C10 What To Do Now

Jiang Nan 'went all out' and took a taxi back home ... and; it didn't even bother him in the slightest. After his successful windfall at the Stone Gambling Market; splurging for a taxi was a luxury that he could now afford.

When Jiang Nan entered his rundown flat, and turned on the lights ... as usual ... a band of roaming cockroaches instantly scurried off into the shadows. He walked over to the old, beat-up futon; and, plopped down into it. Then ... out of the blue; and, for no apparent reason ... Jiang Nan burst out into an uproarious laughter; laughing like some sort of fool on the verge of a nervous breakdown. And, he continued doing this for a few minutes; laughing so hard that his stomach started hurting, and tears streamed down his cheeks.

Then, after finally recomposing himself; he shouted out to the scattered pests, "Go ... run ... play ... enjoy yourselves while you still can. Because, first thing tomorrow morning; I'm going to the supermarket, and pick me up a few cans of Roach Bug Spray and half a dozen 'Roach Motels'. And, don't think I won't do it ... I already 'foot the bill' for a taxi ride; so, what's another 20 or 30 yuan spent to get rid of you crawling nuisances. Besides; I got the money, now."

After his 'declaration of war on the roaches' ... Jiang Nan silently sat on the futon, trying to take it all in; because, it still all seemed like a dream to him. A glorious, magnificent dream that he never wanted to wake up from. ... In less than a day; he had seemingly effortlessly earned himself a little under 200,000 yuan, respectively.

Yet, still; the efficiency of the Success rate seemed a bit terrifying to Jiang Nan. This was such a great power; and, he didn't understand why it was bestowed upon him ... or; if he could even handle such a huge responsibility-slash-burden.

Fact was; Jiang Nan had only just begun trying out the Success rate ... and; he hadn't decided yet if it was going to be a blessing, or a curse. However, at that moment; the possibilities seemed limitless for Jiang Nan. He began thinking that once he learned to master the Success rate; he'd more than likely be able to obtain just about anything he wanted. Again .... blessing, or curse?

All in all ... after his performance earlier ... Jiang Nan felt a little proud; and, even praised himself for being so cunning. For years; the Stone Gambling Market had been, in essence, 'robbing' people of their hard earned money ... but, thanks to him using the Success rate; Jiang Nan was able to turn the tables, and 'stole' their money.

Jiang Nan started laughing, again; then, mused in his mind, "How do you like that; Stone Gambling Market? How's it feel to be taken advantage of; and, have a little piece of your precious fortune taken away from you ... huh?"

Shortly ... Jiang Nan forced himself to refrain from laughing; and, warned himself not to be so cocky.

After all; was it really okay to feel so proud for using the Success rate to cheat the Stone Gambling Market by selecting the raw stones with emeralds in them? Was it considered cheating? If it was ... then; didn't he also cheat the convenience store out of all those bottles of Jinmaylang black tea, as well? Jiang Nan wondered if he should be feeling proud of himself ... if he should be happy.

But; he was happy ... he couldn't help but to feel happy.

That was probably the first time in his life that anything worked out in his favor ... and; it was literally the most money he's ever made. Jiang Nan assured himself that he'd be crazy if he wasn't happy, at that moment.

Then, once again; he began laughing.

After a few minutes; he forced himself to stop laughing, and recomposed himself. Jiang Nan told himself it was time to get back to the business at hand.

He retrieved the two raw stones from his backpack, and placed then down on a small, folding card table; then, pulled up a folding chair, and sat down. Jiang Nan stared down at he stones; rubbing his chin with his thumb and index finger, while wondering what to do with them. And, of course; whatever he chose to do shouldn't arouse any suspicion ... or, draw attention to himself; if he could help it.

If he wanted to earn that nearly 200,000 yuan that's currently lying within those raw stones; he would need to extract the emeralds from their rock encasement, and sell them.

Jiang Nan instinctively scratched his head; while thinking to himself, "What to do ... what to do?"

One by one; all sorts of ideas started coming to mind.

