Chapter 011
The shop was called “Fortune Comes Jewelry Store.” As soon as Lu Mingzhu and Lu Ping’an stepped inside, a sales clerk immediately approached to greet them.
A young man with a delicate and pleasing appearance.
“Miss, may I help you find something?” The words were in fluent English, yet the tone was sweet.
“I’ll just look around for now.” Lu Mingzhu’s gaze swiftly swept across the shop’s interior. She noted glass display counters along three walls; only behind the eastern counter sat an elderly man with a snow-white beard and black-rimmed glasses. A sign on his counter read: “Gold, Diamonds, and Gemstones Purchased.”
The front and western counters displayed an array of gold and silver jewelry, while the eastern counter held various gemstones and a few scattered diamond rings.
Against the black velvet backing, the diamond rings sparkled brilliantly, and the gemstones glowed with vivid brilliance.
The diamonds were tiny; by eye, the largest didn’t exceed one carat.
Lu Mingzhu approached. “Old sir, do you buy diamonds here?”
Hearing this, the old man looked up with a smile. “Yes, indeed. In our shop, we offer very fair prices. Do you have diamonds to sell, young lady? Why not let me see them? I can give you an estimate first.”
He spoke in flawless Shanghainese.
Neither overly warm nor particularly cold; her demeanor was perfectly calibrated.
Lu Mingzhu felt quite at ease. Ostensibly taking a roughly two-carat oil diamond she had found in her father’s study from her handbag—but actually retrieving it from her spatial storage—she placed it on the counter. “Please tell me how much this diamond is worth first.”
“Oh, an oil diamond! A fine piece indeed.” The old man took out a magnifying glass to examine it carefully.
He appeared very experienced.
After a long while, the old man looked up and said, “3,500 Hong Kong dollars.”
Lu Mingzhu let out a surprised “Eh?” “3,500?”
The old man hurriedly explained, “Miss, please don’t think the offer is too low. Just the day before yesterday, our store sold a two-carat diamond ring through a jewelry broker for only 3,800 yuan. However, that diamond’s clarity wasn’t as good as yours, which is why its price was marked down. Moreover, in our buyback business, we must earn a small service fee. Therefore, the highest price we can offer you is 3,500 yuan.”
“Ping’an, do you think this is reasonable?” Lu Mingzhu turned her head to ask her nephew.
Lu Ping’an nodded. “It seems fair enough.”
“Since you put it that way, let’s sell them.” After all, they were obtained for free; Lu Mingzhu decided without hesitation, while simultaneously tallying the remaining diamonds in her possession and resolving to sell them all another day.
The proceeds from the sale would be used to purchase property.
Hehehe!
Seventy or eighty years later, the appreciation potential of real estate far surpasses that of diamonds.
A two-carat diamond ring can be purchased for tens or even over a hundred thousand yuan, yet in Hong Kong, that same amount wouldn’t buy you even one square meter of property.
Upon receiving Lu Mingzhu’s consent, the elderly man moved swiftly, pulling a stack of Hong Kong dollars from the drawer beneath the counter. He counted out 3,500 yuan and handed it to her, then carefully placed the fiery oil diamond into a small black velvet pouch.
“If you happen to have more diamonds, Miss, we would be delighted to welcome you back to our shop,” he said.
Lu Mingzhu replied with a smile, “Certainly, certainly.”
That said, after turning left and walking about a hundred meters, she led Lu Ping’an into another gold shop to inquire about diamond buyback prices; a sign advertising diamond purchases hung by the entrance as well.
The storefront was larger, and the interior more spacious and bright.
Inside, several foreign customers were marveling repeatedly at an exquisite gold filigree bracelet shaped like shrimp whiskers that they held in their hands.
However, they appraised the four-carat diamond ladies’ ring that Lu Mingzhu had retrieved from her father’s coat pocket at only 5,000 Hong Kong dollars.
Lu Mingzhu took back the diamond ring and turned to leave.
No sincerity.
A two-carat diamond costs 3,500 yuan; a four-carat diamond ring would surely cost double that, if not even more.
The man inspecting the diamond was an overweight middle-aged fellow with narrow, squinting eyes and a face glistening with oil. Seeing her about to depart, he hurriedly stepped forward to block her path, saying, “Miss, if you feel the price isn’t right, we can negotiate further! I’ll add more—5,500 yuan, 5,500 yuan!”
