Zhuang Rui pushed Liu Chuan aside, making room for Old Master Gu.
The window that Liu Chuan had polished was about the size of a palm. After Zhuang Rui washed it with water, the entire piece of jade revealed a small part of its true form. It was as transparent as water and lush with green. Zhuang Rui knew that this piece of jade was several times larger than the one he had just seen, and the spiritual energy contained within it was extremely rich, indicating that it was of good quality.
"You two lads, what can I say about you? Your luck is just... just too good."
After fiddling with the flashlight and magnifying glass for five or six minutes, Gu Lao finally put down his tools, looked at Zhuang Rui and the other man, and said with great emotion.
"Hehe, old man, you don't know, Mu Tou's good luck is all thanks to me. When we were in elementary school, I was always the one picking up money while he followed behind eating dust. I knew it, all the good things went to him recently, now it's my turn. Old man, how about this piece of jade? Isn't it better than Mu Tou's?"
Liu Chuan couldn't wait to squeeze in front of Gu Gu. After boasting for a while, he finally asked about the value of his rough jade.
"It's better than his piece. It's icy jade, and the green is pure and deep, probably a bright green. Although it has some impurities, it's much better than the egg-white jade. And what we've just polished out is only a corner. If we take the whole piece out, it will be much bigger than Xiao Rui's previous piece. Young man, this piece of jade will be enough for you to live on for the rest of your life."
Looking at the lucky guy before him, Gu Lao sighed. Many who had spent their entire lives gambling on jade had never found a piece of jade of this quality, yet this guy had produced one as if it were nothing. This made Gu Lao even more envious of the string of dzi beads in Zhuang Rui's hand. He could only attribute it to the good fortune the dzi beads had brought to the two of them.
Because the site of the stone cutting was cordoned off by security guards, the jade merchants outside could not observe the rough stone up close. Strictly speaking, it was still a semi-gambled rough stone. Although it had revealed some green, it was only a small part. No one dared to draw any conclusions about what the rest of the stone would look like. However, what the old man had just said still excited the jade merchants outside. A top-quality icy green jadeite—this was the raw material for making high-end jewelry.
"Make way, let us in. I'll offer two million RMB, young man, are you willing to sell?"
"Young man, I'll offer 50,000, what do you think?"
"Six million, I'll offer six million."
The scene went wild. You know, icy jadeite is not as good as glassy jadeite, but it is still extremely rare, especially since it is bright green. A single cabochon of such a top-quality jadeite is worth hundreds of thousands, and a bracelet made from it would be worth millions. Not to mention that, as Mr. Gu said, this piece of jadeite is quite large. Although no one had been able to get a closer look, the jade merchants had already started shouting out prices.
Liu Chuan was stunned. He had just been envious of Zhuang Rui for turning a rough stone into jade, but now that it was his turn, he was at a loss. Millions upon millions of dollars were being shouted out by these jade merchants as if they were just shouting out tens of dollars. Not only Liu Chuan, but even Zhuang Rui was seeing such a crazy scene for the first time.
"Grandpa, I... he... are you selling this?"
Liu Chuan was at a loss, so he asked the old man who was still observing the face-wiping man.
"Two million, haha, just add a little extra and it'll be about right."
The old man stood up and told Liu Chuan to carry the rough stone onto the stone-cutting machine. He had observed it for a long time and had figured out the direction and distribution of the jade inside. Now he was going to cut the whole piece of jade out.
As the old man moved, the restless crowd around him gradually quieted down. Whether they were jade merchants who intended to buy jade or tourists brought by tour groups, they all felt that today's trip was worthwhile. They all held their breath, afraid of making a sound that might disturb the old man who was cutting the stone.
With the old man's skillful and ancient stone-cutting movements, fragments of stone fell to the ground, and the exquisite jadeite, which had been hidden deep within the stone and almost abandoned by the world, gradually revealed its true appearance. After the old man completely peeled off the outer skin, he used a polishing machine to polish it. After more than half an hour, a piece of jadeite slightly smaller than a football and entirely emerald green was presented to everyone.
"The water content is good, but the green color is a bit scattered and not very even. But it's still quite valuable. Young man, this is gambling on stones. One cut can lead to heaven or hell. You decide how to handle it."
Old Gu wiped his sweat and handed the jade to Liu Chuan.
"Old man, you haven't said how much it's worth yet."
Liu Chuan, ignoring the dust on the jade's surface, hugged it tightly to his chest and asked Old Master Gu.
