"Hehe, I found some treasures at the antique market recently and made several million yuan by reselling them. Sister, brother-in-law, don't worry about money. Our lives will only get better and better from now on."
Zhuang Rui didn't intend to hide this from his sister's family; he had just been busy lately and hadn't had time to mention it. Now that Zhuang Min had asked about the money, Zhuang Rui just casually brought it up.
"Xiao Rui, is what you're saying true? It sounds like I'm listening to a story."
Zhuang Min could sense that her younger brother had changed a lot recently, but she still couldn't believe that her brother, who had always been earning a fixed salary, was now dealing in antiques.
"Hey, sis, that's a novel question. I'm probably just making up stories to amuse my daughter when I'm bored. Mom knows about this, but she hasn't had time to tell you. If you don't believe me, go ask Mom."
Zhuang Rui's words put Zhuang Min and her husband at ease. Although the money belonged to Zhuang Rui, it was only right and proper for siblings to help each other out.
"Okay, then I'll go to my workplace tomorrow and resign. But Xiao Rui, you'll still be the owner of this auto repair shop. I'll just consider myself working for you. I'll bring two apprentices with me to work together. Is that alright?"
Zhao Guodong also made up his mind. He was very good at auto repair, and could handle both big and small cars. He also liked to think about it in his spare time. Problems that others couldn't solve were not difficult for him. He was considered a key member of the company's auto repair team. However, he was usually quiet and not well-liked by his superiors.
“No, brother-in-law, we brothers should keep clear accounts. There’s this kind of investment called venture capital, where I put in the money, only take a share, and don’t participate in management. If we make money, we get a share of the profits, and if we lose money, it’s all on me. Let’s follow this model. I’ll put in 200,000 yuan for a 30% share, and you can contribute your technical expertise for a 70% share. But brother-in-law, if you’re bringing two apprentices along, I think we should give them a small share, maybe 50% each. But that share will have to come from your share.”
Zhuang Rui proposed opening a car repair shop, his original intention was just to make his sister's family's life a little easier. However, he knew that if he didn't take a share, his somewhat stubborn brother-in-law would definitely not agree, so he proposed this plan.
"This...this isn't appropriate, Xiao Rui. How about you take 70% of the shares, and my two apprentices and I take 30%?"
Zhao Guodong felt that if the shares were divided like this, he would be taking advantage of his brother-in-law, who would only get 30% of the money. After thinking about it, Zhao Guodong proposed a new way to distribute the shares.
"Let's divide it as I suggested, brother-in-law. I won't have much time to stay in Pengcheng in the future. The auto repair shop is all relying on you. Whether my investment can generate more money in the future depends on you, brother-in-law. Besides, the family still depends on you."
Zhao Guodong knew that his brother-in-law was taking care of him, but he was not good with words and could not say anything nice. He could only nod heavily and say, "Xiao Rui, don't worry. I will look for a site tomorrow. There is an abandoned warehouse over there on the national highway. I will go and take a look tomorrow. If it is suitable, I will rent it and use it as a factory. You don't need to worry about the family. Your brother-in-law will take good care of them."
"Hurry up and eat. You've been talking all this time, and the food is getting cold. Nannan, go wash your hands, you little crazy girl."
Zhuang Min was very happy to see that her husband had finally come to his senses. She brought out the soup that was simmering on the stove, and also took a bottle of white wine for the two brothers to drink, while she went to take care of her daughter.
Having made up his mind, Zhao Guodong felt much lighter, as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He picked up the wine bottle, poured himself and Zhuang Rui a full glass, clinked glasses, and downed the glass in one gulp. He then said to Zhuang Rui, "Xiao Rui, if this deal goes through, I'll go to Nanjing in a few days to buy the equipment. It's a bit more expensive in Pengcheng. Let's go together then. It's on your way to Zhonghai too."
“Sure, if Da Chuan buys a car in Nanjing, we can go together. It’s faster on the highway and we won’t have to squeeze onto the train. But brother-in-law, you need to get the factory settled as soon as possible. As for the business license and stuff, I’ll call Da Chuan later and ask him to handle it. He’s got connections.”
Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan had agreed that after mentioning the Hummer in Nanjing, Zhuang Rui would drive Liu Chuan's car to Zhonghai. Now, after hearing what his brother-in-law said, Zhuang Rui was thinking of letting his brother-in-law drive Liu Chuan's car, but he still needed to talk to Liu Chuan about it, so he hadn't mentioned it to Zhao Guodong yet.
"Finishing a factory is easy. There are plenty of them along the national highway. There are many vehicles coming and going there, and many of them break down. You can't go wrong by setting up a factory there. As long as the equipment is in place, you can start operating at any time."
Zhao Guodong is naturally very familiar with the industry he has been in for over ten years.
"By the way, brother-in-law, do you know of any machines that can cut rocks?"
