Chapter Eighty: Liu Lao's Recognition (Continued)

  "You say you're too ambitious, then I ask you, how much savings do you have now?" Liu Lao asked with a smile.

  "Almost 15 million." Chu Chen rubbed his forehead and replied.

  "Oh, I didn't expect Little Chu to be a wealthy person after all. Since you have so much money, how can this be considered lofty and distant? Alright, I'll ask about the house for you, but whether it's available or not, this old man doesn't dare guarantee!" Liu said while drinking tea.

  Chu Chen was overjoyed upon hearing the news and repeatedly thanked Liu Lao. He might have been able to buy a villa or a courtyard house in another area through his connections, but it would be difficult for him to purchase one in an upscale neighborhood like this, where only the wealthy and influential lived. Now that Liu Lao was willing to help him out, he had really done him a huge favor.

  Liu Lao waved his hand and said, "Alright, don't thank me yet, whether it succeeds or not is still to be said. Let's continue with what we were discussing earlier."

  Although Liu Lao said so, Chu Chen believed that this kind of thing was still a piece of cake for Liu Lao. Then he smiled and said: "Liu Lao, let me prepare first, I need to wash my hands before looking at this thing."

  Liu nodded in agreement, but Chu Chen's actions also piqued his interest.

  Before long, Chu Chen returned to the house with a basin of water. This time he listened to Wu Shu's previous words and specially took a small basin. However, when he took out the jade cicada and was about to put it in the water, Liu Lao suddenly stood up and shouted:

  "Xiao Chu, wait, let me take a look at what's in your hand first!"

  Chu Chen found Liu Lao's reaction somewhat strange and handed the jade hairpin over to him.

  Liu Lao took the jade cicada and fell into deep thought. After a while, he raised the crimson jade cicada and examined it carefully. Then, he let out a long sigh and said to Liu Qian Shu who was standing beside him: "Qian Shu, go get a glass cup."

  Then, Liu Lao saw that Chu Chen had a somewhat strange expression and smiled as he said: "Little Chu, are you curious why I'm so excited about seeing this jade cicada? If I'm not mistaken, this is a Jade Cicada that has undergone metamorphosis, right?"

  Chu Chen was taken aback upon hearing this, and judging from Liu Lao's reaction, he should be no stranger to the detached jade, so he asked in surprise: "Liu Lao, is this indeed a detached jade cicada? Have you seen a detached jade before?"

  Liu Lao smiled wryly and said: "Of course I've seen it before. In fact, I used to own one myself."

  At this time, Liu Qingshu brought in a glass cup. After Liu Lao took it over, he scooped some water from the basin and said: "Let's talk about my business later, now let's take a look at the magical place of this jade cicada."

  Jade cicada was put into the cup, in an instant, clear water soaked the whole jade cicada, only to see a red streak, immediately gushing out from the jade cicada, making the clear water in the cup instantly turn red.

  Gradually, the water became redder and redder, until the whole cup of clear water turned blood red. At this time, looking at the jade cicada inside, it seemed to be shining brightly, giving people a sense of beauty and magnificence.

  "What's going on!" Liu Qinshu, who was still somewhat perplexed, looked at this scene and immediately showed extreme surprise, involuntarily leaning forward to stare intently.

  At this time, Qian Lao also appeared to be very excited, looking at the scene with sparkling eyes, his bright and piercing eyes became extremely shiny, from time to time shouting "good".

  "It's really amazing! Am I dreaming?"

  Liu Qingshu exclaimed with a shocked expression on her face, "Dad, is this the Detached Jade you mentioned before?"

  "Right, it's Jade in the womb!"

  Liu Lao nodded heavily and then said to Chu Chen: "Little Chu, I used to have a piece of jade cicada too, but the color wasn't as red as yours, and the quality wasn't as good as this one. Are you wondering where my jade cicada is? I'll tell you, it's gone!"

  "What?! How could it be ruined?!" Chu Chen was shocked by Liu Lao's answer, and couldn't help but wonder how something so precious could be destroyed.

  Then, Liu Lao said with some melancholy: "Right, it's ruined! To say, this is all my own problem. That year, I was only in my early twenties, and at that time, my luck was also very good, picking up leaks was a common occurrence for me. Now seeing Xiao Chu's luck, I think of when I was young, feeling really close."

  At this point, Chu Chen and Liu Qinshu both felt a little stunned. No wonder Lao Liu had been particularly fond of himself (Xiao Chu). It turned out that there was such a factor involved.

  "At that time, I also got a small piece of jade by chance. For a while, I was so excited that I couldn't calm down and showed it off everywhere. Just like you, little Chu, every time you let someone see it, you'd pour a basin of water and put the jade in, letting everyone admire it, and when you saw others' astonished expressions, you'd feel pleased with yourself."

