I'll kill you!

  Half a time later, Zhu finally couldn't stand the cold and came up from the river with several small stones in his hand, handing them over to Zhen Mingshu.

  "Ah, found it?"

  "Find these for me, and if you can't, then go die!"

  Zhen Ming carelessly picked through them, tossing aside one after another: "Not this kind, not that kind..."

  Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he picked out a small ore from among them, feigning surprise: "Ah, got it! Finally, there's something to gain! I said heaven rewards those who are diligent! You're quite lucky."

  The muscles on Zhuzi's face twitched: "Is this what you asked me to find?"

  "Right."

  "Is this refractory material?"

  "Ah, yes."

  "What's on the riverbank everywhere makes you ask me to dive in and look for it?"

  "Oh, really? Sorry, I thought the quality would be better in the water, is it also available on the shore? Then just look for it on the shore, why didn't you say so earlier?! You made me wait for such a long time, I just warmed up with soy milk and now I feel a bit cold again. I'll go buy another bowl, do you want some? My treat..."

  "I'll kill you!"

  ……

  Sitting on the third floor of a famous wine house in Luoyang, next to the window seat, there were more than a dozen steaming dishes on the table, and a jar of good Shuangyu red wine.

  Zhenming poured a cup of wine and handed it to Zhu, who was still shivering. "Come on, Zhu, have a drink to warm yourself up. It's freezing outside, you should wear more clothes. I know what it's like to swim in winter. At first, the water feels cold, but once you get out, you realize the water is warmer than the air. You chased me as soon as you got out of the water, and I knew your body was strong enough to withstand it for another hour or two. But even if you're strong, you can't take the wind blowing on your wet clothes in this cold weather, or you'll turn into an ice sculpture..."

  "Achoo!"

  Just as Zhenming had finished speaking, Zhu Zi let out a loud sneeze.

  "See, I told you it was just a cold."

  Zhu Zi was now out of breath and couldn't retort back to him, took the cup and drained it in one gulp, his trembling body slowly calming down.

  "Have some more dishes, I was afraid they wouldn't suit your taste, so I ordered a few more. This meal is on the company's account, you've suffered for the company and deserve to be rewarded. Eat and drink freely, Master Wei has given his word. All expenses during this period will be reimbursed by the company."

  "Shut up, shut your mouth... Ah-choo!"

  Zhen Ming's bitter expression didn't change, but his smile grew even more sarcastic: "Eat and eat, once your body warms up, you'll be fine. Wei Chi, the leader of our gang, entrusted me to teach you our secret recipe, this is a sign of our trust in you, the road ahead will be long and arduous, but you've only just begun, how can you afford to fall ill? There are still many procedures to follow, you need to eat your fill and drink plenty to have the energy, the tasks ahead won't be easy."

  Zhu Zhi shut his mouth, not because he had given up, but because Wei Chi Jing De had indeed assigned him to work with Zhen Ming Ku, and it was a death order. If he didn't learn the secret formula within the time limit, he would be punished along with Zhen Ming Ku. Now, he and Zhen Ming Ku were like two grasshoppers tied to the same string, sharing the same fate.

  He could only convert his indignation into appetite, and began to devour the dishes on the table as if he was going to fight with them.

  Full of wine and food.

  "Where are we going now?"

  At this time, Zhu Zi also felt a bit strange. After eating his fill, the anger seemed to have vanished into thin air. The meal he had just eaten was the most delicious and filling one in his life. He, who had never gone hungry before, suddenly felt that taking a dip in cold water and then having another steaming hot meal was the ultimate pleasure.

  Zhen Ming bitterly smiled and glanced at him, saying mysteriously: "The jewelry market."

  ……

  Luoyang's most prosperous jewelry jade rough wholesale market, crowded with people, all of whom are jewelers from various places.

  On the stall were various precious stones, and many people were shouting at the side of the stall, or a dozen people surrounded a stone and shouted prices.

  Zhu Zi had been a blacksmith for over a decade and had done extensive research on iron ore, knowing which types of iron ore had high iron content. However, he had no interest in these worthless, overpriced rocks that had no refining value. Seeing Zhen Mingsu bring him to this place, he had already guessed that the refractory material Zhen Mingsu was talking about was probably one of the gemstones here.

