Chapter 207, exploding luck

Jiang Yuan paid for the stones. One catty of raw materials cost 80 yuan. The three stones Shuishui chose were 8 kg, 10 kg, and 9 kg respectively. Jiang Yuan paid a total of 4,300 yuan.

Shuishui thought that it was quite expensive. She patted her small chest. She definitely wouldn't engage in stone gambling herself. She would go bankrupt. She felt that it wasn't even interesting. Even if she tried to study the exterior of the stones, she would still be unable to increase her chances of winning. She also felt that it was a waste of time.

"Open it here?" the shop owner asked.

"Of course. Cut it," Uncle Jiang said as he looked at the stone and then patted Shuishui's head. "We'll see if you're lucky."

Some of the other gamblers couldn't help but laugh. "If you let the child choose randomly like that, you're bound to suffer a loss."

Jiang Yuan shook his head indifferently. "That doesn't matter. I only want my niece to try it. As long as she's happy, it's fine."

Jiang Yuan didn't care what they said because he didn't know them. He didn't plan to interact too much with them. He had only thought of bringing Shuishui to the night market so that she would be able to experience it and see the stalls. He also wanted to show Shuishui that stone gambling wasn't good because of the high probability of losing.

He spent money to teach Shuishui a lesson. The shop owner actually knew Jiang Yuan, and he also knew that Jiang Yuan didn't really care whether he won or lost. He knew Jiang Yuan would visit just to have fun. "Boss Jiang, I'll start with the lightest cut." He personally walked over to the counter and supervised as his shop assistant started to cut Jiang Yuan and Shuishui's stones.

Jiang Yuan nodded. "Go ahead."

The boss started cutting, and everyone saw a bright shade of red through the cracks. The people around them were dumbstruck. Could it be cockscomb red? Everyone stared at the stone. "I'm willing to pay 100,000 yuan," one of the men said.

"I'll pay 150,000!"

The others only observed. After all, only a small side of the crack was visibly red. They were not sure if it was large or little. However, everyone knew that it was a rare find. The man who had mocked Jiang Yuan earlier also joined in the bidding. "I am offering 250,000. What do you think?"

Jiang Yuan was also stunned. He looked at Shuishui.

Shuishui looked at the man who had mocked her earlier. "All right. Transfer the money immediately. This stone is yours."

They could have raised the amount, but Shuishui had already accepted the offer. That was where the risk lay, and no one dared to act recklessly.

Stone gambling was generally considered a risky business.

The man walked over to them and asked for Jiang Yuan's account. He directly transferred the money to Jiang Yuan's account. The stone was already his.

The boss asked the man, "Do you want to continue cutting?"

He gritted his teeth and said, "Cut!"

The results soon came out. The gem was only the size of a pinkie finger and could be used to make a few earrings or necklaces.

He didn't look too good, but he was relieved that he didn't lose out too much. He knew that it was a rare find. He picked up the stone and quickly left. He felt a little embarrassed because the others looked at him mockingly. He ignored them and simply walked out. He knew he could increase the value and profit more if he hired a good designer.

Jiang Yuan patted Shuishui's head. "You're lucky. I will go to the bank tomorrow and transfer the money to you."

Shuishui didn't want to take advantage of Uncle Jiang. "Ah, there's no need. You bought the stones with your money, Uncle."

Uncle Jiang was moved. "Good child. But the money belongs to you, not to me. It was because of your good luck." Shuishui didn't expect to get something out of the stones. Of course, the amount was nothing to Jiang Yuan, but to Shuishui who was only a student, it was a large sum of money. Uncle Jiang knew by Shuishui's appearance that she wasn't really the extravagant type.

The second stone was soon cut, and they were not surprised that there was nothing inside. They had expected it. The people around them dispersed. They thought the gem found in the first stone was simply due to a stroke of good luck.

The third and last stone was soon cut. When the stone was split open, the boss shouted, "It's green!"

"What?" Everyone gathered around again. They could not believe that one person could be so lucky.

Everyone was in shock. They were envious of Jiang Yuan and Shuishui's luck. Jiang Yuan quickly took out his phone to send a text message. He quickly put his phone away and focused his gaze on the last stone.

Everyone was enviously staring at them and their stones. They were preparing to pounce on the stones. "This green . . . the green color is positive, and the color is thick, like an emerald. It has a bluish tone, but it is still dominantly green. Who knows? We could cut deeper."