"Suppose I were to go back to the Stone Gambling Market; and, asked them to open up my last two stones ... wouldn't that arouse suspicion? I mean, after all; wouldn't they wonder why I didn't have them opened along with the other two stones while I was there before? And, even if they overlooked that ... and, agreed to cut them open for me ... would they be willing to buy them back from me? Especially considering how I stuck it to the purchasing manager ... I really doubt that he'd want to do business with me anymore. And, if he did; I'm sure he'd give me a really hard time while doing it. He probably wouldn't offer me nowhere near the value of the emeralds."

Jiang Nan kept mulling over the situation.

No way; going back to the Stone Gambling Market so soon seemed barely feasible ... hardly the ideal solution. Jiang Nan realized that he needed to give it some time before returning back there ... let things settle down.

Therefore; his only other option was to find another venue to sell the emeralds. A place that was equipped to safely remove the emeralds; and, hopefully be willing to purchase them on the spot, as well. ... And, of course; pay him the fair market value for them.

He went back to scratching his head; and pondered, "Okay then; how would I go about that ... where should I take them?"

Suddenly ... the proverbial 'light bulb lit up over his head ... as Zhu Shishi popped into his mind. Up until two months ago; she was a fellow colleague at the real estate agency ... and; they instantly bonded, and befriended each other during the six months that she worked in the company.

Zhu Shishi was a happy-go-lucky, bubbly young girl who had just graduated from high school; and, took an administrative assistant position in the company as her very first 'real job' ... prior to that; all her other job positions required her to say 'Would you like fries with that?' She was a sweet and charming girl; though admittedly, kind of on the dowdy side ... and; would be considered what one may refer to as a bit of a 'country bumpkin'. These were all characteristics that the 'Tiger Lady' detested; so ... other than Jiang Nan; who received the brunt of the shrew's belittling beratement and torture ... Zhu Shishi also fell victim to Boss's wrath, on an almost constant daily basis.

After about six months under the Tiger's 'iron-fisted reign' ... Zhu Shishi could no longer put up with Tiger's temper and demeaning treatment; so, she quit the job ... taking up her uncle's offer of working for him at his retail jeweler's distribution mart ... and, never looked back. But, not too long ago; Jiang Nan had run into her at the night market ... and; they spent the night hashing over the 'bad old days' at the company, while laughing over it. Since that night; they still keep in touch.

In fact; he saved her new contact details in his smartphone ... making Zhu Shishi only a few finger strokes away from being able to speak with.

Under the circumstances; Jiang Nan believed that for now, his best option would be to call Zhu Shishi, and ask her if she could see if her uncle might be able to help him out with the raw stones. Perhaps, he would be interested in purchasing the emeralds for his business ... or, at the very least; be able to point him in the right direction on where to sell them. Maybe her uncle might even know some possible interested buyers that he could arrange him to meet with.

Jiang Nan become excited again; thinking over the prospect of being able to sell his emeralds. He decided that he didn't want to waste even a single minute; and, immediately pulled out his phone, and called Zhu Shishi.

Within three rings, the other 'end of the line' was picked up; and, a pleasantly sweet, bubbly female voice resounded through the phone's speaker, "Jiang Nan; what's up? What's with the sudden phone call?"

An impish little grin emerged upon Jiang Nan's mouth; as he flirtatiously teased her, "Would you believe me if I said that I missed you ... and; I needed to hear that sweet angelic voice of yours?"

Zhu Shishi slightly blushed; as she tittered, "Hehehe ... really; is that so? ... Wait; don't tell me that you want to pursue me, do you?" Then; it was her turn to tease him back. "I'm flattered; but, I'm afraid I have to reject you. Don't get me wrong; you aren't that bad looking ... but; I don't want to date dirty, old men. Sorry." Jiang Nan just chuckled; while he thought to himself, "'Dirty, old men' ... give me a break; I'm only twenty-three." Then; he continued their banter...

"Aha; I see ... and; I get it ... so; you don't need to make up excuses; because I know the real reason why you're not interested in me. It's because I don't own my own home, nor have a car. Just admit it; that's why." Zhu Shishi briefly tittered again; then, saucily retorted, "No; wrong. Honestly; I swear you must not know a thing about me, Jiang Nan. I'm not that materialistic of a girl. ... You don't have to own your own home ... but; a car would be nice." They both laughed. Then; Zhu Shishi asked...

