Jin Can let out a sigh of relief. “120 million! We’ve managed to save 120 million thanks to the Long Family! Their title as a philanthropic family isn’t just for show. They really are a bunch of good samaritans!”
Fu Zhi did not know what to say.
‘Are you sure you’re not an undercover agent sent by them?’
The boss of the Lucky Cloud Pavilion excelled at doing business, and his staff was smart as well. They began to collect payment from the rest of the families according to the bidding form, and when they arrived in front of the Lu Family and the Wu Family, the manager just smiled at them and said, “Since both of you have bought a jade stone from us at a high price, we have a special arrangement for you. Our lapidaries are professional. If you guys don’t mind, I can introduce our lapidaries to you so you can cut your jade stones on the spot.”
Fu Zhi said, “I’m fine with it. Just be careful with my jade stones.”
“Don’t worry, Ms. Fu. Our lapidaries are skilled. They will suggest to you the best way to cut your jade stone and they will not start until they receive permission from you.”
It was only then that Fu Zhi nodded.
The two jade stones were moved to the cutting machine outside of the exhibition hall by the staff.
The Wu Family had its own lapidaries, and they fully believed that there was high-grade jade inside of jade stone No. 20. Therefore, they turned down the offer of the Lucky Cloud Pavilion and used their own lapidary.
Initially, Chu Yunsheng thought Fu Zhi would go for jade stone No. 20 as well. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected that she would pick No. 26 instead.
He felt that he had overestimated her. With a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, he said, “No. 26? That’s what she picked? Putting aside the fact that Mining Area C is notoriously known for its low quality of jade stones, I can deduce from a single glance that jade stone No. 26 is guaranteed garbage, yet this is what they chose in the end?!”
Mining Area C had had its glorious moment once. Ten years ago, an extremely high-grade jade known as the Imperial Jade had been found in Mining Area C. It was one of the best-quality types of Imperial Jade that had been found in history and it had created a sensation throughout the entire globe. Many stone gambling enthusiasts had started to throw their money whenever they saw jade stones taken from Mining Area C, hoping to unearth another supreme-grade Imperial Jade, but unfortunately, the area had not produced any high-grade jade since then.
“Ms. Fu, I’ve warned you before, but you refused to listen to me. I suggest that you do not waste our time anymore and just give us the money instead.”
Wu Zhiheng then chimed in, “Do you know what it means to make a fool of yourself?”
“You will know after I cut the jade stone open,” Fu Zhi replied. She paused for a moment before adding, “I can assure you that this will be another kind of Imperial Jade.”
The whole crowd fell silent. After what seemed like an eternity, all of them broke into a great fit of laughter, as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world.
“What did she say? Imperial Jade? From Mining Area C?”
“She must be out of her mind. There’s no way this could be Imperial Jade.”
“Did she or did she not do her homework before coming here? All of us know that if we want Imperial Jade, we have to go to Mining Area A.”
“Well, this perfectly shows that she’s just an amateur. Even I, someone who has limited stone-gambling knowledge, can see that jade stone No. 26 is not a good jade stone. I couldn’t fathom why she wanted to spend 200 million on it!”
“It’s not just her. There’s something wrong with the Long Family as well. They aimed for the same jade stone.”
The crowd began to voice their opinions. All the people who came to the Lucky Cloud Pavilion, even though some of them were ordinary people, had some stone-gambling knowledge.
Therefore, they would not want the jade stone that Fu Zhi had picked even if she gave it to them.
Wu Zhiheng did not feel angry at all after hearing what Fu Zhi had said. Instead, he felt relieved. If everything went well, they would not have to spend a single penny to crush the Lu Family.
Chu Yunsheng sneered coldly and said, “Hmph! You’re so dead that you don’t even know it. I hope you won’t cry in front of me and beg me to let you go later.”
“Say that to yourself,” Fu Zhi replied.
Chu Yunsheng harrumphed and said, “President Wu, let’s not talk nonsense with her. Let’s start cutting the stone!”
Thus, the lapidary stepped forward and took a seat beside the machine.
The Wu Family placed great emphasis on stone gambling and had a special but tedious way of cutting a jade stone. To prevent any damage to the jade inside, the lapidary did not go all out. Instead, he made a small angular cut to create a small opening.
The lapidary then flashed the light on the jade stone and used a brush to wipe the dust away. Then, a flash of green appeared in everyone’s eyes.
Everyone was disappointed when they saw the green color. Although it was a nice color, this was not Imperial Jade.
“Keep cutting,” Wu Qi commanded.
The lapidary nodded and kept cutting the stone. Since it was a high-quality jade stone, he was very careful.
As expected, just as Chu Yunsheng had said, this jade stone was good. Although it was not Imperial Jade, it was still relatively high-quality jade.
“Well, I guess this is good enough, even if it’s not Imperial Jade.”
“That’s right. Look at the green color. It’s translucent, vibrant in color, and smooth to the touch.”
“Master Chu is indeed an expert!”
…
Chu Yunsheng dusted his sleeve calmly amidst these exclamations.
He took a step forward to study the jade stone. Then, he drew a line on it and said, “Here. Start cutting here. And remember, be careful.”
“Sure.” The lapidary nodded. He swallowed nervously before beginning.