There weren't many fully rough stones, only about seven or eight hundred pieces, less than one-tenth of the semi-rough stones. They were loosely placed in a corner of the semi-rough stone area.
Chapter 216 The Mark Rises, the Winds of Change Stir (5)
There weren't many people in the semi-gambling area for raw jade. Only a dozen or so people were selecting raw jade. These people were probably all here with the same purpose as Zhuang Rui: to find a bargain. Because legitimate jade dealers would gamble on semi-gambling raw jade. Raw jade that had been partially exposed had a lower risk of loss, and if they won, they would usually keep the jade for their own use.
Although there were fewer people in the semi-gambling area, Zhuang Rui's pace slowed down considerably as he continued his inspection. This was because he not only had to use his spiritual energy to determine whether there was jade in the rough stones, but he also had to stop and observe any stones that showed green color, noting the appearance and markings of the outer skin in his notebook.
Because the basis for setting the bid price for rough stones is entirely determined by the pine flower and python pattern on the outer skin of the rough stone, Zhuang Rui must record in detail the appearance of the outer skin of the rough stone containing jadeite. He simply cannot set the bid price based on the jadeite inside the rough stone.
These unbid rough stones all had excellent outer skins, which is why the owners selected them for sale. Zhuang Rui discovered that the probability of finding green jade in these unbid rough stones was quite high. After looking at only forty or fifty unbid lots, he found that about twenty of them contained jadeite. Regardless of the quality, just the fact that they contained green jadeite made them much better than the openly bid rough stones on the stalls.
Even if the rough stones have good appearances, the starting price is already high. There are several rough stones with green jade inside, but the value of the jade inside is not as high as the starting price. In the end, Zhuang Rui simply looked at rough stones with average appearances on the outside. Only such rough stones have a chance to win the bid at a relatively low price.
Although Zhuang Rui was fast enough, it was almost 6 p.m. by the time he finished looking at the seven or eight hundred lots of fully gambled jade, the sky was already getting dark, and the venue was closing at 6:30 p.m. After quickly noting down the last piece of raw jade that would turn green, Zhuang Rui and Zhou Rui left the venue with the white lion.
Back at the hotel, Zhuang Rui found that Wei Ge and the others hadn't returned yet. He called Song Jun, but Song Jun was at a friend's place in Guangzhou. Since Fatty Ma was with a beautiful woman, it wasn't appropriate to disturb him. Zhuang Rui had a simple meal with Zhou Rui and then went to his room.
The bidding will begin tomorrow at noon, and Zhuang Rui's notebook is filled with notes of more than 300 rough jade stones, some of which contain jade. Zhuang Rui has already roughly categorized these rough stones in his notebook.
Zhuang Rui hid the various woolen materials beneath them, using symbols only he understood to represent them. Even if the notebook were lost, no one else would be able to decipher it.
Of the rough stones noted in the notebook, thirty-six were of the icy variety, and over fifty were of the hibiscus variety, which was slightly inferior to the icy variety in color and had a uniform color throughout. The rest were mid- to low-grade stones such as bean type, dry green type, oily clear type, and golden thread type. Although there were some fine pieces among them, Zhuang Rui was not very interested in these rough stones. He was more interested in about one hundred rough stones.
Besides the icy and hibiscus-type rough stones, there are also more than ten colorless jadeite rough stones. Although the lack of green will make them much cheaper, these colorless jadeite ornaments are very popular now. If they can reach the glass type, they are even more expensive, comparable to the price of regular icy jadeite ornaments.
What Zhuang Rui valued most were three pieces of jadeite containing a glassy, bright green color. These three pieces were not large, weighing around fifteen or sixteen kilograms, which is not much larger than a basketball. The jadeite inside each piece weighed about two or three kilograms.
Although the quantity is not large, the jadeite in these three rough stones is of the highest quality. They are bright green, glassy jadeite, and if made into a pendant or ornament, its value would be in the hundreds of thousands or even millions. Zhuang Rui roughly estimated that the jadeite in these three rough stones is worth more than five million.
Of the three rough stones, two had excellent outer skins, with visible pine-flower and python patterns after cleaning. The deep green color was evident from the surface and clearly seeped downwards. However, the bids were also very high, around 1.8 million each. It's believed that many bids were placed on these two rough stones, and Zhuang Rui wasn't confident he could win them over.
The other rough stone was mediocre, with some black spots on it, and wasn't very eye-catching. The starting bid was 200,000 yuan, and Zhuang Rui's main target was this rough stone.
