Chapter 78: Liu Lao's Recognition

  Chu Chen's face revealed a mysterious smile, and he said: "Uncle Wu, please wait for a moment. If you want to see the treasure, I need to prepare something first..."

  Wu Shu heard the words and became even more curious, after a while, he saw Chu Chen bring over a basin of water, suddenly feeling somewhat strange, really couldn't understand his intention.

  "Uncle Wu, don't be too shocked at what's about to happen!" Chu Chen took out the jade cicada and carefully placed it in the water, then looked at Uncle Wu with a hint of teasing.

  All of a sudden, after the jade cicada was put into the water, Wu Shu's face changed from calm to surprise, and finally shock and astonishment, with an expression of being stunned.

  "This... is this the legendary Detached Jade?" Wu Shu asked with a slightly agape mouth.

  Seeing Chu Chen nodding, Wu Shu was at a loss for words and stared intently at the jade cicada in the water, muttering to himself:

  "I always thought that a piece of jade like this was just a legend. When I first heard that Empress Dowager Cixi had a piece of jade like this, I also thought it was fabricated by someone else. I never expected that such a piece of jade would actually exist, and yet this one looks even better than the one owned by Empress Dowager Cixi! This is truly unbelievable!"

  Chu Chen smiled somewhat complacently and said: "Uncle Wu, how is it? Isn't this jade cicada pretty good?"

  "Wu Shu couldn't help but exclaim: 'It's not just good, I think this jade cicada is definitely worth a city, and it's not an exaggeration to say that it's a national treasure! Just seeing it is a great blessing, let alone owning it! Xiao Chuan, for treasures like this, can you give me some warning next time? Luckily, I don't have heart disease, or else I would have been shocked to death!'"

  Chu Chen saw Wu Shu start to joke, and smiled: "Uncle Wu, you have eaten more salt than I have walked roads, how can such a thing scare you?"

  Wu Shu heard the words and pointed at Chu Chen, laughing and scolding: "You little brat, you speak so eloquently, but I'm not unaware of your little tricks. You must be trying to make a fool of me, Wu Shu. When the time comes, I'll let Xiao Ke come and help me reason with you."

  "Wu Shu, you're wronging me! How could I possibly laugh at you? Just don't mention this to Xiao Ke, okay?" Although he thought this in his heart, Chu Chen would rather die than admit it.

  Wu Shu smiled slyly and said, "Hehe, then I'll consider it, let's put this matter aside for now. Xiao Chuan, what do you plan to do with this jade cicada?"

  Chu Chen rubbed his forehead and said, "I know that ancient jade must be played with to show its characteristics, but Uncle Wu, you also know that I'm really not good at playing with jade. Moreover, this piece of jade cicada is too precious, if it's damaged while playing with it, there will be no place to cry, so I want to ask for your opinion."

  Wu Shu sank into deep thought for a long time, and then said with some difficulty: "I also know several methods of appreciating jade, but such a rare piece of jade is really too rare. From childhood to adulthood, I have only seen one like yours. What's special about it, I'm not quite sure. Anyway, you're going to see Old Liu, his vision is high, ask him what he says."

  Then he said, "Also, it's best not to take this jade cicada out to show people too often. Whether or not others are envious is one thing, but every time you admire this jade cicada, you have to soak it in water. The red color can't stay in the water and come back, right? Think about it, isn't that a loss?"

  Chu Chen thought about it and indeed, from a scientific perspective, energy is conserved and cannot be reduced. If he often lets others admire it, he might end up ruining this precious piece of jade.

  From now on, Chu Chen made up his mind that this thing would only be taken out to meet people if it was absolutely necessary, and even if it had to be put in water, the container must be as small as possible.

  Then the two of them chatted for a while longer with these three antiques, and when the time was almost up, Uncle Wu prepared to bid farewell and leave.

  Seeing this, Chu Chen hurriedly said: "Uncle Wu, you see that I have made money and also obtained a treasure, shouldn't I be the one to invite you out for a treat?"

  "Alright, I appreciate your kind intentions, but you've just returned home, so take a good rest first. When I get back, you can treat me then, that's fair enough."

  "Alright then, we've got a deal. Don't go back on your word later, okay? And Uncle Wu, didn't you forget to take something?" Chu Chen pointed to the porcelain bowl with colored glaze on one side.

  Wu Shu smiled and shook his head, carefully placing the porcelain bowl in a brocade box. He then hugged it and bid farewell with a smile. However, as he reached the door, he turned back to remind Chu Xuan:

  "Alright, you don't have to see me off either. Before I go, Uncle Wu wants to remind you of one more thing: although you now have money, it came too easily; in the future, be careful not to lose your way with wealth and become blinded by it, do you understand?"

  Since he had the ability, Chu Chen didn't really care about money. Of course, this kind of thing couldn't be mentioned to others, even Wu Shu who was like a close relative. So when facing Wu Shu's teachings, he still smiled and nodded in agreement, saying that he would definitely keep it in mind.

