Chapter 150: Top-Grade Jade
Chu Feng had no idea about the conversation between Zhou Ting and Zhuang Feilei the previous day. But even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared.
“You don’t like Zhou Ting, do you?” Zhuang Cheng asked.
Chu Feng stood with his hands on his hips. “That guy looks like a discipline teacher. He doesn’t seem that much older than us but always acts like he’s lecturing people. Who does he think he is?”
Illya had said Zhou Ting seemed hostile toward him. But honestly, Chu Feng could already sense it—probably afraid he’d take Zhuang Feilei’s spot. Truly ridiculous.
Zhuang Cheng tilted his head and chuckled. “Discipline teacher—sounds about right.”
He thought to himself: the Zhou family has a lot of people in politics. They all speak in official tones—it’s boring.
Chu Feng looked at Zhuang Feixue and said, “Sis, if you date someone like that, it’ll be a tough relationship. He’s really dull.”
Zhuang Feixue smiled. “Okay.”
She had been feeling a bit down, but Chu Feng’s joke swept away the gloom in her heart.
Chu Feng picked out over a hundred stones, spending nearly thirty million before finally calling it quits.
“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s go get them cut,” Chu Feng said.
Zhuang Feixue nodded. “Okay.”
Zhuang Cheng looked at Chu Feng, suspicious that he might be up to something. “Hey, how many of those stones do you think will actually have green jade in them?” he asked tentatively.
Chu Feng glanced at him. “Five or six top-grade pieces, at least.”
Zhuang Cheng frowned. “You bought scraps and leftovers. Even though there are many, the quality is terrible. You probably won’t even make back a million.”
“No way. If even one top-grade piece comes out, I’ll break even,” Chu Feng said.
Zhuang Cheng looked at him. “Are you dreaming?”
Chu Feng gave him a sideways glance. “What do you know, you ignorant brat?”
Zhuang Feixue gave an awkward laugh. “Top-grade pieces really aren’t that easy to come by.” She looked at the basket of stones, not too optimistic herself.
Chu Feng waved it off. “Don’t worry. I’ve got great luck. I’ll definitely make a big profit this time. Once I’m rich, I’ll treat you all to a feast.”
Zhuang Feixue looked at Chu Feng, who was full of confidence. She opened her mouth to say something, but swallowed her words.
Zhuang Cheng, a bit excited, said, “Let’s go get them cut!”
He was genuinely curious what Chu Feng might get out of the stones.
Chu Feng went to a stone-cutting shop and hired a professional to start cutting.
But after cutting through more than twenty stones, they hadn’t found anything valuable.
A crowd had gathered around to watch the excitement.
“Oh! It’s green!”
“Nope, it collapsed. That first cut looked promising, but it turned out to be junk.”
“Stone gambling really depends on experience. If you’re inexperienced, you’re done for.”
“Trying to get rich from stone gambling isn’t easy, that’s for sure.”
“These stones didn’t cost much individually, but put together, it’s quite a sum. He’s probably going to take a huge loss this time.”
“Young people are too impulsive.”
Zhuang Feixue turned to look at Chu Feng and found that he was calm and composed, seemingly unaffected by the results.
One of the stone cutters picked up a rock. Illya grabbed Chu Feng’s arm, looking a bit more nervous. Chu Feng glanced at Illya and realized—this stone wasn’t bought from a store affiliated with the Rare Stones Guild!
As the blade came down, a wave of gasps erupted from the onlookers. The stone cutter’s expression turned serious, and from then on, he became much more careful with each cut.
“Ink jade—this is ink jade!”
“Oh my god, what a beautiful piece of jade!”
“Who would’ve thought such a rare type would appear?”
“This ink jade looks like it’s of really high quality!”
“Ink jade? What a lucky find!”
When the whole stone was cut open, what remained was a piece of jade about the size of a baby’s fist—pure, translucent, and radiating an air of deep mystery.
As soon as the jade was revealed, someone immediately offered sixty million to buy it, but Chu Feng shook his head and refused.
Zhuang Feixue exclaimed in surprise, “Ink jade! Even if the rest of the stones turn out to be worthless, just this one piece makes today worth it.”
Chu Feng smiled. “Worth it? I’m here to make serious money.”
The cutter, seeing the ink jade, became much more cautious, afraid he might damage another high-quality stone. He continued to open over a dozen more stones—most of them were cheap goods. The onlookers shook their heads, thinking it had just been a stroke of luck. Opening a piece of ink jade like that was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
“I wonder which store sold that rough jade. I’m going to try my luck there later.”
People nearby asked Zhuang Feixue for details, but she frowned slightly with a troubled look. It wasn’t that she wanted to keep it secret—she honestly didn’t know where Chu Feng had bought it from. They’d visited so many shops that day. Chu Feng picked stones like others picked cabbages—quickly and without hesitation, tossing whichever caught his eye into a basket.
The bustling crowd suddenly fell silent.