“We are not selling,” Lu Mingzhu said.
Lu Ping’an lifted his eyes to look at the middle-aged man, his gaze indifferent. “Diamonds of this quality were purchased with gold bars; one carat was equivalent to over ten taels of gold. Internationally, they are as good as gold itself—hard currency.”
“Exactly!” Lu Mingzhu recalled an elderly lady she had known before her transmigration.
That old lady was also from Shanghai. In her youth, she had a deep passion for diamonds and had collected many of them. Later, during the turmoil of war, she led her entire family to Hong Kong. Gold and silver were too heavy to carry in large quantities, and most of their other belongings were destroyed in the flames of conflict. Only the diamonds, being light and portable, survived. Upon arriving in Hong Kong, it was the money obtained from selling those diamonds that enabled her family to rise again.
The middle-aged man said dissatisfiedly, “We’re buying these back; how could we pay the original price? Besides, we offer much more than the pawnshop.”
Lu Mingzhu held back her nephew, who was about to argue his case. “If the deal doesn’t work out, we simply won’t sell. It’s that straightforward.”
There was nothing worth arguing over.
Stepping outside, they continued walking forward.
There were several jewelry shops along this street; they could just ask each one!
Lu Mingzhu exchanged her original two-carat diamond ring for a four-carat one, inquiring at several shops; in the end, none offered a better price than the first store, Fuyunlai Jewelry, though the gold rates were quite similar across all.
When she presented a large gold bar for appraisal, each shop quoted around 1,700 yuan, with the final price depending on its purity.
She sold this large gold bar at the jewelry store offering the highest bid, receiving 1,780 yuan.
Having gauged the market conditions, she no longer entered any more shops.
“Strange, why does every relatively large jewelry store have a diamond buyback service? Do they use the reclaimed diamonds to craft new jewelry for resale?” Lu Mingzhu wondered aloud, seeking answers from Lu Ping’an as they walked.
After all, in the society she came from, diamond buyback prices were notoriously low!
Many people said that buying gold was better than buying diamonds, since gold could be liquidated at any time.
Of course, large diamonds were a different matter; their prices rose year after year, placing them beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Lu Ping’an indeed knew the reason and explained carefully, “It’s quite simple: jewelry stores don’t have channels to purchase diamonds. It is said that the global diamond trade has been monopolized by De Beers. Fearing diamonds would become too common, they systematically issue diamond trading licenses to jewelers worldwide in extremely limited numbers. Only with such a license can one purchase diamonds from this company. I’m not sure whether Hong Kong has any licensed dealers, but ordinary jewelers certainly cannot obtain them. When Grandmother was alive, she bought diamonds exclusively through Jewish merchants; local Shanghai businessmen had no access to this trade.”
“Ping’an, you know so much!” Lu Mingzhu gave him an appreciative glance.
Lu Ping’an scratched his head and smiled shyly.
On their way back to the company, passing by the Fuyunlai Jewelry Store, they bumped right into Zhao Sinan, who was just coming out from inside.
“Miss Lu!” he greeted Lu Mingzhu warmly.
Lu Mingzhu looked surprised: “Mr. Zhao, are you here to buy jewelry?”
“Certainly not.” After denying it, Zhao Sinan continued, “Didn’t I mention that I work as a middleman in jewelry transactions? Fuyunlai received a two-carat fire-oil diamond today and called me over to inspect it and find them a buyer.”
Lu Mingzhu was utterly speechless.
It hasn’t even been an hour since she sold that diamond, and they’re already looking for a buyer.
A slight stir rippled through her heart as she asked, “What price are they offering?”
“They want 5,000 yuan,” Zhao Sinan replied, mentioning only Fuyunlai’s offer without revealing his own selling price.
He’d make a quick profit of 1,500 yuan just by reselling it!
Lu Mingzhu felt a twinge of pain at the thought of parting with her flesh and blood.
Zhao Sinan, unaware that the diamond had been sold by Lu Mingzhu herself, quickened his pace to keep up with her and Lu Ping’an. “Miss Lu, whether you wish to sell or purchase jewelry, jade, or diamonds, please feel free to contact me. Before settling in Hong Kong, I worked as a comprador for a foreign trading firm in Shanghai, and now I serve as a broker. I guarantee that all goods passing through my hands are genuine and free from deception.”
