Zhuang Rui told Song Jun about the set of Ru ware porcelain fragments he had found in the ghost market. He planned to sell the item after it was repaired, so he wasn't afraid of others finding out.
"You...you mean, you found a complete fragment of Ru ware porcelain?"
Song Jun, who had just stood up, slumped back down after Zhuang Rui's words, his face filled with disbelief. After receiving Zhuang Rui's affirmative reply, he shook his head repeatedly and said, "I didn't say anything earlier. You can gamble as much money as you have. Damn, your luck is just too good."
On the way to the elevator, Song Jun's eyes remained fixed on Zhuang Rui's left wrist, muttering to himself that he would definitely go to Tibet sometime and get a bracelet blessed by a living Buddha like this. In his view, Zhuang Rui's good fortune was undoubtedly due to this string of old dzi beads.
Perhaps spurred on by Zhuang Rui's good luck, the next day, Zhuang Rui was still half asleep when he was woken up by a phone call from Song Jun, who invited him to stroll around the ghost market. Looking at the time, he realized he had just arrived... Helpless, Zhuang Rui got up, washed up, and met up with Song Jun at the hotel entrance with Bai Shi.
This time, Song Jun didn't bring Master Peng with him; he came alone. Clearly, his expertise in antiques was superior to Master Peng's.
On Jade Street, there was only one street lamp every ten meters or so, and they were all energy-saving lamps. After midnight, the light was very dim. Song Jun and Zhuang Rui were considered early. At this time, people had already set up stalls on both sides of Jade Street, and others had just arrived and were spreading out their stalls on the ground.
Since the Pingzhou Jadeite Gambling Conference is officially opening tomorrow, this "ghost market" is also on its last day. People who are looking for bargains are getting up early, and there are more people browsing the ghost market on the jade street than there are stalls.
To Song Jun's dismay, the powerful flashlight he carried immediately drew a barrage of curses as soon as he turned it on, while no one paid any attention to Zhuang Rui's small flashlight. Seeing this, Zhuang Rui handed his flashlight to Song Jun. To him, those antiques imbued with spiritual energy were like fireflies in the dark; as long as they existed, they could not escape his eyes, and there was no difference between day and night.
"Brother, let's handle this separately. Contact me by phone if anything comes up."
The jade street is over 2,000 meters long. Although there aren't many vendors at the moment, there are still forty or fifty stalls. Song Jun then separated from Zhuang Rui and wandered around on his own.
Without a flashlight, working under the dim light wouldn't add much experience, so Zhuang Rui was too lazy to examine each item one by one. Instead, he simply released the spiritual energy in his eyes at each stall, enveloping all the items there. In this way, as long as there were antiques among them, they basically wouldn't escape his eyes.
What frustrated Zhuang Rui was that after looking at four or five stalls, he hadn't found anything of value. Occasionally, there would be one or two items containing a faint spiritual energy, but when Zhuang Rui picked them up, they were just porcelain pieces made in the late Qing Dynasty folk kilns, worthless. Moreover, the stall owners knew their value and casually quoted prices higher than those in auction houses. Zhuang Rui didn't even bother to haggle and went straight to the next stall.
"Hey bro, how come you figured it out so fast?"
Zhuang Rui and Song Jun started looking at things from opposite sides of the street, and less than an hour later, Zhuang Rui turned to the other side of the street and bumped into Song Jun at a stall.
"Did you give me the flashlight? You can't see clearly anymore. You should take it. My eyesight is better, bro."
Song Jun was a little embarrassed and handed the flashlight in his hand to Zhuang Rui.
"No, Brother Song, you take it. I'm here to accompany the Crown Prince in his studies today."
Zhuang Rui didn't take the flashlight. He had already looked at more than twenty stalls and hadn't found a single good item. He had basically given up hope. It seemed that finding something good in this ghost market depended on luck.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
While talking, Song Jun continued to observe the items he had been looking at. After about seven or eight minutes, Song Jun reached out his hand to the stall owner. Because it was dark, Zhuang Rui did not see their hand gestures, but when Song Jun took out his money, Zhuang Rui saw it clearly: two unopened bills of RMB were handed to the stall owner.
Zhuang Rui was taken aback. Spending 20,000 yuan on something in a place like this was either a huge profit or a terrible loss. The thing didn't seem to be very big, and Song Jun was holding it in his hand. Zhuang Rui couldn't see it for a moment, so he couldn't help but ask, "Brother Song, what did you buy?"
