Mr. Zhou smiled calmly.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is petrified wood, also called black dragon wood. You've definitely heard of it. I have a bracelet of this at home, so I know about it."
Ye Cheng understood immediately upon hearing "sunken wood".
You should know that for a period of time in later generations, people really liked playing with prayer beads, and back then, almost every man would have several.
They come in all kinds of materials, such as rosewood, sandalwood, and cliff cypress, and there is also a large category of submerged wood.
However, the bracelets made of ebony from later generations cost less than 100, which means they were man-made.
Because genuine petrified wood is extremely rare, one in ten thousand, and something that can only be encountered by chance.
Ebony, also known as petrified wood, carbonized wood, or ancient petrified wood, is a special type of wood formed from trees that were buried underground or sunk into rivers and lakes in ancient times due to natural geological disasters (such as earthquakes, floods, and mudslides). Under special conditions such as lack of oxygen, high pressure, and the action of microorganisms, it undergoes slow carbonization over thousands or even tens of thousands of years, and has the special effect of not decaying for thousands of years.
Generally speaking, it takes at least 3,000 years and very demanding conditions for ebony to form, so genuine pieces are extremely rare.
Because of its scarcity, ebony was reserved for the imperial family during the Ming and Qing dynasties, symbolizing supreme power.
In folk tradition, ebony is generally considered a treasure for warding off evil spirits and protecting the home, and it is believed to have the effect of gathering energy and attracting wealth. There is a saying that "even a chest full of gold is not as good as a piece of ebony."
Therefore, petrified wood is very expensive, but it also depends on the type of tree. The most precious one is golden nanmu petrified wood, which has a texture like golden threads and can cost over a million per ton.
Later generations used many methods to imitate it, such as artificial carbonization, resin synthesis, and splicing to create fakes, but a fake is a fake, and the weight will not meet the standard.
Ye Cheng's piece wasn't made of Phoebe zhennan wood; it was probably just ordinary wood. It was extremely heavy, indicating it was quite old, but it was too small.
Even at 50,000 yuan per ton, this one is worth less than 1,000 yuan.
Of course, this is just a rough price; if you really want to buy it, it might be a bit difficult.
Hearing that it was the Gloomy Leaf Village, he was also a little tempted. After all, it was a rare item, and what man doesn't like rare things?
Boss He didn't care; he was the type who loved watching the drama unfold. He nudged Boss Zhou.
"Old Zhou, hurry up and name a price. Give our second brother a good price, or they won't sell you anything in the future."
Mr. Zhou solemnly picked up the wood, weighed it in his hand, examined the grain carefully, and slowly said,
"Second brother, this piece of wood is not ordinary wood. It's small, but it feels very smooth and has a metallic texture."
Mr. Zhou's assessment was quite objective; he mentioned both the shortcomings and the advantages. The next step was to set a price.
“3,000 yuan, I’ll take it and play with it myself. This price is definitely higher than the market price. I just want it to be genuine. What do you think, Lao Er?” Boss Zhou quoted a price of 3,000 yuan.
To be honest, Ye Cheng wasn't surprised or delighted by this price.
It wasn't because the price was too low; the main reason was that Ye Cheng himself wasn't short of money.
Damn it, if I had known it was a rare item, I should have told Xiaohu to keep it safe. Now that someone has seen it and even offered a price for it, Ye Cheng is a little embarrassed.
"Alright, since Boss Zhou likes it, then let Boss Zhou have it." Ye Cheng's tone carried a hint of regret, and after speaking, he couldn't help but glance back at Xiao Hu.
Xiao Hu knew exactly what he was thinking, and with a quick movement, he bent over and got back to work.
Damn, is it my fault?
You used to just throw things away carelessly, but now you know they're treasures and you're blaming me?
However, Xiao Hu suddenly thought of something, and he looked at Da Huang with a look of surprise and uncertainty.
This stick was brought back by Big Yellow; this guy seems to really have some special abilities.
The deal was struck, and Boss Zhou happily accepted the goods.
The final scallops totaled 2300 jin (approximately 1130 catties), costing 100 yuan. Adding the 3000 yuan for the ebony, the total came to 100 yuan.
Ye Cheng gave Xiao Hu 10,000 yuan and kept 20,000 yuan for himself.
Current savings: 190,000, foreign debt: 30,000, mortgage: 300,000.
On the way back, Xiao Hu looked at Da Huang and told him what was on his mind.
"Brother, do you think this big yellow dog can be used to find treasure?"
Ye Cheng frowned slightly and narrowed his eyes.
"I don't know if it can find treasure, but it was the one that found the treasures these past few times, and..."
Ye Cheng paused for a moment, then said in a serious tone,
“I suspect there should be more petrified wood there, definitely more than this.”
"What?" Xiao Hu exclaimed in surprise. "Brother, you mean the island where we farm scallops?"
“It’s not on the island, it’s in the sea. We’ll go again tomorrow and bring Big Yellow with us. A log costs 3,000. If we get a bigger one, it won’t be priced in thousands.”
That evening, Ye Cheng thoroughly researched the information on submerged wood, so that he wouldn't be unable to recognize it when he went out to sea the next day.
As for Dahuang, sorry, Ye Cheng left it at home tonight. If it runs away, I won't be able to find it again tomorrow.
The next morning, Ye Cheng got up very early, fed Da Huang something, and then took it out.
When Xiaohu and I arrived at the dock, boats were already setting sail one after another, and those who had fished at night had sold their catch and were preparing to go home.
"Second brother, why are you up so early today?" Duan Chunsheng, looking exhausted, walked towards us.
"Uncle Duan, you've gone to catch squid again?" Ye Cheng knew from his expression that he was going to do night fishing.
"What can I do? You're not taking me, so I have to go by myself," Duan Chunsheng said, feigning a wronged expression.
At his age, with a scruffy beard, he still acts cute and aggrieved. Ye Cheng is speechless.
"Uncle, let's go out to sea together in a couple of days."
Upon hearing Ye Cheng suggest going out to sea together, Duan Chunsheng's expression immediately changed.
"Well, it's a promise."
"Damn, Uncle, you're so wise and powerful, who could possibly fool you?"
"Hahaha, that's true. Are you planning to make a couple of fishing trips today?" Duan Chunsheng asked casually.
"Yes, we want to go and see the island where we took shelter from the storm before." Ye Cheng didn't hide anything.
"Didn't you say you got 2,000 catties of scallops there yesterday? And more?" Duan Chunsheng asked in surprise.
"No, I want to look at other ones."
"Okay, if you have any scallops or anything else, remember to take me with you."
After exchanging pleasantries with Duan Chunsheng, Ye Cheng and Xiao Hu quickly boarded the boat and set sail.
Today I'm going to deal with petrified wood; the fewer people who know, the better.
Without saying a word, the two sailed directly towards the island from yesterday, seeing many boats trawling along the way.
The weather's been nice lately, so everyone's taking advantage of this time to stock up on goods, getting whatever they can.
They traveled in silence until they reached the edge of the island. This time, Ye Cheng steered the boat a little further in, closer to the spot where Da Huang had previously picked up the twig.
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