Chapter 43 The Sky-High Price of US Dollars
Time flew by and the day the city was opened arrived.
The small town appeared before Loin with an unimaginable liveliness.
Looking at the rows of brand-new and impressive cars parked there.
Luo Yin didn't know how many times she had heard this exclamation.
Fortunately, the crowd around her kept her out of sight.
She moved closer to Ani and followed the two of them as they tried to squeeze inside.
Despite the hardships along the way, we finally arrived at the three-story building.
"Phew, we've finally arrived!"
A large number of people were standing in front of the small building, and there were also gatekeepers in black suits at the door.
"Don't rush, everyone line up. Only those with invitations can enter."
The man in sunglasses said coldly.
"Hey, I didn't prepare any invitations, are we just going to go in like this?"
"Well, luckily my old man has one, so he can use that spot to get in and have a look."
"I really envy your home."
The three people standing in the middle noticed that many people in the group had scattered because of these words.
Many of them felt that continuing to bid without an invitation would be a waste of an opportunity.
"So, you still have to rely on me, right?"
Old Qin pulled out a black object at some point and began gesturing at the two of them.
"Grandpa Qin, is this the invitation?"
"Of course not."
Seeing the little girl's expressive face, he handed the things forward a little.
"Don't break it, I can only show it to you for now."
"No need, no need, I'll just glance at it." Luo Yin quickly refused, only leaning over to take a look.
It turns out there's something quite interesting about this thing.
Soon, the group started moving, and a few people arrived in no time.
After the inspection was completed, the three successfully entered the small building.
Once inside, Luo Yin realized that she couldn't see everything at once.
It's hard to imagine that such a dilapidated little town would have a sophisticated auction house.
Almost the entire first and second floors were opened up, creating a huge open space.
The entire first floor has been renovated into a large hall, with an exhibition stand in the center and many tables and chairs placed in a circle around it.
There was a staircase leading upwards at the innermost side, but she couldn't see it clearly due to the height of the room.
Her attention was quickly drawn away again.
Sitting next to Grandpa Qin, Luo Yin felt both curious and nervous.
Although she had never been to an auction, she could tell from her own mind that the price was not cheap.
"Ani, are we here to buy something?"
"Is it that Cistanche deserticola from time to time?"
"Do we have enough money? If not, I have some more here."
Luo Yin was worried that Ani might be short of money, and this was quite a large event. If she won the bid but didn't pay, she might not be able to leave.
"Haha, Mao, look at your usual image, making a junior like you worry."
Luo Yin ignored Grandpa Qin's teasing and her expression became unusually serious.
Mauisig glanced at him and completely ignored him.
He then gave her a reassuring look and patted his chest.
Luo Yin glanced over and recognized that it was where Ani usually kept her money, which reassured her somewhat.
Where is the boss you mentioned?
"Don't rush, I'll take you there, but if you're sure you want to make a move now, I'll take at least 20%."
Mauisig nodded. "I know!"
Seeing that the two were about to go inside, Luo Yin quickly got up and followed.
Many people around looked at the three of them. Luo Yin lowered her voice and whispered, "Hey, grandpas, where are you going?"
"Little girl, sit back down first, don't follow me."
Grandpa Qin waved her away, telling her to go back.
"Ah, I'm scared to be alone. I promise I'll behave and listen to you. Please let me come with you, Annie."
Loin looked pitiful, hoping Ani would agree.
As expected, Ani nodded in agreement and allowed her to come along, seeing her like this.
A woman quickly came into view of the three of them. She was dressed in a low-key manner, but her skin color alone told them that she was no ordinary person.
"You've arrived, this way please."
The woman's tone was very calm, as if she had been waiting for a long time.
Looking at the seemingly ordinary Old Qin, Luo Yin felt that the old man was more complicated than she had imagined.
But seeing Ani following along calmly, his image seemed even more imposing.
Annie is truly amazing!
The group entered the small cubicle and found several people sitting inside.
Three middle-aged men of similar age were chatting casually over tea.
Upon seeing someone arrive, they simply nodded slightly as a greeting.
"Here it is. Bring the things over and let me take a look."