Having grown up in Shanghai, Lu Mingzhu was familiar with the role of a comprador in foreign trading firms; their livelihood depended on earning the difference between what they paid to suppliers and what they charged buyers.
She casually replied to Zhao Sinan, “I’ll reach out when I need your services.”
“Very well, I’m always at your disposal.” Zhao Sinan knew such deals couldn’t be rushed, but eager to secure Lu Mingzhu as a client, he struck up a conversation: “Miss Lu, out
shopping today—didn’t you buy anything?”
Lu Mingzhu smiled gently in response: “We’re just browsing.”
“In that case, I won’t keep you any longer.” Zhao Sinan tactfully took his leave.
Lu Mingzhu’s feet were aching from walking, so she hailed two rickshaws to take herself and Lu Ping’an to Guanghui Real Estate Company, where they would wait for Wang Bohui to finish work.
The fare was six cents per person, totaling just twelve cents altogether.
Wang Bohui was quite busy today; besides his duties at the shipping company, he suddenly received a call in the afternoon from a business partner inviting him to dinner. He told Lu Mingzhu and Lu Ping’an, “I’ll be dining out tonight. I’ll have my driver take you home first.”
“Actually, we could take a rickshaw,” Lu Mingzhu replied.
The company was not far from the Wang family mansion.
Wang Bohui shook his head. “It’s not safe; you’d better take a car.”
“Alright then.” Lu Mingzhu appreciated his thoughtfulness.
Upon arriving home by car, Lu Mingzhu found Mrs. Wang and her daughter-in-law, Liao Wanru, engaged in a game of mahjong. Seated with them were two middle-aged ladies she had never seen before, dressed in exquisite qipaos and adorned with opulent accessories.
Under the lights, their diamond rings sparkled brilliantly.
Actually, there was no need to turn on the lights during the day; it was only four o’clock, and daylight still filled the sky. Yet for some reason, the expensive crystal chandelier hanging above the mahjong table remained switched on.
Seeing Lu Mingzhu enter, Liao Wanru quickly said, “Mingzhu, go wash your face and come relieve me.”
The two society ladies both turned their gaze toward Lu Mingzhu. “Who is this?”
“My goddaughter.” It was Mrs. Wang who replied, her smile gentle. “Her name is Lu Mingzhu; she just arrived from Shanghai. Mrs. Liu, Mrs. Zhao, don’t give her a hard time when we play mahjong later.”
Mrs. Zhao exclaimed, “So this is Miss Mingzhu, Shanghai’s foremost beauty! I’ve long heard of your fame.”
Yet she doesn’t quite seem like it!
Beautiful, yes, but not to the point of toppling kingdoms and cities.
After Lu Mingzhu greeted them, washed her face, changed her clothes, and came back downstairs, Mrs. Zhao couldn’t help but click her tongue in admiration: “Truly worthy of being called the foremost beauty; indeed, her elegance is unparalleled, her radiance matchless.”
“You flatter me; I am but a humble willow, hardly the foremost beauty!” Lu Mingzhu took Liao Wanru’s seat.
“On the contrary, you are being too modest. If you are a humble willow, then what are we? Withered old cabbage stalks?” Mrs. Zhao covered her mouth with a laugh, deliberately displaying the diamond ring on her short, thick finger.
The diamond ring adorned her left ring finger, while a ruby ring graced her middle finger.
The gemstone was as large as a fingernail, vividly red.
Mrs. Liu, who was rather slender, smiled and said, “Mrs. Zhao, that’s a very large diamond of yours. How many carats is it?”
Mrs. Zhao immediately replied, “Five carats, a top-grade diamond.”
Her tone carried more than a hint of showmanship.
Mrs. Liu then said, “Bigger ones certainly look better. Just the other day at a banquet, the second wife of the Chen family from the textile mill flaunted the diamond ring Mr. Chen had given her right in front of me, making the diamond on my own ring appear so small and dull it nearly drove me mad with anger.”
Mrs. Wang laughed heartily, “Just ask Mrs. Zhao to pass a message to Mr. Zhao; getting you a larger one should be simple enough.”
Mrs. Zhao quickly seized the opportunity. “Yes, Mrs. Liu, my Sinan has connections; all his goods are genuine. I’ll ask him to find two for you. How many carats would you like?”
Only then did Lu Mingzhu understand.
It turned out that this Mrs. Zhao was actually the wife of Zhao Sinan; what a coincidence.