Chapter 43: Failing to Recognize a Great Person
So, he continued running around the house, and unexpectedly got addicted to it. He ran faster and felt stronger, which made Li Hongliang extremely excited.
"Wow, I can finally run!" Elder Li shouted excitedly.
A few others nearby, apart from Chen Tianlong, were dumbfounded. Just then, the doctor also sneaked to the door, wanting to see the outcome, but suddenly saw the sickly Elder Li running energetically.
"Dr. Yao, you came at the right time. Come quickly to check if I’m cured. Ha ha, I feel full of energy now! Chen Tianlong is truly a Divine Doctor!" Elder Li completely forgot about Dr. Yao’s embarrassment and directly praised Chen Tianlong, inadvertently making Dr. Yao hang his head low.
Feng Niang and Zhang Cuishan forced a bitter smile; Dr. Yao was evidently quite embarrassed since he previously claimed Chen Tianlong knew nothing, whereas now even Elder Li, who had long been untreated, had been cured.
"Ahem, truly having eyes but failing to see Mount Tai, this young man turns out to be a Divine Doctor. My apologies!" Dr. Yao had no choice; admitting defeat now would be less embarrassing later.
"Haha, you’ve overpraised me. My family elders know a bit of medical skill, and I learned some basics as a child. It’s not worth mentioning!" Chen Tianlong grinned and spoke candidly.
But hearing this, Dr. Yao felt even more shame; even with specialized academic training and overseas study, he couldn’t compare to someone who picked up a little skill casually. He wished he could find a piece of tofu to hit himself to death—life felt unacceptable.
"Whew..."
At that moment, Elder Li hopped over excitedly and said, "I’ve run twenty laps now, and I feel like I have endless energy!"
"Haha, that’s good..."
Chen Tianlong smiled lightly, then turned to Lin Wushuang and said, "Wushuang, the task is complete. Should we head back?"
"Ah? Are we heading back?" Lin Wushuang was startled and was about to say something but was interrupted by Elder Li.
"No way!"
Mr. Li directly turned to Chen Tianlong and said, "Tianlong, you are my savior; how could I let you leave like this? Tell me, what would you like as a reward? Just say the word!"
"Well... I don’t need a reward; I just fulfilled Wushuang’s request." Chen Tianlong casually waved his hand, indifferent.
"Then stay for a meal; this you must not refuse," Mr. Li said jovially. "Anyway, if you need any help in the future, feel free to speak up."
Ordinarily, hearing this sentence might seem useless, but coming from Li Hongliang, it was invaluable!
This elderly man wasn’t ordinary; he was a renowned figure in the jewelry industry, akin to Mount Tai and the Big Dipper. Even the simplest jade processed by him reaches tens of thousands, and many pieces exceed millions.
Thus, Mr. Li’s words were precious.
"Tianlong, please agree to Elder Li’s earnest invitation," seeing this, Lin Wushuang hurried over to persuade him, fearing Chen Tianlong might say something out of line and upset everyone.
"Alright."
Seeing that Lin Wushuang was pleading, how could Chen Tianlong not give face? At any rate, it was just eating, and as a foodie, Chen Tianlong didn’t care where he ate.
It wasn’t long before they headed out of the house into the hall.
The servants went to prepare the dishes. Lin Wushuang and Mr. Li hadn’t seen each other for a while, so they chatted. Mrs. Feng, seeing nothing for her to do, went to the kitchen to help.
Meanwhile, Chen Tianlong sat on the sofa nearby, observing everything in the room.
He found that the old man had quite a few treasures at home, particularly some jade pieces. Although Chen Tianlong didn’t understand them, they seemed quite valuable.
Meanwhile, Lin Wushuang began chatting with Elder Li about jade and jewelry affairs, while Chen Tianlong casually picked up a book from the table in front.
Looking at it for a while, he realized it was about jade articles. After glancing through a few pages, he felt confused. After all, everyone has different views and evaluations of jade, so he couldn’t say he was entirely naïve.
"What’s the matter, young man? You seem perplexed?" Li Hongliang had kept an eye on this young man since they came inside, observing how he noticed the jade articles in the house and how, unlike many younger visitors, he picked up the books from the table.
This young man was different; upon entering, he not only observed the jade articles for a long time but also looked at related books, which made Li Hongliang quite pleased.
"Mr. Li, I want to study jade knowledge but don’t know where to begin." Chen Tianlong raised his head and looked at Li Hongliang, then chuckled wryly, "I found many people have differing opinions on jade, and I’m unsure what to do."
Li Hongliang laughed, "Haha, I see. Those books in your hand are mainly for appreciation. Most are written by connoisseurs; with personal biases, the views are naturally different!"
"But ultimately, isn’t the value of these jade pieces determined by collectors and connoisseurs?" Chen Tianlong asked puzzledly.
"Not entirely true. To an extent, what they say can serve as a reference for pricing a piece of jade, but it’s not absolute."
Saying this, Li Hongliang picked up a book from nearby and came over, opening to a page, pointing at the photo: "Take these two jade bracelets, for example! Look closely, they have similar material. Here, see their texture evaluation report!"
Chen Tianlong glanced, indeed noticing the two had nearly identical textures, yet the evaluation prices differed by two million!
"See? Want to know why the connoisseur praises one bracelet highly while barely mentioning the other?" Li Hongliang asked.
Chen Tianlong shook his head, unaware of these intricacies!
"Haha, young man, besides the jade’s texture, the craftsman who carves it is crucial! These two jade bracelets have differing carving techniques. Look closely, the highly-rated one is finely carved, while the other is quite crude!" Li Hongliang explained.
"Ah! I see!"
Chen Tianlong suddenly realized, having only focused earlier on the jade’s texture differences and ignored the carving techniques. "I wondered why similarly textured jade pieces have such price differences!"
"Indeed, perhaps the bracelet’s carver was a beginner. Frankly speaking, they ruined that piece of jade!" Li Hongliang shook his head regretfully.
"I understand now!" Chen Tianlong nodded: "Then, Mr. Li, what should a beginner like me read?"
Chen Tianlong felt the prospects in gems and jade were promising. If he understood these, after completing tasks, he could open a shop for a small gain, which wasn’t bad.