Zhou Xuan picked up a pen from the table and drew a few lines on the stone. He then said, "Master Liu, cut it like this. After that, you'll need to do some fine work!" Old Liu saw that Zhou Xuan had drawn several lines, one on each side of the stone. It seemed that Zhou Xuan wanted him to make a cut directly on the outer layer of the stone.
From their first meeting last year to joining Zhou Xuan's camp, "Old Liu has no doubt about Zhou Xuan's personal abilities. In the past, he would have offered various opinions on stone cutting, but now he says nothing because he knows that although Zhou Xuan is young, his experience in jade is no less than his own, and the facts have proven his point."
Old Liu moved the stone to the stone-cutting table, first fixing its position, then aligning the stone-cutting grinding wheel blade with the line drawn on the stone, and after starting the machine, carefully cut it off with one stroke.
After turning off the power, Lao Liu first checked the cut surface. "Sure enough, a palm-sized green layer had appeared in the middle of the stone. And it wasn't the green of jadeite, but the true surface of the jadeite body. In other words, this cut had reached the surface skin of the jadeite, just right, without damaging the body at all. If it had been cut any less," he said, "then we would have needed to make another cut."
Although Lao Liu knew that Zhou Xuan's experience and ability were far superior to his own, he was still genuinely surprised. "Zhou Xuan is truly a genius!"
Judging from the exposed surface layer, the quality of the jadeite should be quite good. To see the texture and translucency clearly, it needs to be cut open and rubbed to remove the stone powder. However, judging from the color of this surface layer, it is the color of a top-quality jadeite. From this point of view, Lao Liu knew that the jadeite inside the stone was no ordinary item.
Without Zhou Xuan giving any further instructions, Lao Liu cut along the lines Zhou Xuan had drawn on the other sides. After the outer layer of the rough stone was removed, the general shape of the inner part was revealed. It was about thirty centimeters in diameter, a cluster of emerald green, like a green sphere. It wasn't perfectly round, but the color was excellent. It was so moist that it looked as if it had just been taken out of the water.
Old Liu couldn't help but sigh, "Young Master Zhou, this thing is undoubtedly a treasure!" Zhou Xuan chuckled and said, "Old Master Liu, let's rub it again." Let's rub it again! Because there were still too many pieces of stone stuck to the jade, so the inside couldn't be seen. Zhou Xuan himself understood that there were more than a dozen worms inside the jade. Old Liu hadn't seen this strange sight yet. If he had, what would he have said?
Seeing that Zhou Xuan remained unmoved, Lao Liu smiled and asked him to polish the stone again. Zhou Xuan smiled and nodded, then took the clump of jadeite to another fine grinding wheel, started the machine, and slowly and carefully began to polish it. Half an hour later, Lao Liu had initially polished the rough stone and removed most of the stone chips that were stuck to the body.
It would take more than ten days to fully polish this piece, but now we can roughly see its condition. Under the bright light, Old Liu held it in his hand and examined it carefully. He opened his eyes and exclaimed in surprise, "Strange, strange..."
At this moment, Lao Liu also saw the strange phenomenon inside the jade: silkworm-like creatures inside the jade, lifelike and vivid, which was truly amazing!
"I've never seen or even heard of jade like this before. It's so strange..." Old Liu sighed in surprise. "This piece of jade is extremely transparent. You can almost see the shape of the insects inside. The color is also excellent, an alluring green." The water content is also good. It feels warm and smooth in your hand. It looks like the surface is about to drip water. The water content and transparency have all met the best conditions for jade. But there are a dozen or so insects inside!"
Old Liu was stunned for a moment, then said to Zhou Xuan, "Young Master Zhou, this thing is very strange, and I can't quite explain it, but I estimate it has some value. However, it's unlikely to be made into jewelry; it can only be made into an ornamental item!"
"If it can't be made into jewelry, its value will be greatly reduced." Old Liu understands this principle, and Zhou Xuan understands it even better. That's why Zhou Xuan felt that he brought this thing back not because he wanted to make any money from it, but because he was curious about seeing something he had never seen before. Anyway, he didn't care about money.
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Xuan took the jade from Lao Liu and said, "Master Lao Liu, I don't think we need to polish it. I'll take it to the antique shop and have Lao Wu take a look. If it's needed, I'll bring it back for you to polish. If it's really not worth much, I'll just take it home and display it as an ornament!"
"Hehe, I think it should still be much more valuable than ordinary ornamental items?" Old Liu replied with a wry smile, but his words clearly indicated that he underestimated the value of this piece of jade.
Zhou Xuan was naturally not disappointed. He had known this all along. He just wanted to take it apart since he had brought it back. It was better than leaving it in a corner as a useless stone. It would be a pity if he continued to treat it as a rock like Yang Tiancheng did. Although it contained insects and impurities, the jade itself was still of very high quality.
