Holding the two exposed pieces of jadeite, Jiang Chan stood beside the plump man. “Stay calm, Uncle.”
Naturally, she had seen that pool of watery blue too, but she was nowhere near as excited as he was. Its color resembled the water-attribute spirit stones she had seen in the cultivation world. Having once seen such things every day, Jiang Chan felt little emotion.
The plump man quietly steadied his breathing, marveling that he was less composed than a young girl. He sprinkled water over the exposed patch and concentrated completely on grinding down the large, egg-shaped stone in his hands.
At last, the cutting machine beside the thin man produced a result. After more than three hours, the experienced craftsman had uncovered a volleyball-sized piece of bean-green jadeite flecked with green.
Its translucency was only that of bean-grade jadeite, making it a midrange piece. Of course, jewelry made from it would still sell well. Bidding against the others, the thin man bought it for eight million yuan.
Had the plump man not gone to help that girl, he would never have let this piece of bean-grade jadeite slip away. Old Shen and his misplaced kindness! Now the thin man had reaped the benefit, hadn’t he?
Reselling it would bring him a profit of one or two million. At the thought, he began humming smugly. Seeing the plump man still hard at work opening stones with the girl, he decided to go over and show off.
With the cutting machine stopped, the sound of grinding on this side became conspicuous. Everyone now crowded toward Jiang Chan, led by the thin man proudly cradling his volleyball-sized jadeite.
The plump man paid no attention to the commotion around him. He was entirely focused on opening the stone. Watching such a rare piece of jadeite emerge beneath his hands brought a satisfaction beyond words.
Besides, Jiang Chan had just dangled a tempting prospect before him. Once all her stones were opened, she would consider whether to sell. It was like a carrot hanging in front of him.
The people now remaining in the courtyard were the shopkeeper and the merchants who had been watching earlier. They regularly waited at various rough-jade shops, hoping to be the first to buy jadeite as soon as someone uncovered it.
By the time they reached the plump man, he had almost finished grinding the stone. Everyone held their breath, staring unblinkingly at the blue jadeite.
Half an hour later, he carefully washed the stone dust off in a nearby basin, fully revealing the watery blue jadeite to everyone.
The rough had originally been the size of a goose egg. He had merely ground away an outer layer about a centimeter thick. Everything inside was sparkling, translucent jade.
The outermost layer was sky blue. Farther in, the color deepened, and both texture and translucency improved. Holding it in her palm, Jiang Chan examined it closely. How beautiful jewelry made from the very center would be.
“Uncle, leave me the piece right in the middle of this blue jadeite. Name your price for the rest.”
Jiang Chan pushed the pink jadeite and the egg-yolk-yellow piece he had opened first toward him. She was going to sell them anyway. What difference did it make whom she sold them to?
She might as well sell to this helpful man. At the very least, he had worked hard for so long to open these three stones. Hearing her words, his eyes immediately narrowed to slits with his smile.
The thin man at the front, who had been about to bid, awkwardly closed his mouth. His feelings were complicated now. He had just been mocking the plump man for being foolishly kind, yet now it seemed the plump man would gain far more.
The plump man was a little disappointed too. He had wanted to buy the entire piece of blue jadeite, but she had specifically asked to keep the innermost part with the finest texture and translucency. In his judgment, its center had already reached glass grade.
The thin man was ready to give up, but the other merchants were unwilling. A man in gold-rimmed glasses smiled elegantly. “Young lady, won’t you reconsider? Jadeite like this has always gone to the highest bidder.”
The others nodded. If Jiang Chan agreed, they would do everything they could to get their hands on these pieces. Just look at them: blue, pink, and egg-yolk yellow. They would certainly attract attention on the market.
The plump man flushed with agitation. “You lot really aren’t playing fair!”
Jiang Chan patted his arm. “Uncle, name your price. If it’s suitable, I’ll sell them all together.”
He calmed down. “This blue jadeite is very rare. Even the outermost part has reached ice grade. It’s a pity it isn’t larger. Together with your other two pieces, ten million yuan!”
Jiang Chan knew nothing about jadeite prices, but when none of the others countered, she guessed his offer was reasonable. Without further ado, she handed him all three pieces.
He immediately beamed like a Maitreya Buddha. “Young lady, I’ll transfer the money right away!”
“There’s no hurry, Uncle. First, cut out the very center of the blue jadeite for me. I want to make it into a round bead to wear around my neck.”
As the saying went, the greatest truths were simple. The simplest things could also be the most beautiful. The shopkeeper, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. “We have a laser cutter here, and he’s a skilled carver too. Let him do it for you. Perhaps some of your good fortune will rub off on us.”
Of course, the shopkeeper had realized that all Jiang Chan’s stones came from the shop’s worthless rough. If even supposedly worthless stones yielded treasures for her, didn’t that show how extraordinarily lucky she was with money?
The plump man was happy too. After transferring the money, he carved out a thumb-sized jadeite bead for Jiang Chan. At the sight of the finished bead, he was filled with envy.
This was the finest part of the entire blue jadeite, now held casually between Jiang Chan’s fingers. Seeing some red cord in the shop, she took a few strands and deftly twisted them into a delicate net that enclosed the bead securely.
She could never bear to drill a hole through it. Later, when she had time, she would have a little openwork silver sphere specially made and put the jadeite bead inside.
That would be much safer than red cord too. Wearing the jadeite bead on its cord, and carrying the brick inkstone, bald writing brush, and coverless copybook she had found that afternoon, Jiang Chan returned laden with her purchases and an enormous ten million yuan.
Now she could finally hold her head high and say she was no longer short of money. The weight on her shoulders instantly lightened considerably. All that remained was to do her best to live her life well.
Qingyuan had brought about this entire change in her fortunes. Jiang Chan was now deeply grateful to her.
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Qingyuan, who she was just blaming for turning her into a mouse last arc, LOL