Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

Zhou Rui spoke in a casual tone, but those four simple words exploded like a bomb in Zhao Jianjun's mind.

"Musk! Top quality?!"

Zhao Jianjun's voice was loud, and his shock at this moment was genuine. He knew what the finest musk meant.

Because he knew what this meant, he immediately lost his composure.

Zhou Ming, who was reading a comic book, looked up at Zhao Jianjun, then looked down and continued reading.

It's like saying, "It's just a musk, why are you getting so worked up?"

Zhao Jianjun realized he had lost his composure. He forced himself to suppress his inner impulse and kept adjusting his breathing.

After a while, he stared intently at Zhou Rui with shining eyes, as if he wanted to devour the latter.

"Nephew, are you sure you have musk? A complete set? And of top quality?"

"Is it fresh musk or dried finished product? Did you preserve it properly? You can't just cut it open to extract the fragrance, or you'll ruin it."

Zhao Jianjun lowered his voice, and the questions poured out like beans.

This is not his fault; it's mainly because musk is extremely precious, a treasure sought after by countless people.

Its value is immeasurable; the price varies from place to place, and even different buyers may offer different prices.

Firstly, because this thing is indeed rare, and secondly, because...

Zhou Rui had anticipated this; even the well-informed Zhao Jianjun was amazed by the quality of musk.

He nodded and confirmed:

"That's right, it's fresh, top-quality musk, and the sachet is still inside."

Zhao Jianjun gasped, his fingers rubbing together and his hands moving back and forth.

The person had already stood up and was pacing back and forth in the center of the room.

Zhou Rui got up, poured three glasses of water, and picked up a glass to drink.

After a while, Zhao Jianjun stopped and looked at Zhou Shiwei and Zhou Rui solemnly, saying:

"I can eat this. Don't worry about the price; it will definitely satisfy everyone. Thank you for trusting me."

Zhao Jianjun is very shrewd. He acts as a middleman for these things not only for the middleman's fees, but also for an important reason.

As for connections, if he keeps sharing good things, his network will only continue to expand.

This is something that cannot be compared to money.

Who wouldn't want to maintain a good relationship with a friend who occasionally produces exceptional items and from whom they can profit?

That's the value, the value Zhao Jianjun has gained from his time outside.

Zhou Rui nodded and said with a smile:

"Thank you, Uncle Zhao. To be honest, you're the only person we can think of who can help us right now."

Zhou Rui spoke frankly; he wasn't afraid that Zhao Jianjun would raise prices or engage in any exclusive deals.

Some profit-driven people, when faced with this situation, will adopt the attitude that if you don't sell through me, it will be difficult for you to sell; if you do sell through me, I will charge you a higher commission.

Some unscrupulous people might even report others if they don't get what they want; those are the most disgusting people.

However, Zhou Rui knew that Zhao Jianjun was not that kind of person, and he trusted him.

Seeing this, Zhao Jianjun replied very modestly:

"You're giving me the honor and thinking highly of me. Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. I can't wait to see the stuff with my own eyes."

"After all, I've only seen this thing once in my entire life, how could I have ever had the chance to hold it in my hands and look at it?"

Zhou Rui stopped hiding it and got up to retrieve the musk sachet that he had already placed properly.

Soon, Zhou Rui returned to the house with a small object in his hand.

The musk sac wasn't very dry, but the surface moisture had disappeared, and the musk itself was turning into a dry state.

Because Zhou Rui preserved it very carefully.

Musk should not be exposed to direct sunlight; that is an extremely foolish practice. The best way to dry it is by air drying it naturally.

As soon as the item was placed near the table, a strange smell slowly entered my nostrils. Because it had dried slightly, the original animal smell had largely disappeared.

Zhao Jianjun had been impatient for a long time. Smelling the strange fragrance, he couldn't help but exclaim:

"It really is top-grade musk. I had only heard of it before, but now I see that it is indeed true."

Zhao Jianjun looked over and saw a slightly small, shrunken object in Zhou Rui's hand.

Zhou Rui didn't hold back and generously handed the musk sachet to Zhao Jianjun.

The latter carefully accepted it, and the strange smell became even stronger, followed by the tactile sensation in his hand.

Running your fingers over the dense short hairs, you feel a cool sensation on the inner layer, like touching a wrinkled piece of skin. If you gently pinch it, you can almost feel something inside.

The musk sac is dark brown, covered with short, grayish-brown hairs, and weighs approximately one hundred grams, or about two ounces.

Zhao Jianjun was now holding it with both hands, as it was something that could withstand the utmost care.

After watching for a while, Zhao Jianjun nodded and said in a deep voice:

"It is indeed top-quality musk. I estimate that there are at least 20 to 30 grams of fresh musk after removing the outer musk sac."

"Brother Zhou, nephew, you are truly blessed... I've lived for over thirty years and this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this."

"Aren't you afraid I'll run away with this?"

Zhao Jianjun's emotions had gradually stabilized, and he couldn't help but crack a joke.

Zhou Shiwei and his companion both laughed heartily; they knew, of course, that Zhao Jianjun was joking.

Then, Zhao Jianjun swallowed hard, licked his dry lips, and considered the price quote. He still gave his usual conservative estimate.

Hearing Zhao Jianjun's next offer, the price was beyond Zhou Shiwei and his companion's expectations.

"This top-grade musk, once dried, is worth at least one hundred yuan per gram! This is a conservative estimate; if you find a suitable buyer, it could fetch another ten or twenty yuan."

"The main reason is that this item is so rare, and its quality is so good. This price may not be the final transaction price, because I have never handled this item myself, I have only seen my friends trade it."

"Therefore, the final price cannot be predicted, and we don't even know how much musk is in this sachet."

"Besides, that price was from two years ago. Now, the bottom price might be around 110 or 120 yuan."

Zhao Jianjun spoke very carefully; he could only give a rough estimate because there are too many factors that affect this product.

However, even if the final transaction price is low, it won't be too low, after all, the rarity of the item is a given, it's not like cabbage.

This price exceeded Zhou Rui's expectations; he had originally estimated it to be around 80 or 90 yuan per gram of dried musk.

Zhao Jianjun is now quoting at least 100, which is already a very high price.

At the same time, Zhou Rui keenly noticed that the upward trend in prices had become increasingly apparent.

Zhao Jianjun's last sentence clearly carried another meaning, though it's unclear whether he said it intentionally or if he himself wasn't quite sure.