"Damn this weather, why is it so hot? Damn it, you want to suck my blood?"
Zhuang Rui slapped his arm, and when he lifted it up, his palm was full of blood, along with a mosquito that would have become a specimen after being exposed to the sun for two days.
After having dinner with his colleagues at the hotel, it was already past 10 p.m. when they returned to Hu Rong's residence. September in Myanmar is not only hot, but the swarms of mosquitoes are also unbearable.
During the day, he didn't feel anything, but at night, swarms of mosquitoes roamed the entire manor like bombers. Just walking from the door into the air-conditioned room, Zhuang Rui got several bumps on his body.
"Tomorrow I'll have someone spray some pesticides and clean up the pond outside..."
Hu Rong felt a chill run down his spine at the sight. He rarely lived here, and the lack of maintenance had made the lush trees and the pond outside a perfect habitat for mosquitoes.
"You smell so good, kid. Alright, stop complaining..."
There are three small buildings in the manor. Qin Haoran called Hu Rong and Zhuang Rui to the house where he was staying.
"Dad, what's wrong? You feel all sticky, let's take a shower first..."
After entering the room, Zhuang Rui felt his clothes were almost soaked with sweat and was too embarrassed to sit on the exquisite fabric sofa.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Qin Haoran realized he was also covered in sweat. He nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes, I'll go take a shower first, and we'll talk later..."
After returning to his room and taking a cold shower, Zhuang Rui changed into a silk nightgown before going to Qin Haoran's room. He saw the uncle and nephew each eating a slice of watermelon.
"Hey, it's so refreshing to have watermelon on such a hot day..."
Zhuang Rui stepped forward, picked up a slice of chilled watermelon, and with a slurp, bit off a row of red flesh. Then, he looked at Qin Haoran with satisfaction and asked, "Dad, what's the matter that you called me and Brother Hu here so late?"
Although Zhuang Rui didn't find anything today, he was still a bit tired after looking at raw materials all day.
"It's nothing, these are just a few pieces of jade I looked at today. I'm not sure about them, could you take a look for me tomorrow?"
As Qin Haoran spoke, he handed Zhuang Rui a slip of paper. There weren't many numbers listed on it, only a dozen or so pieces of raw jadeite.
"Dad, you brought quite a few people with you, how come you only looked at a few pieces of material in one day?"
Zhuang Rui knew that his father-in-law had brought six professional jadeite rough stone appraisers from Hong Kong, intending to stock up on more goods at this public auction.
However, the list only contained a few pieces of material, which didn't quite align with Qin Haoran's original intention of stockpiling goods in Myanmar, hence Zhuang Rui's question.
"Sigh, you should ask Hu Rong about this. The Myanmar jade auction is getting more and more outrageous. They're putting all sorts of materials on the market, and the prices are ridiculously high. How are we supposed to choose anything?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Qin Haoran immediately turned his attention to Hu Rong. They were close relatives, so Qin Haoran spoke very directly, complaining while smiling on the surface.
"Uncle, there's no use asking me about this. I'm not a general in the Military Commission. If the price of the raw stones is set too high, the extra money will all go to the military. It won't really benefit us much..."
Upon hearing Qin Haoran's words, Hu Rong gave a wry smile. Since last year, he had rarely sold raw jade stones at jade auctions. Apart from the rough stones he smuggled to China for Zhuang Rui, he had stockpiled the rest.
Hu Rong was once investigated by the military for this, but his family was deeply rooted in the Hpakant region, where the situation was complex and the military was weak, so ordinary people could not touch him.
Seeing Qin Haoran frown, Hu Rong quickly said, "Uncle, the quality of the rough stones this time is poor, which will definitely affect the transaction volume. I'll contact a few mine owners to put some pressure on the military, and I believe the next public auction will be much better..."
In Myanmar, the military is the most powerful force, but when the local warlords unite, even the military has to bow down. Otherwise, if those local warlords don't pay some fees, Myanmar will immediately fall into chaos.
Therefore, as long as the transaction volume of this public auction is not high, and the vital interests of those mine owners who are divided in various places are affected, they will definitely demand an explanation from the Myanmar military.
"Hmm, you're right. I'm not in a hurry. You and Xiao Rui have both supplied me with a lot of goods..."
Qin Haoran nodded. He was very familiar with the situation in Myanmar. Suddenly, he turned to Zhuang Rui and asked, "Xiao Rui, although the quality of the raw materials this time was relatively poor, there were still some good ones, right? How come you didn't win a single bid today?"
Qin Haoran was well aware of his son-in-law's skill in appraising jadeite rough stones. As long as Zhuang Rui made a move, good materials could not escape his eyes. Even though in Qin Haoran's mind, Old Tang was a notch below Zhuang Rui.
"Dad, there are some nice materials, but the price..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head. He had looked at a lot of rough stones today. As long as the outer skin was even slightly better, the starting bid was astronomical. When the bidding opened in the afternoon, the price kept rising. Zhuang Rui was too lazy to bid.
