Chapter 76 Relying on a Green Skin?

Stone chips flew as the blade slowly sliced down, cutting a third of the way through without showing a hint of green.

“Ha, a loss!” Qian Fengling laughed, and Qian Shuangyu pursed her lips, “Did you really expect to see green?”

Zhou Ran also smiled.

As expected, it was a loss.

A loss is just a loss—eight thousand yuan, nothing more. Is it really such a big deal? Old Tang was full of disdain. What a family with no class; Zhou Ran’s shallow outlook was unsurprising...

“It’s all right, Sui Yi. It’s only eight thousand,” Su Ziyi soothed gently. After a moment’s thought, he whispered, “My family sells these too. If you like, I can give you the insider price sometime.”

Ha! This kid’s reliable! Old Tang laughed when he heard this, while Old Han just rolled his eyes.

This kid—he’s really something!

But just as he finished speaking, someone shouted in surprise!

“Look, there’s green!”

“There really is! Quick, look...”

White mist spread across the pale stone like clouds atop Tianshan, dense and swirling. Truth be told, this wasn’t even a proper stone surface anymore; even the grayish white had a translucent quality. Beneath the mist, a tender green appeared, like a newborn sprout. The clarity aside, this shade of green was enough to make any jeweler’s eyes light up—except for the Qian family.

“Ha, tender green? I wonder how the water quality is...”

“We’ll see soon enough!”

“Judging by the base color, it shouldn’t be too bad... this tender green really is nice.”

“This is a big win!”

Those unfamiliar with the world used the term “big win” readily, but Zhang Guangbiao’s disciples and their ilk just sneered.

Big win?

Sure, the profit margin was high, but where they came from, a “big win” in jade meant at least three million in value.

Here, it remained to be seen.

But this girl seemed about to strike it rich.

The young man from before glanced repeatedly at Sui Yi.

Less than ten stones later, another piece of jade was revealed. Even Zhang Guangbiao’s brows danced with excitement, and the others became noisier, shouting and cheering. The place was lively enough already, and now, around midday, many passing by after work stopped for the commotion, forgetting their lunch to watch. When people heard talk of jade, high prices, and stone gambling—the shock was palpable!

Qian Fengling and Qian Shuangyu gritted their teeth to the point of breaking, but since green had been seen, what could they do?

They could only mutter curses, “Maybe it’s just skin green...”

Though not pleasing, some merchants dared not guarantee otherwise.

“Ha, Miss Sui, your raw stone is pretty good. I’ll offer a hundred thousand, what do you say?”

“So stingy! Miss Sui is Tang’s disciple, after all. I’ll go to one hundred and ten thousand...”

Old Tang’s mouth twisted at this. Damn it, is his disciple’s name worth ten thousand alone? Better not to mention it!

Even Old Han and the others considered making a bid, given the promising base color and the high likelihood of good jade inside.

But was Sui Yi short on money? Was she someone who couldn’t afford to gamble?

Lin Yun instinctively glanced at Sui Yi beside him, and sure enough, saw her calmly say, “Keep going.”

Her tone was steady, as though even a million couldn’t shake her resolve.

The jewelers gave up, secretly hoping it really was just skin green.

The stone-cutting machine whirred again. Su Ziyi instinctively clenched his fists, saying to Sui Yi, “I’m sure this is good jade. Don’t worry, stay calm.”

Sui Yi paused, turned to look at him, and saw sweat on his brow. She smiled, “You’re the one who’s nervous.”

“Huh?”

Su Ziyi wiped his forehead, suddenly embarrassed. Why was he so anxious over a stone that wasn’t even his own?

Was it like the eunuchs being more anxious than the emperor?

No, that saying didn’t fit.

Zhang Guangbiao’s skills surpassed any disciple. Since green had already appeared, another slice to the side would suffice. If green showed on both sides, it would mean the jade was substantial, not just skin-deep.

Of course, a bad cut might damage the jade inside, so his movements were painstakingly slow...

In truth, Zhang Guangbiao was the most skilled judge of raw stone here. Seeing the base color and white mist beside the tender green, he rated the stone much higher, eighty-seven percent sure it would yield good jade, so he was extra careful.

He didn’t reveal this, letting Old Tang believe he was just being considerate to Sui Yi, who gratefully accepted.

Sui Yi had wanted to mark the lines herself, to avoid damaging the jade, but decided against it to avoid attracting attention. Luckily, Zhang Guangbiao was meticulous, slicing gradually instead of taking a single cut, thus minimizing harm to the jade, finally switching to polishing.

Cutting, polishing, grinding—these are the main methods in stone revealing. Once jade is confirmed, polishing is used.

