Chapter Thirty-Three: A Chance Encounter (Part Two)

Inside the Zhou Da Fu Gold Store, there were counters on three sides: the left displayed gold jewelry, the center showcased platinum, pearls, and other ornaments, and the rightmost counter held jade and jadeite pieces, though these were far fewer in number compared to the gold and silver jewelry.

The shop was spacious, with over a dozen beautiful female attendants stationed along the three counters. The one who greeted Zhang Can had her hair neatly coiled into a bun, her appearance reminiscent of a flight attendant. Yet no matter how one looked at the store’s uniforms, they seemed closer to those of restaurant waitstaff.

“Sir, what style or type do you prefer?” she inquired. Clearly, she was a seasoned saleswoman, her speech smooth and practiced, gesturing with her right hand to guide Zhang Can’s gaze toward the platinum and jade counters.

Zhang Can smiled. He knew that in these gold shops, as soon as a customer entered, the staff’s first move was always to guide them toward the platinum and jade counters, and only reluctantly would they introduce the gold and silver jewelry. Most people didn’t realize this, but Zhang Can understood perfectly. The markup on gold and silver jewelry was merely a modest labor charge above the base price, and since gold and silver were commodities, their prices closely tracked international rates. For example, if a gram of gold was worth three hundred and sixty yuan, a piece of gold jewelry made from it would generally not cost more than four hundred and fifty. The profit margin was clear, and gold shops usually displayed the price per gram—say, four hundred and twenty or four hundred and thirty—so the total price would be calculated by the weight of the selected item.

Because the cash commission for gold jewelry was low—usually just one percent—a thousand-yuan gold item earned the attendant only ten yuan in commission. Platinum, however, was a different story. Its base price might be five hundred, but it would be sold for a thousand or more, with profit margins of at least fifty percent, and the sales commission ranged from fifteen to thirty percent. Moreover, platinum jewelry fetched higher prices than gold; even a modest piece could cost three to five thousand yuan, unlike gold, where you could find items for two or three hundred. The commission on platinum was higher, so selling a single necklace could earn the attendant over a hundred yuan, and selling three to five pieces a day would bring in several hundred in commission. With the base salary added in, a monthly income above ten thousand was not uncommon. Thus, whenever a customer showed interest, the staff always recommended platinum and jade first, especially jade.

While platinum’s profit was only one or two times the base price, or at most two or three times, jade was an entirely different matter. The markup on jade was limitless. Most of the jade jewelry in these stores was made from Burmese jadeite. For ordinary people, jadeite was a distant and unfamiliar thing. Most people’s impression of it came from television or store displays—they knew little about it, and even less about how to judge its quality. The pursuit of profit meant fakes were rampant, leaving the average buyer helpless.

A low-grade piece of jadeite worth barely a hundred yuan could, after processing, be tagged at ten thousand or even a hundred thousand. Of course, there were also pieces that were highly overpriced. The jade most favored by jewelry store owners was that which cost three to five thousand or up to twenty or thirty thousand, and after careful carving and polishing, could be sold for over a hundred thousand, sometimes marked as high as several million. The profit was at least five or six times the cost, sometimes dozens of times more, and the sales commission was even higher: selling a jade piece for several hundred thousand could earn the attendant several thousand or even over ten thousand in commission. Even a bracelet worth just a thousand could bring in over a hundred in commission, the highest among all the jewelry, due to the vast difference between the cost and selling price.

As someone in the business, Zhang Can had no intention of buying jade. The vibrant green jade pendant most prominently displayed, with its flawless color, was labeled at thirty-seven thousand. But Zhang Can’s discerning eyes needed only a second to see that it was merely a well-crafted, chemically enhanced piece of jadeite, whose real value couldn’t possibly exceed a thousand yuan.

As for platinum, Zhang Can didn’t know as much, so he had no interest in buying platinum jewelry. Platinum necklaces and bracelets were acceptable, but platinum diamond rings were rife with hidden costs—only gold retained its value, and was less likely to leave the buyer at a loss.

Knowing all this, Zhang Can quickly decided he didn’t want to buy anything. The attendant launched into her enthusiastic introduction, but Zhang Can barely listened, simply raising his head and uttering a noncommittal “Oh.”

From that response, the attendant was clearly disappointed. Jewelry store staff were trained to read customers, to discern who might buy, who was unlikely to buy, and who had money to spend. In Zhang Can’s case, she had misjudged him. Zhang Can wasn’t unwilling to buy or unable to afford it—he simply calculated the value the moment his sharp eyes glanced over an item, weighing whether it was truly worth the price.

Without sparing the platinum and jade counters another look, Zhang Can pointed toward the gold counter and said, “That one—I want that!”

