Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space
Chapter 172. Twenty-five thousand taels

Chapter 172: 172. Twenty-five thousand taels

"Oh... Master Li, there should be a sense of first come, first served, right?" The man in the black robe started to get anxious.

"Good jade material is rare and always goes to the highest bidder, there’s no such thing as first come, first served." The elderly man in the dark robe smiled as he stroked his neatly trimmed beard, his determined appearance made people gnash their teeth.

"You... twelve hundred taels," the black-robed man flicked his sleeve, adding two hundred taels, not out of anger but out of a genuine desire to compete, feeling that this piece of jade could bring surprises.

"Thirteen hundred taels," the elderly man in the dark robe immediately followed with his bid.

"Fourteen hundred taels," another person joined in; such fine emerald was truly rare, and others could no longer resist.

"Fifteen hundred taels."

"Sixteen hundred taels."

"..."

Hua Jin wore a faint smile on her face, but her heart was uncontrollably excited. She always knew there was good jade inside this stone, but didn’t know to what extent. She hadn’t expected it to be so rewarding.

In short, she was happy, extremely happy, happiness beyond words.

This was just a single exposed side of the jade stone that was already worth so much silver, and she knew there was a large piece of jade inside. Without a doubt, they wouldn’t have to worry about money for stocking supplies in the future.

The sound of the bidding was truly quite beautiful!

When the price reached twenty-two hundred taels, everyone simultaneously stopped, the price had basically hit its peak. Although the exposed side was indeed a top-quality emerald, as long as it’s not fully revealed, no one knows what lies inside, and any higher would be too risky and not worthwhile. So they all looked towards the owner of the raw stone, making Hua Jin feel a bit regretful, even though she wasn’t ready to sell at that moment.

The elderly man in the dark robe, the oldest and last to bid, spoke up: "Young friend, I am willing to offer twenty-three hundred taels, this price is already very high. I dare to guarantee that selling now would definitely not be a loss. What do you say?"

Hua Jin discreetly shook her head at her father, her eyes focused entirely on the hands of the stone-cutting assistant.

Hua Chengtian understood, clasped his hands, and said, "Apologies, you’re right, the price is indeed high. But even so, I still wish to wait until it’s completely revealed."

After speaking, Hua Chengtian made a formal bow.

"In that case, everyone, please be patient and wait until it’s revealed, it’s safer this way." The shopkeeper spoke up with a smile.

This was also what he was happy to see. If the gamble succeeded, their shop wouldn’t have to worry in the future.

Everyone looked at each other and nodded; the owner of the raw stone wasn’t agreeing, so even if they wanted to, it was useless!

Now, all that was left was to patiently wait.

As one layer of stone was peeled away after another, the assistant’s actions became even more cautious, until finally, it was a matter of carefully grinding down bit by bit. Everyone was anxiously waiting but dared not leave. Finally, after an hour, the several dozen-pound raw stone had turned into a human head-sized piece, with a faint green glow emanating from all around the stone’s surface, causing some people to become restless again.

"I’ll bid twenty-five hundred taels," although unsure of how much emerald there was, at this point, it was almost certain this jade purchase was guaranteed to make a profit.

"I’ll bid twenty-six hundred taels," someone else immediately followed with a shout.

"Young friend, continue," sensing his daughter’s urging, Hua Chengtian immediately spoke up, stopping remaining bidders.

The elderly man in the dark robe, the man in the black robe, and several others did not speak, knowing it would be futile, as the owner of the raw stone seemed determined to risk it all.

Indeed, if it were them, they would likely do the same, since winning the bet would mean never worrying for a lifetime.

Upon hearing this, the assistant resumed grinding, while the shopkeeper occasionally washed the stone with water, both eyes glued to the jade, no less excited than the surrounding crowd.

Then, after another incense stick’s worth of time, the jade shrank once more into a whole piece in front of everyone, its color green, round, and pure, not a part but an entire large piece, slightly smaller than a human head of emerald jade. The shopkeeper’s ladle of water washed over it, giving it a green hue that penetrated the heart and soul, causing the surrounding crowd to burst out in excitement. In an instant, several servants were sent scurrying away.

"Dear heavens, what kind of divine luck is this, such a large piece of emerald has been revealed, oh my, fortune’s upon us, this person’s made it big," quite a few onlookers purely there for entertainment were incoherent with excitement, their envious and jealous gazes fell upon Hua Chengtian, sitting in the center with divine fortune.

"Yes indeed, such extraordinary luck!"

"How about we go in and buy a stone ourselves, with such goods found, it must mean the other stones in this shop are good too, plus we might catch some luck,"

"Sounds reasonable," quite a few people immediately took interest and began selecting within the shop, creating a lively atmosphere in the shop, keeping the nearly overwhelmed assistants busy.

This scene made the shopkeeper beam with joy.

As the shopkeeper of the establishment where such a large emerald was discovered, one of the most excited was him.

With so many people here already, he couldn’t help but anticipate the bustling future of his shop, already planning to immediately restock, looking at the father and daughter with such intensity as if wanting to devour them.

Thankfully, Hua Jin was prepared for these fiery gazes and managed to maintain composure on the surface.

Hua Chengtian had always been quite resilient, but in face of such a large piece of emerald, it was truly difficult to stay calm, and he couldn’t help but show excitement on his face.

And with this large enough piece of emerald, many people had an expression of unwavering determination.

"I’ll bid three thousand taels," someone couldn’t hold back any longer.

"Thirty-five hundred taels," immediately followed by another middle-aged man dressed in silk calling out.

"Thirty-eight hundred taels," the man in the black robe also spoke up.

"Four thousand taels," a middle-aged man who rushed over, without bothering to wipe the sweat off his face, called out his bid.

"I’ll bid five thousand taels," the elderly man in the dark robe, not willing to lag behind, directly added a thousand taels, as his master was fretting over finding a good gift. This emerald was revealed just in time.

"Forty-five hundred taels..."

"..."

With each high bid called out, Hua Jin’s eyes grew ever brighter.

"Thirteen thousand taels..."

"Fifteen thousand," the middle-aged man gritted his teeth and called out another price.

The man in the black robe opened his mouth but ultimately closed it. This price was beyond his capacity, so he could only reluctantly prepare to withdraw.

Not just him, but the other competing buyers also fell silent. Despite how excellent the item was, they didn’t have the means to afford it.

"Sixteen thousand taels."

"Seventeen thousand taels."

"..."

In the end, only the elderly man in the dark robe and the middle-aged man who came over sweating were left.

"Twenty-five thousand taels."

This price finally caused the middle-aged man to concede, silently closing his mouth.

The elderly man in the dark robe also sighed in relief, as this was the highest he could bid; anything more, and he wouldn’t have enough.

"Is there anyone else willing to bid?" A crisp, sweet voice suddenly rang out. Hua Jin stepped forward with a smile, looking at the red-faced, neck-straining uncles and elderly gentlemen, with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

As if to say... Please, continue!

Everyone: "..."