Xiaoqi's stone was the smallest of them all, but it was very heavy. Small stones are harder to break than large ones.
Xiao Qi held her breath, staring intently at the stone, hoping it would yield a beautiful piece of jade.
She didn't want green; she thought green was ugly. She wanted purple, red, or even all sorts of colors—how beautiful that would be!
"Xiao Qi will definitely be able to drive the Imperial Green!" Xiao Wu cheered from the side.
"Since ancient times, jade has been valued for its green color. Among the many shades of green, there is one that is extremely rare. It is a deep, glossy green that looks like it is about to drip, and it is called Imperial Green." Xiao Si started showing off his knowledge again.
Xiaoqi puffed out her cheeks and glared angrily at the two of them.
The two were bewildered by Xiao Qi's glare. Xiao Wu said irritably, "Xiao Qi, your fifth brother is praying for you. Why do you look like your fifth brother has offended you?"
Xiao Si nodded in agreement: "Imperial green is the best, doesn't Xiao Qi like it?"
"I don't like it!" Xiaoqi shook her head vigorously. "Xiaoqi likes red!"
"Does jade come in red?" Xiao Wu asked Xiao Si.
Xiao Si shook his head: "Never heard of it, but there are some pretty colors, like purple, or pink that's close to purple."
"I want purple, purple is so pretty! I also like pink, I can make a pendant for my pink Barbie doll and I'll put it on her!"
“But that’s worthless,” Xiao Si said.
Xiaoqi blinked her big, innocent, and bewildered eyes: "But even if it's expensive, if it's not pretty, Xiaoqi won't like it!"
"It's open! Xiao Qi, look! I see a purple hue!" Xiao Wu exclaimed excitedly.
Xiaoqi's eyes lit up, and she looked over with delight.
It was just a touch of purple, mostly green, with a hint of yellow.
Xiaoqi puffed out her cheeks, looking unhappy: "It's so ugly, and it's a yellowish-brown color."
Han Fei laughed out loud. If industry experts heard these childish words, they would probably be furious.
Although this stone is not entirely green or purple, it is a rarer variety and has a nickname: "Tang Sancai" (Tang tri-color glazed pottery).
This type of stone is rare, and its high price reflects its scarcity.
"It's an icy glass type, with even better translucency than your older brother's. It's quite a good piece of material. Don't you like it at all, Xiao Qi?" Han Fei handed the stone to Xiao Qi.
Xiaoqi pouted and took it with both hands, her little voice sounding aggrieved: "Although it's ugly, it was Xiaoqi's own choice. Xiaoqi doesn't mind that it's ugly, and will still hide it well."
Does this mean they'll hide it well, and it's impossible for them to wear it?
Han Fei was amused and patted Xiao Qi's head, gesturing with his hand to the colored blocks on the stone: "Look, the yellow here can be carved into a chick that Xiao Qi likes, the purple here can be carved into a kitten, the transitional purple-pink here can be carved into a rabbit, the green here can be carved into a grassland and bamboo forest, and the junction of white and green can be carved into a giant panda. All of Xiao Qi's favorite animals can be presented here."
Xiaoqi's initially disappointed eyes gradually brightened, growing brighter and brighter, like the most dazzling star in the sky. In her sweet, childlike voice, she exclaimed, "Wow! This is Xiaoqi's favorite jade, her absolute favorite jade! Xiaoqi wants to wear it every day!"
"Not going to keep it anymore?" Han Fei asked teasingly.
Xiaoqi shook her head: "I want to wear it every day and sleep with it!"
Xiao Wu asked curiously, "Grandpa, is this piece of jade very valuable?"
Han Fei nodded: "It's about ten times the price of the raw stone, so it's a huge profit."
Han Fei had seen people offer prices hundreds of times higher than the original stone, so he remained relatively calm at this moment.
But the others couldn't stay calm. The bodyguards whispered among themselves, "My god, I remember Young Master Liu said that this rough stone is 8000m gold, right?"
"Converted to Chinese currency, that's roughly fifty or sixty thousand. What does it mean if it increases tenfold?"