Zhuang Rui had a sudden thought. If a car is in an accident and the door can't be opened, wouldn't you need to use tools to cut the iron door open? Maybe those tools can even cut through stone.
"Cut stones? Yes, the factory's cutting machine can do that. Why are you asking?"
Zhao Guodong took a sip of his drink and answered casually.
"It's nothing, brother-in-law. Do you have any smaller tools, the kind you can hold in your hand?"
Zhuang Rui certainly knew that the cutting machine could cut through the stone, but if he could get his stone out, he wouldn't need to find Zhao Guodong; he could just find any stone carving factory.
"Smaller tools? We do have those. There's an electric cutter with a grinding wheel and diamond gears. Those things can even cut through sheet metal, so cutting stone shouldn't be a problem, right? But Xiao Rui, the gears on those saws are very small, about the size of your palm. How big of a stone do you want to cut?"
Zhao Guodong thought for a moment. His team did have a certain tool, but he didn't know what Zhuang Rui used it for or whether it was usable.
"The smaller the better, brother-in-law. Can we borrow those tools?"
Zhuang Rui was overjoyed to hear this. A smaller size would be much better; a larger size would probably be like an electric drill, damaging the jade inside.
"I can, but I'm resigning tomorrow. If you're not in a hurry, I'm going to buy one when I go to Nanjing in a few days. Is that okay?"
Zhao Guodong hesitated. He was quitting tomorrow, and if he went to borrow something now, he was afraid people would say he was taking advantage of his company.
"Does Pengcheng sell them? Are they expensive?"
Zhuang Rui asked, explaining that he had visited several hardware stores in the past few days, but none of them sold this kind of tool; otherwise, he would have bought it long ago.
"Yes, these things aren't expensive. The better ones cost a little over a thousand yuan, while the average ones are only a few hundred yuan. You can buy them at a mold shop; there's one on Jianguo Road."
Zhao Guodong couldn't figure out what his brother-in-law was up to, but he still told him what he knew.
"Hehe, it's nothing. Come on, brother-in-law, let's have a drink."
Zhuang Rui was in a great mood. He had been looking for the tool for several days and finally found out about it from his brother-in-law. After dinner, Zhuang Rui planned to buy the tool back and give it to his brother-in-law after he finished using it. Since the repair shop could use it, it wouldn't be a waste.
After eating and drinking his fill, Zhuang Rui slipped out, leaving the little white lion with Nannan, and went to the grinding wheel shop that Zhao Guodong had mentioned, where he bought an electric grinding wheel tool.
This tool is small, only about the size of a baby's arm, and similar to an electric drill. It is driven by an internal motor, but instead of a drill bit, it has a diamond grinding wheel at the front. This thing has a wide range of uses and is specifically designed for cutting delicate items.
Zhuang Rui plugged in the power supply at the mold shop and tested it. The sound wasn't loud. After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Rui went to the bank and withdrew 150,000 yuan. After returning home, he gave 200,000 yuan to his brother-in-law. He didn't care to listen to his brother-in-law's analysis of the situation after the factory opened. He went straight home, crawled into the storage room, and locked the door.
In the past few days, Zhuang Rui has also done some research. He has learned that jadeite is mined from rocks and is divided into many types. The best is the old mine jadeite of the glass type. A cabochon made from this type of jadeite is often worth millions.
Zhuang Rui also visited several jewelry stores in Pengcheng, but the most expensive jadeite ornaments there were only worth a little over 100,000 yuan. When Zhuang Rui compared them with the jadeite in his own black lump stone, he found that the spiritual energy contained in the finished jadeite sold in Pengcheng was very thin, far inferior to the jadeite in his own stone.
In fact, the rough stone in Zhuang Rui's hand would be worthless in the eyes of a jade gambling expert, because it had neither pine flower nor python skin, but only some black and blue moss of varying sizes and shapes. In the eyes of an expert, such a stone could not possibly contain jade. It is unknown how Zhuang Rui's grandfather obtained these rough jade stones, yet the jade in them was brought to light in Zhuang Rui's hands.
"Hey, it really works."
Zhuang Rui found a wooden box to place underneath, stepped on the rough stone, turned on the electric grinder, and began to grind the rough stone. He could clearly see the inside of the rough stone, so he didn't care about anything else and just cut directly towards the middle of the stone.
Stone chips flew everywhere, many of them landing on Zhuang Rui's face, causing a dull ache. But Zhuang Rui didn't care at the moment. Suddenly, he turned off the electric grinder. With a hissing sound from the grinding wheel, he picked up the slightly hot stone. A captivating green hue appeared in Zhuang Rui's eyes through the gap cut by the grinding wheel.
