Chapter 77 That day

Who is this old man? I was daydreaming about delicious food when he shouted, but I didn’t expect Yun Xiaobao, who was sitting there like a mountain, to lose his composure even more. First, his mouth opened as if he was about to swallow a duck egg. Then, he quickly stood up and helped the old man who had rushed into the door.

“Dad, don’t get excited. Don’t get excited. Sit down first,” Yun Xiaobao said, holding the old man while he spoke.

It turned out that the excited old man was Yun Baochun. I looked at him curiously. He looked ordinary, but he had a lot of presence. However, it was not as impressive as my cheap master’s cooking.

“Sit your ass down! You didn’t even know the immortal was here, and you treated him like shit! Did you give the old immortal a cold shoulder?” Yun Baochun slapped Yun Xiaobao on the back, not giving the middle-aged Yun Xiaobao any face.

Yun Xiaobao was beside himself with fear and didn’t dare to speak. Yun Baochun turned his head and looked like a different person. He asked respectfully and kindly, “Which one is Li’s disciple? I said I would come to Chengdu early and I absolutely wanted to greet him in person. I wanted to greet him in person…”

At this point, Old Jiang stood up and said, “Old Li is my master.”

“Oh, you sit down quickly, sit…” As Yun Baochun spoke, he personally sat down with the old man Jiang, and sat down next to him.

“May I ask which of the Li family’s immortals are you? How is the old master Li?” After sitting down, Yun Baochun couldn’t wait to ask.

“Forget about the fairy, I’m Jiang Lichun, and my master is traveling.” I was listening with my ears pricked up when I heard my master’s name mentioned, it was the most curious thing to me, but the old man was too cunning, he even dismissed it with a single sentence.

“It turns out that you are Li Chun. I was only about ten years old when I met you. You were three years younger than me. If it weren’t for your master, our family would have suffered a great calamity, and I wouldn’t have been able to have a son. In that case, although you look much older, you still vaguely resemble the old man.” Yun Baochun even started chatting about everyday life.

“That’s fine, that’s fine. These things are all done by my master. I didn’t do anything. I don’t deserve your kindness. I came up this time to offer a piece of jade. I raised it myself. If your son and this Ma Duoduo don’t come out, you will have to come and judge the value yourself.” Old Jiang didn’t seem to be interested in the past, and he directly stated his purpose.

He said it lightly, but Yun Baochun’s face changed at once. He was surprised, couldn’t believe it, and was overwhelmed with joy. He asked, “You said you want to sell the jade you made yourself? What kind of difficulty do you have? I will do it as a matter of course. This jade is too precious.”

“No, I will repay you for your kindness. I won’t take it for free. Take a look at the jade. If you think it’s ordinary, then I’ll leave.” Old Jiang directly refused Yun Baochun, insisting on only selling the jade.

But Yun Baochun didn’t even look at the jade, and said directly, “Master Jiang, you don’t need to look, just name your price.”

At this point, Yun Xiaobao was also anxious. He didn’t know who Old Li or Li Zi was, but he had a businessperson’s personality that was engrained in his bones. He was also a little arrogant, thinking that in this part of Sichuan, he didn’t need to be afraid of anyone. The old man sometimes talked too deliberately about ‘friendship in the rivers and lakes,’ which was not good for business.

In fact, it’s not that you can’t talk about ‘friendship in the world of rivers and lakes’. You can help out a little and be generous, but the rules of business can’t be broken, not to mention that Ma Dudu is here.

Thinking about this, Yun Xiaobao couldn’t help but say, “Dad, you can just take a look at the jade.”

When Yun Baochun heard this, he didn’t say anything. He was already holding a walking stick, so he stood up and hit Yun Xiaobao with it, shouting, “Are you blinded by the lard and money? I’ll beat you to death for being so blind and heartless.”

The old man Jiang pulled Yun Baochun back, while Yun Xiaobao looked very aggrieved.

“Let’s take a look,” said the old man calmly, and handed the jade to Yun Baochun.

Yun Baochun took a deep breath, pointed at Yun Xiaobao with some lingering anger, and then sat down. His hands were trembling slightly, and he was very respectful, as if he was holding the jade that the old man had handed him.

Next, something strange happened. Yun Baochun didn’t even look at the jade, but closed his eyes and pressed the jade tightly against his chest, as if he was carefully feeling it.

Yun Xiaobao was stunned, Ma Duli was stunned, Cao Er was stunned, and I was still boredly lying on the table, because I knew what was different about the jade in the master’s room. As long as I stared at the jade very seriously and closed my eyes, I could vaguely “see” a layer of faint yellow light around the jade in the master’s room, some of it was a bit dazzling, and some was a bit lighter.

What about the old man Jiang? He was even more indifferent. He simply picked up a cup of tea and looked out the window with his two eyes. I knew he was looking at the young lady.

After a short while, Yun Baochun opened his eyes, and the ecstasy on his face could not be concealed. He held the jade tightly in his hands, his mouth trembling, and kept saying, “Heaven bless my Yun family.”

