Daily Life in the Countryside After Being Reborn

Chapter 779: Chapter 106: Dazzling Debut

Anna thought that this pocket watch should come with a chain because the creator of the watch had already prepared a necklace holder at the top of the watch, right at the position of the rose’s sepals.

It was this troublesome necklace holder that changed Yila’s complexion once again. Because this holder lacked a clasp through which to thread a chain, even if the chain was well-made, there would be nowhere to attach it.

"I realized when I received the watch that its design was unique. But I think for a seasoned master silver craftsman like Li Quqi, this shouldn’t pose a problem, right?" Anna said mockingly, having already perused the display book laid out on the counter showcasing Li Quqi’s past works, filled with uniquely shaped, ingeniously designed silver jewelry.

"Well then, I’ll give it my best try," Yila said, wiping his forehead, his palms sweaty.

He slowly made his way to the silver melting counter, picked up a few silver coins, and took them to the scale to weigh them.

"Those silver coins are of poor quality; I have some specially prepared silver coins here," Anna said, not wanting her pocket watch to mix with inferior silver chains, even for an experiment.

After hearing this, Yila felt embarrassed and trembled slightly, his motions to heat the furnace becoming much stiffer.

"Anna, perhaps we should wait for Li Quqi to return," Paul suggested in French, "This young man doesn’t seem reliable. It’s exactly as you wished: To ruin Li Quqi’s reputation and see how he can still pretend to be a renowned master craftsman. Frankly, even if Li Quqi were here, I doubt he could create a chain suitable for my pocket watch. I’ve searched all over Europe, even consulting the highly skilled Royal Family’s silver craftsmen from the UK. Actually, the pocket watch holder isn’t difficult to make; the tricky part is..." Anna smirked slyly.

This bellows really is heavy, Yila thought, struggling from the beginning to pump it. He had operated bellows for silver-making furnaces before, but never encountered one as heavy as Li Quqi’s.

"Don’t just stand there; come and help with the bellows," Yila called two security guards from the exhibition to assist him.

With the strong men’s aid, the bellows finally started moving, heating up the furnace.

Once the silver coins melted into liquid silver, Yila stared at the pocket watch, brainstorming furiously.

"Got it, just need something to latch onto that watch holder," Yila exclaimed, grabbing the silver-pulling tongs.

In the D4 exhibition hall at the Miao Silver booth, dozens of eyes were glued to Yila’s hands.

Although Yila wasn’t highly skilled, he was clever—The silver chain he crafted was made using high-quality silver coins. Anna, hailing from a wealthy family, had top-quality silver coins, and the silver produced had a bright, white, soft quality, gleaming under the light.

Silver-making is a fine craft, and the bustling exhibition wasn’t an ideal environment for it.

Yila wished he could send all the onlookers away, but Anna didn’t seem to think so. Throughout Yila’s crafting process, she deliberately chatted intermittently with Paul and others around her in English and French.

Time was both long and short, about an hour later, Yila exclaimed with relief, "Done, this chain is definitely fine."

The chain, carved with various flower patterns, was made attractive not only for its appearance but also to complement the intricate rose pocket watch. Yila had carved different flower patterns onto the chain.

Just the variety of flower shapes included as many as eighteen, thanks mainly to Yila’s residence in Yunnan Province, where flowers bloom year-round, providing ample opportunity to observe different floral forms.

The most ingenious aspect was the creation of a retractable calyx-shaped clasp specifically to latch onto the pocket watch holder, effectively solving the awkward situation of having no place to attach the chain.

Such a design, intricate and exquisite, elicited admiration from the onlooking guests. Several visitors from Northern Europe even gave thumbs up, complimenting Yila with phrases like "good job, excellent". Hearing this, Yila felt himself floating on air; having crafted such a silver chain before many spectators today, he considered it an exceptional achievement and was pleased with himself.