Chapter 157: Made a big mistake

Yusufu squatted down and began to take out the jade he brought from his sack one by one.

The first piece of jade shocked Li Long.

This was a very beautiful piece of jade with a skin like the beeswax he often saw in later generations; it was very oily and moist—one could see the jade flesh should be white, but the skin was golden yellow, which was very beautiful.

It was as big as two fists and weighed about two or three kilograms. Yusufu proudly handed the jade to Master Wang.

"Not bad, a very high-quality special-grade white jade seed, also known as mutton-fat jade. This jade is very rare." Master Wang took the jade, looked at it carefully, touched it, and then took out a flashlight from his pocket to look at it, saying, "Very good! It has reached special grade. This piece of jade is priced at two hundred sixty yuan per kilogram at the current acquisition price."

Sure enough, it was different. The best Li Long got was eighty yuan per kilogram, and this was more than three times that!

Yusufu was obviously very satisfied with this price. He said with a smile:

"The jade factory in the interior collects from us, and they only give two hundred yuan per kilogram. Your price is fair!"

Next, he took out the jade pieces one by one.

"First-grade white jade, one hundred twenty yuan per kilogram."

"First-grade *qinghua* (blue and white), eighty yuan per kilogram."

"Second-grade ink jade, fifty-five yuan per kilogram..."

On this side, Master Wang was identifying them, and on the other side, Section Chief Chen called people over to weigh and issue tickets.

This time, the high-quality jade over half a kilogram that Yusufu brought was several dozen pieces, weighing more than thirty kilograms. After the final settlement, it totaled nearly five thousand yuan!

"These small pieces are hard to calculate." Finally, Master Wang pointed to the seed jade the size of pigeon eggs at the bottom of the sack and said, "Our factory doesn't collect such large ones now; it's not worth it to make materials. Some jade carvers will make bracelets and the like. You can go and ask them."

Yusufu wasn't disappointed. He was already very happy to get nearly five thousand yuan, and said with a smile:

"Alright, alright. Actually, these small materials were given to me by others when I collected jade. If you don't collect them, you don't collect them."

Li Long looked on with envy. Although these small materials weren't large, their quality looked quite good.

However, it was obviously not his turn to speak now; Master Wang had already started looking at his.

"My piece of jade is not as good as his." Li Long first humbled himself, then opened the sack and took out his jade material.

When he took out the jade, Li Long was already prepared for disappointment. Even he himself felt that Yusufu's jade was all high-quality, and by comparison, his piece was truly niche.

"Eh?" Master Wang looked at the jade and suddenly said:

"This jade is not bad. It's rare among Mahe green jade to have no sesame spots... It's really rare to see such a large material that is so pure. Come, young man, bring it over for me to see."

Hearing that there was a chance, Li Long immediately carried the jade and placed it at Master Wang's feet.

"During the New Year, Old Liu also collected a very good piece of green jade from this young man, which also had no sesame spots." Section Chief Chen said with a smile, "This young man has friends in the mountains and can always get good things."

"Hmm, there are many Mahe green jade seeds, and many are large, but most have sesame spots. It's really rare to see one as pure as this. Looking at the shape, carving an ornament is definitely no problem." Master Wang said with a smile, "First-grade green jade, estimated at... one hundred ten yuan per kilogram."

Li Long was pleasantly surprised!

One hundred ten!

This piece could be sold for sixteen or seventeen hundred yuan. This was truly a large sum of money!

All problems were solved!

"Can it really be sold for so much?" Li Long still couldn't believe it, and he asked.

"Of course. Do you think your jade isn't as good as his? Actually, it's different. Our jade carving factory looks at the quality of the jade, but also at what the jade can be used for.

You see, his jade is all quite good, but except for the first piece of mutton-fat jade, the quality and size of the others aren't treasures, yet the price is much higher than yours.

Although your grade isn't as high, it wins in size, and it's rare in its category." Master Wang explained patiently to Li Long, which benefited Li Long greatly.

Weighing, issuing tickets, settlement.

When Li Long walked out of the Jade Carving Factory with a thick stack of money, he saw Yusufu waiting for the bus at the bus stop, so he immediately went over.

Seeing Li Long, a smile appeared on Yusufu's face:

"Friend, was the jade sold?"

"Sold." Li Long nodded. He suddenly remembered Yusufu's small pieces of jade, so he asked:

"Adaxi, how much are you selling those small pieces of jade for?"

"You want them?" Yusufu was a bit surprised, "Do you have friends who carve jade?"

"No, no, I have younger generations. This jade looks quite beautiful, so I'll give it to the children to play with."

"How many do you want?" Yusufu took the sack off his shoulder and said:

"For the bigger ones, five yuan, and for the smaller ones, two yuan, how about that?"

In terms of later generations' prices, it was really cheap; in terms of current prices, it wasn't cheap at all.

Li Long and Yusufu squatted down to look. Someone waiting for the bus nearby came over to look. Seeing that they were jade stones in the sack, a middle-aged woman wearing a Zhongshan suit asked:

"Comrade, how are you selling these jade stones?"

"For the bigger ones, five yuan, and for the smaller ones, two yuan," Yusufu said.

"Too expensive!" The woman shook her head. Just as the bus arrived, she got on and left.

Li Long saw there were more than twenty pieces in the sack, so he said:

"Adaxi, make it cheaper, I'll take them all."

"How much are you offering?"

Li Long saw the largest was only the size of a pigeon egg, and the smaller ones were bigger than broad beans, so he said:

"Two yuan each, regardless of size. You brought them here and couldn't sell them, it's so troublesome to take them back... Two yuan each, I'll take them all!"

"Alright, alright, let's make friends!" Yusufu agreed with a smile.

Li Long knew this wasn't Yusufu's bottom price, but he didn't care. In his view, at least five of them could reach the mutton-fat level.

This Yusufu was likely not a jade miner, but a middleman.

Money and goods were exchanged, and Li Long transferred the jade stones into his own sack, feeling relieved. Although he paid fifty-six yuan, these jade stones, if kept for thirty years, he didn't know how many times they would appreciate.

"Are your friends in the mountains also Uyghur?" Yusufu received Li Long's money, and his tone was obviously much more enthusiastic, "Are they herding in the mountains?"

"No, no, my herdsmen friends in the mountains are Kazakh." Li Long shook his head, "They are about to move pastures, and this jade was obtained from them. After selling it for money, I'm going to bring them some daily necessities."

"Not bad, not bad! You are their true *dorsen*!" Hearing Li Long say this, Yusufu immediately showed an expression of admiration, gave a thumbs up, and said:

"They must trust you very much!"

"They do trust me." Li Long said, "What does *dorsen* mean?"

"Friend. Friend in Kazakh language." Yusufu explained, "Our friend in Uyghur is *adaxi*, and their friend in Kazakh is *dorsen*."

Li Long stood there as if he had been punched.

He had always thought *adaxi* was friend in Kazakh, and had always greeted Ha Li Mu and the others like that. He didn't expect he had made such a big blunder, and Ha Li Mu and the others hadn't explained it either. How could he be so embarrassed!

The bus arrived, and Yusufu greeted Li Long to get on. After getting on, Li Long became much more silent, and even the excitement of buying the small jade seeds disappeared.

!.

He had to explain it properly after going back. It was the short videos from his previous life that harmed him. He really needed to study hard and be humble in the future. He hadn't figured it out himself, and it made Ha Li Mu and the others cooperate with him.

"The jade farmers on our side are very hard-working. Digging in the river every day, if you're lucky, you dig one up; if you're unlucky, you dig nothing all day." Yusufu probably felt that Li Long had the same experience and profession, so he talked more, "Small jade stones like this are often dug up, but they can't be sold for money... Those people from the jade factories in the interior collect them for a few cents, it's not worth it!"

"In the future, if you collect more, and the jade factory doesn't want them, come to Maxian to find me. For materials this big, I want them." Li Long said nonchalantly, "Maxian, find me."

"How to find you? A county is so big." Yusufu was a bit skeptical.

Li Long took out the supply and marketing cooperative's certificate from his pocket and showed it to him, saying:

"I am a procurement officer for the supply and marketing cooperative. I also know the people at the acquisition station there. You go to the supply and marketing cooperative and find Section Chief Li, and you can find me..."

Yusufu looked at Li Long's certificate seriously, then handed it back, saying:

"For small stones like this, it's not worth it for me to make a special trip. However, when I collect large jade stones, I can bring some over and find you then."

Dozens of pieces at a time, two yuan each, the bus ticket from Wucheng to Maxian was only a few yuan, it was very worth it!

Yusufu had to take the night bus back to Southern Xinjiang, while Li Long had to stay to buy things. After they parted ways, Li Long went to stay at the Bayi Guesthouse.

The next day, he went to the department store, preparing to buy all the things the "dorsens" in the mountains needed.