  After seeing Wu Shu off, Chu Chen's face was filled with a smile as he thought of Wu's expression when he went home, which looked so happy. This made him feel a sense of accomplishment in his heart. Later, he hummed a tune, picked up his phone, and prepared to call Liu Qingshu to arrange a time to visit Old Man Liu.

  "Hello, who is it?" Liu Qin's voice came from the other end of the phone.

  Chu Chen's tone was slightly nervous as he hastily replied: "Hello Aunt Liu, I'm Chu Chen."

  "Oh, Xiao Chu, what's wrong?"

  "It's like this, I want to ask if Liu is free tomorrow. I have something important that I'd like to ask for his advice on, don't know if he's available or not."

  "My dad is free tomorrow, just give me a call when you come over tomorrow. And, I feel like you're being a bit reserved when talking to me, I'm not a man-eating tiger, you can relax a bit."

  Chu Chen said somewhat awkwardly: "Hehe, first time calling you, Aunt Liu, I'm a bit nervous, next time I'll definitely pay attention."

  "Haha, that's right! Do you have anything else?"

  "That's all for now, Aunt Liu, you go ahead and take care of your business, we'll be in touch again tomorrow."

  "Alright, see you later."

  "Goodbye..."

  Liu Lao put down the documents in his hand and asked: "Who is it? Is it Xiao Chu?"

  "Yes, it's him. He said he has something important tomorrow and wants you to help him make a decision." Liu Qiu replied after putting down the phone.

  "Haha, this little guy is quite interesting. Speak of the devil, and the devil appears." Old Liu said with a smile, pointing to the documents in his hand.

  Liu Qinxu also smiled and said: "Hehe, this shows that he has a fate with our family. Dad, you've seen Xiao Chu's information, what do you think of him?"

  "Well, the young man is still quite good, with a decent personality, hardworking and lucky, and not afraid of trouble."

  Liu Qingshu smiled and said, "He's just lucky, Dad, you didn't see what was written above? It's only been a few days and he's already become a multimillionaire by betting on stones!"

  Liu Lao waved his hand: "What's the big deal? I spent 50 cents back then and even found a national treasure in the trash!"

  Liu Qingshu saw Liu Lao's self-satisfied expression and covered her mouth, laughing: "Dad, it's your good luck that this is not enough? However, Xiao Chu only has a junior high school education, isn't this educational background too low?"

  Liu Lao said carelessly, "I'm telling you, daughter, this educational background can indeed prove some things, but we can't generalize, and look at Xiao Chu's living environment, can he afford to go to university? And do you think Xiao Chu's knowledge is low? In my opinion, education doesn't matter, the key is whether he has a sense of enlightenment and is hardworking enough."

  Liu Qingshu nodded in agreement: "Dad, so you're saying that you've decided to take Little Chu as your apprentice?"

  Liu Lao thought for a moment and then said, "He got so much money that easily, I want to see if he will be blinded by wealth. Let's wait and see his performance after some time before making a decision."

  Liu Qinsu nodded in agreement, but suddenly she thought of something and asked with a hint of curiosity: "Dad, don't you think Xiao Chu's background is a bit too coincidental?"

  Liu Lao thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "Now that you mention it, it's possible. Old Zhao didn't say anything about him back then when he was still in the south, out of reach. But as for Old Chu, I just can't stand him, he's too rigid. At the time, he only cared about the impact of the struggle, otherwise, even though his family was going through a tough time, if he had put in some effort, his second son's only child would not have gone missing."

  Liu Qinqu didn't dare say more, so she said: "Should we go and talk to Old Chu about this?"

  Liu Lao waved his hand and said, "Let's not worry about this for now. Maybe we're guessing wrong. You also saw that Old Zhao's son and the girl adopted by Chu Jia lao er are both acquainted with Xiao Chu. If things really are like that, they'll definitely have a reaction. I don't want to go and curry favor with Old Chu."

  Liu Qingshu knew that her father and Old Man Chu didn't get along, so she thought about it for a moment and then let it go.

  "And you instruct them to severely punish the human trafficker that Xiao Chu and the others encountered. What kind of situation is this! In broad daylight, they dare to rob with such brazenness, their audacity is too great! This is unbearable! Moreover, not only must we severely punish, but also thoroughly investigate, and not just eliminate his accomplices, those derelict officials must also be dealt with together!"

  Liu Qingshu saw Liu Lao's furious appearance and hastily advised: "Dad, I'll notify big brother right away to handle this matter. But you shouldn't get angry either, it's not worth getting sick over that kind of person!"

  The next day, Chu Chen still came to Liu's house as usual. However, the weather was not very good today, with light rain falling from the sky, so Liu Qinshu led him to Liu Lao's study.

  Liu Lao poured him a cup of tea, which made Chu Chen feel somewhat honored and surprised.

  "Liu Lao, how can I be so presumptuous, and still ask you to help me pour tea!"

  Liu Lao laughed and said: "What's the big deal? It's only natural for a host to pour tea for his guests. Come, try my tea and see how it is?"