Chapter 641: Moving Fast Before Anyone Else Has The Chance To Do It
The plump middle-aged man suddenly realized why he felt that Tang Xiu was familiar when he first saw him. Before he was a 100% sure, however, he asked with a look of anticipation on his face, "There's a young divine doctor named Tang Xiu in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital to my knowledge, are you… that young miracle-working doctor?"
"I never thought I would be that famous, to think that even you know name." Tang Xiu smiled. "That's right, it's me."
Excited, the fat middle-aged man rubbed his hands and said, "Turns out it's really you, Divine Doctor Tang! Wow, I'm so lucky. I just came here and struck a huge business deal with you!"
With a playful smile, Tang Xiu asked, "Since you feel that lucky, can I have a bigger discount?"
"Ugh…" The smile on the fat middle-aged man's face instantly froze. He let out a hollow laugh and awkwardly said, "I'll pass this time. Next time, yes. I'll give you a better price when we trade again later."
"Deal." Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.
"You won't gamble anymore since you already bought so many jades, right, Tang Xiu?" Asked Long Zhengyu.
"Why wouldn't I?" Tang Xiu chuckled. "Why not partake in the fun since the fun thing is there, right? Besides, maybe I'll get lucky and earn back all that I spent today, no?"
His answer made Long Zhengyu at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, and then said, "If you have such a good luck, then why do you need to do some business, then? I don't think you need that since you can become super-rich by gambling on stones every day, no?"
"Anyways, would you like to help load them into the car while I stroll around?" Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.
Thinking for a while, Long Zhengyu then nodded and said, "Fine with me. But remember to give me some pieces of jade articles after you carve some jadeware, okay?"
"No problem!" Tang Xiu smiled and promised him before pulling Tang Xiaohan with him. With Long Zhengyu staying to help, he wasn't afraid that the middle-aged man would pull some trick behind his back.
"Umm?" Half an hour later, Tang Xiu saw an acquaintance in a shed, someone who he did not expect to meet here… Miao Wentang.
Just as he was about to head towards Miao Wentang, however, Tang Xiaohan suddenly stopped his pace and pulled Tang Xiu's hands with some effort.
"What's up?" Asked Tang Xiu after turning around.
Tang Xiaohan's brows were furrowed. He turned his head, pointed to a spot a few meters away and said, "There seems to be something there, Master. It's like… a thumping heart or something like that."
What?
Tang Xiu stared blankly and followed Tang Xiaohan's finger. His eyes immediately landed on a rectangular two meters high and a meter-wide stone standing on the floor. The cuticle layer of the stone was a bit green. When his vision fell on the price tag on the stone below, however, his expression turned strange. It was written: 12 million yuan.
"Let's go there and have a look!"
Pulling Tang Xiaohan to the front of that block of stone, Tang Xiu used his hand to touch it and released his spiritual sense. What shocked him was that he could feel something beating inside the stone. It was as Tang Xiaohan said, it was like the beating of a heart.
What exactly is this thing?
For a moment, Tang Xiu hesitated. Then, he instantly released his Primal Chaos Force to seep into the raw stone. After his energy seeped into the interior of the stone, however, he could feel a suction force from the inside. Though it was not strong, his Primal Chaos Force that had seeped into it was still siphoned away.
"There's something unusual here!"
With a change in expression, Tang Xiu took his hand back and squatted in front of Tang Xiaohan. There was a complex expression on his face as he asked, "What exactly is it, Xiaohan? Can you elaborate as to how do you know clearly that something is beating inside?"
"I don't know how, either." Tang Xiaohan shook his head. "It's just a feeling. I can feel that there's no one there, but something is beating. Its beating rate is probably as fast as my heartbeat."
Is it a kind of perceptive ability?
Tang Xiu had never seen a situation such as Tang Xiaohan's at present. After contemplating for a while, he then called the staff and inquired, "How much is the base price for this raw stone?"
"All the raw stones we have here already have a base price tag on it, Sir." Replied the staff with a smile. "If you want to buy this raw stone, you can have it for 12 million yuan."
"Let the deal be concluded, then!" Tang Xiu nodded. "Give me your bank account number, I'll transfer the money."
