After hanging up the phone, Lin Jie was afraid that Lin Miao or An Kemeng might lose their temper and argue with the shopkeeper, so he hurried toward the hotel.

The resort's shopping mall is located on the first to third floors of the hotel, with many shops selling souvenirs and specialties.

"Mr. Lin, you seem to be in a hurry. Is there an emergency?"

Just as he entered the first floor lobby of the hotel, Lin Jie was stopped by a security guard.

This was a young man with dark skin and a stout build, with a buzz cut. Lin Jie recognized him as one of the five security guards who were previously with Bai Qili.

Lin Jie thought he might be able to help, so he said, "My two sisters found a large pearl from an oyster in a pearl jewelry store. The shopkeeper said they would process it into jewelry and only charge the cost and processing fee."

"I'm worried this is a scam, and my two sisters might get upset and argue with the shopkeeper!"

The young security guard smiled and said, "Mr. Lin, please don't worry, there won't be any argument."

"Our resort strictly prohibits the exploitation and deceit of customers. Once we discover such unscrupulous businesses, we eradicate them immediately."

"If you're worried, I can accompany you and take a look!"

His offer somewhat reassured Lin Jie, who asked, "Thank you! How should I address you?"

He then immediately asked, "According to what you said, does that mean the large pearl they found is a real natural pearl?"

"My name is Zheng Guodong!"

The young security guard introduced himself, then awkwardly whispered, "The small pearl they found is real, but the large pearl is certainly not real. It's an artificial pearl coated with several layers of pearl powder and then put into the oyster to impersonate it."

Zheng Guodong further explained, "Because the large pearl isn't sold to customers, it doesn't really count as... not really as exploitation or deceit!"

He continued somewhat apologetically, "The shopkeeper is just trying to take advantage of the customer's thrill to sell them processed jewelry."

Zheng Guodong patted his chest and assured, "Mr. Lin, rest assured, the gold he uses is definitely pure gold, and the gold price is standard market rate, only the processing fee is slightly high, but not outrageously so."

Zheng Guodong quietly mentioned, "Honestly speaking, we all know the shopkeeper, Old Huang."

"He is a goldsmith with a legacy, but two years ago he made a mistake, and someone severed his tendons. He hasn't fully recovered and can't do intricate work anymore, so he can only do simple necklaces and pendants!"

While talking, the two arrived at a jewelry store on the second floor with a sign reading "Love for Life."

This shop wasn't large, about twenty square meters, with a five-meter-long and two-meter-wide glass tank against the wall, holding at least two to three hundred oysters.

The shop had seven to eight display counters, mostly showcasing jewelry made from gold and pearls, such as necklaces, pendants, earrings, and brooches.

In one corner was a small workbench filled with delicate tools. A scrawny old man, not even 1.6 meters tall, was busy at the workbench.

Lin Miao and An Kemeng stood next to him, craning their necks to watch, not even noticing Lin Jie had come to their side.

The old man carefully set a perfectly round, silver-white large pearl into a complex ring-shaped pattern made of gold!

After inspecting it and finding no flaws, he handed the pearl and gold pendant to An Kemeng, smiling as he asked, "Do you like the style? If you're not satisfied with the necklace style, we can change it!"

At this point, Zheng Guodong reminded, "Old Huang, these three are VIP guests of the boss, you know what to do, be honest with the prices!"

Only then did An Kemeng and Lin Miao notice Lin Jie, and they stood on either side of him.

"Brother Jie, does it look good?"

An Kemeng dangled the pearl pendant in front of Lin Jie, flaunting, "This large pearl was taken out from an oyster I picked myself."

Lin Jie noticed that aside from the pearl, the circular gold pendant was indeed quite beautiful, so he nodded and said, "It's very beautiful, and you'll look even better wearing it."

He turned to the old man and asked, "How much is it in total?"

The old man glanced at Zheng Guodong beside Lin Jie and smiled, "Since the three of you are VIP guests of the boss, I'll give a fair price. The price of the necklace is three thousand one hundred and eighty; that's the gold price, and it's non-negotiable."

"For the processing fee, I'll give a fifty percent discount, just three hundred!"

This price was acceptable, and Lin Jie was about to take out his card to pay when An Kemeng quickly pulled out a card from her small bag and said, "Brother Jie, this is a gift for my sister, so naturally, I should pay!"

Lin Jie knew that An Kemeng didn't mind spending this little amount, so he didn't insist.

However, the word "gift" reminded Lin Jie that Li Ting had complained about never receiving any gifts from him. Perhaps he could buy a piece of jewelry here as a New Year present for An Kexin.

Thinking of this, Lin Jie said to the shopkeeper Huang, "Do you have any premium pieces here?"

"Premium?"

Shopkeeper Huang squinted at Lin Jie, and said, "Of course we have premium pieces, but the price for those..."

Standing beside him, Zheng Guodong angrily interjected, "Old Huang, are you muddle-headed? VIP guests of the boss, they won't mind a little money. Hurry up, bring out your best stuff."

"Yes! Yes! I must have been muddle-headed. Dear guest, please wait a moment!"

Shopkeeper Huang showed an apologetic smile, crouched under the workbench, fiddled for a while, and brought out a metal password box.

He placed the metal password box on the workbench and opened it!

"Wow!"

"So beautiful!"

Lin Miao and An Kemeng couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, their eyes wide, wishing they could grab everything in the box at once.

Most of these pieces were pendants, but there were also earrings, brooches, and rings.

They were all combinations of pearls and gold, with the pearls being peanut-sized, glowing with an exquisite, flawless sheen. As for the accompanying goldwork, it was intricate and with complex designs.

Lin Jie also found them appealing and, seeing Lin Miao and An Kemeng reluctant to even blink, generously said, "Kemeng, you can pick one as my New Year gift to you."

"Hehe, Brother Jie, really?" An Kemeng clasped Lin Jie's arm with a smile in her eyes and asked!

Lin Jie laughed, "Would I deceive you? Besides, you know your sister's tastes, you can pick one for her too. She's helped me a lot, so I should give her a New Year gift too."

He touched Lin Miao's head and said, "Miaomiao, you never had your own jewelry. This time, pick whichever one you like, no limit on the number."

Lin Miao was so happy that her eyes turned into a line.

The two of them whispered together for more than half an hour, and finally selected the jewelry.

An Kemeng chose a pair of pearl earrings for herself and a pearl pendant for An Kexin.

Lin Miao chose three pieces: a pair of pearl earrings, a pearl pendant, and a brooch.

In the end, it cost Lin Jie a total of one hundred and fifteen thousand!

Shopkeeper Huang, reluctant to part with them, packed each piece into jewelry boxes, sighing, "These gold and pearl combos were meticulously made before I was injured; now each piece sold means one less piece."

Lin Jie remembered that Zheng Guodong had mentioned his tendons were severed, so he noticed the obvious surgical scars on his wrist.

He pondered for a moment, but ultimately resisted the urge to ask about his injury!

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