"Qian Long, you're surprisingly eager. The shop hasn't even opened yet, and you're already here," Li Yang greeted him with a smile.
"Of course. It's my first day as your apprentice. If I were late, wouldn't that show a lack of respect for the rules?"
Qian Long explained, then walked up to Li Yang and proactively massaged his shoulders, chuckling, "Master, how about I take you to the stone gambling market first, to show my sincerity, and then you can teach me appraisal and medical skills?"
"Are you trying to bribe me in advance? You're quite clever!" Li Yang observed his intelligence and noted that with some existing appraisal knowledge, learning would be no trouble.
"Not at all, Master. Didn't I tell you yesterday that I wanted to gift you the stone gambling market as a token of my sincerity in becoming your disciple? I always keep my word. Master, this is all out of good intention, you can't refuse."
Qian Long managed to please Li Yang, which would make him more enthusiastic about imparting his skills.
After some thought, Li Yang nodded, "Given how well you're presenting yourself, I'll agree. I happen to be going to the antique market to restock today. You can come with me, but watch more and speak less."
"Alright, Master, it's settled then."
Qian Long eagerly agreed. After attending to Li Yang in the office and seeing him finish his shop matters, he took him out, heading first to the stone gambling market.
The stone gambling market Qian Long gifted to Li Yang was named Jin San Stone Gambling Market, named after one of Qian Long's subordinates. The shop's manager was also called Jin San.
Li Yang wasn't very familiar with this stone gambling market. Perhaps Sister Shui would know more about it.
The scale of this stone gambling market was not small, comparable to Fortune Stone Gambling Market. Moreover, the shop's business was good. It wasn't even the peak time, yet customers were already coming in one after another.
As soon as Qian Long entered the shop, all the employees recognized him and bowed in unison, "Greetings, Young Master Qian. Welcome, Young Master Qian."
"Alright, I don't like these superficial formalities. Go and call Jin San here. I have something to announce!" Qian Long waved his hand and said sternly.
Soon, a shop assistant rushed to Jin San's office and called him down.
Jin San was burly, adorned with many jade thumb rings and jewelry, exuding an air of prosperity.
"Heh heh, Young Master Qian, you're here. What are your orders!" Jin San approached with a smile upon seeing Qian Long.
"Jin San, let me introduce you. From today onwards, the major boss of this stone gambling shop is Mr. Li Yang. He is also my master. From now on, you will report to my master for any matters," Qian Long said seriously.
"What? Young Master Qian, you've given the shop to this boss?"
Jin San was stunned. He looked Li Yang up and down with disdain and said with a smile, "Young Master Qian, you're not joking, are you? This kid looks so young, how could he possibly be your master?"
"Are you questioning my judgment? I warn you, if you dare to say another bad word about my master, you're fired immediately!" Qian Long's brows furrowed, and a glint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.
"Yes, yes, I understand. I certainly won't dare to."
Jin San's face turned pale with fright. He quickly wiped the smile off his face and replied respectfully.
"Also, later you will bring the shop's profit reports and regular work updates for my master to review, so my master can get a basic understanding of the shop. From now on, you must manage the shop as you did before, and there must be no errors in your work."
"Otherwise, you're fired immediately!" Qian Long commanded again.
"Yes, Young Master Qian, I understand. I will strictly follow your instructions."
Jin San nodded obediently.
Subsequently, Qian Long asked Jin San to prepare the documents and have someone make tea for Li Yang, while he personally guided Li Yang around the shop and visited the warehouse to let Li Yang understand the shop's strength.
As Li Yang followed along, his expression seemed a bit off.
When he passed by a rough stone, he suddenly stopped, turned back, and said, "Qian Long, where did you source these rough stones from? Does the Qian family also engage in fraudulent business practices?"
"Fraudulent practices? How is that possible, Master? Our goods are all mined from legitimate rough stone mines. Moreover, our Qian family has private rough stone mines outside of Myanmar. We handle the entire process ourselves, so there can't be any issues," Qian Long explained.
"Then someone is playing tricks. At least two-thirds of the stones I passed by just now are problematic; they've been tampered with," Li Yang stated directly.
"What?"
Hearing this, Qian Long's face changed drastically!
He received a work report from the shop every month, and he also reviewed the monthly statements clearly. There shouldn't be any problems. Could someone have secretly replaced the shop's inventory?
Such embezzlement was strictly forbidden by the Qian family!
"Master, are you sure these stones are problematic? All the rough stones here are very valuable. If there are issues, it involves tens of millions of funds," Qian Long asked Li Yang again.
"There are definitely problems. Take these few stones and cut them open now. They are all ordinary gravel, not jade rough stones," Li Yang said with great certainty.
Upon hearing this, Qian Long dared not ignore the matter. He immediately called the shop manager and asked him to send someone to cut open these stones.
The manager was still a bit confused and scratched the back of his head, asking, "Young Master Qian, each of these stones costs over a million yuan. Do you really want to cut them?"
"Didn't you hear me? I told you to cut them," Qian Long said sternly.
"Yes, Young Master Qian, I'll send someone to cut the stones right away."
The manager dared not disobey and nodded in agreement, then sent people to carry the stones to the cutting area.
The stone cutter started the cutting machine, which whirred loudly, and the stone was quickly cut in half.
Seeing the stone cut open, Qian Long immediately went to check the situation. He picked up a half-cut stone and examined it closely, only to find that the sand-like material inside was indeed different from the rough stones he usually saw.
In that moment, Qian Long was dumbfounded!
Anger flashed across his face, and he clenched his fists into fists, baring his teeth fiercely, "Who dares to tamper with my shop like this."
"The exteriors of these stones are almost identical to the rough stones. And if one doesn't observe the internal structure carefully after cutting, most people wouldn't realize these aren't rough stones."
"If I'm not mistaken, this situation has been going on for a long time, but no one has discovered it," Li Yang stepped forward, looking at the stones on the ground and analyzing them carefully.
He noticed that even the stone cutter hadn't realized the stones were not rough, which meant ordinary customers would be even less likely to notice.
Usually, when customers found no jade inside, they would simply discard the stone, never suspecting it was fake.
"Call Jin San here!"
Qian Long came back to his senses and angrily shouted to a shop assistant.