Chapter 77

In the bustling area of the city center, there was a three-story independent villa called Xingyue Mingju.

"Hao Lao Di, Di Mei, please come in and make yourself at home, don't be so formal." Wang Juekun smiled and led Hao Meng and Xu Meng into the house. It seemed he had called ahead. On the sofa sat a kind-looking middle-aged woman, who stood up with a smile when she saw them enter.

She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had a pleasant appearance, and one could tell at first glance that she was the type of woman who would be content with a simple life and good at managing a household.

"This is your sister-in-law, my wife Qian Fang," Wang Juekun introduced with a smile.

Qian Fang smiled and said, "Hello, don't be so formal, please sit down."

After entering, Xu Meng took off her large sunglasses. Wang Juekun and Qian Fang couldn't help but be taken aback by her appearance.

"Are you Xu Meng?" Qian Fang asked in surprise.

Xu Meng smiled and nodded. Hao Meng couldn't help but laugh and said, "What, Sister-in-law, you know her?"

Before Qian Fang could speak, Wang Juekun chuckled and said, "National Campus Flower, the new generation's pure and innocent little queen. Anyone who goes online probably wouldn't fail to recognize Di Mei! I never thought that an internet celebrity would be your girlfriend, Lao Di. What good fortune, what good fortune, truly enviable!"

Hao Meng laughed and said, "What's there to envy? Every family has its own troubles. How much of what's on the internet can you really trust?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Meng gave him a disapproving look and said coldly, "So, what you're saying is that I'm fake, right?"

"Of course not!" Hao Meng laughed and shook his head, then turned to Wang Juekun and said, "I believe in the new generation's violent little queen."

After sitting down, Wang Juekun smiled and said, "The old man went out to walk his bird, he'll be back later. Lao Di, have you studied jadeite rough before?"

Seeing Wang Juekun chatting with Hao Meng about jade, Qian Fang went to the kitchen to prepare lunch, and Xu Meng went to help.

Hao Meng smiled and said, "Actually, Wang Ge, you might not believe me, but today is the first time I've gambled on jade."

"First time gambling on jade?" Wang Juekun was taken aback.

Hao Meng nodded and said, "But I've always had good luck, and sometimes my intuition is pretty accurate. When you made the first cut, I had a feeling that there would be jadeite in that stone. So, after you cut it in half and didn't see any green, I bought both halves. To be honest, I took a big advantage from you today, Brother Wang!"

Wang Juekun shook his head and smiled, "No one is taking advantage of anyone. I couldn't cut it any further at that point. Intuition, it's a great thing!" Wang Juekun firmly believed Hao Meng's words because in jade gambling, besides experience, intuition and luck play a significant role.

Of course, some people become rich overnight relying on their intuition, while others fall into the abyss. Whether you believe in intuition or not, it can sometimes bring you unexpected good luck, and other times, it can bring you bad luck. His master, Liu Yishou, once said, "Rely on your intuition, don't gamble on jade without it, and don't gamble on jade without intuition."

"Two months from now, there will be a jadeite auction in Tengchong. Are you interested in playing a few rounds, Brother Hao?" Wang Juekun asked with a smile.

"Jadeite auction?" Hao Meng was taken aback, thought for a moment, and then smiled, "I can't really decide right now. Since it's still a long way off, let's talk on the phone when the time comes!"

He wasn't short of money, and gambling on jade was just a hobby. With the 'Piercing Vision Charm,' he could win steadily, but whether he would go to Tengchong to gamble was still uncertain.

Creak!

The door opened from the outside, and an old man and a young girl entered. The older man had grayish-white hair and a beard, was over seventy years old, and held a birdcage. His eyes were sharp. The young girl was about the same age as Hao Meng, with short hair and a very delicate appearance, especially her eyes, which were very pleasant to look at.

"Father, this is Hao Meng, a young brother I just met today. Lao Di, this is my father-in-law, Qian Mantang, and that is my daughter, Wang Bingyu," Wang Juekun stood up and introduced with a smile.

Hao Meng also stood up and smiled, "I have long heard of the great name of Stone City's Master Carver, Mr. Qian. I apologize for my impromptu visit, please don't be offended, Mr. Qian!"

Qian Mantang waved his hand and said with a smile, "Sit, sit. From what you said, you came here specifically to see me today!"

Wang Bingyu helped hang the bird in the small garden behind the house and then ran back out of curiosity, wanting to hear what this young man wanted from her grandfather.

Wang Juekun smiled and took out the ice-type emerald green jadeite, explained what happened today, and then mentioned Xu Meng's request.

Qian Mantang looked at the ice-type jadeite and said with a smile, "The material is good. As for bracelets and rings, I'll let Bingyu practice on them. I can do the pendants, as I've been itching to work on something lately."

As a master carver, Qian Mantang was naturally very particular about his materials, but it wasn't easy to come across top-quality materials, so he was quite happy to have found one after a few months without working.

"Lao Ye, I came here today to ask you to create some pendants for me," Hao Meng said straightforwardly.

"Ah?" Qian Mantang looked at Hao Meng and said with a smile, "Since you're Juekun's friend, it's not difficult for me to create some small items for you!" He paused for a moment and continued, "However, at my age, I'm no longer interested in money. So, if you bring me poor material, I definitely won't work on it. Even if I do, it will be a casual piece, not something of high quality!"

In other words, he could carve, but you needed to bring good material; otherwise, he would be like a skilled cook without ingredients.

Hao Meng stood up and said, "Please wait a moment, Lao Ye." He then went out and pretended to go back to his car, but the item was actually in his finger's recycling bin, and he couldn't take it out in front of others.

When he returned, he handed a long wooden block to Qian Mantang and said softly, "Lao Ye, do you think this material is good enough for you to work on?"

Qian Mantang held the material and first felt how heavy it was. He then examined it, brought it to his nose, and smelled it, saying with a smile, "The material is good, a hundred-year-old agarwood, a rare item indeed, definitely good enough for me to work on!"

Hao Meng was taken aback and then smiled, "Lao Ye, why don't you take a closer look?"

Qian Mantang frowned, looked down at the material, and said unhappily, "What, young man, do you think I made a mistake...?" His voice trailed off, and suddenly he stopped. His hand holding the wooden material began to tremble, and he said to Wang Bingyu, who was standing nearby, "Bingyu, quickly go and get the carving tools for your grandfather."

"Okay!" Wang Bingyu turned and ran to get the tools.

Qian Mantang took the carving tools and carefully scraped some wood shavings from the agarwood. After examining them closely, he lit them on fire. He was busy for about half an hour before sighing and muttering, "I made a mistake, I made a mistake. A thousand-year-old agarwood is a priceless treasure, a true priceless treasure!"