Zhuang Rui smiled and pushed the package containing more than a hundred authentication certificates to Luo Jiang's side, saying, "Alright, I've kept my promise. Put your seal on it. There are more than a hundred here. After we're done, I'll treat you to dinner to reward you properly."
"Thank you, thank you, Mr. Zhuang. You are a truly trustworthy person. If you ever need any other items to be carved in the future, I, Luo Jiang, will definitely make them for you free of charge."
Luo Jiang looked somewhat excited. He took out a box of inkpad and a seal from his bag and carefully pressed the seal against the column for the maker of the certificate.
Chapter 340 Resale
"Zhuang Rui, I've really helped you a lot this time. What good stuff did you bring? Everyone's being so secretive..."
In the VIP room of Shitouzhai, Wu Jia brought Zhuang Rui a cup of tea, and then her big eyes were fixed on Zhuang Rui's backpack.
Yesterday, she was furious. When Uncle Luo came to say goodbye to Grandpa, he refused to tell her what materials the bracelets and ornaments Zhuang Rui had made were made of. As for what kind of items they were, Wu Jia knew perfectly well. She could roughly tell from the jewelry boxes that Zhuang Rui had specially ordered from her.
Grandpa, that stubborn old man, always insisted on keeping the guests' secrets, and even scolded Wu Jia. So when Zhuang Rui came to the store today, Manager Wu's face was not very good.
"Oh, Miss Wu, I haven't offended you, have I? Why are you making tea for me with cold water?"
Zhuang Rui took a sip of tea and found that the water was cold. It turned out that this young lady had brewed the tea with cold water. Looking into the cup again, he saw that the tea leaves hadn't even unfurled.
"Oh? I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't notice, I'll get you another cup..."
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Wu Jia felt a little embarrassed. It wasn't intentional; she had just been preoccupied with what Zhuang Rui would take out and had been somewhat distracted. So when she was filling the water dispenser, her hand wasn't on the heating spout.
"Alright, don't bother anymore. I'll leave after I give you the things. I have a lot to do today..."
Zhuang Rui waved his hand, took the backpack behind him to the front, took out three palm-sized boxes from it, placed them on the coffee table in front of him, and pushed them toward Wu Jia, who was sitting opposite him.
"A bracelet? Zhuang Rui, it's not imperial green, is it?"
Judging from the packaging, Wu Jia knew that these should be three bracelets. She believed that Zhuang Rui would not try to fool her with bracelets that cost ten yuan each from a street stall. Thinking of the imperial green jadeite cabochon she had received a while ago, Wu Jia was filled with anticipation.
"Where would you find so much imperial green jade? If you don't like this, I'll take it..."
Zhuang Rui rolled his eyes. What was this girl thinking? He had never even seen an imperial green jade bracelet before, and even if he did, he would never sell it.
It's worth noting that Zhuang Rui was already quite pained to spend those three icy jadeite bracelets, especially since Myanmar imposed a ban on raw jadeite embargoes in early June. All jadeite rough stones leaving Myanmar had to pass through the Yangon Jadeite Auction, and for the past three months, the price of finished jadeite products in China has been changing daily.
Originally, ordinary colorless icy jadeite bracelets could be bought for 50,000 to 60,000 yuan, but in just over three months, the price has skyrocketed to over 200,000 yuan. Not to mention full red icy jadeite bracelets like these, which would definitely deserve the title of "treasure of the store" even in jewelry stores in some big cities.
If the embargo on raw jadeite from Myanmar is not lifted, the price of jadeite in the domestic market will rise further. This increase is already far greater than the investment in many industries such as real estate. Zhuang Rui is not short of money now, so keeping this batch of red jadeite icy bracelets in his hands will surely make him a fortune in the future.
Wu Jia glanced at Zhuang Rui, picked up a box, and slowly opened it. Instantly, her small but lively eyes stopped moving and stared intently at the bright red bracelet inside the box, as bright as the blazing sun, and refused to look away.
"Hey. Are you stunned?"
Zhuang Rui had been sitting next to her for several minutes and realized that Wu Jia hadn't paid any attention to him. When he looked at her, he realized that the girl was also captivated by the red jade bracelet.
"Yes, yes, what? You're the one who's stupid!"
Wu Jia subconsciously agreed to Zhuang Rui's request, finally taking her eyes off the bracelet. However, she looked at the other two jewelry boxes. Her small hands moved like butterflies flitting among flowers, quickly opening the remaining two boxes. Three red jade bracelets, equally exquisite, were then presented before her eyes.
"Zhuang Rui, is this a blood jade bracelet?"
Looking at the alluring red jade bracelet, Wu Jia couldn't help but ask, "Although Shi Tou Zhai is arguably the best jade shop in Pengcheng, the best jade they sell is only icy jade, mostly green. Let alone a full red bracelet like this, I've never even seen a bracelet with the three colors of fortune, longevity, and prosperity."
However, even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run. The name of the Blood Jade Bracelet is well-known, even to outsiders. Wu Jia immediately thought of this term.
"No, this is a red jade bracelet made from icy jadeite, and its quality does not reach that of a blood jade bracelet."
Zhuang Rui smiled. The real blood jade bracelet was hidden in his secure basement. Zhuang Rui found himself becoming more and more of a connoisseur. He was even learning to be like those collectors, keeping his good pieces to himself and enjoying them secretly when he had nothing to do.
"No, we can just call them blood jade bracelets and sell them. Zhuang Rui, you don't know, let alone ice jade bracelets with full red color, even bean jade bracelets with full red color are very rare. As long as they are full red, they can be called blood jade bracelets."
After being captivated by the beautiful bracelets for a while, Wu Jia quickly snapped out of it. She hadn't been a store manager for nothing these past few years, and she immediately saw the business opportunity.
"You think this will work? What if someone feels cheated and comes after you for it?"
Zhuang Rui was dumbfounded by what Wu Jia said. If this icy jade bracelet could be called a blood jade bracelet, what should he call the bracelets he made from glassy jade?
"Hey, you don't understand. These blood jade bracelets are graded. The top grade is naturally glass-type, and ice-type is a bit lower, but they can all be called that. It's such a good gimmick, it would be a shame not to use it to promote these bracelets..."
Wu Jia's round little face was filled with fervor. She waved her little hands excitedly and spoke louder than usual, causing the sales staff outside to glance inside whenever they passed the VIP room.
"Ahem, the blood jade bracelet is fine as it is. Calm down, calm down, why are you so agitated..."
Zhuang Rui coughed. The girl was making so much noise that it made him very uncomfortable. Anyone outside who didn't know better might think he was molesting her. Besides, Zhuang Rui wasn't in the mood to mess with girls right now.
Upon hearing this, Wu Jia stuck out her tongue, stood up, and said, "You're not in the jade retail business, so you don't know how much a precious jade piece can enhance the influence of our brand. I need to tell Grandpa about this, and you two can discuss the details."
Although Wu Jia is now the manager of Shitouzhai and can usually make decisions, these bracelets are too valuable. She still needs to ask the old man to intervene and try to negotiate a deal similar to that of the imperial green cabochon. You know, that thumb-sized thing earned Shitouzhai nearly 2 million in net profit.
However, her wishful thinking was definitely not going to work out. Last time, Zhuang Rui was repaying a favor to them by basically giving away that imperial green jadeite at half price. But these three bracelets were different. Zhuang Rui would definitely not sell them to Shi Tou Zhai at a low price again.
Grandpa Wu arrived quickly. Less than twenty minutes after Wu Jia made the call, the old man came into the shop leaning on his cane. Like Wu Jia, he was also attracted by the red jade bracelets. However, the old man was well-traveled and knowledgeable, and after a moment of surprise, he recovered.
"Xiao Zhuang, you've really gone all out! I've been playing with jade all my life, and I've hardly ever seen a completely red jadeite. You must have quite a few pieces, right? Have you ever gotten any glass-type red jadeite?"
As expected, Old Master Wu was a wise old man. After carefully examining these bracelets, he determined that they were made from a single piece of material and guessed that Zhuang Rui had more good items in his possession.
"What? You even have glass-type jade? If you polish it, it'll be a real blood jade bracelet! Zhuang Rui, why didn't you bring that over?"
Upon hearing her grandfather's words, Wu Jia shouted in dissatisfaction.
"Don't talk nonsense. Xiao Zhuang has already been very kind. Do you think you can afford to play with top-grade red jadeite?"
Old Master Wu was a reasonable man. He glared at his granddaughter with displeasure. Based on his experience, even if this rough stone yielded glass-type jade, the piece would probably not be very large, and whether it could be polished into a bracelet was still uncertain.