The employee was taken aback as a surprised look immediately covered his face. After nodding in response, he smilingly said, "You really have a keen eye, Sir. Many people have set their eyes on this stone, but none of them made up their mind to buy it. Please follow me, we'll settle the formalities for the purchase inside."
"Wait!" A white-haired old man nearby suddenly came over from seven-plus meters away. There was a fiery look in his eyes as he gently caressed an ornamental thumb ring made of Nephrite in his hand.
Tang Xiu and the staff halted at the same time and looked at the old man.
The old man narrowed his eyes and smiled lightly as he said, "Little Brother, could you give this raw stone to this old man? You can rest assured that I will not let you suffer a loss. I'll pay whatever stones you choose in this shed as long as it doesn't exceed 500 thousand yuan."
"I don't need it. I'm not short on money." Tang Xiu shook his head.
"1 million!" Said the old man again.
"Senior, please don't think of using money to make me dizzy." Tang Xiu smiled. "I will never give up on something I've set my eyes on even if you give me 100 million yuan."
The old man took a business card from his pocket, handed it over to Tang Xiu and said, "Young man, let me introduce myself. My name is Tian Jingnan, The Vice-Chairman of the China Jade Association. I'm also a jade sculptor. If you are willing let me have this raw stone, I can introduce you to our country's Jade Association, and I can also help you to carve an article for free later. How about it?"
"It turns out that you're Chairman Tian." Tang Xiu smiled. "May I ask, is your carving skills really good?"
With a confident expression, Tian Jingnan replied with a self-assured tone, "Though I dare not say that I'm one of the best, there are not many people in China who are more skilled than me. Someone once offered me 5 million yuan, hoping that I could help him sculpt an article, but I refused him. As a matter of fact, I have set my eyes on this raw stone previously. But because I already purchased a lot of raw stones before, the funds I have with me here are not enough, so I called my son to send me more money. I just did not expect that shortly after, Little Brother took a fancy to it as well."
"I'm really sorry. I'm sympathetic with you but unable to comply with your request," said Tang Xiu with a smile.
Tian Jingnan furrowed his brows. Little did he expect that he would receive such a reply after the narration, and yet this young man was still unwilling to give it to him. This situation made him feel a bit angry. However, as someone who had good self-control, he did not immediately blast it out though he was angry, and instead spoke again, "Little Brother, you can name your condition. I'll definitely have it done as long as I can accept it."
"I don't have any condition to offer, either." Tang Xiu shook his head.
Finally, Tian Jingnan was unable to bear it anymore and said, "Young man, you are buying this raw stone with the thought of gambling on it, aren't you? Then how about I give you 5 million here and now and you give me this rough stone?"
Tang Xiu did not respond to him anymore as he called the staff and walked to the rear.
"What's the matter, Chairman Tian?"
Two middle-aged men came over and one of them immediately asked upon seeing Tian Jingnan's angry expression.
"I had set my eyes on a piece of raw stone, but someone else unexpectedly beat me to it." Tian Jingnan smiled wryly. "I offered him 5 million to give it up, but he simply ignored me."
"Who could be so arrogant that he even did not give you face, Chairman Tian?" Asked the man, astounded.
"Nevermind it, sigh," Tian Jingnan sighed with a helpless expression. "Since he doesn't want to give it to me, then I give up and that's it. As a matter of fact, I myself am not sure whether there are many jade materials inside that raw stone or not. Maybe its cuticle layer outside is a bit green, but there's nothing else inside it."
"True that!" The two men nodded simultaneously, showing that they also agreed with him.
Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu and Tang Xiaohan walked out from the inside. He then saw Tian Jingnan who had not left yet, and secretly forced a smile inwardly. However, since the old man neither did nor spoke anything excessive, he did not have any bad feelings for him either.
With the help of the staff, several workers in the exhibition hall who were responsible for delivering the raw stones drove the flatbed cart and helped Tang Xiu put the raw stone on it, as Tang Xiu then led them to the shed where he bought the jade materials.
"Well, you just bought a piece of raw stone block, Divine Doctor Tang? This block of stone looks good and it has green traces on its outer cuticle layers. There should be… jade inside it, shouldn't it?" The fat middle-aged man greeted and commented with a smile after observing the block of raw stone on the flatbed cart.
