Yang Hao had just heard Liu Chuan call Xu Wei's name, so he addressed him as "President Xu." He felt a little bitter. Before leaving home, his elders had instructed him to set the price of the stone at 4 million yuan, and if no one bought it, to sell it for 3 million yuan. He hadn't expected that he would set the price at 3 million yuan on the first day of the exhibition. He was sure he would be scolded when he got back.
Xu Wei mentally assessed the jadeite revealed by the rubbed surface. Its texture was like eggshell blue, semi-transparent, without a single impurity—it should be of eggshell blue hue. Furthermore, its color was bright and evenly distributed, undoubtedly from an old mine. If the green could penetrate three centimeters, this deal would be a sure profit, with a very high probability of a windfall.
"Okay, I'll take this rough stone. Unlike some people who can't even come up with a few million, why are they even playing with rough stones? They might as well go home and knead mud."
Xu Wei deliberately raised his voice so that Zhuang Rui and the other man could hear him. At this moment, he was very pleased with himself. He had not only acquired a good piece of raw jade, but he could also ridicule his nemesis. It was a pity that the beauty was not there and could not see this good show.
"Damn it, this bastard deserves a beating. He's just as bad as that bastard from before. Wood, are you sure you're right? If there really is jade inside, we should have just bought it."
Upon hearing Xu Wei's words, Liu Chuan angrily muttered curses under his breath. He did have over three million yuan, but that was all for the later stages of the mastiff kennel's operations.
"Liu Chuan, don't even think about touching that money. Let me tell you, even if you're out of money for food, you can go begging on the street. You can't touch that money anymore."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui straightened his face and said seriously to Liu Chuan. He knew that his brother was reckless and impulsive, and who knew when he might do something outrageous if someone provoked him.
"Hehe, I was just saying that. I won't touch a single penny of that money without your approval."
Liu Chuan is usually quite arrogant, but besides being afraid of his own father, he is also afraid of Zhuang Rui speaking with a stern face. Whenever this guy has this attitude, he must be serious, so Liu Chuan quickly tried to appease him by saying nice things.
"Alright. That mastiff kennel is our future treasure trove. We know that in our hearts. Pick a few stones and let's see what good stuff Mr. Xu can find."
Zhuang Rui glanced at Xu Wei, who was paying Yang Hao's bill in the distance, and said with a hint of schadenfreude, "I've already seen through that rough stone. The jade inside is only a thin layer at the edge, less than two centimeters thick. Although Zhuang Rui doesn't know the corresponding price of jade, he knows that such a tiny piece of jade is probably worth less than 300,000 yuan, let alone 3 million."
After Xu Wei and Yang Hao finished their transaction, Xu Wei didn't leave. He sat down and chatted with Yang Hao, wanting to see what kind of rough jade Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan would choose. If they were cut open on the spot, he could ridicule the two of them again.
Zhuang Rui was feeling frustrated. After talking with Liu Chuan, he used his spiritual energy to examine the rough stones, which were all gambling stones. However, after examining more than ten pieces, he found that they were all filled with white crystals without a trace of green. Even the rough stone that weighed three or four hundred pounds, had some blemishes on the outside, and looked quite good, was empty inside.
"The saying 'nine out of ten gamblers lose' is absolutely true. I've looked at more than ten rough stones, and not a single one has turned into jade. If it were an expert looking at the appearance of the rough stones, they might buy one or two, and they would definitely lose money."
As Zhuang Rui rummaged through the rough stones on the ground, he muttered to himself. He examined the rough stones very quickly, and in no time, he had finished looking at the more than twenty rough stones around him.
"Huh? Something seems to be there..."
Zhuang Rui stood up and was heading towards Liu Chuan when a piece of rough jade that he hadn't noticed before caught his eye. This piece of rough jade was oval-shaped, slightly smaller than a soccer ball. From the outside, it looked somewhat similar to the rough jade that he had cut into imperial green. The outside was dark, without any moss or pine flower patterns, and its appearance was not good. However, Zhuang Rui could see a hint of green inside.
Zhuang Rui quickly squatted down and examined the rough stone carefully. There was indeed jade inside, but it was only about the size of a fist, and the green wasn't very vibrant. The spiritual energy content was also low, and the transparency was only average. Zhuang Rui wasn't sure about the jade's value, but he still picked it up. If Yang Hao could buy it for five hundred or a thousand yuan as he said, he definitely wouldn't lose money.
