Emerald, also known as imperial green, is the highest realm of color. Because it is rare, it can be called imperial grade.
In a short while, Sister Zhang drove over, stopped beside me, and called me to get in as she rolled down the car window.
I sat beside her, and she happily patted my hand, asking, "You said you had something for me, what is it? Do you miss me?"
I said, "You have nothing else in your head. I'm an uneducated youth, almost like a homeless person. Am I worth your constant concern? You always make fun of me."
Sister Zhang: "You're really wronging me. I genuinely can't let go of you. I miss you the moment we're apart, I don't know what's happening to me. I was confined to the shop by my father as soon as I left school, and I only interacted with girls. I've never even been in a relationship in my life. Until I met you, I suddenly felt what it's like to be in love. It's just that I'm so much older than you, I can only like you secretly. I hope you won't reject my love."
I was speechless. I believed everything she said, but beyond having a good impression of her, I didn't feel that spark. I didn't know how to explain it to her, so I decided to go with the flow. One day, when she found someone suitable for her, I could make my exit and let her continue to be my elder sister.
I said, "I found a stone and had a master cut it here earlier. I think the texture and luster are quite good. I want to give it to you to handle, so I called you."
She was slightly disappointed that her fervent anticipation had turned into just a stone, but she quickly became excited again: "Really? Let me see, how good is it?"
I said, "You drive first, and we'll talk when we get there."
Back in her office, she eagerly asked me to show her the stone.
I felt that Sister Zhang's passion for stones was even greater than mine.
It's understandable, she's been connected to stones since childhood; she was practically born in a pile of jade. It would be strange if she didn't like them.
I said, "Can you at least let me have some water? I've been busy with this stone since before breakfast, and my stomach is growling."
Sister Zhang hurried to make tea for me and brought me some pastries.
I said, "Come here and sit beside me. This is the first time I've cut such a good stone. We should have some sense of ceremony."
Sister Zhang put down her things and obediently sat beside me, a little nervous. Although her family's stones far surpassed mine in quality and quantity, this one was incredibly important to me. It was the first personal peak I had reached since I started dealing with stones.
I said, "Close your eyes."
She obediently closed her eyes. I took out a paper bag from my backpack, carefully held the stone in my hand, and told her she could open them now.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the stone in my hand. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she let out a gasp. She must have thought I was being pretentious, but she never expected me to produce such a beautiful imperial green!
She took the stone with slightly trembling hands and examined it closely, her eyes filled with the kind of loving care one would have for their own baby.
I picked up a pastry and took a bite, watching her mesmerized expression. I said to her, "Go call one of your masters to see what can be made from this. I think only your place is worthy of this material, which is why I told you first after it was cut."
She finally came back to her senses and quickly made a phone call, asking a master to come up.
Looking at the cabinet full of fine pieces in her house, which she guarded every day, I never saw her react like this. She probably felt those were her father's wealth, with little relation to her. But this piece was different; it came from my hands, and I was the man who made her heart flutter.
The master soon arrived, knocking carefully before entering, and politely greeted Sister Zhang and me. Sister Zhang handed him the stone and asked him to examine it.
As a seasoned stone expert, the master held it in his hands without any expression. After looking it over repeatedly, he said, "This stone can yield a pair of bracelets with very good quality, and the remainder can be made into over ten cabochons and over ten pendants. The estimated value is around one million."
Hearing "one million," I gasped. I never expected my casual actions last night to bring such immense value. Although a million is just the starting point for a piece of jade, and sometimes not even as expensive as a single bracelet, to me, it was an astronomical sum! My ancestors, for generations, probably never came into such a large sum of money at once. I never imagined that a small stone could rewrite our family's history.
Sister Zhang asked him to take the stone away and then said to me, "Thank you for entrusting such a fine stone to me. I'll get a card for you and deposit the money into it."
I quickly said, "I don't need the money for now. You can keep it for me. When we go out to have fun, it can serve as our capital."
She said, "What's yours is yours. I'll take it out when we go out. I'll get a card in my name, and all your money will be deposited into this card. You can't carry cash around, can you?"
She knew I hadn't reached eighteen yet, so I couldn't get a bank card.
I said, "That's fine, but it has to be kept here with you. You know I don't have a fixed place to stay, so it's not safe anywhere else."
Sister Zhang didn't say anything. She got up and called her secretary to handle it.
She said, "Let's go have lunch."
I said, "It's not suitable for me to be seen in public right now. How about we just have something simple from the cafeteria? It'll be fine."
She agreed, so we ate at the cafeteria.
Actually, the cafeteria wasn't worse than any place outside. It's just that eating in a luxurious place makes one feel more dignified, perhaps it's a psychological effect.
As I ate my meal, I thought about my parents. I hadn't been home for several days, and I wondered what things were like at home now.
I'll buy them some food and necessities and take them back when I have time.
Back in Sister Zhang's office, I said, "I won't stay here. I need to go back to the hotel in case something happens and they can't find me."
Hearing that I was leaving, Sister Zhang came over and hugged me. She buried her head in my chest, acting like a little bird nestling close. I gently stroked her back. If I were a little older, a little more successful, perhaps our distance would be closer. Even if I didn't care about my age, her family's approval would be impossible to get. After all, I'm just a commoner, and the gap between me and their prominent family is too vast.
I lowered my head and kissed her cheek, whispering, "I'm leaving now."
Because I could feel her heart rate accelerating, if I didn't leave soon, perhaps...
Sister Zhang came back to her senses and also responded with a kiss on my cheek. Reluctantly, she released her embrace. I adjusted her clothes, looked at her affectionately, and slowly walked towards the door.
Sister Zhang didn't move, watching my back disappear.
Upon returning to my lodging, Wen Siqiang was waiting for me at the door. I asked him if there was anything. He said Sister Zhou had asked him to inform me that Da Laizi had been dealt with and would no longer trouble Wang Xin, so I should focus on my work.
I brought up the matter of the instigator behind the "female demon" again. He said he had some leads, mentioning one of the vice-principals who was involved with the "female demon." He said he had encountered this person once when picking her up.
The vice-principal he mentioned is definitely not the older one. The younger one is around my father's age. I don't have much impression of him; he seemed to be on leave from teaching duties and wasn't responsible for any classes.