This rough jade warehouse is not very big, only about 20 square meters. In the center of the room, there are dozens of rough jade pieces of various sizes. Around the warehouse, there is a row of iron racks more than a meter high, which are also filled with rough jade pieces. However, unlike the rough jade pieces on the ground, these rough jade pieces have been cut or had windows opened, while the rough jade pieces on the ground are almost all completely uncut rough jade pieces. Naturally, they are treated differently.
"Please feel free to look around, everyone."
Boss Yu took out several cans of drinks from the refrigerator in the corner of the room and handed them to Zhuang Rui and the others. Although his storeroom was not big, it had everything he needed, including a TV, refrigerator, and air conditioner. There was even a cot in one corner.
"Master Peng, thank you for your trouble..."
This highlights Master Peng's importance. Song Jun was a complete novice and relied entirely on Master Peng's expertise. Master Peng was a specialist in identifying rough stones and was known as the "eye" in the jade gambling industry.
Master Peng nodded reservedly, put down his drink, and headed straight for the shelf by the wall. Zhuang Rui found this a bit strange and grabbed Song Jun, who was about to follow, and asked, "Brother Song, why don't you look at these rough jade stones?"
"You think I have the same kind of luck as you and that kid Da Chuan?"
Song Jun glared at Zhuang Rui with annoyance, but knowing that Zhuang Rui was even more naive than him, he still offered to explain things to Zhuang Rui.
The reasoning is simple: although the price of fully rough jade is relatively low and the profit is high if it turns out to be green, the profit and risk are equal. Moreover, the price increase of fully rough jade is far less than that of well-performing semi-rough jade.
For Song Jun, who wanted to stockpile and resell, the natural choice would be semi-rough jadeite that had been partially exposed or had its green color revealed. Although the price was much higher than that of fully rough jadeite and the chances of losing money were also high, Song Jun did not cut the stones. He was just stockpiling them. As long as the jadeite market continued to rise, he would make a steady profit.
Seeing Zhuang Rui's eyes constantly scanning the rough stones on the ground, Song Jun frowned and said to Zhuang Rui, "Brother, if you want to cut stones, you'd better look at the semi-rough stones instead. That way, the risk will be much lower."
To be honest, Song Jun was really good to Zhuang Rui. There were only so many rough stones available for a half-gamble, and the best ones were probably only a few pieces. The fact that he said that meant he was willing to give way to Zhuang Rui.
Chapter 180 Heirloom Raw Materials
Zhuang Rui's arm was being pulled by Song Jun. He reluctantly walked towards the place where Master Peng was looking at rough stones, feeling a lot of resentment in his heart. He came here specifically to gamble on rough stones, why was he looking at semi-gambled stones? However, Song Jun meant well, so Zhuang Rui could only look at the semi-gambled rough stones first.
Master Peng was clearly very knowledgeable about gambling on stones in Pingzhou. He already had a full set of tools at hand, especially the thick flashlight that was as big as a child's arm. Its brightness was dozens of times stronger than the dim light bulb in the warehouse, illuminating the entire warehouse.
Mr. Yu smiled and didn't stop them. He offered cigarettes to the group and started smoking. The rules for looking at stones were passed down from the elders: look at the stones later in the day, not earlier. In the past, when gambling on stones, they would light a candle and hold it in their hand for you to see. It was common for people to burn their hair while trying to remove the candle. Now, they use a small light bulb of about ten watts, which is already very generous. However, if the guests bring their own tools, the host cannot interfere.
“Mr. Song, all of my raw materials are transported from the Mogalong and Chiao Ou mining areas in Pagoda. There are very few places in Ping Chau that can get raw materials directly from there.”
Boss Yu stood by, chattering away as he introduced the raw materials on the shelf to Song Jun.
In recent years, the Myanmar government has imposed extremely strict restrictions on the export of jadeite raw materials. However, due to the fragmentation of Myanmar into various warlord regions and the uneven strength of various armed forces, most jadeite mines are jointly owned by the military and large local Myanmar merchants. If some domestic raw material merchants with connections can afford to pay the toll fees, they can also smuggle some old mine raw materials out through various channels.
“Boss Yu, most of the rough stones from the Pak Kong factory are low to medium grade. Why go through all this trouble? You might as well get the better quality stones from the Lei Da or Mo Gang factories, where they produce high-quality green jadeite.”
Song Jun and Zhuang Rui didn't understand these old Burmese jade mines, but Master Peng clearly knew them inside and out. One sentence left Boss Yu speechless. After a long while, Boss Yu said with a bitter face, "This master is really an expert. He even knows so much about the mines in Burma. But as you know, the Mogang mine has been mined for over 200 years, and the Leida mine is almost exhausted. Both of these mines are controlled by big jade merchants in Burma. How can we have those connections? Although the Hpakant mine doesn't produce much high-green jade, it has always been a major player in the domestic jade market."
