85 Regretting It, Right?
Naturally, the one who felt regretful was the person who tried to advise Zhou Xiaoli earlier.
He had missed out on a high-grade jade. At this moment, he was vexed and wanted to slap himself hard. He hated himself for not buying it at that time.
Naturally, Xue Min was also unhappy. He had been in contact with jade since he was young, so he naturally had a sharp sense of the different jades.
When he saw the cut surface of the stone, he vaguely felt that it was ice-type jade.
He didn’t mention it because he knew that Zhou Xiaoli didn’t know much about jade, so he wanted to buy it at a low price. He hated it now that it had been ruined by this nosy Luo Zhongbao.
At this moment, an old man with a white beard quickly walked out of the shop.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s the ice-type jade? Let me take a look.”
“Shopkeeper, it’s this young lady.” The stone cutter hurriedly pointed at Zhou Xiaoli and introduced her to the old man.
It seemed that this old man was the shopkeeper of this shop. He must have heard about the ice-type jade and came out to take a look.
After the old man arrived, Luo Zhongbao made way for the shopkeeper to take a look.
A moment later, the old shopkeeper nodded repeatedly and said, “Not bad, not bad. It’s ice-type jade.”
In the end, he said regretfully, “Unfortunately, it’s just a little small.”
Then, he turned to look at Zhou Xiaoli. “Young lady, this old man’s shop has been open for decades. I’m one of the most honest people in this alley. Why don’t you sell this stone to me?”
Zhou Xiaoli did not immediately nod in agreement. Instead, she asked, “How much can you give me?”
Seeing how straightforward Zhou Xiaoli’s question was, the shopkeeper was stunned for a moment before he laughed. “You’re quite direct, young lady. It’s good that you don’t beat around the bush.”
Then, he stroked his beard and smiled. “In terms of price, everyone is watching here. I’ll naturally do you right by it. Your ice-type jade has very few impurities. It can be considered as a high-grade jade.”
“However, this piece is really too small. There’s too little room for processing in the later stages. It can probably only be made into a jade pendant or a small accessory. Well, how about this? I’ll give you this number.”
As he spoke, he extended two fingers. “200 taels. What do you think?”
Actually, Zhou Xiaoli did not know how much this stone could be sold for.
Therefore, she did not reply immediately.
However, Zhou Xiaoli did not say anything for a long time, which made the old man think that Zhou Xiaoli did not agree to the price.
He could not help but slap his thigh and say, “How about this? Seeing that you’re a newbie, and this is the first time that you have visited my shop, I’ll make an exception and give you another 40 taels of silver. 240 taels of silver. How about that?”
After saying that and seeing that Zhou Xiaoli still didn’t have a particularly big reaction, he couldn’t help but say, “You think it’s too little? Little girl, this is already the highest price I’ve given you. It can’t be more than that. Even if you go to other shops to ask, it won’t be as high as the price I’ve given you.”
Luo Zhongbao nodded and said, “Yes, this price is not bad. Compared to some people who only want to pay 30 taels of silver, this old man has given you a perfectly reasonable deal.”
The last sentence was meant to mock Xue Min.
Zhou Xiaoli glanced at Luo Zhongbao. It seemed that this person was not on good terms with Xue Min.
When many people around heard his words, they also laughed.
“30 taels from one and 240 taels from the other. That’s indeed a much better deal.”
“He even said that he’s her uncle-in-law. I think he just thinks that this young lady doesn’t know about the jade market and wants to lie to her.”
…
Xue Min, who was already filled with hatred, became even more displeased.
He tried to defend himself. “I didn’t have the time to take a closer look just now, so I couldn’t distinguish the type of jade it was.”
“Now that I know that this is a rare ice type, I naturally have to give a suitable price.”
After saying that, he gritted his teeth and was filled with hatred.
Originally, when he saw that the jade stone looked like an ice type, he wanted to buy it at a low price.
After that, he could give it to the magistrate. He heard that the magistrate was collecting precious jade stones for Lord Su. If he managed to curry favor with the magistrate, he could be on good terms with the magistrate.
Even if it was not an ice-type jade, it could still be sold for a good price after being polished and processed. He would definitely earn more than 30 taels of silver.
This was killing two birds with one stone. Now, he had to spend more than 200 taels of silver!
With mixed feelings in his heart, he forced a smile on his face and looked at Zhou Xiaoli. “Little Li, you didn’t let me examine the stone just now. I didn’t know that this stone was so precious. In that case, I’ll give you 240 taels of silver. How about that?”
He said it as a matter of course, just like how Zhou Xiaoli would definitely give it to him.
The old man was a little unhappy. “I say, Shopkeeper Xue, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to snatch my business?”
“No, no.” Xue Min narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, “This stone was mine first. According to the rules, first come, first served. How can you say that I’m snatching it?”
The old man snorted unhappily. “That depends on who the young lady is willing to sell it to.”
After saying that, both of them looked at Zhou Xiaoli.
Seeing that the two of them wanted her to choose, Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and chose the old man without hesitation.
The old shopkeeper was overjoyed. “Shopkeeper Xue, you have nothing to say now, right?”
Xue Min was already unhappy with having to offer extra money. When he saw this, his face darkened and he glared at Zhou Xiaoli. “Wretched girl, I’m your uncle-in-law. How can you side with outsiders!”
At this moment, Luo Zhongbao spoke again.
“She already said that she wasn’t. Besides, even if you’re her uncle-in-law, what kind of uncle-in-law are you to use 30 taels of silver to cheat her of an ice-type jade?”
Many people around agreed.
Xue Min was furious.
This made Xiao Li even more certain that Luo Zhongbao and Xue Min had a grudge against each other.
Many people around were criticizing Xue Min. He felt a little embarrassed and returned to his shop dejectedly.
After he left, Zhou Xiaoli completed the transaction with the old shopkeeper.
After saying goodbye to the shopkeeper, Zhou Xiaoli thought of Luo Zhongbao. In any case, Luo Zhongbao had helped her, so she wanted to thank him.
When she turned around and was about to look for him, she realized that he had already left.
Since she could not find him, Zhou Xiaoli did not take it to heart.
When she received 240 taels of silver, it naturally attracted the attention of many people.
Zheng Yongyan was right about one thing. This stone gambling den is the same as a casino in the sense that there were all kinds of people around.
After they left the shop, she realized that many malicious gazes were on her.
However, Wei Chiyu was with her the entire time. He exuded the ruthlessness of a lone wolf, and his face was filled with an aura that said you would not want to mess with him.
Hence, those people only dared to look at her, but they did not dare to approach.
It was not a good idea to stay here for too long, in case some envious lunatics decided to do something. Thus, Zhou Xiaoli and the other two did not stroll around anymore and went straight out of the stone gambling den.
They went to the transit station and brought out the donkey cart. The three of them got on the cart and immediately left the city.
