This piece of jade is quite a hodgepodge. In the middle, there are two fist-sized pink areas that look a bit like garnets. Surrounding those pink areas are purple, green, yellow, black, white, and orange—almost everything imaginable. Zhuang Rui was dazzled by it. He couldn't understand why this thing was worth ten million.
"You wouldn't be able to tell with your discerning eye. Don't ask anymore. Come and pick it up when it's finished. As long as you're not short of money, you're not allowed to sell this thing."
Gu Tianfeng valued this piece of jade even more than that of the imperial green jade of the glass type, which filled Zhuang Rui with curiosity. However, no matter how much he asked, the old man refused to say anything more.
"You little rascal, you actually came here! I've been looking for you everywhere."
Adila's voice came from the vineyard, and then the three of them walked through the maze-like grape trellis and came to Zhuang Rui.
"Uncle Tian? What do you want with me? I can't be of any help, we already agreed on that."
Zhuang Rui was somewhat confused, and when he looked behind Adila, he saw two people in uniforms following behind, which made him even more bewildered.
"Hey kid, I'm asking you for money."
Adila unceremoniously pulled Zhuang Rui up from the chair and sat down himself. Actually, there were plenty of chairs around, but Adila couldn't stand Zhuang Rui's leisurely manner. Why should this old man have to do so many things?
"Here, take a look first. If there are no problems, sign it, and then sign the notarized document."
Adila tossed a document to Zhuang Rui, then gestured for the two people behind her to sit down. A Uyghur woman immediately brought over tea.
Zhuang Rui opened the document and found it to be an equity agreement, which specified the approximate mineral content and total value of the jade mine, his shareholding, and of course, the corresponding amount of capital he was obligated to contribute.
According to the Jade King's estimate, the total amount of jade that can be mined from that jade vein should be over 100 tons, and its value is around 1 billion to 1.5 billion RMB. The initial investment is 20 million, and an additional 30 million will be added later. Zhuang Rui, who owns 50% of the shares, will have to put up 10 million upfront, and will have to invest an additional 15 million later.
In fact, the additional money later was just a formality. The jade mine is already profitable, and the money can be spent from the profits.
Adila's shareholding agreement was very detailed and there was nothing to criticize. After carefully reviewing it, Zhuang Rui signed his name and then, in front of the notary, wrote a check for ten million and handed it to Adila.
After the notary read the notarization statement, all three parties signed the notarized document and kept a copy for themselves. The whole process took no more than half an hour. Zhuang Rui had to admire the connections that Prince Yu had in Hotan, as he was able to invite a notary to his home.
After the notary left, Gu Tianfeng said to Adila, "Brother, I've stayed here for over a month, it's time to say goodbye. I'll be going back to Beijing tomorrow."
"Okay, after I'm done with this busy period, I'll go to Beijing for a few days. Xiao Zhuang, are you still going to the mine?"
With a new jade mine to be mined, Adila didn't try to persuade her old friend to stay any longer. Instead, she looked at Zhuang Rui and said, "I'm not going. I'd only be a nuisance there. I'll go with my master. I'll leave things to you, Uncle Tian."
Zhuang Rui shook his head. This trip had taken quite a while, and now that he had achieved his goal, he wanted to return to Pengcheng.
"Come back to Beijing with me?"
Gu Lao turned his head to the side and asked Zhuang Rui a question.
"Should we go back to Beijing first, or go straight back to Pengcheng?"
To be honest, Zhuang Rui hadn't made up his mind yet. He learned from Yue Jing's phone call that Ouyang Jun had chased him to Xinjiang, and he wanted to put an end to this matter, understand what happened back then, and see if he could resolve his mother's inner conflict. He couldn't let his mother remain unhappy forever.
"Uncle-Master, I'll go back to Beijing with you first. I have some things to take care of."
Thinking of his mother secretly shedding tears during holidays, Zhuang Rui made up his mind.
Chapter 276 Not Right
By the end of July, the weather in Beijing was getting increasingly hot. Zhuang Rui got off the plane at noon, just as a thunderstorm was starting. However, the summer weather is unpredictable; the rain had barely stopped when the sun came out, quickly evaporating the rainwater and creating a suffocating feeling.
Grandpa Gu's little courtyard was also unbearably hot and stuffy. Apart from the old man's master bedroom, none of the other rooms had air conditioning. After staying inside for a while, sweat dripped down his forehead as if it were free.
