Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
There was no shop owner in Mutton Lane who did not know Academician Du.
“If you want, 800 RMB.” The shop owner did not say much.
“Oh.” Academician Du answered and said, “It’s quite expensive.”
As he spoke, Academician Du threw aside the ugly stone like he did not care about it at all.
The shop owner quirked his eyebrows. He carefully looked at the stone and remembered it.
Zuo Cidian knew what was going on when he saw this situation. Academician Du was using a strategy, and the shop owner was familiar with his tricks.
“Doctor Ling, look at this piece.” Academician Du picked up another piece and showed it to Ling Ran. He then whispered beside Ling Ran’s ears, “This is raw unpeeled beeswax. I guess that if we peel it off and keep a portion to make a sculpture, we can probably earn 30% to 50% more.”
He was trying to play safe. If it was sold 30% to 50% higher, it meant that he would definitely earn back the money he spent. With the current market, this was considered a very good price. When it came to scavenging, they could not just focus on scavenging the really valuable pieces.
“Alright,” Ling Ran answered. Then, he asked, “Since you bought it, are we leaving now?”
“What? We haven’t even started yet. I’ll pick again.” As Academician Du spoke, he put this piece aside before he happily went to look for the others again.
Ling Ran reminded him. “You need to make prior preparations for the surgery tomorrow.”
“I know, I know…” Academician Du answered without turning his head around. He was still looking around for stones.
The shop owner asked in surprise, “Academician Du, are you sick? Is your condition serious?”
“My sickness can be severe, but can also be mild. Let’s not talk about this. Let’s talk about stones. How much are you selling for this piece?” Academician Du took out another turquoise that was not fully cut.
“3,200 RMB,” the shop owner said, “I normally sell for 3,500 RMB.”
“What about beeswax?”
“What about 1,700 RMB? It’s big, after all.”
“Then, I’ll take the beeswax.” Academician Du made the payment. He was slightly proud.
The shop owner also chuckled and asked, “Do you think you can earn from it? I feel that there’s nothing inside.”
“Not only does it have something inside, but it’s also good quality stuff.” Academician Du also smiled. “I don’t have time today. If there’s a chance next time, we’ll discuss it again.”
“Sure.” The shop owner did not feel that he had suffered any losses. He only said, “I still can’t judge these things correctly.”
“You sell too many things. If you want to learn something, you need to learn one by one, not all at once. After you have learned one and mastered it, go for the next. Then, you will be an expert and a professional.” Academician Du did not talk to the shop owner this way in the past, but he nagged a little more today.
No one knew whether the shop owner had heard it or not, but he answered enthusiastically.
Academician Du realized that he had talked too much. In a moment, he thought about “the final lesson”. Although he had students, he no longer conducted his lectures at a podium, so even if he wanted to teach the last lesson, it was impossible as well.
Academician Du sighed, stood up, and went out.
When he reached the entrance, Academician Du took out the beeswax that he had just bought. He played with it while shaking his head and said, “It’s not the same now, it’s difficult to even scavenge goods. At old times, you can scavenge all sorts of goods in the market.”
Ling Ran smiled faintly without saying anything.
“You don’t believe me?” Academician Du looked at Ling Ran.
Ling Ran smiled. “I don’t know anything about this.”
“It’s okay if you don’t know. I know, and that’s enough. Doctor Ling, if you like this beeswax, I can sell it to you with the original price. What do you think?” Academician Du took out the beeswax again, and he said, “We might be scavenging, but we don’t know how many good pieces we can get. If it’s at old times, I would surely give a piece to you Doctor Ling, another piece to Miss Tian, then save two for my eldest grandson and youngest grandson each, and I will have no problem with it at all…”
He arranged everything clearly, but he made it sound as if he was arranging his will.
The chubby grandson looked as if he was about to cry. “Grandpa…”
Academician Du patted his shoulder. “Grandson!”
