"No... I didn't spend any money, I really didn't spend any money..."
Zhuang Rui's face at this moment was more like a grimace than a cry. He had gone through a lot of trouble to get this thing out of the stone, and this guy actually said it was fake and even wanted to teach him how to identify jade. Zhuang Rui felt a lump in his throat and had an urge to burst into tears.
"It's okay. Even though it's fake, I like it very much."
Qin Xuanbing was speaking from the heart. While the authenticity of the jade was important, the sentiment behind it was even more important.
"Can you give me back the fake one?"
Zhuang Rui mumbled something indistinctly. He was afraid Qin Xuanbing wouldn't value it, and it would be a huge loss if she threw it away. It was worth at least several hundred thousand yuan, but he couldn't explain why, and he was extremely frustrated.
Fortunately, Qin Xuanbing didn't hear clearly. It was sunset, and the warm March sunlight shone in through the warehouse door. Qin Xuanbing held the jade up to the sunlight and looked at it. In just a few dozen seconds, her cherry-like mouth opened wide in surprise.
"Zhuang...Zhuang Rui, is this...this jade real?"
Qin Xuanbing's face was full of astonishment. She couldn't believe that the gift she had casually accepted was actually a top-quality imperial green jadeite of the glass type. You know, she had been studying jewelry design for seven or eight years, and even among the jewelry commissioned by the British royal family, there was no jadeite of such good quality. In her family's company, there were only a few pieces of imperial green jewelry in three or five jewelry stores, which were basically used for display.
The practice of displaying jewelry without selling it, as seen in Qin Xuanbing's family jewelry store, is called "fishing" in the antique trade. It's a sales tactic used by some shrewd stall owners who deliberately leave their prized possessions out in the open without selling them, just to attract buyers to purchase other items.
"It's so fresh! Of course it's real. My buddy pulled it out of a rock. It's more real than real gold."
Zhuang Rui muttered to himself, but said aloud, "It should be real. I took it out of the stone."
"You still gamble on jade?"
Qin Xuanbing was surprised again. She did not expect that Zhuang Rui was not only an expert in antiques, but also had some knowledge of jade gambling.
"It wasn't obtained through gambling on jade. It was left to me by my grandfather. After reading my grandfather's diary, I knew it was a jadeite rough, so I cut it open. I didn't expect there to be jadeite inside."
This was the second time Zhuang Rui had heard the term "jade gambling" from someone else, indicating that people in the jade industry were aware of its existence.
As for the answer to Qin Xuanbing, it wasn't Zhuang Rui's own idea. After he took the jadeite out, he had nothing to do for a few days before leaving, so he sorted through his grandfather's diary and read it carefully. He learned that these stones came from old jadeite mines in Myanmar, but they weren't highly regarded. His grandfather brought them back to Pengcheng as souvenirs, but he never expected that there would actually be jadeite inside, since the quality of these stones was really poor.
Zhuang Rui then regretted not having read his grandfather's diary sooner. Otherwise, he could have openly taken the stone out to cut it open without having to waste so much effort. However, this also gave him an excuse to answer Qin Xuanbing's question: the diary was at home; she could look at it herself if she didn't believe him.
After a moment of surprise, Qin Xuanbing looked at Zhuang Rui seriously and asked, "Zhuang Rui, did you really give it to me? Do you know how much this jade is worth?"
Zhuang Rui waved his hand and said, "I said I was going to give you a gift, so let's not talk about money. That kind of thing hurts feelings."
Zhuang Rui's words made Qin Xuanbing blush. She hadn't expected this blockhead to finally understand and start talking about feelings with her. Little did she know that Zhuang Rui was plotting something. "The jade jewelry my buddy was looking at in the jewelry store seemed a little worse than this, but it was still worth around 100,000. This piece of jade should be worth at least 200,000 or 300,000."
Considering that Qin Xuanbing bought him a cricket gourd and also gave him a mobile phone that Zhuang Rui later discovered sold for over 10,000 yuan online, as well as a jadeite worth 200,000 to 300,000 yuan, Zhuang Rui didn't feel bad about it.
