Chapter 145

"What?" Su Wan's eyes widened in shock as her trembling finger pointed at the unremarkable jade pendant in the display case. "Eight million for this?"

The saleswoman maintained her professional smile and nodded gently. "Yes, madam. This is our store's most prized possession, crafted from the finest Hetian jade."

"Eight million..." Su Wan repeated the number under her breath, feeling as if the air had been knocked out of her. Her fingers instinctively brushed against her nearly empty wallet—she didn’t even have eight thousand to spare.

Beside her, her best friend Lin Xiaoyu gasped. "Good heavens, that costs more than my house!"

Unfazed, the saleswoman explained, "This pendant was once a royal treasure from the Ming Dynasty. The phoenix engraving was done by a master artisan, making it an invaluable collector's item."

Su Wan twisted her fingers nervously. She had only wanted to buy a decent birthday gift for her grandmother. Who knew that stepping into this quaint little jade shop would lead her to such an exorbitant treasure?

"Maybe... we should look at something else?" Lin Xiaoyu whispered, tugging at Su Wan’s sleeve.

Just then, the shop door swung open, and a sharply dressed man strode in. His piercing gaze swept across the store before settling on the pendant.

"That’s the one," his deep voice cut through the air like ice.

The saleswoman immediately straightened, her demeanor turning deferential. "Mr. Gu, we’ve been expecting you."

Su Wan and Lin Xiaoyu exchanged bewildered glances. This man didn’t even ask the price—he was ready to buy the pendant outright?

But what truly stunned Su Wan was when the man turned, revealing a face with sharp, striking features—it was Gu Chen, her high school sweetheart!

Five years had passed since she’d last seen him. How had he ended up here? And since when had he become... so wealthy?

Gu Chen’s gaze faltered for a fraction of a second when it landed on Su Wan, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. But just as quickly, his expression turned cold again as he ordered the saleswoman, "Wrap it up."

Su Wan’s heart clenched. Suddenly, she remembered her grandmother’s words—their family had once owned a precious heirloom jade pendant, lost during turbulent times. Its description matched this one perfectly...

"Wait!" The word burst from her lips before she could stop herself.

Night had fallen. Michael Stone tucked the blankets around his two sons with gentle hands before blowing out the kerosene lamp. As the dim glow faded, only the steady rhythm of breathing remained in the room.

Back in their own quarters, Emily sat by the bed, combing her long, raven-black hair that shimmered softly in the candlelight. Michael pulled a cloth bundle from his coat and carefully placed it on the bedside table.

"Sweetheart, I found two fifty-year-old wild ginseng roots in the mountains yesterday," he whispered. "They're worth a fortune on the black market—hard to come by. Since Charles and the others went with me, I figured we should split the profit."

Emily paused mid-stroke. She knew she hadn’t joined the hunting trip or helped forage, so she had no claim to the money. The earnings from selling the watch in town today were her own private stash.

"I don’t mind," she said simply, resuming her combing.

Michael gave her a surprised glance, expecting more discussion. But then again, his wife had always been reasonable.

"Alright, let’s get some rest."

Early the next morning, Charles Clark and the others barged in, full of energy. Daniel River had just slurped down the last of his porridge, chopsticks still in hand, when he blurted out, "Third Brother, how much did we get?"

Michael shot him a glare, and Daniel immediately shrank back.

"Pathetic," Michael muttered. "But I did hear something interesting."

"What?" Charles perked up.

Daniel lowered his voice dramatically. "Margaret Lee jumped into the river."

The room fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Michael frowned. Between the mountain trip and the town errands, he’d only just caught his breath last night. Samuel Bright was even more exhausted—he’d slept till noon yesterday.

Charles’ bowl clattered onto the table. He’d gotten home late the night before last and slept until afternoon, so his family hadn’t mentioned a thing.

"N-no way..." Charles paled.

Samuel quickly intervened, "If something really happened, Old Man Lee would’ve come knocking by now."

Michael glared at Daniel. "No stew for you tonight."

"Third Brother, I’m sorry!" Daniel wailed, rushing to shut the door. When he turned back, his eyes nearly popped out—a stack of cash lay spread across the table.

"That much?" the three gasped in unison.

Michael counted the money leisurely. "The game brought in eighty. As for the two fifty-year-old ginseng roots..." He paused. "One sold for five hundred."

"Five hundred?!" Their collective inhale was sharp.

Samuel suddenly straightened. "Third Brother, if it weren’t for Sister-in-law’s drawings, we wouldn’t have recognized the ginseng. She deserves a share."

Daniel nodded vigorously. "Exactly! Without her guidance, we’d have trampled right over them like weeds."