Zhuang Rui looked around but didn't see Zhou Rui, which made him a little puzzled.
"It's all because of your precious Tibetan Mastiff. Brother Zhou said he's at the hotel with White Lion. He wants us to pack it up and take it back for him later."
The fourth brother was ordering food from the menu when he replied without looking up, making Zhuang Rui feel a little embarrassed. Bringing a large dog to eat at a hotel in the bustling downtown area of Guangzhou was indeed a bit inappropriate.
"Zhuang Rui, the white lion is getting bigger and bigger, it will be very inconvenient to bring it back later."
Lei Lei, who was standing to the side, said to Zhuang Rui that she almost didn't recognize Bai Shi when she saw him yesterday.
"What's up, bro? How big is your Tibetan Mastiff?"
The Song army couldn't forget Zhuang Rui's white lion.
"Sigh, you'll see when you get there. Alright, let's eat."
Zhuang Rui gave a wry smile. He had no choice. The white lion was getting bigger and bigger, and it was no longer suitable to take it with him in many places. He had already resigned from his job and would have to find a new house when he returned to Pengcheng. There were too many elderly people and children in his old neighborhood. Although the white lion didn't bite, it would be a big problem if it scared someone.
The meal was somewhat subdued. Zhuang Rui was thinking to himself whether he should call Liu Chuan later and ask him to look for an apartment. Song Jun didn't say much either, only occasionally exchanging a few words with Master Peng beside him. Fatty Ma did the same. Only Wei Ge, Lao Si, and Lei Lei seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation.
Just as they were finishing their meal, Song Jun received a phone call. After hanging up, he checked the time, then waved to Zhuang Rui and said, "Brother, thanks for your classmate's hospitality today. The jadeite rough dealer called me earlier. He's going to someone's house to look at rough jadeite in an hour, at eight o'clock. Do you have time?"
"Yes, of course we have time. We're almost finished eating, so I'll say goodbye and we'll head out now."
Zhuang Rui, Wei Ge, and Lao Si didn't need to stand on ceremony. After explaining the situation to the others, they got up with Song Jun. Lei Lei originally wanted to go along to see for herself, but their company's jade expert hadn't arrived yet, so there was no point in going. Therefore, she didn't ask for a favor.
Just as Zhuang Rui was about to leave the hotel, Fatty Ma staggered out, put his arm around Zhuang Rui's shoulder, and whispered, "Brother, that's a bit unfair of you. I called you first, but you went with someone else. I'm not happy about that."
"Hey, Brother Ma, I came to Pingzhou this time specifically for Brother Song. We made an appointment a long time ago, otherwise I wouldn't have refused you yesterday."
Zhuang Rui put on a bitter face and said, half-jokingly.
"Okay, let's talk about it later. Following Brother Ma won't hurt you. Our connections aren't necessarily less than others."
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Fatty Ma's expression improved, but his words sounded like he was trying to provoke the Song army, which made Zhuang Rui smile wryly.
"Okay, Brother Ma, if you're free tomorrow, let's go out for a stroll again."
Zhuang Rui readily agreed. Fatty Ma's enthusiasm was almost overwhelming. Putting aside everything else, just the fact that Fatty Ma's 200-plus-pound body was half-pressing on Zhuang Rui made it hard for him to breathe.
"Okay, then it's settled."
Fatty Ma's eyes narrowed with laughter as he patted Zhuang Rui's shoulder and let him go.
"Zhuang Rui, Fatty Ma is a wolf in sheep's clothing. You need to be careful when you associate with him..."
Once the car was on the highway to Pingzhou, Song Jun said to Zhuang Rui.
“I know, Brother Song. Actually, I don’t have much interaction with him. We just met a few months ago at the black market on the grassland. You know that?”
Zhuang Rui was also somewhat puzzled by Fatty Ma's intentions. Logically speaking, when selecting raw jadeite stones privately, the fewer people who go with him, the more he can buy. There was no reason for Fatty Ma to invite him to go with him time and time again.
