Chapter 303 Heart-to-heart talk

When Shao Youxiang came in, we had no more worries. I made a pot of tea and drank it slowly.

"How long have you known each other?"

Shao Youxiang calculated, "About a year. A friend introduced me to Murong, saying he wanted to learn how to look at stones. He followed me a few times, and when he heard I was from Wuxiang, he mentioned you. We became close."

But he did have a serious gambling addiction, and his thinking was quirky. We usually gambled together, winning and losing together. He was quite bold; once, he bet a million dollars on a product worth just over 100,000 yuan. I later learned that he was incredibly wealthy and even married a Thai beauty queen.

"Do you know why he is so rich?"

"I heard it was stock speculation, but I don't know the details."

I said, "It's better not to know. Don't gamble with him on jade. Even if he pays, you can't control it. He has no affinity with jade."

Shao Youxiang nodded seriously.

"He's a good friend, and he has a chivalrous heart. He wants to give me money, and it's sincere, but I won't take it."

"Didn't you say we could invest in a water plant?"

"That's an excuse. When the time comes, I'll tell him that Mr. Chen doesn't agree."

"Why don't you take his money?"

"In our industry, there's a saying: carry an umbrella when you go out, spend all you eat and don't save any money - but now things have changed. We need to buy a house and a car to ensure the well-being of our families, so we save some money.

Even if I accept money from him, it would be no more than 10,000 or 20,000 yuan. If I'm helping someone make a major decision that's very challenging, then taking 100,000 or 200,000 yuan is fine."

There is a saying in the countryside: "If the master doesn't accept the envelope, his words won't work."

"This sentence is actually an excuse for making a living. The countryside is a society of acquaintances. If one person doesn't count the money paid by the master, and another person also wants to take advantage of it, who will do this business?

It's just like when you sell jade. Why do you charge such a high price? Because not every stone contains jade. You can't do it for free.

Shao Youxiang said, "You can actually go out and explore Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and the Golden Triangle—anywhere there's a concentration of Chinese people—your line of work is very popular."

“I can consider it.”

"By the way, has Lao Xiao, whom you mentioned, ever done this?" Shao Youxiang made a scissors gesture with his index and middle fingers.

"It happened a long, long time ago. A hero's origins are not judged. I want to introduce you to each other. Lao Xiao may come with me to visit Lao Myanmar and Thailand in the future."

"Oh—it's just that he was very famous at the time, and I've never met him. So I'm asking you out of curiosity."

"When are you planning to leave?"

"Let's have lunch tomorrow, then I'll go home to celebrate the New Year, and he'll go back to Boten, where he has a villa."

"Oh. Where's your cousin?"

"If you can't get over it, you'll die in prison."

I remained silent for a long time.

Shao Youxiang sighed, "Life doesn't really have much meaning. People like my cousin are just too greedy. I also want to quit gambling on jade and open a jade shop like Mr. Xiong. At least if I open one, I won't be selling fakes."

"How can we determine whether this jade artifact is authentic?"

"There are more than a dozen regulations, but are they really effective? No, in a word: it's all based on your feelings. I also graduated from a Chinese department. You see, even the worst poems by Li Bai, Du Fu, and Bai Juyi still have one or two key lines.

The same is true for jade. Even if it’s a second-rate piece, it always has more charm than fake jade. This feeling is formed by playing with jade for a long time.”

"That makes sense."

"I missed the last wedding, so this time I brought Xiaolin a piece of 'pregnancy-protecting jade'." After saying that, he took out an exquisitely packaged box from his pocket.

A string of old red beads. Very beautiful.

"This is called garnet. It gets its name from its color, which is very similar to pomegranate seeds. Its English name is olive, which means - like seeds."

I sighed, "You always give me such valuable gifts. If I were an official, I'd be in big trouble."

He laughed heartily. "There are words engraved on the small surface, micro-carving." He took out a magnifying glass and showed it to me. On one of them was engraved "Xiao Lin Ru Yu".

I accepted it and said, "You're so thoughtful. I don't have anything to give you."

"There's no need to be polite between us. I'm doing this business, so I'm giving you a piece of jade. I haven't given you anything else either.

There's just one thing I'm embarrassed to say. I didn't believe in fate before, but since my cousin died, I've started to believe in it a little. Can you tell me something?"

There's no need for a detailed calculation. Besides, I know your situation. Please write down the lunar birthdays of yourself, your wife, and your daughter. I'll give you a rough estimate."

I pushed the paper and pen to him.

"Just write your birthday?"

"Yes. This is what my senior brother Chang Nanxi taught me."

He wrote: Shao Youxiang: the fifth day of the lunar calendar. His wife: the eighteenth day of the lunar calendar. His son: the twentieth day of the lunar calendar. His daughter: the eleventh day of the lunar calendar.

I took out a book of fate from the study and began to read his fortune.

Shao Youxiang: Those born on the fifth and ninth lunar months share a similar fate: early years of hard work yield no results, and hard work goes unrewarded. Their best years are wasted, and the Yangtze River flows on beyond their threshold. Since marrying a beautiful woman, opportunities gradually emerge in middle age. If a noble person turns his star, wealth will flow in and bring prosperity to the family.

"Your destiny brings wealth, but you must meet a noble person. Your business is doing well now, but who has helped you?"

Shao Youxiang said: "There was an old jade master, known as Ghost Eye. Unfortunately, he passed away five years ago."

I didn't ask any more questions.

I started to analyze his wife's horoscope. She was born on the 18th day of the lunar calendar:

Gentle and ladylike, she would rather let herself down than let others down. She is down-to-earth and blessed with good fortune, and will prosper after she reaches fifty.

"Your wife is very popular. She has a strong will to succeed. She is a good wife and we must not divorce."

His son: On the 20th day of the lunar calendar, his fate is similar to that of someone born on the 23rd day of the lunar calendar.

You are destined to have abundant wealth, and will be promoted faster than your parents. You will always have noble people to help you throughout your life, but your romantic life is too prosperous.

"Your son's fate is very dynamic. But he has a strong romantic relationship."

His daughter: Born on the 11th day of the lunar calendar, similar to those born on the 14th day of the lunar calendar.

He is extremely smart and clever, and has everything he needs for good fortune, wealth, longevity and happiness. He can realize his ambitions in middle age and enjoy family happiness in old age.

"Her fate is better than your son's."

After I finished writing, I gave him the album.

He thanked me repeatedly.

I said, "Keep it and verify it later."

Finally, I told him a story about a man who asked an old monk how to get rich. The old monk pointed to the woods behind the yard and said, "If you sweep up all the fallen leaves, you will get rich."

The man swept and swept, but just as he finished, there were fallen leaves under the tree. He threw the broom away angrily and called him a liar.

At this point, Shao Youxiang looked puzzled and asked, "Is this old monk trying to tease you?"

I shook my head. "The old monk is right. When will all the leaves be swept away? It's winter, when the trees are bare. Then we can sweep all the fallen leaves from the yard."

This is called patience. Murong is a good person, but he lacks patience. This is why I advised him to do long-term business such as food, clothing, housing and transportation, and why I advised you not to cooperate with him in gambling on stones.

Shao Youxiang let out a long sigh: "It's a fate to know you. You are also a noble person in my life."

…

The next morning, Murong Feng and his driver brought some expensive cigarettes, alcohol, and other gifts to my room. He also gave me a watch.

"More than 20,000, don't say it's expensive."

I didn't push him away.

After breakfast, I called Lao Xiao, and then the two cars headed straight to Taiyi Mountain.