Chapter 55

Although the stone had been processed with strong acid, some flaws still remained in certain areas.

When Qin Feng made his cuts, he only selected the areas with the richest green and the purest water, discarding any part where the color was slightly off.

After more than two hours, the piece of "jadeite," which was as large as two fists, had been divided into three parts. Two of them were only the size of a thumb, while the other was about the size of a baby's palm, which was the "essence" part of the entire piece.

It was now noon. Qin Feng wrote down some materials on a piece of paper and sent Li Tianyuan to buy food, asking him to bring the materials back as well. Only then did he focus his attention back on the three pieces of material.

After formally starting the carving, Qin Feng's movements slowed down significantly. Each cut was perfectly even, neither too much nor too little. The process for the earrings was relatively simple, and they were shaped in about half an hour.

However, the Buddha statue required more intricate carving. From the Buddha's face to its clothing, even the folds had to be highlighted, which was a significant test of the carver's skills.

Qin Feng spent over two hours carving, and a Maitreya Buddha with a kind and smiling face appeared in his palm.

"Master was right; I really am born for this job!"

Holding the "jadeite" Buddha statue in his hand, Qin Feng felt a great sense of pride. He had practiced with other materials before, but the three objects in front of him were undoubtedly his most successful works.

The pair of "jadeite" earrings, which were not very difficult, were not worth mentioning. The craftsmanship of this Buddha statue was extremely exquisite. Although the knife work was very concise, it looked like "sparse enough for a horse to run through, yet dense without a gap."

Moreover, Qin Feng made full use of the material, using the North School carving technique, which was becoming increasingly rare. The work was neat and grand, and in the eyes of experts, it was undoubtedly the work of a master.

"Xiao Pang, where's Yuanzi? Hasn't he come back yet?"

Qin Feng had been completely absorbed in the carving just now. Once he relaxed, he immediately felt his stomach rumbling. This small manual work had almost drained all his energy.

"Brother Feng, who knows where Brother Yuanzi went? He's been gone for several hours."

While Qin Feng was carving, Xie Xuan didn't even dare to breathe heavily. Now that the work was finished, his voice was a bit louder.

"Brother Feng, I'm back..."

Just as Xie Xuan finished speaking, Li Tianyuan's voice came from the gate of the yard. Li Tianyuan, who had just walked in, was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked as if he had just been fished out of the water.

"Yuanzi, where did you go? It was just to buy some things, right?" Seeing Li Tianyuan's appearance, both Qin Feng and Xie Xuan were shocked. Could this guy have fallen into the river?

The materials Qin Feng needed, although rare, had been specified as available in certain places. In theory, Li Tianyuan shouldn't have been so狼狈, right?

"Brother Feng, you make it sound easy, but I had to run all over the city to get everything..." Hearing Qin Feng's words, Li Tianyuan immediately complained.

Originally, going to a few more places wouldn't have been a problem, but unfortunately, when Li Tianyuan was buying the last item in the east of the city, he found that he didn't have enough money.

He begged the shop owner to sell it cheaper, but after buying it, Li Tianyuan didn't even have a cent left.

The east of the city and the yard were on opposite sides, about ten kilometers apart.

Although Li Tianyuan was a bit of a troublemaker in the past, he was a man of pride and didn't want to ride for free. He could only run back on foot, and after a 20-kilometer run, he looked like he did now.

"You... you can only go and extort primary school students!"

Taking a bus only costs one yuan, and this guy actually ran back. Qin Feng was both amused and exasperated after hearing Li Tianyuan's story.

"Alright, let's eat..."

Seeing Li Tianyuan so exhausted, Qin Feng didn't have the heart to scold him.

"Brother Feng, I... I don't have a cent left. We don't have any dinner."

After running 20 kilometers, Li Tianyuan finally realized the importance of money. Previously, Xie Xuan had been in charge of the money, so he didn't have to worry about it.

"I still have ten yuan. Let's buy some pancakes for dinner!"

Qin Feng was taken aback by this and searched his entire body, only finding ten yuan. The rest had been given to Li Tianyuan to buy the materials.

"Then... what about tomorrow?" Xie Xuan looked at Qin Feng with pleading eyes and said, "Brother Feng, how about I set up a stall tomorrow? If I have good luck, it should be enough for a few days' food."

"Set up a stall? Forget it."

Qin Feng laughed and pointed to the three completed "jadeite" pieces, saying, "These aren't for display. After we sell them tomorrow, we'll leave the city tonight. If you have anything you want to take, prepare it in advance!"

"Leave... leave tomorrow? Where are we going?"

