This chapter opens with a description of the zig-ang jade pendant that Guobin is selling at his shop. The pendant is made of tiny jade pieces, which are shaped like guanyins and buddhas, respectively, and are adorned with a number of auspicious symbols. The jade pendant is valued at a million Yuan, or about a hundred thousand dollars. The shop owner, Mr. Ming, asks how much he thinks the pendant is worth, and the jade merchant replies that he thinks it is worth perhaps less than a hundred for "amateurs" . He then leaves the shop to sell a few stones to the shop owner. The two men discuss the quality of the stones they have seen so far, and they decide that the first stone is not good enough, and that they will meet another stone soon if it is meant to be. They decide that they need to split the stone into smaller pieces, so that they can sell it quickly. The owner of the shop asks if someone is cutting the stone ahead of him, and when the owner says that he is, the two men head over to the other side of the stone to check it out. They find that the owner has cut the stone along the line he has laid out, but that just a small amount remains. The old man says that it is alright, but he is not very fortunate. He asks if the owner is an "excellent thinker," and the old man replies that the man is not an excellent thinker. The man then asks if there is anything in the stone, and he says that there is nothing, but if the man had cut it to the left side, there