Chapter 75

After hailing a taxi, Wang Yong went straight back to the city. To be honest, the only food from Nangjiang Province that Wang Yong knew was Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles. However, in modern society, isn't there a saying that when you're unsure about something, you should ask Baidu? Wang Yong casually searched on his phone and found a plethora of Nangjiang's specialty dishes. However, many of the search results were quite strange. Some had unusual ingredients, some had peculiar names, and some had bizarre cooking methods. For example, there was a sweet and sour bowl cake, and a very unique broken-skin bun.

The broken-skin bun is made using a traditional, time-consuming method. Unlike regular buns, it is made by kneading the fermented flour into a very thin consistency, spreading it on a board, and evenly coating it with melted lard. It is then rolled into a cylinder, cut into small pieces, flattened, and filled with ingredients (usually ham and sugar or winter mushrooms), and then steamed. Its characteristic is that the bun has many layers, making it soft and flaky when eaten, with a well-balanced sweet and salty filling. However, using ham and sugar as the filling, Wang Yong really couldn't imagine what it would taste like.

Wang Yong rarely tried unfamiliar foods, except for fish. Since he was in Nangjiang, he naturally wanted to try the local specialty fish. However, the most famous fish, the Antelope Fish, was rare and hard to come by, making it virtually unavailable. Unable to taste the delicious Antelope Fish, Wang Yong turned his attention to another must-try local delicacy—hotpot.

Someone might say, what's so special about hotpot? But you're wrong; Nangjiang's hotpot is different from other places. It's called腊排骨火锅 (Lapai Hotpot), which uses local specialty cured pork ribs as the main ingredient, paired with other local delicacies like garlic sprouts, which Wang Yong had never tried before. The side dishes are very diverse, including taro, yam, green bamboo shoots, lotus root, garlic sprouts, and tomatoes, which Wang Yong thought were a perfect match. The acidity of the tomatoes not only cuts through the richness but also makes the dish look very appealing.

Following the address found online, Wang Yong arrived at a hotpot restaurant recommended by a local netizen near the Nangjiang Agricultural University. When Wang Yong entered the restaurant, it was mealtime, and since it was close to the university, most of the customers were students and teachers. Seeing Wang Yong enter, a waiter greeted him. Upon learning that Wang Yong had come specifically to try the cured pork rib hotpot, the waiter led him to an empty table and brought him a menu. Since it was his first time trying the cured pork rib hotpot, Wang Yong didn't know what to order, so he asked the waiter for recommendations. The waiter was very nice and recommended a set meal, including a portion of cured pork ribs, turmeric tofu, yam, garlic sprouts, and red heart potatoes.

When the steaming hot cured pork rib hotpot was ready, Wang Yong eagerly picked up a piece of cured pork rib and put it in his mouth. Mmm, it was fragrant! A unique aroma filled his mouth. The taste was a bit salty, but Wang Yong liked it that way. The turmeric tofu didn't surprise him much; it didn't quite suit his taste. However, the garlic sprouts were quite good, looking like translucent vermicelli but with a very different texture. What really caught Wang Yong's eye was the red heart potato. It looked like a red radish, but when he tasted it, he realized it was indeed a potato. When cooked, it was soft and smooth.

Wang Yong, feeling a bit embarrassed, asked the waiter if he could buy a whole red heart potato. Learning that Wang Yong was a first-time tourist in Nangjiang who had come specifically to try the cured pork rib hotpot, the enthusiastic owner not only gave him two red heart potatoes but also a pot of the local specialty, carved plum wine. After the meal, Wang Yong chatted with the owner at the counter. It turned out that the business wasn't as good as Wang Yong had imagined. Most of the customers were teachers and students from the agricultural university, so the prices couldn't be raised. Despite the crowd, the profit was minimal. However, seeing the owner's smile, Wang Yong pretended not to hear this.

After dinner, with nothing else to do, Wang Yong decided to take a walk around the area to enjoy the local ethnic scenery and to help digest his meal. He had finished the hotpot set meal and his stomach was now full.

He strolled along, stopping occasionally to look at things that caught his interest. He suddenly found himself in front of a legendary shop that sold jade rough stones, a type of shop often mentioned in web novels. Intrigued, Wang Yong turned into the shop and immediately saw the rough stones scattered all over the floor.

A middle-aged man in his thirties was sitting at a square table in the middle of the room, leisurely sipping tea. Seeing Wang Yong enter, he immediately stood up with a broad smile and said loudly, "Welcome, sir! What can I do for you?"

Wang Yong looked at the man, who he assumed was the owner. Despite his smile, it was clearly fake, and his eyes gleamed with greed, as if he had spotted a wealthy customer. Wang Yong frowned and said, "I'll just take a look. It's my first time here, and I'm quite curious."

"Hehe, you must have read about this in a web novel! But in real life, jade gambling is even more exciting. One cut can bring life, and one cut can bring death. You never know what kind of jade is inside. If you're lucky and get a piece of imperial green glass-type jade, you'll be rich for life. You can lie in a pile of money and do nothing, and it will be enough to support you for the rest of your life!"

The owner's words were very tempting, and even he himself was flushed with excitement. Whether he was genuinely excited or just putting on a show for Wang Yong, Wang Yong didn't care. He ignored the owner and began examining the various sizes of jade rough stones in the shop.

