Chapter 28: Nor did he want to be overbearing; Don’t forget to send an invitation before the wedding…
As the saying goes: Where hills bend and streams wind and the pathway seems to end, past dark willows and flowers in bloom lies another village.
This phrase can not only be applied to the twists and turns of life but was also perfectly applicable to the current psychological journey of Le Can’s stone-cutting master.
When the machine first cut down—one cut, two cuts, three cuts—the exposed surfaces were all white stone. Even though such situations are the norm in this industry, and the old master’s hands were steady, his heart couldn’t help but sink.
He originally thought there was no chance to get a good omen today, but unexpectedly, with the fourth cut, he suddenly caught a glimpse of brimming “Spring” color!
In the knowledge points Le Can had crammed, there was a saying called “Ten Springs Nine Wood.”
The “Spring” (Chun) here refers to the color of the Toona tree buds, which in jadeite refers to the violet color. And “Wood” is simple; it refers to poor transparency and texture (Species and Water), stiff and lifeless like wood.
“Ten Springs Nine Wood,” understood literally, means that most purple jadeites do not have good Species and Water.
Although it’s a pity, this is a major characteristic of violet jadeite. Occasionally, even if a violet jadeite with good Species and Water appears, the vast majority are prone to “die in the light” because the color is too pale.
For example, the piece Le Can caught a glimpse of in his past life—the world’s largest finished Glass Species Violet Jadeite.
Under dim indoor lighting, it was the ultimate in luxury and nobility, beautiful as the embodiment of a gorgeous dream. But when moved under natural light, the dreamy purple faded, leaving only a bland and tasteless white.
But… that touch of Spring color on the cut surface of “Winter Melon Candy” seemed a bit different?!
The clear and light pink was like peach blossom petals blooming in early spring—delicate, vibrant, and incredibly beautiful. It was also like the semi-transparent rind of a watermelon with a hint of pink in summer; one glance made people associate it with a sweet and refreshing taste.
“Hiss… Peach Blossom Spring! Ice Species Peach Blossom Spring!”
“Whoa, the quality of stuff here at old Mr. Lu’s is just good; which one is this today?”
“Isn’t it just? Usually, firecrackers would have been set off long ago, but here, they only set them off when High Ice Species or Glass Species appear. It’s so annoying!”
“Hey hey hey, don’t push, don’t push! Who stepped on my shoe off?!”
Hearing the noisy sounds in his ears, Le Can blinked slowly, his expression a bit bewildered.
He hadn’t expected the “cub” to get a high score, but it suddenly improved secretly and amazed the world with a brilliant feat—getting a grade that, while not the absolute top, was unprecedentedly good.
The feeling of being carried to victory by jadeite…
For a moment, it was wonderful!
Peach Blossom Spring, as the name suggests, is pink and soft like the colors of spring peach blossoms. To Le Can’s naked eye, Peach Blossom Spring looked mostly pink, but it actually carried some purple tones.
Later, listening to the explanation from people around him, he learned that Peach Blossom Spring actually belongs to the pink-purple tone within violet jadeite. It looks pink but belongs to the purple family.
Probably because the red packet (tip) was secured, the stone-cutting master’s heart was steady and his hands even steadier. Before long, a complete piece of Ice Species Peach Blossom Spring jadeite raw material was peeled out.
Unexpectedly, when the coconut-sized jadeite was held up in front of them, the uncarved and unpolished material under natural light was still clear, lustrous, and made one forget all vulgarity.
Roughly because the color was clear but not faint, the color distribution was even, and paired with excellent Species and Water, this Peach Blossom Spring material avoided the curse of “dying in the light,” looking as beautiful as a graceful lotus flower.
Not to mention the female buyers who had zero resistance to beautiful jadeite, even a bunch of rough men playing with jadeite couldn’t refuse such a tender pink color.
Xie Jun’s eyes lit up and then dimmed:
“Good stuff! But it’s a pity…”
No cotton, no cracks, beautiful color, and sufficient water transparency—it was undoubtedly a superb Pink-Purple Jadeite.
It was just that, according to Xie Jun’s understanding, the current market favored green jadeite more. Moreover, what Gu Xinxue opened was a popular hot item like Sunny Green.
Compared to precious metals and natural gemstones, Le Can didn’t have a deep understanding of stones like jadeite.
But even if he hadn’t bought this kind of jade that didn’t hold value well (in his previous world/experience), he clearly knew that green jadeite circulated most in the market.
The ones appearing most frequently in auction houses were also various high-end green jadeites. The better the Species and Water, the deeper, truer, and spicier the color, the more unattainable the price.
Would a Sticky Rice Sunny Green the size of two fists likely be… more expensive than his Peach Blossom Spring?
“Hahahaha, not a pity, not a pity!” At this moment, Tan Man, dressed in violet, hurriedly spoke up to correct them.
She most likely squeezed into the crowd temporarily after hearing the news; the hair at her temples was a bit messy. Only after admiring the material did she withdraw her gaze with relief, fixing her hair while shifting her position to the left.
Subsequently, a stern-faced little old man walked up.
Tan Man introduced him to Le Can with a smile: “This is Old Lu. The materials here were originally all his.”
Tan Man spoke simply, her tone lacking any sense of seriousness or solemnity.
But the second after she spoke, Le Can saw the circle of people around the stone-cutting machine stop their discussions and respectfully address the newcomer as “Elder Lu.”
Giving Aunt Tan a helpless little look, he simply followed suit, joining Xi Yun and the others in offering appropriate greetings to the spirited old man.
This Mr. Lu waved his hand nonchalantly.
Immediately after, he strode to the side of the stone-cutting machine. With one hand on the left and one on the right, he picked up the two pieces of jadeite that had just been stripped of their skins not long ago.
He shoved them right in front of his eyes to look inch by inch, observed them under the lamp and natural light, and then weighed them in his hands to estimate the weight.
Finally, this old man of no low status silently handed the materials back to their current owners one after the other.
Gu Xinxue was nervous and uneasy, but not brainless enough to bark directly.
Le Can was genuinely surprised.
From the moment he met this person, the arrogance and disdain on Gu Xinxue, which seemed marinated into his bones, acted as if they had met a natural predator, obediently restraining themselves and going dormant.
What he didn’t know was that before coming, Gu Xinxue had long memorized Elder Lu’s appearance and simple likes and dislikes by heart under the strict instruction of his elders.
As an existence that could summon wind and rain among raw material suppliers, let alone Gu Xinxue himself, even the entire Gu Hui Jewelry dared not easily make an enemy of him.
That meant here, as long as Elder Lu opened his mouth, one sentence could determine the superiority or inferiority of the jadeite in his and Le Can’s hands…
But why would such a powerful figure participate in a bet between two nameless kids?
Gu Xinxue couldn’t figure it out, but Le Can guessed the key trick a step ahead of him. Afterwards, he turned his gaze directly to Aunt Tan, Tan Man, whose eyes held a teasing look.
Meeting Le Can’s undisguised questioning gaze, Tan Man couldn’t hold back anymore. Smiling slightly, she lifted her chin, ready to claim the credit she had long planned for.
“Finally figured it out?”
“Old Lu has gambled on stones for many years; there’s nothing bad to say about his ability and eye. With him as the referee, if nothing else, fairness can certainly be guaranteed.”
Actually, there was one point Tan Man didn’t mention.
Although her relationship with Old Lu was good, it wasn’t that easy to ask him to come out of retirement. In reality, it was Old Lu hearing that someone bought the material he couldn’t be sure about and was going to open it on the spot that made him go with the flow and agree to be the referee.
“There will naturally be no problems with Mr. Lu’s judgment.”
Xi Yun, who had been listening quietly, silently raised his covered eyelids and nodded in Tan Man’s direction: “Thank you, Aunt Tan, and sorry to trouble you, Mr. Lu.”
Tan Man, receiving the thanks, cast a half-smiling glance at Xi Yun who stood out to protect his person. Halfway through the glance, she remembered this guy couldn’t see right now.
