Zhuang Rui was a little puzzled. Only his family knew about his marriage, so how did Zheng Hua find out?
Actually, it was Zhuang Rui's mother-in-law who intentionally or unintentionally leaked this information. Although the engagement ceremony was very grand, the Qin family would still let some word out about their daughter's marriage, even if they didn't hold a formal ceremony. So, people of some standing in Hong Kong knew about this.
"Brother, you know this was a gift from the old man, right? If you don't dare accept it, I don't dare take it back either. Alright, don't be so polite with me. Keep it, and when I get married in the future, you can just pick out some nicer things to return to me..."
Zheng Hua smiled and handed the jewelry box to Zhuang Rui, who understood his grandfather's meaning perfectly.
Qin's Jewelry is now very powerful in mainland China. This is partly because Zhuang Rui helped them gamble on a lot of good materials, and partly because they have a connection with the Ouyang family. People who know about this background generally give them some leeway.
The jewelry market in mainland China, worth tens of billions of yuan annually, is not something that Zheng's Jewelry alone can handle. Even without the Qin family, other companies would be competing in this market.
The Zheng family and the Qin family have always had a good relationship, so the Zheng family patriarch's act of giving Zhuang Rui a wedding gift was actually a gesture of goodwill towards the Qin family. If the Qin family patriarch is not senile, he will naturally understand the benefits of the alliance between the two families, which would definitely allow them to occupy half of the mainland market.
Another point is that Zheng Hua is currently in charge of the mainland business. Cultivating a good relationship with a powerful upstart like Zhuang Rui would be very beneficial for Zheng Hua's business expansion in the mainland.
"Alright, I'll accept it then. I'll personally thank the old man later..."
Seeing that Zheng Hua was sincere, Zhuang Rui stopped being coy. Just as Zheng Hua said, these things were just gifts, not favors. If they could be repaid with money, there was no need to worry about owing them. He could just find an opportunity to return them later.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Zheng Hua waved his hand and said, "No need, the old man is chanting scriptures right now. He'll go see the Living Buddha later. You don't need to go, brother..."
After chatting for a while, Zheng Hua checked his watch, said goodbye to Zhuang Rui, and left.
"Brother Zhuang, is this... a diamond? Why is it red?"
After Zhuang Rui saw Zheng Hua out of the villa and returned to his room, he saw Peng Fei holding the jewelry box he had placed on the table, looking quite surprised.
"Let me see it..."
Zhuang Rui was too embarrassed to look at the gift in front of Zheng Hua, and he didn't know what was in the box.
"Hmm, a red diamond, these are quite rare. The Zheng family really put a lot of thought into this..."
Inside that small jewelry box were two platinum and diamond rings set side by side. However, unlike the diamond rings commonly seen in jewelry stores, the diamonds on these two rings were pink.
Moreover, the names of Zhuang Rui and Qin Xuanbing were even engraved inside the diamond ring, showing that the Zheng family really put a lot of thought into preparing this gift.
Zhuang Rui had originally planned to choose his wedding rings after returning to Beijing, but unexpectedly, they were delivered to him. Given the value of these two red diamonds, they were quite suitable as wedding rings.
"Brother Zhuang, is this red diamond really valuable? I'll buy one for my wife sometime..."
Peng Fei is quite wealthy now; the money Zhuang Rui entrusted to his wife is several million.
"Hehe, we can't buy this. Maybe we can go to South Africa sometime and see if we can find some red diamonds..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and shook his head. Red diamonds are extremely rare. In April 1987, a 0.95k carat round red diamond was auctioned in New York for a price of $880,000. In recent years, there has been no news of anyone auctioning red diamonds.
The red diamonds on these two rings together should be around one carat. Based on the market appreciation over the years, the value of the two rings is probably no less than one million and a half million US dollars.
"Alright, go and rest. I'm going to get some sleep too..."
Zhuang Rui stood up and returned to his room on the second floor. However, instead of going to sleep, he turned on his laptop. Zhuang Rui wanted to search on some online forums to find out what exactly the Five Supernatural Powers of Buddhism were.
Chapter 730 Five Eyes (Part 1)
"So many different interpretations?"
After connecting to the internet using the broadband in the villa, Zhuang Rui typed in the words "Buddhist supernatural powers" and many answers appeared. The most common ones were the divine eye, the divine ear, the mind-reading ability, the knowledge of past lives, the divine foot ability, and the Taoist ability to eliminate all defilements.
After observing for a long time, Zhuang Rui shook his head. Even with the Heavenly Eye, the situation he saw was not quite the same as what he had read online. According to what he had read online, the Heavenly Eye could see the Heavenly Palace above and inspect the Underworld below, but he did not yet possess that ability.
On the other hand, Zhuang Rui didn't really believe in the existence of the Heavenly Palace and the Underworld. He had possessed supernatural abilities for so long, but he had never seen any ghosts or deities, which was completely unrelated to what was said online.