  "Come and see, Chang'an blue glaze jade, Kunlun Mountain's Hetian white jade, and also the turquoise and agate from the southwest, Sichuan's Tianhuang green serpentine, all are top-quality goods. Buying is up to luck, getting rich depends on today. If you don't buy for the first time, it's your fault; if you don't buy for the second time, it's my fault! Come and buy quickly!"

  Zhen Ming walked up to the stall and said to the vendor, "Boss, give me a few pieces of good quality jade."

  "Ah, isn't this the same customer from last time?"

  "The boss really has a good memory."

  "Haha, it's not that I have a good memory, but with customers like you, I couldn't forget even if I wanted to. Others buy jade to make precious ornaments, but you had me grind them all into powder... this is really... really a bit..."

  Zhen Ming smiled wryly and continued his words: "A bit of a spendthrift, huh?"

  "Haha, you're really amusing, but aren't you just being extravagant? What's this, buying again today?"

  "Alright, as usual, bring two larger pieces of raw jadeite and cut them open."

  The stall owner asked: "Are you going to pick again this time? Last time you picked a great treasure, and the price soared by more than ten times after it was opened. Who knows, maybe your luck won't be bad this time either."

  "This time I won't pick, let my brother-in-law pick, he is the chief craftsman of Wei Chi Ironworks, his eyesight can't be bad."

  As soon as the words fell, many people gathered around to watch the excitement. Those who came to buy jade and grind it into powder also saw them for the first time, and they all wanted to see what the two were going to do.

  Zhuzi saw that this person, no matter where he went, could always attract other people's attention, as if he had a natural talent for "provoking trouble" and was only provoking trouble for others. Zhen Mingshu's introduction made him feel quite pleased with himself, but he didn't think that Zhen Mingshu was praising him out of kindness.

  He said with a look of discontent: "What's there to pick and choose, just take two cheaper ones, they're not for making jewelry or accessories, even if the mine owner is rich, he can't let you spend like this!"

  "If you want it cheap, why not just go to the river and pick some up? You don't spend a penny, yet you want the horse to run well, and you also want the horse not to eat grass. Where is the logic in that? If you want something good, fast and cheap, then forget about it, I don't have time to waste on such foolishness. Since ancient times, things are valued for their rarity, if you want to gain something, you must pay the price, this is called fair exchange. If alloy can be smelted from just any material, then you wouldn't need me to teach you."

  Zhuzi was scolded by him until he was speechless, with his mouth agape and staring blankly.

  The stall owner heard this and couldn't help but applaud: "Hearing your words is better than reading ten years of books. No wonder I felt a sense of familiarity when I saw you, sir. You've hit the nail on the head with that one sentence, it's the essence of our line of work."

  Zhen Ming Xiu smiled complacently and clasped his fists: "Too kind, too kind, it's just picking up someone else's clever ideas."

  After finishing, Zhuzi scolded with a somewhat impatient tone: "Let you choose, it's not like it costs you money. Who knows, maybe I'll let you pick something top-notch and make a profit from selling it."

  Zhu Zi was so resentful that he gritted his teeth, but since he couldn't out-argue him, he simply picked two melons the size of human heads.

  Zhenming was bitter, just standing by and watching, shaking his head repeatedly, with a sigh on his face, but he didn't say a word.

  "Name your price."

  "Ten taels." The boss quoted.

  Zhuzi frowned and said, "It's expensive."

  "You're welcome."

  "Two taels." "Alright!" The boss agreed without hesitation. Zhu immediately knew he had overbid, while Zhen Mingku looked on with an air of indifference, chatting with other onlookers behind him: "See that? That's what they call a water customer - someone who's lost their mind and can't tell the value of things. As the saying goes, 'one knife makes you poor, two knives make you rich.' If he's going to haggle like that, even if he cuts it a hundred times, he'll still end up poor." The onlookers burst out laughing: "Haha, what a joke!" Zhu's face turned bright red as he glared at Zhen Mingku: "How do you know I overbid? Wait till we open it up and see the good stuff inside - that'll be my gain!" "Alright, alright, it's yours. No one's going to fight with you for it." The jade boulder was cut open by the boss using a steel saw, revealing a dull white color without any hint of green. According to trade jargon, this was called "one poor and two whites," meaning it wasn't even worth making into an ornament.