"Why isn't it lot number one?"
Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment. He originally thought that the sealed bids would start from bid number 1 and proceed in order, but who knew that the first bid to appear was actually 3469, and there was no pattern to the bidding.
"Hehe, that's how the Myanmar jade auction works. The staff inputs the final bids into the computer, and the computer randomly assigns them, not according to the order of the bid numbers. However, only about 20,000 bids can be drawn each day. In other words, if the bid number of the rough stone you like is within 20,000, you'll have to stay here all day. It might be drawn at any time..."
Qin Haoran had participated in many Myanmar jade auctions and was very familiar with the bidding process. Seeing Zhuang Rui's astonished expression, he explained it to him.
With 20,000 bids issued every day, the workload is enormous. All the staff of the Myanmar organizing committee are working through the night to issue bids. Even now, thousands of staff members of the organizing committee are still busy in the raw material area. However, after so many years of holding the auction, they are all very experienced. Although busy, they are not chaotic, and the bidding process is carried out in an orderly manner.
"So you're going to have to stay here all day?"
Zhuang Rui was somewhat frustrated. Although the auditorium was quite large, it was crowded with thousands of people, some smoking and others laughing, making the smell rather unpleasant. However, the yellow jade he had bid on was also within the range of 20,000. Although he already knew he would win the bid, he still felt uneasy until he saw it with his own eyes.
"No need. If you feel bored, you can go out for a walk, or go back to the hotel..."
After hearing Qin Haoran's words, Zhuang Rui realized that before the sealed bid was opened, it was not allowed to check whether he had won the bid. However, after the daily bid was opened, he could take his admission pass and passport to the window to check whether his bid for the raw materials had been won. It didn't matter whether he waited here or not.
However, after more than 10 days of tension, I believe no one would want to give up the chance to know the bid price as soon as possible. Even if the air quality were just a little poor now, or even if the bidding site were next to a cesspool, I doubt anyone would want to leave.
Chapter 472 Bidding Opening (Part 2)
"I won! I won! Haha. I won the very first one..."
Suddenly, a near-mad voice rang out in the hall, carrying a hysterical quality. It was clearly audible even in the thousands of square meters of space, not much quieter than the sound from a loudspeaker.
That guy was not only shouting, but also running. He was originally at the very front, but now he broke through the crowd and was sprinting towards the entrance where the "winning bid contract" was processed.
"Has this guy gone mad?"
Zhuang Rui watched him gesticulate wildly, and he really resembled Fan Jin, the character from the novel who passed the imperial examination. However, Fan Jin was a real scholar who passed the examination, while you, even if you won the bid for this rough stone, whether you can extract jade is another matter. Why are you so excited?
This man was not only overly excited, but also a bit slow to react. It wasn't until thirty or forty rough stones had already been offered that he realized he had won the bid—it was like hearing a joke at night and then bursting into laughter the next morning.
"You've been holding back for over ten days. If you were in my shoes, you'd be happy to win the bid too. Don't make sarcastic remarks..."
Fatty Ma gave Zhuang Rui a dissatisfied look, expressing the sentiments of everyone present. Zhuang Rui thought about it and realized it made sense. After more than ten days of wits and courage in analyzing the raw materials and setting prices, everyone was almost driven crazy, so it was normal to be excited right now.
Furthermore, regardless of whether jadeite can be found in the rough stone, you can only have the stone cut after winning the bid. If you don't win the bid, you don't even have that opportunity.
Surprisingly, after this incident, the atmosphere in the room eased up. Everyone here is a person of status in China, so they adjusted their mindset quickly and started chatting and laughing while observing the bidding process.
The numbers on the big screen flashed very quickly, with a bid being drawn approximately every three seconds. However, the screen could only hold about twenty lines, and if you weren't careful, the bids that came up earlier would be overwritten. Therefore, everyone in the bidding area was focused on the big screen, afraid of missing their bid.
In fact, there were more than a dozen touchscreen query machines placed in various corners of the hall. By entering the rough stone's number, you could find out if the stone had been auctioned, the winning bid amount, and the winning bid number. However, there were too few of these machines to meet the demand, and most people were still standing and looking at the large screen.