He indicated an engraved gold bracelet, which by weight alone must have been between one hundred and fifty and two hundred grams. Most importantly, it was 24-karat gold, the highest purity, at 99.6% gold content, selling for four hundred and ten per gram—very close to the market price, with the lowest commission for the attendant. Still, due to its weight, the commission would be several tens of yuan.

Other gold jewelry had slightly higher commissions because of differences in purity. Some were twelve, eighteen, or twenty-two karats; most people couldn’t tell the difference, nor did they understand the nuances—there were plenty of tricks in the gold trade.

When introducing products, the staff would often dodge sensitive topics. For instance, as soon as Zhang Can pointed at the gold bracelet, the attendant immediately led him to another bracelet, saying, “Sir, if you’re interested in a gold bracelet, may I suggest this newer model? It’s our latest design, also pure gold, about the same weight and price as the one you chose, but right now we’re running a promotion—you’ll receive a Burmese jadeite Guanyin pendant valued at a thousand yuan as a gift!”

She bent down and produced the jade Guanyin from a box under the counter, showing it to Zhang Can. “Sir, you see? For the same price and weight, the new model comes with a jade Guanyin. It would make a wonderful gift for your girlfriend or mother, wouldn’t it?”

Zhang Can gave a dry chuckle. The attendant was certainly persuasive, but not once did she mention that the new bracelet was only eighteen karats and could not truly be called “pure gold.” Normally, “pure gold” refers to at least ninety-five percent content, or a minimum of twenty-two karats; “thousand pure gold” is sometimes called “solid gold,” but even the highest purity is just 99.6%. The eighteen-karat bracelet, though similar in weight to the pure gold one, was actually worth a third less, and the attendant’s commission would be higher.

The attendant’s tactics were all in her words. When it came time to issue a receipt, it would clearly state eighteen-karat, not twenty-two or twenty-four. If the receipt said twenty-four karat but the item sold was eighteen, that would be evidence of fraud, but jewelry shops were too canny for that.

Zhang Can smiled calmly. “Miss, how pure is your so-called ‘pure gold’? How many karats is it?”

The attendant hesitated, unsettled by the directness of the question. Her answer was crucial—if the customer found a discrepancy after purchase, it would be her responsibility.

Zhang Can continued gently, “Since you won’t say, allow me. The one I chose is twenty-four karat, over ninety-five percent pure, so it’s considered pure gold, but not thousand pure. The one you recommended is only about eighty percent—far less, not even qualifying as pure gold. See how its color is pale yellow, while mine is much deeper, almost reddish yellow? The higher the gold content, the softer the metal—it can be scratched with a fingernail. Lower purity gold is harder and can’t be scratched. Want to test it yourself?”

The attendant’s expression changed instantly. She had not expected this young man to be such an expert—he knew even more than she did!

Zhang Can went on, “I know the tricks you play. If you take out the bracelets, I guarantee one is stamped ‘pure gold’ and the other ‘eighteen K.’ You call it pure gold, but it’s just semantics. When you write the receipt, it’ll say eighteen K, not pure gold. If the receipt said pure gold and you gave me eighteen K, I’d have grounds for a complaint. But your store is clever enough to avoid such traps.”

Zhang Can finished lightly, “Business is about profit, and buying is voluntary, but one shouldn’t take advantage of the ignorant. I won’t say more—we all understand each other. Please, just write up the receipt. I’ll take the pure gold bracelet.”

Blushing with shame, the attendant filled out the receipt, mortified to have been so thoroughly schooled by a knowledgeable customer.

The receipt came to seventy-eight thousand eight hundred yuan. Zhang Can took out his bank card and signed the slip. When the attendant had packed the box into a colorful little bag, she handed it to him respectfully, head bowed. “Please take care, sir.”

Zhang Can smiled, saying nothing further. As the saying goes, let things be when possible—he bore the attendant no grudge, and since he hadn’t been tricked, there was no reason to linger. He picked up the bag and turned to go, but just as he took a step, a clear female voice called out, “Excuse me, sir—please wait…”

Thinking it was the attendant again, Zhang Can turned, only to be surprised. The voice belonged not to a staff member, but to a customer standing outside the counter—a young woman in a short skirt and tasseled blouse, her long hair flowing over her shoulders, strikingly beautiful and possessed of an elegant demeanor.

“You… are you talking to me?” Zhang Can asked uncertainly, not quite sure.

The young woman nodded. “Yes, I am. I’d like to discuss something with you, if that’s all right?”

Seeing the plea in her eyes, Zhang Can, who could never be rude to such a lovely woman, nodded graciously. After all, he didn’t even know what she wanted—if it was something he could help with, he had no objection.

“Go ahead, what is it?” he asked, all the while puzzling over what she might want. It was unlikely she was a scam artist looking to borrow money—though such people were common these days.