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment, then picked up a fist-sized rough stone from the side before getting up and walking towards Liu Chuan. As he walked, he used his spiritual energy to examine the rough stones under his feet, but unfortunately, none of them contained jade.
"You've picked out a piece of wood too? Damn, yours is so small, do you think it can even yield jade? Look at my piece, it's several times bigger than yours."
Liu Chuan had also made his selection and stood up, carrying a rough stone weighing about 30 to 50 kilograms. He looked a little strained, but when he saw the stone in Zhuang Rui's arms, he couldn't help but laugh and tease him.
"What good is being big?"
Zhuang Rui replied irritably, glancing at the rock in Liu Chuan's arms. What he saw shocked him so much that he almost dropped the rock.
The rough stone Liu Chuan chose, although not small in size, had a very poor appearance, and it had probably been polished. There were several obvious cracks on its surface. Experts know that if a rough stone has cracks, it's almost certainly scrap. Zhuang Rui didn't understand this; he only saw that the stone Liu Chuan held was vibrant with green, much better than his own.
Three or four centimeters below the crack where the rough stone had been rubbed, green hues began to appear and gradually extended inwards. Although there were some white, misty crystals, in the center of the stone, there was an area about the size of the rough stone in his arms that was entirely green. Although it was slightly inferior to his own imperial green jadeite, Zhuang Rui had never seen such a large area of jadeite before, and he couldn't help but be a little distracted.
"Hey, you idiot, let me tell you, this piece of land is guaranteed to yield jade."
Seeing Zhuang Rui's absent-minded expression, Liu Chuan couldn't help but say smugly.
"Damn it, this kid is even luckier than me. He got chosen from this group."
After hearing Liu Chuan's words, Zhuang Rui shifted his gaze from the rough stone to the other rough stones beside Liu Chuan, only to find that they contained nothing of value. He couldn't help but mutter to himself in disbelief.
"Boys, have you made your choice?"
Seeing Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan each carrying a stone back to the table, Yang Hao stood up and helped Liu Chuan by placing the large stone he was carrying on the table. This made the rough stones that Xu Wei and Zhuang Rui had chosen less noticeable.
"How about it, Brother Yang? Isn't the one I chose pretty good? Look at its size, it's several times bigger than theirs, and there's definitely more jade inside."
Liu Chuan looked at the stone he had chosen with smug satisfaction, as if as long as he cut it open, jade would definitely come out.
Liu Chuan's words were quite impactful. Not only did Xu Wei burst into laughter, but Yang Hao, the old man who had just arrived from elsewhere, and Qin Xuanbing and the others also couldn't help but smile. Zhuang Rui, however, cursed Liu Chuan inwardly for getting lucky.
"Oh, Old Gu, please have a seat."
Yang Hao was smiling when he saw Gu Lao and the others approaching. Although he was also momentarily dazzled by Qin Xuanbing's beauty, Yang Hao had good self-control and quickly reacted, offering his seat to Gu Lao. Even Xu Wei, who had been sitting quietly, carefully stood up as well.
"What's wrong, buddy? This stone isn't good enough? I'll buy it anyway, Brother Yang, name your price!"
Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Liu Chuan was furious. The stone he had carefully selected was being laughed at by them! Liu Chuan made up his mind that as long as it didn't exceed 50,000... no, 20,000 was still a bit expensive. Well... as long as it didn't exceed 5,000, he would buy it.
Upon hearing this, Yang Hao glanced at the rough stone. Strictly speaking, this rough stone should be considered a semi-gamble stone. The reason it was placed in the full-gamble stone category was because it had been cut once and its edges had been rubbed, but no green had appeared. Instead, cracks appeared, making it a complete waste. Seeing that Old Master Gu was sitting next to him, Yang Hao did not dare to make a random offer. After thinking for a moment, he said, "With Old Master Gu here, I cannot deceive you. This rough stone has been cut and its appearance is not good. Brother Liu, if you still want it, you can take it for three thousand yuan."
Liu Chuan didn't speak upon hearing this, but his eyes turned to Gu Lao. Gu Lao put on his reading glasses, slightly fiddled with the rough stone that Liu Chuan had brought to the table, and said while looking at it, "This young man is right. The chances of this rough stone yielding jade are not very high. If you want to try it out, consider the three thousand yuan as tuition."