It's said that women in love have extremely low IQs, and Qin Xuanbing was exactly like that at this moment. She didn't even ask Zhuang Rui how the stone was cut open and how such a high-quality jadeite could be extracted.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Qin Xuanbing placed the jade in her palm against her chest, covered it with both hands, and said to Zhuang Rui with great emotion, "Thank you, Zhuang Rui. Although this jade is worth several million, I will not sell it. I want to design it into the most beautiful piece of jewelry and keep it forever. Zhuang Rui, what's wrong? Oh, Lei Lei and the others are back."
After Qin Xuanbing finished speaking, she noticed that Zhuang Rui seemed a little absent-minded. Just as she was inwardly blaming this blockhead for not taking the opportunity to confess his feelings to her, she saw Lei Lei and Liu Chuan drive the two cars into the warehouse one after the other. She quickly hid the jade close to her body.
Zhuang Rui was indeed somewhat clueless about matters between men and women, but he wasn't slow to react just now; rather, he was startled by Qin Xuanbing's words. He had already mentally valued the jadeite highly, but he hadn't expected its true worth to far exceed his expectations.
Zhuang Rui was momentarily stunned, partly because he felt a pang of heartache at having just given away millions, and partly because he was secretly hoping for the jade gambling Song Jun had mentioned. If an egg-sized piece of jade was worth millions, what about a basketball-sized one? It would be worth hundreds of millions! Zhuang Rui's eyes were practically sparkling with the sight of real money, and he didn't even notice Liu Chuan walking beside him.
"Wood, what are you doing? How's this car? If it's not good, let's switch. You can drive the Tibetan Antelope I bought."
As Liu Chuan walked up to Zhuang Rui, he raised his hand to slap Zhuang Rui's shoulder, but then he suddenly saw the little white lion beside Zhuang Rui. He shuddered, glanced at his tight pants with lingering fear, and reluctantly lowered his hand.
"Change cars? No way. I'll drive it for ten or eight years and then give it to you."
Startled by Liu Chuan's words, Zhuang Rui suddenly realized he had missed a chance to get close to a beautiful woman. In TV dramas, after the male lead gives a gift, the female lead would excitedly rush into his arms. Could it be that Liu Chuan had interrupted him? Zhuang Rui's gaze towards Liu Chuan became somewhat unfriendly.
"Fine, pretend I didn't say anything. If you don't want to change it, then don't. Why are you staring at me like that?"
Liu Chuan was a little confused by Zhuang Rui's glare. He was a bit afraid that Zhuang Rui's little white lion would come up and tear at his pants again. His own black lion would definitely not help, and might even bite him.
"So, Mr. Liu, are you satisfied with the car? Please come to the office and have a seat. I'll have some of the complimentary items installed on the car."
Manager Zhu walked over and saw that Liu Chuan had finished his test drive. He invited them to wait in his office. His main purpose, of course, was to get money, but Manager Zhu was a shrewd man and wouldn't say it outright.
"Manager Zhu, I need to drive this car back to Zhonghai. Will it be troublesome to get the license plate?"
Back in his office, Zhuang Rui inquired about the license plate application. He would be driving the car in Zhonghai for the time being, and getting a Nanjing license plate wouldn't be very convenient.
Manager Zhu smiled and said, "No, our dealership also has a branch in Zhonghai. I'll leave a phone number for Boss Zhuang. You can call him and someone will help you with the process. You won't have to handle all the paperwork yourself."
"Okay, you should accept card payments here, right? I have something to do later, so tell the workers to hurry up and we'll pick up the car soon."
Liu Chuan was getting impatient. After seeing Lei Lei this time, he would not be able to see her for a long time, so he wanted to find a place to spend some time together.
Chapter 118 The Banks of the Qinhuai River
Zhuang Rui only had a little over 500,000 yuan left in his bank account. However, Liu Chuan helped him withdraw 480,000 yuan, so Zhuang Rui still had over 100,000 yuan in assets, although it had shrunk considerably compared to a month or two ago.
After paying, the group waited in the office for a while. Around 4 o'clock, the car dealership staff notified them that they could pick up their cars. Zhuang Rui drove his Grand Cherokee, while Lei Lei and Liu Chuan each drove a car. Qin Xuanbing naturally sat in the passenger seat of Zhuang Rui's car.