Tian Qi cast a glance at Ling Ran’s facial expression. Then, she smiled faintly and said, “Academician Du, scavenging is actually a game. Even if you don’t manage to get anything, you’ll still feel happy.”
“I used to think like you… Then I got cancer.” Academician Du joked about his disease, but he did not really smile.
He had his own struggles, and he was very stubborn.
Once he laid on the operating table, he would not be able to do anything.
“Then, we’ll search together.” Tian Qi nodded, since she understood what he meant a little, then she immediately cast a glance to the back.
An old man with grayish-white hair walked forward to them, smiled faintly, and said, “Brother, how about I scavenge with you?”
“And you are…?” Academician Du frowned.
“I am Li Xuechao, the consultant for Ping Sheng Mining. I used to work for the excavation of oil and gas fields in Halliburton. Later, I also excavated non-ferrous metal…” The old man with grayish-white hair spoke in a stable tone, and his mannerisms were just right.
“Hmm,” Academician Du answered. When he faced with this kind of peer, he could not help put away some of his stubborn stemmed from personal reasons. He nodded and said, “Halliburton is a big company. But You changed your field to non-ferrous metals? This change is quite big.”
Li Xuechao smiled. “I understand jewelry and ores a little. Why don’t we pick them together?”
“You pick yours, I’ll pick mine.” Academician Du turned down the offer resolutely. He was still very confident with picking jewelry.
Li Xuechao joked a little and left. He cast a glance at Tian Qi again before he turned around and left their sights.
Academician Du felt that he had won, so he felt slightly happier. Then, he went to another shop and composed himself. He shouted loudly, “Boss, get some raw stones that you’ve received recently. Those cheaper ones.”
“Coming,” the shop owner shouted from the room. About two minutes later, he carried a dustpan and walked out.
During the waiting time, there were also a few people walking into the shop.
Academician Du’s title was still impactful in Mutton Lane.
As the news spread, the shop owners who were free came over to take a look.
*Swoosh.*
A dustpan of raw stones was thrown on the iron counter.
“I’m a factory outlet shop. My products are cheap, and no negotiation is allowed.” The shop owner had a great and imposing manner.
Academician Du did not mind. He answered with a hum before he lowered his head and picked the stones. There were many small shops in Mutton Lane, and new shops will always open there. This shop seemed to have jewelry processing as its main business, but it also provided different raw stones for people to choose from.
This kind of shop was also the favorite shop for Academician Du because of the variety of raw stones. Since there were all sorts of raw stones, the shop owner cannot study everything like him. Therefore, a chance of him being able to find something good might appear at any time.
“Doctor Ling, let’s choose together.” Academician Du only called out to his chief surgeon.
Ling Ran casually walked forward and randomly flipped through the stones on the counter.
Academician Du had a pair of sharp eyes. He glanced at every piece before then he picked up a piece of agate and asked, “How much?”
“3,800.” The shop owner quoted the price.
Academician Du could not help but raise his head and stare at the shop owner. He thought, ‘Is he a simpleton?”
The shop owner looked at Academician Du and said firmly, “Fixed price.”
Academician Du laughed coldly, threw away the agate, turned around, and wanted to leave.
“Doctor Ling, do you like this piece?” At this moment, Li Xuechao spoke up.
Academician Du turned around to take a look. He saw Ling Ran holding a piece of orange garnet, and he nodded, “This spessartine does indeed look good.”
Spessartine was the trade name for this kind of garnet, and it was used to describe its color, which resembled Fanta. Among the mid-range gemstones, spessartine belonged to the emerging class, and it was very popular among young people.
However, as it was a gemstone rising in popularity, the price was more transparent, and it was usually difficult to be able to get lucky and get a cheap price for it.
At this moment, the shop owner said calmly, “That’ll be 880 RMB.”
Academician Du opened his eyes and raised his head to look at the boss before he thought, ‘Is he really a simpleton?’
The boss looked at Academician Du and firmly said, “Fixed price.”