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There were two other staff in the studio, a man and a woman, both younger than Ancestral Hall of the Song Family. They were earnestly carving. The girl held an eggshell in her left hand and a carving knife in her right, carefully etching a human face.

When they saw someone coming, both the man and the woman stopped their work and looked up.

Mr. Song did not introduce them, but rushed to the water dispenser to fill two cups of boiling water and handed them to Wang Xiaoqiang and Xu Qingxue. When Xu Qingxue took the cup, she felt a bit relieved and thought, "You aren't blind after all!

The two staff members appeared somewhat dazed by this scene. They were employees of the studio as well as students of Mr. Song. In the realm of carving art, Mr. Song had a renowned reputation in the Provincial Capital and even nationwide. His temperament was famously detached and aloof.

No matter how influential or wealthy the person was, he treated them with indifference. Yet unexpectedly, he was attentively hosting these two young people, particularly that earthy looking fellow who seemed not yet twenty. Mr. Song seemed to regard him with great importance.

After inviting Wang Xiaoqiang to sit on the sofa in the lounge area, Mr. Song got straight to the point, "Boss Wang, I'm not one for beating around the bush. To tell you the truth, it was only after seeing the video from the gourmet festival yesterday that I sought you out ..."

"Uh, I understand, you took an interest in my eggs, didn't you?" Wang Xiaoqiang also didn't like beating around the bush, and in fact, there wasn't much room for pretense with people from the art world.

"Yes, yes, I really like them," Mr. Song said with some excitement. If it had been any other businessman, they definitely wouldn't have praised Wang Xiaoqiang's eggs like this at that moment.

"Actually, I have always been searching for the perfect eggs for carving, but over the years, I have never found any that satisfied me. However, your eggs, I find them very interesting!" Mr.

Song continued, his eyes fixed intently on Wang Xiaoqiang as he asked, "Boss Wang, I noticed that the shells of your eggs are thicker than average, the surface is smooth, ancient like jade, and under the light, there is a layer of luster flowing. Your eggs are not only suitable for carving but also hold high artistic value.

What intrigues me is, what do your chickens typically eat at your chicken farm?"

"Uh, well..." Wang Xiaoqiang saw how Mr. Song had lavishly praised his eggs and then suddenly threw a question at him, which he hadn't anticipated. After a slight pause, he said, "Well, my chicken farm is built on a mountain. We let them roam freely, and they usually feed on wild grass seeds and insects from the ground. Sometimes, I've found them pecking at some small, transparent pebbles..."

Wang Xiaoqiang feigned a bit of mystery. He could see that Mr. Song was very interested in his eggs, but also harbored strong suspicions. He couldn't just say that his chickens were nourished by Spiritual Energy, could he? That would scare people!

To dispel his suspicions, feigning a bit of mystery was good. Consider it a white lie.

"Hmm..." Upon hearing this, Mr. Song's eyes shone brightly, "No wonder, no wonder… It seems that the luster on the eggs might be related to those transparent pebbles they eat..."

People in the arts are often emotive, occasionally lacking rational thinking when pondering issues and are keen on believing in mystical things. Thus, Mr. Song did not doubt Wang Xiaoqiang's explanation at all.

Theoretically speaking, birds and poultry often consume small stones to aid digestion while eating. Hence, Wang Xiaoqiang's lie was bulletproof.

"You want to buy my eggs, right?" Wang Xiaoqiang didn't want to discuss the uniqueness of the eggs further. Indeed, he deliberately avoided anything related to the Five Elements Spirit Spring.

Moreover, he was now a businessman, only caring about business and money. Thus, he went straight to the point.

"Yes, yes, I want to collaborate with you and use your eggs as my carving materials..." Mr. Song expressed eagerly.

"Then how many do you plan to buy?"

"Let's do this, you deliver a hundred eggs to me every month!" Mr. Song suggested after thinking for a moment.

He was indeed an artist, but he didn't mind asking for more when the carving material was good. Since watching the food festival video last night, especially the close-up of the boiled landscape egg, his discerning eye could not miss the extraordinary nature of the eggshell. With such eggshells, the more, the better.

If there were excess after carving, they could be exchanged for other carvings in the circle.

"Mr. Song, I think you should ask for more in one go; after all, you're not buying them for consumption, so there's no issue of spoilage or decay," Wang Xiaoqiang urged, "Besides, these chickens produce such fine eggs because they eat clear pebbles. If they stop eating the pebbles or if the pebbles on the mountain are depleted, I can't guarantee they'll still produce such fine eggs..."

"Exactly, Boss Wang, you make a good point!" Ancestral Hall of the Song Family slapped his forehead as if enlightened and said, "I definitely need to ask for more eggs. So, Boss Wang, please hurry up and send me a thousand over."

Before Wang Xiaoqiang could respond, Xu Qingxue was already taken aback and then gave Ancestral Hall of the Song Family a frustrated look. He, he really wanted a thousand? Was the artist planning to start a carving factory?!

Wang Xiaoqiang glanced triumphantly at the frustrated Xu Qingxue and told Ancestral Hall of the Song Family, "Mr. Song, it happens that I have brought a thousand eggs in my truck, I can unload them for you right now."

"Ah! That's perfect, unload them all!" Ancestral Hall of the Song Family obviously hadn't anticipated Wang Xiaoqiang being so well-prepared and cheered with delight.

Wang Xiaoqiang was straightforward and unloaded the thousand eggs from the truck right away.

Song Poetry opened a box and took out an egg. It felt as smooth as jade in his hand. He took it to a dark spot and shone a flashlight on it. Just like what he had seen in the video the previous night, it was transparent, clear, and even had a layer of flowing luster—extremely beautiful and extraordinarily unique!

"Tsk, tsk, it's truly beautiful. Hey, you guys, come take a look," Ancestral Hall of the Song Family exclaimed in admiration, beckoning two apprentices over to appreciate it together. Both apprentices, a man and a woman, went over, nodded in amazement, and thought, No wonder the young man received such attentive treatment from the teacher; his eggs indeed had something extraordinary about them.

"Mr. Song, shall we talk about the price now?" Wang Xiaoqiang spoke up.

"Uh, yes, let's discuss the price," Ancestral Hall of the Song Family said, "Mr. Wang, why don't you name your price?"

"You name it!" Facing an artist, Wang Xiaoqiang really found it hard to speak up, so he passed the question back.

"Okay then, here's what we'll do, Boss Wang. You've come with sincerity, and I'm getting these eggs for my art, so naturally, I can't go by the prices that hotels offer. I'll buy each for one hundred yuan; how does that sound?"

Wang Xiaoqiang pursed his lips and said, "Alright, it's a deal."

Although his eggs were a rare commodity for Ancestral Hall of the Song Family and could have fetched a higher price, Song Poetry had just mentioned the prices offered by hotels, and he couldn't ask for more since the offer was already nearly ten times higher than what hotels paid. Asking for more would seem too greedy. Wang Xiaoqiang couldn't bring himself to do it.

Although it was one hundred yuan per egg, Xu Qingxue was still astonished on the side.

One hundred yuan each, a thousand eggs amounted to one hundred thousand yuan!

Selling a thousand eggs for one hundred thousand yuan, if word got out, who knows how many people would be shocked?!

However, for Ancestral Hall of the Song Family, one hundred thousand yuan was really nothing; sometimes he spent over a million just to buy a good carving stone. What was a mere hundred thousand? Plus, in his view, if he wanted to make money through carving, he was confident these thousand eggs could be transformed into carvings that would sell for millions given his understanding of the market!

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