Qin Feng's words left Xie Xuan and Li Tianyuan stunned, especially Li Tianyuan, who had never left the city. The sudden news of leaving made him feel a bit anxious.

"To Tianjin City. Didn't I tell you about it before?"

Qin Feng took a bite of the steamed bun Li Tianyuan bought and said, "These things can be exchanged for capital. We can do some small business in the future and support ourselves."

The reason he chose Tianjin City was that it was close to the capital, with a complex mix of people and many antique enthusiasts. Qin Feng planned to use it as a base for his development.

There was another important reason: the train that took away Qin Jia had stopped in Tianjin City for the longest time. Qin Feng had reason to suspect that his sister had been lost there.

Xie Xuan's parents were in Tianjin City, so he didn't object to Qin Feng's plan. However, Li Tianyuan was a bit conflicted. He rarely returned home, but now that he had to leave, he felt a bit reluctant.

Qin Feng didn't have the heart to do his ideological work. After eating, he went into the room with the package Li Tianyuan bought, with Xie Xuan following behind.

He placed the three completed "jadeite" pieces on a silk cloth in front of him and looked at Xie Xuan, saying, "Xiao Pang, these skills can't be learned in a short time. If you're really interested, you can find a master in Tianjin City. There are many old artisans there."

Qin Feng's carving skills were a result of being forced by Zai Shi. His hands had extremely precise control, capable of playing the most difficult piano pieces with ease. In comparison, carving was relatively simple.

However, for Xie Xuan, who had no foundation, it would require a lot of hard work. His fingers, which were as fat as carrots, would need to be exercised until they were thin and bony before he could achieve any results.

After giving the two some instructions not to bring too many things, Qin Feng ate and then locked himself in the room, not even letting Xie Xuan in.

As the saying goes, "Teaching a student to perfection will starve the teacher." Qin Feng had to keep something back. What he was about to do was to polish and age the three "jadeite" pieces, which was the most important step.

He opened the bag Li Tianyuan brought back and took out a small bag of green paste. This substance, called chromium oxide, would make the paste thick and give it an aged look when used for polishing.

Chromium oxide dries very quickly. After applying it evenly to the three pieces and waiting for about ten minutes, Qin Feng took out a piece of 2000-grit sandpaper and gently polished the "jadeite" surface.

He repeated this process three times. After polishing, the surface of the pieces became slightly dull, as if covered with a thin layer of paste.

After completing this step, Qin Feng took out a small bag of powder from the bag.

This substance is called diamond powder, but it is actually made from diamond grinding. True diamond powder would be impossible to find even in the entire city.

Qin Feng applied the diamond powder to the jadeite and began to polish it with a hard-bristled brush. The earrings were easy to handle, but the Maitreya Buddha pendant required more delicate work. Qin Feng used a toothpick to carefully trace the patterns.

Finally, Qin Feng took out a piece of pure cowhide that Li Tianyuan had obtained from a shoe store and began to polish the pieces, a process that took two hours.

When the three pieces were fully polished, the jadeite surface of the earrings became rich and beautiful in green.

The deep color concealed all the flaws in the "jadeite," and even Qin Feng was captivated by it. He believed that with the current level of jadeite appraisal in the city, no one would notice the flaws.

The Maitreya Buddha pendant, on the other hand, presented a different kind of beauty.

The entire pendant was transparent, and when he placed his finger behind it, he could almost see the finger's texture clearly. The exquisite carving and the deep green color gave it a solemn feeling.

"Damn, I almost forgot to drill the holes. The inside of the holes also needs to be polished!"

Qin Feng, who had been captivated by the beauty, suddenly slapped his head. If he took it out like this tomorrow, it would be the biggest joke in the antique industry this century.

After spending a few more hours, Qin Feng completed all the steps. He took out a piece of three-strand red rope from his pocket, which he had "acquired" from Old Ge's store.

This red rope was also special. After being hand-woven, it was soaked in a special solution, making it durable enough to last for ten years without breaking. If bought, such a small piece would cost over a hundred yuan.

Using a very unique technique, Qin Feng threaded the red rope through the Maitreya Buddha and held it up to his eyes. The breathtaking beauty made it hard for him to distinguish between real and fake.

As for the earrings, Qin Feng set them in slightly faded old silver, giving them a sense of age and history after further processing.

PS: Second update. Since the Fahrenheit temperature was redundant, I changed the water temperature to steam. Also, I changed the iron basin to a porcelain basin. Thanks to the friends who pointed out the errors. These guys read the book very carefully, but why don't they vote?