The fun of watching the younger generation’s drama was greatly discounted. She could only sigh lightly and look幽幽ly (faintly/resentfully) at Le Can, who nodded in agreement.
“Your Aunt Tan put in such a big effort; asking for a reward isn’t excessive, right?”
“Naturally.”
“Of course you can, Aunt Tan, just say the word.”
One cold and one warm voice intertwined. Tan Man, gratified that the relationship between the young fiancé couple was truly good, didn’t continue to hide her thoughts.
“I usually like collecting purple jewelry and jade. Today, it’s rare to encounter one I like, so Auntie will cheekily ask you for the priority purchasing right.”
The wealthy Tan Man’s gentle voice revealed absolute confidence.
“Your Auntie doesn’t lack money. No matter how much anyone bids, I’ll offer thirty percent higher than them, how about that?”
Le Can shook his head with a laugh, “That won’t be necessary, Auntie.”
He reached out and patted the man close to him. “Neither Xi Yun nor I lack money. You know him; he absolutely wouldn’t let me go without money to spend.”
After all, before getting anything from him, the male lead had smashed a hundred million into it. Le Can could call anyone stingy, but he couldn’t say that about Xi Yun.
“That’s different,” Tan Man waved her hand firmly. “Mine is mine, Xi Yun’s is Xi Yun’s.”
“If you really care about me, then just don’t forget to send an invitation before the wedding.”
Wedding? The two bearing the title of fake fiancés fell into a tacit silence, each turning their heads slightly toward the other.
[Then Aunt Tan will likely never wait for that invitation.]
The youth’s faint inner voice rang in his ears. Xi Yun was silent for two seconds, then opened his mouth to answer: “We will.”
Although slightly strange that the reply was a bit late, Tan Man looked at Le Can, who lowered his eyes and said nothing, and Xi Yun, who answered for both of them, and finally attributed it to the young people being too thin-skinned.
“Then it’s a deal!”
Having settled the two things she cared about most at the moment, Tan Man looked with relief at Old Lu beside her, who had specifically waited for her to finish speaking.
“Uncle Lu, I’m done here. You can announce the result directly.”
Calling him Uncle when asking for help, and calling him Old Lu when there was nothing going on—Lu Fuming saw through this grand-niece who had the same personality as his old friend.
However, he had no intention of keeping people in suspense, so he directly announced: “That piece of Peach Blossom Spring is slightly superior.”
In terms of Species, Water, and size, although the Peach Blossom Spring was better than the Sunny Green jadeite, normally, the latter should have a higher value.
But surprisingly, the Peach Blossom Spring’s supposedly inferior color lacked the common flaw of “dying in the light” found in most violet jadeites. And at this moment, its rare color became the key to turning the tables against the wind.
Based on this point, the scales of victory tipped perilously toward Le Can.
Le Can, who was announced as the winner of the first round: “Huh?”
He reflexively looked at the red-eyed Gu Xinxue, then at Yuan Cheng, Xie Jun, and the others who were cheering.
His peach blossom eyes, usually lively and sly, and sharp at critical moments, became the stiffest piece of wood in “Ten Springs Nine Wood.”
Wait, wasn’t it agreed to let the Little Peacock be happy first before slaughtering him?
Looking at Gu Xinxue’s eyes, which were resentful to the extreme and burning with raging flames, Le Can tried hard to think about the two earth-shattering jadeite raw materials he had on hand.
Finally, his expression was very tangled, hesitatingly picking the short one among the tall ones. In the end, he pulled out the 2817 that everyone was thinking about most.
The youth glanced at Gu Xinxue, who rolled up his sleeves and personally moved out the best material he had snatched from the semi-exposed material area, and silently mourned for the other party’s character in his heart.
Sigh—
It wasn’t that he wanted to be overbearing (aggressive); it was just that fate loved to play jokes.
He could only hope that Little Peacock Gu and the God of Wealth had good psychological resilience, so that after the remaining two pieces of jadeite were opened, they wouldn’t faint on the spot…
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