However, they were out of reach and unable to rescue them. They watched helplessly as the carriage Chao Xiaolinger and the others rushed over. Mrs. Ayi screamed in fright and was about to rush forward to protect Xiaolinger.
At the same moment, a thin man ran out of the roadside, picked up the little Ling'er, and hid aside. Another strong man came up, helped rein in the horse's bridle, and stopped the carriage.
Ayi's wife took Xiao Ling'er and checked her up and down. Fortunately, she was not injured.
"Thank you so much, my benefactor!" Ayi pulled the thin man to express his gratitude. The thin man waved his hand and turned to leave.
At this time, Chen Luo had returned and was relieved to see that Xiao Ling'er was unharmed. This dangerous moment was really urgent, but fortunately there was nothing wrong with him.
Chen Luo glanced at it again with his peripheral vision, and suddenly found that the jade macaque sculpture hanging on Xiao Ling'er's chest had disappeared at some point.
Chen Luo frowned and quickly recalled the scene just now, rolling back scene by scene. During this period, no one could touch Xiao Ling'er, so where did the jade hanging on his chest go?
Suddenly, Chen Luo remembered the thin man who saved people just now. He held Xiao Ling'er and escaped from the carriage. Just now, Ayi's wife had thanked him profusely.
Chen Luo looked up and saw that the thin man had disappeared. Chen Luo probably knew in his heart that this was a series of plans. The driver and the rescuer were originally a group of people, but now they have lost their traces. In fact,
It's a skillful and sexy operation.
Although he had just lost a jade pendant, no one was injured. Chen Luo did not dare to rush in as the people around him still needed protection. He just secretly noted the appearance of a few people in his heart and would pursue them again when he had the chance to meet them.
The group of people temporarily forgot about the embarrassment just now and continued shopping. A crowded place appeared in front of them, and people continued to gather here. Xiao Yuer took the people and found a place with few people, and walked in.
Go in. Chen Luo hugged Xiao Ling'er and followed quickly with Mrs. Ayi.
What came into view were rows and piles of densely packed stones. Chen Luo was a little dazzled by the sight. He roughly estimated that there must be at least a thousand stones, forming a large stone formation, like a maze.
With so many rough stones, it is indeed the largest event in Wubei, Chen Luo secretly admired it in his heart.
In the middle of the original stone circle, on a dark stone, stood a middle-aged man dressed as a businessman, explaining the knowledge of stone gambling to everyone, and recommending a pile of rough stones behind him. There was also a sign behind him.
There are two big characters written on it: "Gamble on Stone".
"Brother Chen Luo, what is gambling on stones?" Xiao Yu'er looked at Chen Luo curiously and asked.
"Betting on stones is to buy a piece of jade covered with a shell. Because it is covered with a shell, you don't know the quality. If the quality is good, the person who buys the stone will make a lot of money. If the quality is poor, the jade will not work after being cut.
Good materials will come out, and people who buy stones will lose money." Aunt Ayi also knows a lot about this knowledge.
“Because you can’t see the quality inside the stone, the price of each stone is not very high!”
After listening to Aunt Ayi's explanation and the middle-aged man's introduction, Chen Luo gradually understood the meaning.
"Isn't this the same as buying stones in the Grand Bazaar? It's just that the stones here are obviously much richer than those in the Grand Bazaar."
"Actually, most of the stones here are left over after being selected, and a small amount of high-value stones are also mixed in to satisfy everyone's mentality of gambling on stones. As the saying goes, nine times out of ten you will lose. It's the one that wins.
It will drive countless people to follow suit." Aunt Ayi continued to explain to the children.
"These woolen materials are all of the highest quality. Many of the rough stones from the same pit have already been taken to participate in the jade-uncovering competition. The remaining ones will be shared with fellow villagers. You can buy them with confidence. You will definitely not be disappointed if you buy them.
You will lose money!" The middle-aged businessman and vendor talked eloquently, and even used the jade-unlocking competition to endorse his own stones.
Chen Luo looked at this pile of rough stones, which is what merchants call wool. Before jade is opened or processed, it is called stone or wool.
I saw this pile of wool. Most of it was white jade unearthed from the mines around Kunlunxu. There was also a small amount of jadeite rough from the jade pits of Nanyue Kingdom. The remaining part was sapphire, topaz rough, etc.
Because jade is covered with a thick shell, it is impossible to judge the quality of the interior with the naked eye alone.
But this could not stop the enthusiasm of the audience. Many viewers stepped forward, picked up a piece of rough stone they liked, weighed it in their hands, smelled it and looked at it, feeling that they understood it very well.
Others took out their knives and tapped the stones to see if they made a crisp sound.
"Buy a rough stone, and we will also participate in the competition of the Jade Unleashing Ceremony!" Someone next to him shouted.
"I want this rough stone, how much does it cost?!" A young scholar in his twenties spent a long time choosing a rough stone that he liked.
"There's a price underneath!" said the middle-aged businessman.
Sure enough, I turned the original stone over and painted a number on it with red dye.
"50!"
"Fifty cents is not expensive, I want it!" the young man said.
"Brother, it's 50 taels of silver, not 50 wen!" the middle-aged businessman said with a smile.
"It's so expensive!" The young scholar groped for a long time, but couldn't find half a piece of silver. "Wait until I go back to the inn to get the money!" The scholar said unwillingly, and left bitterly.
Everyone laughed!
"Look at how poor you are, how can you have 50 taels of silver?" someone said next to him. Most of the people watching came to see the fun, and not many people really had the strength to buy a rough stone.
Chen Luo looked at the young scholar's performance and smiled slightly. This scholar will probably never come back again. Scholars are all poor and want to save face. In fact, they don't have much money in their pockets. There is a high probability that they will come to such a grand event.
I want to gain experience and experience.
Of course, there are also rich owners. A young master next to him, with a servant, rummaged through the pile of rough stones, and finally selected two high-quality rough stones, one costing 200 taels and the other costing 150 taels.
Everyone was in an uproar, what a rich man!
The young master left proudly in the arrogant eyes of everyone.
Chen Luo fixed his eyes and took a look at the two rough stones that the young master took away. They were one made of jade and one made of white jade. They looked of good quality on the outside, but he didn't know what they were like on the inside.
"Xiaoluo, let's buy one too!" Aunt Ayi said quietly to Chen Luo, "Try your luck!"
"Auntie, I have no money!" Chen Luo was eager to try, but he was short of money.
"I have some here~" the little aunt said, taking out a stack of banknotes and gesturing towards Chen Luo.
Chen Luo thought to himself, it might as well be that he just happened to learn the knowledge in the "Jade Scripture" and should practice it before the competition.
According to the records of the Jade Scripture, there are no more than three ways to judge jade: observing its color, hearing its sound, and tasting its taste. Whether it is pit material or seed material, whether a rough stone is good and whether it can be processed into high-quality jade.
jade, these are all based on reference.
[Author's digression]: Stone gambling is a very common phenomenon on the China-Myanmar border in Ruili, Yunnan. One sword makes you poor, another makes you rich, and one sword cuts through linen.