Chapter 38
Fatty Cui’s lips are quivering. He stares at the raw jade in his shaking hands with his eyes wide open. Looking at his contorted face, Lin Luoran affirms that he has hurt his hands. She hurries to him.
“So sorry, Brother Cui, I shouldn’t have asked you to help me cut the stone...”
Fatty Cui comes to his sense and looks at Lin Luoran with fever in his eyes, “Look...Look at it!” He hands over the stone to her.
The stone is still covered in dust. Under the lamp light in the basement, Lin Luoran casts a glance at it and sees the breathtaking purple in the center of the green jade— She knows it must be a jade of high quality, but she has never imagined it to be purple!
“It’s violet!” Lin Luoran is surprised, too. She can explore jade with Reiki, but she is not able to see the color. People usually call stones in the color of yellow, red and green jade, but purple jade is indeed rarely seen.
Fatty Cui stamps his feet, “What violet! This is called “Purple-green Mix” in professional words!” Saying this, he grabs the stone in disdain.
Lin Luoran smiles and decides not to argue with Fatty Cui, who is really an expert.
Fatty Cui is in mad love with jade. His plump hands become extremely dexterous now, which are rubbing the stone like crazy. He only stops to wipe away the sweat on his forehead after putting the stone in a basin filled with clean water.
It is convenient and quiet to cut stone in the basement. Lin Luoran figures she can also buy a full set of tools and cut stones herself after buying Master Jia’s house.
When Fatty Cui holds the jade in both hands and walks out of the basement, the housekeepers cry, “The Purple-green Mix is so beautiful! Mr. Cui is about to make a fortune!”
Fatty Cui looks back at Lin Luoran jauntily. Hearing that even the housekeepers know the name of this jade, Lin Luoran blushes and bursts into a dry cough to avoid the embarrassment.
Fatty Cui stops messing with her and says to one of the housekeepers, “Call my wife. Tell her to come home and have a look at the great jade!”
The housekeeper goes to make the call but comes back right away, “Mrs. Cui has already been home.”
Wang Miao’e knows that Lin Luoran has brought a stone here to cut, in the hope of selling it. She couldn’t stop thinking about this when she was at the company, so she rushed back home the minute she got things done. She arrives just in time.
“Ha, I am just in time!” Wang Miao’e immediately sees the jade on the tray.
“Of Course! My wife is always...” Fatty Cui is such a bootlicker in front of his wife, but Lin Luoran can’t even bear to listen to the words he says. Finally, Fatty Cui stops sucking up to Wang Miao’e and presents the jade to her, “Darling, look at this. You didn’t just recognize a sworn sister. Luoran is almost like the goddess of fortune who can spit money!”
Wang Miao’e laughs, “Certainly, don’t you see whose sister is she! The sister of mine must—” Her words stops abruptly. Wang Miao’e stares at the jade then to Lin Luoran, which makes Lin Luoran blush. Wang Miao’e opens her mouth, “A Purple-green Mix? Sister, you are not only a goddess of fortune. The money you can spit is the US dollars!”
“Sister Wang, don’t you joke on me along with Brother Cui!” Lin Luoran finally starts to understand the feeling of the Cantonese at the stone-cutting plant who left in disgrace. This couple does like to act in collusion.
Wang Miao’e stops making jokes, takes off her coat and hands it to the housekeeper.
“This piece of Purple-green Mix is much more valuable than the Apple Green you sold last time. Why don’t you sell it to me, Luoran?”
There are strips of purple in the pure green jade. It is transparent, smooth and larger than a fist. Even as a half-expert, Lin Luoran knows that it is worth a lot.
Of course, there is a huge difference between the size of Lin Luoran’s fist and Fatty Cui’s. If the jade is the size of Lin Luoran’s fist, it can only be made into a bracelet; But if it is the size of Fatty Cui’s fist, it will be enough to be made into two bracelets, which may double the price or more.
Thinking of the inexplicable Reiki, Fatty Cui really wants to buy this piece of jade, but he keeps his mouth shut since Wang Miao’e seems to love it.
Lin Luoran is going to sell it anyway, so it’s better to do business with people that she is familiar with. She answers cheerily, “OK, Sister Wang. Just offer a price.”
Wang Miao’e holds Lin Luoran’s hands, “My dear sister, a good stone like this is hard to find these days. I offer you 20 million yuan. What do you think?”
Lin Luoran is shocked. Master Jia’s house will cost her 20 million, and Sister Wang now offers her the exact same number. Obviously Wang Miao’e is trying to help her out.
Although it’s normal to help a friend, Lin Luoran knows deeply in her heart that friendship is mutual. If one side keeps giving and the other side never returns, their relationship will go wrong sooner or later.
Lin Luoran shakes her head and looks to Fatty Cui, “Brother Cui, you can give me an honest offer. If not, I’m going to sell the jade to someone else!”
Fatty Cui says obediently, playing with the golden ring on his hand, “Actually, 20 million may be unprofitable. I think 18 million is perfect.”
Lin Luoran looks at Wang Miao’e with a smile. Wang Miao’e says reluctantly, “Alright, 18 million. I really haven’t seen people who set themselves against money till today!”
Lin Luoran shakes her head, “It’s not that. We have to do business honestly in order to maintain our relationship. It’ll be a shame if we let business damage our friendship.”
Fatty Cui nods, “Darling, Luoran sees much clearer than you in this.”
Wang Miao’e glares at him, “Do I allow you to speak?”
Fatty Cui smiles apologetically and switches the topic, “Mr. Zhang just invited me to go to Burma. He said that there would be a big batch of raw stones. I invited Luoran. What do you think, darling?”
Wang Miao’e frowns, “I heard that people from Treasure House, as well as Fortune House would be there too... That spoiled girl called Elly is arrogant, who is so annoying.”
Lin Luoran has already got enough money to buy the house with the 18 million she earned from that piece of Purple-green Mix. So there is no need for her to go to Burma. However, hearing Sister Wang’s words, Lin Luoran will look like a coward if she doesn’t go.
Remembering Elly’s ban on her, Lin Luoran sneers, “She shall keep it low this time. If she comes messing with me again, I will teach her a lesson.”
In Wang Miao’e and Fatty Cui’s impression, Lin Luoran has always been gentle and elegant. It’s the first time they see Lin Luoran acting so coldly. It feels that even the temperature in the room drops because of her.