Chapter 170 Preparing Birthday Gifts
"You... are just like Juan'er when she was little. You eat your fill of snacks, but when it's mealtime, you're like a little kitten, only taking a few bites of food as a token gesture." As if recalling past anecdotes, the smile on her face grew even wider.
“My mom… is still the same. She’s nowhere to be found when it’s mealtime,” the boy said with a smile.
"It's tough for Juan'er, having such an unreliable husband. Don't worry, the Liu family is her strongest support. Oh, by the way, your grandfather's 60th birthday is in three days. Have you prepared the birthday gift?"
"Not yet, I plan to go to the jade market tomorrow to pick some out!"
Li Chen has no feelings for the Li family. If it weren't for the fact that it was the 60th birthday of the Li family patriarch, and he, as the grandson, had to attend to offer his congratulations, he wouldn't have returned to Rongcheng!
Going to offer birthday greetings means encountering the boy's biological father, stepmother, and younger brother. Noticing the boy's tightly clenched fist with bulging veins, she quickly grabbed his wrist, giving him a look that said, "Don't worry, I'm here for you."
"What would a little kid like you choose? Just pick one from my collection."
"Grandpa, this is different. Choosing it yourself adds a touch of sincerity. Let's just leave it at that!"
Most importantly, no one deserves to possess my grandfather's treasured collection!
"Alright, the child is all grown up and has his own opinions now. He hasn't been feeling well these past few days, so I won't be going. Please give my regards to Old Master Li." After saying that, he coughed a few times and left the restaurant with the help of the butler.
The next day, at the Rongcheng Jade Market!
Grandpa Liu was afraid that his grandson would be cheated, so he specially invited a professional appraiser to help him choose. However, the young master did not go to the jewelry store, the antique shop, or the small shops. He went straight to the street stalls in the alley. The most expensive stone there was only 1,000 yuan.
“Young Master Chen, the goods on this stall are mostly of poor quality, and the chance of finding jade is practically zero. How about... I take you to a jewelry store for a look around?”
"As the head of the Li family, what kind of jewelry and jade hasn't Grandpa seen? When it comes to wedding gifts, it's the thought that counts. Can a gift that takes a whole day to choose be the same as one that you buy after looking at it for a few minutes?"
Wow, kid, you're a true logical genius!
After looking around for a long time and visiting more than a dozen stalls, the young man didn't buy anything. On the contrary, Yunxia spent nearly a thousand yuan and bought more than thirty small stones.
"Young lady, those stones you picked out... tsk tsk, they're hard to describe!"
Yunxia shook her head, feigning ignorance: "No, I think every stone can be cut into jade, it's just that the quality will be different."
Pfft!
Hearing their conversation, the stall owner burst out laughing, spilling tea all over the stones. "Sorry, I couldn't help it!"
Li Chen tilted his head and leaned closer, whispering, "Xiaxia, help me pick one out. I want one that looks like good jade inside, but when you cut it out, it's all stone."
“Young Master Chen, I have received professional training. No matter how soft your voice is, I can hear you. The kind you are talking about can only be found in jade shops. There are none here…”
"That's not necessarily true!"
Yun Xia smiled mysteriously, pulled Li Chen to a small stall, pointed to a black stone the size of a wok, and said, "Here, this one meets your requirements perfectly."
The boy struggled to move the stone over and examined it from top to bottom, but he couldn't find the exposed jade belt. His slightly puzzled eyes kept glancing at the girl.
"Just cut it in a bit and it'll be there, trust me. When have I ever lied to you?"
"Boss, how much is this stone?"
The stall owner first sized up the three men's clothes and demeanor, then squinted and replied with a smile, "Young master, you have a good eye. You picked out the treasure of this important stall right away. This obsidian has quite a history. Look... (omitting many complimentary descriptions)... It's priced at 10,000. You can't find this price even with a lantern."
"This is outrageous! This damn black stone... (omitting numerous derogatory descriptions)... is being priced like this..."
"1000 yuan, fixed price. If you agree, we can trade on the spot. If you don't agree, we won't waste each other's time, and we can go and look at other stalls." After Yunxia finished speaking, her eyes looked at the large yellow stone on the next stall, revealing her determination to get it.
The adage "open for business and live off the profits for three years" applies especially to the jade business. Catching a glimpse of his arch-rival soliciting customers from afar, he quickly said, "Ah, meeting is fate, take it!"
The deal was done. The young man smiled, took out his bank card, and handed it to the stall owner. "Pay by card!"
Stall owner: ...
Sorry, cash only!
Upon hearing this, Li Chen was taken aback. He had planned everything, but he hadn't expected the girl not to swipe her card. He smiled awkwardly and turned to the girl for help.
Yunxia took out 1,000 yuan from her bag and handed it to the stall owner. After counting it and confirming that there were no counterfeit bills, Daheishi was happily put into a snakeskin bag. The two of them took turns carrying it to the stone cutting area.
"Please have the master draw the lines, thirty yuan per time."
Cutting the stone blank is a very delicate process that most people can't do, so the price is reasonable. But the girl wasn't buying it. She took out a marker and drew an oval circle 10 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide on the left side of the big black stone.
"Just cut from here, one cut is enough."
Sigh, even though he lost 30 yuan, the boss wasn't angry. After repeatedly asking if he was sure, he called the workers to the machine. The sound of cutting in the flowing water was like the jade appraiser's heart. He was certain that he would lose 1,000 yuan and really didn't want to see the young master's disappointed expression.
Once the machine stopped running, Li Chen stepped forward and asked curiously, "How was it? Why aren't you all saying anything?"
Shop owner: ...What are you saying? Such a wonderful treasure is a once-in-a-decade find!
He wiped the sweat from his brow, held up five fingers, and said, "Young man, how about selling it to me for this price?"
The boy peeked at it and, even without knowing much about jade, he knew from the jade belt that was as green as a beer bottle that it was a good thing. So he shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, this stone has great significance to me. I won't sell it for any amount of money."
"Wow, this is incredible! In a jade and jewelry store, you couldn't get it for less than seven figures."
"That's right, look who picked it. Boss, here's the 50 yuan cutting fee, thanks. Don't get any funny ideas, you can't afford to offend the Liu family of Yaoshan!"
Don't think you didn't see the ruthlessness in his eyes. The kidnappers had the same expression when he was kidnapped. Hearing this, the shop owner quickly looked away and put on a fawning smile.
"So it's the young master of the Liu family. Look at me, I haven't been out of the market for years and I don't even recognize important people like you anymore. I'll waive the cutting fee as an apology to you."
The sudden change in attitude seemed like something the boy had experienced countless times. He unloaded the stone, put it into the snakeskin bag, and said, "No need, you take the money. Xiaxia, let's go!"
"Alright!" After walking only a dozen meters, Yunxia noticed that the boy was struggling, so she supported the snakeskin bag with one hand to ease his burden.
"Xiaxia, you seem to be carrying this quite easily, why..."
"Hey, my family owns a supermarket, you know that. I can carry three cases of drinks at a time. I've gotten used to it over time."
"I see. It seems I need to exercise more in the future."
"Young Master Chen, in my experience, if the black stone is cut a little more, its value will at least double!"
"No way! If it's worthless after you cut it off, who can you complain to?"
After saying that, he poked the boy's lower back, subtly hinting at something.
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