“Indeed, the Maltz family sure knows how to make a grand gesture,” remarked one of the onlookers.
“I remember Troy himself presenting this jade stone. It must be worth a fortune now,” added another.
“Miss Maltz is certainly in favor with Troy,” said yet another.
“This must be the most valuable gift here,” commented someone else, as they all admired the stone with envy written on their faces.
Katherine was pleased to hear such admiration and wore an expression of pride on her face.
“What a precious gift! You really have a good heart. Please give my regards to your grandfather for me.” Mike nodded and smiled softly, his gaze fixed upon the jade stone. He clearly loved it very much.
“Judging by its carving technique, I believe it’s from Dax Marner, isn’t it?” someone spoke up and caused quite a stir among them all.
Katherine’s eyes flickered around before finally landing on Patrick’s face. She chuckled lightly and said, “Yes indeed! It is from Dax Marner himself. I had to visit him many times before he agreed to take this job for me. But as long as Mr. Pansy likes it, that’s all that matters.”
Mentioning this Dax, there were probably not many people who didn’t know him. He had become a top carving master before the age of thirty. Many art museums even showcased his works. Now, wanting him to take action was probably an extremely challenging task.
Moreover, considering Katherine’s young age, being able to invite Dax to help was no small feat. It truly made people envious.
On the side, Jane, upon hearing Dax’s name, lightly curved her lips. However, Katherine directly caught her expression, looked at the box in Jane’s hands and curiously asked, “I wonder what kind of you give Mr. Pansy? Could it also be a jade ornament? I remember last time you won an expensive piece of imperial green dragon-type jadeite.”
As Katherine spoke, everyone’s gaze turned to Jane. Imperial green dragon-type jadeite was indeed a priceless treasure.
Katherine took a step forward, explaining to the people around, “I didn’t expect Miss North to be a gambling expert. I even lost to her. I really want to ask Miss North to be my teacher and teach me how to identify jadeite better.”
The name of Katherine, the genius in gambling, was already known in the circle. However, no one expected her to say such things today. For a moment, everyone was somewhat surprised by Jane’s expression.
Facing Katherine’s high praise, Jane curved her lips and said softly, “Alright, since you want to be my disciple, I’ll gladly accept.”
No one expected Jane to have such a reaction, leaving Katherine stunned in place.
“What did you say?”
However, Jane innocently blinked, “Didn’t you say you want to be my disciple?”
Katherine was caught off guard, and she pinched her palm, smiling, “You’re really not modest at all.”
“With gambling geniuses like you praising me, what can I be modest about?” Jane said with a smiling face, leaving Katherine feeling a surge of anger in her chest. Jane’s words weren’t meant to praise her; instead, she had cleverly turned the situation in her favor.
“I didn’t expect Jane, you would even do this?” Mike also didn’t expect it, looking at Jane.
Jane lightly shook her head and said to Mike, “I don’t understand things like gambling. It’s just good luck. But as the saying goes, luck is a kind of strength, isn’t it? Don’t you agree, Miss Maltz?”
This was clearly slapping Katherine in the face. A gambling genius actually lost to someone who didn’t understand gambling much. If such a thing got out, it would probably make people burst into laughter.
Katherine cursed Jane in her heart for being so eloquent but chose not to continue with the gambling topic. Instead, she redirected everyone’s attention to Jane’s gift.
“Miss North, don’t keep us in suspense. What exactly is the gift you gave to Mr. Pansy?”
“You guessed it right. What I gave to Mike is indeed that piece of jade.” Saying this, Jane opened the box, revealing a jade bracelet lying peacefully inside.
Each of these beads was perfectly round, adorned with golden patterns, simple and rustic. If it weren’t for the fact that the jadeite had an imperial green dragon-type water and seed, it might not have impressed people so much. Therefore, when some saw the bracelet in the box, there was a hint of disappointment in their eyes.
After all, compared to Katherine’s mountain peak carved by Dax, the bracelet seemed quite ordinary.
Seeing this, Katherine, with a trace of triumph in her eyes, deliberately expressed disappointment, saying, “Miss North, such a nice piece of jade, but you made it into an ordinary bracelet. Isn’t it a waste? I think with the good quality of this jade, it would be better as an ornament. It’s a pity that the bracelet has been made now. Otherwise, I would have tried to talk to Master Dax for you. Maybe he could carve something on it.”
“It seems that my bracelet really can’t compare to yours. After all, Dax is a master carver, while mine was entrusted to an ordinary old man,” Jane sighed lightly.
“Why talk about this? Jane, why not quickly hand over the bracelet and let me take a look,” Mike said, nodding.
Jane agreed and reached for the bracelet, crouching down in front of Mike.
“Not bad, quite beautiful,” Mike nodded, taking the bracelet from Jane. However, at the moment he was about to put it on his wrist, he suddenly paused.
“This bracelet of yours…”
“Mike, do you like it?” Jane smiled.
Mike didn’t immediately respond to Jane’s words. Instead, he repeatedly examined the bracelet in his palm, as if he had realized something. His forehead furrowed and then suddenly relaxed.
After a while, he suddenly looked up at Jane. “Jane, who carved this bracelet for you?”
“Carved? Mr. Pansy, there are clearly no patterns on this bracelet.” Katherine spoke with some confusion.
However, Mike huffed, “No patterns? How can there be no patterns? Isn’t it obvious?!”
Saying that, Mike put the bracelet back into the box and handed it forward. Curious, everyone gathered around, inevitably expressing surprised admiration.
From a distance, this bracelet looked like ordinary jade beads, but upon closer inspection, the intricate patterns on it were incredibly detailed. Layer upon layer, it depicted the essence of mountains and rivers, with each bead carrying different carvings and meanings.
Setting aside the symbolism for now, just the craftsmanship alone was likely unparalleled in the world.