The courtyard, which was originally somewhat cool, became uninhabitable because the points on the ground had evaporated. It was impossible to sleep in the same room as the old man, so Zhuang Rui told the old man and moved back to the hotel.
"Little one, you've arrived in Beijing? Where are you? I'll come pick you up, and we'll have dinner together tonight..."
Yue Jingxiong had been keeping a close eye on Zhuang Rui's whereabouts. As soon as Zhuang Rui settled into the hotel, he called.
After telling his second brother the name of the hotel, Zhuang Rui wanted to sleep for a while. He had been exhausted this past month. He had spent almost a month in the mountains, only returned to Xinjiang the day before yesterday, and then rushed to Beijing today. Even an iron man would be worn out.
Just as Zhuang Rui finished showering and came out, before his hair was even dry, his phone rang again. He glanced at the number; it was a local landline. Zhuang Rui guessed it was probably Ouyang Jun calling again, so he pressed the answer button.
"Hey, Zhuang Rui, you've disappeared? I haven't been able to find you for a month. If I can't get through to you again, I'm going to call the police."
A crisp, machine-gun-like sound came from the phone, but there was a hint of concern in the voice. Zhuang Rui felt inexplicably relieved when he heard it wasn't Ouyang Jun.
"Officer Miao, do you need to call the police if you want to investigate me? Aren't you a police officer yourself?"
Zhuang Rui always felt relaxed around Miao Feifei. Perhaps this beautiful policewoman's personality was perfect for being friends. He never felt restrained around her.
Previously, Zhuang Rui would call Miao Feifei every three to five days to exchange a few jokes. However, during his time in Xinjiang, there were simply no other options, so their contact was interrupted for over a month.
"Hmph, don't think I don't know what you've been up to all this time. Last month you went to Xi'an first, then got involved in a case of robbing a Tang Dynasty emperor's tomb, and then came to Beijing. Oh, and you dared not call me when you came to Beijing..."
Miao Feifei's voice rose considerably on the phone, clearly indicating her dissatisfaction that Zhuang Rui hadn't informed her of his trip to Beijing.
"Officer Miao, I'm here on official business. I didn't even stay in Beijing for a day before leaving, I didn't have time. By the way, how did you know about that tomb raiding case in Xi'an?"
Because he didn't want his family to worry, Zhuang Rui didn't mention a word about what happened in Xi'an to anyone outside the family. Although Miao Feifei was also in the public security system, it was impossible for her to know about such a small case in Xi'an.
"Yang Wei told me."
Officer Miao made no attempt to cover for the informant. If Brother Wei heard this, he would definitely slap himself a few times for being so talkative. However, if the beautiful woman inquired about any more information later, Brother Wei would still be quick to speak up.
"There's always the risk of an inside traitor..."
Zhuang Rui chuckled on the phone.
"You still haven't explained what you went to Xinjiang for? Why haven't you turned on your phone for a month?"
Miao Feifei pressed her for details over the phone, explaining that she had gone to great lengths to find Zhuang Rui's boarding records and knew that he had flown from Beijing to Xinjiang.
How did you know I went to Xinjiang?
Zhuang Rui found it strange. He hadn't told Wei Ge that he was going to Xinjiang, and Miao Feifei didn't seem to know Yue Jingxiong either. How could she know so much about his whereabouts?
"I checked your boarding records."
"How could you do this? This is an invasion of personal privacy!"
Zhuang Rui knew that Miao Feifei had a powerful background, but he was still a little annoyed that his whereabouts were being monitored by others, so he raised his voice slightly.
"It's because you haven't been heard from for a month that people are worried something has happened to you. You're like a dog biting Lü Dongbin, not recognizing a kind heart."
Miao Feifei got angry too. "I only went to find out about you because I was worried about you. If someone else had told me where to go, I wouldn't have cared."
"Alright, I admit I was wrong. Please be magnanimous. I'll treat you to dinner tonight. Would you do me the honor?"
Zhuang Rui grew up with two women in his family. Over the past twenty years, he's learned a valuable lesson: never argue with women, always back down and let things slide. A harmonious family brings prosperity, after all. However, Zhuang Rui seems to have forgotten this. Miao Feifei isn't part of his family.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Zhuang Rui thought Miao Feifei was busy, and just as he was about to speak, Officer Miao's voice came through: "You're free. Where are you tonight?"
"Come to my hotel first, then we can go out together."
Zhuang Rui told him the hotel name over the phone. He had no idea where his second brother was taking him to dinner, but he figured that bringing one more person, especially a beautiful woman, would surely please Yue Jing.
