Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 323: Chapter 320: Raising the Price on the Spot?

Huo Sining had a pair of Mutton Fat Jade in her hands. Because of its extremely fine quality, and the long passage of time, whenever it was submerged in water, the Water-Repelling Pearl on her forehead would flash uncontrollably, shining so brightly that it scorched the eyes.

The stone that Huo Sining now held in her hands also made the Water-Repelling Pearl on her forehead emerge, and its flickering light was no less intense than that of the Mutton Fat Jade.

This made Huo Sining realize that this piece of raw jade was not as unremarkable as Ji Kun had said; Ji Kun had misjudged it.

But Ouyang Jun clearly trusted Ji Kun more, after all, Ji Kun was quite knowledgeable about Hetian Jade and his judgments were correct eight or nine times out of ten. Thus, when Ji Kun shook his head, Ouyang Jun had no intention of buying.

Huo Sining was somewhat surprised, but she quickly controlled her emotions, examined the stone in her hands again, and then placed it on the stone platform.

Auntie Mei’s face looked somewhat displeased after hearing Ouyang Jun’s words, but she was also clear that what Ouyang Jun said was the truth.

Ever since the stone had been prised from her husband’s dead body, it had been examined by several jade merchants, none of whom had a good word to say about it.

It was precisely because the stone was so unassuming that it hadn’t been taken away.

Auntie Mei had also thought of selling this stone over the years, but every time someone came to look at the stone, they offered such low prices that Auntie Mei was unwilling to sell, and so the stone had remained in her possession.

”Is this stone really no good? Sir, my husband’s ancestors came to Wei District to do the jade business over a hundred years ago. With such an accumulation of experience, he certainly wouldn’t have misjudged it. Why don’t you take another look?”

Auntie Mei was very unwilling to accept this; she couldn’t believe that the stone her husband had traded his life for was merely a piece of crap.

But Ouyang Jun was a businessman, not a philanthropist. He looked at Auntie Mei apologetically,

”Auntie Mei, although it’s my first time visiting your village, I’m a straightforward person and don’t engage in deceit. I’m unsure about the stone’s outward appearance, but if you really want to sell it, I won’t deceive you. I can offer a maximum of eighty thousand.”

Auntie Mei’s face darkened; the stone had been preserved in the Mei Family for almost ten years, and she had taken care to clean it every single day.

In her heart, this stone was like her husband’s spiritual tablet since he had exchanged his life for it.

Therefore, when Alimu brought people to see the raw material before, she had been unwilling to sell it several times when asked.

But the dead are gone, and as much as she was reluctant to part with her husband, the man was already dead. What was the use of keeping a dead object?

Especially in recent years, when her son had been dissolute, squandering the large family fortune, she, being a widow without the ability to turn things around, had no other choice but to look at the stone daily, which did nothing but deepen her sorrow by reminding her of her husband.

But now Ouyang Jun was only willing to offer fifty thousand. Although she knew Ouyang Jun was probably telling the truth, and even that fifty thousand might be out of consideration for Alimu’s face, the price was far from what she had hoped for in her heart.

Auntie Mei didn’t speak, but Mei Dekang, who had crawled over unnoticed, saw Ouyang Jun offer eighty thousand and his eyes immediately sparkled with greed. Just as he was about to speak, his eyes flickered and he stretched out five fingers, saying,

”Eighty thousand? You crook, this stone might yield Mutton Fat Jade. If you buy it for eighty thousand and it turns out to be of top quality, with a single sale, you could make tens or even hundreds of millions. Wouldn’t you be making a huge profit? I won’t sell it for less than five hundred thousand. If you want it, buy it. If not, get lost!”

Five hundred thousand? A cold smile curled the corners of Ouyang Jun’s mouth:

”Mr. Mei, aren’t you afraid of biting your tongue with that talk? If this stone could be cut to reveal top-quality Mutton Fat Jade, and since your father brought it back ten years ago, why would you pass such a surefire profit to me? I might as well not buy it; you should cut it yourself!”

Ouyang Jun’s face turned an iron shade of green as he stood up and headed towards the exit without looking back.

He never had much interest in this rough jade—if Auntie Mei had raised the price reasonably, he would have bought it.

But the current Mr. Mei was obviously insatiable and overreaching, actually shouting out a high price of five hundred thousand. Wasn’t he trying to make a fool out of him, to extort him by inflating the price on the spot?

Seeing Ouyang Jun turn and walk away without even bargaining, Mei Dekang suddenly panicked, feeling irritated yet unwilling to let the fat duck slip away, he blurted out urgently, ”Four hundred thousand! Four hundred thousand!”

Auntie Mei had originally planned to slowly negotiate the price with Ouyang Jun. She didn’t expect her son to mess things up like this and potentially spoil the deal, making her angry.

She had a good idea of how much the stone was worth. So many people had looked at it without making an offer, which proved the stone was a big gamble. Ouyang Jun’s willingness to make an offer for her stone did not mean he misunderstood its value.

However, Mei Dekang, oblivious to the cue, had actually tried to shake down the other party. Wouldn’t that make anyone angry?

”Mei Dekang, this is none of your business. Go back inside and don’t meddle in my affairs!”

Seeing that Ouyang Jun hadn’t even paused his steps, Auntie Mei knew he was angry. She quickly grabbed his arm and said with a pleasing smile, ”Sir, please don’t go. I have the final say over the rough stone—don’t listen to the nonsense my son is spouting.”

Ouyang Jun halted upon hearing this, waiting for what Auntie Mei would say next.

Auntie Mei clearly understood what Ouyang Jun was waiting for. With the last bit of hesitation gone, she bit her lip, closed her eyes, and braced herself before shouting, ”Two hundred thousand! If you’re really sincere about buying, I’ll sell you this stone for two hundred thousand!”

Ouyang Jun looked at Auntie Mei, his face showing no sign of displeasure.

Seeing his indifferent expression, Auntie Mei’s spirits lifted slightly as she said hastily, ”I won’t say much more. This stone is the only thing I’ve clung to in my life. Selling it to you for two hundred thousand is like drawing a line under my husband’s affairs.”

Hearing these words, Ouyang Jun remained silent for a long time. Auntie Mei also said nothing further, silently awaiting the outcome.

Ouyang Jun walked back, picked up the rough jade, and scrutinized it again while consulting Ji Kun’s opinion, as if contemplating whether the stone was worth the gamble for two hundred thousand.

Si Ning, observing the situation, didn’t interrupt. She sat down on a stone bench nearby, her attention inadvertently drawn to the stone platform before her.

When she had first walked in, Si Ning hadn’t noticed anything special about this Shiting. Now, sitting down to take a closer look, she realized that the table inside wasn’t made of concrete.

The stone platform was grey-white, about two meters tall from top to bottom, and its texture was clear. The entire platform was actually made from a single giant rock.

Although Si Ning had seen few unworked pieces of Hetian jade, she had recently read quite a few documents. When she saw this colossal rock in front of her, she recognized at first glance that it must be mountain material from Kunlun Mountain.

At the topmost layer of the stone platform, there was a deeply carved chessboard, smooth and clearly weathered by time, shaped by the elements into what it was now.

What struck Si Ning as odd was not the chessboard, but the entire rock itself.