Although there are inquiry machines and you can check at the window after the bidding is opened, everyone wants to know whether they have won the bid as soon as possible. Even Zhuang Rui, who was confident, was unwilling to leave. Before signing the "Winning Bid Contract", the raw materials could not be said to belong to him.
However, the winning bid numbers were being refreshed too quickly. After looking at them for a while, Zhuang Rui felt a little dizzy. Although he studied finance, he hadn't been able to memorize all twenty-odd bid numbers. After a while, Zhuang Rui relaxed a bit and stopped staring at the big screen all the time.
Cheers erupted intermittently at the scene, followed by people emerging from the crowd to process their contracts at the window, while onlookers cast envious glances. Those who knew them offered their congratulations, as if they had already won big on their bets.
Compared to Zhuang Rui's somewhat nonchalant attitude, Peng Fei held a notebook in his hand, his eyes fixed on the big screen, his gaze constantly shifting between the notebook and the screen. When he saw a number and the numbers following it, Peng Fei suddenly grabbed Zhuang Rui's shoulder and shouted, "Brother Zhuang, we won! We won too..."
"You won the bid? What number?"
Zhuang Rui became excited upon hearing this. He knew that the number of that piece of yellow jadeite was within 20,000. Although there were two other pieces, Zhuang Rui was clearly focusing more on the yellow jadeite.
"185,000 euros? I've never bid at that price before..."
Zhuang Rui looked at the number Peng Fei pointed to and couldn't help but feel puzzled. The rough stones he had bid were mostly priced at over 300,000 euros, and it seemed that none of them were this cheap.
"Brother Zhuang, you wrote it in your notebook, the number and price are correct, it can't be you, right?"
Hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Peng Fei took out his notebook, compared the numbers again, nodded confidently, and said, "That's right, it's this one, but I don't think I submitted this bid. I don't remember..."
"185,000, damn, it really was me who bet..."
Zhuang Rui slapped his forehead, his expression somewhat dejected. The people around him looked at him strangely. "Keep pretending. Everyone else who wins the bid is happy, but you're just putting on an act, like you've lost out."
Zhuang Rui suddenly remembered this rough stone. He first saw it in the area where the sealed and open bids were combined when he was looking at the sealed bids. The starting price for that bid was 30,000 euros, and Zhuang Rui initially bid 31,000 euros.
Later, when he happened to pass by there, he saw that the highest number on the betting slips had become 180,000. Feeling indignant, he filled in a bet of 185,000 and threw it in.
Zhuang Rui now truly felt cheated. He knew that this piece wasn't included in his calculations of the twenty rough stones he had submitted. Although it also contained icy jadeite, its value was only between three and four million RMB. It couldn't compare to his other stones at all.
"Damn it, it's located so far back, but it opens so early..."
Zhuang Rui was slightly annoyed. This piece of material was placed at the very end. However, Zhuang Rui also knew that the sealed-bid rough material area was different from the open-bid area. Many of the materials were arranged with their numbers mixed up.
What if we don't have enough money?
Zhuang Rui looked up at Qin Haoran. Could he possibly borrow from his father-in-law? You see, if all 20 rough stones he had chosen were to be auctioned off, he would only have a maximum of 40,000 euros left, which wouldn't be enough to pay for the stones.
At the Myanmar jade auction, aside from the option to take the rough stone home after paying on-site or to have it cut on-site, all other consignment and shipping arrangements will only take place after the auction ends. If Zhuang Rui reneges on his bid for this rough stone, then he will also be unable to take away any of the other rough stones he has consigned for shipping.
Of course, Zhuang Rui could also pay for the remaining raw materials and ship them out of the country, but then his status in Myanmar would change from VIP to being blacklisted by the authorities.
"What's wrong, Xiao Rui? Did you two collude on the same issue?"
Seeing Zhuang Rui's expression, Qin Haoran asked from the side, "What he meant by 'bidding against each other' refers to rough stones that are uncertain to be bid on, which are optional. But such stones are generally not very expensive. Is there any need for this expression?"
"It's alright, Uncle Qin..."
Zhuang Rui verbally agreed, but unlike others, he didn't go through the process of signing the "Winning Bid Contract." After all, there was a three-month deadline. He could return to China and then raise the 180,000 euros to transfer to the Myanmar organizing committee's account, which would be just as good.
