gnovel Chapter 35, Wouldn't it fly?
Chapter 35, Wouldn't it fly?
The box was opened, revealing a crystal-clear glass Buddha statue inside.
Lin Zhou originally planned to use resin, but the external brain said that resin would easily change color if exposed to incense smoke over time, so it would be better to use glass instead. Although colorless glass is not a unique gift from nature, whether it is man-made or natural, the current level is far from achieving the purity and luster of later industrial products, and the level of refinement is not even in the same dimension.
When the fifty-centimeter-tall Buddha statue was brought out, Cao Wenda trembled. He was a man of many experiences, but at this moment he didn't even have the courage to reach out and touch the Buddha statue.
The so-called handicrafts are judged by three factors: materials, history, and craftsmanship. If two or more of these three are present, it is considered a masterpiece. Although the Buddha statue in front of us looks new, its materials and craftsmanship are undoubtedly top-notch.
Although the carving techniques had reached their peak during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, very few craftsmen could make such exquisite glasswork. The lifelike expressions could be described as solemn and majestic. When the light from the window shone on it, the whole room was filled with radiant light.
"My...my darling..."
What nonsense! If this thing were offered as tribute, Emperor Zhao Gou would be laughing all the way to the bank. Let alone giving it to a princess. If this weren't the Song Dynasty, but some other dynasty, giving this thing to anyone other than the emperor would be considered an act of usurpation.
"This...this...this..."
"Brother Cao, I'm bankrupt," Lin Zhou sighed. "You give me five hundred strings of cash, but the materials alone cost eight thousand three hundred and seventy strings. I still owe people four or five thousand strings."
This thing is indeed 8,370, but not in strings, it's over 8,000 yuan... This kind of handicraft is indeed not cheap, after all, its craftsmanship is complicated, and it is made of high borosilicate glass, but none of that matters, just make it as expensive as possible.
"I haven't paid them yet, Brother Cao, you'll have to stand up for me then."
"Definitely, definitely..."
Cao Wenda muttered to himself, but his eyes never left the Buddha statue. His gaze was just like that of Professor Wang Xueqi when looking at the imperial seal. His hand was also tracing the outline of the Buddha statue from a distance, showing extreme piety.
He didn't believe in Buddhism, but he knew the value of this Buddha. Even though he knew that this thing was ultimately not his, and could never be his, he couldn't suppress the greed in his heart at this moment.
Lin Zhou smiled as he looked at his ignorant appearance. After a while, he took out the sandalwood base from the side.
"Brother Cao, the real show is about to begin. A mere glass Buddha statue is nothing special."
"This isn't a treasure?!"
Seeing Cao Wenda's astonishment, Lin Zhou laughed and placed the base on the table: "Extraordinary craftsmanship has its own wonders."
"What's so special about this?"
Lin Zhou, with an air of arrogance like a hermit master, picked up the glass Buddha statue. Cao Wenda, standing next to him, cried out in pain and quickly bowed to protect it.
He placed the thing on the base, and it fit perfectly into the slot. Then Lin Zhou pointed to a round button on the base: "Brother Cao, press this mechanism."
Cao Wenda pressed it out of curiosity, and then the breathing light on the base lit up, followed by the sound of Buddhist chanting.
In a split second, Cao Wenda staggered and fell to the ground, his face filled with terror.
He saw that the seven-colored Buddha light made the glass Buddha appear incomparably holy, and accompanied by the chanting of Buddhist scriptures, it was as if a god or Buddha had descended.
At this moment, the Buddha on the table seemed to have stepped out of the scriptures, shining brightly and dazzlingly.
"This only needs to absorb the essence of the sun for one day to be able to chant for three hours." Lin Zhou patted the Buddha's head. "How is it? Brother Cao, are you satisfied?"
Cao Wenda's hands were trembling. He was an old fox, a man who had seen many storms, but he was so overwhelmed by the dazzling Buddha that he was at a loss for what to do.
"This...this..." Cao Wenda took a few deep breaths and stood up after calming himself down.
After his lips trembled for a while, he stopped speaking and simply circled the table, carefully examining the colorful Buddha statue.
"No...no..."
"What's wrong, Brother Cao?"
Cao Wenda shook his head slightly, but as if possessed, he kept repeating the word "no way".
"What's wrong? Is it this Buddha statue that's not good?"
"No, it's Taihang Mountain on the contrary." Cao Wenda tilted his head back, took a deep breath, and pondered, "A Buddha statue is just a treasure, which is somewhat presumptuous, but it makes sense. But if you add the base, it's no longer a treasure; it's a guillotine."
Lin Zhou was taken aback: "Why? Brother Cao?"
"There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. If we present such a treasure to the Princess Consort of the Jurchens today, what will we give as gifts for the Empress's birthday or the Emperor's birthday? How can anything surpass such a magnificent object?"
Cao Wenda paced back and forth in the room, hands behind his back: "Sending this thing over may bring temporary pleasure, but it will lead to disaster. Even my master cannot afford it. If the authorities blame us, it will only be a reprimand for my master, but if it falls on you and me..."
Cao Wenda lightly wiped his neck: "Do you know, Brother Lin?"
"Then..." Lin Zhou was taken aback, "Then it's too late to prepare again now."
"Haha..." Cao Wenda laughed as he removed the glass Buddha from its base, gently stroking its head. "Just give us this Buddha, and keep the treasure underneath. Or... give the treasure directly to the Emperor. He's currently troubled by the matter of this ominous star breaking through the sky. If we can present him with an auspicious treasure, it might please him greatly."
After listening, Lin Zhou smiled and took out another brocade box from the wardrobe. Inside was an even more exquisite Buddha statue, a pure imitation pink crystal craft, which was more beautiful than the previous pure glass one, and even had a touch of elegance and nobility. It was also a size larger.
To Cao Wenda's astonishment, he took out a larger and more exquisite base, then installed it and turned it on. The lights were more dazzling, the sound was louder, and even the lotus platform on the base could rotate on its own.
"You little brat!"
Cao Wenda slammed his hand on the table, looking at the ambiguous smile on Lin Zhou's face, and felt a bit like laughing and crying at the same time.
"Hehe... Brother Cao, how are you doing these days?"
What Cao Wenda thought of, Lin Zhou's external brain naturally also thought of, and had already made several preparations, even preparing his explanations.
"You're really willing to spend money, aren't you?"
"I'm a businessman." Lin Zhou picked up his water and took a sip. "I trust Brother Cao's character. He won't let me lose, so I've staked my life on him. I can't let him lose."
"Of course." Cao Wenda leaned closer and asked curiously, "This thing is a miracle, so where did you meet the craftsman?"
"That old man is an extraordinary person. He is a descendant of Gongshu Ban. I met him at sea, but he has a very strange temper." Lin Zhou sighed, "He has no children and does not take on apprentices. Judging from his age, I'm afraid this skill will rot away in his belly."