  At this point, Liu sighed: "At that time, I didn't think at all that the red color in the jade would not fade away. Once, when there were many people watching, I put the jade into a large vat, and you all know what happened."

  Chu Chen heard this, looked at the jade cicada in his cup with some lingering fear, but then he thought of another question and asked: "Liu Lao, I've heard that one reason why a detached fetus jade forms is because of people's long-term fondling, which allows their blood energy to seep into it. So if you play with your jade for a long time, won't it recover?"

  Liu Lao clapped his hands and said, "The formation of the Jade of Rebirth, although there is no fixed number, but your way of speaking also makes sense. It's just that at first we didn't understand the Jade of Rebirth either, and I was so heartbroken that I accidentally lost it, this matter is my greatest regret in life."

  Liu Qingshu saw Liu Lao's sad look and hastily asked Chu Xuan: "Xiao Chu, do you have any intention of selling this Jade Cicada that has just been born?"

  Chu Chen also understood her feelings, but this request really put him in a difficult position. However, at this time, Liu Lao said somewhat seriously: "Xiao Shu, your request is a bit unreasonable. If you were in my shoes, would you be willing to transfer? If it gets out, won't people say I'm taking advantage of my age?"

  Chu Chen saw this situation and hurriedly said: "Liu Lao, don't be angry either. Liu Yi only said that because she cares about you too much."

  Liu Qinxu also lowered her head and admitted her mistake in a timely manner.

  Liu Lao waved his hand and said, "Alright, Xiao Shu, I understand what you mean. However, one's life can't be perfect in every way. If something is missed, it's missed. This jade cicada of Xiao Chu's is good, but in my heart, it still can't compare to the one I got back then."

  "Liu Lao, you're wrong, aren't you? This piece of jade cicada is not as good as the detached jade you got back then. If I tell others, they won't even believe me!" By the end, Chu Chen's face still deliberately showed an exaggerated expression.

  Liu Lao saw this and laughed scoldingly: "Little Chu, I didn't realize it before, but your flattery is really so blatant."

  Liu Shuqin beside him also burst out laughing at Chu Chen's exaggerated expression.

  Chu Chen smiled for a while and then said: "Liu Lao, this time I came to ask you something, what should we pay attention to when playing with the Jade Plate of Rebirth?"

  "This is indeed the right person to ask. When I first obtained that piece of jade, I consulted many classics and later summarized a set of methods for playing with the jade."

  Next, Liu Lao told Chu Chen the method of playing the Detached Jade Plate one by one, and during this process, he unexpectedly discovered that Chu Chen had a terrifying memory, which made him more satisfied with Chu Chen in his heart. He decided that as long as Chu Chen's character was really not a problem, he would take him on as his apprentice.

  Chu Chen didn't know about these, but he was very satisfied with today's trip. He didn't mention the previous things, and later Liu Lao also tested his knowledge of ceramic appraisal. Moreover, he got Liu Lao's permission to browse some of the ceramic appraisal materials he collected, and these precious materials were not available on the market at all.

  After having lunch at Liu's house and returning home, Chu Chen couldn't help but let out a cheer. Today's gains were not small, to say the least. Without mentioning anything else, just from Liu's attitude towards him, he understood that his goal of becoming Liu's disciple was getting closer and closer, and this alone made him excited.

  Being able to become Liu Lao's disciple not only makes his collection of antiques more smooth, but also because of Liu Lao's identity background, it can make some petty people respect and keep their distance.

  Chu Chen's years of experience in the antique business have not been without witnessing some dark aspects. For example, if someone acquires a rare treasure but lacks the necessary power, it may not necessarily be a blessing for them. Perhaps some powerful people will find out and take it by force.

  Such things, Chu Chen has heard of in the past few years. Moreover, even if it's not a matter of taking by force, it's hard to keep them for himself. So he sometimes worries that his collection is getting bigger and bigger, and if someone else takes notice, with his lack of power and influence, can he really protect these treasures?

  If I could become Liu Lao's disciple, then this kind of problem would be easily solved. Don't look at Liu Lao as just a former high-ranking official in the cultural department, but his connections and influence are not low, and it is said that his two sons' current power is also not low.

  Just as I was thinking about this, the phone in my pocket suddenly rang.

  "Little Chu? Where are you now, busy?"

  "I'm free now and at home, Brother Zhao, is there anything you want me to do? Just give the order."

  "It's nothing big, I have an antique auction this afternoon, so I'll trouble you to come with me and keep an eye out, how about it?"

  "Okay, no problem."

  "So, tell me your home address and I'll come pick you up right away."

  Zhao Qirui arrived quickly. After Chu Chen told him the address, before long, his car had arrived at the foot of Chu Chen's building.