With great effort and almost a month's time, the opaque raw gemstone eventually transformed into a remarkably smooth white jade.
Jade has the spirit of auspiciousness, and in ancient times the character for auspiciousness also signified divine destiny.
An Yeran placed great importance on this year's birthday. In ancient times, fifteen was considered the age of adulthood for young men. She had originally intended to give Lu Xiu a grand gift on his eighteenth birthday, but she later realized that was not possible.
She wouldn't be around when Lu Xiu turned eighteen; she'd go ahead.
So, she moved the gift up by three years and decided to give it this year.
Grandfather Zhang picked a red thread, teaching An Yeran how to use a drill to make a small hole in the jade, then threaded the cord through it.
"I also have a box here. The size is just right. You can use it to store the jade," Grandfather Zhang said.
An Yeran took the box and thanked Grandfather Zhang.