In the 1980s and 90s, Zhuang Rui often saw on TV and in newspapers that so-called qigong masters could see through walls, but they were all later proven to be fake qigong. As for the situation he experienced, he had never heard of it.
Zhuang Rui estimated that even if there were other people in the world who could see through walls like him, they wouldn't make a fuss about it. Only swindlers would use this to make money. People with real ability would probably make a fortune quietly. Who would be so bored as to go around bragging about it?
After searching for a long time, Zhuang Rui was dizzy and confused but hadn't gained anything, so he simply closed those web pages and logged into his own museum's website.
"Not bad..."
The website's homepage features an introduction to the museum, along with photos of artifacts from various exhibition halls. These precious cultural relics, taken from different angles, look exceptionally exquisite.
Clicking on the VIP login area, Zhuang Rui entered the number "DG001" (the pinyin for "Dingguang"), which meant that Zhuang Rui was the first member.
"You've got a lot of good stuff!"
After logging in, Zhuang Rui discovered that over a hundred photos had already been uploaded to the VIP area. Each photo had the uploader's ID and phone number, along with numerous comments, creating a lively atmosphere.
"Brother Huangfu, the website is doing great! Has anyone successfully completed a transaction?"
Zhuang Rui was delighted with the pictures; several items in them particularly appealed to him, so he simply took out his phone and called Huangfu Yun.
"Zhuang Rui, where have you been focusing your attention all day? You don't care about your own museum, why are you so concerned about that website? I'm already exhausted from working on this..."
Upon hearing that it was Zhuang Rui calling, Huangfu Yun immediately began to complain. With Zhuang Rui away, all the big and small matters fell on his shoulders. If it weren't for another deputy curator in charge of managing the museum's daily operations, Huangfu Yun would have been overwhelmed long ago.
"Hehe, the capable should do more, Brother Huangfu, is everything alright at the museum?"
Zhuang Rui also felt that he had gone a bit too far. The museum had only been open for a few days, and he had already abandoned it. This museum was truly his property.
"The museum is fine, but I'm busy," Huangfu Yun said angrily. "I've been spending all my time at the auction house these past few days. I haven't even had time to date..."
There have been many auctions in Beijing lately, and several of the special sales were quite good. After receiving the brochures, Zhuang Rui highlighted a few items and asked Huangfu Yun to bid on them.
Huangfu Yun was extremely busy, dealing with travel agency staff and keeping an eye on auctions.
"Alright, stop complaining after getting a good deal, Brother Huangfu. When you went to the auction, Miss Yunman was definitely with you, right? I gave you a chance to use this opportunity for personal gain, and you're still complaining?"
Yunman is the financial director of several of Zhuang Rui's businesses, so she will definitely be attending the auction, which is why Zhuang Rui made that remark.
"Uh, Mr. Zhuang, what's the matter? Just say it..."
Having been exposed by Zhuang Rui, Huangfu Yun immediately changed the subject.
“I saw a few nice items on the website. Take a look. You can talk to the members first and try to get them to bring the items to Beijing. I'll be back in 10 days at the latest. If I see anything I like then, I can buy it…”
Zhuang Rui created this online platform to directly acquire antiques from collectors across the country. Now that he's seen a few good pieces, he's naturally not going to let them go.
"Okay, Mr. Zhuang, I understand. Give me the number and I'll contact them..."
When it came to serious matters, Huangfu Yun became serious. He clearly distinguished between friendship and work.
After Zhuang Rui told Huangfu Yun the numbers of the photos he had chosen, he casually asked, "Has there been any change in the number of visitors to the museum these past few days?"
The weather in Beijing is very hot in July and August, which is the off-season for tourism. Zhuang Rui estimated that apart from the two days of opening, it would be good if they could maintain three or four thousand people a day on ordinary days.
"Not bad, we've had around 8,000 tourists these past few days. Once the weather cools down a bit, I expect it will be even more..."
The figures Huangfuyun gave were somewhat unexpected for Zhuang Rui. Eight thousand visitors would generate around 400,000 yuan in revenue. Even after deducting the travel agency's commission, there would probably still be 200,000 to 300,000 yuan left, which is much better than that of a typical state-owned museum.
"We settle accounts with travel agencies quickly, so they're willing to bring people here. Plus, the person Mr. Ouyang introduced also put in a good word with his staff. In terms of ticket revenue, our museum is unique in the whole country..."
Huangfu Yun's words cleared up Zhuang Rui's doubts. State-owned museums, which receive government funding and are state-run entities, tend to be quite arrogant, making it difficult for travel agencies to settle payments. They usually hold onto payments for at least one or two months.
In comparison, Zhuang Rui's museum has both connections and good interpersonal skills, so travel agencies are naturally more willing to send more people there; it's a mutually beneficial arrangement.
