However, Xu Zhengyang felt that this matter was no challenge for him. What a joke! He was a dignified Imperial Censor of the Eastern Azure Heaven Court. He would gather a group of ghost messengers when he arrived in the area and ask them to help him find it. He could find it even if it hid deep in the mountains, let alone dig three feet into the ground.
The problem is... we found it. But if it's really hidden and suppressed deep in the mountains, how do we get it out?
Hiring excavators? Using explosives to clear the mountain? That would be too much of a commotion...
Let's find it first.
Xu Zhengyang put aside his thoughts and said, "Help me make some connections and find a way to get over twenty catties of pure mutton fat jade, or even pebble jade, as much as you can get, it has to be top quality..."
"Are you in a hurry?" Yao Chushun asked helplessly.
Yao Chushun felt that Xu Zhengyang probably didn't understand how rare and precious mutton fat jade was. Small pieces weren't hard to find, but getting dozens of kilograms at once would be extremely difficult. If someone wanted to get a whole piece of mutton fat jade weighing dozens of kilograms, it would be equivalent to buying a national treasure.
"Let's hurry." Xu Zhengyang lit another cigarette, sighed, and thought that it wasn't realistic for him to go to the Lunkun Mountains region of Xinjiang Province anytime soon. Besides, it was uncertain how long it would take to find that kind of mutton-fat jade. He had many things to do right now. The crackdown had begun, and it was easy for him to recall the ghost messengers after they were released—it was just a matter of a thought, and it was simple for the ghost messengers to report to him. The problem was, did he really have to personally travel back and forth across the country?
It's fine for a short time, but what about in the long run? Having to handle everything himself is one thing, but his problem-solving skills are another. Xu Zhengyang is self-aware. He's not cut out to be a leader, especially one with such a grand and far-reaching vision. Furthermore, Xu Zhengyang has a lazy side; he's attached to worldly pleasures and wants ample time to enjoy worldly life.
"Zhengyang, it costs a lot of money..."
“Money is not a problem.” Xu Zhengyang waved his hand, his mind already calm, and said, “I know this kind of thing is valuable and rare, how can it be done without spending some money? You take care of it.”
Yao Chushun nodded helplessly, cursing inwardly, "Damn it, you make it sound so easy. Spending 'a little' money? Is it really just a matter of 'a little' money?" Yao Chushun said, "Zhengyang, if you want to buy mutton fat jade, you can only buy pebble jade, because finished jade pieces are too expensive. Often, there's no market for them, and they're mostly cut and processed, so the quantity is small."
“Sure, but the quantity needs to be increased. You decide.” Xu Zhengyang waved his hand, stood up and said, “I’m leaving now. Contact me if you need anything.”
"Okay." Yao Chushun got up with a bitter face and went out to deliver it.
As he walked, Yao Chushun was thinking to himself, "Goodness, why don't you just steal some from the major Palace Museums across the country? They have enough mutton fat jade for you."
Little did he know that Xu Zhengyang had considered it, but he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.
After leaving Gu Xiang Xuan, Xu Zhengyang drove directly to Ronghua Group.
On the way, Xu Zhengyang was still pondering to himself that what he was doing was rather like that of a robber, a kind of hypocrisy. He spent his days scheming to create a fair world, yet he was acting like a robber. Even if Zheng Ronghua and his son had broken their promise first, it didn't warrant demanding the entire Ronghua Group as compensation. Moreover, he had seriously injured both of them.
However, once he arrived at Ronghua Group, Xu Zhengyang felt at ease. Why? Although the Heavenly Laws did not punish them for blasphemy, as a deity, even if I were a mortal being, how could I allow them to betray and deceive me? These are all minor offenses!
Therefore, after arriving at Zheng Ronghua's office, Xu Zhengyang said quite confidently, "Do you have any mutton fat jade? I want the best."
"Huh?" Zheng Ronghua was taken aback. He quickly nodded and said, "Yes."
How many?
Zheng Ronghua thought for a moment and said, "Four items: a jade pendant carved with a lotus, and a jade ruyi..."
