Seeing that a fellow reader had gifted a cured sausage, my heart warmed; thank you so much. ....................................

Wang Zhuo was left to examine the stones while Qiu Lu went to work. Just as Wang Zhuo was about to inspect a rough stone that had several viewing windows already cut, a gruff voice cut in from behind him.

“Hey, move aside!” Before he could even turn his head, a forceful shove landed against his back. Wang Zhuo frowned, rooted his feet to the ground, and did not budge an inch, turning back with a cold expression.

It was a young man in a blue shirt and black trousers, built like a bull, trying to squeeze past him sideways using his shoulder. Behind the youth stood a middle-aged man and woman, both emanating an air of authority.

The man strode with measured steps, while the woman’s face was etched with arrogance. Beside them, a woman in a white shirt and pencil skirt was actually holding an umbrella for the pair.

Wang Zhuo instantly sized up the quartet: a leader and his wife out for an excursion, with a driver clearing the path and a secretary holding the umbrella—cadres of the state, public servants maintained by the very people they served! Having been firmly blocked by Wang Zhuo, the servant of the servant was immediately displeased.

He glared: “Kid, what’s your problem? Step aside, don’t block the way.” Wang Zhuo was positioned precisely between two rows of stone tables, the common area where jade enthusiasts selected stones or simply walked through.

This aisle was about 1.5 meters wide. Standing there examining a stone, Wang Zhuo occupied at most fifty or sixty centimeters, leaving nearly a meter of clear passage, more than enough for the four of them to pass comfortably.

But Wang Zhuo might see it that way; the servant of the official did not. The leader was passing through!

Could he not see the leader and his wife walking side-by-side? Could he not see the secretary holding the umbrella?

Wasn't it the absolute duty of some insignificant commoner to yield way to a leader? Wang Zhuo was disinclined to bother with such bullying arrogance.

With little expression, he shifted a step to the side. The driver shot him a look that suggested he recognized a sensible person and continued forward.

The man resembling the leader behind him even gave Wang Zhuo a nod of approval. As the three passed by him, Wang Zhuo suddenly let out an "Eh?" as if he had just spotted something remarkable on a stone.

He bent over sharply, his rear end jutting out exactly where it made contact with the leader’s soft belly fat. Indeed, it was right at the waist.

The leader was only about 1.6 meters tall, giving him a low center of gravity. This impact jolted the leisurely-strolling leader, making him stumble, and he stepped directly onto his wife’s foot, eliciting a shrill yelp from her.

The female secretary scrambled in panic to steady the leader and support the wife, the umbrella having long since tumbled to the ground. The driver quickly ran back, shooting Wang Zhuo a vicious glare before rushing over to help.

“Oh? My apologies, I didn’t see you folks,” Wang Zhuo stood up, offering a cheerful apology before gracefully walking away.

“Xiao Li!” The leader’s wife pointed at Wang Zhuo’s retreating back, ready to order the driver to intervene. “Forget it, forget it,” the leader, demonstrating better composure, restrained his wife.

“What’s the point in dealing with a poor student? It lowers our status.” “Damn brat,” the wife muttered under her breath, her chest heaving with anger.

After walking quite a distance, Wang Zhuo felt a touch of surprise that the official's party hadn't pursued the matter. He glanced back; the four of them were still standing there, apparently discussing something, occasionally glancing toward him with distinctly unfriendly expressions.

It turned out that the people’s servants, after all, could not be as brazen as thugs and hoodlums—at least, not in public. Wang Zhuo shrugged with a faint smile and returned to examining his rough stones.

A gentleman treats others with magnanimity; a petty man seeks vengeance for the smallest slight. Wang Zhuo knew these people were definitely not gentlemen, and he had already made an enemy of them.

However, he didn't care; this was just the straightforwardness of youth, as he lacked the slickness of a seasoned adult. Stopping and starting, he assessed the roughs—some good, some bad, and some exhibiting peculiar characteristics he couldn't decipher.

Finally, one stone caught his attention. It was a very small piece, encased in black skin, perhaps the size of a rice dumpling.

The exposed cut surface was mottled white, with a very poor appearance overall. However, after using his X-ray vision, Wang Zhuo discovered the green inside was incredibly dense, yet clear and pure.

It was only a tiny portion, and he couldn't gauge its true value. Coincidentally, two other jade enthusiasts were examining a stone nearby.

Seeing Wang Zhuo holding onto this small rough, one of them laughed, “Little brother, fancy this piece? It’s been sitting here for at least a year.” “I want to cut it open and see,” Wang Zhuo smiled and nodded.

The stone was indeed unremarkable, and it had already failed one cutting attempt, so sitting there for a year wasn't entirely strange. The other man chimed in, “I advise you not to gamble on it.

