147: Chapter 147 Harvest

Hu Qing glanced casually, then—his gaze froze.

He stood up, staring at the egg-sized black stone in Hao Hong's hand, stunned for two seconds.

"Let me see."

Hao Hong handed it over.

Hu Qing took it, turned it over several times, then pulled out a magnifying glass and looked at it against the light for a long time.

Then he looked up at Hao Hong: "Where did you find it?"

"Lin Zi found it."

Hu Qing turned to look at Lin Ning, his eyes nearly popping out: "You found it?"

Lin Ning nodded.

Hu Qing opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

He looked at the stone, then at Lin Ning, then back at the stone, and finally stuffed it into Hao Hong's hand before turning to leave.

After two steps, he turned back and forced out a sentence:

"I've been doing this for eight years, and this is the first time I've seen a newbie pick one up on their first day."

His tone was as sour as if it had been soaked in three-year-old aged vinegar.

Hao Hong hadn't reacted yet, only managing to ask: "Brother Hu, is this worth anything?"

Hu Qing said irritably: "Common Chondrite. The quality is average, but the size is decent. If you find someone who likes it, you can easily sell it for thirty to fifty thousand."

Hao Hong was in disbelief, his knees feeling a bit weak.

"Thirty... thirty to fifty thousand?!"

He looked down at the dark stone in his hand, then up at Hu Qing, his eyes saying 'You've gotta be kidding me.'

Hu Qing didn't speak, just looked at him with a smirk.

Hao Hong held the stone up, looked at it against the light for a long time, and then suddenly jumped up.

"Holy crap!! This is literally picking up money off the ground! Brother Hu, Brother He, why are you guys still working?!"

He Guoqing pushed up his glasses and silently took out his own precious treasure from his pocket—a small piece the size of a fingernail—and held it up next to Hao Hong's to compare.

He looked at his own, then at Hao Hong's, then back at his own.

Then he stuffed the stone back into his pocket, pushed up his glasses, and turned to leave expressionlessly.

Hao Hong shouted from behind: "Brother He, why are you leaving?"

He Guoqing didn't look back: "I'm going to pick up money, trying to stop working as soon as possible."

Lin Ning laughed so hard he couldn't stand straight.

Hao Hong held the stone to himself, his hands shaking. He used to feel envious hearing others' stories, but now that it happened to him, he found it unbelievable. Spending a few hours to pick up a stone, how could it be: "Thirty to fifty thousand... thirty to fifty thousand..."

Lin Ning patted his shoulder: "Rein it in."

Hao Hong lowered his voice, but couldn't suppress the excitement: "Lin Zi, thirty to fifty thousand! You found it! You're rich!"

Lin Ning tried his best to suppress the corners of his mouth. Using the Golden Finger to directly 'pick up money' was a first; before he had to wait, but now this feeling of instant gratification was awesome!

After 5 PM, the sun began to sink in the west.

Hu Qing glanced at the sky: "Tomorrow we'll check the Shady Slope over there, over two hundred kilometers round trip. We'll camp tonight and head straight there tomorrow morning."

Hao Hong's eyes lit up: "Camping? Camping on the Gobi Desert?"

"What, you scared?"

"Scared? No way!" Hao Hong turned to Lin Ning, giving him a proud look—see, didn't the stuff I prepared come in handy?

Before dark, the two cars drove to a leeward depression.

Camping, making fire, barbecue.

Hao Hong took out all the beef, mutton, and the grill he brought.

Hu Qing laughed: "Haha, your preparations are spot on!"

"Of course!"

He Guoqing took out a bottle of white liquor and poured a glass for everyone.

The meat sizzled on the grill. The few of them sat around the fire, no one in a hurry to speak.

One by one, the stars above began to light up.

Hao Hong craned his neck to look at the sky. After a long time, he suddenly said: "Holy crap, so many stars?"

Lin Ning also looked up.

They densely covered the entire sky, the Milky Way stretching across overhead, so clear that the dark patterns in the middle were visible.

The two of them just craned their necks and watched for a full minute.

Hao Hong suddenly asked: "Lin Zi, do you think there are people up there looking at us too?"

Lin Ning thought for a moment: "If there are, they must be guessing—why is that idiot craning his neck so high, doesn't it get tiring?"

Hao Hong kicked him.

A burst of laughter erupted by the fire.

After a few rounds of drinks, Hao Hong leaned in toward Hu Qing again: "Brother Hu, in your line of work, are there really people who strike it rich?"

"Yes." Hu Qing took a sip of liquor, "The year before last in Alxa, someone found a Lunar Meteorite and sold it for over two million."

Hao Hong's mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg.

"There are even crazier ones." He Guoqing pushed up his glasses, "Someone in Xinjiang found a Martian Meteorite and sold it for five hundred thousand US dollars."

"Five hundred thousand US dollars?!"

Hao Hong turned to look at Lin Ning, his eyes as bright as the stars in the sky.

Lin Ning was also shocked.

Over two million RMB, five hundred thousand USD...

Just bending over and picking up a stone?

This wasn't picking up stones; this was picking up money.

Hu Qing laughed seeing his expression.

He slowly took a sip of liquor and put down his glass:

"Young man, do you know how many people are in this business?"

Hao Hong was taken aback.

"Across the country, at least several thousand." Hu Qing held up two fingers, "In over twenty years, those who struck it rich from meteorites can be counted on two hands."

Hao Hong's smile froze.

"I've been doing this for eight years." Hu Qing patted his old pants, "Eight years, and the most valuable piece I sold was for forty thousand."

He Guoqing nodded: "Seven years for me, highest was eight thousand."

Hao Hong looked at the two of them, then at Lin Ning.

"The stories online about who got rich are true," Hu Qing said, "but what you don't see are the hundreds and thousands of people who found nothing."

The fire crackled.

Hao Hong looked down at the stone in his arms and whispered: "Then today, Lin Zi's piece..."

Hu Qing smiled: "He was lucky."

Lin Ning didn't say anything.

The next morning, as the sky was just starting to brighten, the group got up.

After a quick bite, the two cars continued driving northwest.

Over an hour later, they reached the Shady Slope He Guoqing mentioned.

Gravel was everywhere, and the weathering layer was thick.

Hu Qing got out to look and his eyes lit up: "There's hope!"

Hao Hong had already rushed out, bending over to flip through the ground.

Lin Ning was in no hurry to move.

He closed his eyes and sent out his Psychic Power—one strand, two strands, three strands, extending outward like tentacles.

Twenty meters away, there was something.

He walked over, squatted, and brushed aside the gravel—a fist-sized piece, dark brown, with a complete Fusion Crust.

Lin Ning's lips curled slightly as he tucked it into his backpack.

Ten meters away, there was another.

This one was smaller, but the quality was better, with Regmaglypts as clear as fingerprints.

Into the bag it went.

He kept walking.

He didn't know how long he walked.

One piece, two pieces, three pieces...

By the fifth piece, the sun was overhead.

Lin Ning stood up, his temples throbbing as if someone were driving nails into them.

He couldn't go on; he was satisfied, but also exhausted.

He found a large rock to sit on and unscrewed his water bottle.

His head hurt, but he felt great inside. The largest piece was even bigger than yesterday's.

In the distance, Hao Hong was still sticking his butt up, flipping things over.

"Ah!!!"

A sharp scream.

Lin Ning looked up; Hao Hong had jumped up, holding a stone, spinning in circles like he was having a fit.