Chapter 85: Stone Cutting II
This time, the shop owner took a good look at the raw stone. It looked familiar. A few seconds later, he remembered – this was the stone his son had insisted contained jade!
He’d scolded his son, saying that after years of experience, he still thought like a newbie, believing that a tight, sand-free skin meant a valuable stone.
He’d then casually put it out for sale.
“I’ll join in the fun and share your good fortune,” he said, though inwardly he planned to summon his son from their other shop to witness this lesson firsthand.
Gu Wanrong smiled indifferently. “You’re busy. I’ll go queue.” In fact, only two people were ahead of her.
Gu Wanrong watched with interest as the two customers ahead cut their stones—both yielded worthless pieces. Curious to see if Gu Wanrong could unearth any jade, they stayed.
Gu Wanrong handed the stones to the cutter. First was the adult male palm-sized stone.
The cutter carefully ground away a layer of the outer skin, revealing no color.
He looked at Gu Wanrong, his eyes questioning: Directly cut, or continue polishing?
“Keep polishing.”
Gu Wanrong watched the machine, unaware that the owner and his son had quietly approached.
The cutter continued polishing as instructed. After a few more strokes, color suddenly appeared.
“It’s out!”
“It’s blue!”
The two onlookers from the previous cutting burst into excited shouts; in their eyes, this was a winning gamble.
The owner’s son nudged his father, silently proclaiming: See? You were wrong to scold me! My judgment was right!
The owner remained calm, whispering, “Don’t rush. We can’t conclude anything until the end.”
Experienced gamblers like him remain composed until the very end. His words were true; judging jade is difficult, and surface color means nothing.
Internal factors—cracks, texture, clarity, size—are complex.
The cutter’s movements became cautious.
As time passed, a shout rang out from the crowd: “It’s a winner!”
The crowd swelled, eager to see the jade and its lucky owner.
The cutter carefully handed Gu Wanrong a fist-sized piece of ice-type floating flower jade.
The blue flowers were vibrant, but the limited size meant it couldn’t be made into a bracelet, only pendants. A clear flaw was its cottony texture.
“I estimate this ice-type floating flower is worth tens of thousands,” the cutter assessed, “Judging by the size, it was from the thirty-yuan pile, right?”
Gu Wanrong nodded. As the cutter said, such stones are worth roughly thirty to forty thousand.
Those familiar with jade prices agreed: “Definitely worth thirty thousand.”
“A successful find!”
“Wow, I’m envious!”
“Thirty to thirty thousand—a thousandfold increase!”
“Where did you buy it? I want to check it out!”
The onlookers buzzed with excitement.
The owner’s son felt pride and regret—pride at being right, regret at missing out on a thirty-thousand-yuan profit.
The owner briefly showed regret—not for the lost profit, but for not trusting his son and his own lack of experience.
“Miss, congratulations! I’ve shared in your good fortune,” the owner laughed heartily, congratulating Gu Wanrong.
Gambling is about taking risks; he’d run his shop for years and followed the rules.
“Same to you,” Gu Wanrong replied, equally delighted.
“Will you sell it?”
“Miss, thirty thousand?”
“I’ll offer thirty-two thousand.”
Shopkeepers crowded forward, eager to buy.
Gu Wanrong refused. Although the quality was average, it was her first jade, and she didn’t need the money. The blue flowers would suit a pendant for Nai Cha.
“Miss, shall we cut the rest?” the cutter asked.
“Let’s do it.”
The cutter picked up a stone and carefully polished it. Green appeared much faster than before, surprising him. Finding jade in stones already screened by experienced merchants was rare. No one expected Gu Wanrong’s second stone to also yield green jade.
Gasps filled the crowd.
“It’s green!”
“Incredible! Another one!”
“It’s sunny green.”
The onlookers gasped. Was this luck or skill? Two jade pieces in a row.
But Gu Wanrong, the jade merchants, and the cutter remained calm. Green jade didn’t automatically mean high quality.
The owner of the ice-type floating flower jade fell into thought.
Remembering Gu Wanrong’s seemingly naive behavior, and seeing the second piece’s skin being removed, he realized she wasn’t an amateur.
When the jade was fully revealed, the scene erupted.
“Ice type!”
Gu Wanrong had unearthed an ice-type sunny green jade from a hundred-yuan stone, worth at least a hundred times more than the previous one.
________________
Recommended Reads
![Accidentally Turned a Tragic Romance Plotline into a Sweet and Pampering One [Transmigration]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ACCIDENTALLY.png)
