Chapter 61: Lifting a Rock Only to Drop It on One's Own Feet

The man in the cyan robe had been observing the scene all along. He did not stop his shop assistant from making things difficult for the young girl, as he also wanted to see if her stones were truly as miraculous as she believed. Every single stone, he wondered, could it really yield precious treasures?

The onlookers were also startled by the offer of tenfold compensation, and each of them grew eager to find out whether anything of value could actually be cut from these stones.

Time ticked away bit by bit. The stone had already been sawn halfway through, and everyone was waiting in breathless anticipation to see if something would emerge from within.

Luo Yunhe, however, remained entirely unhurried. Her goal for today was to sell all of these stones, and not only to sell them, but to fetch a high price for them.

Originally, the price she had set was ten taels of silver per stone. But since the assistant had approached her of his own accord, she had simply raised it to thirty taels. If she managed to sell all of her stones today, the project of building a new house for her family could finally be put on the agenda.

Calculating these thoughts in her mind, Luo Yunhe sat there composed and relaxed, waiting slowly.

"It's out! It's out..."

Someone shouted, and the stone currently being cut suddenly split into two halves with a sharp crack.

Yet the two halves remained lying on the ground, and the crowd surrounding them could not clearly see whether there was anything inside the stone. As if deliberately building suspense for the audience, the two veteran craftsmen did not immediately present the inner structure of the stone to everyone. Instead, they carefully pressed the two halves back together and handed the stone to the assistant in front of the crowd.

The assistant was rather excited. That something of value could be produced from a stone no larger than a fist was something he simply refused to believe. The three hundred taels were as good as his, and this would also serve as sweet revenge for the scolding he had taken this morning.

"Open it!"

"That's right, hurry up and open it so we can all take a look! This is tenfold compensation we're talking about!"

Seemingly eager to make Luo Yunhe look foolish, the assistant carried the stone and led the crowd right back in front of her.

"Miss, I've already cut the stone. I'll give you one last chance: are you certain there is nothing inside and that you still want to offer tenfold compensation?"

"I am certain!" Luo Yunhe replied with unwavering firmness.

Her confidence left the onlookers somewhat astounded. Things had already reached this point; if she had simply uttered a soft word, she could have avoided the tenfold compensation, yet she chose to remain stubbornly unyielding.

Suddenly, people began to shake their heads and sigh, feeling that this young girl was simply too naive and ignorant of the sinister nature of people.

"Very well, very well! Don't say I bullied you; I've given you plenty of chances. Since you refused to cherish them, don't blame me for being unmerciful. Everyone here can bear witness for me—get those three hundred taels of silver ready!"

The assistant truly did not believe that such stones could yield anything good. Without even looking, he pried the two halves of the stone apart right in front of everyone, exposing the interior to all.

"There! Everyone has seen it! What kind of treasure could a worthless stone like this possibly produce? She owes me three hundred taels of silver, and all of you can testify to it!"

The crowd fell completely silent.

At that moment, every single pair of eyes was glued to the stone in his hands. Not a soul uttered a word, and absolute stillness descended upon the scene.

Without even needing to look at their reactions, Luo Yunhe knew precisely what was passing through their minds.

After waiting for a long time without receiving any response from the onlookers, the assistant grew somewhat perplexed, failing to understand why they were all staring so intently at the stone in his hands.

"What's so interesting about this broken rock? It didn't yield anything worthwhile at all! All of you need to bear witness for me—this is tenfold compensation!"

He was still rattling on incessantly when the others looked at him as though he were a complete fool. Unable to help himself, someone finally offered him a reminder.

"Why don't you actually take a look at the stone in your hands?"

The assistant was taken aback: "..." Seeing the strange expressions on everyone's faces, it finally dawned on him. He quickly cast his gaze down at the stone in his palms, and the moment he saw it, he gasped sharply, drawing in a cold breath of air.

Some individuals still refused to believe their eyes; they rapidly produced a candle, lit it, and held the flame closely over the stone.

"This material is magnificent, my young friend..."

"Indeed! The jade texture is exceptionally fine and translucent. This is undoubtedly top-tier quality..."

"Without a doubt! Though none of us are strangers to fine treasures, pulling such exquisite jade out of a small stone like this is an absolute windfall..."

"What a pity, though—the stone was sliced straight down the middle, which ruins the integrity. We can only carve a few pendants out of it now..."

The crowd broke into exclamations of wonder and admiration.

When the young assistant saw that his stone had indeed yielded a treasure, he was struck dumb with shock. Especially upon hearing the surrounding people praise the peerless quality of the jade, his face turned completely pale.

Naturally, he knew that once a piece of high-quality jade was sliced directly down the middle, its market value would inevitably suffer a severe blow. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected that such a humble, broken little stone would produce jade of such extraordinary grade. His expression turned extraordinarily complex; not only were the three hundred taels gone, but whether he could even sell this piece for thirty taels had become a serious question.

"Well? Didn't I say that all of my stones can yield high-quality jade? How about that? Was I wrong? Do you still want to demand tenfold compensation from me?"

"Let's get this straight—my stones really did produce top-grade jade, so your dream of tenfold compensation is over. In fact, it looks like you're going to take a loss instead. After all, cutting jade isn't done by hacking it straight down the middle the way you did..."

After all, this assistant had spared no effort in mocking her earlier; now it was her turn.

The assistant's heart was filled with bitterness. He had simply wanted to teach the girl a lesson, and who could have imagined that he would end up lifting a rock only to drop it on his own feet? If he had spent thirty taels and carefully, meticulously polished the stone to reveal the fine jade inside, he would have made a massive fortune. But instead, he had severed it right through the center.

"Everyone, I still have plenty of stones right here. Are you certain you don't want them? I guarantee they will all yield jade of this exact quality."

"Tenfold compensation is off the table, but are you really sure you won't come and try your luck?"

How could the crowd possibly hesitate at a moment like this?

They rushed forward toward her stall in a mad scramble, each grabbing a handful of stones. Having agreed that each stone cost thirty taels, they hurriedly pulled out thirty taels of silver apiece and shoved the money toward her.

Luo Yunhe had around thirty-odd stones in total.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, every single one of the thirty-odd stones was completely gone.

Meanwhile, her arms were laden with a heavy stash of silver.

"Master craftsman, cut mine first..."

"I was here first, cut mine first!"

Amidst their frantic scuffle and scrambling to have their stones cut, Luo Yunhe calmly tallied up all the earnings. Once she verified the sum was entirely accurate, she safely tucked the silver away.