Chapter 52

"Brother Feng, why do you need these broken stones? Didn’t Old Ge say they’re worthless?"

It was around four in the afternoon when Qin Feng and Xie Xuan walked out of White Buddha Street. However, in Xie Xuan’s hand was a canvas bag that now contained a piece of jade rough weighing over twenty pounds.

They hadn’t even walked five hundred meters when Xie Xuan started to complain.

Over the past two days, Xie Xuan had learned a bit about jade. He couldn’t understand why Qin Feng had gone to such lengths just for this broken stone, especially since Old Ge had already said it was worthless.

"Xiao Pang, it’s precisely because it’s worthless that we can create the greatest benefit," Qin Feng laughed and said, "None of us have money right now. We should save where we can. Why be picky when we can get something for free?"

Hearing this, Xie Xuan didn’t say anything. He wanted to figure out what Qin Feng’s plan was after all the effort he had put in over the past two days.

Xie Xuan slung the canvas bag over his shoulder and led Qin Feng to Li Tianyuan’s house.

Li Tianyuan’s grandfather was a retired worker from the old machinery factory in the city, living in a small house in the old town. It wasn’t far from White Buddha Street’s antique market, a walk of about twenty minutes.

"Xiao Pang, wait a moment, I need to buy something."

When they reached a chemical reagent store near a hospital, Qin Feng stopped Xie Xuan and went into the store. After about five or six minutes, he came out with a bag in his hand.

"Brother Feng, what did you buy? Why so many bags?" Xie Xuan asked curiously, looking at the transparent plastic bag in Qin Feng’s hand.

"This is called chromium salt solution. I’ll show you a magic trick when we get back," Qin Feng lifted the bag with a hint of regret and said, "Just a little bit, but it cost over two hundred yuan. This isn’t a business without any investment!"

Xie Xuan had only finished junior high and had been sent to a juvenile detention center. His chemistry was terrible, and he had no idea what chromium salt solution was. He closed his mouth, knowing that when Qin Feng didn’t want to talk, asking wouldn’t help.

On the way back, Qin Feng spent over ten yuan on a stick of sandalwood incense and a few carving knives. This time, Xie Xuan didn’t ask anything. After following Qin Feng for two days, he had learned to "observe more and talk less."

"Brother Feng, Xuanzi, you’re here!"

When Qin Feng and Xie Xuan arrived at Li Tianyuan’s courtyard, Li Tianyuan, who was practicing his boxing stances, quickly came out to greet them. He looked around and said a bit embarrassedly, "Brother Feng, this place hasn’t been cleaned for a few months. Wait a moment, I’ll get a stool for you!"

After starting work at Xie Dazhi’s company, Li Tianyuan usually stayed in the company dormitory. The courtyard hadn’t been lived in for half a year, and the weeds in the vegetable patch by the wall were almost as tall as the fence.

"Brother Feng, the few moves you taught me are really effective. I feel full of energy now!"

After handing the cleaned stool to Qin Feng, Li Tianyuan’s face was full of excitement. He quickly demonstrated the stances, afraid that Qin Feng wouldn’t believe him.

"Hmm? Yuanzi, you have a bit of talent for martial arts?" Qin Feng’s eyes lit up, and he nodded, "Alright, I’ll teach you a few more moves later!"

Although Li Tianyuan had slept through most of his political classes in the juvenile detention center, he had a bit of perseverance in martial arts. He had practiced the horse stance for two years, and these basic moves felt like water flowing naturally.

"Hehe, that would be great!"

Li Tianyuan rubbed his hands and laughed, then suddenly slapped his head, "Brother Feng, in ancient times, disciples had to kowtow to their masters. Should I buy a bottle of wine and kowtow to you?"

"Teaching you a few moves isn’t the same as becoming a disciple."

Qin Feng smiled and waved his hand, taking out a hundred-yuan note, "Yuanzi, no need to kowtow, but we should buy some wine. Also, get some pig’s head meat. We’re all growing, so we can’t neglect ourselves!"

Wine helps to invigorate the blood. Li Tianyuan had practiced all day, and Qin Feng and Xie Xuan had walked all day. A little drink would be beneficial, and the leftovers could be used to relieve fatigue.

"Alright, Brother Feng, you and Xiao Pang wait here, I’ll be back soon!"

Li Tianyuan didn’t hesitate, took the money, and ran out. He had been so engrossed in practicing that he hadn’t even eaten lunch. Hearing Qin Feng’s words, his stomach growled.

After Li Tianyuan left, Xie Xuan took out the remaining money and said with a pained expression, "Brother Feng, we’re almost out of money. Actually... we can save on food."

Indeed, poverty makes one mature early. Xie Xuan used to spend money freely, but after taking charge, he realized the difficulty of only spending without earning. At this rate, they would be broke in a week.

