Wendy Lynch took out her phone, swiftly scanned the owner’s payment code, and transferred sixteen thousand yuan.
DING.
The notification chime rang out, exceptionally crisp in the quiet shop. The shop owner’s smile stretched from ear to ear. Staring at the digits on his screen, he moved with a sudden lightness in his step.
"Wendy, did you really just pay?" Charlotte Lynch’s voice trembled on the verge of tears. She tugged hard at Wendy’s shirt hem, practically hanging off her.
"Sixteen thousand! Just for this broken rock?
"Let’s hurry up and return it to the owner!"
Hearing this, the owner was instantly displeased. He reached out and tapped a sign hanging by the door.
"Miss, raw gemstones are strictly non-refundable once sold," he said. "I’m afraid I can’t agree to your request!"
He had to be joking. He had bought that rock for just over a hundred yuan and finally managed to pawn it off for over ten thousand. Why would he ever accept a return?
The crowd of onlookers broke into unrestrained murmurs.
"Is this girl crazy? Spending sixteen thousand on a piece of black sandskin? Does she have money to burn?"
"Although black sandskins have a chance of containing Imperial Green jade, the odds are way too low!"
"Imperial Green from a black sandskin? The whole market doesn’t even see a few of those all year round, right?"
"I bet my bottom dollar it’s a scam. That woman and the owner were putting on a show together to trap this little girl."
"Tsk, tsk. Young people nowadays are way too impulsive. That sixteen thousand is basically flushed down the drain."
"Exactly. She looks pretty enough, but why is her brain not working?"
All sorts of comments drilled into their ears—some pitying, some mocking, and some outright gloating.
Charlotte’s face flushed red and then drained white. She wished the ground would just open up and swallow her whole. Hearing the crowd’s discussions, she was absolutely certain that Wendy had been scammed. That woman in the suit and the owner were definitely in cahoots!
The woman in the white suit still leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, a faint smile playing on her lips. She was clearly waiting to enjoy the show.
Wendy, however, didn’t care in the slightest about the crowd’s whispers. She knew the exact condition of this stone better than anyone else present. She reached out and gently patted Charlotte’s hand, signaling her not to worry. Then, holding the heavy stone, she walked over to the stone-cutting area next to the shop.
Seeing that Wendy was going to cut the stone on the spot, the crowd’s interest was immediately piqued. Even the shop owner temporarily asked a neighboring vendor to watch his stall so he could watch.
The Gem Cutter, who had been bored out of his mind sipping tea, lazily lifted his eyelids upon seeing a customer approach.
Wendy handed the stone over and pointed to a razor-thin white crack ringing the top. "Sir, please open a window along this crack."
"Open a window?"
The Gem Cutter looked down and examined the stone in his hand. It was smooth overall, with only a single crack at the triangular tip. It was indeed a good place to start the cut. He took the stone and skillfully secured it on the cutting machine.
Then, he stepped on the pedal.
SCREECH.
The ear-piercing sound of grinding metal instantly rang out, echoing in the small shop alongside splashing water and flying white stone dust. Everyone’s gaze—whether they were mocking her or just there for the spectacle—was involuntarily drawn over.
A jadeite rough worth sixteen thousand was nothing in this massive raw gemstone market. But those were usually much larger stones; even if a cut failed, there was still a chance of yielding bean-grade or glutinous-grade jade. Even if the buyer took a loss, they wouldn’t lose absolutely everything.
However, the stone in front of them was only the size of a fist. If it didn’t yield a good grade and transparency, that sixteen thousand would completely vanish into thin air.
Time ticked by minute by minute. The cutting machine’s saw blade steadily advanced along the crack.
Suddenly, the Gem Cutter’s eyes narrowed.
Refracting through the sunlight, a fleeting hint of pale green flashed through the gaps in the splashing water and stone dust!
The previously lazy and casual master’s expression instantly changed. He cut hundreds of raw stones every day, so he naturally knew exactly what that flash of green meant. He immediately lifted his foot, slowing down the cutting machine’s speed. His previously rough movements became incredibly cautious.
After another half-minute of cutting, there was a CRACK as the small piece of stone at the top fell to the ground.
At this moment, the surface of the raw stone was still covered in a large amount of stone dust. Yet, even that thick layer of powder couldn’t hide the streak of rich green that appeared before everyone’s eyes.
"Holy shit!" Someone in the crowd cursed, shattering the silence.
"It showed green! It actually showed green!"
"This color... My God, there’s something crazy about this color!"
The smile on the face of the woman in the white suit, who had been leaning with her arms crossed to watch the show, completely froze. She stared intently at the stone in the Gem Cutter’s hands, her face instantly turning pale.
The Gem Cutter turned off the machine and carefully picked up the water hose next to it.
SPLASH.
Under the constant blast of the water, the stone dust was washed clean. A window no larger than a thumb appeared at the top of the jadeite rough.
Seeing the magnificent green within the window, the Gem Cutter immediately pulled a high-powered flashlight from his waist and shone it into the interior of the stone. Under the intense light, the already stunning green instantly radiated a mesmerizing hue.
A look of utter envy appeared on the Gem Cutter’s face. "Good lord... it’s Imperial Green! Full-color Imperial Green!"
Hearing the Gem Cutter’s words, Charlotte let out an ear-piercing scream.
"Wendy! Imperial Green! We’re rich!!"
Staring at the rough stone in the Gem Cutter’s hands, the crowd of onlookers instantly boiled over! The previous voices of mockery and gossip transformed entirely into gasps of disbelief and frantic shouts!
"Holy crap! It’s actually Imperial Green!"
"Sixteen thousand... she got Imperial Green from a sixteen thousand stone! What kind of god-tier luck does this girl have?!"
"Everyone says black sandskins can yield Imperial Green, and now it looks like it’s actually true!!!"
"Open the window a bit wider! Or grind off the skin on the side! If there’s still Imperial Green underneath, she might just achieve absolute financial freedom right here!"
In the crowd, a gentle-looking middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses was the first to react. He excitedly squeezed to the very front, his face flushed red as he shouted at Wendy.
"Miss, miss! Are you selling this stone?
"Whatever you do, don’t listen to their nonsense!
"They always say: one cut makes you poor, one cut makes you rich!
"If you make a bad cut, it’ll be completely worthless!
"Tell you what, I’ll offer two hundred thousand! Two hundred thousand!
"Miss, just sell this stone to me and let me bear the risk!"
However, hearing his offer, the surrounding crowd began clamoring even more frantically.
"Miss, absolutely do not sell it! He wants to buy Imperial Green for two hundred thousand? He’s dreaming!"
"Is Old Rhodes trying to snipe a bargain from a newbie again?"
"This rough stone is big enough that you could easily carve out a few ring cabochons, and that alone would be worth two hundred thousand!"
"If it’s full green inside, you could carve out a plain pendant or even a small bracelet. That would easily be in the millions!"
"Little girl, don’t listen to him!
"If you cut it all the way open and it’s completely green inside, it’ll be worth at least two million! Quick, keep cutting!"
"Yeah! Keep cutting! Roll the dice! Go big or go home!"