Zhuang Rui was also curious about the contents of this enormous rough stone. After speaking, he squatted down and looked at the opening, his eyes filled with spiritual energy.
Chapter 214 The Mark Rises, the Winds of Change Stir (3)
Zhuang Rui had used his spiritual energy to see through objects. He had done this hundreds of times and was very familiar with it, but this time, after the spiritual energy peeled away the outer layer of the raw stone, the scene inside astonished him.
More than ten centimeters below the surface, what appeared before Zhuang Rui's eyes was like a starry sky. In the transparent night sky, the twinkling lights of countless stars pierced through countless clouds and entered Zhuang Rui's eyes.
"This...this is all jade? How is this possible?"
Others only saw Zhuang Rui squatting there looking at the polishing of the raw material, but they didn't know the shock in Zhuang Rui's heart at that moment.
The largest piece of jadeite that Zhuang Rui had ever seen was the one that was cut open yesterday. However, the jadeite in this giant rough stone in front of him was dozens of times larger than the dry green jadeite from yesterday, and its texture and clarity were also much better.
"It must be icy jadeite!"
In Zhuang Rui's eyes, the jadeite inside the rough stones was so pure and translucent, with an extremely fine texture, that he judged it to be of superior quality, even if it didn't reach the highest grade of icy jadeite.
The only pity is that this piece of rough jade actually contains two colors, namely sky blue and light green. Moreover, these two colors are like scattered flowers, not concentrated, and distributed in two areas of the rough jade. That's why Zhuang Rui had the feeling of being in the starry sky when he first looked at it.
"Icy jadeite with floating patterns?"
A term popped into Zhuang Rui's mind. He had heard it a few days ago when he was cramming on jadeite knowledge with Grandpa Gu. Zhuang Rui had only seen one actual piece from Grandpa Gu and knew that this kind of floating flower jadeite had become very popular with consumers in recent years, especially icy jadeite bracelets and pendants, which were quite valuable.
Icy jadeite with floating flowers refers to jadeite with blue or green flowers floating on its icy texture. These flowers are usually scattered in the form of fine threads or clumps of grass. Their shapes vary, and their prices also vary.
Jadeite with floating flowers that doesn't reach the icy grade belongs only to the category of low-grade jadeite and is extremely cheap. However, icy jadeite with floating flowers that has high transparency and good carving can be ranked among the mid-to-high-grade jadeite jewelry.
Zhuang Rui knew that jadeite with floating patterns required extremely high craftsmanship because the color of the floating patterns was not unique. The shapes were also diverse, including dots, stripes, clumps of grass, and flakes. The location of these floating patterns greatly influenced the value of the carved ornament.
For example, the old master has a Buddha with floating flowers and a large belly. According to him, this is called "floating flowers and floating belly". The Buddha's belly is full and protruding, and it has floating colors. The texture is clear and bright. If it were sold on the market, it would be worth at least 200,000 to 300,000 RMB.
Of course, if the floating flowers are placed in an inappropriate position, such as on the Buddha's head or face, it will greatly affect the aesthetics and significantly reduce the value.
In today's jade market, the "Floating Flower" Guanyin pendant is also very popular among consumers. The old man always carries a photo of himself wearing a "Floating Flower" Guanyin pendant. Just from the photo, Zhuang Rui could feel that the delicate floating flowers on Guanyin's body gave her an ethereal and exquisite appearance.
In recent years, the jade market has continued to heat up, and the price of icy jade with floating flowers has also been rising all the way. In particular, the price of good icy jade with floating flowers bracelets is at least 50,000 yuan. Many merchants sell green jade as icy jade with floating flowers, but there are still big differences between the two. Green jade material is generally very dry and does not have the roundness and beauty of icy jade with floating flowers. It can only fool some consumers who do not know much about jade.
