Reborn As Super Heiress
Chapter 539 - 536: One Must Be Obsessed to Survive

Chapter 539: Chapter 536: One Must Be Obsessed to Survive

The attendant’s face changed, and he hurriedly ran into the courtyard; it wasn’t long before the shopkeeper himself came running out, all flustered.

People were indispensable to the shop at this time, so he quickly gave a few orders, asking the attendant and the little girl to help him mind the store, then he dashed out in a panic.

The little girl seemed quite astute, just standing there in the shop made her look like a born merchant.

It’s just that her facial features still looked a bit immature, so she appeared somewhat precociously old-fashioned, which was quite amusing to onlookers.

As soon as the shopkeeper left, the little girl was preparing to go to the backyard when she turned her head and saw an erratic old man fondling a rough stone in the corner.

The girl’s brows instantly shot up and, hands on hips, she ran over and scolded the old man:

"Grandpa, why are you causing trouble in the shop again? Uncle Si is very busy these days, and he has no time to take care of you. If you keep disobeying, be careful I won’t give you any wine to drink when I get back!"

Hearing this, Huo Sining was somewhat surprised; it turned out that this little girl was the granddaughter of the erratic old man, quite a formidable little lady, comparable to Wang Xifeng.

Huo Sining watched the girl’s commanding little face and couldn’t help but purse his lips, smiling uncontrollably.

"I’m looking at the rough stones," the old man said with a happy smile, patting the stone in his hand. "If I win from cutting this stone, I’ll buy beautiful clothes for Nannan, you!"

"Humph, as if I care!" the little girl retorted disdainfully, but the laughter and pride in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.

The grandfather’s mind might be gone, but the fact that he still remembered to gamble on stones to buy clothes for his granddaughter showed how close their relationship was.

However, what Huo Sining noticed was not the expressions of the granddaughter and her grandfather, but the rough stone that the old man held in his hand.

The stone that he was cradling had a small window opened at the very top; it was the same piece of Ice-type Huangyang Green that Huo Sining had seen earlier—the only stone among those on the Curio Shelf likely to increase in value significantly.

At this sight, Huo Sining’s expression turned stern.

Even though the old man had a smile on his face, both his vacant eyes and his illogical speech suggested that his mind truly was unclear. But why then could he accurately mention the potential value increase of this rough stone? Could it merely be a coincidence?

Huo Sining looked puzzledly at the old man. Terms like "betting on the skin’s greenness" and "gambling to win" all came from this old man’s mouth; he was undeniably mad, but his every careless remark was strangely accurate, as if he truly knew what was inside this stone.

Faced with such a bizarre phenomenon, a ludicrous thought suddenly crossed Huo Sining’s mind.

Could it be that after losing his sanity, the old man was able to see what kind of jadeite was hidden inside these rough stones?

It wasn’t impossible, just as Van Gogh, before his madness, painted lifeless art, but when his mental state deteriorated, his level of painting soared, rivaling the famous abstract artist Jasper Johns;

Newton, in his early years, was a firm believer in science, but in his old age, he started researching theology incessantly, as though he was possessed by a deity—these anomalies cannot be explained by current science.

"Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a saying, ’It’s not a living without being mad’."

Huo Sining felt this speculation could very well be true.

The old man had been stimulated and then activated some special ability. Although he wasn’t lucid, he actually understood in his heart; he just didn’t know how to express it.

As if divining secrets, it seemed like he had seen completely through these rough stones, it was just a pity that everyone else thought he was insane, and not a single person believed him.

By this time, the middle-aged man responsible for stone gambling had finished with the rough stones, and sure enough, the Hibiscus Kind that was revealed weighed over four pounds.

Since the rough stone’s value had risen, the middle-aged man was naturally overjoyed. He left the shop cheerfully with his companions to celebrate, and the other onlookers had dispersed, leaving only Huo Sining and her group standing in the shop.

"Humph, the value of the rough stone increased by nearly a million, and he didn’t even leave a tip - I’ve never seen anyone so stingy!"

The young girl saw the middle-aged man leave so indifferently. Although her expression did not show the slightest displeasure, once the group had left, she couldn’t help but spit in the direction of the middle-aged man’s retreating figure.

Giving a tip wasn’t a written rule, but it was a convention within the jadeite circle. Usually, if the value of the rough stone rose after cutting, the person who benefited would give a tip to the shop’s workers, no matter how little.

This middle-aged man walking away without doing so was indeed unkind. After all, both the shop owner and the workers had assisted them, supplying the stone cutting machine and bringing water. It was only right to leave a tip.

However, this middle-aged man probably wasn’t part of this circle and didn’t know the rules; you could tell he was a newcomer by the way he cut the stone in one stroke from the middle.

The shop assistant Er Niu hadn’t expected this girl to speak so directly, especially in front of so many people. He blushed slightly and felt somewhat embarrassed as he glanced at Huo Sining and her group, giving the girl a disapproving look.

Yet the young girl didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with what she had said and stood there boldly while others measured her up.

This girl really was straightforward, just like Su Qingqing - truly a kindred spirit.

Huo Sining couldn’t help but sigh in her heart, but she couldn’t really dislike such a character; instead, she found herself somewhat appreciative.

Huo Sining had once been a weak lamb. Now, reborn and rebuilding herself, she realized how tiring it had been to always live for others. It was better to follow her own heart, doing and saying what she wanted. The girl’s boldness in love and hate was very much to Huo Sining’s taste.

The deal had been done, so there was no need to linger. Huo Sining and her group were preparing to leave when suddenly the young girl called out to them.

"Hey, do you want to go somewhere else to see rough stones?"

There was something strange about the girl’s expression, and a glint in her eye which Huo Sining caught quickly.

Huo Sining didn’t know what this young girl was selling, but seeing the shop assistant wanting to say something but hesitating, she knew there had to be a catch.

The others felt something was off too. The shop owner wasn’t present, and suddenly someone asking if you want to see rough stones elsewhere at this time seemed too much like a pie falling from the sky. It was very likely a trap set by the other party - if they naively walked into it, there would be nowhere to cry after being swindled.