Wufu enjoyed a large bowl of wontons with Madam Zhou at a small stall, and while her mother was busy shopping at the grocery store across the street, Wufu stood in front of a blacksmith shop, eyeing the array of knives on display, her eyes gleaming.
There were knives of all sorts, some not yet sharpened, both large and small. When she saw a tiny carving knife, Wufu's hands itched to try it.
In her previous life, she had been a well-known jade carver. In her free time, she loved to play with jade and a carving knife. Those wanting her work had to wait in line, so she charged high down payments. Yet, even so, many were queued up.
Some people were even willing to pay in full just to get their hands on her work sooner. Of course, Wufu was capricious; she only put her skills to use if the jade was of good quality and if she was in the mood.
The reason she could afford to be so capricious? She wasn't short of money. Carving jade was a hobby that accidentally turned into fame. Her other identity had long since earned her enough to retire comfortably.
It was a pity, though, that she died before spending all her money.
Wufu picked up the carving knife and held it in her hand. It was quite delicate, but as for the quality—that could be subjective. It was just ordinary diamond material, and even the lower grade at that. It was nowhere near the finest, like the mysterious iron that could cut through iron as if it were mud.
Look at her, what was she thinking? Mysterious iron was rare and precious; did she really expect to find a carving knife capable of cutting through iron like mud at this small stall?
"Hey, hey, girl, that knife is sharp. Be careful not to cut yourself. I won't be paying for any injuries, you know!"
Wufu's reverie was interrupted by a voice.
Looking up, she saw a man in a white coat, his arms exposed, glaring at her with his arms crossed.
"Uncle, how much for this carving knife?" Wufu asked, holding up the knife.
"This is a carving knife for jade and wood, girl. You should be buying embroidery needles. Go on to the front or the grocery store across the street. Go on, off with you," the blacksmith gave a non-answer.
Wufu found it amusing but wasn't annoyed. At her young age, who would think she knew about carving?
"Uncle, are there many who do Jade Carving? Do you have any carving knives with better materials? And grinding wheels, cutting knives, sharpening needles, and so on..." Wufu asked with a smile.
The man was taken aback and asked, "Yo, little girl knows her craft? Do you know all this because you're buying for your family's adults?"
It wasn't strange that the man was surprised, for what Wufu had mentioned were all tools needed for jade ware carving. He himself had crafted a full set of such tools before, hence his knowledge. But for Wufu, who was so young, to know as well meant she was likely buying for someone else. It surely couldn't be that the little girl herself carved, could it?
Well, he didn't think big; the 'little girl' he referred to could indeed carve.
But Wufu didn't offer any further explanation; she simply nodded.
"The tools the young lady mentioned can all be found at Zhang Ji's. As for the material, you get what you pay for. If they don't meet your expectations, you can bring your own materials, and I'll just charge for the craftsmanship. Rest assured, Zhang Ji's Blacksmith Shop is renowned for excellent skill, a family craft passed down for a hundred years. Even if we don't have it, we can make it for you," boasted the man.
Wufu nodded with a smile. A craftsman needs the right tools, best crafted to one's own specifications. 'To do good work, one must first sharpen one's tools,' as the saying goes.
However, for now, she just wanted to buy something like a carving knife to get back into practice. After all, with a new body, she didn't know how clumsy she might be. She needed to get used to it all over again.
Besides, she possessed nothing of worth at the moment—no quality materials for the smithy to craft with. But no matter, she didn't have anything now, but that didn't mean she wouldn't have it in the future. As long as she wanted something, she could surely obtain it eventually.
"Uncle, I'll take this carving knife. But I need you to modify it a bit. Name your price," Wufu handed the knife back to the man.