The bidding for the Myanmar sealed bid started at 9:00 AM and lasted until 6:00 PM. Around noon, Zhuang Rui had not won any of the other three bids besides the one he had won. However, Song Jun and Qin Haoran each won three bids.
"Let's go eat. We can check it on there when we get back after we eat..."
Qin Haoran won three pieces of jadeite. Although Zhuang Rui had written them down for him, he was still very happy. Just like the principle mentioned before, you need rough stones to find jadeite. Without rough stones, you don't even have the chance to cut the stone.
"Hey, Lao Qian, want to go eat? What's the point of eating? There are people cutting stones at the entrance. Let's hurry up and take a look; maybe we can buy a good piece..."
"Really? Come on, let's go take a look..."
As Zhuang Rui and the others walked out of the auction hall, they overheard this conversation and couldn't help but feel a little strange. They looked at Qin Haoran and asked, "Uncle Qin, aren't people supposed to take the raw stones they win back home to cut them open? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Heh, those people aren't jewelry merchants or raw material dealers. They've come here to cut stones..."
Qin Haoran laughed upon hearing this and explained it to Zhuang Rui.
People who come to Myanmar to gamble on jade can basically be divided into three categories. The first category is people from various jewelry companies who come to purchase jade raw materials. In addition to people from China and Southeast Asia, there are also buyers from Europe and all over the world. Although jade is not very popular abroad, it is still a type of gemstone and has a specific consumer group.
The second type of people are mostly from China. They don't cut the stones themselves, but bring the rough stones they bought in Myanmar back to China. They either hoard them or select some to participate in domestic jade auctions. To put it nicely, they are rough stone merchants; to put it another way, they are middlemen.
Most of these people are from Chaoshan, but many people in mainland China are also imitating the Chaoshan people's method of pooling funds to gamble on stones and joining the stone gambling army. Some financial groups are also interested in investing in raw stones, and funds are gradually tilting towards this circle.
Besides these two types of people, there is another type of person who comes to the Myanmar jade auction purely for gambling on jade. Their goal is to win big with a small investment and sell the high-value jade on the spot. This type of person is of mixed quality. There are billionaires like Fatty Ma who are looking for thrills, and there are also those who have already gambled away their fortunes and are now trying to recoup their losses by incurring huge debts.
The most notable characteristic of these people is that after winning the bid, they basically have the stones cut on-site in Myanmar. If the gamble pays off, they sell them on the spot. After all, jewelry merchants from all over the world gather here, so they are not afraid of not getting a good price.
If the gamble goes wrong, it's anyone's guess whether those who borrowed money to gamble on stones will hang themselves, slit their throats, or take sleeping pills and jump off buildings.
Chapter 473 Bidding Opening (Part 2)
The saying circulating in China, "One cut to heaven, one cut to hell," refers to the cutting of stones at the Myanmar jade auction. Every year, the opening of the Myanmar jade auction is a grand event for gambling on stones. It can be said that the real gambling on stones has only just begun.
At this jade auction, although the jewelry companies were also eyeing the rough stones, they also had spare money to buy ready-cut jade. This way, they could avoid the risks of gambling on rough stones and obtain the raw materials needed by their companies. The attitude of these jewelry companies made those who wanted to get rich overnight even more frantically invest in gambling on rough stones.
Besides Qin Haoran obtaining Zhuang Rui's bids and essentially betting everything on the sealed bid, many jewelry companies had people watching the stone-cutting area. The organizing committee also had people there to handle the customs clearance procedures for the ready-cut rough stones, of course, only for the rough stones auctioned at the public auction.
"Xiao Rui, we've had lunch. I also need to cut a piece of fabric. Do you want to come and watch?"
Qin Haoran's words surprised Zhuang Rui. Why bother cutting up the rough stone? He should just cut up a piece himself.
Qin Haoran was actually unsure of himself. Although he had won quite a few bids for rough stones, including three in just one morning, it was hard to say whether any of them would yield jadeite. Qin Haoran wanted to cut one open to see what would happen. If it didn't turn out well, he would still follow the usual practice and purchase some mid-range jadeite cut on-site. Although it would be much more expensive than the rough stones, it would still be better than the company having no material to carve jewelry.
