Chapter 61: The Framing Shop — Granny Liu
Qin Mochen brushed aside the fleeting emotion in his heart and asked,
“Your master raised you and showed you great kindness. He should be the first in your heart. Then who’s second?”
“Second…” Su Keke murmured. Her gaze drifted into the distance as she sank into memory.
After a long while, she said, “Before I turned five, I lived with the Zhuang family. Uncle Zhuang had once received kindness from my master, and back then he took me in. Uncle Zhuang’s wife’s surname was Mo. She was a gentle and beautiful woman. Even though I was still very young at the time, the way Aunt Mo treated me was kind enough to last me a lifetime.”
Su Keke was only five when she left the Zhuang family with her master, but she’d matured early. Though she didn’t remember every detail of those years, she remembered Aunt Mo’s face clearly—how she softly sang lullabies to her.
After leaving with her master, he never took her back to the Zhuang household.
When she was little, she’d mentioned it once or twice. Later, once she realized that her master would never take her there, she stopped bringing it up altogether.
She was afraid of hurting her master.
In her heart, her master was the most important person. Though he was strict with her, it was only because he hoped she’d succeed sooner.
When she was young, the family had been very poor—poorer even than now. Back then, her master hadn’t yet established himself in Peach Blossom Village. No one sought him out for feng shui consultations, and no one bought the talismans he drew.
Whenever there was anything good to eat, her master always saved it for her.
When she craved snacks, he would even climb trees dozens of meters tall to dig out bird eggs for her. Later, when her master grew older, she said she’d gotten sick of bird eggs and didn’t want them anymore.
Now her cultivation still wasn’t sufficient, and she couldn’t climb trees that high. So she thought that when her training bore fruit one day, she would gather lots and lots of bird eggs for her master.
Suddenly, Su Keke felt a weight on her head—a large hand resting there.
Her eyes lifted to the man in front of her.
“Uncle?”
“Raising someone is a great kindness indeed,” Qin Mochen said, rubbing her head. “What you can do is wait until you’re capable, then turn around and protect and cherish them in return.”
Su Keke nodded.
Thinking of something, her eyes curved into a smile full of satisfaction. “Uncle, I received the money you transferred. Thank you. I’ll work even harder to protect you from now on.”
“That’s what you deserve. If I ever forget to transfer your pay in the future, you can remind me,” Qin Mochen said. The corners of his lips lifted slightly, a faint smile appearing in his eyes.
“Then… when I give you acupoint massages every day, I’ll casually bring it up?”
“…That works.” The smile in the man’s eyes deepened.
“Uncle, you go on with your work. I won’t disturb you anymore.”
“I’m not busy,” Qin Mochen said, his gaze falling on the calligraphy on the desk. “I really was just practicing earlier.”
Then he asked, “Kid, I’m going somewhere. Will you stay home and read, or come with me?”
Su Keke grinned, revealing two rows of little white teeth. “Uncle forgot what I just said—I’ll work even harder to protect you from now on. I can’t stay with you when you’re at work or school, but any other time, I’ll definitely stick close and guard you.”
Qin Mochen smiled. “Very professional of you.”
“I’m determined to become a feng shui master. Professional ethics are the first step…”
—
Given Qin Mochen’s status and position, he usually frequented high-end places. So when he drove into an old alley on a side street, Su Keke was rather surprised.
The curious little girl followed her uncle into a calligraphy and painting framing shop.
The shop was quiet and deserted, with only one elderly person inside.
When they entered, the old woman was hunched over, busy with her work.
“Granny,” Qin Mochen called softly.
Granny Liu looked up. Because of her age, her eyes were a little cloudy, but she still looked fairly spirited.
When she saw Qin Mochen, her face immediately broke into a wrinkled smile. “Oh, it’s you, young man. You haven’t come to Granny’s place in a long time.”
She spoke Mandarin, but with a heavy accent, seemingly from some faraway southern region.
Qin Mochen reminded her, “You’ve forgotten again, Granny. I was here just last month. I even brought you a piece of jade and some sandalwood.”
“Oh right, look at my memory. Didn’t you order a pair of scroll rollers from me?”
“Yes.”
“I finished them a few days ago. Wait here—I’ll go get them.”
After Granny Liu left, Su Keke looked at Qin Mochen, confusion in her eyes.
Qin Mochen explained, “Granny Liu has no children. Over ten years ago, she came here and opened this framing shop. Her workmanship is excellent, but this old street doesn’t get many customers, so her life has been rather difficult. Whenever I have time, I come here to buy a few scrolls. After coming often enough, she came to recognize me.”
“The old lady’s memory isn’t very good. She can’t remember my surname—she only remembers my face.”
Su Keke nodded with every sentence he spoke.
After he finished, she said, “Just from her physiognomy, I can tell Granny is a kind and approachable person.”
Granny Liu returned carrying a long wooden box. When she opened it, a faint scent of sandalwood wafted out.
Inside lay a finished pair of scroll rollers—fine Hetian jade for the end knobs, and aged sandalwood for the shafts.
Su Keke took a deep breath and said to Qin Mochen, “Uncle, this old sandalwood has quite a few years on it—it’s very valuable. The scent of sandalwood repels dampness and insects. When the scroll is unrolled, there’s a natural fragrance, and the jade on the ends is also top-grade spiritual jade that can absorb foul energy.”
Granny Liu’s rough hand stroked the Hetian jade end knob. Her old eyes narrowed slightly. “Yes, this jade is excellent. Using it as a scroll end is a bit of a waste.”
She looked at Su Keke. “Little girl, you understand jade?”
Su Keke smiled shyly. “I wouldn’t say I can identify jade types or grades. It’s just that my line of work makes me understand a little. People nurture jade, and jade protects people—but jade and people also depend on fate. Only jade that’s destined for you can nourish you. Without that affinity, not only will it fail to protect you, it may even bring disaster.”
“Yes, jade really does depend on fate…” Granny Liu agreed.
Qin Mochen shook his head slightly at the side.
These two had already started chatting away.
After talking about jade for a while, Granny Liu handed the scrolls and the box to Qin Mochen. “Take a look and see if everything’s all right.”
“No need to check. I trust your craftsmanship,” Qin Mochen said. “Granny, I’d like to borrow your place to write a piece. After I finish, could I trouble you to help frame it? Use this scroll roller you’ve already made.”
“Of course, of course.”
Granny Liu brought out a sheet of fine calligraphy paper and spread it on a clean table, preparing the brush, ink, and inkstone as well.
“Granny, I’ll take it from here,” Qin Mochen said when he saw her about to grind the ink. He quickly took over the task. “Your things here are so good that I came shamelessly empty-handed.”
Granny Liu laughed. “You come to my little shop so often—I could even give these things to you. If they stay with Granny, they’ll just gather dust sooner or later.”
As Su Keke looked at Granny Liu’s face, a hint of puzzlement flashed through her eyes.
When Granny smiled, she looked even more kind and benevolent. Yet for some reason, a trace of unease rose in Su Keke’s heart.