“Oh my god… this… this is Fu-Lu-Shou jade! And such a big piece, too!”
In traditional Chinese culture, Fu, Lu, and Shou represent happiness, prosperity, and longevity. When a single piece of jade contains green, red, and purple hues, it’s called Fu-Lu-Shou jade, symbolizing these three blessings.
If the colors are evenly distributed—each occupying one-third of the piece—or if green dominates with red and purple sharing the rest, it’s considered extremely rare and precious. Combined with top-tier jade quality and clarity, Fu-Lu-Shou jade becomes practically priceless.
The value of jade is mainly assessed based on its color and clarity. Tri-colored jade isn’t gaudy or flashy like a colorful painting—it exudes a subtle elegance that blends both tradition and fashion.
Zhuang Feixue grabbed Chu Feng’s arm, visibly excited. “This jade… its quality is amazing!”
Looking at the stone Chu Feng had just opened, her heart surged with emotion. The distribution of the three colors was even, nearly flawless, and the clarity was top-notch. Even though she was experienced, she had rarely seen jade like this.
“Old folks love jade—and Grandpa is no exception. If we give this piece to him, he’ll absolutely adore it.”
Zhuang Feixue thought to herself: If the emperor sees this jade, he might begin to look at Chu Feng in a whole new light.
Chu Feng rolled his eyes. “I’m keeping this to sell—why would I give it to that old man?”
Several onlookers who overheard knew exactly who Chu Feng meant by “that old man.” They glanced at him in surprise.
Zhuang Feixue choked for a second and said, “Uh… I see.”
She took a deep breath and thought: Clearly, Chu Feng doesn’t have a good impression of Grandpa.
“Young man, would you consider selling this jade to me?” An elderly man, hands behind his back, asked with a smile.
Chu Feng looked at him and asked, “How much are you offering?”
“How about three hundred million?”
Zhuang Feixue recognized the man and smiled, “Grandpa Mu, you’re here too!”
She sighed inwardly. Grandpa Mu and her own grandfather were longtime rivals—always trying to outdo each other. If Grandpa Mu got this jade, he’d show it off to Grandpa the very next day.
“Feixue’s getting more and more beautiful,” Grandpa Mu complimented her, then looked at Chu Feng and urged, “Well, young man? Three hundred million is a good price.”
Chu Feng shook his head. “Let me think about it.”
Grandpa Mu sighed in disappointment. “Alright then.”
After the ink jade and Fu-Lu-Shou jade, another stone revealed ice jade—with excellent clarity! While not quite as valuable as the first two, its quality was still top-notch.
“This guy must be a stone-gambling expert.”
“When did such a master appear on the scene?”
When all the stones had been opened, aside from the two exceptional pieces, there were another eight or so of decent quality. The crowd praised Chu Feng’s sharp eye.
But Chu Feng knew the truth: five of those stones had been secretly swapped by him.
The ones he had bought himself were only so-so. Altogether, their value was maybe two or three million. If he had relied solely on his own judgment, he definitely would’ve lost everything today.
“Young man, impressive work! We’re from the Jade Association. Let’s arrange a time to exchange insights,” said a middle-aged man nearby, handing Chu Feng his business card.
Chu Feng gave a dry laugh. “Maybe some other time.”
He rolled his eyes inwardly. I know my own limits. If I go to the Jade Association, I’ll be exposed in no time.
Chu Feng finally managed to leave the venue with the jade. Zhuang Feixue made a few calls and arranged for security guards to escort them.
She looked at him and asked, “So, how do you plan to handle these jade stones?”
“I’m not in a good position to sell them myself. Sis, can you help me find an auction house to sell them?” Chu Feng replied.
Zhuang Feixue paused, then nodded. “Alright.”
Chu Feng smiled. “Thanks. Once we sell them, the profits—”
Zhuang Feixue shook her head. “No need to split it.”
Her brow twitched slightly as she did a quick estimate. If handled properly, this batch of jade could go for five or six hundred million—maybe more. Even a 20% cut would be a huge sum.
“Anyway, it’s getting late. Let’s go eat.”
Zhuang Feixue nodded and replied, “Alright.”
Chu Feng looked at Zhuang Feixue and asked, “Sis, that old man who offered three hundred million for the jade—do you know him?”
Zhuang Feixue took a deep breath and said, “He’s one of Grandpa’s old friends… well, more like an old rival.”
Chu Feng had called Grandpa an “old man” earlier—he was sure the guy had heard it, and that comment would probably get back to Grandpa.
“So, are you planning to sell the jade to him?” Zhuang Feixue asked.
Chu Feng said blandly, “I only recognize money, not people. If no one offers a higher price than him, then I don’t mind selling it to him.”
Zhuang Cheng looked at Chu Feng with a strange expression.
Chu Feng turned to him and asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Zhuang Cheng puffed up his cheeks and said, “You’re way too money-minded.”
Chu Feng rolled his eyes and replied, “Like you don’t love money too.”
