hands, a sharp carving knife seemed to possess life and soul. Cutting, shaving, picking, sweeping—its movements were nimble and ever-changing. Each stroke was swift and precise, enough to leave one in astonishment.

Gao Jing's gaze never left his hands.

Those large hands were covered in thick calluses, and the cracks in his skin were packed with wood shavings, making them look dark and ugly.

Yet it was precisely such a pair of hands that fashioned beauty in this world!

Only after finishing the Pixiu did the old craftsman put down his carving knife.

And notice Gao Jing's presence.

"Ah."

A little embarrassed, he asked, "Sir, what can I do for you?"

Gao Jing smiled. "Master, can you make bead bracelets here? Using my own material."

"Bead bracelets?"

The old craftsman was somewhat puzzled.

Making bead bracelets was simple work. Nowadays, everyone used machines, and there was little technical skill involved.

His little shop was tucked away at the end of the street, in a corner. Aside from regular customers, strangers rarely came here to have bead bracelets made.

Still, he could not turn away a customer at his door. "Of course. What material do you have, and what size do you want?"

Gao Jing took out a piece of wood from his handbag. "This piece. Have a look."

The old craftsman accepted the wood, and his eyes immediately widened.

Like a gourmet catching sight of a feast, the light in his eyes seemed capable of setting the wood in his hands ablaze!

Surprise, admiration, fervor!

"This material..."

The old craftsman lightly stroked the surface with his rough fingers, his voice trembling faintly.

Gao Jing asked, "Can you make them?"

What he had taken out was naturally cloud-grain, water-ripple, scaled Premium Full Golden-Star Grain Purple Sandalwood.

In the Mountain Stronghold of the Great World, this kind of Little-Leaf Red Sandalwood was merely raw material for making tables and chairs.

It was utterly ordinary.

The piece in the old craftsman's hand was only scrap material!

Yet its quality had undoubtedly stunned this experienced old craftsman!

"More than enough!"

The old craftsman let out a long breath. "I haven't seen material this good in many years. What specifications do you want?"

Purple Sandalwood Buddhist bead bracelets came in long and short styles, and each style had different specifications and sizes.

Wearers chose according to their age, gender, height, and build.

"Make them all short."

Gao Jing had considered this long ago. "Three sizes: 10 millimeters, 15 millimeters, and 20 millimeters. I'm mainly giving them away, so divide the quantity evenly. You can handle the rest as you see fit."

The 10, 15, and 20 millimeters Gao Jing mentioned referred to the diameter of the beads: small, medium, and large.

Different diameters meant different numbers of beads in a bracelet.

For a standard short Little-Leaf Red Sandalwood Buddhist bead bracelet, 20mm beads required twelve beads, while 15mm beads required fifteen.

After thinking for a moment, the old craftsman took out a ruler and carefully measured the dimensions of the material.

Then he calculated with paper and pen before saying, "Three 20mm bracelets, three 15mm bracelets, and two 10mm bracelets. The remaining small pieces can be made into hanging beads and matching accessories."

"Would that be all right?"

"No problem."

Gao Jing nodded. "How much is the processing fee?"

"Just give me whatever you like."

The old craftsman sighed. "Being able to see material this good, it'd be worth it even if I processed it for you for free!"

Gao Jing smiled. "All right."

The old craftsman brought over a wooden chair for Gao Jing to sit on, then eagerly took the wood to begin processing it.

He chased his apprentice away from the lathe.

And personally began portioning the material and turning the beads.

In truth, this kind of mechanical work did not require a master craftsman like him to do it himself.

Of course, the apprentice was not idle either. The turned beads still needed to be drilled.

After asking for Gao Jing's opinion, they also gave them a low polish.

Ordinary bead bracelets did not require much skill to begin with, and with an old master doing the work himself, the processing went quickly.

Gao Jing sat in the chair and browsed Weibo for a while before the finished products were ready.

"This Full Golden-Star Grain..."

The old craftsman praised it from the bottom of his heart. "It's simply unparalleled!"

Golden-star grain was a mark of a Little-Leaf Red Sandalwood's identity and value. The more outstanding the golden-star grain, the higher the price naturally became.

The golden-star grain was full and brilliant, its color rich and lustrous. Combined with the rare cloud grain, water ripples, and scales, a low-polished bead resting in one's palm gleamed like a cat's-eye gemstone.

It was so beautiful that one simply could not look away!

Twelve Purple Sandalwood beads of identical quality were strung together, tied with a diamond knot, and finished with small beads.

A 20mm cloud-grain, water-ripple, scaled Premium Full Golden-Star Grain Purple Sandalwood bracelet was complete!

"Holy shit!"

At that moment, an astonished cry came from outside the shop.

A huge fat man who looked to weigh three hundred pounds hurried over with heavy thudding steps.

His eyes were round as bronze bells, staring fixedly at the Full Golden-Star Grain bracelet that had just reached Gao Jing's hand!

Like a lecher spotting a peerless beauty.

"Holy shit! Holy shit!"

He abruptly raised his bald head, his gaze toward Gao Jing burning hot. "Brother, is that yours?"

Gao Jing nodded calmly.

The man appeared to be in his thirties or forties, with a rather cheerful-looking face, much like a pot-bellied Maitreya Buddha in a temple.

Gao Jing noticed that two young men were following behind him.

They looked like lackeys.

The fat bald man wore an emerald-green jade Buddha pendant around his neck, with one short bracelet and one long bracelet on his left wrist.

They were also fine Little-Leaf Red Sandalwood bead bracelets.

But compared to the ones in Gao Jing's hands, they simply could not measure up.

And Gao Jing had more than one.

New beads were continuously processed, and the old craftsman skillfully strung them into one bracelet after another.

The bald fat man was dumbfounded.

He stared at the Purple Sandalwood bracelets beside the old craftsman, then glanced at Gao Jing, who sat as steady as Taishan.

His eyes spun nonstop.

Gao Jing paid him no mind.

In broad daylight, Gao Jing was not afraid that this fellow would try anything.

Besides, he did not sense any ill intent from him.

Gao Jing placed every finished bracelet into his handbag.

At last, he took out a fist-sized piece of Purple Sandalwood.

He handed it to the old craftsman. "Let this piece cover the work fee. Is that acceptable?"

The old craftsman froze for a moment, then gave a wry smile and waved his hand. "I wouldn't dare. I'd be ashamed to accept it!"

He truly did not think his small amount of labor was worth this piece of premium Purple Sandalwood material.

"I think it is."

Gao Jing smiled faintly and set down the wood. "Thank you."

Gao Jing was certainly not short on processing fees.

The reason he chose to pay with material was to make a good connection.

His goal achieved, he rose and prepared to leave.

"Brother!!"

Here's the second update. Please support with your votes, everyone. Thank you!