Master Peng nodded upon hearing this and said, "What you said is true. But the price difference is quite significant."
"Please take a look first, and we can talk after you've made your decision..."
Boss Yu's old face was wrinkled like a chrysanthemum, as if he had suffered a great injustice.
Zhuang Rui secretly praised the jade expert that Song Jun had found. He was indeed skilled. If it were someone with a good eye but who didn't know much about the origin of jade, they might have been fooled by this Boss Yu. You know, even though they are all old mine jadeite rough stones, their prices are very different.
"Brother Song, take your time looking around. I'd rather go look at the rough stones. They're cheaper there, and I can cut a few more pieces. Our villa project depends entirely on these broken stones."
Zhuang Rui followed behind Song Jun, growing rather impatient. He had examined several semi-rough stones; although some had decent openings, the jade inside was truly appalling—low in quantity and poor in quality. Judging from Boss Yu's anxious expression, the price was unlikely to be low. Zhuang Rui had absolutely no interest in these semi-rough stones.
"You've got a real gambling streak, kid. Whatever, don't blame me if you lose."
The money belongs to Zhuang Rui, and Song Jun can't stop him from spending it however he wants. Seeing that Zhuang Rui was determined to see all the rough stones, Song Jun waved his hand helplessly.
"Young people are energetic and have a lot of firepower. Who knows, they might just find some top-quality jadeite. Young man, all of these are rough stones that are completely unworked. Don't worry, the price is absolutely fair."
Song Jun spoke quite loudly, and Boss Yu heard him clearly. He quickly introduced Zhuang Rui to him, thinking that Zhuang Rui, an outsider, was obviously easier to fool.
It's true that these jadeite rough stones from old mines belong to Boss Yu. However, the best-looking rough stones have all been stored in another warehouse in preparation for the jadeite gambling convention that opens the day after tomorrow. As for these rough stones, although there are a few that look good, they are just for Boss Yu to fish for. He's not refusing to sell them, but the price will not be lower than the transaction price at the jadeite gambling convention.
As for these rough stones, some are good and some are bad, but there are more useless ones. There are even many stones that experts would consider worthless mixed in. Some of them were stones he had kept from before and couldn't bear to throw away, while others were mixed in with the goods he brought in from Myanmar this time. In short, Boss Yu didn't care much about these rough stones. Since Zhuang Rui wanted to see them, he introduced them with the mindset of selling one stone if he could.
Zhuang Rui's Grand Cherokee also had a flashlight and a magnifying glass in it. He had taken them with him when he got out of the car, and now he could use them to pretend to look at them. He turned on the flashlight, squatted down, and began to examine them in a serious manner.
The rough stones on the ground vary in size, ranging from fist-sized stones weighing a few kilograms to stones weighing hundreds of kilograms and the size of an adult. However, the outer skin is similar, mainly gray-white and yellow, which is typical of rough stones from the Hpakant mine.
"The saying 'one cut makes you poor, one cut makes you rich' is all bullshit here. With these rough stones, every cut will make you poor..."
Zhuang Rui squatted on the ground for more than half an hour, cursing inwardly. Everyone said that Pingzhou was a paradise for gambling on stones. He had looked at more than twenty rough stones, and only a few of them contained jadeite. However, the quantity and quality of the jadeite were appalling. If he cut them, he would definitely lose money.
Standing up, Zhuang Rui stretched his limbs, only to see that Song Jun had already selected seven or eight rough stones of varying sizes, piled them together, and were waiting for Master Peng to finish selecting them all so they could discuss the price.
"Hey buddy, have a smoke."
Boss Yu suddenly appeared out of nowhere. His thin body looked like a ghost in the dim light, which startled Zhuang Rui.
"So, is there anything you like? It's your first time here, let's be friends, I can give you a discount."
Boss Yu lit a cigarette for Zhuang Rui with a grin. His feigned generosity made Zhuang Rui feel disgusted. They were both in the raw material business, but this boss wasn't as well-liked as the young man from Nanjing.
"Hehe, I'm just an amateur. I'm here with Brother Song to broaden my horizons. Boss Yu, you take care of things over there. I'll look around by myself."
Zhuang Rui's words disappointed Boss Yu, who then turned and walked over to Song Jun and the others.
Zhuang Rui continued to squat down and examine the rough stones. He was unwilling to leave empty-handed. Even if none of the rough stones contained good jadeite, he could at least gain some experience in observing rough stones and find some clues.
However, Zhuang Rui was soon disappointed. As the saying goes, "Even immortals cannot judge the quality of jade," and this is absolutely true. Zhuang Rui saw several pieces with pine-flower and python patterns on the outer skin, and the weathered surface was yellowish in color. They were very pure Hpakant rough jade. However, upon closer inspection, he found that apart from white cotton-like and misty crystals, the inside was empty, without a trace of jade.
