The forklift was backing up slowly. Reluctantly, I continued spraying water onto the stone with the hose.
The cut surface of the stone showed no color, only a slight pallor. The water made it look a bit greenish.
My heart settled a little. I dropped the hose and wiped the surface with a rag.
The entire massive cut face was like a white screen, with no other color. It wasn't mist, nor cotton, just white.
What kind of base was this? Judging by the hardness of the cut, this was definitely not sandstone or granite. It had the hardness of high-quality jadeite, very old, how could it have come out with such color?
I shone my flashlight directly onto the cut surface. Strangely, the light penetrated it, indicating it had translucency and was undoubtedly white jadeite.
I wasn't sure; I hadn't even seen this kind of base described in books.
I only knew that white was common in Hetian jade, but this stone was worlds away from Hetian. Even if it could fly over, and half of it had already yielded jadeite, while the other half turned into Hetian jade, if that were true, it would be a marvel of the world!
Qing Ge and Bao Ge also looked puzzled. Qing Ge shook his head and said, "As expected, it's a stubborn stone. I should have known better than to go through all this trouble. Let Li Hua gamble a few more stones for us, and we'd have everything."
Bao Ge replied, "Qing Ge is right. But it's good that it was opened, it shows we can also make mistakes. The bigger the stone, the greater the risk!"
I couldn't press the issue of the stone's quality further, so I played along. "This is the first large stone I've ever looked at, and it immediately gave me a tough lesson. I've learned my lesson. Fortunately, I was able to recover a little loss for you brothers today, otherwise, I might have quit altogether, too ashamed to continue."
Qing Ge said, "You can't quit. I'm still counting on you to help me build my team. Your sister-in-law also has high hopes for you. She still needs an Imperial Green ring, so I'll leave this matter to you."
He patted my shoulder meaningfully and Xiang Jie leaned in, almost pressing her face against mine. "Little brother," she whispered, her breath warm against my cheek, "don't keep older sister waiting too long, okay?"
Her alluring gaze made my heart pound. I was truly afraid I wouldn't be able to control myself and do something inappropriate.
You said I have no immunity to her, and that I have no self-control around her.
Fortunately, she quickly returned to Qing Ge's side after speaking. If she had stayed any longer, I didn't know what embarrassing thing I might have done.
Lan Ya stepped on my foot, snapping me back to reality. I quickly said, "Please don't worry, Sister Xiang, I will do my best to find it for you."
Qing Ge nodded. "Abiao, it's not too late yet. We'll head back. You get busy preparing for the brewery renovation. Later, I'll organize some rough stone merchants from over there to hold a small public auction to celebrate our opening!"
Bao Ge exclaimed, "That would be fantastic! I was just worried about the shortage of rough stones. With their participation, our future concerns will be gone."
Afterward, we escorted Qing Ge out. Qing Ge's car was parked at the port. Bao Ge asked Da Kui to lead men to escort Qing Ge through customs.
As Qing Ge was leaving, Bao Ge handed him a bank draft for twelve million three hundred and twenty thousand, which was immediately negotiable.
Regardless, Qing Ge had made a full return, and the great stone incident had not escalated.
Worried about the stone, I watched Qing Ge's car drive away. I quickly found my master's phone number. My master was very knowledgeable, and I wanted to ask him what exactly was going on.
He was busy on his end, and the counter staff asked me to call back later.
Bao Ge asked, "What? Are there still problems with the stone?"
Lan Ya and Jing Lei also looked at me questioningly.
I led them to the stone. I shone my flashlight on the rough exterior. The light spread across the surface, and they, not understanding, didn't know what I was up to.
I then shone the flashlight on the cut surface and saw that the light didn't reflect but penetrated through.
Even they, who knew little, could see the difference. It was like the difference between light shining on a wall versus glass; the wall reflected the light back, while the glass allowed it to pass through.
Bao Ge asked, "Is this jadeite?"
I replied, "I'm not sure. If I call it glutinous variety, it's too white. If I call it a stone, it's so translucent. It's a bit like the whiteness of soft jade, but it also has a slight greenish tint. I've never heard of jadeite having this kind of base. With Qing Ge here, I didn't dare to investigate further, as it would be difficult to explain. So, I had to treat it as granite. I called my master earlier, but he was busy. I'll ask him later to see if he has any insights."
Bao Ge said, "Alright, the stone isn't going anywhere anyway. Let the workers cover it up for now. We'll go eat. We need to be back for work soon."
Those who work in the nightlife industry start their day when others finish.
After eating, Jing Lei and I returned home to check if my parents were getting used to living there.
As we entered, my father was watching the news, and my mother was tidying up in the kitchen. They were preparing meals at home.
Seeing us enter, my father hastily stood up and motioned for Jing Lei to sit on the sofa. Jing Lei asked me to watch TV with my father while she went to the kitchen to help my mother.
My father took a stack of papers from his canvas bag and solemnly handed them to me. He said, "I've thought about it. I won't avoid this anymore. It doesn't matter if I can clear my own name; I absolutely cannot let this rotten apple continue to harm others! This is evidence of Principal Sun's illegal and disciplinary actions that I've collected over the years. Find a way to deliver it to the relevant authorities. We must rid the education system of this menace."
I took it and said emotionally, "It's wonderful that you've decided this. I'll go take care of it right away. You and Mom rest well at home and wait for my news. Also, Mom, absolutely do not go back to work. Those people are still causing trouble, and I don't want them to threaten me and the company using my family."
My father replied, "Don't worry. Although we can't help you directly, we won't be a burden. You also need to be very careful. These people are desperate criminals; they won't go easy on you. You must be cautious."
I nodded. At this moment, my mother and Jing Lei also came out of the kitchen. They exchanged a few words. I said, "Lock the inner door securely tonight. I might not be back for a few days. Don't open the door for anyone."
With that, we left. Jing Lei saw me off to work.
In the car, I told Jing Lei we were going to the old street. I wanted to see my master and seek his guidance.
On the way, I said, "Take me to buy a car tomorrow. I don't have a license, so find someone to drive it for me first. You still have business to attend to at the mall."
Jing Lei agreed, "That's fine. I'll find a driver for you, but you'll have to come and live with me from now on."
I asked, "Move in with you? Isn't that inappropriate?"
Jing Lei clarified, "Who said you have to move in with my family? I don't live with them. Not far from the mall, there's a small apartment where I live."
I was speechless. When this woman gets controlling, men have to step aside.
I said, "Walls have ears. Aren't you afraid of gossip if you bring a man home? You're still a well-bred young lady, unmarried."
Jing Lei countered, "What am I afraid of? What era is this? Love is free. If I'm not afraid, then you shouldn't be, right?"
I said with a wry smile, "I need to visit my parents occasionally. Is that a problem?"
Jing Lei replied, "That's certainly fine, but you absolutely cannot contact Hong Afeng!"
I understood. So that was the reason.
Women!