This enormous rough stone can yield at least hundreds of kilograms of floating flower jadeite. Moreover, except for the part near the outer skin, most of it is high-grade icy jadeite. Zhuang Rui roughly estimated that the jadeite in this rough stone, if carved into jewelry, could be worth hundreds of millions. Even just the material itself would be worth at least fifty million.
This discovery made Zhuang Rui's heart race. To say he wasn't tempted would be a lie, but thinking about his available funds, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but feel discouraged. All he had, added up, was just over forty million; the chances of winning this rough stone were slim.
That said, Zhuang Rui has been in the limelight these past few days, so even if he wins the bid, he wouldn't dare to cut the stone on-site, as the sales channels would also be a problem.
However, Zhuang Rui was unwilling to give up. His mind was in a mess for a moment, and he stared at the rough stone as if in a daze.
Zhuang Rui had been examining the jade for quite some time, and Fatty Ma was getting impatient. Seeing Zhuang Rui still staring intently at the rough stone after standing up, he couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zhuang, have you figured out anything about it?"
"No, I can't understand this rough stone. Just like what that guy said, there's definitely jade inside, but nobody knows the grade or the quantity. If it's icy jade, but the base color is a bit off and the quantity is a bit small, it probably won't even be worth the starting price. If it's high-quality glassy green, the chances are too small. You all know that big stones don't always produce good jade."
After being startled awake by Fatty Ma, Zhuang Rui shook his head repeatedly, looking rather pessimistic about the rough stone. He was simply repeating what Old Master Gu had said.
Zhuang Rui's words resonated with the onlookers, who nodded in agreement and their impression of him improved slightly: this young man does have some real skills, and he's not just relying on luck.
"It's similar to what I saw. These large rough stones must be cut open and sold separately. Judging from just this small opening, it can't even be considered a semi-gambling rough stone. The gambling element is just too great."
At some point, Song Jun and Master Peng also wandered over here. After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Master Peng also shared his opinion.
"Alright, gentlemen, Mr. Hua, you take your time looking around. I can't afford to play with this stone. I'll go check out the other bids first..."
Unable to obtain it either way, Zhuang Rui cupped his hands in greeting to the group, turned around, and prepared to leave. The feeling of seeing something but not being able to have it was truly unpleasant, so he decided to stay far away and avoid seeing it altogether.
"Hey, Brother Zhuang, wait for me! I haven't looked at a single rough stone today. Could you help me take a look and pick one out?"
Seeing Zhuang Rui turn and walk out of the crowd, Fatty Ma, for some unknown reason, followed closely behind.
Seeing Fatty Ma catching up, panting heavily, Zhuang Rui said with a wry smile, "Brother Ma, didn't we already say that my intuition isn't very accurate? You can't expect me to just point to a random spot for you, can you?"
"Hehe, let's not talk about that. It's almost noon, let's go eat first."
Fatty Ma pulled Zhuang Rui along, then turned to him and said, "Yanzi, I have some things to discuss with Brother Zhuang at noon. You should go back to the hotel first, and I'll call you this afternoon."
Yanzi obediently agreed. Then she handed her handbag to Fatty Ma, who casually pulled out a card from it and gave it to Yanzi, saying, "You know the password. If you don't want to go back to the hotel, go shopping and buy whatever you want."
After Yanzi turned and left, Zhuang Rui said to Fatty Ma, "Brother Ma, what's all this secret? Let me make it clear, Brother Zhou is one of us, I don't hide anything from him."
Of course, the matter of the spiritual energy in his eyes had to be kept secret. Not only Zhou Rui, but Zhuang Rui had never even intended to reveal this to his mother.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Rui glanced at Zhuang Rui, a hint of gratitude flashing in his eyes, but he remained silent, still looking around warily.
"Nonsense, Brother Zhou is an old friend, how could I avoid him? The main reason for letting Yanzi leave is that we men are talking, and it's annoying to have a woman around."
Fatty Ma was better at handling people than Zhuang Rui, and his words made Zhou Rui feel quite comfortable.
"Brother Ma, let's transfer again. It's not even 11 o'clock yet, and we haven't digested what we ate this morning."
Zhuang Rui wanted to look at more bids. If he could find another rough stone like the one Lei Lei had encountered, he would bid for it. He wouldn't cut the stone now; he could keep it at home and slowly cut it when he had nothing else to do.
"Alright, let's bet big. What's the point of looking at those junk? Let's go, let's go..."
Fatty Ma seemed impatient, pulling Zhuang Rui away from the sealed bidding area. ...
Guangdong has a lot of hotels, and there are several decent hotels around this jade gambling venue. The group booked a private room, and after Fatty Ma sent the waiter away, Zhuang Rui asked, "Brother Ma, what's going on? You can tell me now, right?"
Fatty Ma had been acting all mysterious along the way, which made Zhuang Rui a little uneasy. Could this fatso have figured something out?
Fatty Ma stared intently at Zhuang Rui and said, "Brother Zhuang, what do you think of that giant rough jade we saw today? I'm thinking of taking a gamble, give me your opinion..."
"Brother Ma, didn't I already tell you? The risk of buying rough stones is too high. You're planning to stockpile them, but you don't know how to cut them, so it's not worth it. You might as well find a piece..."
Zhuang Rui stuck to his previous statement.
"Brother, don't give me any of that fluff. I'll just ask you something honest: what do you think of this rough jade?"
Before Zhuang Rui could finish speaking, Fatty Ma interrupted him, indicating that Fatty Ma had never believed Zhuang Rui's words at the meeting.
"It's possible to gamble, but there are too many spectators. The winning bid would probably be astronomical. I can't afford to gamble, that's why I said that."
Zhuang Rui simply told the truth to someone like Fatty Ma, but he naturally wouldn't say how he figured it out, and Fatty Ma wouldn't ask.
"If you can't play alone, we can play together..."
Fatty Ma's words jolted Zhuang Rui awake. Yes, he was short of money, but wasn't there a rich man sitting right next to him?
P.S.: The chapters on jade gambling were enjoyable for readers, but writing them was very tiring. Most of the previous books on antiques were about jade gambling, but this one isn't. So, to write it well, I had to come up with some different plot ideas.
Chapter 215 The Mark Rises, the Winds of Change Stir (4)
In Guangdong, especially in the Chaoshan region of Jieyang, there is a well-established and historically significant jade gambling destination. In recent years, it has developed rapidly, especially Yangmei Village in Jieyang, which is known as the "Jade Capital of Asia" and has experienced remarkable growth.
In the Yangmei area of Chaoshan, almost every family gambles on stones. Most people who gamble on stones pool their money with relatives and friends, and then use this money to gamble on and cut stones. If they win, they split the profits according to their share. If they lose, they go their separate ways and each bears the risk.
This practice is similar to the real estate speculation of Wenzhou people. They flock to a city, drive up housing prices, and then sell the properties to profit from the price difference. The surge in jadeite rough prices in recent years owes much to the Chaoshan jade gambling groups.
However, gambling on jade is riskier, with both winning and losing being common occurrences. This necessitates that those forming a group to gamble on jade be relatively familiar with each other to avoid conflicts. Generally, it's a group formed by members of a family, and they rarely team up with outsiders.
Zhuang Rui knew about these things. For example, Yang Hao, whom he knew, came from a family that made their fortune through gambling on stones. Now that they've switched to the rough stone business, they're practically guaranteed to make a profit. But deep down, they probably couldn't stand the thrill of going from heaven to hell with a single cut.
However, Zhuang Rui never considered teaming up with others to gamble on stones. Firstly, he couldn't openly discuss his own abilities, and secondly, the allocation of gambling funds and the profit sharing had to be agreed upon beforehand. It was impossible to cooperate with people he wasn't very familiar with.