The rough stone Zhuang Rui was currently examining was rather strange. It was also from Hpakant, but its outer skin was only average; the grayish-white surface was pitted and uneven, and the entire stone was oval-shaped. It weighed approximately thirty to forty pounds.
What makes it strange is that Zhuang Rui discovered that less than three inches below the outer layer of the rough stone, the green color appeared, and it was a high-quality green with a very vibrant color. Furthermore, there was no asbestos present next to that layer of green, and the area covered was almost half the size of the rough stone.
Generally speaking, such rough stones have a very high probability of yielding top-quality pieces. If Boss Yu were to polish this rough stone and open up the window to reveal even a hint of green, this rough stone could sell for at least five million.
But as Zhuang Rui looked further inside, he was both amused and exasperated. Beneath the layer of jadeite, all that remained was a pure white expanse. Even after seeing through the stone, there was no trace of jadeite. In other words, apart from a very thin layer of decent-quality jadeite covering the outer skin about three inches deep, the rough stone was utterly worthless.
Looking at the rough stone, Zhuang Rui's heart stirred. If he polished it in a crowded place to bring out its green color, someone would probably want it. As for whether others would make a profit or a loss, that was not Zhuang Rui's concern. With that thought, Zhuang Rui bent down and laboriously carried the rough stone out.
As soon as Boss Yu looked up, he saw Zhuang Rui struggling to carry the rough stone to the door. He couldn't help but laugh and say, "Hey, young man, if you like it, just remember which stone it is. You don't need to carry it out. You can just push it out in a cart later."
"Hehe, it's alright, we've already carried it out, it's not that heavy."
Zhuang Rui is lying through his teeth. He was sweating profusely in this air-conditioned warehouse, and it wasn't even that heavy.
"Hey, Mr. Yu, is this stone also a rough jadeite?"
When Zhuang Rui put down the piece of raw jade in his arms, he noticed that one of the legs extending to the support frame next to the iron gate was much shorter than the rest. Under that short leg was a square stone, about 40 centimeters thick and 60 centimeters wide.
Upon hearing the sound, Boss Yu walked over. After seeing the stone Zhuang Rui was pointing to, his eyes darted around and he said, "Of course it's a rough stone. This is a rough stone from the old mine pit in Damukan, Myanmar. It's been passed down in my family for two generations, and we've kept it as a keepsake."
Chapter 181 Red Jade and Green Jade
"What's up, young man? Got your eye on that rough jade?"
A sly glint appeared in Boss Yu's small eyes.
"No, since this piece of raw jade is a family heirloom of Mr. Yu, it's best to leave it there."
Although the warehouse was dimly lit, Zhuang Rui did not miss the expression in Boss Yu's eyes. "Damn it, it's hereditary. It's probably just something someone else picked up and couldn't bear to throw away." Zhuang Rui didn't actually use his spiritual energy to examine the rough stone. After hearing what Boss Yu said, he lost even more interest.
"Hehe, out with the old, in with the new, right? If you're interested, young man, why don't you take a look first? I'll be a spendthrift for once."
This Boss Yu has an exceptionally thick skin; he said these words without batting an eye.
"Forget it, that stone is more like a latrine pad than a jadeite rough. By the way, Mr. Yu, what's the price of this rough stone I picked out?"
Zhuang Rui ignored the boss's words, calling him a worthless stone used as a stepping stone. He thought he could sell it for money? He'd never seen such a shrewd businessman.
Upon hearing this, Boss Yu glanced at the rough jade stone Zhuang Rui had picked out and muttered, "Young man, you have a good eye! The outer skin of this rough stone is quite impressive. Don't be fooled by the rough surface; there are subtle signs of pine flower hidden in this grayish-white area. If you rub it, you might find some green jade..."
"Stop, stop, Mr. Yu. If you're going to talk like that, I won't even ask about the price of this rough stone. You can keep it and polish it yourself. This stone is so bad, yet you call it full of pine flower and python patterns. Do you really think I don't know anything about jade?"
Before the boss could finish speaking, Zhuang Rui was already furious. The surface of this rough stone was grayish-white with a slight yellow tinge, which only proved that it came from the old mine in Hpakant. But from any angle, it didn't seem to be of good quality. If the white color could seep into the stone and produce white cotton, then it might be possible to find jadeite, but the quality of such jadeite wouldn't be very high.
However, the white color with a yellowish tinge makes it virtually impossible for white cotton to appear, and there's not a trace of pine flower pattern. And this Boss Yu's empty talk, full of flowery rhetoric, how could Zhuang Rui not be angry? Besides, the layer of jadeite inside this rough stone is only good for fooling people when polishing the stone; it's practically worthless, so Zhuang Rui doesn't care whether he buys it or not.
"Hey young man, we haven't even discussed the price yet. If you don't think it's right, we can discuss it further."
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Boss Yu knew that this young man was not someone who could be easily fooled. So he stopped promoting that piece of jade as a gamble. The two types of people you should avoid in business are those who are particularly knowledgeable and have strong professional knowledge. It's best to tell the truth to these kinds of people and not try to deceive them.
Another type of person is completely clueless. No matter how eloquently you speak, even if you spit your fill of words, they won't buy it. They'll start haggling and completely disregard the rules, leaving you speechless. Boss Yu is most afraid of Zhuang Rui being this type of person.
"Let's wait until Brother Song and the others have made their choices, then we'll look at them together..."
Zhuang Rui was too lazy to negotiate the price with this unscrupulous merchant anymore. Although Master Peng's ability to assess raw materials was not as good as his own, his understanding of the prices of these raw materials was far superior. He would let him see how much they were worth later.
"Okay, we'll do as you say, young man."
Boss Yu was very agreeable this time. He and Zhuang Rui had the same idea. Master Peng came with you. Once he sets a price, this young man in front of you shouldn't try to haggle.
"Boss Yu is from Henan, right? His accent hasn't changed; it's somewhat similar to the accent from my hometown..."
Zhuang Rui asked casually, seemingly without thinking, and spoke in the Pengcheng dialect. Pengcheng borders provinces such as Henan, Shandong, and Anhui, and the accents are quite similar.
"Oh? Young man, are you from Henan? You're right, I'm from Henan. I came to Guangdong in the early 1990s to make my way in the world, and more than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's familiar accent, Boss Yu stopped trying to speak Mandarin and started speaking Henan dialect with Zhuang Rui.
"Boss Yu is really amazing. In just over ten years, he has built such a large business. Has he not been back to his hometown in Henan all these years?"
Zhuang Rui continued to steer the conversation further.
"Why didn't he go back? The old man is still in the countryside in Henan, where he likes to grow vegetables and raise chickens. He absolutely refuses to come here, saying that the people here speak gibberish. The old man is getting old, and I have to go back to visit him every year now..."
It was a rare treat to meet someone from the same hometown, so Boss Yu started chatting away with Zhuang Rui.
"Oh... so the old man is also in the raw material business. It's been passed down for two generations."
Zhuang Rui drawled out his words, looking at the rough stone under the shelf, with a knowing look on his face. He didn't actually want the rough stone, but he couldn't stand the boss's habit of talking nonsense.
"Hehe, young man, you're quite the joker. This is just business jargon. That piece of rough jade really did come from the old mine pit at Mukan Factory. It's been here with me for seven or eight years. If you're interested, the price is negotiable. Take a look first, and I'll go and call Boss Song."
Boss Yu chuckled, his face showing no sign of embarrassment at being exposed. However, he sensed that Zhuang Rui was quite shrewd, having quietly set a trap for him. Therefore, he dared not say any more to Zhuang Rui, apologized, and then went to distribute cigarettes to the Song army.
Zhuang Rui had examined all the rough stones on the ground. Although some contained jadeite, the quality was only average. Moreover, the outer skin of those stones looked quite good, so he figured the unscrupulous boss would ask for a high price. Therefore, Zhuang Rui didn't bother picking out those stones. As for the semi-rough stones, he had no interest in them at all, so he simply sat down on the rough stone he had just picked up and started smoking.
Zhuang Rui sat facing the rough jade stone that was being used as a support. In the dim light, and with the smoke swirling around, the stone became even more difficult to see. Out of boredom, Zhuang Rui released his spiritual energy to see what was inside this so-called old mine jade stone.
The appearance of this rough stone is extremely inconspicuous. The entire stone is a brownish-red color. Perhaps due to the long time that has passed, the brown color has turned somewhat black. The surface of the stone has no features whatsoever. There is not a trace of pine flower or python pattern, and it does not show at all that this is a jadeite rough stone.
After Zhuang Rui's eyes peered through the stone, he discovered that beneath the dark brown surface, there were some translucent and slightly transparent white spots that formed strips that enveloped the entire stone, extending inwards like silk threads.
"White cotton?"
Zhuang Rui was somewhat surprised that such a stone actually contained white cotton. As everyone knows, white cotton in jadeite is mostly caused by uneven color distribution within the jadeite itself. In other words, most rough stones with white cotton will contain jadeite, regardless of its quality.
This discovery piqued Zhuang Rui's interest in the rough stone, and he immediately focused his attention to examine it further. Instead of trying to see through the stone all at once, he proceeded layer by layer, like rubbing a stone. This not only allowed him to understand the structure inside the rough stone but also increased the enjoyment of his treasure hunt.