"I'm asking you how much it weighs." Xu Zhengyang had no interest in finding out what kind of stuff it was.
"Oh, let me think." Zheng Ronghua thought for a moment nervously and said, "A total of two thousand four hundred and twenty-two grams."
Xu Zhengyang thought for a moment and said, "Okay, how much is it worth?"
"What do you want?"
“Yes, it’s useful,” Xu Zhengyang replied.
"If you're going to use it, why are you talking about money?" Zheng Ronghua said with a wry smile.
“Hey, these are two different things. Those things were yours to keep privately, so you should pay whatever price you owe them…” Xu Zhengyang said magnanimously.
Zheng Ronghua frowned and thought for a long time before stammering, "I... I bought it cheaply, for less than ten million in total."
"Just tell me the current market price."
Zheng Ronghua looked at Xu Zhengyang, pondering what Xu Zhengyang intended to do with it. If he was planning to give it as a gift, then the more valuable the better. The problem was, what if he wasn't giving it as a gift? Wouldn't saying it was too expensive be profiting off Xu Zhengyang? So, after much thought, Zheng Ronghua decided to tell the truth. He said seriously, "Based on current market prices, if it were sent to an international auction, it could fetch at least fifty million..."
"What?" Xu Zhengyang's eyes widened.
"Oh no, no, do you think it's too expensive or too cheap?" Zheng Ronghua was really at a loss.
Xu Zhengyang sighed helplessly. He thought about it for a moment, and realized it was true. The pieces Zheng Ronghua held were all genuine, exquisitely crafted works of art, made of pure jade, and the four pieces alone weighed over 2400 grams – those were large items! Thinking this, Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and said, "Keep them. I'll need them in a few days. As for the money, we'll deduct it from your account later. What's yours is yours..."
After saying that, Xu Zhengyang got up and walked out.
He couldn't sit still any longer, because by his very nature, he felt incredibly ashamed to say such things. He was embarrassed and felt it was too shameless. Moreover, using these extremely precious and collectible artifacts as materials for making divine weapons was an insult to the appreciation of handicrafts and treasures in the minds of ordinary people.
But Zheng Ronghua was so moved by Xu Zhengyang's words that she almost cried.
He possessed a considerable collection of antiques, but the most valuable were undoubtedly these few pieces of top-grade mutton-fat jade. When Xu Zhengyang entered and directly questioned him, Zheng Ronghua was wary, fearing Xu Zhengyang would know everything. Therefore, he dared not conceal anything and told him the truth. However, when he revealed the current value, Zheng Ronghua felt even more regret and fear. He worried that if Xu Zhengyang knew that Zheng Ronghua was actually quite wealthy, he would immediately confiscate all his antiques and jade pieces in a fit of anger, which would truly be the end of him.
Unexpectedly, Xu Zhengyang did not kill him outright, but instead gave him money.
Yes, Zheng Ronghua has now accepted in his heart that the shares his family owns in Ronghua Group and the money they earn every year belong to Xu Zhengyang.
Zheng Ronghua quickly got up and saw Xu Zhengyang off, escorting him all the way out of Ronghua Building in the elevator. She waited respectfully until Xu Zhengyang drove away before nervously wiping her sweat and returning to the building.
Just after leaving Ronghua Building, Xu Zhengyang received a call from Yao Chushun.
Yao Chushun said on the phone that he had just contacted Tang Jing, the jade expert in Beijing, who had more than a dozen pieces of fine mutton fat jade, some of which were uncarved, totaling about thirty kilograms.
Xu Zhengyang pursed his lips, thinking that even if the other person had it, he would still have to pay for it... Although getting money from Zheng Ronghua or directly asking Jiang Lan or Huatong Company wouldn't be a problem, Xu Zhengyang was embarrassed to ask, and besides, he really couldn't bear to part with it; it pained him to part with it.
Xu Zhengyang forced himself to ask, "Has Tang Jing offered a price?"
“Zhengyang, Tang Jing is obsessed with jade, he, he won’t sell it.”