"Hehe, bro, you really are a lucky charm. I found a good thing as soon as I came over. Let's go, I'm not looking anymore, let's go back to the hotel."
Song Jun looked somewhat excited. He pulled Zhuang Rui and started to walk back, unwilling to look at the remaining stalls anymore. There was actually a reason for this; once collectors had found a good item, they generally wouldn't continue looking at the others, because the excitement of finding a bargain could easily affect their subsequent judgment.
"Hey Song, I haven't finished reading yet. Okay, don't pull me, I'll go with you, alright?"
Zhuang Rui wanted to see the remaining stalls, but Song Jun dragged him back to the hotel.
"Brother Song, what kind of treasure is it that makes you so excited? I haven't gotten anything at all."
After sitting down at the hotel, Zhuang Rui asked, his tone tinged with a hint of complaint, "Today is the last day of the Ghost Market. Once this opportunity is gone, it's gone forever."
"Don't rush, I need to take another look."
Song Jun's words almost made Zhuang Rui stumble. Good heavens, it turns out that Boss Song bought it without even realizing it.
The main lights in the hotel were turned off, but no one would question turning on a powerful flashlight. Song Jun placed the object in his hand on the coffee table in front of the sofa, then turned on the flashlight and shone the bright light on the object.
"What is this thing?"
What appeared in Zhuang Rui's eyes was just a reddish object about the size of a thumb, covered in mud, making it impossible to tell what it was.
"Hehe, of course it's a good thing."
After looking at it for a while, Song Jun picked up the items on the coffee table and handed them to Zhuang Rui.
"Damn, these cicadas are worth 20,000?"
Zhuang Rui held it in his hand and it took him a lot of effort to realize that it was actually a cicada carved from jade, with a very deep patina. It was difficult to tell without careful examination.
"You don't know anything! This is called a jade cicada, and it's just a burial jade from the Han Dynasty. It's very precious..."
Song Jun replied irritably.
Upon hearing Song Jun's words, Zhuang Rui took it to heart and examined it carefully. The jade cicada was only three or four centimeters long and about two centimeters wide. It had large eyes and a narrow, elongated trapezoidal body. There was a tiny, almost invisible hole in the center of the cicada's head, presumably for threading a rope through it.
This jade cicada is made of good material. Zhuang Rui thinks it is made of Xinjiang white jade, but it is covered with deep red stains. The cicada's body is carved into a regular rhombus shape, with a simple and concise image. The head, wings and abdomen are carved with thick incised lines, which can be completed with just a few strokes. The carving technique is very concise. The two wings on the back of the cicada are symmetrical, like lung lobes. The overall shape is very regular.
"Brother Song, is this what you call oral sex?"
Zhuang Rui played with the jade cicada in his hand and asked Song Jun about it. He knew that jade cicadas were usually placed in the mouths of the dead to symbolize purity, detachment from worldly affairs, and resurrection. However, Zhuang Rui had only heard about this from other places, and this was the first time he had seen it with his own eyes.
In ancient times, jade cicadas had three uses: first, they were worn on hats as a high-class decoration; second, they were strung on ropes and hung on the body as ornaments; and third, they were burial objects, which was the most common use of jade cicadas—placed in the mouths of the deceased.
From the Hongshan Culture of the Stone Age, for over 5,000 years, people have held a deep fascination with cicadas, stemming from our ancestors' pursuit of immortality. Some experts believe that the transformation of a cicada from larva to adult involves metamorphosis, a rebirth. Holding a cicada symbolizes being reborn, a fresh start.
"Yes, this is what was in the mouth of the deceased who had his nine orifices plugged with jade... Jade cicada, brother, you're really lucky today. This is a genuine Han Dynasty jade cicada with eight cuts. Damn, that kid at the stall must have dug it out of some Han Dynasty tomb."
Song Jun was still very excited and even swore, which showed that he was extremely satisfied with finding this item.
"Jade plugs the nine orifices" means that after a person dies, a piece of jade is inserted into the nine orifices of the body. These are all very particular. The jade is placed in the hands of the dead person, called "jade grip", and the jade is also covered in the eyes, called "jade closing eyes". The jade in the mouth is called "jade mouth".
