Chapter 113: Over Three Hundred Thousand

Qi Jinxuan and Zhou Yu also sat around the tea table, taking seats below Lü Wenshan and Su Xiuping. Then, Lü Wenshan served each of them a cup of freshly brewed tea.

Seeing the tea offered, Zhou Yu and the others quickly accepted it and began sipping it carefully with Old Master Xu and the three elders.

Back in university, there was a roommate in Zhou Yu’s dorm who really loved brewing tea. He always used purple clay tea sets and treated his dormmates as test subjects for his tea experiments.

Because of this, Zhou Yu was very familiar with some of the tea-tasting steps. Looking at the clear, yellowish tea soup in the purple clay cup, he first smelled it, then observed it, and finally drank it in three small sips.

Seeing Zhou Yu’s tea-tasting movements, Lü Wenshan couldn’t help but nod with a smile and asked, “Young friend Zhou, what do you think of this tea?”

“Uncle Lü, I haven’t tasted much tea, so I’ll just share my simple impressions. Please forgive any mistakes. This Tieguanyin tea has a clear, high aroma. The soup color is orange-yellow and bright, like mung beans. When tasted, the flavor is rich and very refreshing, as if it carries some lingering charm.”

After carefully savoring it, Zhou Yu spoke slowly. Under his roommate’s crazy tea-brewing, they had to drink several pots almost every day. It was through such intense experimentation that he gained this understanding of tea.

Xu Minghua’s eyes lit up, and he nodded gently. “Young Zhou, I never expected you to have such knowledge of tea. Not bad, not bad.”

“Elder Xu is right. Young friend Zhou has already captured the taste of this tea. Now that we’ve finished a cup, it’s time to take a look at what you’ve brought. But we need to move to a different spot.” Lü Wenshan agreed, glanced at the box beside Zhou Yu, and stood up.

This area had just been used for brewing tea and was quite humid. If there were any antiques that couldn’t handle moisture, it could cause significant damage.

Everyone moved from the tea table to the nearby simple, rustic chairs and table. After sitting down, Zhou Yu slowly placed the box on the table and gently opened it. “This is a Pink Coral I unexpectedly obtained from the sea. Since I don’t know its value, I asked Brother Qi to bring it here for identification.”

“Oh, it’s Pink Coral.” Lü Wenshan showed some interest, carefully took the box, glanced inside, then stood up directly and placed it on the table in front of Xu Minghua.

Xu Minghua nodded lightly, picked up the Pink Coral from the box, examined it carefully, then put it back and let Lü Wenshan and Su Xiuping each take a look.

“Young friend Zhou, may I ask if you want to inquire about the value of this Pink Coral or if you plan to sell it?” After examining the coral carefully, Lü Wenshan placed it back in the box and asked Zhou Yu.

“This Pink Coral… I’d like to ask about its value and learn some information. I don’t intend to sell it; I want to have it made into a decorative piece to keep for myself.” Zhou Yu shook his head and said.

Lü Wenshan nodded slowly and said with a smile, “Ordinary coral lives in calm, clear reefs, platforms, or slopes at depths of one hundred to two hundred meters. It looks like tree branches and has bright, beautiful colors. However, among them, only three colors are considered gem-grade: red, pink, and orange-red. Red Coral can live at depths of up to two thousand meters. It’s precisely because of the immense pressure that its density and quality are better than other corals.”

“Besides that, corals of other colors that reach gem-grade are very rare. So Red Coral is the most precious, and its price has been rising steadily over the years.”

“The price of top-grade Red Coral has now reached around ten to twenty thousand per gram. Even ordinary Red Coral is now at least six thousand per gram. Pink Coral is also considered gem-grade.”

“This Pink Coral of yours resembles a tree very closely. With a little trimming, it would be very suitable as a decorative piece. Moreover, its color is vibrant, giving a lively and vivid feeling. For the entire coral, it reaches an upper-middle grade. If made into a decorative piece, each gram could be worth around six hundred yuan.”

As he spoke, he placed the coral on an electronic scale and weighed it. Then he said, “This Pink Coral weighs five hundred and six grams. Calculated, its value could exceed three hundred thousand yuan.”

A look of surprise appeared on Zhou Yu’s face. He knew Red Coral was precious, but he hadn’t expected this Pink Coral he got from Xiao Pang to be worth over three hundred thousand yuan. Six hundred yuan per gram—it was much more expensive than gold.

