15: Chapter 15 Consignment Auction

"This... this is simply incredible. Every one of the eighteen beads is 10mm, the color gradient is smooth, and the texture is perfectly matched. Amber isn't like large chunks of jadeite; being able to carve a few beads out of one piece is already good enough. Large pieces of amber are rare, and those with such uniform color gradients are treasures. No one would have the heart to carve them into beads. Could these have been selected from a vast amount of raw stones? blue amber itself is rare, and the global annual production of blue amber isn't much. Where did the raw blue amber stones to make these beads come from?" Liu Guitang marveled as he examined the blue amber bracelet, muttering to himself.

"Sir, the raw material quality of your blue amber bracelet isn't actually the best, but what's rare is the similar texture and the logical transition from dark to light colors. This bracelet cannot be measured by the value of ordinary blue amber jewelry; it can be said to be one of a kind. Although the necklace from earlier was also gradient blue, the color wasn't as smooth, and it wasn't as harmonious and natural as this bracelet. The reason I could offer one million for it, besides its rare color composition and craftsmanship, was because of that highly transparent pendant. The form and preserved posture of the ant inside that pendant were very vivid. However, this bracelet is much more precious; it could completely be displayed in a museum as a specimen of raw blue amber, being both beautiful and significant. If it went to auction, the starting price I would set for it would be one million—US dollars." Liu Guitang looked at Cao Xiao seriously and spoke slowly.

"Mr. Liu, if you can help manage the auction, I can sell you a necklace similar to the one in my niece's hand," Cao Xiao said.

Cao Xiao currently had over two million in his account, but that didn't mean he wasn't short on money. Take the matter of He Yueyou, for instance—was it really as simple as Mother He said? Would her mother really be so at ease handing over her precious daughter to a young man she had only met once? He Yueyou was born into a wealthy family; would her family really marry her off to a poor kid like him? Mother He's behavior last time was more like a test. If he were naive enough to just latch onto her and wait to marry the rich, elite beauty, he would definitely be dealt with miserably. With He Yueyou's family background and beauty, there would certainly be no shortage of suitors, and every one of them would have money and influence. He had no foundation; any one of them could make it so he could never recover in a single round. Therefore, he needed money, a lot of money—at least not less than what He Yueyou's family had. With money comes status, allowing him to break through all obstacles so that He Yueyou's family would willingly hand her over to him.

Cao Xiao could go to an auction house himself, but he was a complete novice in this regard. He would surely be led around in circles by others and might not even get his items listed. Liu Guitang seemed to be an expert and happened to have a need for the necklaces he made. Cao Xiao also wanted to use him to sell some blue amber. This bracelet alone could sell for millions, which was enough to tempt Cao Xiao.

"I haven't asked for your name yet, sir? I am Liu Guitang, a director of Hongdu Group and the owner of Jicui Pavilion," Liu Guitang said.

"My surname is Cao, given name Xiao. I'm currently unemployed," Cao Xiao replied. He knew about Hongdu Group; it was a well-known, large-scale conglomerate in this province, or rather, the entire central region. Its subsidiaries covered various industries including electronics, machinery, metallurgy, chemicals, medicine, art, transportation, and construction, with a staggering market value. As for Jicui Pavilion, he hadn't heard of it, but it likely wasn't an ordinary place; otherwise, Liu Guitang wouldn't have mentioned it during his introduction.

"Mr. Cao, you've done me a huge favor. Our Jicui Pavilion has partnerships with several auction houses. Whenever an auction house organizes an event, we send some items to be auctioned, not just for profit but also to build our shop's reputation. However, for the upcoming Summer Auction of the central region's largest auction house, Shengfeng Auction Company, we haven't been able to find any presentable items. Time is running out, and Shengfeng will start their promotion in a few days. If we can't find a satisfactory item, we'll have to send something from our own private collection. While that would bring short-term fame, it would damage the heritage of Jicui Pavilion. Fortunately, I met Mr. Cao. This bracelet will be auctioned under the name of Jicui Pavilion. Aside from the auction commission and taxes, we won't take a single cent. What do you think, Mr. Cao?" Liu Guitang said happily.

"That works. If you're free now, Mr. Liu, you can go prepare an entrustment contract and come find me in a while. I'll hand over both the bracelet and the necklace to you then," Cao Xiao said firmly.

"Then I'll leave you to your business, Mr. Cao. I'll have someone print the contract now. Please come down to the hotel lobby in half an hour," Liu Guitang said before turning to head downstairs, pulling out his phone to make a call.

"Xiao Cao, what's going on? Didn't you say you bought the materials and made these yourself? How can they be so valuable? Take that necklace back from Lanshan; it's too precious, it's not appropriate for her to wear it," Li Dongping said hurriedly to Cao Xiao after Liu Guitang left.

Cao Xiao spoke sincerely to Li Dongping: "How could I take back a gift I gave to my eldest niece? I didn't know it would be this valuable either. I picked them out from a pile of materials at a friend's place who deals in raw amber stones, and it didn't cost much. It's probably because this color combination is so perfect that it's relatively rare. This is just an ordinary gift; do we really need to be so formal between us? If you hadn't looked after me these past few years, I might not have been able to hold on. Besides, don't I still have this bracelet to send to auction? You heard Liu Guitang; it's worth at least a million US dollars. When the time comes, my family's problems will be easily solved, and I can even buy a big house in the provincial capital." After speaking, he looked at Li Lanshan, who was staring at the necklace in her hand with glowing eyes, and added, "But Shanshan, don't let others see this necklace too often. If anyone asks, just say it's glass jewelry."

"I know, thank you, Uncle Cao," Li Lanshan said crisply as she put the necklace around her neck and tucked it inside her clothes.

"I told you not to call me Uncle, especially with so many people watching." Although Li Lanshan's use of "Uncle" didn't have her usual teasing tone and was genuinely grateful, there were still some people watching the excitement nearby, and Cao Xiao still found it a bit hard to take.

"Let's go, into the private room first," Li Dongping said to everyone.

Before long, several colleagues arrived late with their families. Over ten people filled two tables. Food wouldn't be served until eight o'clock, so the adults played mahjong while the children played nearby. Cao Xiao sat on the sofa in a daze, though he was actually processing a necklace. After about half an hour, Cao Xiao went down to the hotel lobby, where Liu Guitang was already waiting.

"Mr. Cao, please look over the contract first. If there are no objections, we can sign and complete the handover," Liu Guitang said, standing up and handing the contract to Cao Xiao.

"No problem, let's sign," Cao Xiao said after carefully reading the contract.

The two signed their names on the contract. Liu Guitang took a few photos of Cao Xiao's blue amber bracelet with a Polaroid camera and signed them as attachments to the contract. Cao Xiao then handed the bracelet directly to Liu Guitang.

"Mr. Cao, I wonder if the necklace you mentioned is ready?" Liu Guitang asked after placing the bracelet into an exquisitely crafted wooden box.

"Take a look. How is this necklace?" Cao Xiao took a blue necklace out of his pocket and said to Liu Guitang.

"It's perfect. The blue amber beads are crystal clear, the texture is great with no impurities, and the pale blue is elegant—perfect for a woman to wear. What's truly rare is this pendant; it's so fitting. Two ants with their antennae touching—this is the most primitive way animals in nature express emotion. Mr. Cao, no, Brother Cao, I cannot put a price on this necklace. It is truly special. If the right person sees it, they might pay an astronomical price for it. For now, I can only give you two million as a small token of my appreciation. This is my business card. I have some influence in this province; if you ever need help, just call the number on it. No matter what it is, I will do whatever is asked." Liu Guitang took the necklace and examined it closely. After a moment, he spoke to Cao Xiao with excitement, handing him a business card.

"That works, two million is already quite a lot. However, I actually do have something I'd like to ask for your help with, Brother. I have a batch of high-quality coke made from anthracite coal, and the quantity is quite large. I see you're a director of Hongdu Group, and Hongdu has metallurgical operations, so I'm shamelessly asking for your assistance," Cao Xiao said. He knew this necklace was hard to price and would be priceless to the right person. Liu Guitang's words meant he owed Cao Xiao a huge favor, and since Cao Xiao had a large batch of coke that was difficult to handle, he spoke up.