This kind of black sand stone usually results in nine losses out of ten, and this piece has already failed once. If it weren't an old pit material, Qi Shi Fang would have tossed it to an apprentice for practice ages ago.” Wang Zhuo just smiled back, “Thank you both for the warning.

I estimate this stone won't be expensive; cutting it once is a low-risk venture for fun.” Seeing his persistence, the two men said no more, just nodded and returned to studying their own stones. Carrying the rough, Wang Zhuo walked toward the service counter.

As he passed the official's group, the official's wife noticed the small stone in his hand, snorted softly, and muttered, “No money, yet he comes here to gamble on stones. What kind of ornate pendant can you get from such a tiny piece of black sand?” “Sister-in-law has a sharp eye; what the boy is holding is indeed black sand,” the driver seized the chance to flatter.

One needs a certain level of knowledge to follow an official; since the leader liked jade, the driver had studied relevant facts. It had to be said that in terms of jade expertise, this driver, Xiao Li, might even surpass Wang Zhuo.

“That’s half of a large failed old pit material. I saw it six months ago,” the official laughed.

“Don't talk about a pendant; if he can even cut out a transparent 'flower' cabochon from it, he should thank his ancestors!” This time, the secretary stepped in, smiling sweetly, “Director Zheng has an incredible memory; remembering such a small piece seen half a year ago.” “Let’s go, let’s see him cut it!” The Director’s wife was impatient to witness the spectacular expression on Wang Zhuo’s face when the stone turned out to be a failure! Using the number inscribed on the stone, the attendant checked the price: three thousand.

Qiu Lu, who happened to be passing by, stared wide-eyed upon hearing it: “Are you serious?” “Brother Qiu, it’s correct. The ledger records it exactly like this; look if you don’t believe me,” the attendant handed the ledger to Qiu Lu.

Qiu Lu finished reading the ledger, glanced at the small stone again, and repeatedly shook his head at Wang Zhuo: “I think you should just forget it; this piece isn't worth that much.” Wang Zhuo pretended to ponder, but inwardly he chuckled. If the price had been set lower, someone else might have already gambled on it, leaving no chance for him.

It was this high price tag of three thousand that had preserved this opportunity for him to make a score. “Can it be cheaper?” Wang Zhuo asked.

“The manager isn't here, but for this piece, I can make a decision and give you a ten percent discount,” said another, slightly older attendant. “My face is worth a ten percent discount too,” Qiu Lu offered Wang Zhuo a wry smile, then said to the older attendant, “Sister Zhou, this is a friend I brought.

Can you make it an eight percent discount?” Sister Zhou nodded without much hesitation. Wang Zhuo suddenly remembered Cai Yuantu and smiled, “Then shouldn’t your Boss Cai’s face earn me another ten percent off?

He promised me this morning that all my stone gambling expenses today could have a ten percent discount.” “You know our boss?” Qiu Lu looked surprised. “We're acquaintances; I bought him a bottle of beer,” Wang Zhuo stated the truth.

Seeing that Wang Zhuo didn't seem to be lying, and given that Cai Yuantu’s name carried weight, the attendant readily gave him a thirty percent discount, even voluntarily waiving the remaining one hundred yuan. The three-thousand-yuan rough ended up costing a final price of two thousand.

The official’s group, who had moved a short distance away to watch the show, found the situation amusing. They hadn't expected the price of that worthless piece to be an outrageous three thousand, nor had they expected Wang Zhuo to negotiate it down to two thousand—effectively a thirty-four percent discount.

“Two thousand yuan, that’s enough for his two months’ living expenses, right?” the Director’s wife acrimoniously offered her guess. It wasn't entirely her fault for being so harsh; Wang Zhuo was wearing a slightly faded Li-Ning short-sleeved sports shirt that day.

In a city where Adidas and Nike were ubiquitous, Li-Ning was synonymous with low-end status, which allowed her to immediately gauge Wang Zhuo’s background. “I think it’s enough for three months,” the driver, Xiao Li, chimed in as he saw the phone Wang Zhuo pulled out when reaching for his bank card.

“His phone has been obsolete for several years now.” After swiping the two thousand yuan, Wang Zhuo took possession of the rough that everyone else had dismissed. As he turned, he caught sight of the four members of the official’s party waiting for the spectacle.

The corners of his mouth curved up slightly, thinking to himself, We’ll see who is laughing last in a little while! “Sister Ying, Sister Qi!

Come take a look! I’m about to cut the stone!” He called out loudly while craning his neck, instantly drawing the attention of all the jade enthusiasts present.

Guan Yingying and Qi Fei heard the shout, hurriedly set down the roughs they were holding, and walked over. The onlookers, hearing that a stone was about to be cut, also drifted over in small groups—more excitement to witness!