Chapter 230: Chapter 230: Gambling Stone Market Chapter 230: Chapter 230: Gambling Stone Market “Everything is fine at home,” Old Sir Zhong began. “Just have fun out there. But remember to keep your phone on! Otherwise, we can’t find you and would be very worried.”

“Grandpa, don’t worry, I’m fine,” Zhong Niangyao hastily assured him. “I will definitely keep my phone on twenty-four hours. I won’t miss any calls.”

“That’s good.”

Then Old Sir Zhong asked, “By the way, Yaoyao, which friend are you traveling abroad with?”

He had just thought of it; before Zhong Niangyao had left, they hadn’t thoroughly asked for information about the friends she was traveling with. Now was a good time to ask, so they would know who to contact if they couldn’t reach Zhong Niangyao.

Upon hearing Old Sir Zhong’s question, Zhong Niangyao’s body stiffened, but she then responded naturally, “Grandpa, just a few good friends you don’t know.”

Realizing that Old Sir Zhong might want to continue asking, Zhong Niangyao quickly changed the subject. “By the way, is Grandma there? I’d like to talk to her so she won’t worry.”

“Your grandma? She just went out to chat with her old sisters and hasn’t come back yet!” Old Sir Zhong was successfully distracted, “I’ll have her call you back once she returns!”

“Okay,” Zhong Niangyao immediately said, “Grandpa, I just came back from outside! I’m planning to rest a bit before going to eat.”

“Then you better rest quickly!” Old Sir Zhong hurriedly said, “And don’t stay out too late!”

“Okay, Grandpa, goodbye!”

After hanging up the phone, Zhong Niangyao took a long breath of relief.

Just moments before, she had really been afraid that Old Sir would continue to inquire about which friend she had come out with. By then, she truly wouldn’t know how to respond.

The next day after breakfast, Lu Yichen took Zhong Niangyao to the biggest raw stone market in Mandalay.

This time, it was just the two of them going together; Uncle Li and the others didn’t accompany them.

A lot had happened in the past few days, and there wasn’t much left to do at the Jade Vein, as they were now preparing for the extraction. So, Uncle Li had been keeping an eye on the Jade Vein, and other people were there helping as well.

Upon entering, Zhong Niangyao saw various Gambling Stone shops, both inside and out, displaying large and small raw stones. Those raw stones looked almost identical to ordinary rocks.

One cut could lead to poverty, another to wealth. It was a gamble riskier than gambling itself, yet it always proved irresistible.

Here, every day, someone became a millionaire because of a stone, and equally others turned penniless.

Looking around at all sorts of people, Zhong Niangyao exclaimed, “Although the risks of Gambling Stone are high, people still become obsessed with it!”

“Gambling Stones are far more thrilling than gambling,” Lu Yichen said with a light smile. “It’s a place where people’s dreams of sudden wealth can be realized, and naturally, many who wish to get rich without working hard come here to try their luck.”

“Luck is something both destined and changeable,” Zhong Niangyao replied, raising an eyebrow. “Each person’s fate at birth is fixed, but there’s a saying: man can conquer fate. With effort, everything can still be changed.”

“However, the kind of luck in gambling is innate and can’t be changed by experience. Trying to change one’s destiny through Gambling Stones is the biggest joke.”

“You seem to have a clear understanding!” Lu Yichen teased with a smile. “But although everyone knows the logic, everyone probably harbors some hope, thinking what if they are the lucky one!”

Zhong Niangyao shook her head with a smile and didn’t say anything further.

The two casually strolled around, not specifically stopping at any shop, just casually looking around. Their demeanor didn’t seem like they were there to gamble on stones but rather as if they were out for a leisurely walk.

Zhong Niangyao herself could sense Spiritual Energy presence, and she also possessed the Heavenly Eye, which was like having a cheat device that allowed her to see whether or not there was Jade inside the raw stones.

However, since she was there to gamble on stones, she decided not to cheat. Therefore, she didn’t open her third eye or sense any Spiritual Energy but just casually looked around to see if anything caught her eye.

While walking, Zhong Niangyao suddenly spotted a shop front cluttered with large and small stones in disarray. Her eye was immediately drawn to a stone that looked like an apple-shaped rock.

Having taken a liking to it, she hesitated not at all and went forward, picked up the stone, looked at Lu Yichen, and asked with a smile, “Lu Yichen, don’t you think this looks like an apple? It looks really nice.”

Lu Yichen found Zhong Niangyao’s method of selecting stones somewhat amusing but still played along, “It looks good. If you like it, buy it!”

Zhong Niangyao walked directly into the shop then asked, “Excuse me, how much for this raw stone?”

The shop owner glanced outside, then at the stone in Zhong Niangyao’s hand, and with a somewhat cold tone, responded, “Those outside are all waste stones. No matter the size, each is two thousand yuan.”

Seeing Lu Yichen and Zhong Niangyao outside earlier, he had been somewhat pleased at the prospect of a potential big sale. He had a good eye and could tell that this couple came from wealthy families. So, he had thought this might be a major deal.

Unexpectedly, they had taken an interest in those waste stones.

Those waste stones were mainly stones with poor features or corners of other raw stones that had been cut away.

These stones were almost all waste stones, unlikely to produce any Jade. Of course, some lucky people might find a small piece of Jade in these waste stones, but such chances were extremely slim.

So even waste stones could be used to make some money.

Zhong Niangyao didn’t really mind the owner’s attitude and directly bought the uniquely shaped stone she was holding.

After transferring the money, Zhong Niangyao turned to Lu Yichen, weighed the stone in her hand, and suggested, “Lu Yichen, let’s find a place to cut the stone first! I’m quite eager to see what kind of Jade will come out of it.”

She indeed hadn’t cheated, but when she saw the stone, she had felt a strong liking for it. Thus, she believed there might be something good inside.