"Xiao Pang, money isn’t saved by being frugal. Don’t worry, we’ll have more soon."

Hearing Xie Xuan’s words, Qin Feng felt a bit nostalgic. To earn tuition for his sister, he hadn’t bought meat for half a year, living much more frugally than Xie Xuan.

Now, even though they were broke, Qin Feng’s mindset was completely different with the skills and knowledge he had gained from Zai Shi.

"By the way, this courtyard is quite nice. Why do you two live in that apartment complex?"

Qin Feng put the things he was carrying on the sink in the courtyard and opened the door to look inside. It was a small house with three rooms, a bit shabby but with a complete bed and furniture, much better than Xie Xuan’s unfinished house.

"Yuanzi lived here for a few days, but his old friends kept dragging him out to fight. He thought of your words and moved to the company. He didn’t stay at my place for long either. Oh, this place is uninhabitable."

Xie Xuan followed Qin Feng and opened the door, but quickly retreated. The room was so dusty that his face and head were covered in gray.

"Let’s clean it up. We’ll stay here for a few days."

Qin Feng found a cloth and a basin of water and started cleaning, calling Xie Xuan to help. They were used to this kind of work from the juvenile detention center. By the time Li Tianyuan returned with the food, the room was spotless, and the dust on the floor had been swept away.

As the saying goes, young people don’t know the taste of sorrow. After a full meal, the three young men didn’t think about home. They finished eating around seven or eight o’clock. Li Tianyuan, a bit tipsy, fell asleep on the bed.

"Xiao Pang, are you tired?" Qin Feng asked, looking at Xie Xuan who had just thrown the garbage out.

"Not tired, Brother Feng, I feel full of energy following you!"

Xie Xuan laughed foolishly. Despite his father’s bankruptcy, he had never lacked food or drink. But Xie Xuan preferred this free and open life.

Qin Feng nodded and said, "Alright, go to the neighbor’s house and borrow a piece of coal to start the stove in the kitchen."

While cleaning, Qin Feng had noticed that there were over ten coal briquettes in the kitchen, but the stove had been extinguished for a long time. Starting a coal stove required skill, so he asked Xie Xuan to borrow a red-hot coal from the neighbor.

Xie Xuan, with his chubby face and sweet talk, didn’t take long to borrow a piece of coal and start the stove.

Qin Feng washed the rusty iron pot, used sand to remove the rust, filled it with water, and placed it on the stove.

"Brother Feng, didn’t we just eat?"

Xie Xuan was confused by Qin Feng’s actions, then suddenly realized, "Brother Feng, are you boiling water? Brother Yuanzi bought beer, no need to boil water."

"You’re always thinking about eating and drinking. It’s time to get to work!"

Qin Feng laughed and scolded him, then went back into the room, found a hammer, and laid a piece of cloth on the ground. He took out the piece of jade rough from the canvas bag.

With a "bang," Qin Feng swung the hammer and struck the surface of the stone, causing a piece of dark brown skin to fall off.

"What... what are you doing?"

Xie Xuan was stunned. He knew Qin Feng had spent a lot of effort on this stone, but why was he now treating it so carelessly? After following Qin Feng for two days, Xie Xuan felt his intelligence was declining, unable to keep up with Qin Feng’s thinking.

However, after a few minutes, Xie Xuan began to see the pattern. Qin Feng’s strikes seemed powerful, but each blow only removed the skin, gradually revealing the stone inside.

Even though it was from a low-quality source, it still had some connection to jade. After the skin was completely removed, the green and black jade material showed a difference from ordinary stones.

Jade has a slightly higher density. After removing the skin, the material weighed about ten pounds, but was only the size of two adult fists. Qin Feng weighed the stone in his hand and suddenly asked, "Is the water boiling?"

"Ah, I’ll check!" Xie Xuan quickly stood up and ran into the kitchen, seeing steam rising from the pot. He shouted, "Brother Feng, the water is boiling. Should I close the stove door?"

"No need..."

Qin Feng walked into the kitchen, looked at the fire, and frowned. He looked around and said, "Xiao Pang, go and dismantle the courtyard gate, chop it into firewood. The fire is too small, the temperature isn’t high enough."

"Chop... the courtyard gate? Alright, I’ll do it!" Xie Xuan was stunned for a moment but, seeing that Qin Feng wasn’t joking, took an axe from the kitchen and went out.

The courtyard gate was just a few pieces of wood nailed together, easily stepped over by a tall person. It was more of a symbolic barrier than a real one.

With the axe, Xie Xuan chopped the gate into a pile of firewood.

PS: Second update. I’m working hard to add more. Please support me with your recommendations. Is that too much to ask?