"Who knows?!" Replied Tang Xiu. "I just thought that it's very likely that this block of stone would have jade or Nephrite inside, so I just bought it."
"How much did you spend on it?" Asked the fat middle-aged man with a curious expression.
"12 million," said Tang Xiu with a smile.
"You're really a rich man, Divine Doctor Tang," said the plump middle-aged man while raising his thumb up. "You wasted more than 10 million casually just to bet on this block of stone. That boldness of yours is really admirable!"
"I just play at random, though, and I won't buy too much." Tang Xiu smiled. "Anyways, I still need to trouble you, Old Brother, to help me deliver this thing to my place."
"Got it, no problem," said the middle-aged man with a smile.
Suddenly, a shout came from outside the shed:
"RISE! RISE THE BET!"
Immediately, the guests inside the shacks, as well as many people outside rushed toward the source of the voice. One could only gamble on a stone and place a bet before the stone was cut. For the convenience of many buyers, the guests may cut the raw stones after purchasing them and see the results of their gambling methods on the spot.
Long Zhengyu seemed to be interested and said, "How about having a look at it?"
Tang Xiu pondered for a moment, and then nodded and said, "Let's have look, then! I have seen some guests gambling on it, but none of them caused such a stir."
The fat middle-aged man hesitated for a short while. He then gave orders to his staff and followed them out, saying, "Divine Doctor Tang, do you know how I made my family's fortune? It was exactly through this gambling on stones. About more than 10 years ago I went to some place in the Southern region and brought 20 thousand yuan with me, but little did I expect that I would accidentally find this gambling on stone event back then, and even joined in the fun. I spent more than 1 thousand yuan to buy blocks of stones, but to my surprise, the gains I made back then were thousands of times more. Long story short, it can be said that I got rich overnight back then, with tens of millions of yuan."
Notes:
Gambling on stones is China's oldest form of gambling, and here is an article about if you would like to know more.
Chapter 642: Monstrously Talented Person
Tang Xiu took time to observe the facial contour of the fat middle-aged man. The man indeed had an inborn facial contour of good fortune from the heavens. Though he may not become some super-rich man, having a net worth of more than a billion wouldn't be a problem.
Song Hao! It was the name of this fat middle-aged man, of the Miao ethnicity descent, who came out of the Miao Region to make his livelihood outside the region. He was very intelligent, with quite a vision and out of the ordinary bearing. Through his story, Tang Xiu knew that he became rich overnight more than ten years ago and had a wealth worth tens of million of yuan.
The man, however, did not get bewitched by the sudden fall of wealth, and even realized the amazing profits offered by the jade market afterward. He began to study everything about jades, constantly consulting the experts on the subject, and kept lingering in the major jade trading market without stopping, and even repeatedly worked in the mine producing jade. After several years accumulating all that knowledge, he gradually found out some doorways and then started to involve himself in the business as a middleman and as a buyer using his silver tongue and the knowledge he had grasped. He then slowly accumulated wealth and eventually amassed more than a billion net worth at present.
"Divine Doctor Tang, gambling on stones is all about your eyes and vision. Luck only accounts for a minuscule part of it. This line of water is very deep, and you better not rush to bet rashly if you don't grasp it," said the fat middle-aged man in a whisper.
"No worries!" Tang Xiu chuckled. "I'm not the kind of man who got jealous and envious for the others' wealth. My main purpose in coming to this exhibition center is to buy jades, to begin with. I won't waste too much money since I already bought some from you here. Of course, I'm going to play and buy it if I got a good hunch and the price is not that high, though."
Song Hao was well aware that Tang Xiu was not short on money. He was, after all, the celebrated young Divine Doctor who could make a lot of money by relying on his superb medical expertise. Who never had a headache nowadays? More so that those super-rich people would probably be willing to spend a huge sum of money just to seek his medical treatment if they had some incurable diseases.
After a short while, the group then came to the place where two sheds were separated, along with streams of people. Not only this shed had a massive number of raw stones, it also had a stone cutter. Hundreds of people gathered nearby, and their eyes were now staring at the stone-cutting expert in blue overalls. Precisely speaking, their eyes were focused at the football-sized stone that was being carried by the stone-cutting expert.
