He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 288

Compared to the other pieces on the table, this stone was massive.

She pulled out her specialized flashlight and meticulously examined every inch, refusing to miss a single detail.

After a long silence, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes. She double-checked the surface just to be absolutely certain.

But to everyone else in the room, it just looked like she was in too much pain to stand up and had completely given up.

The ten minutes vanished in a blink. Every appraiser held a stone.

Juniper stayed on the floor, wrapping her arms around the massive boulder she had been examining. Laughter immediately rippled through the group. "Are you seriously picking that one just because it's the biggest?"

Everyone had seen the rocks crush her foot. She hadn't stood up since she went down.

The obvious assumption was that the pain had incapacitated her, forcing her to grab whatever was closest.

Any amateur could tell the outer crust on that stone was thick, coarse, and sharp. It didn't have the smooth 'sand-turned' texture that hinted at premium jadeite.

And when Juniper had shined her light on it earlier, everyone had seen the result. The light hit the mossy crust and revealed nothing but a dull gray fog with a faint, sickly green undertone. You wouldn't find the intense glow of premium green in a rock like that. If you threw it in a river, nobody would even bother fishing it out.

Several veteran appraisers shook their heads. One of them actually felt bad for her and muttered, "Time is up, but just swap it for the one next to your hand. I checked that one earlier; it's got something decent inside, even if it's not Imperial Green."

Wyatt burst into full-blown, obnoxious laughter. "Juniper, Juniper... Humiliating yourself in public wasn't enough? Now you've come to embarrass yourself in front of the entire industry? Do you have the slightest clue how to read a stone? Let me guess, you slept your way into Caleb's auction house, right? Hahaha!"

He gloated shamelessly, holding a highly promising stone of his own. At the very least, it would yield enough for a premium pendant.

Most appraisers had selected stones roughly the size of a fist or two. Juniper hugging a literal boulder looked completely absurd.

Finding a flawless piece required divine intervention. If he had two hours instead of ten minutes, he might have found something better.

Lydia smiled perfectly. "Thank you so much, Master Zale. Let's get the cutter to open it up."

She intentionally shot a highly condescending look at Juniper as she spoke.

Juniper dropped her massive boulder by her feet. The cutter took one look at it and laughed. "This rock is barely worth a couple of grand. I'll just slice it straight down the middle. Don't waste my time asking for a window. There's nothing good in there."

There was a massive line forming behind them. Everyone was waiting for their stones to be opened.

But Juniper stood her ground. "If you refuse to grind a window, I'll do it myself."

Seeing she wasn't backing down, the cutter raised an eyebrow. "Fine. You're the paying customer. If you want a window, I'll grind a window."