The boss's eyes widened. He had seen and heard of such stones before. 'The kid couldn't be that lucky, right?' he thought. Could the stone contain a green gem?

"Continue!" Shuishui said to the assistant.

The boss wiped his sweat and started cutting through the stone. He soon saw that the middle part of the stone had more green hues. He knew then that it was very valuable jade.

Everyone's gaze changed, and the boss touched the jade. "In my years of experience with these stones, I know this is jade. It's a glass-type jade."

Jiang Yuan's gaze also changed. He saw that Shuishui was still in a daze, so he explained everything to her. "Jade is already very rare. It's a top-grade jadeite that can be used as an heirloom. It is very expensive. A jade ring costs over a million."

The people around them were in shock. They knew that it was such a rare find and that it was very expensive.

Jiang Yuan looked at the boss. "Boss, do you want it?"

"No. I can't afford it. Do you want us to cut through it?" The boss was a little excited and a little afraid.

Jiang Yuan looked at Shuishui, who looked at the jade and said, "Continue."

While they continued to cut through the stone, the others were getting restless. No one had signified interest in it, but a few of the wealthier men present were already tempted. They wanted to interject, but they were cut short when Shuishui told the boss to continue cutting through the stone.

Shuishui watched as they cut through it. Although she didn't know much about jade jewelry, she knew how precious imperial jade was.

After the assistant carefully cut through the stone, they finally got the whole piece. It was small, but even the smallest pieces of imperial jade were already very rare.

The others looked at Jiang Yuan. Some people recognized him. "Boss Jiang, long time no see."

Jiang Yuan looked at the person in front of him and thought for a while before he remembered who he was. "Boss Min of The Jade Pavilion, long time no see." Jiang Yuan also knew what the man's intentions were.

"How about selling this small piece of imperial jade to me? I'm willing to pay five million." The other people around them were surprised. They wanted to offer one or two million. Clearly, they had been defeated. The price offered by the man was very reasonable.

Jiang Yuan shrugged. "This is my niece's. You have to ask for her opinion."

Jiang Yuan let Shuishui decide. "Shuishui, what do you think?" Jiang Yuan thought that the offer was fair, but he wanted to know what Shuishui thought about it.

Suddenly, someone intervened. "Six million for the imperial jade."

Boss Min's expression changed. He was shocked that someone would dare to outbid him. He turned around and saw that he was outbid by his sworn enemy, Boss Huang. He was furious and wondered why Boss Huang was there. "Aiyo, Boss Huang, don't you have a big event tonight?"

"Uh, yes. I decided to walk around when the event ended," Boss Huang said as he narrowed his eyes and looked at Boss Min.

They glared at each other, and soon, they began to argue.

Shuishui looked at the imperial jade. So many wanted to get it, but she wasn't even interested in it. She thought it would really be better to sell it. At least she would get a large amount of money from it.

"Of course, the one with the highest offer will get it," Shuishui said.

Jiang Yuan patted Shuishui's shoulder and said to the two men, "How about this? Although I know you, we have decided that we will accept the offer if it will be paid directly in cash."

Full of confidence, Boss Huang took a step forward. "I can transfer the money immediately. I have the funds on hand." Boss Min, on the other hand, was unsure. He had shelled out a large amount of money the previous day for his business, and he couldn't possibly come up with a large amount of money in a short span of time.

Meanwhile, the others gave up. Just when Boss Huang thought he could close the deal, another group of people appeared. Shuishui turned to look. Among them, there was a young man in casual black clothes. He had delicate facial features, but he had a sharp gaze. A few men who also wore suits followed behind him. They lowered their heads and muttered to each other.

The people present wondered who the man was. The man casually glanced at Shuishui. Shuishui met his gaze and looked away. She felt that he was a dangerous person. One of the men who walked in with the young man walked over to Jiang Yuan's side and said in a low voice, "My young master offers 7.5 million for it. Will you accept?"

Jiang Yuan pulled Shuishui towards him. "You can ask this child. It's hers."

The man awkwardly looked at Shuishui. "Little Miss, 7.5 million for this jade of yours. What do you think?"

Shuishui nodded. "Transfer the money. When I receive the money, you can have it."

Shuishui had accepted the offer.

The man walked back towards his young master. His young master nodded and whispered, "Transfer it."