Old Qin sat down in one of the only two seats without ceremony, and then, as if remembering something, pulled Ani to sit in the middle.
Only Luo Yin and the guide remained standing to the side.
Luo Yin noticed that she was looking over, and smiled shyly, but what happened next really opened her eyes.
Ani calmly and slowly pulled a rope from his chest.
A cloth bag was pulled out from under the rope.
Luo Yin watched as he opened the bag and then took out several orange-colored beads.
The most eye-catching one was the size of a pigeon egg.
"Hiss~"
"This, this is... "
"Look at the luster, the rich and full color..."
"Oh my, this is good stuff!"
Before Luo Yin could even utter a word of lament, she was replaced by countless exclamations and gasps of surprise from the surrounding crowd.
Luo Yin swallowed hard, watching as Ani put down the four beads of different sizes, then clasped her hands together and looked at them with unchanging expression.
My admiration and respect for the old man have only grown stronger!
She glanced to the side and saw Old Qin with a smug look on his face, as if he had known all along.
"My goodness! I was lucky enough to see a Dragon Ball once years ago, but it wasn't this big!"
"Yes, yes, normally a bead weighing over 20 grams is considered extremely rare, but this bead is so big, if it were to be sold, it would be an extremely rare find!"
The three of them were clearly very excited as they spoke.
Those listening nearby were also swept up in the excitement.
What? Dragon Ball? This is Dragon Ball?
Luo Yin stared intently at the group of people conducting the appraisal, hoping to hear more information.
"Tsk tsk, these beads are at least 2 centimeters long and 3 centimeters long, so they must weigh at least 90 grams. If they're real, the price... it's simply incalculable!"
"Let me take another look."
The eldest man calmed himself down, picked up the special flashlight and tools, and looked at it several more times.
It was indeed confirmed; they were indeed Melo pearls produced by yellow snails.
After hearing what they called the Dragon Ball, he looked at the woman with overwhelming joy.
"Xiao Juan, hurry up and call the boss over. Tell him we've encountered a big truck!"
The person called Xiao Juan was the one who had led the way earlier, and she quickly went over.
Then, Luo Yin saw the two people start checking the remaining beads again, asking questions about their origins from time to time.
"Oh, I see. You're really lucky, brother. This kind of thing is very rare in China right now. With your investment, you'll definitely be set for life."
"Yes, yes, even if we don't mention the other three, if we sell this big one of yours, your family won't have to worry about money for generations."
Upon hearing this, Mauisig's face relaxed slightly.
But he quickly returned to his usual calm and nodded.
Then I put the larger one into my pocket and left the rest on the table.
Several appraisers instinctively reached out, and then heard several crisp sounds.
"Hey, you still have something in that bag?"
"Yes, I heard it too."
Loin nodded subconsciously and looked at Ani's pocket.
It felt like a dream; how did Ani suddenly become like a hidden master who possessed a treasure?
"You mean this?"
Ani reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of stones and wooden beads of varying sizes.
"Did you collect these years ago?"
"Let me see if there's anything else."
Those nearby had already reached out to check.
The appraiser glanced at it and got a general idea of what was going on.
Upon discovering that there were no hidden gems, everyone felt a sense of relief.
Sure enough, how can someone be so lucky!
"Ah, these should all be broken agate and rough stones. The price is a few hundred yuan, though some are worth. I suggest you keep them."
"That's right, it's not worth selling these things."
The group exchanged glances and agreed that this was indeed the case, but the final decision still rested with him.
Luo Yin approached at some point and saw that Ani had several small black beads about the size of a thumb in her hand.
She glanced at the few people next to her who weren't eating steamed buns as rations, and quietly raised her hand to speak.
"Ani, I want to see those little black beads."
Seeing this, Ani reached out his hand to signal her to take it.
Luo Yin stepped forward, but before she could take it, someone next to her intercepted it, picked it up, touched it, and then put it down.
"Oh, these are probably just some kind of wooden beads, they're not worth much."
Luo Yin suddenly realized what was happening, and carefully took it to examine it closely.
Ani seemed to sense that she liked it, "Here you go!"
"Ah, okay, okay."
She was silently rubbing her hands when the door behind her was forcefully pushed open by someone.
