"Morning." On the playground of Princeton University, Jake once again saw Wendy and habitually greeted her.
"Morning." Wendy's reply was just one word, and she didn't show any intention of stopping.
"Why does it feel like her tone is even colder than before?" Jake muttered to himself.
Initially, Jake thought that after yesterday's incident, his relationship with Wendy would become slightly closer. But he didn't expect Wendy to remain just as cold, if not more distant in her tone.
Perplexed, Jake didn't feel comfortable approaching her to ask. He decided to continue warming up and exercising as usual. Wendy, seeing that Jake didn't show any intention of catching up to her, seemed to have an even colder expression on her face.
Throughout the exercise session, Jake and Wendy didn't have any further interaction. After leaving Princeton University, instead of heading directly to the timber market, Jake took a taxi to the outskirts. He got off at a secluded spot and waited for the driver to leave before taking out the processed wood from his backpack. Then, Jake called a truck rental company, informing them that he had a batch of wood to transport and requested their service.
"Once I have enough money, I should rent a warehouse myself," Jake said to himself as he ended the call, looking at the desolate surroundings.
In the future, Jake would definitely sell wood, as well as vegetables, fruits, and more. Not having a warehouse would be inconvenient. The truck arrived quickly, without making Jake wait for long. He then followed the truck driver to the timber market. When they arrived, Jake noticed that the beautiful girl Amy he saw yesterday was already waiting in the store.
"Mr. Jake, you're here." Seeing Jake getting off the vehicle, Amy hurriedly greeted him, but her gaze fell upon the truck's cargo area.
"Boss, I've brought the wood. Please arrange for someone to appraise it," Jake said to Amy.
"Okay." Amy's attention was already on the wood, and upon hearing Jake's words, she didn't waste any time, promptly instructing a middle-aged man behind her to inspect the authenticity and quality of the wood inside the truck. Since purple sandalwood was expensive and popular, the market was never short of counterfeit goods. Therefore, the appraisal was definitely necessary before any transaction could take place.
"Mr. Jake, please come inside and have a cup of tea," Amy said to Jake. Jake nodded; the appraisal would take some time, and he couldn't just stand here.
"How much did you bring this time, Mr. Jake?" Amy asked casually as she poured tea for Jake.
"I'm not sure," Jake replied. "I didn't weigh it before transportation."
In reality, although this purple sandalwood was considered valuable by others, even if the weight differed by several tens of kilograms, it would still be worth a significant amount of money. However, because there were many of them in the forest of the back mountain in that small village, Jake didn't really care about the exact weight.
Hearing Jake's words, Amy wasn't sure if Jake was being carefree or if he genuinely didn't consider these few pieces of purple sandalwood important. If it was the former, it didn't matter much, as she had no intention of taking advantage of Jake. But if it was the latter, she thought it was necessary to build a good relationship with him. Disregarding purple sandalwood like that clearly wasn't something an ordinary person would do.
The person Amy had brought for the appraisal clearly had a lot of experience in assessing wood quality. Before Jake finished his cup of tea, the person had already completed the appraisal.
"Boss Amy, the wood in the truck is indeed purple sandalwood, and it's of excellent quality. It has high density and a good texture, belonging to the top-grade category," the middle-aged man reported. Then he added with a sigh, "It's been a while since I've seen such high-quality purple sandalwood in the market."
Amy was slightly surprised. She didn't expect the middle-aged man to give such a high appraisal for the wood Jake brought. It was important to note that Amy had brought in a highly experienced and knowledgeable expert in the field to assist her with the appraisal. The expert had seen countless precious woods before, but Amy never anticipated such a high evaluation for Jake's wood.
It appeared that Jake had indeed brought in top-grade wood. While Amy felt excited about this, she also had some concerns. Initially, Amy believed that even if the wood Jake transported was genuine sandalwood, the quality wouldn't be too high. After all, sandalwood was rare, and top-grade sandalwood was even rarer. Jake seemed like a newcomer to the industry, and it was unlikely that he would acquire top-grade sandalwood. However, regardless of whether it was top-grade or not, as long as it was sandalwood, Amy was interested.
The current result was beyond Amy's expectations. Jake not only brought genuine sandalwood but also top-grade quality. Having top-grade sandalwood was excellent, as the furniture and crafts made from such wood would easily sell. However, Amy worried that her offer might not satisfy Jake since it was top-grade, potentially causing the deal to fall through.
After bidding farewell to the appraiser, Amy carefully considered the situation before speaking to Jake, "Mr. Jake, you're truly remarkable to acquire top-grade sandalwood. This kind of quality wood is not easily obtained by ordinary people."
"Amy, you're too kind," Jake replied modestly. "It's just good luck on my part; it doesn't really reflect any skill."
Jake was telling the truth. He didn't expect to stumble upon such a treasure trove in the back mountain he contracted. Not only did he find sandalwood, but the quality was also exceptional. It was truly a stroke of luck, and it had nothing to do with his abilities.
At the same time, Jake's impression of Amy improved. In his eyes, Amy could have easily had the appraiser privately inform her of the results instead of letting him know. Then she could have deceived him about the quality. However, deception would certainly not work. His Appraisal skill and advanced woodcutting abilities made his knowledge of trees even superior to those so-called appraisers.
However, Amy wasn't aware of Jake's abilities. So, letting the appraiser announce the results publicly, Jake believed that Amy was an honest and trustworthy person. Such people were worthy of trust.
In reality, Amy didn't ask the appraiser to privately inform her of the results. She assumed that since Jake was selling such precious sandalwood, he must have had it appraised before delivering it. There was no need for her to hide the appraisal results, as it would only upset Jake.
Upon hearing Jake's words, Amy thought he was being modest. Acquiring genuine sandalwood, especially top-grade sandalwood, was a symbol of strength in the industry. It couldn't be achieved solely by good luck.