"That's a small matter. As long as there's no problem with the coke, my promise still stands. How large is the quantity?" Liu Guitang carefully put away the necklace, treating it with even more importance than the bracelet. When he heard Cao Xiao mention coke, although he didn't usually manage Hongdu's affairs, a matter of purchasing raw materials could be solved with a single phone call, so he agreed readily. He was very curious about Cao Xiao; the man was dressed very simply, yet he could produce such rare jewelry and now claimed to have a large amount of coke needing a buyer. Hongdu was a large group with a significant metallurgical business and extremely high requirements for raw materials, as well as a huge demand. This would be a good chance to learn more about Cao Xiao.

"No less than 40,000 tons. The quality is very high, and the price shouldn't be calculated according to general market coke prices. I wonder if Hongdu can take it all at once?" Cao Xiao said.

"40,000 tons? That's quite a lot! And you say this coke was refined from anthracite? If the quality is good, price is not an issue; for Hongdu, the more high-quality raw materials, the better. Where is this batch stored? Transporting such a large quantity is no small matter," Liu Guitang was also taken aback. He had thought Cao Xiao had a few hundred or thousand tons at most, but he hadn't expected over 40,000 tons of high-quality coke. Even at market price, this would be a cash transaction of tens or even a hundred million, which was not a small sum even for Hongdu, so he had to be cautious.

"It's refined from Grade 2 anthracite with a 4.3 rating and is stored in the wharf warehouse area of the Dachu River in Jinghu City. Both river and land transport are very convenient," Cao Xiao said quickly, seeing a chance to solve the headache of selling such a massive amount of coke.

"It just so happens that Hongdu also has a shipping business. For such a large quantity, we'll use ships. Entering the Yangtze River from the Dachu River is very convenient. In Jinghu City, you say? Tell you what, I'm returning to the provincial capital tomorrow. An executive director of Hongdu Group happens to be on vacation over there. I'll give you her number; contact her tomorrow. I'll speak with her beforehand. Jot down her number," Liu Guitang said after a moment of thought.

"Brother, take a look and see if this is it. You're sure there's no mistake?" Cao Xiao couldn't describe his feelings at that moment, because the number Liu Guitang gave him was already in his contacts, and the name was very conspicuous. When the number was entered and the name 'The Empress Dowager' appeared, Cao Xiao could hardly believe his eyes and couldn't help but shudder. He still held onto the fantasy that Liu Guitang had given him the wrong number.

"That's right, it's this number. The Empress Dowager? You know her? Why do you call her that?" Liu Guitang looked suspiciously at Cao Xiao's phone screen and asked curiously.

"I know her; she left a very deep impression on me. Brother Liu, could we switch to someone else?" Cao Xiao resigned himself to his fate. He hadn't expected He Yueyou's mother to be a director of Chudu Group. If only he could talk to someone else. Cao Xiao still hadn't given up hope.

"A deep impression? She certainly leaves a deep impression on many people. You didn't offend her, did you?" Liu Guitang laughed heartily.

"No," Cao Xiao replied. But in his heart, he thought, I didn't offend her, but I want to date her daughter, which is even more terrifying than offending her.

"That's good then. She has a bit of a sharp tongue and speaks flippantly, but it depends on who she's talking to. To someone like me who doesn't have many faults, she doesn't talk nonsense. She's very serious when she works. You don't need to be afraid of her. By the way, what's your relationship with her? Why are you so afraid of seeing her?" Liu Guitang said.

"It's nothing, we just know each other," Cao Xiao said, while thinking to himself that it was precisely because he wanted a relationship with her daughter that he was so afraid.

"Then there's no need to change people. For a transaction this big, an average person wouldn't have the authority to decide," Liu Guitang was still a bit puzzled. Cao Xiao's expression was clearly off, so there must be a story there, but since Cao Xiao didn't say, he couldn't very well ask.

"Alright then! I'll contact her tomorrow." At this point, Cao Xiao could only bite the bullet. He'd have to face it sooner or later anyway; he might as well get used to it.

"Let's leave it at that for now. I still have guests to host. When you come to the provincial capital, you must call me and come over for a simple meal. Let's head up," Liu Guitang said, regardless of what Cao Xiao was thinking, now that the matters were handled and they both had guests waiting.

After parting with Liu Guitang, Cao Xiao went back to the private room to eat and drink with his colleagues until the party broke up at eleven. Li Dongping insisted on footing the bill for Cao Xiao today, only to be told that someone had already paid. Needless to say, it must have been Liu Guitang.