"Yeah, just be careful. That fatso is really something. Sometimes you're being used without even realizing it."
Song Jun nodded, but still gave Zhuang Rui one more instruction. Zhuang Rui took his words to heart. These days, there is no love without a reason, nor is there hatred without a reason. Hmm, that seems to be a line from some TV series.
Song Jun seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then he spoke again: "Brother, if you see any rough stones that you like and really want to buy them, I advise you not to cut them open. Keep the stones in your hands, and in a few years, they will be worth several times more. But if you cut them open and lose money, the loss will be huge."
Song Jun meant well, and Zhuang Rui nodded. He had already made up his mind. At this jade gambling event, he would only buy rough stones. As for cutting the stones, he preferred to do it alone later. After all, his stone cutting in Nanjing last time had spread throughout the jade gambling circle. If he were to make a splash again this time, some people with ulterior motives would probably connect the two.
"The house, it seems we need to get the house in Pengcheng sorted out as soon as possible."
If he really finds some good raw jade, his current house probably won't be enough to hold it all. Zhuang Rui was having a bit of a headache, so he simply took out his phone and called Liu Chuan, asking him to find him a house.
"You want to buy a house? Well, it's true, keeping a Tibetan Mastiff in the city center is indeed not very convenient..."
After overhearing Zhuang Rui's phone call, Song Jun said this.
"Yes, the white lion is too big now. Taking it out will scare people. We'll have to live in Pengcheng Township from now on."
Zhuang Rui said somewhat helplessly that although having a car would be very convenient, he would definitely feel uncomfortable leaving the old house where he had lived for more than ten years. More importantly, Zhuang Rui had not yet figured out how to persuade his mother to move out and live with him.
"There's a vacant villa near where I live. The previous landlord got into some trouble, and all his assets were confiscated, so the villa will probably be auctioned off, but it won't be cheap..."
Song Jun's words stirred something in Zhuang Rui's heart. To say he didn't like the environment of Yunlong Villa would be pure nonsense. Putting everything else aside, Zhuang Rui was already incredibly envious of the basement behind the garage in that villa. He had seen it at Song Jun's house before; that basement was over thirty square meters, more than enough to fit a small stone-cutting set. Moreover, the soundproofing was excellent; he could probably set off firecrackers in there without anyone bothering him.
"Brother Song, what's the approximate price of that villa?"
Zhuang Rui asked cautiously.
"It's a government auction. The starting price shouldn't be too high, around eight to ten million. But there are quite a few people eyeing that house, so the final price will probably be between fifteen and eighteen million. What, you really want to buy it?"
Song Jun knew Zhuang Rui's background.
"I want to buy it!"
Zhuang Rui nodded heavily, then said with a wry smile, "But I don't have that kind of money. How about I take a gamble this time and bet on a few stones? Damn it, I'm worth 9 million now. I'll take out 4 million to gamble. Brother Song, if I lose, that's my bad luck. But if I win, you have to keep an eye on that villa for me."
"You kid, you usually seem pretty steady, but you're even wilder than Da Chuan. Okay, as long as you can raise 15 million, I'm confident I can help you get that house."
Zhuang Rui put on a gritted-teeth expression. Song Jun had originally intended to say a few words of advice, but seeing Zhuang Rui's expression, he didn't say much. Given his status, if he spread the word that he wanted that house, some people would probably give him some face.
"Okay, then I'll thank you in advance, Brother Song."
Zhuang Rui was overjoyed. Gambling on stones is either a win or a loss. With this excuse, if the stone he cuts turns out to be a good one, others will just think he was lucky. Of course, Zhuang Rui has always had good luck, having received a dzi bead bracelet from the Living Buddha.
"You'll have something to cry about when you lose the bet. I gambled too much last year and lost over 20 million..."
Seeing Zhuang Rui's excited expression, Song Jun shook his head dejectedly and said nothing more.
After arriving in Pingzhou, Song Jun first asked Zhuang Rui to park the car in the hotel parking lot, and then stood at the hotel entrance to wait. About five or six minutes later, a man in his thirties with a mustache came up to Song Jun and said apologetically, "Mr. Song, I'm so sorry I'm a little late. Shall we go now?"
