Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 461 - 459

Chapter 461: Chapter 459

"Alright, how about a hundred taels of silver as the opening bet?" Sigh. I’m a conscientious person who wouldn’t take advantage of her too much!

"A hundred is too little. How about a thousand taels, dare to gamble?" Zhuge Meiyu challenged while looking at Xiao’er.

"A thousand taels is a bit much. If miss loses, would she be able to afford it?" Whether it is a hundred taels or a thousand taels; she wouldn’t mind making some extra money. She was sorry, but she would definitely welcome the higher wager!

Xiao’er lowered her head, covering the brilliant smile on her face.

"What a joke! I won’t hesitate to pull out a measly thousand taels. Besides, I won’t lose. If I do lose, I will even give you the jade I bought!"

"Really? I should thank you in advance then!"

"It’s I who should thank you." Zhuge Meiyu was so irritated that she scoffed, where had this girl gotten the confidence to beat her, she was overestimating herself.

"Young master, you can’t help!"

Shangguan Xuanyi just ignored her.

"Brother Shangguan, could you sit over there and wait for me?"

"I’ll accompany you. Don’t worry, miss. I have no ability to appreciate jade, I see them all as mere stones." The latter was something Shangguan Xuanyi joked to Zhuge Meiyu.

Because her name, Meiyu (美玉), meant beautiful jade, Zhuge Meiyu always thought Shangguan Xuanyi was hinting something. She shook her head at this thought, how could he possibly know her name?

Starting from the first piece of jade, Xiao’er kept walking and recalling the identification numbers of all the high-quality jade stones pointed out by Tian Bai.

From beginning to end, oh my word. There were more than fifty pieces of high-quality jade and over twenty pieces of jade not properly recognized and therefore, tragically undervalued.

Oh, what an exhilarating prospect that I can’t sleep!

"Brother Shangguan, could you help me purchase these pieces of jade..." Xiao’er named a series of identification numbers for pieces that had received little interest, or that she thought were of great value.

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded and walked away.

Xiao’er walked to a piece of jade in the middle and carefully looked it over from all angles. Ahem, she needed to at least appear to be evaluating it, right!

"Miss, I’ll choose this one!"

Upon seeing Xiao’er’s demeanor, Zhuge Meiyu scoffed and thought to herself that this girl clearly knew nothing about jade!

She had never seen someone so casually choose a piece of jade!

"Have you made your choice?"

"Yes, I have!"

"Good, just don’t back out later!"

"Never, my word is my bond!"

After hearing this, Zhuge Meiyu stopped paying attention to her and started to seriously evaluate the piece of jade before her.

Her selected piece was eyed by a staff member holding a thick stack of tags, each bearing the number of a buyer and their offered price.

It was clear that many people were interested in this piece, so the price was likely to be high.

The jade was indeed fine, but thankfully she didn’t buy it. Otherwise, competing with the local rich folks could be tough!

The jade that Xiao’er had chosen was the best in the house. Unfortunately, its value was hidden, as it was eroded by so much wind and sand over time that few people could recognize it.

She easily purchased it for a hundred taels. She believed that using this jade to craft a few delicate crowns would definitely net her more than ten thousand taels of silver.

And if she put it in her space for purification... my, my... just thinking of it makes me sleepless.

Her shop, Pohli Jewelry was sure to catch fire again.

Shangguan Xuanyi had also successfully purchased the other pieces Xiao’er had mentioned, then returned to Xiao’er’s side.

"I have purchased them all."

"How much did you spend?"

"Over eight thousand taels."

"That much? Brother Shangguan, aren’t you worried that I picked substandard pieces?"

"Not at all."

"Why not?"

"As long as you are happy, we can afford anything!"

Xiao’er thought: This is another local rich man!

But, is it really good to indulge me in spending money so recklessly?

"Don’t worry, we’ll earn it back." Xiao’er soothed.

"I am quite at ease. I’m not worried at all."

Xiao’er felt like hitting him, can they carry on a proper conversation? He behaved as though anything she bought was the best, what was the thrill and fun in jade gambling then?

"My purchasing ability is pretty strong, I might even spend all the money you’ve saved for your future wife."

"My dear, your future husband still has some to spare. So, feel free to keep buying."

Both of them sat side by side, chatting on and off casually.

Xiao’er brought a crossbody bag today, and from it, she took out a packet of cranberry cookies. She wrapped a cookie in a clean handkerchief and fed it to Shangguan Xuanyi.

Shangguan Xuanyi bent over slightly and ate the whole biscuit. Then, intentionally or otherwise, he bit Xiao’er’s finger lightly.

Xiao’er gave him a stern look, then began to eat the cookies by herself and stopped feeding him.

Shangguan Xuanyi chuckled.

Zhuge Jinquan and Gong Qinghua sat to one side, watching the two of them chatting merrily.

"That girl is too relaxed, casually selecting a piece of jade and enjoying her snack," one of them observed.

"Maybe she really does have some abilities," Gong Qinghua suggested thoughtfully.

"Brother Qinghua, are you joking?" He had been around jade since he was young and didn’t think she had any abilities! Unless her ability was to deliberately select substandard pieces!

Gong Qinghua didn’t say a word, he lowered his head and sipped his tea, but his eyes kept involuntarily catching a glimpse of someone.

Zhuge Meiyu finally made her choice and, with a flourish of her hand, purchased the jade for a high price of three thousand five hundred taels.

When Xiao’er heard this she felt sorry for her, but at the same time, she was pleased for herself.

If it was three thousand five hundred taels that she was going to spend in real money, she would hesitate too!

This woman was truly extravagant!

"Miss Zhuge has chosen a good piece."

"Of course!" Zhuge Meiyu said, her chin lifting slightly in an air of arrogance.

"But it’s not as good as mine."

Zhuge Meiyu nearly choked. Where did this person get her confidence from? Such a shameless person!

"Well, the proof of the pudding is in the eating!"

Xiao’er laughed softly, mostly agreeing with the saying.

The purchased jade could be cut and processed on the spot, or buyers could choose to take it home for processing.

If processed on site, a staff member would use tools to do the initial cutting. Of course, this would require a processing fee.

But since they were gambling, of course they would cut it on the spot.

A lot of people came over to watch.

"Miss, have you prepared the silver banknotes? I won’t accept credit." Zhuge Meiyu confidently started.

"That’s what I want to ask you. After all, we don’t know each other. If you buy on credit and leave, who can I ask for the money from?" Xiao’er countered.

"Still trying to save face after impending defeat. Soon, you will know what it means to shoot yourself in the foot! Everyone, tell us which of these two pieces of jade will be better once cut?" Zhuge Meiyu decided to draw the crowd in to crush her confidence.

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