Chapter 267: Difficulty
Su Wenyue knew that the jewelry that Lan Xin and Lan Fang wore on their heads was already a relatively good set that they could show off. The eldest aunt had a strong control over the backyard, and the eldest uncle's concubines were of low status. The aunt of Lan Xin and Lan Fang was just a maid before, and later she became an aunt after giving birth to a child. How many good things could she have?
In addition to the rewards from the old lady and the master's wife, there was only a few taels of silver per month, and even less could be given to Lan Xin and Lan Fang. However, the eldest aunt was not very concerned about the two concubines, nor was she harsh. She had all the allowances that concubines should have. Lan Xin and Lan Fang's clothes and jewelry were in the allowance, which was not bad, but not very colorful, and were all standard things.
Since Su Wenyue made the clothes herself, she didn't care about a set of jewelry. However, there was nothing suitable at this time. It would be better to go to the silver shop in the county town to make it. However, Su Wenyue was not very satisfied with the craftsmanship of the silversmiths in the county town. The styles were not good enough and not delicate enough. Su Wenyue could design the pattern herself, but her craftsmanship was not good enough. Even if she could draw it, the silver shop could not make it according to her expectations.
There are a few silver shops with good craftsmanship in the prefectural city, but it is too far away and she cannot go there in person. Some details still need to be explained and instructed by her in person to the silver shop's master. Su Wenyue also wants to make a few sets for herself. Although she has a lot of jewelry, they are all bought by her mother. She wants to design a few new styles for herself. Moreover, because of the currency reform, the business of the silver shop is not as good as before. She is almost hungry. Who would be willing to spend that money? Making gold and silver utensils is much cheaper.
"Madam, why don't you ask someone to go to the city to invite the silversmith over, and you can talk to him in person. Anyway, you can get more food. The business in the silver shop is not good now, and the master chef will definitely be willing to come. In this way, the things made will also meet Madam's wishes." Seeing Su Wenyue worried, Li Mama suggested.
"Then let's do it this way. Although it's not very convenient, this is the best way now. The craftsmanship of the masters in the county town is really poor." Not to mention that there are three little guys clinging to her and she can't get away. Even if she could get away, Su Wenyue would not travel so far to the city for a few sets of jewelry. After thinking about it, she accepted Li Mama's advice.
Li Ma Ma was very efficient. She immediately sent someone to the city and invited the best silversmith in the city the next day. It would not have been so easy in the past. After all, he was a master craftsman with superb craftsmanship. Many people asked him to make jewelry. But now the world is different. The silversmith business is not popular. Those masters with poor craftsmanship have difficulty supporting their families. Even masters with good craftsmanship can only barely make a living. It is not easy.
So when Li Ma Ma sent someone to invite him, the master agreed without hesitation. He didn't care about the distance, not to mention that there was a carriage to pick him up. The only thing he asked was that the reward for making jewelry should be paid with real food. Money is becoming less and less valuable now. Today you can buy ten kilograms of food, but tomorrow you may only buy five kilograms. It is too unreliable. Food is still real and will not decrease.
Considering Su Wenyue's high requirements, Li Ma Ma also explained when she sent someone out that if it is easy to invite, you might as well invite two more experienced masters to come, so that this lady will not be dissatisfied and there will be choices.
To be sent by Madam Li to do things, she must be extremely capable and competent. Seeing this situation, she invited several famous masters in the city. Anyway, the masters' requirements were not high, and the food cost was not much. The city was a day's journey from the town. It was not easy to get here, so she had to invite more masters back. Each master was good at different skills, and the lady could still make some choices.
Since someone was sent to invite a silversmith, Su Wenyue started drawing drawings in the study. What did the concubines in the back house spend the most effort on, besides her own hobbies, was dressing up. Su Wenyue couldn't figure out Sikong Ling's temper, but he was generous. In her previous life, Su Wenyue's clothes and jewelry were all customized from the best shops, so she was very familiar with the styles and patterns, and could also add her own preferences.
"Can you make the jewelry on the drawing?" Su Wenyue invited the master in and handed over the drawing without much nonsense. She was still looking forward to it. After all, it was something she designed and participated in personally, and it was different from going to a silver shop to customize it.
Several masters were full of confidence, thinking that their craftsmanship was the best in Yiyang Prefecture. If they couldn't make it, who else could do it? As a result, when they saw the drawings, they felt too arrogant. The jewelry styles drawn on the drawings were exquisite and novel, and they were more complicated than what they usually made. Some were inlaid with gold or silver, and some were inlaid with gems, which required the technology of inlay.
Several masters looked at the drawings, all of them looked embarrassed. Only one master reluctantly agreed to make the jewelry on the drawings, and the others could only make one or two of them.
Su Wenyue also roughly knew the level of the city, and did not expect the masters to make all of them. She was quite satisfied with such a result. Even the best silver shop in Chang'an had to work together with several masters to make it well. It seemed that Yiyang Prefecture still had many talents. However, it was still a bit early to say this. No matter what, we had to wait until the jewelry was made and see the effect.
"Very good, I don't have to ask any family to make this jewelry, you can choose the style you are good at, as long as you do it well, I will never treat you unfairly." Su Wenyue has plenty of food, as long as the jewelry made by the masters can satisfy her.
Several masters showed some joy on their faces, casually and embarrassed: "Madam, I am good at inlay skills, I can make these two jewelry, but the gems in the picture are not available in the silver shop where I live. Can I use other gems instead?"
"No, I have prepared the materials for making these jewelry, otherwise I would not design them like this. You can take them and write a receipt to take back. Each of you agree on how much time it will take to make them. I will let the servants take them. As for the reward, it will be as we said before. If you can make the jewelry to my satisfaction, there will be another reward." Su Wenyue waved her hand and the maid brought the materials over on a tray.
When several old craftsmen heard Su Wenyue say this, they knew that they had met a sponsor who was easy to talk to. In a word, as long as they did a good job, they would definitely not be unfairly paid. So they all tried their best to use their best skills to make good jewelry.