Zhuang Rui was about to comfort his niece when the phone rang, so he quickly grabbed his phone and went outside.
"Kid, you made a fortune in Pingzhou and ran off without even saying goodbye to your Uncle Gu. I've done all that work for you for nothing..."
The old man's cheerful voice came through the phone, though it was mostly playful and he wasn't really angry.
"Hehe, Uncle-Master, didn't you leave early? Besides, that piece of rough jade was bought by Brother Song and the others together, it wasn't mine alone."
After interacting with the old man a few times, Zhuang Rui knew that this senior apprentice was not particular about formalities. Therefore, he spoke quite casually.
"Yes, your senior master is not against you gambling on stones, but you should act within your means in the future. There are many people who have lost their families and lives due to gambling on stones. You are still young, and you should know how to take it slow and steady."
Grandpa Gu really cared for Zhuang Rui and treated him like a nephew. He would never say such things to anyone else; speaking too intimately with someone you don't know well can be annoying.
"Thank you for your teachings, Uncle Master. I will remember them. By the way, Uncle Master, have you been in the capital lately? I was just thinking of visiting you."
Zhuang Rui took out a tissue and wiped the sweat from his forehead. It sounded a bit fake when he said that.
"You came to see me? You must have something else on your mind, right? Don't try to fool me, just say what you want to say..."
Old Master Gu, being the man he was, immediately understood the meaning behind Zhuang Rui's words and began to laugh and scold him on the phone.
"Then I'll be frank, Uncle-Master. I bought a batch of black jadeite from the Ma Meng factory in Pingzhou. I was cutting it for fun today and found a nice piece. I wanted to carve a pendant for my mother, so I'm asking you for help. I don't trust anyone else."
Zhuang Rui was being a little cunning when he spoke. He didn't dare say that he had only bought five pieces of black jade, but deliberately said that he had bought a whole batch. He was certain that Old Master Gu wouldn't investigate such trivial matters.
Old Master Gu laughed on the other end of the phone and said, "Don't flatter me, kid. Let me tell you, I haven't carved jade for anyone in over a year. Tell me, what kind of material is it? I don't usually sell ordinary materials."
"Hehe, if it were just ordinary stuff, I wouldn't dare come to you, Uncle-Master. Guess..."
Zhuang Rui heard that the old man was in a good mood, so he actually kept him in suspense.
"You brat, you're even testing your senior master now. This is a piece of black sand jade from Ma Meng Factory. It has black veins, black background, and white mist. The colored parts are quite good in terms of texture and water content. However, the green is very concentrated. I often hear that emeralds are found there."
As the old man spoke, he seemed to have made a connection to something, and his voice suddenly rose eight octaves: "Zhuang Rui, you didn't happen to discover imperial green jade, did you? Tell me quickly, what's the quality?"
On the other end of the phone, Zhuang Rui was utterly impressed. The old man hadn't seen anything, yet he had guessed it just from the three words "Ma Meng Factory." Without further ado, he said, "Uncle-Master, I'm completely convinced! You guessed right, it's Imperial Green, and a glassy variety at that..."
"But Uncle-Master, how did you guess it was imperial green material?"
Before the other end of the phone could reply, Zhuang Rui asked again.
"Nonsense. There have been four instances of glass-type imperial green jadeite in recent years, all from the Ma Meng factory. You're not very skilled, but you have a high standard. If you call it good jadeite, then it must be imperial green jadeite, besides mine."
"Senior Uncle, what do you think? Is this material worth your investment?"
Zhuang Rui said with a grin.
"Worth it, of course it's worth it. If you dare to carve for anyone else, don't call me 'Uncle-Master' anymore. Alright, enough rambling. Take your things and buy tickets. We're heading to the capital right away. I need to check out the materials first..."
The old man's reaction was somewhat unexpected for Zhuang Rui. He had only intended to test the waters, but he hadn't expected the old man to let him go directly, something he hadn't even decided yet.
However, the old man's words also made him somewhat relieved. Fortunately, Wu Jia's grandfather was unwell; otherwise, if he had been given the material to carve, and the old man found out later, there would have been no way to explain it.
After hanging up the phone, Zhuang Rui was feeling conflicted. He had only been home for two days, and now he had to go out again. Now that he was unemployed, it seemed like he was even busier than when he was working.
"Mom? Is something wrong?"
Zhuang Rui turned around to go back to his room when he saw his mother standing at the door watching him.
"You have something to do, don't you? What, are you going out again?"
Mrs. Zhuang was increasingly unable to understand her son. Ever since the robbery in Zhonghai, he had become much more composed and confident, and he seemed to have good luck, having built up such a large business at such a young age.
Zhuang Rui nodded helplessly and said, "Yes, I found a master jade carver who agreed to help carve that piece of jade, but I have to go to Beijing. I have to leave today..."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhuang frowned and said, "This isn't urgent. I'm not in a rush to get it. Why rush it? Aren't you going to Beijing to study in a while? We can just get it done then."