Now, Zhang Guangbiao was already polishing, which gave the old foxes like Tang a hint of confidence.

Time ticked by, the blade descending slice by slice. Many jewelers wiped sweat from their brows. Qian Shuangyu snorted impatiently, “Looks like it’s just skin green... what a waste of time!”

“Yeah, seems there’s no jade left...”

“Might as well sell it to me for ten thousand...”

“Miss Sui Yi, ten thousand is still money.”

The jewelers echoed Qian Shuangyu, trying to pressure Sui Yi into selling the stone at a low price.

Ten thousand—let them take a gamble.

Some jewelers didn’t even want to pay that much.

They suspected it was only skin green.

Skin green is notorious for being the most deceptive in the raw stone business, sending countless people to heaven or hell.

Clearly, Sui Yi was in the same situation.

“Sui Yi...” Old Tang prepared to comfort her.

Zhang Guangbiao suddenly stopped, turned to Sui Yi, squinting with a smile, “Miss Sui Yi, shall we continue? If you wish, I can offer a hundred thousand for this stone.”

He was a shrewd one. Hearing this, Old Tang became alert, while Sui Yi tilted her head slightly, smiling, “Since Mr. Zhang says so, of course we must continue. If more oil or blades are wasted, I’ll cover the cost.”

Well, since she said so...

“Ha, then I’ll keep going,” Zhang Guangbiao quietly abandoned his plan, thinking this little girl was truly remarkable.

She had just bested him!

But below... it was almost to the jade.

This was the insight gained from over ten years of cutting raw stone.

Sure enough, after a short while...

“Green!”

“More green!”

“Heavens, there really is...”

“It’s about the size of an egg!”

Green on both sides, and combined with the flat surface, it was about the size of an egg. The color and water clarity of the second side were even more striking, and everyone could tell.

Zhang Guangbiao wiped sweat from his brow and switched to polishing.

“Tender green, glutinous type, three parts water... Quite excellent, easily a top piece among the mid-range!”

“The colors match perfectly...”

“Good jade!”

Those who knew the trade muttered, and soon someone raised a hand and called out, “Miss Sui Yi, I offer one million!”

One million!

The crowd erupted. Good heavens, one million? Seventy thousand had already stunned many, but now, a direct leap to a million?

This truly was...

One cut makes you poor, one cut makes you rich—or makes you rich overnight!

“Ha, a million? It might even double! Don’t think you can fool Sui Yi just because she’s inexperienced...”

As for price, Sui Yi really was clueless, so Old Tang spoke up, “We’re all old friends here. With me present, you old geezers won’t cheat her.”

The crowd grumbled, almost forgetting that old fox was here...

“Let’s wait until it’s fully revealed; the price will be what it should be,” Old Han, the most respected, stroked his beard and smiled. After speaking, he glanced at Sui Yi, his eyes full of approval.

It wasn’t that he believed Sui Yi understood raw stone—this skill is hard to learn, relying on talent, luck, and time. Talent is uncertain, time unreliable, so luck is essential.

Luck matters greatly in their line of work. It can be mere chance, like Lin Yun, or perhaps a person favored by heaven.

Old Han trusted his own judgment, yet found Sui Yi impossible to read, just as he had from the start.

Perhaps she was one of those rare beings described in Buddhist tradition, blessed by heaven.

Such people are truly rare.

After Old Han spoke, the others fell silent. Now that jade was confirmed, it was certain that a high price would be offered. They began to consider how much would be appropriate—and whether they even had enough cash.

Despite boasting billions, most of their money was tied up in companies or shops, leaving little actually available.

If those in traditional business were so strapped, the situation was even worse for those in virtual industries.

With this in mind, they all began making calls to gather funds.

Sui Yi remained at ease, glancing at the Qian family and Zhou Ran’s sour faces out of the corner of her eye, raising an eyebrow imperceptibly.

This was a complete falling out, wasn’t it?

“Sui Yi,” at some point, Quan Ling approached her, avoiding Old Tang and others, wearing a charming smile. He whispered, “Congratulations on such fine jade... My family happens to be buying, we can offer one million eight hundred thousand. What do you think?”

He paused, lips curling, leaning a bit closer, “Actually, my father and I both think highly of you... We both like you... Our family needs someone just like you...”

Earlier, this father and son had scoffed at Sui Yi. Now...

Sui Yi had already taken note of their behavior, and knew their character inside out, so she quietly stepped aside.

“Let’s wait until the jade is fully revealed.”

“Fine,” Quan Ling smiled, but his eyes were cold.

How ungrateful! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please support us with votes and monthly tickets at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.reading.)