The old man never expected that Zhuang Rui's glass-type red jadeite had been used to make five bracelets, and there was still more than half left. If he had known, he probably would have swallowed his pride and asked to buy a real blood jade bracelet.
Zhuang Rui smiled and said, "We did produce a little bit of glass-type jadeite, but it was too little. We kept the pieces for our family."
Old Wu's face showed an expression of "I knew it," and he said, "Alright, Xiao Zhuang, you've already done me a huge favor by being able to produce these three bracelets. So, tell me, what price are you asking for these bracelets?"
"Mr. Wu, I'd like to sell these bracelets on consignment. If they're sold through Shitouzhai, I can get a 12% commission. What do you think?"
Zhuang Rui had inquired about the market beforehand. Generally, the commission for reselling to stores is between 10% and 15%. The 12% he offered was neither high nor low. It all depended on Shi Tou Zhai's ability; the higher the price, the more he would earn.
"Consignment sale?"
Grandpa Wu was taken aback. He hadn't expected Zhuang Rui to have this plan, but he immediately nodded and said, "Okay, it'll be as you said, twelve points. Jiajia, go and draft an agreement, and Xiao Zhuang and I will sign it."
Having lived to such an old age, Mr. Wu knows that some things should be done in moderation, and one shouldn't be too greedy.
Chapter 341 Meeting Gift
"Oh, the boss's here. Please have a seat. Sanmao, what are you staring at like that? Don't you have any manners? Go pour some tea!"
After leaving Shitouzhai, Zhuang Rui drove to his new auto repair shop. As soon as he parked his car in the yard and walked into the office, he saw Zhang Yufeng.
Boss Zhang was a perceptive man with a broad and open personality. He had already learned some things about Zhuang Rui from Si'er and the others. Now that he saw Zhuang Rui come in, he quickly stood up to greet him.
"It's alright, we're all family now, no need to be so formal. Brother Zhang, where's my sister-in-law?"
Zhuang Rui waved his hand. The situation this time was completely different from last time. Last time, the mechanics were idly chatting and boasting, but now there wasn't a single idle person to be seen. Cars were parked in all the repair bays, and twenty or thirty workers were busy as bees.
"Mr. Zhao was just here a moment ago. He's probably out giving some pointers again. Please wait a moment, I'll go find him."
As Zhang Yufeng spoke, she prepared to leave.
"What kind of guidance? My brother-in-law isn't taking on apprentices anymore..."
Zhuang Rui found it a bit strange. Apart from his previous apprentices, Zhao Guodong hadn't taken on any more apprentices, while Si'er and the others had each taken on several.
Repairing cars is a skilled job. Nowadays, repair shop masters train apprentices in the same way that senior fitters used to train apprentices in factories. They provide food and drink but don't get paid until you graduate and can repair cars on your own. So even though there are many people working in the yard, half of them are actually apprentices who don't get paid.
"Hey, these are some old buddies of mine. They want to learn a trade, and Boss Zhao helps them out whenever he has time. The factory doesn't need that many security guards, you know..."
After Zhang Yufeng's explanation, Zhuang Rui finally understood. The dozen or so people who used to follow Zhang Yufeng had all been assigned to the factory's security team, which was a way to give them food. However, the security team didn't have much to do, and their wages were much lower than those of ordinary car repair technicians.
Many of the people who used to hang out with Zhang Yufeng now have families to support, so they want to learn some skills and become technicians. After all, you can't be a security guard forever; you might get fired from the factory in a few years when you're older. Why not learn a skill while you're paid?
"Xiao Rui, you're here? Wait for me a minute..."
While Zhuang Rui was chatting with Zhang Yufeng, Zhao Guodong walked into the office with greasy hands, greeted Zhuang Rui, and then went out to wash his hands.
Upon seeing Zhao Guodong return, Zhang Yufeng made an excuse to leave, leaving the office to her brother-in-law and his wife.
"Brother-in-law, how's the integration of the auto repair shop going after more than a month? Can you leave now? I think Zhang Yufeng is a pretty good person..."
Zhuang Rui came over to invite Zhao Guodong to go to Beijing together. The Mid-Autumn Festival is in two days. Ouyang Wan called and asked Zhuang Rui and the others to come over. Zhao Guodong has several brothers at home. It's not a big problem for them not to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival in Pengcheng once in a while. It's just that Zhao Guodong is a little worried about this factory.