The jade rough stones in the shop ranged in size, with the largest weighing 680 pounds and the smallest being just a fist-sized piece, less than a pound. However, the small piece was not cheap. Because a window had been opened on it, revealing a hint of ice-type green jade, the owner had priced it at one million yuan, much more expensive than the 680-pound piece. Despite the large number of rough stones, Wang Yong felt something strange about them, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. After careful observation, he realized what was strange.

There were about 300 to 400 jade rough stones in the shop, and more than half of them had windows opened. The key was that all the stones with windows showed excellent potential. This was strange because, as a shop selling rough stones, why would they display so many high-potential stones instead of cutting them themselves? Of course, it was possible that the owner was determined not to risk cutting them, so he set a high price to sell them. However, as a neighbor to Myanmar, the main producer of jade, it was unlikely that a shop with so many high-potential stones would have no customers. Something was definitely off, and Wang Yong reminded himself to be cautious.

"How about it, young man? If you like any, I can give you a discount," the owner said with his fake smile.

Wang Yong, annoyed by the owner's condescending look, thought, "You think I'm a fool! I may not know much about jade gambling, but I'm not afraid. I have help. Let's see who gets tricked in the end." With that, he silently called out in his mind, "Xiaoguang, scan these stones and see if you can identify the ones that can't be detected by technology."

"Yes, master. Scanning... There are 389 rough stones in total. Five of them contain jade: three are ordinary oil-green types and are too small to be valuable. One is a high-quality imperial green glass-type, but it is overpriced. The last one is under the owner's feet, containing a fist-sized imperial green glass-type and a purple glass-type, both of which are extremely valuable and worth buying. The rest are either fake or worthless."

After hearing Xiaoguang's analysis, Wang Yong understood. The owner was using a bunch of fakes to trick tourists. No wonder this busy street had no customers. He wondered what the owner's reaction would be when he saw the imperial green glass-type and purple glass-type jade.

"Boss, how much for this stone?" Wang Yong pointed to the stone containing the two glass-type pieces.

"You have a good eye, young man! This is genuine old-pit jade from Myanmar, a treasure left by my grandfather. Old-pit jade is becoming rarer, and I planned to keep it for myself. But since you've come to my shop, it's a sign of our connection, so I'll sell it to you for 100,000 yuan. Old-pit jade is the most likely to produce high-quality jade," the owner said, feigning reluctance, but the gleam in his eyes betrayed his true feelings. He was probably overjoyed, as he rarely made a sale and wouldn't miss the chance to make a big profit.

"Alright, 100,000 yuan it is! Can I pay by transfer? I don't have that much cash," Wang Yong said confidently, acting like a wealthy person who didn't care about the money.

Seeing Wang Yong's willingness, the owner quickly brought out a card reader. After Wang Yong swiped his card and entered the password, the owner's phone received a bank notification that the 100,000 yuan had been transferred. The owner's eyes lit up, and he helped Wang Yong pack the stone in a small box.

"Boss, do you have a stone-cutting machine? I'll cut it here. If I get something good, I'll treat you to a meal, and you can choose the place," Wang Yong said, pretending to be excited.

The owner suddenly became calm and indifferent, saying, "I don't have a stone-cutting machine. Go to the Jade Hall down the street. And once you leave this shop, we're done. If you don't get anything good, don't come back to blame me."

"Don't worry, from now on, this stone has nothing to do with you. Whatever happens, it's my responsibility," Wang Yong said, carrying the stone out of the shop.

The owner was taken aback by Wang Yong's words. He quickly realized that Wang Yong might be an expert in disguise. Reflecting on the situation, he thought it was possible that the stone really contained something valuable. The owner, unable to sit still, rushed to follow Wang Yong to see him cut the stone. However, two excited tourists entered the shop, and the owner decided to make the sale first before checking.

An hour later, while the owner was still trying to convince the tourists, a loud sound of firecrackers echoed from a distance. The owner was startled, wondering if Wang Yong had really cut something valuable. It seemed impossible, as he had checked all the real stones in the shop and cut the ones with good potential. The remaining stones were all poor quality. He thought it must be someone else cutting a good stone. The owner quickly returned to his task of convincing the tourists.

The next day, a rumor spread throughout the city. A young man had bought a rough stone from a notorious shop in the city and took it to the Jade Hall to cut. When the staff learned that the stone was from the nearby shop, they kindly warned him that the stones there were mostly fake, and even the few real ones were of poor quality. They advised him to keep it as a lesson.

However, the young man insisted that he knew the stones were mostly fake but had found a unique one that he believed could produce high-quality jade. The staff, seeing his determination, took him to a stone-cutting machine in the backyard. The yard was empty, and the three stone-cutting machines were unused. Watching the young man cut the stone with confidence, the staff realized he was a pure "enthusiast." They thought he would regret it, but when the stone was cut open, they were stunned.

The staff immediately ran to the shop to call the owner. Upon hearing that a customer had cut a glass-type jade, the owner and his friends rushed to the backyard. The staff also called a famous jewelry store in the city to inform them of the discovery. By the time the owner and his friends arrived, Wang Yong had almost finished cutting the stone. Seeing the shattered pieces of imperial green glass-type and the split purple glass-type, everyone felt a pang of regret. It was a waste of valuable jade! The owner, after confirming the authenticity, immediately bought several boxes of firecrackers to celebrate.

In the end, the young man sold the imperial green glass-type jade and one of the split purple glass-type pieces for 78 million yuan. He then disappeared with the remaining high-quality jade, which he casually carried in his pockets, strolling down the street. The people who thought he would be more cautious with such valuable items were wrong. Wang Yong was indeed walking aimlessly on the street, the priceless jade in his pockets.