“Thank you for the identification, Uncle Lü. I understand. I wonder if it can be made into a decorative piece here?” Zhou Yu nodded, expressed his thanks, and then asked.

Since he was now at the antique shop, he wanted to take this opportunity to have the Pink Coral made into a decorative piece. He couldn’t wait for Lü Wenshan to offer first.

Lü Wenshan smiled and said, “Young friend Zhou, our antique shop doesn’t just buy and sell antiques; we also handle restoration and maintenance. Turning your Pink Coral into a decorative piece is certainly possible. The price would depend on what materials you choose.”

“Then thank you, Uncle Lü. Regarding materials, what’s the cost for something that matches the decorative piece?” Zhou Yu nodded and continued asking.

Given the value of this Pink Coral, it probably wasn’t easy to obtain in the sea either. Otherwise, what Xiao Pang found wouldn’t have been Pink Coral but Red Coral.

“Most gemstone decorative piece bases use silver-inlaid wood, which isn’t too pricey. Given the size of your coral, including materials and labor, it should be around three thousand yuan. The exact cost will depend on the finished product.” Lü Wenshan looked at the coral in the box, calculated in his mind, and then said.

Zhou Yu nodded. For him now, a few thousand yuan was quite affordable. “Alright, I’ll trouble you with it, Uncle Lü. I’ll leave the Pink Coral here for now.”

“Good, just leave it with me. You can come pick it up in a week.” Lü Wenshan smiled and nodded. Although Pink Coral wasn’t as precious as Red Coral, it was still a very valuable item.

As he spoke, he closed the box containing the Pink Coral and handed it to a staff member beside him.

Seeing that the Pink Coral matter was settled, Qi Jinxuan immediately stood up. “Elder Xu, Uncle Wenshan, thank you for helping examine this coral. Since the matter is resolved, Jinxuan and I won’t intrude further.”

Seeing this, Zhou Yu also stood up and expressed his gratitude to Elder Xu and the others. “Elder Xu, Uncle Lü, thank you for your help. We won’t trouble you any longer.”

Seeing both of them standing, Xu Minghua didn’t insist on them staying. He waved his hand with a smile. “It was just a small matter; no need for thanks. You two can leave if you wish. Oh, right, young Zhou, remember to contact my son later.”

“Don’t worry, Elder Xu. I definitely won’t forget.” Zhou Yu nodded, naturally knowing that Elder Xu was referring to the Spirit Bees’ Honey.

Afterward, Zhou Yu and Qi Jinxuan said their goodbyes and left. On the way back, Qi Jinxuan sat in the passenger seat, his face filled with amazement. “Xiao Yu, I never expected you to know Elder Xu.”

In their family, only his grandfather had some connection with Elder Xu. Moreover, Elder Xu’s influence wasn’t limited to the antique world; he had friends or disciples in cultural and heritage circles as well.

He had only met Elder Xu a few times and exchanged a few words. That Zhou Yu could be treated so warmly by Elder Xu truly surprised him.

“Brother Qi, Elder Xu and I just met by chance.” Zhou Yu said with a smile, not specifying the details. After all, what he sold to Elder Xu was also Spirit Bees’ Honey, and it was a bit inconvenient to explain.

Seeing that Zhou Yu didn’t want to elaborate, Qi Jinxuan didn’t press further. But in his heart, he once again labeled Zhou Yu with the word “mysterious.”

After dropping Qi Jinxuan off at the Succulent Shop, Zhou Yu declined an invitation for lunch, drove his car, and returned to Taoyuan Village.

It wasn’t even 2 p.m. yet. He fed some meat to the animals in the yard, made himself lunch, then put on his gear and started collecting honey from the Spirit Bees’ hives.

It took two hours for Zhou Yu to extract the honey from two hives. While collecting, he could clearly see that each Honeycomb Frame yielded a bit more honey than the last time—about four pounds more.

After finishing, he placed it on an electronic scale. The honey from the two hives weighed fifty-two pounds, over ten pounds more than before.

Then, he poured all fifty-some pounds of Spirit Bees’ Honey into glass bottles. With nine hundred grams per bottle, he ended up with twenty-eight bottles of honey.

Looking at the amber-like honey in the bottles, it was really hard to resist taking a bite.