A Section of Hollow Wood chapter 2

Facing this unexpected fortune, everyone’s faces turned red with excitement, and the atmosphere in the kitchen became even more lively. Tom distributed the gold bars to the other six people, three for each, and kept four for himself. Everyone agreed with this distribution. After dividing the gold bars, they began to look forward to a better future. According to the market price, one gram of gold was one hundred and fifty dollars. Each person had one thousand five hundred grams, which was equivalent to twenty – two thousand five hundred dollars, and Tom would have thirty thousand dollars. According to this calculation, everyone here would become rich.

Everyone started chatting. Jack said, “I’m going to buy a high – end mobile phone. I’ll have a Nokia in my left hand and a Motorola in my right hand…” Sam said, “Let’s go to a five – star hotel and have abalone and lobster once. That’s what it means to live a worthwhile life!” Mike pondered and said, “Yes, then I’ll install a smart prosthetic limb on my disabled son’s leg.” Dave looked longing and said, “Then I’ll give my ugly wife a plastic surgery.” Everyone was chatting and laughing happily. Only Tom hadn’t said anything. Everyone looked at him. Tom waved his hand and said, “I’ve decided to send my two kids to a private school. Let’s see who still dares to look down on us rural kids!”

Early the next morning, the group rushed outside the city, eager to exchange the gold bars for US dollars. To be cautious, they hid the rest of the gold bars and only took out one, so as not to attract too much attention.

Tom and his friends went to an old – established gold shop. They carefully took out the gold bar and asked the old goldsmith to appraise it. The old goldsmith looked at it carefully and kept saying, “Top – grade, top – grade!” Tom and his friends were overjoyed. Just as they were about to ask the old goldsmith for a good price, the old goldsmith shook his head and sighed, “What a pity, what a pity…” Tom and his friends were confused. The old goldsmith pointed to the gold bar and said, “Look, the patterns on the gold bar have been damaged by your bites. It’s not worth much now. What a pity!” Tom and his friends were even more confused. Did the gold bar become worthless just because the patterns on it were a little damaged? Wasn’t it still the same gold? The old goldsmith said, “Your gold bar is not real gold!”

“No way!” Tom showed the old goldsmith the red paper that had been with the gold bar. The old goldsmith looked at it and said, “That’s right. In the past, many families would use some gilded things or brass to make gold Buddha statues and gold bars to bless the prosperity of their families… Yours is a high – quality gilded item. I personally like to collect these things, but since the patterns on this ‘gold bar’ have been damaged by you, I can’t collect it either.”

After hearing what the old goldsmith said, Tom and his friends felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar on a hot summer day. They were extremely disappointed. Tom shouted out of control, “Do you city – dwellers get to make all the money, and our country folks’ gold is always fake? Look at the color, the weight! And the tooth marks when you bite it! Why do you say our gold is fake?”

The old goldsmith was unhappy. He gave a cold snort and said, “Not to mention this small gold bar, even the president’s seal can be made to look exactly the same! Do you think it’s real gold just because it can be bitten?”