Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 349 - 346: Striking It Rich

After listening to Lu Shouyue’s brief introduction of his auction house, Lin Wanwan ran upstairs with a "thump thump thump," and Lu Shouyue followed closely behind.

Lin Wanwan went straight to her room, took a wooden box out of her backpack, and handed it to Lu Shouyue: "Here, Mr. Lu, you have a good eye. Help me take a look."

Lu Shouyue took the wooden box, feeling its weight, his eyebrows slightly raised. Was this kept in a backpack?

When he received the backpack from the hotel manager that day, he didn’t open it, but he could somewhat feel that there was a heavy nanmu box inside.

"Wanwan, this wooden box is quite something. Where did you get it?"

Lin Wanwan’s eyes widened, curious: "What? Is there something special about this wooden box? I got it during a summer vacation in college when I was out bargain hunting in the countryside. A family was using it to store Buddhist scriptures. I thought this wavy wooden box looked nice, so I bought it for two hundred."

Lu Shouyue looked up at her and said with a smile: "You’ve really found a treasure. This isn’t ordinary wood. It’s golden-threaded nanmu. Due to natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and landslides, it was suddenly buried in the silt and underwent a carbonization process lasting thousands of years through anaerobic and microbial interactions, forming what we call submerged wood, also known as ebony.

If submerged wood undergoes over-carbonization, it turns into charcoal and crumbles at the slightest touch. To find such high-quality submerged nanmu for a wooden box already makes it a collectible.

In ancient times, royalty loved using this wood for making protective charms against evil, as it doesn’t decay, fade, or suffer insect damage.

Several submerged nanmu bead strings were auctioned at my house a few years ago, averaging twenty to thirty thousand for a string. I even got one myself. Your wooden box could auction for a couple hundred thousand."

"Wow, is this wood really that valuable?" Lin Wanwan gained a new insight, happily taking back her wooden box from Lu Shouyue and looking over it several times.

It seems there’s no need to appraise the gemstones. Just the box that holds them is worth a fortune.

After admiring the submerged nanmu box, Lin Wanwan opened it, handed it to Lu Shouyue, and pointed out the gemstones inside: "Mr. Lu, what do you think of these gems?"

Lu Shouyue picked up the gemstones, carefully examining them for a while, and finally pinched the alexandrite stone that had turned red and asked, "Wanwan, does this gemstone change color? Is the color different during the day and at night?"

Lin Wanwan nodded: "Yes, green during the day and turns red at night."

"Then it seems there’s no mistake; this is an alexandrite, about four carats. Alexandrite cat’s eyes are highly sought after in the gem collector’s market. Once word gets out, interested collectors will come flocking, it’s very rare."

After saying this, Lu Shouyue shifted his gaze from the gemstone to Lin Wanwan’s eyes and asked: "Wanwan, such a beautiful and vibrant alexandrite cat’s eye is hard to come by. Are you planning to sell it?"

Lin Wanwan pondered for a moment, then asked: "Is this kind of quality valuable?"

Lu Shouyue affirmed: "Yes. Generally, it’s worth two to five thousand US dollars per carat, and the bigger it is, the more valuable.

Other auction houses previously sold a 23.19-carat Brazilian alexandrite cat’s eye with a teal and plum red color change for a staggering 11.86 million Hong Kong Dollars.

The two raw stones in your box, once polished and cut, might be close to twelve or thirteen carats each, and you can imagine their value."

Lin Wanwan was overjoyed upon hearing this. Making money in the Great Tang sure is profitable! She was even happier to benefit from foreign friends!

"And what about these rubies and sapphires?"

"Their quality’s not bad, but the alexandrite is the most valuable, followed by the rubies and then the sapphires. The raw stones depend on the cutting. If you trust me, I can recommend a master we collaborate with at the auction house to polish them."

Lin Wanwan clapped her hands, excited: "That’s great!"

Then she scratched her head sheepishly and asked: "Mr. Lu, if I don’t want to auction them, I just want them cut and made into jewelry for myself, can you provide that service?"

Lu Shouyue replied with a smile: "Of course. Our auction house can also issue an official appraisal certificate for you, which will make selling them easier if you get bored and want to part with them."

Lin Wanwan nodded happily: "Sure, sure! Thank you, Mr. Lu!"

Seeing Lin Wanwan’s adorable face filled with greed, Lu Shouyue couldn’t help but give her a playful rub on the head and said with a smile: "I told you, no need to be so formal with me."

"Haha!" Lin Wanwan was so delighted that she didn’t find Lu Shouyue’s action inappropriate. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Discovering how valuable these gems are, she really wanted to hug someone and jump around in celebration!

Selling gemstones is much safer than dealing with antiques!

If she ever needed money urgently in the future, she’d feel much more confident!

"You seem so happy; how about we have a drink to celebrate?" Lu Shouyue suggested, not without a hint of subtle intention.

Lin Wanwan thought for a while, then shook her head: "Forget it. I drank during dinner, and if I drink more, I might get drunk."

After all, she is someone with a big secret and cannot afford to get drunk, or it would lead to disaster.

Despite Lu Shouyue’s good character, Lin Wanwan absolutely couldn’t risk even hinting at her time travel secret.

The human heart cannot withstand temptation; she doesn’t want to gaze into the abyss. The Space-Time Bracelet is not like ordinary gemstones at all; while someone might not be tempted by money, the Space-Time Bracelet is a different story.

Lu Shouyue was not disappointed and said with a smile: "Alright, then I’ll play a piece for you."

Having said that, he quickly walked over to the Steinway piano in the corner of the living room, lifted the lid, and casually began playing Beethoven’s "Für Elise."

Lin Wanwan followed along, standing next to him and enjoying his performance, with an unintentional smile forming on her lips.

There’s no denying it; wealthy people are generally talented and knowledgeable, and ordinary folks just can’t compare.

Lu Shouyue’s serious look while playing the piano had a princely elegance, even in his casual home clothes, radiating brilliance.

Indeed, a boy who can play the piano is very charming.

After finishing the piece, Lu Shouyue looked over at Lin Wanwan and asked: "Wanwan, can you play the piano?"

"I can’t."

"Would you like me to teach you?" Lu Shouyue made some room for Lin Wanwan on the bench, which was long enough to accommodate two people without any trouble.

Lin Wanwan hesitated for a moment, then said: "It must be hard to learn, right?"

Practicing the konghou and the ancient zither takes a lot of her time. Wouldn’t trying to master so many things be overwhelming?

"No, it’s not difficult. You already have music theory knowledge, so you’ll pick it up quickly," Lu Shouyue replied casually, "Besides, we have nothing else to do now; it’s only seven o’clock."

Alright then, Lin Wanwan was convinced and sat down beside Lu Shouyue.

As the faint fragrance of bathing gel wafted to him from Lin Wanwan, Lu Shouyue felt a burst of joy, wishing he could embrace her tenderly right then and there.

Of course, outwardly, he appeared flawless, just a plain, handsome man who enjoys teaching others!