Chapter 35 The Second Stone, Same Price!

Qiu Lingruo craned her neck and watched as the old man placed the stone on the stone-cutting machine. The power was turned on, and the millstone whirred to life. With bursts of mist, the blade embedded itself in the stone’s interior.

The sound of the stone-cutting machine was a signal that a new deal had been struck. People nearby gathered to watch the commotion. It was only then that many of them noticed the part where Qiu Lingruo had mentioned and wondered if this was another good piece of rock.

A man in a retro long robe and a green jade ring walked to Kong Xiuyao’s side and struck up a conversation. “Brother? Is this your stone?”

Kong glanced at him and nodded.

The man turned the thumb ring on his hand and revealed an ambiguous smile. “Brother, you look like a nice guy to me. This stone of yours.. Heh.”

The man did not say it explicitly, but his meaning was clear. He mean to tell Kong Xiuyao not to get his hopes up. The stone was most likely just a stone.

Kong Xiuyao thought to himself, “What hope can a 10 yuan stone hold? I’m just happy to buy it.”

For some reason, the man placed his hand on his abdomen and placed the jade ring in the most obvious position. He looked like someone who had experienced it before and waited to watch a good show.

Clunk,

The sound of gravel affected people’s emotions. In front of everyone, the aqua-colored plane suddenly fell from the main body, and the hot water washed away the mud covering the surface.

The aqua color was indeed there. The entire piece of jade was indeed of good quality, but it was only that one piece, thinner than a coin. The stone Qiu Lingruo picked was an ordinary stone. The surface was covered with a jade piece, and the aqua colour in the corner was a bait!

“Aiyo, this stone..” The old man held back his laughter.” Why is it like this?”.

Just now, there were many people who praised the colour but now, there were also many people who were laughing hysterically. The old man was immediately surrounded by gloating people. They thought that Kong Xiuyao had spent a lot of money and spared no effort in watching others make a fool of themselves.

Qiu Lingruo was so embarrassed that her ears turned red. She stomped her feet angrily and pulled Kong Xiuyao away from the scene. The man with the green jade ring stepped forward to stop the two of them.

He pursed his lips to suppress his laughter and continued to watch the commotion. He fanned the flames and said, “From the looks of it, it must be your first time here. This stone must have cost a lot.”

“10 yuan is not a big price,” Kong Xiuyao asked.

As soon as he finished speaking, the laughter stopped.. Everyone seemed to have been turned off. They all thought that Kong Xiuyao was a fool and had been fooled into buying a rock. In the end, he only spent 10 yuan. It was too early for them to be happy. They were here to make fun of others, but became jokes themselves.

“10 yuan in exchange for a good laugh is not bad,” Kong Xiuyao said sarcastically.

These words were not directed at anyone, but at everyone who was laughing. The atmosphere turned from joy to embarrassment in the blink of an eye. Some of the people who were connotated scratched their heads, while others scratched their faces and left dejectedly.

“Let’s take a look elsewhere.” Kong Xiuyao pulled Qiu Lingruo and prepared to leave.

“Please hold on!” The man was like a moving roadblock and stood in front of the two of them. “Little brother, you’re not familiar with me. It’s fate that we met. Everyone calls me Pian Bai. I know this area very well. How about we become friends?”

His 180-degree change in attitude displeased Qiu Lingruo. This person had even taken the lead in mocking her just now. If not for Kong Xiuyao’s sharp eyes, she might have really spent 3,000 yuan to buy a lousy stone and become the latest joke on the stone gambling street.

“Go away, we’re busy!” Qiu Lingruo fanned her hands and chased him away.

Pian Bai refused to leave and chased after the two of them. “You’re new here and don’t know the situation. If you want to buy good stones, you have to find a stall. That old man just now is famous for his short supply here. He can’t even figure out where the stones in his hand came from.”

“And you know?” Qiu Lingruo was disdainful.

OWO

“Of course!” Pian Bai climbed up the pole. “I’ll bring the two of you around to take a look. If the two of you buy good materials, it means that you have good taste. However, I also hope that the two of you can give me pointers.”

Pian Bai had been hanging around this ancient town since he could speak. His judgment of people was quite accurate. He could tell at a glance, that Kong Xiuyao’s taste in stones was extraordinary. He would definitely not lose out by following him!

Kong Xiuyao didn’t have much time to pay attention to him. After all, time was limited. “Sorry, we’re in a hurry. Please make way.”

“Don’t mind it! Little brother, if you don’t have anyone you know guarding you, you’ll be easily deceived!” Pian Bai quickly followed them. Along the way, he kept talking and explained the rules of the stone gambling street to the two of them. He wrapped around Kong Xiuyao like a vine.

Fortunately, he had a glib tongue. Even though he was talkative, he was not annoying. Kong Xiuyao treated him as air and led Qiu Lingruo from the street to the end of the street, walking three or four rounds in a row.

Finally he stopped in front of a crowded stall.

This time, the stall owner was a middle-aged man with big eyes. He welcomed and sent people back and forth every day. The wrinkles in his eyes were as deep as knife marks, and his eyes were always smiling. His stall was the liveliest on the entire street.

“Little brother, your taste is really good. This stall owner is called Wen Dacang. He’s a subordinate of Master Wan. You know Master Wan, right? Golden Eyes Wan Lang! He has connections in Myanmar, and the quality of jade he provides is the highest among all here!” Pian Bai came out to explain.

Kong Xiuyao thought to himself, ‘Does this have anything to do with taste? So many people are crowded around here, I definitely have to come and take a look.’

He chose Wen Dacang’s stall not because it was crowded, but because there was a stone that caught his eye.

Kong Xiuyao squeezed to the front and squatted in front of a black stone the size of a brick in the corner. He reached out and touched it and felt that it was very good. He looked up and said, “Boss, how much is this stone?”

Wen Dacang smiled and said, “30,000 yuan.”

“I’ll take it,” Kong Xiuyao said straightforwardly. Then, he said to Qiu Lingruo, “I only have 1,000 yuan on me. Lend me 29,000 yuan first. I’ll return it to you after I sell the stones.”

Qiu Lingruo naturally agreed to Kong Xiuyao’s request. Just as she was about to say something, the onlookers behind her suddenly laughed. “Brother, aren’t you afraid of losing everything by spending a woman’s money to buy stones?”

“That’s right. You decided after touching it. Do you think you’re choosing watermelon?”

“There’s a good show to watch again. There was a man in front just now too. He gambled on the wrong stone and his face was scratched by his wife!”

Gambling on stones was common after all. Many people would do anything to see through stones. They would use all kinds of martial arts such as light, touch, smell, and temperature. However, most of them still lost everything

There was a saying in the stone gambling world: “Even immortals can’t tell which has jade.” One would only know the truth by cutting them open. In their opinion, Kong Xiuyao’s carelessness was very unbelievable.

Pian Bai also advised, “Little brother, don’t be impulsive. This stone has been on this street longer than me. If it really has something great, why would it stay here for so long?”

“No need. I’ll take it.” Kong Xiuyao didn’t seem to hear him. He slapped the money on the ground and said confidently, Cut it open immediately.”