"Little girl, what's the matter? Disappointed by the ice jade that's been revealed?"
A middle-aged man beside her was curious about Li Si, thinking of his own little daughter who was about the same age, with the same pretty and cute appearance, especially since this little girl was dressed neatly and had a sort of endearing aura.
Li Si stuck out her tongue, blushing a bit, and said, "Uncle, I've never seen gemstone gambling before. Seeing it for the first time, it's quite different from what I imagined! I heard that ice grade jadeite is transparent, but this stone looks like it has a lot of impurities!"
"Haha, you're interesting, even glass grade jadeite can have some flaws."
"Oh, I see. Uncle, I've learned something new. If I want to buy these stones, whom should I contact?"
Li Si suddenly thought that the space might be able to nurture jadeite, so why not buy some cheap ones to try? She pointed to the small rough stones placed on the ground to her right and asked the old man.
"You've asked the right person, little girl. I'm the owner of this shop. If you want to buy a few as a hobby, these are quite suitable. These are all old mine full-gambling rough materials, 1000 yuan per kilogram. Feel free to choose!"
The shop had many customers today since jadeite was revealed, and a staff member was calling for him. After finishing his sentence, he nodded and went off to attend to other guests.
Standing before that pile of casually placed rough stones, Li Si thought about the 1000 per kilogram price. Any of these big stones must weigh at least several dozen kilograms, so she could only afford one. Better take a look first.
As she looked, an oval stone with a mixed-color surface caught her attention. For some reason, this seemingly unremarkable stone gave her a comfortable feeling.
Touching its smooth surface, Li Si thought to herself, could there be jadeite inside this? Is it too fanciful, considering people always say that no instrument can detect whether there is jadeite inside these rough materials?
After going around once, she simply decided to buy this stone that felt comfortable. The store assistant weighed it, and wow, it was over 45 kilograms. To even it out, they added four more small, saucer-sized round rough materials as a bonus.
Then they helped her place the rough material onto the cutting machine to wait for slicing. As for those few small ones, Li Si didn't intend to open them. Just while others weren't looking, she used her bag as a cover and put them into her space.
After transferring the 50,000 yuan, Li Si felt a pang of distress. If jadeite is revealed, that's good; if it fails, such a large sum of money would be gone in an instant. Truly, it's said that one cut makes you poor, one cut makes you rich, but she still felt that spending this money was worth it. She had some confidence in her intuition.
Upon agreeing to her suggestion for a single cut, all at once they heard the grinding sound of stone and blade, "It's a hit, it's a hit!!"
The cutting master exclaimed.
Unexpectedly, her first attempt at gemstone gambling was a success. Could this be a benefit of her rebirth? Li Si stared intently at the cutting master.
With his actions, after splashing water, a bright red color appeared before her eyes. Li Si was so happy she nearly jumped up, though how much this red jadeite could sell for was uncertain, it was likely to regain her initial cost.
The people who were originally selecting rough materials quickly gathered around.
A middle-aged man with an air of authority, his face showing astonishment, hurriedly made an offer.
"I want this red jade, young lady. How about I give you a million for half? If you continue cutting and it fails, you might not get so much!"
The sound of many gasps came from those around her. The cutting master and everyone were holding their breath, watching her, waiting for her decision.
Li Si was a bit tempted; one million. If it were her former self, she would have sold it to him without hesitation; but after being reborn, she inexplicably liked the thrill of gambling a little bit. Let's just open the whole thing.
"I'll cut it all!"
The man's face showed disapproval, as if he had already foreseen the rough material would fail.
"Such a fool, unaware of the immensity of heaven and earth. What if it's only a thin outer layer? Won't you look silly?"
"Exactly, exactly! Still too young, doesn't know anything! Be careful not to be like the snake that swallows an elephant!"
People around her chimed in—perhaps in the eyes of these people, she was a bit greedy, right?
Li Si calmed herself down, ignoring the cacophony of opinions around her. She watched the cutting and polishing earnestly, and after about half an hour, a bright red jadeite the size of a man's fist was revealed.
"Oh my god, it's Cock's Comb Red!!"
The red color was vibrant and bright, the jade was delicate and transparent, and Li Si noticed the people around her had eyes red with envy, with a few nearly unable to restrain themselves from grabbing.
"Young lady, you have guts. Are you selling this red jade or keeping it? How about selling it to me for 2 million?"
It was that same man shouting excitedly!
"Old Gu, don't bully the young lady just because she doesn't know the business well. Young lady, I'll offer 3 million for your red jade, how about it?"
A middle-aged man with a mustache said with a smile.
Old Gu was a little anxious. This old Yu was his competitor, evenly matched, both running jewelry businesses. Yet this red jade they encountered today was a once-in-a-lifetime find; if missed, it might never be encountered again. Once bought, it would be the town's jewel of the store.
"I'll give 4 million, young lady. I was the first to approach you. We must talk about friendship and first come, first served, right?"
What? Friendship? This old man was really amusing. Who was it before saying this rough material would fail and become worthless? Some onlookers couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Not selling! Everyone can bid! Highest bidder wins!"
Li Si's face was flushed. After calming down her emotions, she decided to sell to whoever offered the highest price. Turning tens of thousands into millions was an outcome beyond her imagination.
"I offer eight million, and this is mine!"
A magnetic, somewhat cool voice came through. From the crowd parting automatically, a young handsome man walked out, followed by an elder who seemed like a butler.
Old Gu and old Yu both secretly gritted their teeth. There's no way to offer a higher price; although Cock's Comb Red jade is rare, its size determines that besides bracelets, rings, and pendants, nothing much can be left over. Offering this price leaves almost no profit. Businessmen speak business; who would do something without benefit?
Especially old Gu was a bit regretful inwardly. If he hadn't spoken so harshly earlier, maybe the young lady would have sold it to him!
Li Si observed this new young buyer. He was about 1.8 meters tall, dressed in a high-quality black suit that fit his athletic build. His short, clean hair and tanned skin, coupled with the black sunglasses, made it impossible to see his eyes behind the lenses, featuring a prominent nose and thin lips.
She thought he had more charisma than any idol she'd ever seen on TV, and she couldn't help but look dazed.
The man looked impatiently at Li Si's dreamy expression. He seemed used to such situations, and he snorted lightly, "Selling the jadeite or not?"
Li Si's face turned bright red. After all, dazing off under everyone's watch was somewhat embarrassing. Hastily, she composed herself.
"Yes, are we making the transaction now?"
She spoke and dared not lift her head to look at the man again, quickly dropping her gaze to her toes and revealing slightly red ears.
The butler-like man stepped forward, asking for Li Si's bank details. A few minutes later, a chime sounded, and a transfer notification popped up. As she looked at all the zeros in her account, she forgot all her previous displeasure.
Before leaving, the man shot a seemingly casual glance at Li Si and then lightly curled his lips, appearing somewhat happy. Now such easily blush girls were rare.