"Liu Chuan, you're not allowed to buy it. Three thousand yuan is enough for me to buy a new outfit."
Lei Lei, standing to the side, objected. This was clearly waste material; why spend three thousand yuan on it? Wasn't that just stupid?
"Yeah, there are so many things you could do with three thousand yuan, why buy this piece of junk?"
Xu Wei said gloatingly from the side.
Chapter 136 A Lucky Break (Part 2)
"Hey, trying to compete with me, huh? I've got so much money I don't know what to do with it. I'll take it, three thousand it is..."
Enraged by Xu Wei's words, Liu Chuan didn't care whether Lei Lei would punish him by making him kneel on a board or pulling his ears later. Without saying a word, he counted out three thousand yuan from his pocket and threw it to Yang Hao. Zhuang Rui couldn't help but laugh. The saying "fools are lucky" perfectly describes Liu Chuan.
Seeing that Liu Chuan was acting recklessly, Lei Lei didn't want to embarrass him in public, so she remained silent, secretly thinking about how to torment him. Outsiders had no idea.
"Boss Yang, what's the price for these two pieces? Don't rip me off, I just want the thrill of cutting the stones. I won't take them if they're too expensive."
Zhuang Rui pointed to the two rough stones he had picked out and said to Yang Hao.
"Boss Zhuang, these two rough stones are full-fledged gambling stones. They were pulled from old mines in Myanmar. Although the outside doesn't look very good, no one can say for sure what's inside. How about this, the two stones together are worth 30,000 yuan. What do you think?"
Yang Hao knew that neither the semi-gambled nor fully-gambled rough stones he brought were of very good quality. He only came to this trade fair because his family asked him to broaden his horizons. To be honest, there was only one good rough stone among them, which was the semi-gambled rough stone that Xu Wei had already bought.
After listening to Yang Hao's quote, the old man carefully examined the raw jade that Zhuang Rui had selected and shook his head noncommittally.
“What can you buy with 30,000 yuan these days? Boss Zhuang sold a manuscript for 3.8 million yuan. This little bit of money is nothing to Boss Zhuang.”
Xu Wei, who was standing to the side, started making strange remarks again. He had now given up on Qin Xuanbing and was no longer afraid of what Qin Xuanbing thought of him.
"Eight thousand, Mr. Yang. If you agree, I'll cut it open in a bit; if not, I'll put it back..."
Zhuang Rui looked at Yang Hao with a determined expression. After seeing Old Master Gu shake his head, he wasn't afraid that Yang Hao wouldn't sell.
"Eight thousand is really too little, my shipping costs alone are more than that..."
"Come on, Brother Yang, that's not fair of you. Renting a car from Guangdong and back would only cost ten or twenty thousand yuan. Are you going to charge for every stone you rent?"
Liu Chuan interrupted Yang Hao before he could finish speaking. He was always traveling around and knew these market conditions very well.
"Okay, eight thousand it is. Today is the first day, let's sell it cheaply."
Yang Hao nodded and agreed. He had already achieved his main goal for coming here: to sell the three million yuan piece of semi-gambling jade. He would have an explanation to give when he got home. As for the other items, they were just accessories, and he could decide whether the price was higher or lower.
"Mr. Yang, please count it and see if the amount is correct."
Zhuang Rui took out a wad of cash from his pocket, counted out two thousand yuan, and handed the rest to Yang Hao. He was going back to Zhonghai this time to repay the money his boss had advanced for his rent, as well as some other expenses. That's why he had brought thirty thousand yuan in cash with him, which came in handy now.
Yang Hao put the money into the money counter, counted it quickly, and after confirming that the amount was correct, he put the money away and said to Zhuang Rui and the others, "That's right, it's exactly eight thousand yuan. Gentlemen, are you planning to cut these rough stones now, or take them back and cut them yourselves? I've also brought some stone-cutting tools, which will be convenient."
"I'm not sure about this one. I wonder if the two pieces that Mr. Zhuang and Mr. Liu bought will be solved now?"
