Chapter 61

Wu Di habitually placed his little finger on the stone, wanting to check its authenticity. Unexpectedly, as soon as his finger touched it, a warm and cool sensation flowed along his little finger into his body. The feeling was even more pronounced than when he had examined the glass seed in Yudiao Village.

The shopkeeper noticed Wu Di's unusual state and asked with concern:

"What's wrong, young man?"

"Oh, nothing. I suddenly remembered something, probably related to the Tianhuang stone, but I can't quite recall what it is, so I was a bit dazed."

"Hehe, little brother, seeing good things is like meeting old friends; it always brings back some touching memories. It seems this stone has a connection with you."

Wu Di thought to himself:

"It does have a connection with me, but not this stone, the one hidden inside. No, it's this one. Although there's a stone inside a stone, it's still a family, isn't it?"

Wu Di's little finger was still on the stone, feeling the transmitted sensations. The transparency penetrated less than a centimeter, and the stone's texture suddenly changed. The radish pattern was almost imperceptible, and the visible part of the stone was crystal clear and smooth, like congealed fat. As he looked deeper, Wu Di felt as if he had entered a solidified honey. Without touching it, just by looking, he felt an incredibly smooth sensation. This was the finest quality of Tianhuang stone! Tianhuang stone jelly!

Seeing Wu Di's expression still not normal, Song Hongyan couldn't help but ask with concern:

"Little Wu, what's wrong? Are you tired today?"

Wu Di didn't dare to look anymore and smiled bitterly, shaking his head. Could I tell you I was scared? This stone is truly a pity, hiding treasure inside for so many years. But since I've seen it today, it belongs to me. I will make it shine with the brilliance it deserves! And this is the best gift for my teacher.

Wu Di glanced at the shopkeeper, knowing he had already become suspicious. However, there was nothing he could do. He pushed the stone forward and smiled:

"Now I believe this stone has a connection with me. Shopkeeper, give me a price."

Song Hongyan glanced at Wu Di, very dissatisfied. Aren't you just asking to be taken advantage of? Indeed, the shopkeeper carefully examined the Tianhuang stone carving again and then said thoughtfully:

"This Tianhuang stone carving weighs two kilograms. Stones of this quality and weight are almost impossible to find nowadays. If it weren't for your need to celebrate the old man's birthday, I wouldn't even consider selling it. Here's the deal: six million. Take the stone, and consider it my small token of respect for the old brother I've never met."

The shopkeeper's quote was three times the highest price he had in mind when he first took out the stone!

Song Hongyan wasn't in a hurry, smiling to see how Wu Di would handle it. This stone shouldn't even catch the eye of his junior brother. If you sell it cheap, it's fine, but this sky-high price is just driving people away.

Sure enough, when Wu Di heard the quote, his face showed disappointment, and he said unhappily:

"Boss, I think you might have misunderstood something. We are all experts, and this isn't the right attitude for doing business."

The shopkeeper seemed to have Wu Di pegged and wasn't upset. He smiled and said:

"Sky-high price, ground-level negotiation. If you want it, make an offer. If it's reasonable, the stone is yours. If not, I'll keep it for another two years. After all, the price of this thing only goes up."

Wu Di shook his head and said:

"I can't make an offer at this price. Senior Brother, let's look at something else."

Wu Di made a move to leave, and the shopkeeper said:

"Then let me give you another price. If you think it's reasonable, take it. If not, it means the connection isn't there yet. But the stone will stay here. If you want it later, you can come back. What about five million?"

Wu Di shook his head, expressionless, and said:

"Not good. Since the boss isn't sincere about selling, let's go."

A hint of doubt flashed in the shopkeeper's eyes. Could he have misjudged? Is this young man really distracted, or did he discover something?

As soon as Wu Di and Song Hongyan left, the shopkeeper quickly ran upstairs to study the stone carving. After they had walked a distance, Song Hongyan asked:

"Little Wu, could there be something strange about that stone carving?"

Wu Di didn't answer but asked instead:

"Senior Brother, do you think what the shopkeeper said is true? Is it possible for two stones of such different qualities to come from the same source?"

"It's hard to say. Tianhuang stones are formed by volcanic hydrothermal alteration (filling) of pyrophyllite deposits. During the intervals or after the volcanic eruptions, there are large amounts of acidic gases and hot fluids that alter and decompose the feldspar minerals in the surrounding rocks, leaching out potassium, sodium, magnesium, and other impurities, leaving behind more stable Al and Si elements. Under certain physical conditions, these elements can either recrystallize into minerals or form mineral deposits as Al and Si sols precipitate and crystallize along the cracks in the surrounding rocks. Therefore, it is entirely possible for two stones of different qualities to be formed together during the mineralization process."

"I know I once opened a three-color jade, so I've been thinking, could there be a variant inside this Tianhuang stone?"

Song Hongyan laughed and patted Wu Di on the back, saying:

"I think you're obsessed. Jade variants have a pattern, but I've never heard of a stone hidden inside a Tianhuang stone. Don't be paranoid. Let's go."

Wu Di persisted:

"Senior Brother, what if I say I have a feeling?"

"I know you got your money easily, but it wasn't for free. We can't just give it away. If you want, give me the money, and I have a pretty good seal. I'll let it go to you."

Wu Di thought, my money isn't just free. Then he thought again, it's true, I can't let that unscrupulous shopkeeper get his way. Forget it, let's wait until we return from Ruili. If there's a connection with this stone, it will naturally be mine. If not, there are so many treasures in the world; I can't have them all.

The shopkeeper studied the stone carving for an hour upstairs but found nothing. Just as he was about to put it away, he couldn't bear it and found a soft cloth bag to put the stone in, then hurriedly left through the back door.

That night, after returning to the hotel and recounting the afternoon's events, Zhong Qi immediately jumped up:

"I believe in Little Wu's feeling. I'll go and buy it back!"

"Nonsense! If you go, the price won't come down."

Wu Di also advised:

"I've already thought it through. Let's wait until we return from Ruili. If the stone is still there, spending five million to buy it isn't a big deal. If it's gone, so be it. After all, this is just a guess. And at such a high price, no one will be willing to be the fool."

That night, Wu Di received a call from Zhao Haoran. The project in Tiancheng was about to bid. Wu Di asked General Manager Wang about the budget and then plotted with Zhao Haoran, setting the price at 3.2 million. The bottom line for the dual-core company was 1.1 million, and after deducting various expenses, Wu Di would still have about one million. The feeling of sitting at home and having money fall from the sky made Wu Di sigh. When did he start to take such a large sum so lightly?

The plans for the quadrangle courtyard were already out. Wu Di, Professor Yang, and Lin Hu discussed the construction plan on QQ until midnight. They agreed that Wu Di would call Director Qu the next morning to help with the construction permit, and the others would start preparing for the site work. Wu Di transferred another ten million to Professor Yang and three million to Lin Hu, smiling as he set the basic guideline:

"Not the most expensive, but the best!"

The next day, after playing around, the group decided to head to Ruili. Because Luo Quan said that in Ruili, besides gambling on stones at the Jiegao border trade market, you could also go to local villagers' homes to collect stones. There was also a trend of hotel gambling on stones. Most of the stone owners were Burmese, who would bring a few rough stones across the border each day and place them on hotel beds, waiting for customers. The stones were said to be of good quality. Most of the stones in hotel gambling were small rough stones, and a grinding wheel could be used to open them on the spot, which was very attractive to tourists. Chang Linlin was also very excited, as she was now an expert at understanding the language of stones.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends