After a journey, the three of them arrived at the Stone Gambling City. The Stone Gambling City was not far from the Antique City, but there was still some distance between them.
"Brother Lu, what's your relationship with Lin Ke?" Xiao Qi gossiped, "He always calls you Brother Lu Fan, your relationship must be unusual, right?" Xiao Qi's voice was very low, and he deliberately leaned close to Lu Fan.
"Cough, cough... indeed, our relationship is unusual," Lu Fan nodded and smiled.
"Men should be more proactive," Xiao Qi said with a serious expression. "After all, if you don't make a move soon, you'll regret it later, especially for someone as outstanding as Lin Ke." Lu Fan was completely bewildered and didn't know how to respond. Lin Ke, who was not far away, saw their expressions and felt a little strange.
"Is this the Stone Gambling City?" Lu Fan deliberately changed the subject and walked towards a stall. The stall was filled with stones, each with a price marked on it. However, the stones on this stall were quite cheap, unlike the ones in the shops.
"That's right, this is the Stone Gambling City!" Xiao Qi nodded. "As the saying goes, one cut to riches, one cut to poverty. If you're lucky, you might even strike it rich here!"
"I never thought of getting rich this way," Lin Ke said with a wry smile. "If you hadn't urged me to come, I wouldn't have wanted to come here."
"You're so lucky, quickly pick a stone," Xiao Qi said expectantly. "Perhaps you can cut out some jade and make a profit."
"It's not that easy!" Lin Ke shook her head. "If it were that easy to cut out jade, this place would probably be overcrowded."
"So it all depends on luck!" Xiao Qi said hurriedly, his gaze sweeping over the many stones. Lin Ke was at a loss. She casually picked a stone. Lu Fan shook his head from the side. "I think this stone is a bit heavy, and the price is so expensive. If you really buy this one, I'm afraid it won't be worth it." Lin Ke reluctantly put down the stone and looked at other stones again.
"What do you think of this one?" Lu Fan took out a scrap piece. "This stone is only a hundred yuan, the price is reasonable. Even if no jade is found, you won't lose money!"
"This is a scrap piece, it's basically impossible to get jade," Xiao Qi said repeatedly. "Although I don't know much about stone gambling, I do know some common knowledge."
"It doesn't matter, let's just play around," Lin Ke smiled. "After all, the price isn't expensive. If we really get jade, it'll be a sure profit with no loss." Xiao Qi looked helpless and didn't want to dampen their spirits. "Then let's pick this stone."
The stall owner glanced at it and showed disdain. This was a scrap piece, and it was generally impossible to get anything from it, hence the cheap price. These three came to the Stone Gambling City and only bought a scrap piece, clearly unwilling to spend money. After paying, the boss handed the stone to Lin Ke.
"According to the rules of the Stone Gambling City, after buying a stone, you can get it cut for free," Lu Fan smiled. "Boss, please." Lin Ke didn't understand and didn't say much. Xiao Qi was embarrassed. This was a scrap piece, and it was so cheap, it was impossible to get jade from it. Yet Lu Fan still wanted to trouble the boss.
"I'm not cutting it for you because I want you to take the stone back as a souvenir. It's a hundred yuan after all," the boss said directly. "If it's cut open, it's just a worthless stone."
"The world is vast, and there are all sorts of wonders. Perhaps this scrap piece holds something special," Lu Fan said directly. "Please help us!"
"I've been in the stone business for so many years, and I've never heard of a scrap piece holding anything special," the stall owner shook his head. "Since you want it cut, I'll cut it for you." The stall owner didn't care and prepared to work on the scrap piece. Lin Ke and Lu Fan watched intently from the side. No matter what, they had spent a hundred yuan on this stone. If something could be found, it would be even better.
"Let's go look elsewhere!" Xiao Qi said, "These hundred yuan are probably wasted." As soon as he finished speaking, they heard the boss exclaim, "Emerald! The scrap piece actually produced emerald! And it's not light in weight!"
"Emerald?" Xiao Qi was overjoyed. "It actually produced jade!" With this exclamation, Lin Ke showed her joy. This was her first time picking a stone, and it was so smooth.
"This young lady is truly divine! Producing jade from a scrap piece is simply unheard of," the boss said repeatedly. "The total value was only a hundred, but the value after cutting can reach tens of thousands." At this point, the boss felt a pang of heartache. He was in the stone business, and stones that could produce jade were usually selected by him. Under normal circumstances, there would be no stones that could produce jade on this stall, but he had been too careless with this scrap piece.
"Boss, how much can this emerald be sold for?" Lu Fan smiled. "We're carrying such a large stone, it's inconvenient to walk. Why don't you give me a price? If it's reasonable, we'll sell the emerald to you!" The boss gritted his teeth. "This emerald is of good quality, I'll offer thirty thousand!"
"Thirty thousand is not a low price!" Lu Fan nodded slightly. "In that case, it's a deal!" The boss nodded, took out a stack of cash, and handed it to Lu Fan. Lu Fan then gave it to Lin Ke.
"Brother Lu Fan picked this stone, so the money should go to Brother Lu Fan," Lin Ke said softly.
"I only made a suggestion, but you are the owner of the stone," Lu Fan smiled. "This money is naturally yours!" Lin Ke repeatedly refused. Lu Fan put the money in her bag. "It's okay, let's treat this thirty thousand as our capital, and have a good time in the Stone Gambling City. If we lose, it's not a loss."
"That's a good idea!" Xiao Qi nodded repeatedly. "Our luck today is truly explosive! Even a scrap piece can produce jade, which was impossible before."
"Actually, stones are not judged by their size or location, but by their edge patterns," Lu Fan said. "As long as the edge patterns are good, the probability of producing jade is relatively high."
"It seems Brother Lu has some research," Xiao Qi smiled. "Today in the Stone Gambling City, we'll likely show off our skills."
"Brother Lu Fan, do you really understand stones?" Lin Ke asked in surprise.
"I know a little!" Lu Fan smiled and didn't say much, walking deeper into the Stone Gambling City.
"Your Brother Lu Fan is truly unfathomable!" Xiao Qi laughed. "I really didn't expect him to be a stone gambling expert!"
"I didn't know Brother Lu Fan could gamble on stones either," Lin Ke smiled shyly.
They walked through the Stone Gambling City, browsing left and right. Whenever they saw a stone they liked, they would ask Lu Fan, but Lu Fan would shake his head, seemingly not impressed. Whatever Lu Fan rejected, they would not choose, showing great trust in him. After walking through the stalls in the Stone Gambling City a few times, Xiao Qi said with a smile, "These are all outer stalls, and the stones are quite cheap, but they've already been picked through. Why don't we go to the inner city?"