As for the source of tourists, that's not a problem at all. As the capital of a country with over a billion people, Beijing will always have tourists, no matter the season.
"Well, Brother Huangfu, then I'll trouble you. I'll treat you to a drink later..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and hung up the phone. He was in a great mood because of the museum's business. He had originally thought that he would have to lose money to run the business, but the profit was actually not low. Even if he replenished the collection every year, he should be able to be self-sufficient.
After hanging up the phone, Zhuang Rui slept for a while, but in his dreams he kept thinking about the Buddhist supernatural powers mentioned by the Panchen Lama. In the end, he even had a dream in which he became Sun Wukong with fiery eyes. Fortunately, he woke up just as he was about to be suppressed by the Buddha.
Zhuang Rui opened his eyes and realized that his phone on the bedside table had been ringing incessantly. He answered it groggily and heard Qin Xuanbing's voice. He asked casually, "Xuanbing, what time is it?"
Qin Xuanbing was both amused and annoyed by Zhuang Rui's question, and retorted, "Are you sleeping? Have you had dinner yet? It's already past 7 o'clock..."
"Uh, I went to see the Panchen Lama this morning, took a nap this afternoon, and am going to eat now..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head vigorously, sat up, and laughed self-deprecatingly. He had been exposed to too much Buddhist stuff these past few days, and it had made his mind almost muddled.
Zhuang Rui suddenly remembered that He Shuang should have already replied to Beijing by now, so he quickly asked, "By the way, did you receive the prayer wheel that I asked He Shuang to bring you?"
This prayer wheel is priceless and cannot be damaged in the slightest.
"I received it. I was a bit irritable this afternoon, but after reciting some sutras with the prayer wheel, I felt much calmer. Thank you, honey..."
Qin Xuanbing was initially a little upset when she saw the things Zhuang Rui brought. No matter how many things there were, nothing was as good as having Zhuang Rui by her side. However, just as she said, reciting scriptures with that prayer wheel was indeed very effective.
"Hehe, it's good that it works. You have to be sincere when you chant the sutras. I'll be going back in a few days..."
Zhuang Rui laughed upon hearing this. Faith is something that works if you believe in it; if you don't believe in it at all, even holding Buddhist artifacts won't help.
"Okay, come back soon, my mom and the others are coming tomorrow..."
"Definitely, at most ten days or so, maybe five or six days at the earliest..."
Zhuang Rui agreed confidently. Although his family had everything they needed and his mother and the others would definitely take good care of Qin Xuanbing, as a man, he still needed to be by his wife's side at this time.
After chatting with Qin Xuanbing for a while, Zhuang Rui finally hung up the phone at her urging, went downstairs to call Peng Fei, and went to the restaurant in the villa area for dinner.
This villa area is specifically for receiving government officials at the vice-provincial level or above. If he hadn't needed Zhuang Rui's help, he wouldn't have been arranged to stay here. Because of its relatively remote location, the restaurant offers 24-hour service.
After dinner, Zhuang Rui took the white lion for a walk, then went to bed early. In the high-altitude region, it's easy to feel tired, and even with Zhuang Rui's extraordinary constitution, it still took him several days to recover. ...
The next morning, three SUVs parked in front of Zhuang Rui's villa, where Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei were already waiting.
Upon seeing Yang Kaiwen get out of the last car, Zhuang Rui went up to him and joked, "Director Yang, what's this? Are you leading the team yourself?"
"I'd like to go, but I don't have the affinity for Buddhism..."
Yang Kaiwen laughed. The various activities before the search for the reincarnated child had left him feeling a bit exhausted. Fortunately, all the teams were about to set off, and things were finally coming to an end.
"Alright, Director Yang, I'll give you this Buddhist opportunity. Or would you like to make the trip?"
Zhuang Rui laughed and joked with Yang Kaiwen, saying that if someone as bloodthirsty as Peng Fei could have a connection with Buddhism, then how could someone like him, who comes into contact with living Buddhas every day, also have some connection to them?
Yang Kaiwen glanced around, walked up to Zhuang Rui, and said, "Brother Zhuang, the places you're going to this time are Mangkang County and Zogang County, which are located at the junction of Yunnan, Tibet, and Sichuan provinces. After the investigations in these two counties are completed, you may be assigned to Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture..."
Zhuang Rui frowned upon hearing this and asked, "Director Yang, isn't Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture part of Yunnan? Why do we have to go there too?"
Zhuang Rui had heard of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, which is under the jurisdiction of Yunnan Province. Famous tourist attractions like Shangri-La are located within the jurisdiction of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
"Hey, the search for Living Buddhas isn't limited to Tibet; it's in all areas inhabited by Tibetans..."
After explaining to Zhuang Rui, Yang Kaiwen leaned close to Zhuang Rui's ear and whispered, "Go to Zogang County and stay there for a few days. If nothing happens, you can go back to Beijing..."
Chapter 731 The Five Eyes (Part 2)