Zhuang Rui guessed that this rough stone wouldn't attract much attention, but he also needed to be wary of those who wanted to find a bargain and cut the stone. After careful consideration, Zhuang Rui decided to set his starting bid at 380,000 yuan. This way, it wouldn't be too high and cause the owner of the rough stone to bid against it, nor too low and cause it to be sold to someone else.
As for the other two rough stones, Zhuang Rui decided to invest 2.6 million yuan. He hoped to win, but if he didn't, it wouldn't be a big deal. After all, there are plenty of good things in the world; he couldn't possibly have them all, could he?
After securing those three rough stones, Zhuang Rui focused his energy on the icy and colorless glassy jadeite. This task was far more complicated than examining the rough stones. Not only did he have to price the stones based on their appearance, but he also had to consider the psychology of other bidders. If he weren't afraid of revealing his secrets, Zhuang Rui would have even considered bringing over Fatty Ma, who was definitely an unlicensed master of psychology.
Zhuang Rui had to complete the bidding procedures before noon tomorrow. Just as he was busy working on his laptop, there was a knock on the door.
"Hey guys, didn't you go to a hot spring? Why do you all look like you've been tortured by gorillas in the forest?"
When Zhuang Rui opened the door, he saw that it was Wei Ge and the others who had returned. However, they had been full of energy when they set off in the morning, but now they looked like defeated soldiers. Except for Lao Si, the rest of them were pale and looked malnourished.
Since these guys hadn't offered Zhuang Rui any help that morning, his words weren't exactly pleasant. Wei Ge and the others rolled their eyes, gave him the middle finger, and went back to their rooms. Only Lao Si was full of energy and went into Zhuang Rui's room.
After chatting with Lao Si for a while, Zhuang Rui learned that they had joined a day tour group. In the morning, they first went to explore some kind of Grand Canyon, which left them exhausted. Then they went rafting, and Lao San and his wife's rubber raft even capsized in the water. Although they soaked in a hot spring in the afternoon, they still hadn't recovered.
"Fourth Brother, is there anything else?"
The fourth brother was well aware of the purpose of this day trip. He hadn't gone on the adventure in the morning, which was why he was so energetic now. However, Zhuang Rui found it a bit strange that he was staying in Zhuang Rui's room.
"Hey buddy, we brothers got together today and, to show the organization's concern for you, we've decided to send you a girl to end your virginity. I'll bring her over later, what do you think?"
"What did you say? Holy crap, it hurts so much..."
The fourth brother's words made Zhuang Rui, who was pouring tea for him, suddenly tremble. Hot water splashed onto his hand, scalding him and making him yell "Ouch!"
"Damn, is it really necessary to be this excited?"
The fourth brother had a lewd grin on his face.
"Alright, Fourth Brother, stop joking..."
Zhuang Rui thought of the woman behind Lao Si that morning, and his heart warmed. But then he thought that these were just public buses, and anyone with money could get on. The heat quickly died down.
"Who's joking with you? I'm serious, I'll definitely find you a virgin..."
The fourth brother said very seriously.
"You can keep it for yourself. I'm busy right now. Oh, by the way, I'll leave the task of taking Second Brother and the others to you tomorrow. I'm going to the bidding venue. Hmm, White Lion will guard the gate later. If you're not afraid of death, bring him along."
Zhuang Rui pulled Lao Si up and pushed him out of the room. What a joke! Someone in this public service industry is still a virgin? Speaking of which, the hymen repair business in small clinics in Guangdong is exceptionally good.
After seeing off the fourth brother, Zhuang Rui used his spiritual energy to heal his burned hand. He then immersed himself in analyzing and calculating the raw materials. Fortunately, numbers were his forte, and even so, he was busy until after 2 a.m. before he finally compiled a list of the raw materials to be tendered and the bids to be prepared.
As everyone knows, sealed bids are highly unpredictable. Not only are there many bidders, but there is also the risk of the owner of the raw material blocking the bid. Therefore, many people cast a wide net and submit dozens or even hundreds of bids.
Zhuang Rui was in a similar situation, preparing to bid on fifty-three pieces of raw jade, requiring approximately eighteen million in funds, which was almost half of the funds Zhuang Rui had allocated to the Song army, excluding the twelve million.
Of course, only a 10% deposit is required upfront, which is 1.8 million. According to Zhuang Rui's estimate, it would be quite good if he could win about 10 out of his 53 bids.