The three cars drove out of the dealership one after another and headed towards the Qinhuai River not far away. They had already agreed to have dinner at the boat shop there first. Liu Chuan was also quite familiar with Nanjing, so he drove the car in front.
"Xuanbing, can you make a call for me? I want to ask if my brother-in-law is coming over for dinner. By the way, you haven't met my brother-in-law yet, have you?"
As Zhuang Rui drove, he spoke to Qin Xuanbing. His phone was next to the gearshift, but there were a lot of cars around. Zhuang Rui didn't dare to be distracted, but he didn't realize that what he had just said made Qin Xuanbing feel slightly embarrassed.
“I’ve never met your brother-in-law, but I have met your mother. By the way, Zhuang Rui, what did your mother do before? She has a very noble air about her.”
Qin Xuanbing suddenly remembered Zhuang Rui's mother's gentle and generous appearance. While holding her phone and dialing the number Zhuang Rui had given her, she asked a question.
“My mother? She taught her whole life, she was a teacher, nothing special.”
Zhuang Rui answered casually, but he himself did not know his mother's background. It seemed that his mother had never returned to her parents' home since he was a child, and had never mentioned her family. Zhuang Rui only knew that his mother's surname was Ouyang and her given name was Wan, and he knew nothing else.
"Hello, hello, is this Xiao Rui? Strange, why is there a woman speaking?"
Zhuang Rui was momentarily distracted, but Qin Xuanbing heard a man's voice coming from the phone and quickly put the phone to Zhuang Rui's ear.
"Yes, it's me, brother-in-law. Have you finished your business? It's almost time for dinner. Let's have dinner together. We can stay at a hotel tonight too."
Zhuang Rui snapped out of his daze and quickly spoke into the microphone. His skin touched Qin Xuanbing's fingers, and he felt a slight itch.
"Have you bought the car? No need for dinner, my client here wants to treat us to dinner, let's talk again tonight."
Zhao Guodong purchased a lot of goods this time, making him a major customer. The boss who supplied him also wanted to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with Zhao Guodong, so a banquet was arranged for that evening.
The car was very close to the Qinhuai River, only about ten minutes away. Liu Chuan drove the car into an open-air parking lot, and Zhuang Rui quickly followed. Looking out the car window, they could already see the banks of the Qinhuai River.
The Qinhuai River, formerly known as the Huai River and originally named "Longzangpu," is approximately 110 kilometers long and has a long and illustrious history. Legend has it that when Qin Shi Huang toured the east, he saw a purple aura rising above Nanjing, which he interpreted as an aura of imperial power. He then ordered the excavation of Fangshan Mountain and the cutting of the long ridge to create a canal that flowed into the Yangtze River. Later generations mistakenly believed this canal was created during the Qin Dynasty, hence the name "Qinhuai." Human activity existed in the Qinhuai River basin as far back as the Stone Age, and since the Eastern Wu Dynasty, it has been a bustling commercial and residential area. During the Six Dynasties period, it became a gathering place for prominent families, merchants, and scholars, and Confucianism flourished there. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it gradually declined, but attracted countless poets and writers to reminisce, lamenting, "The swallows that once graced the halls of the Wang and Xie families now fly into the homes of ordinary people." During the Song Dynasty, it gradually revived as a cultural center of Jiangnan. The Ming and Qing Dynasties marked the golden age of the ten-mile-long Qinhuai River.
For 1,800 years, the Qinhuai River has always been one of the most prosperous areas in Nanjing, known as the "Ten-Mile Pearl Curtain." Since ancient times, the Qinhuai River has been a place of cultural brilliance and bustling commerce, and has long been praised as a "beautiful land south of the Yangtze River."
Zhuang Rui's impression of the Qinhuai River came from his school textbooks. The essay "The Qinhuai River in the Sound of Oars and Lanterns" was the first time Zhuang Rui heard about the beautiful scenery of the Qinhuai River. What impressed him even more was the courtesans on the boats. But in modern times, they probably no longer exist.
"Wood, let's go to the boat shop for dinner later. It'll be more interesting when it gets darker and all the lights on the boat are on. There might even be a performance then."
After Liu Chuan parked his car, Little Black Lion ran in front of him. Lei Lei followed beside him, exuding a boss-like aura, though her pants were rather unflattering.
Both banks of the Qinhuai River are lined with antique buildings, with flying eaves and latticed windows, carved beams and painted rafters. However, Zhuang Rui knew that the original buildings had long been destroyed in the war, and these should all have been built later. Strolling along the Qinhuai River is like walking through the vicissitudes of history, giving people a sense of tranquility and relaxation.
Lighting a cigarette, Zhuang Rui sat under the weeping willows by the river, watching the gently rippling water, the playful white lion cub, and the beautiful woman beside him. For a moment, Zhuang Rui felt as if he were in a dream. In the past, he used to spend his days shuttling between subway and bus stations. He never imagined that he could have all of this before him.
Qin Xuanbing was also whispering with Lei Lei, while Liu Chuan was idly teasing the little black lion. The little guy wasn't growing slowly, although he was a size smaller than the white lion. But compared to other dogs of similar size, he seemed to be developing much faster, especially the black lion's head, which was already beginning to resemble a tiger's head, looking both honest and fierce.
"Wood, wood!"
Liu Chuan called out twice, but Zhuang Rui ignored him. He picked up a clod of dirt from the ground and threw it at Zhuang Rui, only to find the white lion glaring at him and growling. Startled, Liu Chuan quickly raised his hands and dared not move. He knew that although the little guy wouldn't really bite him, if he tore his pants again, he would be too embarrassed to show his face.
"What is it?"
After regaining his senses, Zhuang Rui called the white lion into his arms and comforted it before looking at Liu Chuan.
"Let me tell you, buddy, tonight, neither of us is going to have a chance."
Liu Chuan leaned closer and whispered in Zhuang Rui's ear.
"No chance? There's really no chance?"
Zhuang Rui was somewhat confused and raised his voice a few decibels.
"Keep your voice down. When I said there was no chance, it meant they were going to go back after dinner and a short walk. They need to set up the exhibition hall overnight, and tomorrow is the day they will participate in the jewelry exhibition."
Liu Chuan was a little frustrated. He had originally planned to have a romantic time with Lei Lei at a hotel, but after receiving this news, he immediately went from being a Viagra to being a loser.
Hearing Liu Chuan's words, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but laugh and cry. Although he had dreamed of having a relationship with Qin Xuanbing that went beyond friendship, in reality, the two had barely even held hands a few times, and he didn't dare to hope that things would develop to the point of going to a hotel room so quickly.
"Let's go eat, and after that, let's go to Confucius Temple. I'm broke right now, so let's try our luck and see if we can find something good."
Zhuang Rui stood up and kicked Liu Chuan's butt, but was caught off guard and twisted to the ground by Liu Chuan. The two rolled around on the grass. They had been playing like this since they were little. However, the little white lion kept making low growling noises but did not dare to bite. Lei Lei and Qin Xuanbing giggled at the sight.
Zhuang Rui felt a sense of familiarity from this game he used to play as a child. Although he was now wealthy, life remained the same, and his friends were still the same. Not only Liu Chuan, but presumably the boss in Zhonghai, as well as the brothers scattered across the country, were also the same.
Brushing off the grass clinging to their clothes, the group headed towards the nearest boat. There were no fewer than a hundred boats of all sizes on the Qinhuai River. Some were dedicated to taking tourists on night cruises, while others were docked restaurants. They could sail to the middle of the river or moor at the shore, depending on the guests' needs. Business was booming; each boat could fit about twenty tables, and they were almost always full of guests. Some boats even had performances to watch.
At this moment, lights were lit up on both banks of the Qinhuai River. The boat that Zhuang Rui and his group were on had a very clever lighting design. The light inside the antique-style lamps was like a burning candle, illuminating the entire boat.
The tables in the cabin were already about 70-80% full of guests. Zhuang Rui and his group chose a table by the window and sat down, watching the painted boat glide on the water, with the sound of oars and the reflection of lanterns. If there were singing girls dancing, it would have an even more authentic feel of "the land of the Six Dynasties, a place where gold and powder gather".
On the boat, eating fish is the perfect way to enjoy the scenery. Liu Chuan ordered a bighead carp prepared in three ways: the head is stewed with tofu, ham slices, and cilantro; the tail is marinated with a little salt and cooking wine and then dry-fried in oil; and the body is made into sweet and sour fish chunks. This way of eating is very popular in northern Jiangsu. Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan often ate like this when they were in Pengcheng.