Song Jun seemed to know this man quite well, and said with a smile, "Little Lin, you've got some guts this time. Last year, I bought over 20 million worth of rough jade, and it turned out to be a piece of garbage. The money is a small matter, but I lost face big time."
"That's right, that's right. The rough stones from the place we went to today are all sourced from the old mines in Kokang, Myanmar. They must be of good quality. Mr. Song, you look radiant today, you must be very lucky."
The man with the mustache smiled and nodded to Zhuang Rui and Master Peng, clearly classifying them as Song army followers.
"Get out of the way. It's no wonder your face is red after drinking. Stop talking nonsense and lead the way."
Song Jun laughed and cursed.
Chapter 179 Wool Warehouse
"Brother Song, are we heading to the jade market?"
Zhuang Rui followed behind the mustachioed broker. Seeing that he was heading towards the jade street, he muttered to Song Jun, "In this day and age, you have to be careful in everything you do. You know, even a notorious gangster like Yip Kai-foon, who used to run rampant in Hong Kong, was from Guangdong."
"Yes, that's where we check the goods, but it could also be in the warehouse. Anyway, it's not far, just a short walk away..."
As they walked, Song Jun explained to Zhuang Rui that many shop owners on Jade Street not only sold finished jade pieces but also dealt in raw jade stones. After the shops closed in the evening, they would receive customers who came to see the raw stones.
"Why don't you come to look at the rough jade during the day? Compared to their jade wholesale business, the business of rough jade should be more profitable, right?"
Zhuang Rui asked, somewhat puzzled.
Zhuang Rui spoke rather loudly. The man with the mustache leading the way turned around, smiled at Zhuang Rui, and said nothing. However, Zhuang Rui could tell from his eyes that this man considered him an amateur.
"Brother, it's hard to see the rough stones at night. These unscrupulous merchants are just hoping you'll buy a bunch of worthless stones. You'll see once you get there; there's not much difference between day and night."
Song Jun's words left Zhuang Rui completely confused. How could there be little difference between day and night? However, seeing the smile on Master Peng's face next to him, who clearly disagreed with what he had said, Zhuang Rui could only keep the question to himself.
The man with the mustache who was walking in front turned around and said to Zhuang Rui, "This brother isn't in this line of work, is he?"
The man with the mustache initially thought Zhuang Rui was a follower of the Song army, but after listening to their conversation, it seemed they were mostly friends. He became a little curious. You see, people who go to other people's homes to look at goods are usually insiders, since they are there to discuss business. Moreover, the location is quite sensitive. Generally, the host doesn't welcome outsiders who come to watch the spectacle. In addition, these people usually don't buy raw materials, so the brokers won't have any income. Therefore, they don't really care about these kinds of people.
"Brother Zhuang hasn't been in the business for long, but he'll still make a move when he sees a suitable rough stone, and you'll definitely get your commission."
Song Jun knew what the man with the mustache was thinking. After saying that, he paused and then said, "That jadeite rough worth 20 million yuan that was unearthed in Nanjing a few months ago was cut by my little brother himself. So, are you relieved now?"
"How could I not trust the people that Boss Song brought? This young man is really lucky."
The jade gambling circle in China is not large, and it's mostly the same people coming and going. The news that Zhuang Rui had unearthed two top-quality jadeite pieces in Nanjing had already spread throughout the circle, and this mustache guy naturally knew about it too. When he looked at Zhuang Rui again, his eyes were full of envy.
"Damn it, buddy, you're just relying on your eyesight, and you actually said I was lucky..."
Zhuang Rui was initially a little depressed, but then he thought better of it. Since everyone thinks I'm lucky, let's try our luck again this time.
