Hearing what he wanted to hear from Owen, a veteran in the gemstone industry, Li Du smiled, nodded, and left with Sophie.
Owen tried to persuade them to stay. "It's lunchtime soon. Li, Miss Martin, why don't you stay for lunch? I know a restaurant in Winslow that serves excellent lamb. "
Li Du thanked him in a friendly manner, saying that he wanted to walk around by himself.
Since that was the case, Owen had no reason to keep them.
After leaving, Sophie asked curiously, "You agreed to his price just like that? Why didn't you ask a few more jewelry stores? I've been learning Chinese recently, and there's a very good saying: compare goods at three different stores. "
Li Du said, "This is a smart boss. He's the biggest jewelry dealer in Winslow. I bet he's already given me the best discount. If I want to sell for a higher price, I'll have to go to Los Angeles or New York. "
He was not interested in waiting that long, and he had no time to leave. He still had to continue looking for fire opals.
This batch of fire opals had earned him more than 2.6 million dollars. He believed that Owen would also earn a lot from it, at least 500,000 to 600,000 dollars.
The opals he had provided were of good quality, and most of them had color-changing designs.
This type of fire opal was a work of art in itself, and could be sold after simple processing.
There were a few that did not have color-changing designs, but they were still valuable because they were very clear and could be cut into faceted gemstones.
The value of a faceted fire opal depended on its own color and transparency. The more transparent it was, the better the color of the flame after it was cut, and the redder the color, the higher the value.
Driving the pickup truck, the four of them casually strolled around Winslow.
Sophie leaned against the window and looked at the autumn street scenery outside. She sighed. "Time flies. Spring has passed, and autumn has come. I feel like we've just entered spring a second ago."
Big Quinn snorted. "There's still spring in Arizona? I thought it was summer a second ago. "
For black people, summer was too torturous, especially when the sun was too strong in Arizona.
Sophie giggled and said, "Well, even if it was summer a second ago, time still flies."
Li Du lowered his head to play with his phone. Big Quinn and Godzilla then received a text message notification.
Godzilla switched on his cell phone, glanced at it, then switched it off again. Sophie stopped the car at the back to buy something. Big Quinn, who had been driving earlier, took out his cell phone and looked at it. He said in surprise, "Boss, 20,000 dollars?"
He gave each of his two subordinates a red packet of 20,000 yuan as a small bonus.
Godzilla and Big Quinn were both Li Du's subordinates. It was fine if he didn't pay them, but Li Du still chose to give them a small bonus every time he earned money.
However, in the past, Li Du did not earn so much. It was usually a few thousand dollars. This time, Li Du had earned more than 2.6 million dollars. Hence, he decided to give them more money.
In China, there was a saying, "If you fight a grain of rice, you will get a grain of rice, but you will get a grain of rice." There was also a story about a man who was never satisfied trying to swallow an elephant. However, he was not afraid that this would increase the two's appetite, because he trusted them.
Even though Godzilla and Big Quinn had only been with him for less than a year, both of them had good characters.
Based on their personalities, as long as Li Du did what he promised and paid them on time, they would work for him loyally.
However, this was not enough. Li Du needed the two of them to be loyal to him, to follow him, and to be able to stand in the same trench with him no matter what.
In order to achieve this, he needed a long period of charisma, which he could not do. Hence, he changed to another method. When the two of them were in trouble, he used money to win their loyalty.
It was true that loyalty could be bought with money. However, the premise was that they had to be under the same circumstances.
When the two of them first met Li Du, they were at the lowest point of their lives. Li Du took care of their meals and gave them high salaries. This was a show of appreciation and also a timely help.
In the future, they would no longer lack money and status. Even if someone gave them a high salary, it would just be icing on the cake. No matter what, icing on the cake could not compare to timely help.
Besides, Li Du earned money quickly and gave it to them readily. In this aspect, no one was more generous than Li Du.
Reality proved that his approach was right. Godzilla and Big Quinn were now obedient to him. In the previous few violent conflicts, the two of them had prioritized protecting Li Du.
Based on their working relationship, if Li Du had just given them a regular salary, they would not have done so.
Sophie bought ice cream and gave it to the three of them. Then she took out three small rice bowls and dug cream ice cream into them.
The three little fellows buried their heads into the rice bowl, smacking their lips as they ate happily.
After lunch in town, they resupplied and rested. After that, the second wave of work began.
Li Du chose a new piece of land and paid another 1,000 dollars. This way, they could stay in the national park for another two days and two nights.
On the road, Sophie saw two acquaintances. She rolled down the window and waved. "Hey, Brendan, Alicia, how are you?"
Brendan was Stephen's cousin, a professional gem hunter. The two of them were riding a big motorcycle, speeding along the road.
In each profession of treasure hunters, there were all kinds of standard equipment. Just by looking at the standard equipment, one would know what they did.
Almost all treasure hunters in storage auctions drove trucks. They had to clear out the storage units and accommodate everything in them. Only a truck could fit.
Treasure hunters who traded old goods drove pickup trucks. They were selecting old goods. It was rare for them to have large quantities of old goods. Therefore, pickup trucks could meet their needs.
Motorcycles were the signature equipment of gem hunters. This profession only needed some boxes, a tent, and some tools. Motorcycles were the most suitable choice.
Moreover, the gravel beach in the national park was not good. Big motorcycles were more flexible and more suitable for the terrain.
Brendan, who was driving, saw Sophie and immediately recognized her.
This was easy. Sophie's appearance and temperament were quite unique. It was hard for people who had seen her to forget her.
Sophie's beauty often made men lose their minds and do some stupid things, such as the artist who had been scared away earlier.
However, Li Du felt that not all men were like that. Brendan and Stephen, the two cousins, were not such people. They were simple and honest and would not be tempted by beauty.
But what happened next made him doubt his judgment. When he saw Sophie, Brund actually waved his hand excitedly!
Li Du was scared out of his wits. Bro, do you know you are riding a motorcycle? It's okay to hold the handlebars with one hand, but you have to pay attention to the terrain. This is all gravel. You can't hold the motorcycle with two hands, can you?
Sure enough, when Brendan let go of one hand, the shaking motorcycle was like a wild dog that had been freed from its bonds. It suddenly slipped and fell to the ground, throwing the two people on the motorcycle.
Li Du quickly drove over. Brendan got up at this time. He did not bother to pat the dust off his body. He said excitedly, "Hey, Li, hurry up, go to the gem pit!"
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