Chapter 112 Possessing a mountain of treasures yet unaware
Zhuang Rui had never felt this before. The green was so dazzling and beautiful. The green peek through the crack made the dark stone look vibrant. Zhuang Rui quickly used a basin of water to wash away the debris on the stone, then held the crack up to the light and looked inside. The green seemed to be alive, dazzling and eye-catching.
Even though Zhuang Rui knew nothing about jade, he knew that the piece in his hand was definitely of good quality. He was immediately invigorated and continued cutting. This time, however, he didn't cut directly into the center of the stone where the jade was. Instead, he slowly removed the outer layer of the stone little by little, afraid that if his arm lost its footing, he would ruin the egg-shaped jade inside.
"Damn, this is all manual labor."
Cutting the outer layer was quick at first, but Zhuang Rui became increasingly cautious as he got closer to the core. Towards the end, he almost entirely held the core with his fingers. He used the side of the grinding wheel to grind away the stone close to the jade core. It took more than an hour for the entire jade to be fully revealed.
"Isn't this thing a bit too small? What can it even do?"
Zhuang Rui put down the abrasive cutting machine, used his spiritual energy to restore his almost numb arm, and looked at the jade in his palm that had revealed its true form. The jade was only the size of an egg yolk, with some thin, white, misty stone layers around it. This was because Zhuang Rui was afraid of damaging the jade inside and dared not continue polishing it. However, Zhuang Rui felt that this piece of jade was too small, not even enough to make a Guanyin pendant or something.
Pinching the jadeite between two fingers, Zhuang Rui looked up at it against the light. The jadeite's color was pure and even, the emerald green distributed perfectly without any variation in depth. The white veins couldn't conceal the green within at all. The jadeite was almost transparent; although it had color, light could still be seen clearly through the green. When he placed it in a basin to wash it, Zhuang Rui noticed that the water turned green, a truly beautiful sight.
"Giving this to Xuanbing shouldn't be too embarrassing, right?"
Zhuang Rui muttered to himself as he put the jade into his pocket. He quickly swept up the stone chips scattered on the ground and then mopped the floor. Seeing that there were no traces left, he went outside. He planned to brush up on his knowledge of jade, otherwise it would be a bit unreasonable to give someone a gift without being able to explain its significance.
In fact, Zhuang Rui didn't know that if he gave this to Qin Xuanbing, it wouldn't lower her status; in fact, Qin Xuanbing might not even accept it. This piece of jade was far too valuable. It was true that his piece was a bit small, but its quality was extremely high, with excellent translucency—it was the highest quality glass-type jade. Moreover, the entire piece of jade had a rich, vibrant green color, was crystal clear, and without a single flaw; it was truly the finest jade, a glass-type imperial green.
It's important to know that most glass-type jadeite is colorless, and even light green glass-type jadeite is rare. A deep, rich green glass-type jadeite like this is even rarer. Flawless imperial green glass-type jadeite is simply impossible to find in ordinary jadeite jewelry stores. It's extremely rare even at large auction houses. Many people who are immersed in the jadeite industry never own such a high-quality jadeite in their entire lives.
The jadeite in Zhuang Rui's pocket could be cut into three cabochons and would easily fetch four or five million RMB. This is because such top-quality imperial green jadeite of this type is extremely rare. Not to mention jade merchants, even jade mine owners in Myanmar might not find a perfect piece of jadeite even after a lifetime of mining. Flawless imperial green jadeite of this type is practically a legendary existence in many people's minds.
However, even a good horse needs a discerning eye to appreciate it. Although Zhuang Rui cut out a rare glass-type imperial green jadeite, he was unaware of his own hidden treasure and thus valued it at around 200,000 to 300,000 yuan.
Seeing that his mother hadn't returned home yet, Zhuang Rui went back to his room, took out the sandpaper he had prepared, and was about to polish the jade when the phone rang. It was his classmate from Nanjing calling, saying that the blueprints for the mastiff kennel had been designed and sent to his email. Reluctantly, Zhuang Rui could only hide the jade and then get up to go to Liu Chuan's pet shop.
"Oh, Brother Zhuang, you're here! Please come in, let me pour you a glass of water."
As soon as Zhuang Rui stepped into the pet store, the monkey came to greet him. The little white lion ran around happily in front of Zhuang Rui, scaring the monkey so much that it didn't dare to get close to him. The story of the white lion protecting its owner at the police station had already spread.
This little guy is very impatient staying at home. Every time Zhuang Rui goes out, it will definitely follow. Just now, when it went out, the white lion, who was still at its sister's house, heard it and almost bit it, not even giving the little girl any face.
The monkey has changed drastically; its original short hair has been cut short, and it's no longer wearing its yellow jacket, making it look quite energetic. As soon as Zhuang Rui saw the monkey, he remembered his demeanor as a shill at the antique market that day, and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
However, Zhuang Rui couldn't quite handle the monkey's enthusiasm and quickly said, "No, monkey, just call me by my name. I'm not even as old as you, don't make me sound old."
"Alright, then I'll call you Brother Zhuang. I haven't thanked you for what happened a few days ago."
The monkey brought over a glass of water. Looking at Zhuang Rui gratefully, it said, "Actually, most people in the streets are righteous. If you do them a little kindness, they will remember it. This is the origin of the saying, 'The righteous are often from humble backgrounds.'"
"Monkey, where's Liu Chuan? Where are Da Xiong and Li Bing? Are you the only one in the shop?"
Zhuang Rui looked around and saw that there were quite a few customers, but only Monkey was attending to them. His arrival had made Monkey quite busy, as he had to attend to both the customers and himself.
"The boss didn't come today. Li Bing, Da Xiong, and the others are at the shop up ahead. The boss has taken over the shop owned by the man surnamed Hao."
The monkey answered Zhuang Rui's question while giving change to the customer.
"You go ahead with your work, Monkey, I'm going to use the computer for a bit."
Zhuang Rui had only asked casually. He walked over to the computer desk, sat down, and turned on the computer. Sure enough, he found the architectural design drawings of the mastiff kennel sent by that alumnus in his email.
This guy had clearly put in a lot of effort; he not only drew up a floor plan but also attached a project quote. Zhuang Rui picked up the phone on the table and called Liu Chuan.
"Li Bing, what's up? I'm going to the store in a bit, I'm busy right now."
Liu Chuan's voice came from the other end of the microphone, sounding impatient.
"You're probably busy sleeping, kid. Stop talking nonsense. It's me. Come to the shop. The design drawings for the mastiff kennel are ready. Get someone to do the construction."
Zhuang Rui replied irritably.
"Wood, why did you run off to the shop? I'm on my way. I went to Hefei with Brother Zhou yesterday to show him the way around here. Print out the blueprints first, and wait for me. I should be back at the shop in about an hour."
Liu Chuan's voice came through, and Zhuang Rui realized that he wasn't in Pengcheng. He didn't say much and printed out the drawings.
Nearly two hours later, Liu Chuan and Zhou Rui returned to the shop, followed by two other people. Liu Chuan's black Tibetan Mastiff went up to the little white lion as soon as it saw him, rubbing its big head against the little white lion's body in a fawning manner. However, the little guy ignored it and wandered around in front of Zhuang Rui on its own.
"Wood, let me introduce you. This is Boss Qi. We've put the work on our mastiff kennel to them. They've been waiting for your blueprints for days. Come on, let's go take a look at that place."
Liu Chuan introduced the man behind him to Zhuang Rui. The man, Boss Qi, was in his forties, not very tall, with a dark complexion and a sturdy build. He was somewhat similar to the foreman Zhuang Rui had imagined.
“Let’s show the blueprints to Lao Qi, Wood. Don’t underestimate Lao Qi. Although he’s a self-taught professional, he’s one of the best at his job in Pengcheng. If it weren’t for our good relationship, he wouldn’t have taken this job worth a hundred thousand or so.”
After Zhuang Rui and Boss Qi exchanged a few polite words, Liu Chuan spoke up from the side.
"Don't listen to Da Chuan. This kid has only ever come to my place to freeload, and this is the first time he's given me any work. We're all friends, so just call me Lao Qi from now on. Hey, this blueprint is pretty good. You're quite the expert, bro."
While joking, Boss Qi looked at the blueprints in his hand and couldn't help but praise them.
"Brother Qi, this is a plan I got from a friend. If you think it's okay, let's do it this way."
"Okay, these blueprints are well done. They even took into account the landscaping in the kennel. The cost isn't too high either, and it hasn't exceeded Da Chuan's budget. Let's go check out the site first. We can move in and start construction in the next day or the day after."
Old Qi was a straightforward man. He put away the blueprints in his hand and took the lead to walk outside. Zhuang Rui called out to the little white lion that was running around in the store and followed.
Old Qi also drove over; otherwise, there really wouldn't have been enough room for everyone. The city bureau's land is more than 50 kilometers away from Pengcheng city. Around it are vegetable fields where farmers can be seen working. The city bureau's police dog base is surrounded by high walls, so you can't see inside. But once you walk in, you can hear barking from inside, which makes Little White Lion growl incessantly.
The land that Liu Chuan's father found was originally intended for the expansion of the police dog base, and it is now perfect for building a mastiff kennel. Electricity and water supply are also very convenient. After inspecting it, Boss Qi decided to have the construction team move in tomorrow, and the mastiff kennel will be ready for use in a month at most.
Zhuang Rui told Liu Chuan about his brother-in-law's plan to open a repair shop. Liu Chuan discussed it with Boss Qi, who had started out taking on small jobs like this and was very familiar with the business. Boss Qi immediately promised that as long as a good location was found, he had plenty of construction teams and could complete the small job of converting a warehouse into a factory in ten days to half a month.