Then he turned to the old man and said, “Master Jiang, I guessed that the jade you were selling might be the spirit jade, but I didn’t think you would really sell a piece of spirit jade. This kind of thing can’t be measured in money. You deserve my respect!” Then he stood up to bow to the old man.

But Jiang Lao Er stopped him again, saying, “It’s all right, really all right. We just take what we need.”

“How about half of my family’s fortune?” Yun Baochun said directly, slamming his walking stick down and speaking with a heroic air.

The old man didn’t say anything, just drank a sip of tea. God knows what he was thinking.

Yin Baochun was afraid that Jiang Laoshi would not sell it, so he said directly, “Master Jiang, I know your master’s rules. The more easily money comes, the more he charges. If the money is dirty, he won’t even bother to look at it, let alone take it. The Yun family listened to the advice of the immortal Li in the early years and stopped doing that underground business. The money was also much cleaner. I think Master Jiang must have heard about it before he was willing to come to sell this thing. My family is not like those Hong Kong businessmen. If they want to know about this, they will definitely pay a higher price than I do. But Master Jiang, I am sincere. I have done a lot of good deeds over the years. Master Jiang, I will only keep the money needed for the family business, and I will use the rest to buy this jade.

As soon as he finished speaking, Ma Dudu almost spat out the tea in his mouth, and Yun Xiaobao stood up with a loud “huh”.

The old man Jiang didn’t say anything, but Ma Dudu shouted, “No, no, Mr. Yun, you must tell me the name of this jade. Are you saying that you want to buy a favor, or do you really want to buy this jade?”

Yun Xiaobao also said in a low voice, “Dad, I am also involved in the family business, you have to convince me.”

Yun Baochun held the jade in his hand and never let go. He looked at the two of them and said, “Ma Dudu, I know you like jade. Yun Xiaobao, do you need a reason? You two have been looking at jade for so many years, do you know about the legendary jade? Lingyu! It is also a disaster-preventing jade, something that can save your life in a critical moment.”

“You’re saying this is a spirit jade?” Ma Dudu’s eyes, which were not very big in the first place, were now staring so hard that his eyeballs were about to fall out.

Yun Xiaobao sat down on the stool in a daze.

Sometimes, when money reaches a certain level, life becomes very important. They have known for a long time how precious this legendary jade is, but this jade is intangible and there is no way to identify it.

It is said that some people are born with supernatural powers, or that those who practice spiritual cultivation have supernatural powers. The least they can do is to have a strong sense of intuition to see through the spirit jade at a glance.

“Do you know? People who have been studying jade for a long time will have a very keen intuition for jade. There is a method of studying jade called the heart method, which uses the heart to study jade. This heart method is limited in many ways and has almost been lost, but it happens that this spirit jade can be used to study some things. The high-level people who know this heart method are extremely powerful. They can use their hearts to study jade and even feel the internal texture of the jade with their eyes closed.” Yun Baochun said.

“I know this method of heart-reading, I know! I also heard that Master Yun knows some of it, but it’s too far-fetched. I don’t even know where to learn it. Could it be that just now…?” Ma Dudu said in a lost voice.

“It’s been so many years, Dad, this is the second time I’ve seen you use your heart to see jade, and I never thought it would be a spirit jade.” Yun Xiaobao also sighed.

“Actually, I don’t have enough experience, but you don’t know the legend of Master Jiang and his apprentice. They can definitely use the spirit jade, and the spirit jade they raise is definitely stronger than the average spirit jade. It’s like the real high monk’s enlightenment, the kind you’ve seen once, the kind made of skull! This jade, you close your eyes and feel it. I once said that ancient jade has a lot of evil spirits, so you’d better find a piece to compare the feeling.” Yun Baochun explained.

After 40 minutes, Ma Dudu looked at the two jade pieces on the table with a look of annoyance, while Yun Xiaobao looked refreshed.

They had just compared the jade and felt it with their hearts. The jade that had just been unearthed was held in the hands and felt with the heart. There was always an indescribable, penetrating coolness in the heart. This was not really cool, but made people feel uneasy.

But when he closed his eyes and held the jade of the old man Jiang, he inexplicably felt calm and peaceful. A pleasant emotion inexplicably rose from his heart, and more surprisingly, it was a sense of security that he could not control!

This is the feeling caused by the powerful skills of the old man Jiang and the strong effect of the spirit jade. Ordinary spirit jade cannot achieve this effect. In any case, ordinary spirit jade and Yun Xiaobao alone cannot have such a strong feeling.

“Hey, the treasure is right in front of you, but you can’t catch it if you don’t.” After staring at it for a long time, Ma Dudu sighed, clenched his fists, and was ready to leave.

“Hahaha… Ma Dudu, you’ve made a lot of money, not bad for this one, there will be opportunities in the future, there will be opportunities.” Yun Baochun was very happy and laughed.

“Dad, this jade, is it for Baogen to wear?” Yun Xiaobao’s face was also full of smiles. In fact, although the money was given in large amounts, it left a lot of loose change. With Yun’s family connections, the business would still be done, and the money would still come in. It’s not the same as having a life-saving charm.