After hearing Fatty Ma's suggestion, Zhuang Rui thought about it seriously for a moment and said, "Brother Ma, are you really that optimistic about that piece of rough jade? You know, I only felt that the rough jade was worth gambling on because of the way the moss was seeping into it, but nobody knows the real situation inside. What if we lose money on this gamble?"
Fatty Ma waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Brother, you're wrong. I'm not optimistic about that rough stone; I'm optimistic about you. As long as you think it's worth the gamble, let's gamble. Although we're from Shanxi, we're not stingy. I, Old Ma, can still come up with tens of millions. It just depends on whether you dare to gamble, brother."
Fatty Ma's words put Zhuang Rui in a dilemma. This piece of rough jade did indeed tempt him. According to Zhuang Rui's estimation, although many people had seen this piece of rough jade, not many had the capital to bid for it. Moreover, this piece of rough jade was too risky, and others might not necessarily put up an astronomical bid. He should be able to acquire it with a bid of 50 million.
There's no need to hoard this enormous rough jade. If I win the bid, I'll definitely have to cut it open on the spot. Given the current state of the domestic jade market, selling it for 70 or 80 million shouldn't be a problem, and it might even go higher. But if I do that, I'll be thrust into the spotlight again.
If he really wins the bid for 50 million, he can probably make a profit of around 30 million. If he splits it with Fatty Ma, that's 15 million. It would be a lie to say he's not tempted. However, the aftermath is giving Zhuang Rui a headache. Putting aside everything else, the Song army will definitely come to demand an explanation.
"Right, let's just bring the Song army in."
Zhuang Rui suddenly had an idea: let Song Jun and Fatty Ma bid for the rough stone, and the three of them could split the money. Fifteen million and ten million, the difference wasn't that big. These days, trying to eat alone can easily lead to disaster.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Rui said to Fatty Ma, "Brother Ma, I've been thinking about it. It's a bit risky for just the two of us to gamble on this rough jade. According to my reasoning, the final bid price for this rough jade might not be less than 50 million RMB. That means we each have to put up 25 million. For you, that's nothing, but I can't afford it. If we lose, I'll be bankrupt. How about this? Let's bring Brother Song in too. The three of us can share the risk. It's better than just the two of us, right?"
Upon hearing this, Fatty Ma lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Brother, I can't understand what's inside that rough stone, but when it comes to understanding people's psychology, you're far inferior to me."
Although many people have seen this rough stone, I can guarantee that the final winning bid will not exceed 40 million. Mr. Hua, whom we just met, will only bid up to 28 million at most. He won't bid more than that. As for others, I estimate they will be about the same. Therefore, we don't need to bid as high as 50 million.
"But since you've suggested that Boss Song join us, it would be dishonest of me, Old Ma, to refuse. Alright, I agree. Give him a call first; if he's interested, let him come by himself. You don't need to bring that jade expert. You don't want word to get out, right?"
Fatty Ma had seen through Zhuang Rui's thoughts, knowing he didn't want to be in the public eye. Fatty Ma's intuition was frighteningly sharp; he could sense the degree of someone's affection for something. Even the change in Zhuang Rui's expression when he saw the jade inside the rough stone at the event—the shock he felt—didn't escape Fatty Ma's notice.
Of course, Fatty Ma only thought that Zhuang Rui was just like him, with a particularly keen sense of things. He would never have imagined that Zhuang Rui was looking at the jadeite rough stones with his eyes, and that all the jadeite rough stones were completely unguarded in his eyes.
"Brother Song, are you still at the venue? There's something I need to discuss with you. Come to the XXX Hotel by yourself, don't bring anyone with you."
Zhuang Rui had already dialed Song Jun's number. Song Jun was a shrewd man. After hearing what Zhuang Rui said, he made an excuse to let Master Peng stay at the jade gambling venue, and then took a taxi over.
"Old Ma, it really was you who lured Zhuang Rui away. I couldn't find the kid in the blink of an eye. Tell me, what good thing do you want to do for me?"