As for the "Han Eight Cuts" mentioned by the Song army, it refers to a jade carving technique created by this jade cicada. Specifically, it refers to the type of jade funerary object from the Han Dynasty where the craftsmanship was applied only to the back of the cicada. To put it more broadly, jade funerary objects with craftsmanship applied to both the back and the belly can also be considered as "Han Eight Cuts." This carving technique was lost after the Han Dynasty, so a genuine Han Eight Cuts jade cicada is extremely precious in terms of both its artistic value and its contribution to the study of the craftsmanship at that time.
While handling it, Zhuang Rui had already examined it with his spiritual energy and confirmed that it was indeed an artifact from the Han Dynasty. It did contain spiritual energy and was a deep purple color, although the amount was not very large. However, as Zhuang Rui handled it, he seemed to feel the spiritual energy within it slowly increasing.
This discovery piqued Zhuang Rui's interest. If his feeling was true, it meant that the formation of spiritual energy within these antiques was definitely related to the nourishment and handling by the human body.
"Brother Song, I was just thinking of finding someone to play with this jade cicada. You can let me have it. Name your price."
Zhuang Rui wasn't sure if the feeling he had just experienced was just his imagination. Besides, he had been looking for a good jade piece to play with, and this jade cicada had three different colors of patina and the jade quality was also quite good, which barely met Zhuang Rui's requirements.
Song Jun paused for a moment after hearing Zhuang Rui's words, then looked at Zhuang Rui with a half-smile and asked, "What's up, brother? You've got your eye on this thing?"
"What's wrong? What's the explanation for this?"
Zhuang Rui noticed that Song Jun's smile was somewhat strange, so he couldn't help but ask.
"There's no official explanation, but this thing is quite expensive."
"Hey, Brother Song, I didn't say I wouldn't give you the money. Just tell me how much it is, and that's not all."
Zhuang Rui was puzzled. It was just a small trinket from the Han Dynasty, and it was so small. How much could it be worth?
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Song Jun straightened his expression and said, "Alright, let me put it this way. Just a few months ago, an old friend of mine brought back a jade cicada with eight Han dynasty carvings from overseas. The quality, texture, and patina of that jade cicada are far inferior to mine. He spent 200,000 yuan to buy it back then. What do you think is a suitable price for mine?"
"Two hundred thousand? That's really not cheap..."
Zhuang Rui was taken aback when he heard the price. It wasn't that he couldn't afford that much money, but rather that he had never spent so much on a bargain before. He was now wondering whether it was worth spending 200,000 yuan to buy this thing to play with.
"Okay, Brother Song, that guy spent 200,000, how about I pay 300,000 for yours? If you agree, I'll transfer the money to you at a bank when it's light."
After thinking about it for a while, Zhuang Rui decided to buy it anyway. Ancient jade is extremely rare, and this jade cicada has three different colors of patina. If it is properly polished, its value will probably be far more than 300,000 yuan.
"Hey bro, don't rush me. My friend spent $200,000. I don't want your $300,000. Give me $250,000 and you can take this thing."
After Zhuang Rui expressed his desire to buy it, Song Jun slowly explained that this was why Song Jun had that expression earlier. It turned out that such a tiny trinket was worth a third of his wealth.
"Come on, Brother Song, you're deliberately trying to provoke me. Don't try to provoke me. I can't take a beating, can I?"
As Zhuang Rui spoke, he handed the jade cicada back to Song Jun. He had gritted his teeth for a long time when Song Jun had asked for 300,000 dollars, but when it was exchanged for 250,000 US dollars, Zhuang Rui didn't even need to think about it and returned the item directly.
This thing is nice, and Zhuang Rui also wants to figure out if the spiritual energy inside this object can really be increased by playing with it. But he's not going to spend over 2 million to do an experiment. Besides, with these eyes, Zhuang Rui doesn't believe he won't be able to find some good antique jade in the future.
Chapter 186 Conflict
"Hey, smoking isn't allowed here. I'm talking to you, looking around everywhere."
Zhuang Rui had just slipped into the airport exit hall to light a cigarette, but before he could even take two puffs, he was stopped by a tourist overflowing with a sense of public service.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll leave now."
Zhuang Rui looked at the middle-aged woman with a thick waist in front of him, apologized repeatedly, and quickly walked to the door of the exit. Looking at the heavy rain outside, he felt very depressed.
This was the second time Zhuang Rui had come to the airport to pick up people in three days. Today, the third and second sons arrived in Guangzhou from Shaanxi and Beijing respectively. Fortunately, their flights were only a little over an hour apart, otherwise Zhuang Rui would have had to make another trip.