"Don't ask me, go ask them."
Following the direction of the old man's finger, Liu Chuan looked around at the crowd and couldn't help but shiver. The way these people looked at him made him feel like he was surrounded by wolves in Tibet.
Chapter 139 One Strike to Heaven, One Strike to Hell (Part 2)
"Young man, ask the security guard to let us in. We're just looking around, we won't rob you, what are you afraid of?"
The speaker was a middle-aged man named Lao Huo. As soon as he said this, several jade merchants behind him nodded in agreement. These were all jade merchants whose businesses were not large. They were not qualified or had the funds to participate in the major jade auctions. They could only inspect rough jade at various jade exhibitions in China. When they saw that Liu Chuan had unearthed a top-quality jade, they immediately surrounded him like cats smelling fish.
"Let them in."
Zhuang Rui said to the very diligent security guards that he also wanted to see how much Liu Chuan's jade was worth. Given that such a large and complete piece of jade would surely be quite valuable if carved into a work of art.
There weren't many people with the real ability and confidence to acquire this jade. After the security guards let them in, only four people entered; the rest, feeling their financial resources were insufficient, didn't bother to join the fun.
"You rascal, put the jade on the table. Aren't you tired of carrying it like that?"
Seeing that Liu Chuan was still tightly clutching the jade in his arms, Zhuang Rui said in an annoyed tone.
"Of course I'm tired. Even if I'm tired, I'll still carry it. I'm carrying money."
Liu Chuan answered confidently, making everyone laugh. At this moment, Yang Hao was not at the table, but went into the raw material area and was negotiating prices with those who wanted to try their luck.
This phenomenon isn't limited to this trade fair; it occurs at all major jade auctions. If a jadeite merchant's rough stones yield jadeite, their stall immediately becomes much more valuable. Buyers not only want to share in the good fortune but also because the same batch of rough stones that yielded jadeite has a much higher chance of yielding more jadeite than those stalls that didn't.
Seeing Zhuang Rui let these jade merchants in, Lei Lei's expression changed slightly. She was about to go over when Qin Xuanbing grabbed her arm and shook her head slightly. This piece of jade was quite valuable, and what she had said earlier was all a joke. If Lei Lei really asked Liu Chuan for it, it would be fine if he gave it to her. But if she couldn't bear to part with it, it would definitely cast a shadow over their relationship.
"Wood, are we really going to show them?"
Liu Chuan felt like these people were staring at him like hungry wolves. Putting the jade on the table was definitely not as reassuring as holding it in his arms.
"Nonsense, if you don't show them how you're going to sell it, what are you going to do with this thing? Eat it?"
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Liu Chuan thought about it and agreed. He then carefully placed the jade in his arms on the table, allowing the others to examine it.
"You scoundrel, how did you choose this rough stone? Answer me honestly, don't give me that bullshit that you can feel jade inside."
Zhuang Rui was genuinely curious. This piece of rough jade was ugly and heavy. Anyone who knew about jade would stop looking at it once they saw the cracks. People who didn't know about jade generally wouldn't choose this huge piece weighing several tens of kilograms. Why did Liu Chuan take a liking to it?
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's question, not only Qin Xuanbing and Lei Lei's attention was drawn, but even the old man who was drinking tea, Xu Wei sitting to the side, and the jade merchants who were appraising jade all pricked up their ears, ready to hear Liu Chuan's answer.
Want to hear the truth?
Liu Chuan got really worked up, which made Zhuang Rui so angry that he kicked him.
"Hehe, I spent ages looking around in there but couldn't find a single one I liked. You know, if a stone is small, the jade inside is probably small too. And if it's big, it weighs hundreds of pounds. I tried to lift it, but I couldn't. In the end, I picked this one. It's the right size, and it's not tiring to hold, so I chose it."
Liu Chuan's words stunned the dozen or so people around him. They looked at each other in bewilderment, and then burst into laughter. However, the laughter contained jealousy, envy, and other connotations. There was only one sentence that everyone agreed on: "Fools are sometimes lucky."
"You little rascal, hehe, not bad. Really not bad."
The old man stroked his beard with delight, and looking at Liu Chuan's smug expression, he really didn't know what to say.
"Old Gu, we've discussed it and decided to buy this piece of jade together. Do you think 18 million is a reasonable price?"