When it was brought here, it was a large rock, but when it was taken back, it had turned into a small piece of jade. Old Liu found a small box with soft lining inside to prevent the jade from being damaged by collisions or drops.
When he went out again, the two gatekeepers saluted Zhou Xuan respectfully and opened the gate. Even after Zhou Xuan's car had driven far away, the two gatekeepers still stood there straight and watched him go.
Zhou Xuan smiled and shook his head. He hadn't driven in a long time and was still a little awkward. After driving for another half hour, he became more skilled and entered the city, heading towards the antique shop.
It was much faster once they entered the city. After parking the car in the parking lot outside the antique shop, Zhou Xuan took the box and went into the shop. There were a few customers in the shop. Old Wu was there, but ** was not. Zhou Xuan's father, Zhou Cangsong, and a few shop assistants were cleaning up the goods in the warehouse.
Seeing that Lao Wu was appraising an antique porcelain bowl that a customer had brought to sell, Zhou Xuan did not disturb him. He sat down at the coffee table to wait, while using his special ability to probe the porcelain bowl that Lao Wu was appraising.
It's a fake, less than ten years old. The forgery is of average quality; the surface is artificially aged. Old Wu examined it for a while before gently pushing the bowl towards the customer, saying casually, "You should take this bowl to another shop and see if they'd like to buy it. Our shop... hehe..."
Although the words weren't explicitly stated, the meaning was clear: this thing is unwanted!
The customer muttered, "Don't you want good stuff? If not, I'll sell it at another store..." His face showed a disgruntled expression.
Old Wu smiled but remained silent, and the customer could only take the bowl and leave the shop dejectedly.
Old Wu then turned to Zhou Xuan and said, "You've been here for a while?" When he saw a box on the coffee table in front of Zhou Xuan, he immediately exclaimed with delight, "Is there something good?"
Zhou Xuan smiled wryly, "Uncle Wu, where would I find so many good things? I just brought them here for you to see. I've never seen jade like this before..." "Oh," Old Wu was surprised for a moment, then pulled the box in front of him, opened the lid, and his eyes lit up when he saw the jade inside. He quickly took it out and examined it closely. When he saw the insects inside, his brows furrowed tightly. He looked at it for a while, then tilted his head and seemed to be thinking hard. Zhou Xuan was too embarrassed to ask him anything, afraid of disturbing his thoughts.
After pondering for a while, Old Wu finally asked hesitantly, "How did you get this?" Zhou Xuan shrugged and said, "In Ruili, a rich man bought it from Myanmar and used it to decorate an artificial mountain. I got it back and just got it from the stone-cutting factory. Old Liu couldn't recognize it, so I brought it over for you to see!"
After listening to Zhou Xuan's words, "Old Wu can completely rule out the possibility that it is a fake, because no matter how fake it is, it is unlikely to be made inside the stone." Moreover, Zhou Xuan would never lie, Old Wu was absolutely certain of this.
“I suspect this thing might be… amber jade!” Old Wu murmured, uttering this strange name. Then he added, “Of course, I don’t mean its formation is the same as amber, just that its appearance is similar. But the formation process is completely different. Amber is formed when resin accidentally drips and swallows small animals, while the formation of this jade is entirely different. The insects inside these jades are called talc worms, and they look similar to silkworms. These worms are extinct. They lived 60 million years ago and obtained their food by corroding hard rocks!”
Volume 1, Chapter 621: A Big Problem (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
"Scientists have only seen these talc worms in fossils. Your piece of jade will be of great help to the study of talc worms. Of course, its significance is not only in understanding talc worms, but also in understanding the formation and destruction of plants and animals in those times. For history, it has unparalleled value!"
After hearing Old Wu's long explanation, Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "It's good that it has some value. It's worth the effort of bringing it back from so far away. If it has historical value, Old Wu, I think you should donate this to the country's historical research institutions on my behalf!"
Old Wu was taken aback and asked with some surprise, "Xiao Zhou, do you know the value of this jade? Don't think that just because it's not valuable enough to be made into jewelry or other crafts, it's worthless. In fact, its value is no less than that of jewelry. I estimate that this jade is worth at least 100 million. Are you still going to donate it?"
"Donate it!" Zhou Xuan said without hesitation. "If this thing isn't of much value to me, then it's better to send it to someone more valuable. Old Wu, you know I'm not short of money. I'll do what I can to contribute!"
Zhou Xuan went to the south for a few days because of a drug dealer, but he also made a net profit of more than 2 billion yuan in cash. Thinking about it, he no longer felt excited. More than a year ago, he lived to make money, but now he lives for his family. Money is no longer a problem for Zhou Xuan.