The next morning, Zhuang Rui's eyes were still red when he got up. After having morning tea with Yue Jing and Lao San and others, he said goodbye with reluctance. Lao Si took them to the airport, while Zhuang Rui rushed to the jade gambling venue. He wanted to submit his bids for the rough stones he had his eye on the day before the bidding deadline at noon.
There were clearly many more bidders today than in the previous two days. Although the organizing committee and bank staff set up more than ten windows to accept bids at the same time, Zhuang Rui still queued for more than half an hour before it was his turn. After transferring 1.8 million yuan to a designated account and submitting the raw material bid number, Zhuang Rui received a number.
With more than three hours to go before the bidding opened, Zhuang Rui walked towards Yang Hao's booth. Yesterday, after returning to the hotel, he received a call from Yang Hao, who said that he had just received a new batch of old mine jadeite and asked Zhuang Rui to take a look when he had time.
Just as he was halfway there, his cell phone rang again. It was Song Jun calling, saying he had something urgent to discuss and asked Zhuang Rui to go to the entrance of the venue. Zhuang Rui had no choice but to turn around and walk back the way he came.
"Brother Song, what's up? Didn't we agree on this yesterday?"
When Zhuang Rui arrived at the gate, he found that Fatty Ma was also waiting for him there.
"Things have changed a bit, and I'm afraid we need to adjust our bid."
Song Jun's words startled Zhuang Rui.
Chapter 217 The Mark Rises, the Winds of Change Stir (6)
The reason Zhuang Rui didn't have much money on hand was because he dared to throw in 18 million in a sealed bid. He was partnering with Song Jun and Fatty Ma to bid on that rough stone. If they won the bid, they would definitely cut the stone on the spot, so the funds would be recouped. Now, hearing from Song Jun that things had changed, he couldn't help but feel anxious.
Of course, if they fail to win the bid, Song Jun will return the twelve million to Zhuang Rui, but that would mean missing a chance to make money.
Seeing Zhuang Rui's anxious look, Fatty Ma said with a smile, "Brother Zhuang, don't worry. This change may not be a bad thing. However, the bid we agreed on earlier will probably have to be increased a bit."
"Let's talk about what happened first. If the bid price is raised too much, our risk will be much greater."
Zhuang Rui couldn't figure out what could have caused the previously agreed-upon arrangements to change.
"Let's move aside and talk..."
Song Jun noticed that he and his companions, along with Zhuang Rui's Tibetan Mastiff, stood out conspicuously at the entrance. He called out to them and then walked to the rest area set up in the venue.
Song Jun looked around. Seeing that no one else was in the rest area, he whispered, "I learned from a friend yesterday that several military factions in Myanmar, which control various regions, reached an agreement in Yangon yesterday to strictly control the export of jadeite rough. Rough stones mined from both new and old mines must be sent to Yangon for centralized sale. The Myanmar government is determined this time. Any rough stones that don't go through the Yangon jadeite gambling fair will be considered smuggled, and those caught will be executed. I'm afraid that once this news gets around, the price of rough stones at this jadeite gambling fair will skyrocket."
"Hey Song, is that all? You scared me half to death. What's the big deal? Myanmar has been controlling the export of raw stones, but we're still doing just fine here. It's nothing serious."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui was immediately relieved. Since the late 1990s, the Burmese government had issued numerous regulations regarding the export of jadeite rough. However, where there's a will, there's a way, and with warlordism dominating the region, government orders were often ignored. While this did lead to an increase in rough jadeite prices, the overall impact wasn't significant.
"You don't know anything, kid. This time it's for real. All the major powers in Myanmar have passed this resolution. I'm afraid that any raw jade entering the country will be priced higher at the Yangon jade auction in Myanmar. Just think about it, the price of raw jade that already has to be bid on in Myanmar will increase several times over once it enters the country."
Upon hearing Song Jun's words, Zhuang Rui also became serious. China is the world's largest consumer of jadeite. If the Myanmar government can really control the export of raw jadeite, the impact on the Chinese jadeite market will undoubtedly be enormous.
Even if these raw stone merchants still have ways to source goods, they are risking their lives to make money. It seems that the rise in the price of raw stones is unstoppable.
Zhuang Rui asked, "Brother Song, how many people know about this?"
Upon hearing this, Song Jun smiled wryly and said, "I know what you're thinking. Let me tell you two words: no chance. