Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 477
It was about the jade pendant.
Zack had managed to contact an old, well-experienced master on a jade antique street in Serene County. He was
apparently very famous in the local area.
What more, he had also been told that the old master had inherited his craftsmanship from his ancestors.
This was perfect since Gerald needed an experienced person like this to help identify and appraise such an ancient
jade.
Gerald decided that he would let the old master have a go at identifying and appraising the jade pendant first. If he
couldn’t, Gerald would simply look for other jade masters from all over the country then.
After all, if even the dean didn’t know anything about Xara Machamer’s identity, how else would Gerald be able to
find out anything about her?
His only clue was this jade pendant, and Gerald understood that.
Originally, Zack had wanted to accompany Gerald to meet the master. However, Gerald’s father had told him that
the fewer people knew about Xara Machamer, the better.
In addition, Zack was also very busy now so Gerald declined his offer. After all, Gerald just so happened to know
that street well too.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe antique street wasn’t too big and there were just a few shops selling antique porcelain there.
Zack, being the professional that he was, had arranged Gerald’s meeting with the old master. Because of that, the
bespectacled old man with a long white beard was already there waiting for Gerald by the time Gerald got to his
shop.
“Mr. Crawford, I assume? My name is Matthew Xiques!” said the old man as he smiled at Gerald.
“Hello, Mr. Xiques, a pleasure to meet you. Let’s get straight to business, shall we? See, I wanted to meet you today
because I need you to help me identify and appraise a jade pendant. I’d like to know how old it really is and if
possible, where it originated from as well. Basically, the more details you can give me, the better,” said Gerald as
he presented the jade pendant to the old master carefully.
When Matthew saw the jade pendant, he was slightly surprised. Carefully picking the pendant up, he squinted his
eyes as he brought it close to his face. He looked like a seasoned expert, just as Zack had said.
“I must thank you, Mr. Crawford, for allowing me to see such a rare jade with my very own eyes. In fact, it’s one of
the rarest kinds of jade! It’s top quality! Mr. Crawford, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you get your hands on
this jade?” asked Matthew as he looked at Gerald with great interest.
Matthew couldn’t guess for the life of him why Gerald would have such an expensive piece of jade on him.
Earlier when Gerald was addressed by Matthew by name, he had assumed that Zack had arranged the entire
meeting for him. However, Zack seemed to have left out Gerald’s true identity and Gerald was thankful for that.
Gerald replied, “How I got it isn’t important, Mr. Xiques. Have you managed to identify the origins of this jade
pendant…?”
“Ah, I see. Forgive me for being nosy. Also, it’s a little difficult for me to identify the origins of the jade pendant
immediately. However, I do recall reading about a jade with such fine texture in one of the notebooks left behind by
my ancestors. Would it be convenient for you to leave this jade pendant behind so that I can properly analyze it?
Once I get the information you require, I’ll let you know immediately,” said Matthew.
Hearing that, Gerald thought about it for a moment. Since Zack had arranged for Gerald to meet the master, the
master should be capable enough in Zack’s eyes.
“That’s fine, Mr. Xiques. I hope to hear from you soon!” said Gerald as he nodded.
The two of them chatted for a little while more before Gerald stepped out of the shop.
What was he going to do now? It was still a little too early for him to head out for his blind date.
After some thought, he decided to withdraw some money from the bank since the new house he had bought was
also nearby. Gerald so happened to be carrying the house purchase agreement contract in his bag so he might as
well clear the payment immediately.
After all, it wouldn’t be possible for Gerald to take up a loan!
“Gerald?”
At that moment, Gerald heard a girl’s voice calling out to him. It sounded surprised.
When Gerald turned around to look, he too was pleasantly surprised.
It was Leila’s good friend, Cindy.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmShe had just come out from the inner courtyard. Apparently she lived here.
When Gerald had gone to Leila’s house the first time that day, the very beautiful Cindy had left a deep impression
on Gerald. He could tell that the girl was a very kind one.
“Do you live here, Cindy?” asked Gerald with a smile.
“Yes! The one inside is my grandfather! Speaking of which, Gerald, why did you come to our shop in the first
place?” asked Cindy with a smile as she walked toward Gerald.
“Cindy! That’s no way to address him! Refer to him as Mr. Crawford!” shouted Matthew who had poked his head out
from his shop.
Matthew didn’t know much about Gerald’s background. However, he knew that the person who had arranged for
Gerald and him to meet was someone who could contact both the county magistrate as well as the chairman of the
National Antiquities Research Association. For someone with such an extraordinary status to work under Gerald, he
knew that Gerald wasn’t someone to mess with.
Why else would Matthew have acted so courteously toward Gerald earlier?
That was the reason why he was so startled at Cindy’s lack of manners just a while ago.
“Oh, grandpa! This is a new friend I met recently. His name is Gerald and he’s also Leila’s childhood friend!” replied
Cindy her smile unwavering.
“That’s quite alright, Mr. Xiques. Just focus on the job I gave you first!” said Gerald as he smiled.