Feng Ji then noticed that Fu Ming was holding a cloth bag. When Fu Wan opened the bag and revealed its contents, his eyes widened in surprise.
"This...this...this is ambergris?!"
Fu Wan nodded, "You're so knowledgeable, you recognized it at a glance."
Feng Ji looked pleased and reached out to pick up the small piece of ambergris, but then remembered that he had just repaired the old clock and his hands were still dirty.
"This is great stuff! I need to wash my hands. Please make yourselves at home and wait for me!"
After saying that, he turned around and rushed to the backyard without looking back.
Fu Wan and Fu Ming didn't mind, but Fu Ming didn't know the value of ambergris before. Now that he saw Feng Ji, who usually looked down on everyone, change his attitude so much, he couldn't help but be curious about the small stone-like thing in his hand.
"Ah Wan, how much do you think this thing can sell for?"
Fu Wan shook her head, "I don't know either, let's ask Uncle Feng when he comes out."
As they spoke, Feng Ji took a piece of cloth, wiped his hands, and walked quickly toward them. He adjusted his reading glasses and carefully examined the ambergris through the cloth bag.
This piece of ambergris was the whitest one Fu Wan had ever picked out. Although its surface was uneven and had many pits and bumps, it was pure white and very beautiful.
"Yes, this is ambergris, and it's a very good piece of ambergris."
Feng Ji brought the piece of ambergris to his nose and took a deep sniff.
"Yes, yes, yes, that's the taste!"
Fu Wan: ……
If she hadn't sniffed it out of curiosity beforehand, she would have been fooled by Feng Ji's exaggerated actions.
This is sperm whale excrement. Apart from a faint odor, Fu Wan couldn't smell anything else.
It can't possibly become more delicious just because it's in Feng Ji's hands, can it?!
Or did she simply not smell it? After all, professionals should do what they're good at.
Even so, she still couldn't look directly at Feng Ji's intoxicated expression, especially after thinking about what that thing was.
Perhaps noticing the disdain on Fu Wan's face, Feng Ji glared at her through his reading glasses.
"I don't know what kind of luck you've had."
"I could accept having abalone beads and oyster beads before, but this is a rare ambergris, and you stumbled upon it by sheer luck, and you're complaining about it?!"
"How could that be?" Fu Wan said innocently with a smile. "I was just a little confused. It doesn't even have a fragrance, so how can it be called ambergris?"
Feng Ji raised an eyebrow, looked at the puzzled brother and sister, and generously gestured for them to sit down.
"I'll show you two who don't know their stuff!"
Then he sat down at the table with the ambergris in his hand.
Fu Wan and Fu Ming sat down, and then watched as he took out a small knife from the drawer and carefully cut off a small piece the size of a fingernail.
Then Feng Ji took a small wooden bowl from the cabinet next to him, and the bowl didn't look cheap at all.
He put the small piece of ambergris in, ground it into powder with a tool, and then took two bottles from the shelf next to him. As soon as he opened one of the bottles, Fu Wan smelled the alcohol.
"This is alcohol, and this bottle contains ambergris solution that I had collected before. It was made for me by an old friend."
Feng Ji patiently explained to Fu Wan and Fu Ming that just as he was mixing the ambergris powder with the liquid in the two bottles, Fu Wan and Fu Ming suddenly smelled a strong fragrance.
How to describe that fragrance? At first sniff, it makes you feel like you're in an ancient forest, surrounded by the scent of woody forest. But after smelling it for a while, you can feel the freshness of the ocean. In short, it's incredibly addictive.
Seeing Fu Wan and Fu Ming enjoying themselves so much, Feng Ji couldn't help but feel a little smug.
"Ambergris is a top-grade spice. This ambergris I just processed is still raw. If you mix it with alcohol every day and soak it for a few months, it will eventually become mature ambergris, and the smell will be even better."
Fu Wan was now truly impressed by Feng Ji. This kind of good stuff only works when it's used by someone who knows how to use it, unlike her, who only wanted to exchange it for money.
After all, she simply didn't have the inclination to deal with ambergris every day.
However, she was still most concerned about one issue: the sales of ambergris.
"Uncle Feng, how much does this stuff sell for per kilogram?"
Feng Ji stroked his chin and pondered for a moment.
"I don't know how much it costs per pound, since I'm in this small place and I don't come across such rare stuff."
"Then we won't be able to sell our stuff?!"
Fu Ming was quick to speak, and Feng Ji couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard him say that. "You've all come to me, do you think I'd let you not sell them?!"
After saying that, he rummaged through the books piled up on the shelf next to him and finally took out a newspaper and placed it in front of Fu Wan.
Fu Wan took the newspaper and read it. It said that last month, a piece of ambergris was auctioned in Hong Kong and sold for a high price of 30,000 Hong Kong dollars.
Fu Wan was so eager to buy it that she wished she could quickly sell all the ambergris in her house.
But she can't go to faraway Hong Kong either!
"Uncle Feng, I can't go to Hong Kong either!"
It wasn't as convenient as it is now. For one thing, Hong Kong hadn't been returned to China yet, and mainlanders would face all sorts of discrimination when they went to Hong Kong.
"Did I tell you to go to Hong Kong? I'm showing you just how expensive this thing is!"
Feng Ji said irritably, "This doesn't need to go to Hong Kong. The ambergris auctioned in Hong Kong isn't even as pure as yours. Look at the color, it's all mixed up!"
Everything is valued for its purity, and ambergris is no exception. The whiter the ambergris, the longer it has been fermented naturally, and the higher its price.
Feng Ji was also tired of talking, so he picked up a cup of tea on the table, took a big gulp, and then smacked the tea leaves in his mouth.
"I'll find you a market for your ambergris. You should go to the capital!"
"To the capital?!"
Fu Ming exclaimed in surprise, "The capital city! That's the place I've always longed for!"
"Yes, go to the capital. There's a place in the capital called Panjiayuan. I have an old friend who lives there. Go and find him. He can eat this ambergris!"
When Fu Wan heard that Feng Ji had even chosen the buyer for her, she couldn't help but feel happy. However, along with her happiness, she also felt a little uncertain.
"Uncle Feng, we still have some ambergris at home. Can your friend buy it all?"
The capital city is so big and the waters are deep. If Feng Ji's friend can't buy it all, she'll have to find someone else.
"There's still a little bit left, how much is it?"
"Not much, probably more than ten pounds!"
Feng Ji's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he heard this. "More than ten pounds? Are you kidding me, old man? This is a rare and precious ambergris, do you think it's a clod of dirt!"
After saying this, Feng Ji saw that Fu Wan and Fu Ming's expressions did not change at all; their faces were full of sincerity.
However, at this moment, such sincerity might just attract some hatred.
Well, at over sixty years old, Feng Ji realized for the first time what envy meant. How could this person be so lucky? It's true what they say, comparison is the thief of joy!
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