After looking at the jade for a while, the jade merchants whispered among themselves for a bit. Then, the middle-aged man named Old Huo stepped forward. Surprisingly, instead of going to Liu Chuan, the owner of the goods, he quoted a price to the old man, who was leisurely drinking tea to the side.
"You guys are planning to break this piece of jade into pieces to make cabochons and bracelets, right? Sigh, what a waste! Don't ask me about this, go ask that kid. It's his piece, so he can decide on the price as long as he feels it's right."
Gu Lao shook his head with some regret. It was indeed a pity that such an object wasn't carved into a decorative piece, but these merchants hadn't done anything wrong from their own perspective. After all, the smaller items made from the broken-down object sold much better than the single large decorative piece, and their prices were roughly the same.
"Eighteen million!"
After hearing what those people said, Liu Chuan was already a bit dazed. In the past, Fatty Ma had offered a sky-high price of 40 million to buy Zhuang Rui's Tibetan Mastiff, but since the Tibetan Mastiff wasn't his, Liu Chuan didn't feel it very strongly. Now, when he suddenly realized that he would also have nearly 20 million in assets, he finally understood how powerful that temptation was.
"Mr. Liu, Mr. Liu, please say something! Eighteen million is already a high price, and we don't actually make much profit."
Old Huo was standing in front of Liu Chuan, but Liu Chuan was behaving strangely. He looked at Old Huo without saying a word and remained noncommittal about Old Huo's offer. This made the jade merchants who were planning to jointly purchase this piece of jade feel uneasy, fearing that Liu Chuan would refuse them.
"Hmph, he's not refusing to sell, he's just so happy he's gone mad."
A sharp, penetrating female voice rang in Liu Chuan's ears, instantly waking him up. Seeing Lei Lei's frosty face not far away, Liu Chuan shuddered, immediately grabbed the jade from the table, and scurried over to Lei Lei, saying, "Leilei, I, Liu Chuan, am a man. My word is my bond. I said I'd give it to you, so here you are. Hug me."
As Liu Chuan spoke, he stuffed the jade into Lei Lei's arms. Lei Lei was caught off guard and hurriedly hugged the piece of jade, a look of emotion on her face. She didn't expect that Liu Chuan would actually give her this piece of jade worth tens of millions.
"Damn it, this kid is getting more and more cunning."
Only Zhuang Rui guessed Liu Chuan's thoughts.
"You should carry it yourself. It's so heavy. Who will be responsible if it gets broken?"
Lei Lei returned the jade to Liu Chuan, but her face was beaming with a bright and happy smile.
"Liu Chuan, our company has purchased this jadeite for 20 million. I just contacted the head office. They will take a flight from Hong Kong to Nanjing tonight. Could you stay another day so we can complete the transaction tomorrow?"
Just as the two, whom Zhuang Rui had labeled as adulterers, were exchanging flirtatious glances, Qin Xuanbing walked over with her phone and spoke to Liu Chuan.
Old Huo and the others nearby objected, saying, "Hey, young lady, we were the ones who chose this piece of jade first. Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to do this?"
“This is a clear material, not a gambling stone. Everyone has the right to compete. Don’t take advantage of me just because I’m a girl and don’t know anything. Grandpa Gu is sitting here. If you have any questions, you can ask him.”
Qin Xuan answered coldly. At this moment, she seemed to have returned to the same state she had two months ago, making people afraid to approach her.
“I’ll sell my stuff to whoever I want. You guys can go wander around. Leilei, I already said it was a gift for you. It’s not appropriate to sell it now. Talking about money will hurt our feelings.”
Liu Chuan first righteously refused several jade merchants, then his expression changed, and he said to Lei Lei with a grin.
"Liu Chuan, this piece of raw material is a significant deal even for our company. This isn't a dinner party or a favor; business is business. As for your relationship with Lei Lei, don't confuse it with this."
After hearing Qin Xuanbing's words, Liu Chuan also fell silent, looking troubled. Zhuang Rui, who was standing next to him, suppressed his laughter and turned his face away. This guy was just being hypocritical after getting the benefit. Zhuang Rui had noticed that when Qin Xuanbing was on the phone earlier, Liu Chuan, who was pretending to be in a daze, was actually eavesdropping on what Qin Xuanbing was saying. Liu Chuan had learned this trick of playing dumb since elementary school.
Seeing Liu Chuan's arrogant expression, Lao Huo and the other jade merchants were helpless. The goods belonged to someone else, and it was indeed their right to sell them to whomever they wanted. After all, they were all grown men, while the other party was a delicate young girl.
