Chapter 51: Fifty-one, Pleasing to the Eye Chapter 51: Fifty-one, Pleasing to the Eye The Boss looked down at the raw stone he was sitting on. “You want this piece?” Many gamblers had examined this raw stone he was using as a chair and concluded that the likelihood of it containing jade was almost zero since there were no signs of green on its surface, no different from a waste stone. He thought it a pity to throw it away, so he had turned it into a chair, which was quite comfortable and he had grown accustomed to it.
Song Yan Ning nodded, “Uncle, could you sell it to me?” From the Spiritual Energy emanating from the raw stone, the jade inside seemed better than the one they had previously found. She had wanted to buy this raw stone from the beginning, but considering her financial limitations, she had to settle for less. This raw stone hadn’t been cut yet, so it would definitely be more expensive than a waste stone.
The Boss considered for a moment, made a decision in his mind, and looked at Song Yan Ning with a chuckle, “I can sell it to you, but it’s a bit pricey. Can you afford it?” He had heard they had just made ten million, so he decided to seize this opportunity to ask for a hefty sum. He didn’t believe that they could be so lucky again to find jade. It was already pretty good if they found one piece of jade at his stall in several days.
Song Yan Ning hesitated, her face full of conflict, “How much then?”
“One million!” The Boss extended one finger and waggled it in front of Song Yan Ning.
Song Yan Ning trembled slightly, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at the Boss, visibly shocked, “That’s… that’s so expensive!” She knew the Boss was trying to take advantage of her. If she disagreed, she might miss out on this raw stone, but if she agreed, her grandfather would definitely not approve of the one million price tag.
Yang Lisheng approached Song Yan Ning, “Xiao Ning, have you made your choice?”
Song Yan Ning turned to Yang Lisheng, pointing at the two raw stones she had chosen, “Grandpa, I chose those two, and there’s one more I’m unsure about.”
Yang Lisheng glanced at the two raw stones Song Yan Ning had picked, “Why don’t we just choose these two then?” He hadn’t rested since they arrived in Beijing and was quite tired. Finishing up early would allow them a chance to go back and rest.
Song Yan Ning thought for a while, “Grandpa, have you finished dealing with that uncle just now?”
“Uh-huh!” Yang Lisheng nodded. He had just checked his bank account on his phone and the money had been transferred.
“Let’s go back then.” Song Yan Ning took Yang Lisheng’s hand, heading towards the motel. If the other party wanted one million, she’d simply give up the other two pieces. If necessary, she could sneak out at night after her grandparents were asleep to absorb the Spiritual Energy from that raw stone. She would have to think of another way to get the money for the courtyard house.
“Wait a moment, the price is negotiable.” Seeing Song Yan Ning and Yang Lisheng leaving, the Boss grew anxious. He wasn’t a fool; making money was a definite goal, especially when it was a guaranteed profit.
Song Yan Ning’s lips curved slightly, but she didn’t stop walking.
The Boss gritted his teeth, “Seventy thousand for these three raw stones, take them if you want.”
“Fifty thousand!”
“Thirty thousand, that’s my final offer. Okay, okay, ten thousand for you, I can’t do anything else.” This really was his bottom line. Apart from the stone he was sitting on, the other two pieces of raw stone Song Yan Ning had picked were the size of fists. He usually sold those raw stones for one to two thousand, but he had priced the one he used as a chair at a hundred thousand. They knew these stones wouldn’t yield jade, but others didn’t. Moreover, if there was jade in every stone, wouldn’t it be better if they cut them themselves?
“Grandpa, let’s go back and buy those three stones,” Song Yan Ning smiled at Yang Lisheng, pulling him back to the stall. She could accept this price.
Yang Lisheng thought three stones for ten thousand was still expensive, but considering the money was initially earned by Xiao Ning, he felt relieved.
After paying, Song Yan Ning and Yang Lisheng returned to the yard behind the store to have the newly purchased raw stones cut open.
Lu Hui hadn’t left yet. On seeing Song Yan Ning and Yang Lisheng, he smiled, “Have you finished buying?”
“Yes.” Yang Lisheng smiled and nodded.
“Uncle! Could you help us cut them open?” Song Yan Ning looked up at Lu Hui with a smile. This time, they hadn’t moved the raw stones themselves but had the staff help them move them; the two smaller ones were manageable, but the large one was definitely beyond her grandfather’s ability to move and he wouldn’t have let her do it either.
“Sure!” Lu Hui nodded in agreement. He, too, wanted to see how their luck would turn out this time.
Seeing the staff bringing in the raw stone the Boss had used as a chair, Lu Hui paused, “You bought this one?” He had been in this business for nearly ten years, counting as an experienced player. Although not an expert on raw stones, he was certainly no newbie. He had seen this raw stone several times and even had others look at it, everyone said that it almost had zero chance of yielding jade.
This raw stone was not expensive, but his money was not easily come by; there was no way he could knowingly buy something that would not yield jade.
“It was all Xiao Ning’s choice.” Yang Lisheng looked at Song Yan Ning with a look of helpless affection.
“We’ll wait over there for a while; there’s a master helping someone with stone cutting right now.” Lu Hui walked towards the crowd, feeling that Yang Lisheng was perhaps too indulgent towards Song Yan Ning.
Song Yan Ning and Yang Lisheng followed Lu Hui.
The stone cutting master put down his cutting machine and carefully inspected the cut raw stone, shaking his head, “Nothing.” He had been working here for a year, and not many of the stones had contained jade, he was used to it by now.
The owner of the raw stone, upon hearing this, his face immediately fell. He had made his fortune through stone gambling and was now deeply in debt for the same reason; indeed, what made him could break him as well.
Lu Hui walked up to the stone-cutting master, “Old Wang, do you have any more stones to cut?” He was a regular here and knew the staff well.
“Just this small one left,” Old Wang pointed to a raw stone nearby.
Lu Hui nodded, walking back to Song Yan Ning and Yang Lisheng’s side, “After he’s done with that one, it will be our turn.”
“Okay!” Song Yan Ning and Yang Lisheng smiled and nodded.
Lu Hui glanced at the three raw stones Song Yan Ning had chosen, “Young lady, why did you choose that raw stone?”
Song Yan Ning blinked, “I found it pleasing to the eye.”
Lu Hui chuckled, “If there’s nothing in these three raw stones, will you cry?” Not every raw stone contained jade, they were lucky before, but luck wasn’t always consistent.
Song Yan Ning shook her head, “No.” She was completely confident; besides, even if there wasn’t anything, she had already gained a great benefit—the Spiritual Energy in the raw stone had already been absorbed by her.