Qin Haoran was taken aback by his son-in-law's words and said, "Hey, Xiao Rui, are you confused?"
"What's wrong with me? Dad, didn't you also think it was too expensive?"
Zhuang Rui was a little confused. The price was already high, and his father-in-law had just said so himself.
"Hey, I'm saying there are too many poor-quality materials, but if the outer layer looks good, of course it should be sold at a higher price..."
Qin Haoran knew Zhuang Rui had misunderstood him, and continued, "The price of rough stones at each Myanmar jade auction increases to varying degrees, which we can accept. What I'm talking about is that the organizers of the auction have included too many fake stones..."
Myanmar is the only country in the world that produces jadeite, and the price of jadeite at the Myanmar jadeite auction directly affects the jadeite market. However, this is not the biggest problem for jewelers.
With raw materials becoming more expensive, the finished jade jewelry will naturally increase in price. Ultimately, this will only affect jade consumers, and will not have a significant impact on jewelers themselves.
Qin Haoran explained the situation to Zhuang Rui, then looked at Zhuang Rui with a strange expression and asked, "Xiao Rui, you're not still using prices from a few years ago to judge the current raw stone market, are you?"
"This...is really a bit..."
Zhuang Rui blushed immediately after being told off by his father-in-law. He hadn't paid much attention to the jade market in recent years, and even with Qin Ruilin's shop in Beijing, he only looked at the financial statements; he didn't concern himself with the actual operations.
Although Zhuang Rui had spoken with Qin Haoran after arriving in Myanmar and gained a general understanding of the current prices of jadeite rough, it was all abstract; they were just looking at the prices on paper.
Therefore, when examining the rough stones today, Zhuang Rui subconsciously used prices from several years ago to assess their value. Consequently, he found none that he considered to be worth the price. ...
The next morning, after having breakfast at the manor, Zhuang Rui and his group headed to the Myanmar National Jade Exchange Center. Hu Rong also accompanied Zhuang Rui this time, as a big show was about to take place that night.
Most of the businessmen who come to Myanmar from China to participate in the jade auction stay at the same hotel where Zhuang Rui stayed last time. Moreover, these people are already familiar with each other, and once they return, the news spreads like wildfire, quickly reaching everyone.
Two generations of legendary "Jade Kings!"
The duel created a strange atmosphere in the trading venue today. Wherever Zhuang Rui went, he could hear people discussing the matter, and those who knew him would nod and greet him.
As for Lao Wu, who was diagnosed with a myocardial infarction and died suddenly yesterday, and Zhang Yunhui, who lost everything gambling on stone cutting, they have all become things of the past and are no longer mentioned by anyone.
"Mr. Jin, who do you think will win this jade gambling game?"
"Hey, is that even a question? Of course it's Old Tang. His reputation over the past few decades isn't just for show..."
At the entrance of the jade trading center, two jade merchants from China chatted idly, their conversation naturally revolving around the competition between Zhuang Rui and Old Tang.
"I don't think so. Teacher Zhuang's comments yesterday were amazing. Who knows, he might beat Old Tang today..."
"Xiao Guo, don't be unconvinced. Old ginger is spicier, and in a pinch, the older generation is more trustworthy..."
Mr. Jin was a bit older, around fifty years old. He had heard the most about Mr. Tang's anecdotes about gambling on stones, and he was rather dismissive of what his friend was saying.
"I'm not convinced, Lao Jin, how about we make a bet?"
This Xiao Guo isn't actually that young; he's over forty, but in terms of temperament, he really acts like a young man. He immediately started shouting that he wanted to make a bet with Boss Jin.
“Let’s bet! I’ll bet 50,000 yuan, and Old Tang will win!” Boss Jin was not to be outdone. Old Tang’s record in the jade gambling market was brilliant. He had personally cut open almost every top-quality jadeite material that could be heard of.
“Okay, 50,000 it is, I bet on Teacher Zhuang to win.” Boss Guo joined the jade gambling circle a bit late, around the same time as Zhuang Rui, and had personally witnessed Zhuang Rui dissecting the top jadeite in Pingzhou. He was definitely a die-hard fan of Zhuang Rui.
"Hey you two, is this an off-the-books betting platform? I'd also like to bet on the banker to win, Mr. Jin, are you willing to take my case?"
The two men's sparring match at the entrance of the jade trading center attracted a crowd. Everyone has a gambling instinct, and 50,000 yuan isn't a large sum, so people were willing to take the risk. Soon, some people started to join in the fun.
Mr. Jin was quite resentful that the other man hadn't bet on Old Tang, and after being provoked by the man's words, he immediately nodded and said, "I'll accept it. It'll be one-to-one compensation. If Old Tang loses, I, Old Jin, will compensate him. But if Teacher Zhuang loses, the money is mine..."
"No problem, a bet is a bet. Don't worry, Mr. Jin, I'll write a check, okay?"
"Hey, I'm betting 100,000 on Old Tang, Lao Guo, do you dare to take it?"
