Chapter 31: A Modest Display of Skill-Filho biológico não é tão bom quanto o filho adotado? Se você se arrepender, não me procure!(O sonho solitário do garoto de rua)

At a stall displaying a multitude of stones, the middle-aged vendor’s expression brightened instantly as a young man with a fresh, youthful face approached.

"Little brother, care to try your luck?"

"How are these priced?" Lin Tian, a novice who knew nothing about the trade, asked while surveying the various stones spread out before him.

Seeing the clarity and innocence in the boy’s eyes, the vendor nearly choked on his own laughter. Even the smallest fly is still meat; it looked like he was about to have a feast today. Although Lin Tian didn't look particularly wealthy, the vendor made his living by preying on those who were both broke and ignorant of the trade.

"Listen to me. These ones over here are the cheapest, just one hundred per try. The next section is one thousand per try, then ten thousand per try. As for the ones at the very back, those cost tens of thousands just to open."

"Oh, I see."

After grasping the rules, Lin Tian stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and decided, "I’ll start by looking at the ones for one hundred."

"Certainly, of course," the vendor said, continuing his enthusiastic sales pitch. "Little brother, listen, this stone looks extraordinary. It’s bound to yield something good."

"This one? Then I’ll choose this one."

Lin Tian was surprised to find that the stone he had identified through his Heaven’s Eye—which revealed it contained a purple-grade gem—was the very same one the vendor was recommending. He decided to just go with it.

As he handed the stone to the vendor to be cut by the machine, it wasn't long before a faint purple glow emanated from within. The vendor’s expression froze, and his hands halted mid-motion.

"Wow, there really is something inside!" Lin Tian feigned a naive, innocent look, exclaiming with excitement.

"This... I told you so, didn't I?" The vendor was forced to put on a strained smile to keep up the charade. He was lucky this was only a purple-grade gem; otherwise, he might not have been able to sleep a wink that night.

"In that case, I’ll pick another one." Lin Tian bent down and began to pick carefully. In truth, it was all an act; any stone hiding a treasure was laid bare before him. This time, the vendor didn't dare make any more suggestions, fearing he might give away another winner.

After pretending to hesitate for a while, Lin Tian’s expression shifted. He pointed at an inconspicuous stone as if he had made a difficult decision. "I’ll choose this one. Please cut it open for me."

"You got it." The vendor rolled up his sleeves and got to work. After all, the first time was just luck; he didn't believe the boy could strike gold again.

However, fate is unpredictable. This time, the stone yielded an even better blue-grade jade. The vendor was left utterly stunned, his hands frozen in mid-air.

Lin Tian acted surprised and laughed, "It seems my luck is really good. Go ahead and open another one for me—actually, never mind, I want to try the ones that cost a thousand per attempt."

As he selected another, the vendor felt a lingering fear. *Is this kid’s luck really that good?* Without thinking too much, he began to cut the stone again. And then... he was stunned once more. This stone also contained a blue-grade treasure.

"This... this isn't right, is it?" Cold sweat beaded on the vendor’s neck. He swallowed hard and couldn't help but ask, "Little brother, are you sure you haven't been in this business before?"

"No, this is my first time playing. It’s actually quite fun." Since Lin Tian was telling the truth, the vendor couldn't detect anything amiss.

*Dammit, what is going on today?* The vendor grumbled inwardly, stubbornly convincing himself that the boy couldn't possibly pull out another good gem. "Well, it seems you have a real affinity for this trade. Care to go again?"

"Ah, well..." Lin Tian looked at the thousand-unit stones and saw no other jade worth his time. He smiled and said, "I want to try the ten-thousand-unit ones. Wait here a moment; I’m going to the shop nearby to pawn these three pieces of jade, and then I’ll pay you."

Hearing this, the vendor blocked Lin Tian, his eyes gleaming with greed. "No need for all that trouble. Just sell them to me directly. How about five thousand for all of them?"

"How much?" Lin Tian didn't even have time to react to the offer. "Five thousand?"

"Yes, five thousand! That’s a fair price!" The vendor patted his chest, guaranteeing, "I’m an honest man!"

Although Lin Tian didn't know the market rates, he had seen relevant information on television shows before. A single purple-grade jade of decent quality was worth at least three thousand, to say nothing of the two blue-grade pieces he had added.

*This son of a bitch is only offering five thousand?*

Lin Tian’s face darkened. Without a second thought, he refused. "Two thousand one hundred—that’s the fee. If you don't trust me, I can pay you by card right now. I’ll take these three pieces to pawn elsewhere."

The vendor grew anxious. "Don't be like that! Just pawn them with me. If not, I can raise the price... I’ll take them for six thousand!"

Lin Tian turned a deaf ear, pulled out his compact 4S payment device, and walked away without stopping. It was clear he had already pegged the man as a swindler. Seeing that his pleas were falling on deaf ears, the vendor stomped his feet in frustration and regret, banging his head against the wooden table. "Oh, I regret it so much! This is driving me crazy!"

After walking for a while, Lin Tian finally found a reputable-looking antique shop. The proprietor was an elderly man sitting in a chair, wearing dark brown reading glasses and twirling two small spheres in his right hand.

"Hello, I’d like to pawn some jade."

"Oh, let me see them."

The old man took the three pieces of jade from the boy’s hands one by one, a flicker of surprise passing through his clouded eyes. Although these pieces were on the lower end of the spectrum, their quality was indeed quite good.

"Little one, how did you come by these three pieces of jade?"

Lin Tian recounted the previous events, though he changed the story so that he had succeeded three times out of ten attempts instead of three out of three. The old man nodded, unable to help but praise, "Three times out of ten is quite good. Most people probably couldn't even open one in ten tries. You’ve got good luck, kid." He didn't suspect anything else.

"Just lucky," Lin Tian said modestly.

"There’s a saying: luck is a form of strength. I’ll take all three pieces!" The old man waved his right hand and squinted. "How about this much..."

"Two thousand five hundred?" Lin Tian asked tentatively.

"No, twenty-five thousand!" the old man said with a solemn face.