Baogen is Yun Baochun’s only grandson and Yun Xiaobao’s only son.

“Baogen has always been weak since he was a child, so of course it’s for him. Thank you, Master Jiang.” Yun Baochun is a man who is deeply happy at every turn of events, and his voice has become a little louder.

“Wait, I didn’t say I was selling this jade.” Old man Jiang finally spoke up, and I felt sorry for Baogen, who would be teased by his classmates for carrying such a piece of jade. The baby is holding a potato, hahaha, I laughed so hard in my heart that my stomach cramped.

If I had known, I would have simply sold the piece with the hot pot carving to his family.

“Master Jiang…” Yun Baochun was in a hurry.

But the old man stood up and said slowly, “The Yun family has done a lot of good deeds over the years. I’ve heard a lot about it. It seems that your family has also taken my master’s words to heart. I also understand that although this business is not very honorable, it is a legacy from your ancestors, and it is not too evil to say that you don’t accept things that have just come out of the ground. I just want to ask, how much does it cost to buy a building in the county seat?

After a long speech, the old man asked a question.

Yun Baochun was a little confused about what the old man was selling, but he still said, “In the big city, there are few private houses, and they are basically owned by the state. It is not easy to buy and sell them. However, there are many private houses in the county seat. For a building in a good location, 800 to 1,000 yuan is always required. For a more ordinary one, 500 yuan is required at the very least.”

“Then, I’ll give you 3,000 yuan for this jade,” said the old man.

Yun Baochun couldn’t believe it. The price was really cheap. He was rich, or rather, he was a very rich man in Chengdu. He could afford to pay 30,000 to 50,000 yuan. He was originally prepared to pay more, but he didn’t expect to pay only 3,000 yuan.

“This… Master Jiang, I’m afraid this is not good, is it?” Yun Baochun said hesitantly.

“Of course not, I haven’t finished talking yet! This is only the money I’m charging, but I don’t plan to sell this jade for this little money. Starting this year and for the next ten years, I ask that you give one-third of your annual business profits to charity for ten years.” Old Master Jiang said.

“Good!” Yun Baochun and Yun Xiaobao almost simultaneously agreed.

“Don’t try to fool me, Baochun. You know you can’t fool me.” The old man’s expression became serious.

“Never!” Yun Baochun also promised with a firm tone.

In the following days, I was very satisfied. When the old man had money, he was very generous. He took me to see Chengdu and bought me a new, ugly outfit, which was all earth red! He also bought himself a new, ugly outfit, which was all earth yellow.

I was poor at appreciating things at the time, and I thought that it was happiness to have new clothes to wear.

What made me even more satisfied was that the old man took me to eat those legendary snacks, such as dumplings and glutinous rice balls. I ate so much that my stomach was round and round.

I couldn’t stop thinking about those snacks, and I kept saying to myself on the way home, “Master, those dumplings were so delicious! They were so thin, and I could eat one in one bite. The spices sprinkled on top were spicy and sweet at the same time.

“It’s not a dumpling, it’s a corner. It’s a corner because it looks like a corner. It was called Zhongshuijiao in the earliest days, not Zhongshuidou,” explained the old man.

The night wind was very comfortable. I was full and felt the wind. My eyes were squinting with pleasure. It felt good to be led by my master.

After we got back, my master gave my father 2,000 yuan, which was more than enough to buy a house or start a business. My father made up his mind to move for the sake of my older sister and her education.

In fact, there wasn’t much to take, and it was all packed up in a few days. On the day we left, we invited the villagers to a farewell party, and then we found several tractors to make a grand departure. It was just my mother who cried a lot and couldn’t let go of me.

I didn’t cry at the time, but I remember that day when the tractor drove away, the sun was setting in the sky, accompanied by the sound of ‘chug-chug-chug’, watching my father, my mother, my eldest sister, and my second eldest sister’s figures getting farther and farther away from me…

It was only at this point that I realized that they had all left, leaving me here alone! I felt a wave of bone-chilling loneliness, and I was a little lost and helpless. In the end, I looked at the backs of the group, squatted on the ground, held my head in my hands, and cried.

At this time, a warm hand rested on my head: “What’s wrong? Are you still jealous? Are you crying?”

I stood up, wiped my tears away, and said, “Who said that? Can’t I go to the county seat to see them often?” But the tears kept falling as I spoke.

“Yes, so don’t cry. Boys shouldn’t be like this,” the old man Jiang said with rare warmth.

I was silent for a long time, and said sadly, “Master, I always hear my mother say that my parents have a weak relationship. I’m afraid when I think about it, I’m afraid I’ll miss them.”

“Yes, you do. This kind of longing should be kept in the bottom of your heart. You don’t have to show it too much. As long as the feeling is deep enough, it’s fine.”

“Master, you won’t leave me, will you?” I asked. Suddenly, I felt that my family had all left, and I was about to become angry at my loneliness.

“Let’s go. We should be heading back to the mountain.”