For those who enjoy a good drink, imbibing is a form of pleasure. But for Guo Xuyang, drinking was a torment.
Every time he drank, he was always persuaded, and would unknowingly get drunk. Today was no different. He was the focus of the drinking session, with several people toasting him in rotation. In the end, he had to use his special ability to neutralize the alcohol.
By the end, only he and Xiao Yun were sober; the others were starting to ramble. Seeing that everyone had had their fill, and that further drinking would necessitate staying at the club, he suggested ending the gathering and heading home.
He and Xiao Yun helped a few people into their cars, and after watching them drive away, they started walking back.
"The night is beautiful tonight. How about we take a stroll?" Guo Xuyang suggested.
"Let's go. I was wondering why you weren't drunk today? Your capacity seems to have improved in just a few days," Xiao Yun said.
"I learned a method for sobering up quickly these past few days," Guo Xuyang explained.
"That's truly amazing. When will you teach me?"
"You don't drink, so teaching you would be pointless."
"But I might need it if I drink in the future."
"Why would a young lady like you drink?"
"Why is it that men can drink, but we women cannot?"
"I don't like women who drink, especially beautiful women like you."
"Then do you like me as I am now?"
"Yes, I've always liked you. If I didn't, I wouldn't have made you the manager."
"Hmph, that was just to get me to be your free labor."
"What? You don't want to? You can quit if you don't want to. Or would you rather stay home, make tea, and clean for me?"
"Dream on. I'm not a maid. If it were you? Hmm..." Xiao Yun trailed off.
"It would be more fitting if I married you." Guo Xuyang could clearly sense Xiao Yun's thoughts. However, he truly didn't have any such intentions for the time being. As he encountered more and more people with special abilities, his confusion about why he was chosen grew. Until he understood these matters, he truly dared not entertain romantic thoughts. He didn't want to hurt any good girl.
"Why did you stop talking?" he teased Xiao Yun intentionally.
"It would be more fitting if you supported me," Xiao Yun said, blushing immediately.
"Am I not supporting you now? You eat with me, you live with me, what else could you want?"
"You, you scoundrel!" Xiao Yun stamped her foot and ran ahead.
Oh dear, why did she get upset while talking?
Don't try to guess a woman's thoughts; no matter how much you guess, you won't understand.
It's not that he didn't understand, but rather that he was unwilling to cause harm to others.
It's difficult to be human, even more difficult to be a man, and even more difficult to be a man loved by women.
He shook his head and quickly ran to catch up.
After two days of preparation, Wu Youzhi and Guo Xuyang once again embarked on their journey to Jieyang. Cheng Xiuping and Xiao Yun also accompanied them this time.
Xiao Yun had handed over all matters of the shop to Lin Ziqi, while Guo Xuyang appointed Xiao Li as the deputy manager at Buma's shop. Wang Yibo was learning sales under Lin Ziqi.
The group took a morning flight and arrived in Jieyang in the evening, checking into a hotel.
Jieyang is known as the Jade Capital, and every year, medium to high-grade jadeite raw materials mined in Myanmar flow into Jieyang. The most famous place in Jieyang is Yangmei Village, known as the "Hometown of Gold and Jade."
Yangmei Village is the largest and most concentrated production and trading hub for high-grade jadeite and white jade in Asia. Most of the medium to high-grade jadeite and jade articles in China today originate from Yangmei.
Guo Xuyang specifically searched online for the origins of Jieyang's Jade Capital. He discovered that besides being the Jade Capital, Jieyang is also famous for its Gongfu tea, paper shadow puppetry, and Chaoshan cuisine.
Since they were here, it would be a shame not to sample the local specialties.
So, he called the others and they left the hotel together, heading to a well-known restaurant, Fuyun Kan Restaurant, renowned for its Chaoshan cuisine.
Chaoshan cuisine is famous for its meticulous ingredient selection, exquisite preparation, and skillful knife work.
It encompasses braising, stewing, pan-frying, baking, and stir-frying, all rendered with a light yet flavorful taste, fresh without being fishy, and excellent in color, aroma, and taste. It excels in cooking seafood, and its soups, desserts, and vegetarian dishes also have their unique characteristics.
The group ordered eight dishes and one soup: Dragon Swims Through Tiger's Belly, Hundred Flower Colorful Chicken, Duck Emerging from Water, Live Steamed Lobster, Mandarin Pair of Mud Crabs, Braised Shark Fin in Red Sauce, Golden Melon Taro Mash, Protector of the Nation Soup, and Clear Soup Crab Balls.
These dishes indeed lived up to their reputation, delighting everyone present, who praised them without reservation.
Each dish had its origin and story. Unlike the cultural feast they enjoyed at Junshan Club in the provincial capital, this was a meal truly rooted in tradition.
After eating their fill, the group proceeded to the stone gambling market. The place was brightly lit, bustling with people from different regions. Everyone was scrutinizing and examining the stones, occasionally shining a light on them or gently patting them with water to inspect.
Everyone followed Guo Xuyang's lead, not leaving his side.
After all, only Wu Youzhi was somewhat professional; the others truly knew nothing about raw jade and were just there to watch the excitement.
Seeing the crowd, Guo Xuyang focused his gaze, scanning stall by stall.
He paid attention to stones with good jade quality and marked them specifically.
His funds were limited this time, and he wanted to focus on opening a few stones to generate starting capital.
He selected one stone weighing about thirty kilograms from each of three stalls and asked Xiao Yun and the other two to handle the transactions. They were to return to the shop directly after the purchase, without opening the stones.
He required that the cost of each of these three stones be controlled below three million yuan, and they could be purchased as long as they didn't exceed that amount.
This would test the skills of the three individuals, with lower costs being better, of course.
He, on the other hand, walked ahead, not staying with them.
After all, this place was a mix of people from all walks of life, and one never knew what kind of people or situations one might encounter.
It would be disadvantageous if he attracted the attention of someone with ill intentions. He still wanted to purchase in large quantities and bring them back to the provincial capital.
He walked to another stall where there was a particularly good stone. It was clearly a spring-colored jadeite, weighing about twenty kilograms.
"Boss, how much for this stone?"
"Eight hundred thousand."
"Can you lower the price a bit?"
"Are you opening it on-site? If you open it on-site, I'll give you a two-thousand discount. If you're not opening it on-site, I won't."
The boss was trying to attract business for himself. As long as it was opened on-site, regardless of whether jadeite was found, it would draw a crowd. If jadeite was found, that would be even better, and it wouldn't just be about selling one or two more stones.
"Seven hundred thousand. I'll open it on-site."
"Too low. That's not even enough to cover the cost. Add a bit more."
"Boss, it's about small profits and quick turnover, isn't it? Look, it's so late. Selling one is one, right? Money in hand is better than stones in hand. What do you say?"
"Deal." The boss agreed, finding Guo Xuyang's words reasonable. "Second brother, come help me open this one."