Chapter 959 Picking up stones again
On the way back, Song Chunxue stood in front of a stone ditch, staring thoughtfully at the stones below.
"Master Song, what are you looking at?"
Song Chunxue turned her head and asked, "Is this area rich in jade?"
The abbot nodded. "There are several mining areas that are rich in jasper, black jade, white jade, and blue jade, but only the wealthy can afford to mine them. Do you intend to go mining?"
Song Chunxue watched him ponder earnestly, "This is a good idea. I'll provide the money; would the abbot dare to hire someone to dig it up?"
"Huh?" The abbot was taken aback. "Mining privately will get you arrested and imprisoned by the authorities."
“Then you can give them some as hush money,” Song Chunxue thought of the official road that the government had abandoned. “Besides, what are you afraid of in places where the government doesn’t get involved? Let the people dig secretly in their spare time, then transport the stones out and sell them to jade shops. Isn’t that more profitable than farming?”
"..." The abbot looked at Song Chunxue with difficulty. This was simply a fantasy. The key was that he was just the abbot of a small Taoist temple. How could he manage such a big business? He didn't have that kind of courage.
Changfeng and Changyun had already run down into the pit, picked and chose, and carried a few stones up.
"Then the abbot must know some wealthy believers, right? Are there any who deal in jade?"
The abbot nodded. "Yes, several... Daoist Master, you wouldn't be thinking of... wanting me to do business with you, would you?"
“The abbot should know that all the usurious loans in Chang’an are lent out by temples. Shaolin Temple has many businesses that are guaranteed to make a profit, including brothels. Do you find that strange?” Song Chunxue said with a smile. “If you can stay true to your original intention and put in a little effort to earn some money yourself, you might be able to benefit the people more.”
Song Chunxue looked at the mountain in front of her and thought it looked beautiful no matter how she looked at it.
"Sigh, there are so many trees and rocks here. Back home, even if we wanted to do this kind of work, there's nothing to do. We can't just dig up mud and sell mud figurines, can we? Who would want them?"
By the way, Jincheng, Jincheng... Why is that place called Jincheng?
"You can definitely find gold on the beach!" Song Chunxue discovered an incredible secret to getting rich.
Wuji and Yebai also went into the pit and picked up stones.
Mainly, they had witnessed their uncle's good fortune and felt that the stone must be valuable.
“Leave this to me,” Wuji patted his chest. “Master, I’ll take two people with me to the stonemason’s shop to have it opened and see if there’s anything good inside. Let them learn the way, so if they find any good stones in the future, they can go there and ask around, okay?”
Song Chunxue nodded, "Yes, mining is just something we talk about casually. We're laymen, so it's safer to do small-scale business. Carrying a stone and paying the stonemason a small fee won't cost much, right?"
The abbot waved his hand helplessly, "Go ahead, do whatever you want. I'll just go back to the abbot's for tea."
Song Chunxue also picked up two pieces and said, "I'll go with you."
Changfeng and Changyun each picked one and put it in the car. "Master, let's go and see what's going on."
Everyone sat excitedly in the car, suddenly filled with great hope that the stone they had chosen might yield a fine piece of jade.
Once on the street, Wuji and Yebai led the way, while Tudan asked around until they finally arrived at an inconspicuous stonemason's shop.
The stones thrown into the yard were piled up like a mountain, and the old man was squatting on the ground throwing radishes into the pot, which didn't smell appetizing.
"Master Zhao, you're busy, could you help us open this stone? We found it on the road, and my uncle thinks there's jade inside."
Old Zhao stood up, his exceptionally aged face filled with doubt.
"I'm eating, don't bother me. Just leave it there, I'll open it for you when I'm done." Looking at the young faces, he squatted down and sprinkled some scallions into the pot.
"Master Zhao, come and have some roast chicken. After we finish the roast chicken, let's get going quickly, okay?" Tu Dan'er roast chicken picked out two legs and handed them over. "We're in a bit of a hurry, otherwise our families will worry that our legs will be broken when we get back."
Seeing the fragrant roasted chicken leg, the old man decisively put down his spoon, took it, and began to devour it.
He hasn't opened a shop in a long time, and he eats coarse food and wild vegetables every day. He might not even be able to afford radishes in a few days.
He then turned his attention to the stone, and went over to examine it while eating.
He leaned closer to examine it carefully, then kicked the two oddly shaped stones aside. "There's definitely nothing inside. Even if there were, it's too thin and not worth opening."
"These stones are round and full, and the key is that the outer skin has special patterns. There is a high possibility that they contain black jade." Old Zhao threw away a chicken leg bone, swallowed it in big mouthfuls, and bit off the cartilage of another bone. It was clear that the old man had good teeth.
"Where did you find this stone? I've never found one of this good quality."
Tu Dan'er laughed and said, "We just picked them up by the roadside. We're from out of town and don't know the way."
Old Zhao didn't press the matter further. He knew he had to keep the best spots for himself and wouldn't tell anyone else.
He put on heavy sheepskin gloves, moved the axe to a stone platform, and took control of the stone cutter.
"Fetch some water and pour it in while you're cutting, otherwise it will easily crack, understand?"
Changfeng immediately stepped forward, "I'll do it."
...
One hour later.
Song Chunxue was meditating in her room when she suddenly heard a lot of noise outside.
She knew the children had returned, so she opened the door before they knocked.
"Master, guess how our stones are doing?"
Song Chunxue looked at their empty hands. "Nothing there?"
“Sigh,” Changyun walked up to her and sighed deeply, “It’s so frustrating to compare yourself to others.”
Song Chunxue asked, puzzled, "Won't they let us open it?"
"They opened, but we got nothing from the stones we brought. The old man made a killing for nothing." Tu Dan'er looked at Song Chunxue curiously. "Uncle, how come you're so lucky? Want to try your luck at the casino?"
"Go," Song Chunxue said, turning to the young Taoist priest beside her. "You two can speak."
The two young Taoist priests exchanged a glance. "Senior Song's two jade pieces, one is full of black jade and the other is white jade. Besides that, Ye Bai's piece has white jade in it, and theirs all have a little bit inside the core."
Song Chunxue smiled broadly, "Really? Then where's the stone?"
Changfeng took the stone out of his Qiankun bag and reluctantly handed it to Song Chunxue. "People say it's not particularly valuable, far less valuable than green jadeite, but this piece of black jade has no impurities and good translucency. It can sell for several hundred taels. He'll find a buyer for his master and make a few bracelets for him later."
Song Chunxue gave the stone to the young Taoist priest, saying, "Take it to your master and let the abbot open it. Consider it our offering to your temple."
"How can this be?" the young Taoist priest said, backing away in fear. "Two pieces of jade can fetch a lot of silver, and if we could make a bracelet from them, the market value would be even better."
Just then, three people who had been out late returned home and came in from outside.
"Where have you been collecting stones this time, Junior Brother?" Lord Zhao asked with a smile. "But we've come across a perfect spot for collecting stones today. Would you like to come with me?"
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