"Five or six hundred thousand!"
"Five or six hundred thousand worth of high-quality materials, just for carving toys of chicks and rabbits for Miss Qi?"
"That's so extravagant!"
"You can only say that the sixth young master is lucky. Now both stones have been cut open, and they are both good materials. The previous one was not as good as this one, but it should still be about three times the value of the original stone, right?"
"I wonder if we'll be able to find even better jade later!"
"I've never seen Imperial Green jade in my life, I'm so looking forward to seeing it!" The twin sister's eyes lit up.
The twin sister, Cool and Sa, shook her head: "Sister, stop dreaming. We've already won big by being able to see Tang Sancai once!"
"That's not necessarily true. There are still five chances. Maybe we'll get to see Imperial Green?"
The square-faced bodyguard said, "Imperial green jadeite is auction-grade, and it's priceless. I remember three years ago, I accompanied my former employer to an auction and was fortunate enough to see an imperial green jadeite. There was a bidding war, and the price soared to 200 million, but it was bought by a foreigner."
"Xiao Rou, it's your turn." Han Fei waved to Han Rou.
Han Rou gripped the stone tightly, a little nervously: "Okay."
Han Fei took the stone, and the cutting machine started operating...
What appeared first was a white figure. Upon seeing the white, the experienced bodyguards sighed, thinking that this might not be a good thing.
It lacks color, and although the grain and water are good, its value is not high.
More and more white figures appeared, and Han Rou heard her bodyguard sigh behind her.
She wasn't actually that disappointed, after all, it was much prettier than the original black stone, and besides, white is beautiful, isn't it?
His movements were swift and decisive, demonstrating his mastery of the technique. He was much faster than the previous two times, without any hesitation or sluggishness.
Han Fei regained his senses and was able to use this body with ease.
The stone was completely cut open, and everyone gasped, because at the last moment, they saw green!
It's as if the color of the entire stone has been absorbed by this small area, about the size of a little finger. This green is very pure, a bit deep, and it shines brightly in the light!
"It's imperial green!" the square-faced bodyguard exclaimed. "It's almost the same color as the one I saw at the auction, even more lustrous! It's just a pity it's too small!"
"Small? This is imperial jadeite, and you're complaining it's too small?" The bodyguard said irritably, "This size is more than enough to make a cabochon ring! How big have you seen before?"
“The size of a pigeon egg,” the square-faced bodyguard replied.
"If a piece the size of a pigeon egg can sell for 200 million, how much could this one sell for?"
"My God! I've never seen anything like it before! I actually saw Imperial Green, little sister!" The twin sister shook her younger sister vigorously.
"Tang tri-color pottery! Imperial green! Is this for real?!" The cool and sassy girl was stunned: "Is it really imperial green? Unbelievable!"
The square-faced bodyguard remarked, "Although it's only one-fifth the size of the imperial green jadeite at the auction, I think its color is even more captivating, and it's worth at least forty or fifty million."
Han Rou, who had just received the jade from her grandfather, trembled upon hearing this. She looked up at her kind-faced grandfather and asked cautiously, "Grandpa, can this jade sell for tens of millions?"
Han Fei nodded with a smile, his face calm.
Han Rou changed from holding the jade in her hands to hugging it tightly, worried that it would slip and fall to the ground.
"Really? Tens of millions! Second sister, let me see it!" Xiao Wu stepped forward.
Xiao Si also leaned over curiously: "Second Sister, you're hugging too tightly, we can't see!"
Xiao Qi blinked her big eyes, her little face full of confusion: "It's all white, with only a little bit of green, so ugly, can it really sell for so much money?"
Xiao Liu patted his sister's head: "A thousand pieces of gold can't buy what you love most. What Xiao Qi likes is the most precious."
Little Qi nodded, hugged her jade tightly, and said in a childish voice, "When Grandpa finishes carving it for me, my jade will be the most beautiful!"
Xiao Liu had serious doubts: could his grandfather really carve it well?
Can carving wood and carving jade really be the same thing?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com