Old Wu sighed as well. The longer he knew Zhou Xuan, the more he felt that Zhou Xuan was a good person. He felt it was worth it to spend the rest of his life working in this shop for him.
Then another customer came to the shop wanting to buy an antique, so Lao Wu stepped forward to introduce it to him. Zhou Xuan then went to the back room to wander around and chatted with his father for a while. Zhou Cangsong, with a big smile, introduced this and that to his son, and was also chatting and laughing with the shop assistants, appearing to be very harmonious.
Zhou Xuan felt that his father was living a fulfilling and satisfied life, so he couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Dad, if our family were to go back to our hometown now, would you be willing? Do you think our old life could continue?"
Zhou Cangsong was taken aback, then became serious. After a long silence, he said, "Son, has something happened? Are you having any difficulties? If you want to go back to our hometown, that's fine. I just want you three siblings to be happy. I have no regrets. Whether we have money or not is irrelevant to me!"
Zhou Xuan waved his hand and shook his head, quickly saying, "Dad, that's not true. I just asked because you seemed happy. Don't worry, we have no problems!"
Zhou Cangsong was finally relieved. He knew his son was a man who never lied. As long as the family or his son didn't encounter any insurmountable difficulties, that was fine. Even if his son was happy and fulfilled with his work, it was all for the sake of protecting the family. No matter how much wealth he had, if it had to be exchanged for the safety of his children, Zhou Cangsong would immediately choose his children. Going back to his hometown to grow oranges was not a big deal.
Seeing that no one was around, Zhou Cangsong lowered his voice and said to his son, "Son, there's something I need to tell you. Li Wei's parents and grandfather invited me to their house the day before yesterday. The old man from the Li family said that Li Wei and Zhou Ying have been together for so long, and it's not good for them to be at our house all the time. They want to hold a wedding for them. They gave me two dates, one is July 18th and the other is August 5th. Your mother and I have discussed it. Your mother said that you should decide. Now that you are the head of your brother and sister-in-law's family, their affairs should be decided by you. Which date do you think is better?"
Zhou Xuan tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said, "Dad, I think it would be better to get married sooner, on July 18th. Other people's daughters become their family members after they get married, but our family is different. It doesn't matter whether my sister gets married or not, she will always be my sister. Dad, now that I have the ability, my sister can live wherever she wants. The Li family doesn't need the money he earns to support the family!"
It's June 25th now, and if we get married on July 18th, there's less than a month to go. Zhou Cangsong thought about it and nodded in agreement. There's not much to prepare, and the family isn't short of money right now.
Zhou Xuan suddenly asked again, "Dad, my sister got married. What are Zhou Tao's thoughts on this? I won't feel at ease until his marriage is settled as well. Does Li Li's family have any objections? If not, I think it would be better to hold the wedding for my brother and sister-in-law together on July 18th!"
Hearing his son say this, Zhou Cangsong was stunned, feeling it was quite sudden, but not entirely impossible. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Zhou Tao's matter is a bit difficult because of Xiaoli's family issues. Her parents' health isn't very good, and their finances aren't great either. A few months ago, Xiaoli made a down payment on a house, hoping to provide a place for her parents to live. I wanted Zhou Tao to buy a house for them directly, but Xiaoli's parents disagreed, especially her father, who is a very stubborn person. He said that you saved his life. They have no objection to their daughter being with Zhou Tao, but they don't want to be a burden on their children. Xiaoli, on the other hand, doesn't want her parents to live alone. I guess they're worried that our family will consider their situation, which is why it's been delayed. Actually, I'm not worried at all. Your brother is twenty-five this year, not young anymore. It's not like we're still in our hometown, where we need to prepare a dowry for a new house. Now that our family's financial situation is good, our son can live comfortably after marriage, and buying a new house isn't difficult!"
Zhou Xuan touched his head, thought for a moment, and then said to Zhou Cangsong, "Dad, I don't think there's no way to solve this. How about this: you two have been with Yingying for so long, and I don't think there's any problem. Mom even treats Yingying like a daughter rather than a daughter-in-law. After my sister gets married, she will definitely still prioritize the Li family. I will take care of you two. As for Zhou Tao, I'll buy him a house. With the company shares he has and his salary, his annual income is already over 100 million. He won't have any problems making a living. We have two brothers, so we should also think about Xiaoli's family. I think it would be better if Zhou Tao and Xiaoli got married and moved out, and then he could bring Xiaoli's parents to live with him. He could then take care of Xiaoli's parents. Dad, what do you think?"
Zhou Cangsong paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it your way. I think someone in our family who makes decisions should go to Xiaoli's house and talk to her parents. We need to discuss it with them and show them respect!"