"etc……"
Zhuang Rui suddenly had a flash of inspiration and stopped in his tracks. That's right, he didn't have enough money. He might as well cut open that rough jade stone, which was worth about 300,000 euros, and sell it on the spot. Anyway, he didn't need that little bit of icy jade. Selling it to tide him over wouldn't be a big deal.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing that they had stopped, Qin Haoran asked curiously.
"It's alright, I'm not hungry, Uncle Qin. You all go ahead and eat. I'll retrieve the stone I won the bid for and have it cut later..."
Zhuang Rui genuinely had no appetite. The auction hall was a chaotic mess that morning, so he simply waved to Qin Haoran and the others, then turned and headed straight for the auction window they had just passed.
"This child, he's already asking for stone removal after only one piece..."
Qin Haoran shook his head and went to the organizing committee's cafeteria for lunch with Fang Yi and the others. ...
The organizing committee opened twenty windows to process the winning bidders' procedures, but they were still quite busy. After deducting the unsuccessful bids, there were still several thousand rough stones won that morning. Although people like Qin Haoran were not in a hurry to process the winning bids, there were still long queues in front of each window.
The people here were clearly much more relaxed than those anxiously waiting in the lobby, with many acquaintances chatting together.
"Mr. Zhuang, you won the bid too?"
As Zhuang Rui walked over, someone greeted him. Upon closer inspection, it was Han the Fatty from Han's Jewelry, who had probably just arrived as well. His chubby face was covered in sweat after coming out of the air-conditioned room.
Zhuang Rui's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "I just got a worthless piece. I'll cut it out and take a look. I'm a bit short on cash. If it turns out to be green, I'll sell it..."
At the Myanmar jade auction, Zhuang Rui's financial difficulties were not unique. Apart from a few people with ulterior motives, almost everyone had put all their funds into bidding for the sealed bids. So Zhuang Rui wasn't afraid of others knowing and openly stated it. His purpose was to attract more people to compete for his rough stone when it was cut later.
"Oh? Mr. Zhuang wants to have the stone cut and sold? Don't you also own a jewelry store?"
Han Haowei's eyes lit up when he heard Zhuang Rui's words. Apart from the rough stone that Xu Zhendong bought, Fatty Han had never seen Zhuang Rui fail at cutting stones.
However, Han Haowei still had some doubts. Cutting stones to sell for money was something that people who specialized in gambling on stones did. People who owned jewelry stores would not be willing to sell jadeite, since their purpose in coming here was to obtain jadeite raw materials.
Zhuang Rui gave a wry smile and said, "There's nothing I can do. I've run into some trouble lately and I'm short on cash. I'll have to tide me over for now. I still have a piece of red jadeite, don't I..."
When Han Haowei heard Zhuang Rui's words, he felt relieved. Although everyone's business is quite large, with hundreds of millions or even millions of yuan in cash flow, sometimes when they are short of money, they may not even be able to come up with tens of thousands of yuan. When Han Fatty's company was at its most difficult, he had to mortgage his car, house and company to the bank to get a loan to pay his employees' salaries.
Zhuang Rui had already won a bet on a piece of red jadeite and firmly rejected their offer, presumably keeping it for himself. Now that he has won a bet on a rough stone, it is only natural for him to cut open one or two pieces to recoup his funds.
"Alright, then I wish Boss Zhuang a great profit from cutting stones. We'll all go and support him later..."
The people around Han Haowei all knew that Zhuang Rui had a particularly keen eye for rough stones and might just unearth some good material, so they all chimed in with agreement.
Due to the procedures for winning the bid, it is necessary to sign the "Winning Bid Contract". If the organizing committee is required to help with free shipping, a detailed address must be provided and shipping procedures must be completed.
So even though there were only four or five hundred people queuing at those twenty-odd windows, Zhuang Rui still waited for more than an hour before it was his turn. Behind him, a long queue had formed, and many of them had just finished their procedures, only to find out they had been selected again and had rushed back to queue up a second time.
"Hehe, Xiao Rui, is it done yet?"
Zhuang Rui paid the full amount for this procedure and requested on-site stone cutting, so he needed a delivery slip from the organizing committee. Just as he received the delivery slip, Qin Haoran and the others returned after having eaten.
"Uncle Qin, perfect timing, you can come and complete the formalities..."