1990, Reborn as a Beachcomber, From Rascal to Brilliant Guy

"Dragon pearls, which are the pearls produced by coconut snails, are regarded by the royal family of the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam as auspicious symbols of dragons spitting pearls and fireballs because of the orange-red flame patterns on their bodies. They were designated as a secret treasure of the emperor."

Later, Bao Dai, the last emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, sold off these conch shells one by one while in exile in France. After the European jewelry industry took over, they continued to use the name "dragon pearl".

Uncle Qiming, I don't know if I'm right?

Lin Shuisheng stood in front of the counter and, based on some information he had jot down in his spare time in his previous life, spoke eloquently to Lin Qiming, leaving the man speechless.

"Your great-uncle told you all this, didn't he?"

Lin Qiming carefully examined Lin Shuisheng, and his expression gradually softened. He began to believe Lin Shuisheng, thinking that he had indeed come here because of his uncle's introduction from Hong Kong.

"Do you want to do this business?"

Seeing that Lin Qiming had misunderstood, Lin Shuisheng didn't bother to explain and directly steered the conversation back on track.

"Come with me!"

Lin Qiming hesitated for a moment, then stood up, opened the counter partition, and led Lin Shuisheng into a small tea room behind the counter.

This is where he entertains regular customers and collects illicit goods. The walls are specially soundproofed so that even if there are customers outside, no one can hear him.

After sitting down, he didn't rush to have Lin Shuisheng take out the goods to look at. Instead, he used the charcoal stove to boil tea.

Once the tea was ready, he slowly and methodically washed the teaware and brewed the Gongfu tea.

After a while, accompanied by the aroma of tea, he put down the teapot, looked up at Lin Shuisheng, who had been sitting calmly and composedly opposite him, and gestured for him to enter with admiration in his eyes.

"Try it, this is a Milan Dancong that I specially asked someone to get for me."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shuisheng didn't say anything. He simply reached out, picked up the teacup, smelled it, and then took a small sip to savor it.

Only after finishing the cup of tea did he slowly exhale a breath of stale air and put the teacup down.

"Not bad, but slightly inferior to Song tea."

"Do you have Song Dynasty tea?"

Lin Qiming's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward slightly.

"Yes, my wife is from Huayuan Village in Shenlan Town. They grow some here. If you like to drink it, I can bring you a few ounces next time."

Lin Shuisheng nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Haha! Then I won't be polite!"

Lin Qiming smiled happily, picked up the teapot and poured Lin Shuisheng a cup of tea, but his expression slowly turned serious.

"Let's start looking at the goods now!"

"please!"

Lin Shuisheng raised an eyebrow, took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, gently placed it on the tea table and opened it, then gestured to Lin Qiming to invite him to enter.

"This...this must be at least 2 centimeters long!"

When Lin Qiming saw the orange-red dragon ball in the cloth bag, his eyes lit up. He then hurriedly took out gloves, calipers, a steelyard, a flashlight, and other tools from the cabinet next to him and began to measure the diameter, weight, color, and texture of the ball.

He quickly obtained the results, and his expression became somewhat excited.

"This dragon ball has a maximum diameter of 26.26 mm and a minimum diameter of 22.22 mm. It is oval-shaped, weighs 4.8 qian (approximately 16 grams), and has a smooth surface without obvious scratches, dents, or blemishes. Its texture is clear and has a silky luster, and its color is the highest grade of orange-red. It can be described as a rare and precious item."

"How much?"

Upon hearing Lin Shuisheng's question, Lin Qiming's expression stiffened slightly. He gently clenched the Dragon Pearl, coughed a few times, and...

"Ahem, well, as you know, although this dragon ball is in pretty good condition, after I take it, I still need to find a way to get it to Hong Kong and ask someone to find a suitable buyer before I can sell it."

The risks involved here are simply too great.

So all I can give you is...

Here's 10000 yuan.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Shuisheng stretched out his hand and said coldly:

"I'm not selling it anymore!"

"Hey, young man, why are you in such a hurry? Since this is business, there should be room for negotiation. If you think the price is too low, you can name a price!"

Lin Qiming glared at him and pushed Lin Shuisheng's hand back in a somewhat annoyed manner.

"Okay, then it'll be 20 million."

Lin Shuisheng's eyes narrowed, and without any politeness, he immediately increased the amount by 20 times.

In addition, he didn't set this price arbitrarily.

He recalled that in 03, the 100.4-carat Melo pearl was auctioned in Hong Kong and eventually sold for US$270 million, which is approximately US$2.69 per carat.

Now, going back 13 years, even if the price were reduced by 50 times, it would still be $538 per carat.

1 gram equals 5 carats.

His Melo pearl weighs a full 16 grams, or 80 carats, and is worth a total of $43040.

Based on the current exchange rate between the US dollar and the domestic currency, 1:4.7, that is equivalent to 202288 yuan.

"you..."

Lin Qiming was stunned when he heard the amount of 20.

Because this price was only slightly more than double what he had estimated.

In other words, if things go well, he can guarantee that he can sell this Dragon Ball for over $8.

After all, at that time, Hong Kong didn't have much of anything except for a lot of so-called foreign aristocrats.

At that time, he only needs to say that this dragon pearl comes from Bao Dai, the last emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, and he can easily raise the price.

Even so, he couldn't possibly offer Lin Shuisheng 20.

For no other reason than that the profit margin was too low.

Just as he was thinking about how to lower the price, Lin Shuisheng leaned forward slightly, interlaced his fingers, rested his elbows on his knees, and spoke first with a serious expression:

"Uncle Qiming, I know you're moving to Hong Kong soon. According to the relevant regulations, you can't take the money here with you. You can only exchange it privately by paying a high price."

Even if you manage to exchange it, it won't be convenient for you to take it with you.

However, it would be much more convenient if you exchanged your money for this Dragon Ball.

Nowadays, this Dragon Ball is just an ordinary stone in China, and no one cares about it. It is not only safe enough, but also portable.

Moreover, I believe that even if you spend 20 to buy this dragon ball, once it reaches Hong Kong, it can bring you a very substantial profit and allow you to achieve something in the shortest amount of time to show the old man.

Now, do you still think this price is high?

Hearing these words, Lin Qiming's expression changed several times, finally settling on Lin Shuisheng with some surprise.

"Did your great-uncle teach you these words, or did you come up with them yourself?"

"We have them all!"

Lin Shuisheng raised an eyebrow and answered softly.

"Oh!"

Lin Qiming stared at Lin Shuisheng for a while, then suddenly lowered his head and laughed.

"You young man, you really have a knack for business!"

As he spoke, the smile on his face vanished abruptly. He braced himself on the tea table with one hand, raised his head, and looked at Lin Shuisheng expressionlessly.

"What if I don't accept it?"