In addition, Zhuang Rui ordered some Nanjing snacks for the two women, such as duck oil crispy sesame cakes and beef potstickers, which are among the eight delicacies of Qinhuai. Although they are not the most authentic ones, they are hard to find in other places.
Before long, the dishes they ordered were served. The fish soup looked milky white and thick, and tasted extremely delicious. The sweet and sour fish pieces were crispy, sweet and sour, and refreshing. Zhuang Rui even asked for a small bowl, picked out the fish bones, mixed them with the fish meat, and put it at his feet for Bai Shi to eat. His actions drew some attention from the guests at the next table, but with Liu Chuan, who looked like the ancient evil spirit, around, no one came up to cause trouble.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, and Liu Chuan had paid the bill, Zhuang Rui stood up and said to the two women, "Xuanbing, let's go to the antique street in Confucius Temple. Aren't you in a hurry to go back?"
Qin Xuanbing rolled her eyes at Zhuang Rui, slightly annoyed. On such a beautiful day, instead of taking a walk by the river with her, he insisted on going to that crowded place. Little did she know that Zhuang Rui had long heard of the Confucius Temple and was really determined to find some great bargains.
Chapter 119 The Story of the Antique Dealer
The Confucius Temple on the banks of the Qinhuai River was first built in the third year of the Xiankang era of Emperor Cheng of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Sima Yan. It was established on the south bank of the Qinhuai River based on Wang Dao's suggestion that "governing the country should prioritize the cultivation of talent." At that time, there was only an academy, and no Confucius Temple was built. The Confucius Temple was expanded from the Eastern Jin academy in the first year of the Jingyou era of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty. Because it was dedicated to Confucius, it was also called the Confucius Temple.
Since ancient times, Confucius Temple has been the crown jewel of the Qinhuai River, shining with captivating brilliance. A place of cultural brilliance and bustling commerce, it has long been known as a "beautiful land south of the Yangtze River." However, Nanjing has historically been a strategic military location, suffering numerous wars throughout history. Confucius Temple was destroyed and rebuilt four times. In 1984, the Confucius Temple-Qinhuai Scenic Area began reconstruction, investing over 1 billion yuan to restore more than 20 ancient buildings, covering over 300,000 square meters, including the Dacheng Hall, Mingde Hall, Zunjing Pavilion, and the Jiangnan Examination Hall. On ordinary days, the daily visitor flow exceeds 100,000, and on holidays, it surpasses 300,000. The Qinhuai River has always been a place for scholars and literati to compose poems and engage in literary pursuits. Therefore, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and flowers, birds, fish, and insects are the most important selling points in Confucius Temple, located on the banks of the Qinhuai River, often attracting numerous tourists to stop and admire them.
Since Confucius Temple is also a combination of antique and flower and bird market, Liu Chuan is very familiar with it. He led everyone into the Confucius Temple market from the east side. As soon as they entered the square, they saw a stone pillar on the east side of the temple with the inscription "Civil and military officials dismount here", which must be in respect to "the most holy and sage king!"
It expresses reverence.
At that time, the Chaotian Palace Antique Market, which was known as "Panjiayuan in the North and Chaotian Palace in the South" in the antique world, had not yet been rebuilt. As a result, more antique enthusiasts gathered at the Confucius Temple Antique Market. In other cities, after nightfall, the stalls in the antique market would usually disperse, but the Confucius Temple Antique Market, which is located next to the beautiful Qinhuai River at night, was bustling with people and extremely lively.
The long street was lined with buildings in the style of the Ming and Qing dynasties, giving people a sense of time travel and being in ancient times. Because there were too many tourists, Liu Chuan was already holding the black lion in his arms. The little white lion, however, was not worried about losing anyone and nimbly moved under the legs of the crowd, always closely following Zhuang Rui.
"Wood, slow down, slow down. This isn't a bargain hunt like Taobao, it's like a bustling market. You can forget about finding anything good here."
After walking with the crowd for a while, Liu Chuan couldn't hold back any longer. There were so many people that it was impossible to stand still in front of the stall. Before you could even get a foothold, the people behind you would push you forward.