Zhao Guodong wiped his sweat with a towel and said to Zhuang Rui, "That's about it. Mao Liu is keeping an eye on things at the old factory, and Si'er's skills here are pretty good; he can fix most problems. Oh, and there's Zhang Yufeng too. He's a good guy; I can leave with him watching over things. When are we planning to go to Beijing?"
Mao Liu was another apprentice that Zhao Guodong took on when he left the factory. He didn't favor one over the other. Mao Liu and Si'er were both capable of taking on important responsibilities.
"Let's go now. You go home and wait with my sister. I'll go back to the villa to get White Lion. We'll find a place to eat later and then leave..."
Zhuang Rui glanced at his watch; it was almost noon. He calculated the time, and after lunch, he could leave and arrive in Beijing around 10 PM.
"Okay, you go ahead, I'll give them some more instructions..."
Nannan had been in Beijing for almost two months, and Zhao Guodong missed his daughter. After agreeing, he went out to find Zhang Yufeng and Si'er.
Zhuang Rui drove back to the villa, but instead of taking Bai Shi away, he went to the basement.
On the shelves where the original owner displayed antiques, now only small boxes remained. Zhuang Rui, with a touch of morbid amusement, opened all the boxes containing the red jade ornaments. Under the illumination of the incandescent light in the basement, the entire basement seemed to be enveloped in a red mist, bathed in the glow of these ornaments.
"Sigh, another huge hemorrhage is coming..."
Zhuang Rui glanced at the treasures on the shelf with some reluctance, and then began to pick through the icy jade jewelry.
This time, Zhuang Rui's maternal uncles, his two cousins and their wives, as well as his two married cousins, will all go to the old man's place during their trip to Beijing for the Mid-Autumn Festival. The purpose is twofold: firstly, to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, and secondly, to let the children meet their aunt. Speaking of which, when Ouyang Wan left, it was the eldest Ouyang Lei who was just a little kid wearing open-crotch pants.
A few days ago, Ouyang Wan called Zhuang Rui and asked him to bring some Pengcheng specialties to Beijing so that she could give them back to the younger generation as a token of her affection as an aunt. However, after wandering around Pengcheng for a while, Zhuang Rui found that the specialties were nothing more than candy and other snacks. It was really not a presentable gift, so he decided to give each person two pieces of red jadeite jewelry.
These icy red jadeite jewelry pieces, although made from leftover material after making bracelets, were crafted by Luo Jiang with great skill. The resulting earrings and pendants are exquisite, and since girls especially love red, a pair of earrings here would sell for at least 50,000 to 60,000 yuan, and with the pendant, the total would probably be around 70,000 to 80,000 yuan.
Upon their first meeting, Zhuang Rui was confident that even with his sisters-in-law's high standards, they wouldn't find anything wrong with the gifts his mother had given him.
Zhuang Rui did the math. Excluding Ouyang Jun, there were three sisters-in-law and two cousins, making five people in total. He would give each of them a pair of earrings and a pendant. As for the famous Xu, who was getting married, he would add a bracelet. In this way, he would give out six pairs of earrings and six pendants.
Although Zhuang Rui had more than forty pieces of icy jade jewelry here, he still looked pained. If it weren't for the fact that his mother wouldn't be looked down upon by these younger generations, Zhuang Rui wouldn't have been willing to give away these treasures. The bracelets and jewelry together amounted to nearly two million.
"I'm the youngest in my maternal grandfather's family, so I'll have to ask my older brothers and sisters for some benefits..."
As Zhuang Rui unpacked the six sets of jewelry, he thought indignantly to himself that this was only to save face for his mother. If it were Zhuang Rui himself, he would be lucky not to beg for things.
After putting all the jewelry boxes into his backpack, Zhuang Rui took out two jewelry boxes containing bracelets from the bottom shelf of the cabinet. One of them was an icy red jade bracelet, which was to be given to the famous Xu for her wedding. The other was a genuine blood jade bracelet, which was to be given to his grandmother by his mother as a gift for her seventieth wedding anniversary. Zhuang Rui simply brought it along this time as well.
After locking the basement door, Zhuang Rui took Bai Shi and drove to find his sister and brother-in-law. As for the basement's security, there was no need to worry. Zhuang Rui had installed an alarm system on the basement door. Even though the location was well-hidden, and even if a thief found it, if they tried to force their way in, the villa's security office and the nearby police station would immediately receive an alarm. ...