"I'd like to do that too, but..."
Zhuang Rui gave a wry smile and briefly recounted how he met Old Master Gu.
Upon hearing that this person had some connection with her family, Madam Zhuang said, "Go then, but come back early after you've finished your business. The capital is a mixed bag; don't cause trouble."
Although she knew her son wasn't the type to cause trouble, Mrs. Zhuang still gave him a word of advice.
"Okay, Mom. Don't worry."
Zhuang Rui agreed, went back to his room to pack a few simple clothes, and then came out.
Zhuang Rui pulled his older sister, who was reading the instruction manual, up from the sofa and asked her to take him to the train station. He didn't want to drive to Beijing again; after several long-distance trips, he was starting to feel nauseous from the smell of gasoline.
"Sis, you have to feed the white lion every day, don't forget."
The thing Zhuang Rui is most worried about right now is the white lion, but he really can't take it with him to Beijing. However, this trip shouldn't be too long, and the white lion has almost recovered and no longer needs to be infused with spiritual energy every day.
"Okay, don't worry. Remember, make me a pair of earrings. I don't want them to hang around my neck."
Zhuang Min knew the purpose of her younger brother's trip to Beijing, but she wasn't interested in the pendants Zhuang Rui mentioned. Instead, she insisted that Zhuang Rui make her a pair of earrings. ...
Pengcheng is a hub connecting the north and south transportation routes, with a constant stream of trains passing by. Basically, there is a train heading towards Beijing every half hour or so. Zhuang Rui asked and found that there was a tourist express train from China Shipping to Beijing in twenty minutes, which would take just over five hours to reach Beijing.
This was Zhuang Rui's first time visiting Beijing, and he couldn't help but feel a little excited. After all, Dashilan and Liulichang in Beijing are nationally renowned antique markets, and coupled with Beijing's long history and cultural heritage, their depth and richness are incomparable to places like Pengcheng and Zhonghai.
Beijing is also the place with the highest concentration of antique enthusiasts in China, with auction houses everywhere and several antique-themed auctions almost every month. The old courtyard houses are also good places to find old houses, but the market is quite murky, and it's common to make a mistake and pay a price for your ignorance.
After enduring four or five hours on the train, it was already past eight o'clock in the evening when the train pulled into Beijing Station with a loud whistle.
Zhuang Rui had just stepped out of the air-conditioned car when the sweltering heat almost suffocated him. Beijing was even hotter than Pengcheng, and it was a dry, scorching heat, devoid of any moisture.
"Little one, little one, your big brother is here..."
Just as I was about to take out my phone to call my second brother, I heard his shout. Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw Yue Jing, who was a bit short and chubby, jumping up and down and waving at me.
"Second brother, thank you so much for picking me up so late..."
Zhuang Rui walked over and hugged Yue Jing. He had called his second brother when he boarded the train to tell him the train number and arrival time. Zhuang Rui was unfamiliar with Beijing, so he couldn't very well ask Old Master Gu to pick him up.
"You little rascal, you didn't even tell me you were coming. If you had known, I would have driven my dad's car to pick you up. It can go right up to the platform."
The second brother punched Zhuang Rui hard on the shoulder and took Zhuang Rui's backpack. He had been waiting here since seven o'clock, and was not only covered in sweat but hadn't even had dinner yet.
"It was a last-minute decision to come. By the way, Second Brother, what kind of car does Uncle Yue drive? Can he drive up to the platform?"
As Zhuang Rui followed the second brother out of the station, he asked curiously. In Zhuang Rui's memory, it seemed that only police cars could drive to the platform when they were catching bad guys or welcoming some important person in TV dramas.
"The car itself isn't valuable; it's the brand that's valuable. Why don't you stay at my place tonight? My old man might be home today."
As they talked, they arrived at the train station parking lot, and the second brother opened the door of a car.
"Wow, second brother, you're driving a BMW now? Aren't you afraid the people will say you're a corrupt government official?"
Zhuang Rui knew that his second brother's family had connections, but he imagined that these sons of officials would be careful about their image in the capital. He didn't expect Yue Jing to be so ostentatious.
"It's not my car, it's my sister's. I'll take you out to eat later. Driving such a cheap car is beneath you."
Zhuang Rui sat in the car and looked around. Sure enough, the faint scent of perfume and the feminine teddy bear pendants indicated that the car's owner was a woman.
Chapter 260 Clubhouse
"Second brother, let's just find somewhere to eat something simple. I have other things to do tonight; I need to visit an elder..."
Zhuang Rui checked the time on his phone; it was just past 8:15. If he visited before 9:00, the old man should still be awake. If he came any later, it would be impolite.
"No, let's do it tomorrow. I went through a lot of trouble to borrow this car today, and besides, I don't get to go to that place often. You absolutely have to come with me today..."
As the second brother spoke, he drove the car onto an overpass. Zhuang Rui glanced at the road sign next to the overpass, which showed that it led to Daxing. He couldn't help but smile wryly. But he was already in the car; he couldn't very well jump off.
Zhuang Rui took out his phone and called Lao Gu, saying he would definitely be at his house by tomorrow morning. After Lao Gu complained a bit, Zhuang Rui looked at his second son and asked, "Where exactly are you going? Beijing is such a big city, can't you find a place to eat?"
"What kind of food do those places have? They're all the same old century-old establishments. Young man, modern people have different tastes. They can only eat in a nice environment. You're quite wealthy now, so you should learn to enjoy life."
"Environment my ass! Have you forgotten how we could get a decent meal at any roadside stall when we were in school? Second brother, you're a lowly bureaucrat making a meager thousand yuan a month, and now you're talking about taste?"
Zhuang Rui couldn't help but laugh when he saw his second brother's serious expression. Back in college, there were night markets set up every night outside the school gate. Even though there was a garbage dump not far away, the guys still ate quite well.
"Times change."
Yue Jing chuckled, glanced at Zhuang Rui's attire—a short-sleeved T-shirt, faded jeans, and the same white sneakers he'd brought back from Shaanxi—and frowned. "Let's find a place to get you dressed properly," he said. "You look like a backpacker."
"No, I'm used to dressing like this. If you think it's beneath me, I won't go. I need to go back to Pengcheng after I finish my business."
Zhuang Rui immediately rejected his second brother's suggestion, saying it was better not to go.
"Fine, whatever you want. But don't blame your brother if no one wants you tonight."
Yue Jing's laughter was quite lewd, which puzzled Zhuang Rui. It wasn't like they were going on a blind date; why was it so mysterious?
Changing the subject, Yue Jing asked about Lao San's wedding. Since he had just taken leave to go to Guangdong, he hadn't attended Lao San's wedding. Zhuang Rui mentioned a few things, but omitted the part about his own dangerous encounter.
"Second brother, where are you driving to?"
Beijing's traffic is terrible; it was a huge traffic jam. It took over an hour to finally leave the city. But looking at the farmland on both sides of the road, Zhuang Rui had some questions. How could there be restaurants in a place like this?
"We're almost there, we'll be there soon..."
As the second brother spoke, he turned the car into a side road. The road was not wide, but it was also an asphalt road, no worse than the national highway they had just passed. The lights on both sides of the road were somewhat dim. After driving forward for more than two hundred meters, a large gate blocked the car's way. There was no gatehouse next to the gate, only a lonely automatic card reader.
Around the gate were iron fences more than two meters high. With the help of the car headlights, Zhuang Rui could see that there was a camera on each side of the gate pointing towards the entrance. In the darkness, Zhuang Rui could not see the situation inside and had no idea what kind of place it was.
Yue Jing took out a card from the car, swiped it at the gate, and the gate opened silently to both sides. After the car entered, it immediately closed again. The car continued to drive forward for more than a hundred meters, where there was a guard post. Three men in black suits stood there, their straight backs showing that they were well-trained.
"Sir, please show your VIP card."
A man in a black suit walked up to the car and gestured for Yue Jing to roll down the window.
"Sir, you hold a Level 2 VIP card. Please proceed to VIP Building No. 2..."
Yue Jing handed over the card he had received earlier. The man took it, swiped it with a card reader, checked the information on it, and then handed it back.
"Second Brother, are you sure we came here to eat? Or did we stumble upon some secret national base?"
Zhuang Rui had never seen such a scene before. It was just a meal; why did they have to check him back and forth? Besides, these VIP cards were divided into different levels. Judging from what the man in the black suit said, different levels of cards could only enter corresponding areas.
"Youngest brother, you'll see when you go in. Being able to eat here isn't just about having money. Take this card of mine, for example. If I were to sell it, I could fetch tens of millions. Do you believe me?"
As the second brother spoke, he parked the car in front of a rather large three-story building. However, what puzzled Zhuang Rui was that the lighting was dim from the entrance to the inside, and the second brother only managed to park the car by using the headlights.
As he parked, Zhuang Rui looked around and noticed something different. Of the cars he could see, none were inferior to the BMW his second brother drove. There were even two very stylish cars that he couldn't name.
"Let's go..."
Pushing open the car door, the second brother led the way with practiced ease, using only the firefly-like light to walk out of the parking lot and directly to the entrance of the three-story building. Zhuang Rui refused to believe that his second brother didn't come here often.
Two men in black suits stood in front of the door, and there was a machine similar to airport security at the entrance. Zhuang Rui became more and more curious about this place. Why make such a big fuss over a meal?