Mountain village beauty: Brother, don't stop!

Chapter 219: Chapter 219: Wu Jianzhong’s Provocation

The people from the Wu Family and the Yi Family smiled knowingly as the banquet began, as if they had won a great victory.

"Good, our Jade Stone Gambling Event is about to start, and now I will introduce the rules of the event to everyone,"

the host read loudly from the stage.

"The jade stones from our Wen Family, Wu Family, and Yi Family are all behind me now, in the custody of specialized personnel. We will conduct stone cutting and valuation on-site, and it will be appraised by the appraisers in front of me."

"These appraisers are all members of the Zao City Jade Appraisal Association, and they are the most experienced. They will appraise the jade stones for our three families."

"The rule of our Jade Stone Gambling Event is that the family with the least valuable jade will be the loser, and the other two families will be the winners. The loser must buy the jade of the other two winners at double the price."

"As for the specific value of the jade, it will also be determined by the appraisers in front of me after consultation."

After introducing the rules, the host turned his focus to the large table in front and asked.

"Do the three families have any objections? If not, then let’s begin!"

After listening, Wang Hao couldn’t help but give a wry smile; that last question was pointless, wasn’t it? In front of the leading figures of Zao City’s jade industry, how could anyone have the nerve to voice dissatisfaction openly? This host was really acting up.

However, this rule was different from the previous stone gambling events; it was clearly a trap for the loser. Having to buy it back at double the price, and that too after it was cut open, what use could it possibly serve?

But Wu Yangming and Yi Chenguang seemed quite satisfied with this rule, laughing and chatting throughout.

It was clear that these two old foxes had come up with this rule specifically to target Wen Yonglin.

"Since nobody has said anything, I’ll take that as consent. Let’s start with the stone cutting. First, we’ll open Yi Family’s jade stone..."

The host began to describe the texture and appearance of the jade stone; it was all just blather.

Wang Hao didn’t listen carefully. Instead, he took advantage of the break to quickly eat something to fill his stomach, worried that later on, when tensions rose, someone’s anger might spoil his appetite.

By the time the host finished his spiel, Wang Hao had nearly finished eating as well.

"Okay, now let’s invite the professional master to open this piece of jade stone."

The host called for the stone-cutting master, and all the tools were brought up to the stage, ready to reveal the stone in front of everyone.

All the guests put down their chopsticks, and the entire banquet hall was instantly filled with a tense atmosphere, everyone fixedly staring at the stage.

As the noise of the cutting machine stopped, the staff on stage, along with the stone cutter, were all stunned.

This piqued the curiosity of the guests below, who all stood up to have a look.

"The cut is done, please look!"

The staff displayed the freshly cut jade stone towards the appraisers and the guests below.

"Wow, this is an excellent piece of white jade! The quality is so clear, it must be worth at least five million, and being such a large piece, it’s really rare!"

An appraiser couldn’t help but exclaim after inspecting it.

The guests below also let out surprised exclamations, continuing to admire the white jade, and they discussed how much it could possibly be worth.

"Alright, after our experts’ valuation, this piece of jade stone is worth five million eight hundred thousand,"

the host announced to the guests after consulting with the appraisers below.

The guests all raised their glasses to congratulate Yi Chenguang.

Yi Chenguang, beaming, stood up and returned the gesture with smiles.

"Mr. Yi, are you satisfied with the jade stone I chose for you?"

At this moment, the middle-aged man brought by Wu Jianzhong suddenly raised his glass toward Yi Chenguang and asked.

"Satisfied, of course satisfied. Truly the work of an expert!"

Yi Chenguang laughed and nodded repeatedly.

Wang Hao listened but frowned secretly. Wasn’t Jiang Hong the appraiser specially invited by Wu Jianzhong for the Wu Family? How come the Yi Family’s stone was also selected by him?

Usually, when the three families agreed to gamble on stones, the Wu Family and the Yi Family were competitors. How could they use the same appraiser to select the jade stones for gambling?

Wang Hao suddenly had an epiphany. What kind of a jade gambling event was this? It was nothing but a setup crafted by the Wu Family and the Yi Family to trap the Wen Family.

The three great families stood in a triangular balance of power in Zao City. One could say they each had their own piece of the autumn colors, and a single fight wouldn’t easily determine the winner. But if two families teamed up against the other, it would be as easy as flipping one’s hand.

Looking at the situation, the Wu Family and the Yi Family wanted to bring down the Wen Family and then share the Wen Family’s territory.

How could Wen Yonglin not see through the machinations of the Wu Family and the Yi Family? But now that the Wu and Yi families had joined forces, Wen Yonglin was powerless to do anything.

The members of the Wen Family all had solemn expressions and remained silent throughout.

"Good, now let’s begin by unveiling the Wu Family’s jade stone. Although this piece is small, I’ve heard it’s worth a fortune," the host said, admiring the intricately made wooden box that two people brought over. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

"Wait a minute!"

Just then, Wu Jianzhong suddenly stood up and addressed all the guests.

"Don’t you all feel that gambling this way is too dull and tasteless?"

The guests looked at each other upon hearing Wu Jianzhong’s words, wondering what kind of trick this eldest son of the Wu Family was going to play next.

"I think since it’s gambling, why not add a little more to the stakes? Wouldn’t that be more exciting?"

Wu Jianzhong even went up to the stage, snatched the microphone from the host’s hand, and spoke.

"And how would Young Master Wu like to raise the stakes?" the host asked, playing along.

"How about this, if the Wen Family loses, let Wen Xiaowei marry me. Let’s see if the Wen Family dares to bet?" Wu Jianzhong said with a sly smirk, winking at Wen Xiaowei.

If Wang Hao hadn’t been holding her back, Wen Xiaowei would have rushed onto the stage and crippled Wu Jianzhong in front of everyone.

Wu Jianzhong didn’t actually fancy Wen Xiaowei, but instead wanted to take this opportunity to suppress her. He figured if Wen Xiaowei married into the Wu Family, no matter how capable she was, she couldn’t strike her in-laws, and regardless of how indignant she felt, she’d have to endure it for the sake of her family’s honor.

In time, Wu Jianzhong would have plenty of opportunities to torment Wen Xiaowei.

Once he heard these words, Wen Yonglin immediately understood Wu Jianzhong’s motives. He knew that ever since Wen Xiaowei had injured him, even though they had already apologized, Wu Jianzhong still harbored resentment.

"Excellent, Young Master Wu’s suggestion is wonderful!"

The guests were all there to enjoy the drama and didn’t mind stirring the pot, echoing Wu Jianzhong’s proposal.

"This is a jade gambling event, why should we..."

"Grandpa Wen, you’re not giving up so soon, are you?"

Wu Jianzhong looked at Wen Yonglin defiantly, with not the slightest show of respect for his elder.

The other guests began whispering among themselves when they heard Wu Jianzhong’s words, their eyes all focusing on Wen Yonglin, pointing fingers and making gestures, creating a very awkward situation.

After all, the Wen Family was one of the three major families in Zao City, and it was unbecoming for them to show no courage in such a situation.

"What if the Wu Family loses?"

Ignoring Wang Hao’s attempts to stop her, Wen Xiaowei suddenly stood up and glared at Wu Jianzhong as she shot back at him.

"The Wu Family lose?"

Wu Jianzhong gave a mocking shrug, confidently believing that the Wu Family couldn’t possibly lose.

"That’s not a certainty!"

At this moment, Wang Hao suddenly stood up to come to Wen Xiaowei’s defense...