Daji poured two bags of stones into two basins of water; these were stones that had been initially cut and polished by artisans.
They already looked quite good, certainly better than when they were first picked, but that was far from enough.
Daji taught them how to wash and individually polish the chess pieces going forward.
Knowing that Manbao was helping make the chess pieces, Ms. Liu had specially prepared two sets of tools for them, one for each person.
Manbao grabbed a brush and, imitating Daji, scrubbed it against the cut surface and slowly smoothed it out.
Daji said, "These stones are like jade, the more they are handled and the longer the time, the more polished they become."
He paused before adding, "These stones are the finest for stone chess pieces, with enough use, they will become as polished as jade."
Bai Shan, curious, asked, "If there are stone chess pieces, does that mean there are also wooden and jade pieces among others?"
