The evening breeze blows the willows.
The street, like a calm river, meandered through the dense shadows of trees. Vendors set up their stalls and hung oil lamps, casting a dim light over the entire alley.
Gu Qingming stood calmly with his hands behind his back and walked slowly.
It's no different from tourists who just come to the gambling stone market to stroll around.
Thinking about the content of the bet, Li Xiujun's lips opened and closed again, and she finally asked with difficulty: "Uncle San, it's only half an hour, why don't we go pick out the rough stones?"
Since Gu Ming dared to take the initiative to propose a bet, it means that Master Wang beside him is somewhat knowledgeable.
She couldn't figure out why her third uncle agreed to this bet and now did nothing. Could it be because the other party didn't think there was a possibility of winning?
In just a few seconds, countless possibilities had already occurred to his mind. He considered the words and his voice was hoarse.
"It doesn't matter if you lose. After all, your experience is no match for someone who has been studying for over ten years. Gu Ming won't let you really hang a sign. If that doesn't work out, just fight him to the bitter end."
At worst, I could find a big sack at night, put the person in it and give him a good beating.
If Gu Ming knew that the other party had no intention of fulfilling his promise after losing, he would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood.
Li Xiujun was still making random assumptions about how she would teach someone a lesson when she suddenly heard a low laugh in her ears.
Then his hot breath came closer, spraying on the side of her neck, and the words he uttered almost close to her ear: "Are you so shameless? You think I will lose before the time is up?"
In the end, was it because of his lack of confidence in himself, or because he was too confident in Gu Ming's abilities?
No matter which one it was, it made Gu Qingming extremely unhappy.
"No..." Li Xiujun's face flushed, and her voice stammered, "If Third Uncle doesn't intend to give up, then hurry up and pick one."
Most of the time they spent wandering around was wasted.
A hint of smile appeared in Gu Qingming's dark eyes: "Don't worry, don't you still have me?"
What does choosing raw stones have to do with yourself?
Before Li Xiujun could ask, the other party explained what he had just meant with his actions.
He made a gesture of invitation and actually asked her to help pick out nine rough stones.
Even the few basic concepts he had were instilled by his uncle on the way. What difference was there between this and learning how to make steamed buns, making them, and taking a test on a Manchu-Han banquet?
It's just like forcing someone to do something.
I originally tried to shift the burden by saying that I didn't know how to choose or didn't know the price range.
Gu Qingming seemed to see through her thoughts and comforted her, "It's okay, I can't choose either. There's not much difference between a rough stone and an antique. It all depends on your eye for detail. You have a lot of experience, so just pick whatever you want. I'm a businessman, I have a general idea of the market, and I'll set the price."
There is no other way. Instead of wasting time, I might as well find enough stones quickly.
Li Xiujun had no choice but to bite the bullet and speed up her picking and choosing at the stall.
Although it was unclear how good Uncle San was at gambling on stones, it seemed that he was better than her, who was completely in the dark and groping in the dark.
The pattern in the photo was pretty good, so she looked up and observed Gu Qingming's expression, not missing any subtle look from him.
Unfortunately, apart from meeting smiling eyes, I didn't get any additional information.
Gu Qingming did exactly as she said. After she made her selection, he bargained, paid the bill, and picked up the bag of raw stones, all in one go.
Li Xiujun wanted to complain, but she didn't know where to begin. She walked ahead angrily, "It's such a waste of your talent to go into business. If you could become a bodyguard instead, you would definitely have a bright future."
A bodyguard like this who is good at bargaining and efficient can't have a bad market.
"If all employers are like Xiujun, I wouldn't be in a position to consider it."
Although they were just jokes, they brought out endless imagination when they came out of his mouth.
rhetoric.
Li Xiujun bit her lip, her cheeks flushing uncontrollably, her steps becoming unsteady. "Only seven minutes left. Do I still get to pick the last rough stone?"
At least I have collected nine pieces, so I won’t be unable to produce anything later and fall behind in momentum.
Gu Qingming shook his head, put down the bag and told her to wait there for a while.
He walked quickly to the stall near the end and whispered a few words to the young man at the door. He nodded and went into the tent.
He came back empty-handed with his hands in his pockets.
Looking around, Li Xiujun thought she had missed something and kept asking, "Where is the original stone? Where did you put it?"
"What rough stone?"
What raw stone? He just went to find someone to use his final trump card.
After asking for a long time without getting any information, Li Xiujun was so anxious that she simply reached into her uncle's coat pocket to search.
It must be that the raw stone was too small, so I just stuffed it into my pocket.
For places that cannot be seen, touch will infinitely amplify the senses.
In the process of searching, her hand unconsciously touched the other's. The man's fingers were slender, with distinct joints and some thin calluses on the fingertips. When they touched the skin, there was a rough friction.
The temperature of her palm was extremely cold, yet it inexplicably made her heart skip a beat and she pulled her hand away.
Realizing how ambiguous her behavior was, Li Xiujun quietly raised her eyelids and pretended to be justified: "I thought you were going to look for stones, but who would have known that at this time, you still had time to catch up with others."
Gu Qingming moved his fingertips slightly, suppressing the urge to hold it back.
There was no rebuttal to her words.
As a blood relative, I don't mind teaching that stupid nephew a lesson.
As time passed, the two of them walked slowly and finally reached the gate in the last half minute.
Gu Ming initially bought several rough stones, and after collecting enough, he continued to select the better ones. He also hired two stone cutters at a high price, fearing that his uncle would use the lack of manpower as an excuse.
Seeing the people coming, Master Wang immediately picked out the uncle in his forties and said, "The remaining stone-cutting master is yours."
In fact, all the stone cutters at Shilaiyunyun have received professional training, and there is not much difference between them. But for a job like stone cutting, the older the person, the more experience they have.
To a large extent, it can avoid damaging the original stone.
Li Xiujun was not aware of this, and Gu Qingming did not care about it, so the two of them chose the younger one.
Master Wang was a little nervous at first. Usually, people who dare to brag are either trying to attract attention or have real talent.
After all, he has been in the gambling stone industry for so many years. If he makes a mistake, he will not be able to live the rest of his life.
Fortunately, after seeing Li Xiujun lift the bag and throw out the pile of raw stones, the uneasiness disappeared in an instant.
Theoretically, it is impossible to know what can be cut out before the stone is cut, but for a small part, you can still see something by observing the outer shell.
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