The department store indeed had portable radios that used batteries. Not only did they have them, but they also had several brands, and the prices were different.

After looking, Li Long bought eight two-band, "Worker-Peasant-Soldier" brand radios, forty-six yuan each.

Fortunately, the tickets he got from Li Xiangqian earlier, and the tickets he traded from the ticket scalpers, were enough.

Buying eight radios at once was rare even in Wucheng. Several salesclerks came over to help, checked the radios for Li Long one by one, tested them, put them in boxes, and tied them up.

Li Long also bought a dozen pairs of liberation shoes and fifteen flashlights here. After buying these things, he couldn't buy many batteries.

But there was no other way. He was only one person, not a horse-drawn cart, and couldn't carry that much.

After paying, Li Long carried the tied-up things in both hands and walked out—at this time, he had to admire these salesclerks; the things were tied very tightly and firmly, and he wasn't afraid of them falling even if he shook them.

Returning to the Bayi Guesthouse, Li Long bought a ticket back to Maxian. The driver saw him carrying so many things and wanted to help him put them on the luggage rack on the roof of the bus. Li Long hurriedly waved his hand:

"No, no, these are radios inside. If they are put on top, they will be damaged by the bumps. I'd better put them inside."

Hearing that this big bag of things was radios, the driver's face immediately showed a look of surprise. He didn't dare to put this stuff on top either; the value of one was higher than his monthly salary!

Li Long carried the sack onto the bus. At this time, there weren't many people in the bus, so Li Long wasn't polite, sat in the middle, and put the sack on the seat next to him.

People got on one after another. At this time, it wasn't seat-numbered, so those who came later didn't have much to say when they saw Li Long occupying two seats alone.

The bus was half full, and it was time to depart. After the ticket inspector checked the tickets, the bus drove out of the station.

When he arrived at Maxian and carried the sack down, Li Long let out a long breath. Finally, he was almost there.

He carried the sack and walked toward the courtyard. When he was almost there, he didn't notice that someone behind him had seen him.

After Gu Ermao was beaten by Tao Daqiang last time, he had no face to stay in the village. In a fit of anger, he went to his relative's house and still went to follow the driver every day—called following the car, but actually, he was just doing odd jobs.

Today, the driver was in a good mood and gave him some pointers on driving techniques, which made Gu Ermao very proud. He specifically went to the meat canteen to buy a few meat buns for the driver. At noon, the driver went home, and he was also going to his relative's house to eat, but he didn't expect to run into Li Long.

Watching Li Long carry a big sack into a courtyard, Gu Ermao had the intention to follow him.

What was Li Long doing in this courtyard?

After Gu Ermao had the idea, he remembered he had nothing to do in the afternoon, so he planned to keep an eye on Li Long to see if he could find any handle on him.

In Gu Ermao's view, the ultimate culprit for Tao Daqiang beating him was Li Long.

If Li Long hadn't supported Tao Daqiang and let Tao Daqiang earn money, how would Tao Daqiang dare to treat him like that?

So as long as Li Long was brought down, Tao Daqiang would only have to wait to be bullied!

Gu Ermao held a grudge against Li Long not just for this one thing. Of course, some things were better kept to himself and couldn't be said out loud.

Li Long returned to the courtyard, put down the radios, went to the kitchen to boil some water to drink, rested for a while, then went out to ride his bike to the meat canteen, preparing to eat lunch.

After lunch, he pedaled his bike to the grain store again and bought three bags of flour. They were the kind of flour bags, 85-grade flour, twenty-five kilograms per bag.

He could only buy this much; any more and the bike wouldn't be easy to carry.

Li Long brought the flour back to the courtyard, unloaded it, and went to the department store again to buy some odds and ends.

Gu Ermao was very envious of Li Long riding a bike, but he also knew he couldn't compare, so he didn't follow him out. He felt that Li Long's stronghold was here, so he kept watching here.

Then he saw Li Long ride his bike in and out several times. He was overjoyed!

Sure enough, this was definitely a stronghold!

This Li Long was engaged in speculation and profiteering!

Although the morning market could already sell things without tickets, the crime of speculation and profiteering still existed. This Gu Ermao had discussed it with his master. Gu Ermao remembered very clearly that when he told his master he could use the car to resell things, his master said with disdain:

"Don't look at how they're jumping around now. When the investigation comes in a while, they'll have a good time!"

Gu Ermao began to struggle. Should he report this bastard Li Long?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 158 =====