"Young man, you bought this stone for a total of 2,000 yuan. Now that you have it cut and there happens to be green inside, it shows that you have won. How about you give me this stone for 2 million yuan?" A well-dressed middle-aged man next to the stone-cutting expert looked at the young man in front and spoke out his offer.
"I'll pay 3 million! (5 million!)"
Two voices sounded nearly at the same time just as the well-dressed middle-aged man's voice faded away. The one who bid 5 million was a young man whose looks were ordinary but exuded the aura of an upper person. He looked like around 26-27 of age, and he was accompanied by two people—a young man and a young woman.
The owner of the stone, the excited young man, looked so happy and immediately said as though he was afraid that the bidder would take back his words, "5 million it is. Transfer the money to me now, and I'll sell you this stone."
The young man who offered 5 million yuan nodded with satisfaction. He nodded to the young woman beside him and the 5 million yuan were quickly transferred to the bank account given by the stone owner.
"Do you want to polish this stone?" Asked the stone-cutting expert.
"Polish it," said the young man who bought the stone without hesitation.
The stone-cutting expert nodded without a word and carefully polished the stone in his hand. Along with his movements, the green color on the stone became more and more vivid, and after several minutes, a palm-sized green color on the stone presented itself before everyone's eyes.
"Wait!"
A voice suddenly sounded amid the crowd as Tian Jingnan, accompanied by two men, quickly squeezed forward. His eyes fell on the young man and smilingly said, "Young man, how about selling this stone to me? Since you've spent 5 million, I'm willing to buy it for 10 million yuan."
"I apologize, but I'm not short on money," said the young man with a smile.
Tian Jingnan's breath stagnated. After hesitating for a moment, he offered again, "20 million. If you're willing to sell this stone to me, I'll pay you 20 million yuan."
A smile outlined on the corner of the young man's mouth, yet he still shook his head and said, "I'm sorry. I'm only interested in gambling on the stones. It doesn't matter to me whether I'll earn or lose big since what I really enjoy is the process of cutting the stones and polishing them. Master, please continue!"
With a helpless expression, Tian Jingnan shook his head. He felt like that he was really out of luck this year. The stone he set his eyes on previously had somebody beat him to it, and now that he found that this raw stone probably contained jade of good quality, the other party was unwilling to sell it yet again.
Amid the crowd, Tang Xiu stood without speaking. He had secretly covered the stone with his perception and secretly lamented on the luck possessed by that young man. That jade material contained jadeite inside, and it was also the type of Emperor Green Jadeite. Its value would be at least nine digits once it was taken out.
"Let's go!" said Tang Xiu with a smile while pulling Long Zhengyu around.
Long Zhengyu hesitated. He wryly smiled after realizing that Song Hao also followed Tang Xiu. He shot a deep gaze at the young man who bought the jade material first and then chased after Tang Xiu.
"Why did you rush to pull me back, Tang Xiu?" Asked Long Zhengyu. "We hadn't finished watching that good play."
"Gloating over someone else's misfortune when they lost in their gamble shows that we are nothing but pricks with ill character. In case we beat them in the gamble, it will just add more to their jealousy and envy toward us. Either way is not a good thing—a troublesome thing, I should say. So why bother?" Said Tang Xiu with a light smile.
"You're a paradox, mate!" Long Zhengyu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh upon hearing this, and then said, "Nevermind. You don't want to watch, then we'll not watch! Anyways, do you still want to play? If you don't, let's just take the time to send these jades back."
"Let's call it a day." Tang Xiu shook his head and lightly smiled.
A few hours later, after the container truck sent all the jades and stones to South Gate Town and unloaded them in the courtyard, Tang Xiu transferred the money to Song Hao and sent him away.
"What are you planning to do next, Tang Xiu?" Asked Long Zhengyu who looked somewhat bored.
"Rest at home and let Xiaohan get used to with the situation at home before going to the exhibition center again in the afternoon," replied Tang Xiu.
"You're going to the exhibition center again?" Asked Long Zhengyu, surprised.
"I got nothing to do, so I might as well go there to have some fun again." Tang Xiu shrugged his shoulders. "What about you? What's your plan for today?"
"I'm going home first!" Long Zhengyu said. "Besides, I must go to Nine Dragons Island a couple days later, so I need to tend to some things here in Star City before I leave. That's right. If you run into that young man who bought that stone today, you must be on guard against him. That guy… has a high knowledge like some kind of demon."
