"Spending eight hundred isn't really worth it. What if it all ends up for nothing?" Claire couldn't help but remind everyone.
When Dewitt saw how cool and collected she was, he looked pretty satisfied. Claire wasn't care about money, but at least she knew not to throw it around. That alone was impressive.
"Alright. Come with me," Dewitt said, leading them to a small outdoor stall piled high with stones of all shapes and sizes. Here, everything was priced per stone, not by weight.
"These are thirty bucks each. Pick three stones each. That way, none of you will spend more than a hundred altogether," Dewitt explained calmly. "If you go through all these rough stones and still don't find any jade, it just means you're unlucky this round. Don't bother getting hung up on it after this."
A hundred bucks for a lesson in luck wasn't a bad deal, at least from Dewitt's perspective.
"I'll cover it. Think of it as my treat. Don't bother arguing-it's settled."
A hundred dollars was really nothing to Dewitt. For four people, it was only four hundred in total, and he didn't even bat an eye.
Claire nodded at the others. "Alright then, pick your stones."
No one hesitated. They simply crouched down and started sifting through the pile, looking for their lucky pick.
Dewitt stayed off to the side, pulling out a cigarette and handing one to the stall
owner.
The stall owner accepted it, lit up, and said, “Even my leftover bits are some of the best around. Someone found a good one in my scraps just the other day." He was trying to say that although these were leftover pieces, they weren't completely worthless. There was at least a little hope buried in all that stone-no need to be so down about it.
Dewitt laughed. “These kids are just killing time. It's good for them to see the world a little."
"Doesn't really matter if they find anything good."
The stall owner nodded like he got it and started chatting with Dewitt about other things. "So, where do you make your money, handsome?" And just like that, the conversation drifted away.
Meanwhile, Claire and the others finished picking out their stones. Whenever someone got too stuck they'd glance Dewitt's way, and if he saw them struggling he mightloss, out a suggestion or two. But mostly, a he just let them trust their own choices.
When everyone had made their picks, the stall owner gestured toward a small stone-cutting a small
machine set up nearby. "For this net
stuffs two bucks a out. I do it før you. He had to charge a little something for his work and machine wear and tear.
Nobody minded paying a few extra dollars for the cutting. They lined up and handed over their stones.
Was it possible to get anything good from this pile of leftovers? Maybe, but odds were slim-out of a hundred pieces, maybe one might have something decent inside.
As expected, the first three had no luck at all.
This time, Claire hadn't held back on purpose. The rest of them insisted she go last, certain that she had better luck than the rest. It's funny how people believe that-some folks always seem to win, others never do. shovels
All three of them had already failed, so maybe Claire really would turn things around for everyone.
Claire gathered her three stones and handed them over. The first two were nothing special-ordinary white stones, totally empty.
The last one, though, was different. It was solid black, looking almost like a chunk of coal.
Dewitt's eyes lingered on that piece. He raised his eyebrows, impressed. Claire definitely had a sharper eye than the others. Even picking from the leftovers, she'd found one that actually stood a chance.
The stall owner recognized it too. “Black-skin jadeite, huh.” He wasn't clueless— he'd actually paid fifty dollars for that piece. He hadn't meant for it to get mixed in with the rest.
Now, seeing Claire pick it out, he could only smile and let it go.