The jade market street was very close to the hotel, and the group arrived on the street shortly after eight o'clock. However, many shops were already closed, and it was much quieter than during the day. The man with the mustache led the group through a small alley in the jade market street and they arrived at the back of a shop. Zhuang Rui glanced at it and saw that the shop also had a statue of the local earth god outside, with incense burning on it. The only difference was that the gate was a bit too wide, a thick iron gate that was at least four or five meters wide, with a small door in the middle. The wall was also a bit too high, and there were even security cameras pointing at the entrance from the two corners of the wall.
The man with the mustache spoke a few words in Cantonese into the intercom next to the door. Before two minutes had passed, footsteps could be heard in the yard. Then the small door opened from the inside, and a somewhat thin middle-aged man poked his head out, smiling as he said, "Xiao Lin, thank you for your help."
The man with the mustache pointed at Song Jun and said, "Boss Yu, this is Boss Song. He's a big shot in the area. If you take good care of him, you won't have to worry about business in the future."
Boss Yu quickly stepped aside and invited Song Jun and the others into the courtyard. As soon as Zhuang Rui entered, he heard a low whimper coming from the doorway. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw two yellow-backed, white-bellied Kunming dogs. They looked trained and were lying low, watching Zhuang Rui and the others warily. It seemed that if Boss Yu hadn't personally led the group, the two dogs would have pounced on them.
Although it's said that "a dog that bites doesn't bark," these two dogs were quite competent at guarding the house, but Zhuang Rui naturally didn't take them seriously. If he had brought White Lion along, these two dogs would probably have already tucked their tails between their legs and run away.
"Hehe, for a small, humble household like ours, we don't feel at ease unless we have a few dogs guarding the yard."
Boss Yu gave a signal, and the two Kunming dogs lay down on the ground again without making a sound.
"Boss Yu, let's take a look at the goods first. I came here as soon as I got off the plane."
Not to mention Zhuang Rui, even Song Jun looked down on these two wolfhounds. Seeing that Boss Yu still wanted to show off, he couldn't help but urge him on.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Song, you were one of the first people to see my inventory."
Boss Yu didn't waste any more words. He led the group across the courtyard to a large iron gate.
Song Jun smirked. He figured Boss Yu would say something like that every time a group of people came. The order in which the rough stones were inspected was extremely important. The reason was simple: there were only so many rough stones, and those who came first would definitely buy the best ones, leaving those who came later to pick up what others had left behind.
"Mr. Yu's business is very large..."
After entering the courtyard, Zhuang Rui looked around and discovered that the courtyard was actually a combination of the back rooms of the three shops. That meant that the three jade shops on the street in front all belonged to this Boss Yu. Zhuang Rui couldn't help but look at the thin Boss Yu with new respect. In this place where every inch of land is precious, being able to occupy three shops must mean that his business is quite large.
"Not at all... not at all, it's just a small business, we rely entirely on your support to make a living. This young man is truly promising."
With a smile on his face, Boss Yu asked Zhuang Rui a question to find out his background. He had originally thought that Zhuang Rui was Song Jun's follower, but now it seemed that was not the case.
"Hehe, I'm just trying to make a living by following Boss Song."
Zhuang Rui said with a smile.
"Get out of my way. In just a few months, you've already made over ten million from me."
Song Jun said with great dissatisfaction that Tang Bohu's painting, plus Wang Shizhen's manuscript, was already worth more than 12 million RMB.
"Please wait a moment..."
After hearing Song Jun's words, Boss Yu felt relieved. To him, as long as someone had money, they were welcome customers. After apologizing to Zhuang Rui and the others, Boss Yu took out a bunch of keys from his waist and fiddled with the dark iron gate. It took him more than three minutes to finally open the big iron gate.
When Boss Yu opened the iron gate, Zhuang Rui noticed something and was surprised to find that the iron gate was over 30 centimeters thick, comparable to a bank vault.
Once inside the warehouse, Boss Yu turned on a light near the entrance and casually closed the iron gate. The warehouse immediately dimmed, with only the dim light providing any illumination. Zhuang Rui then understood why Song Jun had said it was the same day and night; apparently, once the iron gate was closed, even under the bright sunshine, not a single ray of light could get in.