Less than ten minutes later, Song Jun arrived and was not surprised to see Zhuang Rui with Fatty Ma.
Zhuang Rui briefly explained the matter to Song Jun. Of course, regarding the rough stone, Zhuang Rui only said that he felt it was good. As for whether Song Jun believed him or not, Zhuang Rui didn't care. Anyway, he had already said it, and whether or not Song Jun joined in was his business.
After listening, Song Jun considered for a moment and said, "I was also interested in this bid. In my opinion, I should be able to get it for around 30 million. However, if the two of you team up, I'll definitely suffer a loss. Alright, brother, I haven't been ungrateful for you. You even thought of me in this matter. Count me in. Let's talk about the specifics..."
Now that Song Jun had decided to join, the group began to discuss the details. At this time, Fatty Ma's performance impressed Song Jun. It turned out that Fatty Ma had spent the whole day yesterday observing this rough stone. He remembered clearly who had seen it, whether they were qualified to bid, and whether their decisions were sound. Now, he was analyzing it in a very logical and reasonable way.
Finally, the group determined the bid price. To ensure they won the bid without spending too much, the three decided to set the starting price at 36 million, with each contributing 12 million. Song Jun would be the one to submit the bid, and if they won, the stone would be cut on-site. Zhuang Rui would not show up for these matters and would leave them to the two of them to handle.
After the discussion, Song Jun took out his pen and paper and wrote three copies of the agreement by hand. Once everyone had signed them, the agreement was considered to be in effect. Although the agreement did not have much legal effect, given their identities and the relationship between Song Jun and himself, Zhuang Rui was not afraid of anything.
After having dinner at the hotel, the group went to a bank, where Zhuang Rui and Fatty Ma each transferred 12 million RMB into Song Jun's account.
After finishing their business, the group returned to the jade gambling venue. Zhuang Rui said he wanted to take a look around by himself. Before leaving, Song Jun said to Zhuang Rui, "We can't bid this time, otherwise the news might leak out and someone might intercept our bids. The bidding ends at noon tomorrow. I'll bid at 11:50. Zhuang Rui, have you seen any other rough stones that you like? I'll bid for them for you then."
Song Jun had a reason for saying that. The bidding for this jade gambling conference was not something that could be done randomly. Only those who were recognized and issued membership by the Pingzhou Jade Association could bid. These people all had a deposit held in the Jade Association's account, so there was no fear that they would change their minds after winning the bid.
"Brother Song, don't bother me. If I find a bid I like, I'll just handle the formalities myself. You two go ahead and do your work."
Zhuang Rui had already found out that those who came to participate in this jade gambling conference on short notice could go to the organizing committee to pay a deposit, and then they could bid. The deposit amount was 10% of the bid price for the rough jade. If they won the bid, they only needed to pay the remaining 90%.
However, if someone wins the bid and then changes their mind, 10% will be paid to the owner of the raw material as compensation.
Zhuang Rui didn't care about paying a deposit. After bidding, he was going to bring the winning rough stone back to Pengcheng. If he bid through Song Jun, this guy might encourage Zhuang Rui to go to the site to cut the stone. This was the main reason why Zhuang Rui didn't want Song Jun to bid on his behalf.
After entering the sealed bidding area, Zhuang Rui saw the rough stone that Lei Lei wanted to bid on. After thinking for a moment, he took out a pen and paper and wrote down the bid number. He told Lei Lei to bid 130,000 yuan, and he would also bid around 125,000 yuan himself later. In case Lei Lei couldn't win over her family, he wouldn't let the rough stone fall into someone else's hands.
There were too many people in the semi-gambling sealed-bid area, and the bids for the rough stones that had been opened were also very high. Zhuang Rui did take a liking to a few rough stones, but when he saw the prices, he realized there wasn't much profit to be made. After wandering around the semi-gambling area, he strolled over to the fully-gambling area.