Jiang Yuan gave his account number, and the young man transferred the money directly. When Jiang Yuan confirmed that the money was already in his account, the group of men took the stone and quickly left.

Jiang Yuan waved his hand to several people he knew and said, "Come here."

Although people knew that Jiang Yuan had no cash on hand and that the money was only transferred to his account, Jiang Yuan himself knew that some people with ill intentions would follow them to the car. Jiang Yuan called his three bodyguards over to accompany him and Shuishui. "Let's go and head for the car."

Shuishui nodded to show that she understood. People who had planned to follow them halted when they saw Jiang Yuan's bodyguards.

They quickly left the night market under the protection of the bodyguards. Jiang Yuan and Shuishui quickly got in the car. One of the guards rushed to another vehicle in front to lead the way.

After a while, a black car showed up behind them. Jiang Yuan noticed it and immediately started the car. "Shuishui, call Xiao Li and tell him to prepare to go downstairs."

Shuishui dialed Jiang Li's number. Her first call couldn't get through, so she tried to call him again. On the second call, it took a while before Jiang Li finally picked up. Shuishui thought he wouldn't answer. "Sister Qian?"

"Go downstairs now. We need to go back home now," Shuishui said.

"Come up and sit for a while before we go home." Jiang Li clearly didn't want to leave yet.

"Hurry up. I'll explain everything to you in the car." Shuishui didn't want to explain everything over the phone. Besides, it was too noisy on Jiang Li's end. She basically had to yell so Jiang Li could hear her.

They were quiet in the car for a while.

They soon arrived at the KTV bar and saw Jiang Li. When he saw the car, he ran over to them in a huff. When he got into the car, he said, "Dad, can I stay here a little longer?"

"No. For your safety. It's already late. Don't wander around outside." Jiang Yuan had no choice. Jiang Yuan felt that Shuishui had been very lucky that night.

"What do you mean? What happened?" Jiang Li suddenly felt tense and worried that something bad had happened or was about to happen.

Shuishui explained, "Uncle and I went stone gambling and won some money."

"Won some money? How?" Jiang Li was very curious.

Jiang Yuan said, "I'll tell you when we get back. Shuishui, tonight, we're lucky babies." Jiang Yuan sped up the car. He was excited.

Ten minutes later, they arrived home. Auntie Jiang saw the three of them. "Where have you been? It's already past twelve."

Shuishui recalled that they had spent a lot of time at the stone gambling shop, especially during the cutting of the stones.

Jiang Yuan was full of smiles. "Tonight, I brought Shuishui out to the night market. She was too lucky. She spent 4,300 yuan on stones When the stones were cut open, many people bid for the stones, and she earned 7,750,000 yuan."

"Seven what? What? Seven million yuan?" Jiang Li jumped up and asked in surprise.

"Yes. Shuishui is going to become a rich little woman." Jiang Yuan was ecstatic when he thought of how luck Shuishui was.

Shuishui smiled awkwardly. It was really luck. She was confused and felt silly.

Auntie Jiang heard Jiang Yuan say that they had met someone who had bid 5 million. Although they were rich, she didn't expect that a few thousand yuan would become several million in the blink of an eye. It was unbelievable.

Jiang Li had been sitting beside Shuishui. "Sister Qian, you're going to treat me to a meal."

Shuishui laughed and nodded. It didn't matter to her. Money was just a worldly thing, but with the money she had won, she could do many things.

While they were chatting, the helper brought the soup. "Everyone, try the soup. I asked the helper to make it specially for tonight."

"Shuishui, if you want to eat anything, just tell Auntie. Don't be shy, understand?" She looked at Shuishui kindly. Her husband liked Shuishui very much, so she understood why he brought her out to the night market to enjoy. He never even hung out with his other nieces. Shuishui was a special girl to them.

Shuishui drank the soup and said, "It's sweet but not greasy. It tastes good."

She finished her soup, but she wanted more.

"Can I have another bowl?" Shuishui blinked innocently. Soon, she was on her third bowl.

The helper laughed until her eyes almost disappeared. "You like it? I'll make the same soup tomorrow."

In the past, she did not dare to make too much sugar water. Auntie Jiang had asked the helper to make more because they had a guest. She did not expect that Shuishui would like it a lot.