Just from the force of the blow, you could tell that the person who came was very agitated.
"Where is the stuff? Let me see."
A cheerful, youthful voice followed the footsteps into the room, followed by a deep, resonant male voice.
"What kind of behavior is this? Jing Shuo, behave yourself!"
"The big boss is here, get up quickly."
The room felt a little cramped because someone else had come in.
But then the three of them stood up, and the two of them sat down in the main seats one by one. Only then did Luo Yin realize that the person who came was actually the young master from the crowd yesterday.
So it really is someone from the Li family!
"I heard Aunt Juan say that a large shipment has been delivered. Is it Dragon Ball? Where is it?"
Li Jingshuo looked around with great interest, but paused when he saw Qin Lao and Ani's serious and withered old faces.
My eyes were immediately drawn to the few small beads on the table.
"Oh, so this is it. It certainly looks extraordinary; the color is like flames, and the whole bead even radiates a pearly glow. But it's not very big."
"Big brother, what do you think?"
He didn't think it was as amazing as they made it out to be.
Li Sibo, the eldest brother of the Li family, looked away and glanced at the person next to Ani before speaking solemnly.
"The item belongs to this old comrade, right? I am Li Sibo, the general manager of the Li Group in Guangdong Province. I heard from my subordinates that you have the largest dragon ball currently available. I wonder if I could take a look?"
Old Man Qin waited for quite a while before finally seeing the person in charge.
He nudged his old friend with his elbow, "They're here. You handle it."
Ani glanced around and looked at the eldest brother of the Li family.
"I'd like to buy some medicinal herbs from the Li family, but I don't know if it's convenient."
"Buy medicine?" What kind of medicine? Hundred-person ginseng?
Li Jingshuo pouted, feeling impatient at not seeing the excitement right away. His eyes darted around and he spotted Luo Yin next to him.
It's not that she was particularly attentive; it's just that the little house wasn't very big, and after looking around a few times, her gaze inevitably fell on it.
Luo Yin was vaguely recalling the events of the past few days, and she appeared dazed.
She didn't even notice when someone looked at her, which further convinced Young Master Li that she was just a simpleton.
"I wonder what kind of medicinal herb it is?"
Ani looked at Old Man Qin, who fumbled for a piece of paper and handed it to her.
Li Sibo took it, quickly scanned it, and had a good idea of what was going on.
"These are not difficult things."
Ani understood and took the large bead out of her pocket.
Li Jingshuo, who had been waiting for this moment, almost popped his eyes out. Sure enough, it was the size that had been said to be.
Li Jingshuo's eyes lit up, then he was overjoyed.
"Hahahaha, big brother, is this really that big?"
Li Sibo suppressed his emotions and examined the document carefully, finding no possibility of forgery.
He had already figured out how to pack the goods and ship them south, then hold a sensational auction there and make a fortune.
That would cost tens of millions of US dollars!
Hahahaha~
Ahem, wait a minute, we need to get these things down first.
Li Jingshuo looked at his older brother, who was unusually friendly, which was even more frightening than when he usually had a stern face.
"Old comrade, I'll take this. How about we settle the bill?"
Ani clenched her fist tightly, her hand hidden in her sleeve, as if to bolster her spirits.
"I want all the medicinal herbs listed on that paper, and I'll exchange the rest for gold!"
Li Sibo thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
The appraiser was then instructed to carefully record, weigh, and measure the size of the beads. It was found that this bead weighed 92 grams, while the other three beads weighed around 20-30 grams each.
"Would you like to sell these remaining few?"
Ani thought for a moment, then shook her head in refusal. "Just that one, please!"
He beckoned Sister Juan to come forward and give him a quote.
"However, it should be noted beforehand that the largest bead currently being offered for sale, weighing 63 grams, was sold overseas three years ago for $700,000, which is equivalent to RMB 5.88 million; this one can be offered for $1.5 million, which is equivalent to about RMB 12.6 million."
Luo Yin was completely bewildered by the hundreds of thousands of US dollars and millions of RMB involved.
But she knew that this was probably the time to strike it rich!
She's incredibly wealthy! She's about to strike it rich!
"gold!"