As the jade merchants were about to leave in disappointment, Liu Chuan suddenly called out, "Gentlemen, don't be in such a hurry to leave. I'm not selling this piece of jade anymore. There's another gentleman here, and his rough jade is much better than mine."
Liu Chuan had just caught a glimpse of Xu Wei and was annoyed. So he made a sarcastic remark to Xu Wei, the implication of which was clear: since both of them had found jade in their stones, why didn't Xu Wei bring out his three million yuan worth of jade to take a look?
Xu Wei was taken aback by Liu Chuan's words. He hadn't expected Liu Chuan to turn the tables on him like this. However, after seeing Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan extract jade from the rough stones, Xu Wei felt a little itchy to try his luck. His own semi-gambled rough stone had performed so well; there was no reason for it to be inferior to Zhuang and Liu's. ...
Chapter 140 One Strike to Heaven, One Strike to Hell (Part 2)
"So, Mr. Xu, this stall has good feng shui. Two pieces of rough jade were cut and both turned out to be profitable. Your piece must be no exception. Go cut it. It's better to keep it."
Zhuang Rui was also encouraging them from the side. At this moment, the jade merchants who were originally going to select rough stones also gathered around the table and began to observe the half-rough stone with a window that Xu Wei had bought.
"The water quality is good, there's no white mist, and no cracks. It was worth the three million!"
The jade merchant, known as Old Huo, after obtaining Xu Wei's consent, examined the jade carefully for several minutes with a powerful flashlight before drawing this conclusion.
After hearing what Lao Huo said, Xu Wei glanced at Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan sideways, feeling a little smug. "You two country bumpkins found jadeite, that's pure luck. The kind of rough jadeite we're playing with really tests your eyesight."
"Mr. Xu, are you interested in selling this rough jade stone? I'm willing to offer 3.2 million yuan to buy it. What do you think?"
Perhaps wanting to share in the good fortune of Zhuang and Liu, Lao Huo took a liking to Xu Wei's semi-rough jade and offered him a price.
"I'm from Xu's Jewelry Company in the South, in charge of South China affairs. I'm here to acquire raw jadeite. Mr. Huo, I'm sorry, but I took a liking to this piece of raw jadeite at first sight. Unlike some people who just rely on luck."
Seeing that Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan's rough jadeite, which they bought for only a few thousand yuan, had turned out to be worth tens of millions of yuan, Xu Wei felt very uncomfortable. He knew that even if his semi-rough jadeite was worth more than seven or eight million yuan, it would only be worth around seven or eight million yuan. Compared to Liu Chuan's jadeite, it was worlds apart.
"Hey, Xu Bailian, we brothers choose rough stones based on our eyesight and experience. Otherwise, how could we have found jade worth 20 million? If you think you're better than me, cut out your rough stone and let everyone see Xu's skill in gambling on stones."
Liu Chuan's words drew laughter from everyone. No one in the room would believe that he selected the raw materials based on his eyesight. However, Liu Chuan's sarcastic words made Xu Wei's fair face turn red. He stood up abruptly and said, "Since Mr. Liu wants to see it, I will grant your wish."
"Old man, could you please help me unravel this piece of raw jade?"
Although Xu Wei agreed to cut the stone on the spot, he was not very proficient in stone cutting and was not much better than Zhuang Rui. Therefore, he wanted to ask Grandpa Gu to help him, so that the jade in the rough stone could be completely cut out to the greatest extent.
Normally, people in the jade business enjoy cutting stones and personally extracting jade from them. The satisfaction is indescribable. However, after hearing Xu Wei's words, Gu Lao shook his head and said, "I've cut two stones today and I'm a bit tired. Mr. Xu, you should find someone else."
Old Gu had just looked at Xu Wei's semi-rough jadeite. To be honest, he was also very optimistic about this piece of jadeite, and the chances of it being a winning bet were very high. However, there were too many unexpected events today. Two pieces of jadeite that were considered waste material were cut into jadeite, and the quality was not bad. This made Old Gu feel uneasy. Could it be that things would happen three times in a row, and that this would happen to Xu Wei's piece of jadeite?
Furthermore, the work of cutting those two rough stones had indeed taken a lot of Old Master Gu's energy. Although it seemed that Zhuang Rui had already extracted jadeite, the subsequent work of polishing and removing the surface layer was very delicate. A slight mistake could damage the jade inside. So, although Old Master Gu looked relaxed, the effort he actually put in was far beyond what everyone imagined.