"Isn't that pointless?" Xu Zhengyang said angrily, and was about to hang up when Yao Chushun hurriedly said, "Hey Zhengyang, wait a minute."
Xu Zhengyang brought the phone back to his ear and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Tang Jing said he would consider it if you were to use it, but there is one condition."
"What are the conditions?"
“Use, use your piece of jade to exchange with him. He said he was willing to exchange all the mutton fat jade he had for your piece of jade.”
Xu Zhengyang sneered. "What a joke! Compared to this jade artifact in my hand, the top-grade jade stones clutched in Tang Jing's jade hand are nothing but junk." However, this also shows that Tang Jing truly deserves his reputation as having "jade hands" in the antique world, as he could even recognize the preciousness and rarity of the City Scroll artifact.
“Zhengyang, this deal is worthwhile,” Yao Chushun said tentatively.
"Cheap my ass!" Xu Zhengyang laughed and cursed, saying, "Ask about other things. Price is not a problem. Rough stones or jade pebbles are both fine. Tang Jing won't sell, and we won't force you to buy. Oh, by the way, hurry up. Zheng Ronghua has less than five catties of mutton fat jade here. I've already talked to him. You can roughly calculate that it would cost a little over twenty catties if converted to pure jade."
"Oh, okay." Yao Chushun quickly agreed. Things are valued for their scarcity. As long as Xu Zhengyang has enough money and is willing to spend it, he can definitely buy it. Just collect the money.
As Zheng Ronghua's old friend, Yao Chushun knew the value of the few pieces of mutton fat jade in Zheng Ronghua's possession. He couldn't help but feel uneasy. My God, Zheng Yang is either incredibly wealthy and arrogant, or he's just too much of a bully. This old bastard Zheng Ronghua has finally met his match.
Even now, Yao Chushun still can't understand where Xu Zhengyang got so much money.
...
Chen Chaojiang has been in a bad mood lately.
I had already discussed it with Ye Wan before the Lunar New Year; we planned to take some time after the holiday to visit Jiangjing City and meet Ye Wan's parents. Regardless of their attitude, since we were dating, we should at least meet and say hello to their elders. If they disagreed, we'd talk about it later.
Although Chen Chaojiang knew in his heart that they didn't consider him a piece of cake at all, he never expected that they wouldn't even see him.
When Ye Wan returned home for the Chinese New Year, she mentioned bringing Chen Chaojiang to visit, but her parents immediately locked her up in confinement.
This time they're serious. No matter what Ye Wan says, you're not allowed to leave the house. Ye Wan's mother even said that if that country bumpkin dares to come to their house, they'll throw him into the river to feed the fish.
Goodness...
Fortunately, Ye Wan could occasionally secretly send a text message or make a phone call to Chen Chaojiang, but she didn't dare to contact him openly, otherwise she was worried that her phone would be confiscated.
Ye Wan said to Chen Chaojiang with a wronged expression, "I have told my mother about Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie. They can be together, and the Li family does not look down on them. Do you think our family is of a higher status than the Li family?"
But it was no use; her parents completely ignored her.
That's not all. Brother Ye Wan added, "If you ever think of contacting him again, I'll make that kid disappear from this world completely."
"If you lay a finger on him, I'll kill myself." When Ye Wan gets stubborn, she fears no one.
But no matter how stubborn, unyielding, or obstinate she is, she just can't leave the house now.
Chen Chaojiang didn't dare to rush over recklessly. Did he really want to rely on his own courage to break into Ye Wan's house and snatch her out?
Chen Chaojiang is not a fool.
He had considered asking Xu Zhengyang for help, but his pride made him too embarrassed to bother Xu Zhengyang with matters of personal love.
At the end of the first lunar month, the logistics industry entered its off-season, and Chen Chaojiang felt increasingly frustrated.
A few days ago, Xu Zhengyang mentioned that he's been busy arranging for Xu Rouyue to study abroad. He said he wants her to pursue a Master of Business Administration degree at Harvard University, which is called an "MBA" in English. Hmm, I heard the tuition alone will cost over 300,000 yuan a year. Chen Chaojiang was feeling restless and wanted to travel, but Xu Zhengyang's suggestion gave him a chance. He thought, "I'll go see my brother again. If that doesn't work out, I'll send him abroad to study too, and he can get an MBA. He'll be better off than his uneducated older brother."