Zhuang Rui has fans, but Tang Lao's fan base is even larger. As soon as someone suppressed Zhuang Rui, someone immediately emerged to oppose him.
"A flat bet of 50,000 per stone, no matter how many come, we've taken too few. Damn it, no more stone gambling today, let's give these two who're gambling on stones tonight some fun..."
Old Guo is quite a clever fellow. After seeing the enthusiasm of the crowd, he simply stopped going into the jade center to select raw materials. Instead, he asked the auction staff outside for a table and some paper and pens, and set up a stall at the entrance with Boss Jin.
The bosses who participated in the jade auction arrived at different times. When they passed by this stall, they were all very curious. For them, 50,000 yuan was just a meal or a game of mahjong. They immediately opened their wallets and joined in.
Although it was only 50,000 yuan per bet, there were so many people betting that by early morning, both sides had already accepted bets of over 10 million yuan each, which put pressure on both Mr. Jin and Mr. Guo.
Although these bets weren't all in cash—some people wrote checks, others wrote IOUs—once the outcome was decided, no one would owe the 50,000 yuan. Of course, one of the two people would inevitably have to pay it out.
The two men had already boasted, and now they were in a difficult position. Losing some money wasn't a big deal, but losing face was. They had no choice but to grit their teeth and persevere.
"Mr. Tang, you're here to look at materials too?"
Zhuang Rui arrived early and was unaware that a gambling den had been set up at the entrance. As soon as he entered the open bidding area, he saw Old Tang with two young men, observing the rough stones along the way. He quickly went up to greet them.
"Hehe, I'm going to have a competition with you today. How could I bring out my jade if I didn't come here?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Old Tang burst into laughter, making Zhuang Rui blush deeply. His question was indeed a bit foolish.
The sealed bids will only be opened in the last three days of the public auction. Tonight, Zhuang Rui and Tang Lao will each choose a stone to interpret, so of course they will come to the open bid area.
"Xiao Zhuang, there's plenty of material. We've been able to find rough stones numbered up to 30,000 today, enough for the two of us to choose from. We'll see who picks the best one then."
When Old Tang saw Zhuang Ruiyu, he smiled and spoke up to help him out of the predicament.
At Tang Zenan's age, money and power no longer hold any appeal for him. Only the ever-changing world of jade gambling, where the outcome is uncertain, can excite him.
However, in recent years, those involved in the jade gambling circle have mostly been throwing money at it rather than relying solely on technical expertise to make judgments, which has greatly disappointed the old man.
Now that he has seen Zhuang Rui, who is so young yet has such a keen eye, Old Tang is truly eager to compete. Back when Zhuang Rui was his age, he was just an ordinary staff member at the Jiangsu Provincial Geological Bureau.
Hearing Tang Lao's words, Zhuang Rui was also in high spirits, laughing and saying, "Alright, Tang Lao, don't let me, the younger generation, surpass the older generation!" Having been absent from the jade gambling circle for two years, Zhuang Rui knew that many people had doubted his ability to appraise jade. So this time, he would let the facts speak for themselves.
Chapter 969 The Jade King (1)
Due to the expansion of the raw stone trading market, tens of thousands of stones are auctioned every day, so Zhuang Rui and Tang Lao have a wide selection of raw stones to choose from, so there is no fear of them competing with each other.
After saying goodbye to Mr. Tang, Zhuang Rui looked at the densely packed jadeite rough stones on the ground, thought for a moment, and then turned around and walked out of the open bidding area.
Finding the finest jadeite among these materials was no challenge for Zhuang Rui. Since he still had a day left, he wanted to go to the sealed-bid area to help his father-in-law take a look at the rough stones he had chosen yesterday.
"Peng Fei, what's wrong with these people?"
As Zhuang Rui walked from the open bidding area to the sealed bidding area, he noticed that many people were staring at him. He couldn't help but touch his face, wondering if he had something growing on his face.
"Brother Zhuang, you're handsome..."
Peng Fei laughed and joked that in Myanmar, as long as there was no conflict with the military, safety was very guaranteed, so Peng Fei and Li Zhen were both very relaxed.
"Get out of my way. Alright, you and Li Zhen can go wander around. I want to look at the raw stones..."
Zhuang Rui waved his hand dismissively, shooing Peng Fei and Li Zhen away. It just didn't feel natural for him to have two followers when he was using his spiritual energy to observe the raw stone.
Zhuang Rui took out the number given to him by his father-in-law from his pocket and began to look at it from the beginning of the marked area.
Just like the public auction he participated in before, the good rough stones were numbered very early. The first lot in the sealed bid area was an icy jade with a window cut in it.
"Oh, Teacher Zhuang is here! Everyone, make way so Teacher Zhuang can have a look..."
A crowd had already gathered in front of the No. 1 marker, but as soon as Zhuang Rui walked over, the crowd immediately made way for him. This was the kind of treatment that experts could enjoy.
"Teacher Zhuang, could you please give me some feedback?"