"Damn, are you sure you're going to Xinjiang, not Africa?"
Less than two hours after lying down, the second brother smashed open Zhuang Rui's room door. When he saw Zhuang Rui's appearance, he almost didn't recognize him.
"I even went to Bermuda and saw a sea monster, do you believe me?"
Zhuang Rui replied irritably, went to the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and was almost unrecognizable. His hair had grown long enough to cover his ears, and his beard covered half his face. Hmm, his eyes were still his own. He couldn't mistake himself.
This appearance was a bit shabby. If Miao Feifei saw it, she would definitely be shocked. Zhuang Rui quickly used the hotel's razor to shave, but that thing was some cheap knock-off from a street vendor, and it left several cuts on his face before he could finally shave cleanly.
Knowing that Miao Feifei would be coming soon, Zhuang Rui didn't dare stay in his room in just his underwear. However, while searching for clothes, he was at a loss. His clothes were soaked with sweat and definitely unwearable. But the jeans he'd bought for thirty-nine yuan at a large supermarket had two holes rubbed into the knees from hiking. Wearing them out to eat seemed a bit impolite, didn't it?
"Zhuang Rui, I'm at the hotel. Which room are you staying in?"
Just as he was about to ask his second brother to buy him some clothes, Officer Miao called. Zhuang Rui simply put on his ripped jeans and a bright red T-shirt. With his medium-length hair, he looked a bit like an artsy young man from the 1980s.
"Yue Xiaoliu? What are you doing here?"
"Miao Feifei? What are you doing here?"
Upon hearing that a beautiful woman had arrived, Yue Jing, who volunteered to open the door, heard two exclamations from the other side.
"Tsk tsk, that's rare. Officer Miao actually wears a skirt?"
"Are you looking for death? Didn't you get enough beatings when you were a kid?"
The conversation by the door was tense; the two seemed to be at odds.
Zhuang Rui picked up his handbag, but felt it didn't quite match his outfit, so he simply stuffed his wallet into his back pocket and walked over empty-handed, holding only his phone.
"Hey, Officer Miao, judging by your outfit, I bet a lot of people bumped into telephone poles on the way here, right?"
When Zhuang Rui saw Miao Feifei, he was also somewhat amazed. She, who always wore a uniform, was wearing a white dress today. Her fair skin and delicate face made Zhuang Rui's eyes light up.
"Is it really good?"
Miao Feifei blushed slightly, a rare occurrence for her, and looked a little awkward. Yue Xiaoliu, who was standing to the side, was quite surprised. When had he ever seen Miss Miao like this before?
"Well, it's similar to wearing a uniform, each has its own merits. By the way, do you two know each other?"
Zhuang Rui casually replied that, in fact, every man has a bit of a uniform fetish.
"I've known Yue Xiaopang since we were kids."
The second brother has quite a few nicknames, and Zhuang Rui learned another one from Miao Feifei.
"Crazy girl, call me Sixth Brother."
Judging from Yue Jing's words, the two were quite familiar with each other.
"Alright, we all know each other, so I don't need to introduce you. Second brother, where are we going to eat? Let's go, I didn't eat enough on the plane at noon."
Zhuang Rui called out to Miao Feifei, who was glaring at Yue Jing, and then walked out of the room first.
"Youngest brother, how do you know this girl? Don't let her gentle and delicate appearance fool you, she's no pushover..."
As they were leaving, Yue Jing whispered something in Zhuang Rui's ear.
"Yue Xiaopang, if you talk bad about me again, I'll make sure you can't get out of bed for three days."
Officer Miao has always been straightforward. Anyway, there's no point in hitting him; a man who gets beaten up by a woman and can't get up is too embarrassed to brag about it.
"How could I dare? By the way, youngest, dinner isn't on me today..."
Brother Yue Jing shuddered and immediately changed the subject.
Zhuang Rui raised an eyebrow slightly and asked casually, "Ouyang Jun?"
“It’s him. Hey, youngest brother, what’s your relationship with him? He even chased you all the way to Xinjiang the other day.”
In Yue Jing's circle, there is no shortage of gossip, but there is also a great lack of gossip. The level of gossip is no less than that of a famous British tabloid. Whatever happens in a family can be discussed for a long time. People in Beijing are also bold. Stories about certain actresses and high-ranking officials all come from these circles.
"It's nothing, he just has some things he wants to ask me."