Chen Chaojiang's thinking was simple: he already had such a large shareholding in the industry, and Xu Zhengyang wanted him to manage it? He was simply not cut out for it. As for Xu Zhengyang sending his sister Xu Rouyue to study for this master's degree, wasn't he just hoping that his sister could help him in the future?
Therefore, it is necessary for the younger brother to study hard so that he can surpass his older brother in the future, all thanks to Xu Zhengyang's help.
Ultimately, Chen Chaojiang and Xu Zhengyang both harbored a deep regret: it wasn't that they didn't want to study, but rather that their family circumstances forced them to give up their education so that their family and younger siblings could go to school.
Even if one has the means to continue their education now, their foundation is too weak, and they cannot learn what they want to learn.
Moreover, there isn't enough time and energy left.
Feeling depressed, Chen Chaojiang drove to Anping City.
Volume 5, Spirit Official, Chapter 248: Some things are better left unsaid.
Xu Zhengyang could roughly guess that things were probably very bad regarding Chen Chaojiang and Ye Wan's affair.
Before this, Xu Zhengyang had casually mentioned this to Chen Chaojiang on the phone: "Chaojiang, didn't you say you were going to Ye Wan's house to meet her parents before the New Year? Did you go or not? I haven't heard a word from you about it..."
Chen Chaojiang replied, "The logistics companies are too busy during the period before and after the Lunar New Year to keep up with the demands."
Xu Zhengyang didn't ask any further questions.
When it comes to matters of the heart, Xu Zhengyang is the last person he wants to get involved in, because human emotions are the most complex and changeable things. Even a god cannot predict what a person's next thought might be. Therefore, interfering in matters of the heart between men and women is the easiest way to do more harm than good.
Moreover, from Xu Zhengyang's personal perspective, he doesn't think Chen Chaojiang and Ye Wan are a good match.
After all, the two people come from very different backgrounds, have very different family backgrounds, cultural backgrounds, and living environments. When such people come together, a momentary impulse, driven by mutual attraction and novelty, may certainly spark a dazzling flame of love. However, as time goes on, they will inevitably start to see some of the initial fresh and intriguing qualities as flaws.
Ye Wan. Unlike Li Bingjie.
Because of her autism over the past decade, Li Bingjie remains somewhat withdrawn and reserved, even now that she's more open-minded. She's not good with words, and she seems to have no demands, nor does she get angry or annoyed. To exaggerate a bit, she's like an otherworldly woman, and Xu Zhengyang happens to be a deity, making them a perfect match.
But what about Ye Wan and Chen Chaojiang?
Xu Zhengyang was confident he could force the Ye family not to interfere with Ye Wan and Chen Chaojiang's relationship, but he wasn't confident he could guarantee that their love would be happy in the future.
so……
Since Chen Chaojiang didn't say anything, Xu Zhengyang didn't ask too many questions.
If Chen Chaojiang speaks up, then Xu Zhengyang, for the sake of his brother and loyalty, must stand up for Chen Chaojiang and give him support.
Just as Chen Chaojiang went to Hedong University in Anping City, Xu Zhengyang had finished a phone call with Wu Guanxian from Dun Shibo's side. For his sister's studies abroad, Xu Zhengyang was willing to abandon his divine status and ask for a favor. To be honest, Xu Zhengyang was truly helpless. He originally didn't want Jiang Lan's help at all, but unexpectedly, over the years, Xu Rouyue and Jiang Lan's relationship had become as close as mother and daughter. Especially in the area of business management, Xu Rouyue proactively inquired about relevant experience and theories—wasn't that what she had studied?
Therefore, Jiang Lan suggested that Xu Rouyue study abroad, pursuing an MBA at Harvard University. She had connections within the graduate programs and departments at Tsinghua University in China, who could arrange a recommendation. She also had classmates in Dun Shibo who could help with all the necessary paperwork.