Tang Xiu dazed for a second and the appearance of the young man who gave off the vibe of upper-class nobility appeared inside his head. He then asked immediately, "Who exactly is he?"
"He's Chu Yuan, the heir apparent of the Imperial Garden from Shanghai, the owner of the Imperial Effulgent Group, and the founder of the Imperial Wherewithal Ventures," answered Long Zhengyu.
Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows. The name "Imperial Garden" was somehow familiar to him. It was like he had heard it somewhere but couldn't remember where.
"Is he very resourceful?"
Long Zhengyu was silent for half a minute, as he then faintly said, "He's far more than resourceful. He's simply… a devilishly talented man. The wealth he possesses is comparable to any prominent family in the country, and he has armed forces behind his back that can make people's hair stand erect. His influence is not limited to the business world, even inside the military…"
Tang Xiu's complexion changed and tempestuous waves rose inside his heart. He was perfectly well aware of the existence of the genuine prominent families in the country such as the Tang and Yao Families. They had a robust heritage and deep roots, along with colossal wealth to boot. The armed forces under these families were also very strong. And yet, that Chu Yuan was comparable to those genuine prominent families, what exactly was his origin?
While gazing deeply at Long Zhengyu, Tang Xiu asked, "Why do I feel like you seem to know him well?"
"You're mistaken. What I know about him is close to negligible." Long Zhengyu shook his head. "Appearances can be deceiving, and the depth of the sea cannot be measured. The Imperial Garden has been in the existence for hundreds of years, even the four major families in the turbulent times of war were deeply affected by it. Even in the anti-Japanese War Resistance period, it was too many to count how many outstanding talented people emerged from the Immortal Garden and turned into the War of Resistance heroes. Although those Imperial Garden's people all left their positions after the end of the War of Resistance and disappeared from all walks of life, the Imperial Garden was always the Imperial Garden, as it has always been the source of dread and wariness for those in power from generation to generation. What I know about Chu Yuan is not much, but… I know way too much about the Imperial Garden."
In a flash, Tang Xiu seemed to realize the meaning behind Long Zhengyu's explanation. He nodded silently and then said, "I see. Go tend to your things, then! Anyways, let's gather together before you leave for Nine Dragons Island. I should still be here in Star City in the near future."
After complying, Long Zhengyu then left the car for Tang Xiu. As a matter of fact, what he explained to Tang Xiu was not much, just merely those words. However, not only that had an impact on Tang Xiu but also on himself. He originally did not want to mention this "Chu Yuan" name, because Chu Yuan was actually his goal, a target and an objective he had been striving towards all his life.
In the villa courtyard.
Gu Yin, whose face was curious, observed the tranquil Tang Xiaohan who silently stood at the side. She wanted to speak with him, but was worried that Tang Xiaohan was someone who was not easy to get along with.
Finally, Tang Xiu's eyes fell on Tang Xiaohan after Long Zhengyu left. He turned and waved to Gu Yin and then smilingly said, "Yinyin, come here, I'll introduce you to him. His name is Tang Xiaohan. You can call him junior brother or Xiaohan."
Gu Yin stepped forward. After adorably nodding in response, she reached out her hand to Tang Xiaohan. But when she realized that Tang Xiaohan's eyes could not see, she immediately grabbed his hand and said, "Hello, junior brother. I'm your senior sister, Gu Yin. I should be older than you, but only a few years older at the most."
Tang Xiaohan smiled all of sudden and replied, "Hi, senior sister. Are we… are we going to be a family later?"
Gu Yin looked up to see Tang Xiu. Seeing that the latter slightly nodded to her, she immediately said with a smile, "We are going to be a family later, junior brother. Acknowledging Master for a day means that he's a father for life. We are all Master's children."
"A Master for a day is a father for life."
Inwardly, Tang Xiaohan recited this sentence silently for a few dozen times. Only then did he firmly nod and said, "I'm very happy. I have family members, more so, I have two now."
"What you said is incorrect, junior brother," said Gu Yin with a smile. "There are not only two family members. You'll have a lot of family members in the future."
Notes:
[1] The major families in the early era of the Republic of China are the Houses of Jiang, Song, Kong, and Chen.