Jiang Yuan watched as Shuishui ate. "I finally saw what a real foodie is like today. My wife, Shuishui was so cute today. She ate cotton candy, fried chicken, and even several snacks. Why doesn't she gain any weight after eating so much?"

Shuishui ate everything on her bowl, and her stomach was full. "I want to strengthen my muscles."

When she finished, Jiang Yuan laughed out loud. "You child, you want to build more muscles with your small arms and legs?"

"It's true. I will be spending a month and a half of my winter vacation on holiday. For the other days, I will have to undergo training." For her brother's sake, she promised Teacher Li that she would join army training. Teacher Li had also assured her that he would arrange it.

"Are you enrolled in judo or tae kwon do classes?" Jiang Li asked. He presumed that Shuishui was interested in tae kwon do, like many other girls.

"All of them. I'm not very proficient. I'm learning mainly boxing." Shuishui then drank a glass of water to neutralize her palate.

"Boxing? No way! I can't imagine it! Jiang Li looked at Shuishui. He could not imagine Shuishui boxing.

Shuishui laughed and said, "It's true. My teacher had faith that I could excel in it, and he trained me. I don't think he has any other students. I'm the only one. I want to meet or exceed his expectations." Shuishui respected her teachers, who really did their best for her. They had even been unwilling to accept their professional fees, which Shuishui's father used to pay in cash every month. Later, her father directly transferred the money to their accounts. That way, they didn't really have a choice but to accept the payment.

"What other classes have you enrolled in?" Auntie Jiang thought it was good for girls to learn self-defense techniques. For her, a girl could use her boxing skills to defend herself. She thought that since Shuishui was a quiet child, she must have enrolled in piano or violin classes too. Her temperament suited such classes.

"I'm also enrolled in calligraphy, Chinese painting, and erhu classes." They were stunned that Shuishui was interested in the traditional aspects of Chinese culture.

Auntie Jiang's eyes lit up. "Auntie can also play the erhu. Wait for me."

Auntie Jiang ran to the storeroom and quickly took out a big box. Shuishui took a look and saw that it was an instrument box. Auntie Jiang opened it and said, "I was a music student. I majored in playing the erhu. Can you play it for me?"

She was very excited. She felt that most people were interested in either the piano or the violin. Even the guzheng was more popular. She did not know anyone who knew how to play the erhu. Children those days played modern instruments. That was why she had no longer played the erhu.

Jiang Li was surprised. "Mom, how come I didn't know that you played the erhu?"

"Would it have been useful if I told you?" Auntie Jiang said straightforwardly.

Jiang Yuan looked at Shui Shui. "Don't be shy. We are all on the same side. "

Shuishui was surprised by Auntie Jiang's sudden invitation to play, but when she saw Auntie Jiang's warm gaze, she could not refuse. "Then I will make a fool of myself," she said in a humorous tone.

She picked up the erhu, adjusted the strings, and began to play.

Shuishui played one song. Auntie Jiang was very excited. "How long have you been learning?"

Shuishui thought of her good mentor, Teacher Hu. "More than half a year."

Auntie Jiang did not quite believe it. "Such skill level in only half a year? Are you lying to me?"

Shuishui shook her head. "I started studying when I graduated from junior high school. My father brought me then to Teacher Hu. He is a very good teacher. His teaching strategy and discipline allowed me to improve very quickly."

'Teacher Hu? His surname is Hu? It can't be him, right?' Auntie Jiang thought of a person, but she shook her head. It was impossible. He had said that he would not accept any disciples. She remembered that he had gone out of town to retire.

Auntie Jiang did not say much. She just looked at Shuishui expectantly. "How about this . . . we still have to contact each other. I will listen to you practice every day. I will help you correct any mistakes. I haven't played for a long time, but I can guide you."

She wanted to experience the feeling of being a teacher. Moreover, she really liked the Erhu. If she met a bosom friend, she would definitely bring her along.

Shuishui felt that Auntie Jiang deserved to be praised. It was time to suck up to her. "Thank you, Auntie. I feel that when I go back to the city after this vacation, my teacher will definitely see me in a different light."

Auntie Jiang was so happy that she couldn't find a suitable topic to talk about. However, Jiang Yuan didn't think much of it. He knew very well that his wife was highly skilled with the erhu. He had hoped that she would mentor a good student. After all, she was a university graduate. When he pondered on it, he realized that it was most unlikely that she would teach or mentor the wrong child.