Xu Wei replied that although he was convinced that the semi-rough stone he bought could yield jadeite, he didn't know much about cutting stones and was afraid that he would ruin the jadeite inside. He knew that there was a lot to learn about cutting stones, and the price of the jadeite after cutting it out could vary drastically.
"Tch, why not cut it? We just want to enjoy the thrill. Look at you, so stingy and petty, it's not satisfying."
Liu Chuan's words made Xu Wei roll his eyes in anger. How could this be compared? A three-thousand-yuan note versus a three-million-yuan note. If Xu Wei had bought the three-thousand-yuan note, would he have dared to cut it too?
"You cut the wood first, I'll take a look."
After Yang Hao plugged in the stone cutter, Liu Chuan started to have second thoughts. He had been too confident earlier, and if there was nothing inside the stone, he felt he couldn't bear the shame.
Seeing that someone was going to cut a stone, jade merchants who had come to buy rough stones all gathered around. They wanted to see what the commotion was about. Besides, if the cut turned out to be a good find and the jade inside was of good quality, they would also buy it. You see, because Myanmar and other places have restricted the export of jadeite rough stones, jadeite raw materials are very scarce right now.
"Uncle-Master, why don't you cut it?"
Zhuang Rui looked at Gu Lao and said something polite, but in reality, he didn't take it seriously at all. He had already seen clearly what was inside the stone.
"No need, just cut it in the middle."
Old Gu waved his hand and said, "What a joke, is such a broken stone worth opening?"
Without saying another word, Zhuang Rui first placed the fist-sized rough stone under the stone cutting machine, a domestically made one. It was very easy to operate, and Zhuang Rui didn't hesitate, directly cutting the stone with the saw teeth.
With a series of unpleasant "ripping...snap..." sounds...
After the sound passed, the fist-sized piece of raw material had already been split open from the middle.
Everyone rushed forward, letting out a sigh at the same time. Without a doubt, there was nothing inside.
However, Gu Lao nodded in approval as he watched Zhuang Rui's actions, secretly praising the young man as a promising talent. Cutting stones is similar to gambling on them; one must be decisive when the time is right and not hesitate. Zhuang Rui's actions just now demonstrated this.
"So, Mr. Zhuang, do you still want to continue cutting?"
Yang Hao parted the crowded people and asked Zhuang Rui inside, "Cut stones can be quite superstitious sometimes. If the first stone doesn't turn green, the chances of turning green later are very small. Although these are just rumors, people follow the crowd, and the more they spread, the more people believe them."
"cut……"
Zhuang Rui's performance was somewhat like that of a gambler who had lost a bet, which made Xu Wei, who was watching from the side, feel extremely pleased, and he was almost ready to sing a song about turning things around.
"Xiao Zhuang, wipe the stone first."
Zhuang Rui's performance fooled even the old man. This gambler's mentality is not suitable for the jade gambling business. If you use this mentality to gamble on jade, you will lose everything sooner or later. The old man couldn't help but remind Zhuang Rui to calm down.
"OK."
Zhuang Rui agreed and fixed the football-sized piece of raw material that Yang Hao had brought over onto the machine. With the "sizzling" sound of the grinding wheel turning, he began to grind around one side of the raw material.
The jadeite inside this rough stone is all in the center. The surface of the stone is covered with white, misty crystals, and there are no python patterns. Old Master Gu is standing next to the machine, carefully looking at the stone surface that will be revealed after polishing.
"Stop for a moment..."
As Zhuang Rui moved, broken stone chips flew everywhere, and dust covered the ground. Suddenly, Gu Lao shouted "Stop!" Zhuang Rui quickly released the grinder, and all that could be heard was the grinding wheel spinning in the air.
Old Gu took the basin of water Yang Hao brought him, washed the polished stone surface, and then squatted down to examine it carefully for a while. He shook his head and said to Zhuang Rui, "Cut it. The chances of finding green are not very high, but if there is jadeite, it should be near the core of the stone. Cut it slightly off-center."
Upon hearing Old Master Gu's words, Zhuang Rui secretly admired him. Indeed, the old man was wiser. He could use his special ability to see the jadeite in the rough stone, but this old man could determine that if there was any green, it must be in the core of the stone just by observing the appearance.
"Tch, hurry up and cut it, stop dawdling."
The person who said that was just a passerby watching the spectacle.
"Young man, hurry up and cut it, I'll buy it once it turns green."