Old Qin couldn't help but mutter a few times, "This isn't ten or twenty thousand, it's ten million RMB! How much money is that?"
But Ani still longed for gold, gold!
Sister Juan was also taken aback by the question, and replied, "Yes, yes."
At the behest of the big boss, she indicated that she needed to recalculate the accounts.
After deducting the cost of medicinal materials and commission, a final conclusion can only be reached based on the current gold price.
Soon after, she saw many people going in and out of the small house, but she didn't pay attention to the commotion that was happening outside.
I stood there the whole time, watching people come and go.
She began to wonder how much gold she could exchange for the remaining money.
Will the two horses at home be able to pull us back? Will we encounter robbers on the way?
She didn't know when she was pulled to sit down, and when she came to her senses, what she saw was an open box filled with glittering gold.
"Ani, this... this..."
Luo Yin never imagined that she would have gold phobia.
Otherwise, why would she feel a rush of blood and shortness of breath whenever she sees gold?
"Hey, don't hold your breath, take a few breaths!"
Grandpa Qin was quite speechless. He thought this girl was quite bold, but who knew she would be so easily frightened by this.
There were only the three of them left in the room at some point. Luo Yin quickly took a few bites, and finally her brain returned to normal.
"These are all ours! How many are there?!"
Old Qin's tone was unusually sour, "Hmph, even if your family eats meat and drinks milk every day, they still won't be able to finish bragging about it."
He looked at Mauisig as he spoke, but saw that Mauisig's expression remained unchanged.
He seemed completely unconcerned, but a closer look revealed that he was just as excited.
They're clearly still in shock!
"Cough cough cough, alright, alright, leaving so much stuff here won't do. Now that we've got the medicine, let's get going."
He spoke up to remind them to leave quickly, otherwise, even if no one noticed for a while, word would eventually get out about the large amount of gold.
Old Qin looked at the old man and the child, and thought that it was fortunate that the child was of good character, so he didn't have any other ideas.
"Yes, yes, Hua Hua, quickly lend a hand, we'll pack our things right away."
Luo Yin was in a daze the whole time, and didn't even have time to say goodbye during the whole process of moving and packing.
Once they were on the road, when she saw the two large boxes on Lele's cart, she realized that what she had seen before was all true.
Items worth nearly ten million were placed on the cart.
She looked at it from left to right and felt that the horse was bearing the weight of life itself.
Po wanted to ask Big White for help, but he didn't dare.
As if sensing her concerns, Ani said, "Huahua, let's talk about the beads when we get home. I'll tell you a few things first."
When Luo Yin saw Ani calling her, she perked up and hurried over.
After listening, she nodded quickly, indicating that she understood.
For the rest of the journey, Ani drove the rickshaw all the way home, while behind him, Loin pulled Big White and ran back and forth in several different directions.
We must explore every possible direction.
To prevent anyone from figuring out where they left, she also tied a broom to weeds and attached it to the back of the horse to sweep away all the wheel tracks left by Ani.
And for a long stretch of the road afterward, Ani didn't follow the dirt road.
They all drove over the grass to minimize their tracks.
Luo Yin knew it was better to be prepared, especially since they had indeed attracted a lot of attention this time. She thought she might not appear here for a long time in the future, so she hoped that the Li family would reveal as little as possible.
Just as she was thinking this, Ani gestured for her to rest for a while.
They were already halfway through the journey, and both the two men and their horses were getting tired.
Taking a break to drink some water and rest your feet is a good idea.
"Don't worry, Ani has already spoken to the Li family. The news shouldn't leak out anytime soon. Don't tell anyone about what happened to Huahua there today, okay?"
"I know, Ani. Don't worry, I promise I won't tell anyone."
She repeatedly assured them that she would keep her mouth shut.
Ani didn't know whether he believed her or not. "I will divide the rest into five parts. One part for you, the second brother, and the eldest brother, one part for Baturina, and one part for myself."
"These are all your things, you can decide for yourself!"
Loin didn't expect Ani to say these things to her.
She couldn't help but smile, yet she felt embarrassed.
So many! Wouldn't one portion be worth two million in gold?
Two million is no small sum these days!
"It's okay if I don't want it."
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