Guangdong experiences frequent thunderstorms in the summer. This morning, when I was browsing the ghost market, there were still stars in the sky, and only seven or eight hours later, it's already pouring rain. The flight is definitely going to be delayed again. Zhuang Rui got bored waiting in the car, so he simply came to the exit hall to wait.
Thinking about what happened that morning, Zhuang Rui was still a little conflicted. Just because he started wandering in the wrong direction, such a precious jade cicada with eight cuts from the Han Dynasty slipped through his fingers. Although Zhuang Rui was somewhat unwilling, he later returned to the Ghost Market and searched around again, but he did not find anything of value.
"Youngest, over here..."
While Zhuang Rui was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a familiar voice. Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw Lao San waving at him. The girl standing next to him was Zhang Rong, Lao San's girlfriend, whom Zhuang Rui also knew well; they were classmates from the same year of university.
"Honey, I knew it! Our youngest son would definitely come to pick us up no matter the weather."
Zhuang Rui had just walked up to the third brother when he heard the third brother whispering to Zhang Rong.
"Brother Fa, it's been two years since I last saw you. You've leveled up! Ah Rong is now your wife. When are you going to give us brothers some wedding candy? No, I should say when are you going to give us brothers some red eggs?"
Red eggs are only given after a baby is born in the mainland. Zhuang Rui's words made Zhang Rong's fair face turn red instantly. The third brother, on the other hand, just smiled and didn't refute, saying with a grin, "We've set our wedding date for June 18th. We'll hold the wedding banquet after we get back from here."
"Well, Chow Yun-fat, you've pulled a surprise attack! So you've taken Lao Si's money for your honeymoon? We'll see how Lao Si deals with you later."
Zhuang Rui was somewhat surprised to hear that his third brother was getting married soon, but it made sense. His third brother and Zhang Rong had been dating for three years in college, and counting the two years since graduation, it had been five years, so it was time for them to get married.
“We still have to wait here for a while. The second brother’s flight is probably not arriving for another hour. Come on, let’s go over there and rest for a bit.”
Zhuang Rui looked around and saw a few rows of plastic chairs in the corner. He beckoned Lao San and Zhang Rong to go over there, but he didn't notice that from the crowd who had just disembarked, a pair of eyes were staring at him with resentment.
Xu Wei's feelings for Zhuang Rui went beyond mere resentment; he practically hated Zhuang Rui to the core. Back in Pengcheng, Zhuang Rui caused him to fire the British jewelry designer he had personally hired, resulting in a significant drop in his reputation within the family. Although the main reason was Qin Xuanbing, Xu Wei also blamed Zhuang Rui for this.
The second time was at the jade exhibition in Nanjing, where he met Zhuang Rui again. Not only did he lose millions gambling on stones, but he also offended Wang Yigun, a local tyrant in Nanjing. Later, Wang Yigun made things difficult for him in many ways, and the family's business in Nanjing became very difficult. It was because of this incident that Xu Wei was transferred from the position of general manager of Xu's Jewelry in South China to general manager of the Northwest region.
Although Xu Wei's transfer did not change his rank or treatment within the company, the wealth gap between the two locations—one in the Yangtze River Delta and the other in the newly developed Northwest—was obvious. This transfer also signaled Xu Wei's marginalization by his family.
Given Xu Wei's magnanimity and emotional intelligence, he naturally believed that his gambling on stones was instigated by Zhuang Rui and others, and that he had encouraged Wang Yigun to deal with Zhuang Rui as a matter of course. There are always some people in this world who are very good at discovering their own strengths and covering up some minor flaws.
"Da Biao, boss, I've met someone I don't like. Can you teach him a lesson?"
Xu Wei hid behind the crowd and spoke to a fierce-looking man next to him.
The man Xu Wei called Da Biao looked to be in his early thirties. He had a scar on his face, running from his eye to his lip, which looked like a worm crawling across his face, adding to his fierce appearance. His large hands had thick calluses on the knuckles, clearly indicating that he was a trained fighter.
"Sever an arm or a leg? Boss, you decide."
Da Biao stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, a sinister and cruel look appearing in his eyes.
"No, you don't need to do that. If something happens, won't you get involved too?"
Xu Wei was startled by Da Biao's words. He did want to break Zhuang Rui's arm and leg, and he wasn't afraid that Da Biao would be implicated. Even if Da Biao went to jail, it wouldn't have anything to do with him. The key thing was that he was afraid that this matter would implicate him, which would be troublesome. Cold-hearted people are often the ones who think the most about themselves.