40: Chapter 40: Net Worth Exceeds 100 Million

Old Chen took a magnifying glass and examined the items one by one before saying, "The craftsmanship is excellent, not machine-carved. The material itself is flawless, without a single crack inside."

Liu Guitang also looked through everything once. Old Chen was an authority in this field and wouldn't deceive him, so he said, "Please give me an appraisal!"

Old Chen picked up a glass species bracelet, looked at Cao Xiao, and said, "Xiao Xiao, the first factor in jewelry appraisal is the market value of the material itself, the second is the craftsmanship, and the third is the history the jewelry carries. These are all uncertain. Currently, raw material prices in the market fluctuate greatly, and craftsmanship depends on personal preference. Newly made jewelry doesn't have much historical significance, so the reference is the market transaction price. You should collect more data in this area, especially the transaction results from major auction houses. With these as a basis, you can make a rough judgment. As for precision, it depends on your personal analysis. I can only teach you the methods; we should communicate often in the future."

"Teacher, I understand. I will keep an eye out," Cao Xiao nodded in agreement.

"This glassy-type boxwood green bracelet is very rare on the market. As soon as it appears, people will snap it up. The price I'm giving is twenty-three million. For a pair, fifty million is no problem. Adding a pendant and a ring face to make a set, the price could reach around sixty-five million. You should keep the remaining two pendants and several ring faces for yourself. The money from selling the other items should be enough for you. Once you miss out on something like this, it's very hard to buy it again." Old Chen appraised the glassy-type jewelry and pushed the remaining ring faces and pendants toward Cao Xiao.

"Teacher, I don't need these. I brought them out to sell, so let's sell them all together," Cao Xiao declined.

Old Chen took all the glassy-type jewelry out of the box, arranged them on the table, and said, "As you wish. If you're really short on money, just ask me; my 'coffin money' is quite substantial. These two pendants can be a couple's set; the Guanyin and Buddha on them are a perfect match for a man and a woman—twelve million. These six ring faces can make three couple's sets—ten million for all. Little Liu, is my appraisal appropriate?"

"It's appropriate, but Old Chen, next time can you not play matchmaker and turn everything into sets? Not many people buy couple's sets these days," Liu Guitang said with a bitter face.

"If it's appropriate, then it's fine. What's wrong with couple's sets? If a man and a woman both happen to like them and buy a pair, it might even lead to a good match," Old Chen shot a glance at Liu Guitang and continued as he picked up a white jade bracelet, "Grade-one white jade. I won't say much more. The large ones are eight million each, the small ones are six million. The jade pendants are 1.5 million each. The ten-plus ring faces are five million altogether. Three large bracelets, two small bracelets, six jade pendants, plus the ring faces—that's exactly fifty million."

"Ten tianhuang jelly seals with ninety percent 'live blood' are three million each, totaling thirty million. These six peach blossom jelly bracelets, along with the pendants and ring faces, are thirty-five million. These chicken blood stones total seventy-five million. Adding the previous jadeite and white jade prices, the total is 212 million. With a thirty percent markup, that's 275.6 million. I'll round off the fraction—275 million. Pay up."

Hearing the final price from Old Chen, Liu Guitang said with a conflicted expression, "Old Chen, can I not buy it? Or maybe I'll just buy the jadeite. I don't have that much cash right now."

"Stop crying poor. You can still make a profit when you resell them at this price. Don't look so miserable. Don't tell me you can't even come up with less than 300 million." Old Chen knew Liu Guitang's net worth. Although this was a large sum even for him, he could manage it by shifting some funds. The main thing was that the price made his heart ache.

"Brother Liu, calculating by a twenty percent markup, just give me 250 million. There's no rush for the money; give it to me whenever you have it." Cao Xiao hadn't expected these things to sell for over 200 million. If he had sold the raw materials directly, 100 million would have been about right. He was already very satisfied with over 200 million, so he immediately waived 25 million for Liu Guitang.

"You're a real friend! I appreciate the favor. I can't provide 250 million all at once. I'll give you 150 million now, and the remaining 100 million in a couple of days. I'll prepare a gift for you then as well," Liu Guitang laughed heartily.

After speaking, Liu Guitang transferred the money to Cao Xiao via online banking. When the notification arrived that the funds had been received, Cao Xiao couldn't help but feel his heart race. He had finally entered the billionaire's club.

Cao Xiao packed the boxes on the table and handed them to Liu Guitang. Everyone began drinking tea, eating fruit, and chatting. Cao Xiao told them about his family situation and learned about Old Chen's family.

Old Chen himself was a high-ranking official before retirement, but of the scholarly type. He had made great contributions to the country's resources and energy sector. After retiring, he was hired as a technical expert by the Provincial Museum. In fact, many large enterprises invited him to be a consultant after his retirement, but due to his hobbies and family, he chose the Provincial Museum. At the invitation of Huanghe University, he also taught there and held the title of Honorary Vice President. Over time, he had become an authoritative expert in antiques, jewelry, and art. Cao Xiao was also the first student he had officially taken on. Of course, Cao Xiao was different from his students at Huanghe University; in other words, Cao Xiao was a legacy disciple, while those students were merely registered disciples.

Old Chen's eldest son, Chen Huaiyu, is currently the Executive Deputy Commissioner of Huanghe City. His second daughter, Chen Huaijin, is a world-renowned physics professor teaching at the Southwest University of Science and Technology. Southwest University is located in Huanghe City. Her husband, Zhang Xun, is also a university physics professor, though not as famous as Chen Huaijin. The third son, Chen Huaizhi, is a colonel and brigade commander in a certain military region. The fourth son, Chen Huaiming, went into business and co-founded a pharmaceutical company with several others. It is now listed in Hong Kong with a market value exceeding ten billion, and he is the major shareholder with a forty-five percent stake. The youngest daughter, Chen Huaisu, worked in a government unit in her early years but resigned to start her own business after getting married. With her husband's help, she built a chain catering group with a market value of nearly one billion over several years, including a five-star hotel in Huanghe City. Chen Huaisu's husband, Wang Zhenglin, is indeed as others say—not focused on his proper profession. While managing the family's group company, he takes his own money and invests it everywhere. He has shares in over a dozen enterprises, including a Retro Weapon Factory, an Antique Furniture Factory, a Jade Processing Factory, and a Gemstone Mine. He actually gets along very well with Old Chen.

During this time, Chen Huaiming offered to take him to Hong Kong to play, and Chen Huaisu gave him a diamond card for her hotel chain—the kind that's completely free and only given to her relatives. Wang Zhenglin invited him to invest in an agarwood plantation in the south, but he refused without a second thought. That kind of plantation was even more of a pit than his orchard; the investment was huge, the results were slow, and if one wasn't careful, they could lose everything.

At nine o'clock in the evening, Cao Xiao and Liu Guitang stood up to take their leave. Before they left, his teacher gave him two taels of Longjing tea.