"Seriously though; why are you calling me, now? I'm still at work; and, if the boss catches me talking on my phone now, he'll probably deduct my entire bonus for the month." Jiang Nan asked, "Hold on; I thought you were working for your uncle's company?" Zhu Shishi replied, "Yeah; I am." Jiang Nan said, "Then; that means that technically, your uncle's your boss ... no?" Zhu Shishi jocosely quipped, "You're right ... that means, not only will he take my bonus away; but, he'll also probably exile me off to the 'kid's table' during our family holiday gatherings." Jiang Nan burst out laughing.

"Alright, alright; I hear you." Jiang Nan informed her, "But, don't worry; I'm actually calling you for a business related matter ... so; you shouldn't get in that much trouble with your uncle."

"A business related matter?" Zhu Shishi asked, "What do you mean ... you work at the real estate company; what business would you have with my uncle? As far as I know; he isn't looking to buy any properties."

Jiang Nan informed her, "Actually, as of yesterday; I no longer work at the real estate agency. I quit." Zhu Shishi exuberantly exclaimed, "Congratulations ... you finally managed to escape from the 'Tiger's claws'! Doesn't your life seem much happier now; and, feel like you can breathe easier? I know I did after leaving that horrible place." Jiang Nan let out a brief chuckle, and grinned; as he concurred, "Yeah; it does."

"Yeah; I figured as much. I knew it; it's that refreshingly sweet taste of freedom. You gotta love it." Then; Zhu Shishi suddenly wondered, "Hold on; wait a minute ... so; when you said that you're calling for a business related matter ... does that mean you're looking for a job; and, you wanted to know if we're hiring? I'm sorry, Jiang Nan; uncle isn't looking to hire any new employees, right now. ... I only got the job because I'm his niece; otherwise, I would have been back to slinging fries after I quit the real estate agency."

Jiang Nan teased, "Nothing wrong with that; it's honest work, after all. And, then; I could've come to you to hook me up with a Happy Meal, or two." Zhu Shishi tittered, "As if ... in your dreams." They briefly laughed together; then, Jiang Nan told her, "No; actually, I was wondering if your uncle deals with emeralds, too ... or; if he might know anyone who does that he could put me in touch with."

"Emeralds?" There was a brief pause over the phone; then, Zhu Shishi inquired, "Since when do you deal in emeralds?" Jiang Nan, quipped, "Since this morning." A baffled Zhu Shishi simply uttered, "Huh?"

Jiang Nan explained, "Anyway ... I have these two raw stones that I purchased from the Stone Gambling Market today; and, I needed to find someplace that could cut them open and remove the emeralds ... and; then put me in contact with a buyer."

Still a bit baffled ... which is part of her ingenuous nature ... Zhu Shishi questioned Jiang Nan. "Wait ... what are you talking about? I don't get it ... didn't you say that you just quit your job yesterday; and, today you went to the Stone Gambling Market to buy raw stones? ... Hey; don't they cut them open there? Why didn't you have them open them up for you? ... And, if you didn't open them, yet; how do you even know if there are any emeralds in them, anyway?"

Jiang Nan aloofly replied. "I just do." Zhu Shishi simply replied, "Okay...?" Jiang Nan asked her again, "So ... do you think your uncle would be able to help me out with this; or, not?

"I'm not sure. I don't see why not, though; I mean, he is in the jewelry industry."

Jiang Nan enthusiastically responded, "That's great ... so; you'll help me out, and ask him about it for me?" She replied, "Sure; why not. Of course; I'll help you out."

Jiang Nan appreciatively told her, "Thanks a lot, Zhu Shishi; you're the best! I appreciate this ... and; I'll owe you one." Zhu Shishi cheerful retorted, "I know I'm the best; but, thanks for saying it, anyway ... it's always nice to hear other people saying it. ... and, you're right; you will owe me. And, just so you know; we're not talking about Happy Meals here, either."

Jiang Nan laughed, "Got it. ... Anyway; I'll be waiting to hear back from you ... so; call me as soon as you find anything out from your uncle, okay?" Zhu Shishi replied, "Yeah, yeah; fine, okay. I'll let you know as soon as I find out anything, Now; can I get back to work, before my uncle sees me on the phone ... otherwise, Ill be in the 'dog house'; and, you'll lose a possible contact. You get me?" Jiang Nan laughs, "Yeah; I get you. Thanks again. Bye." Zhu Shishi laughs, "Bye."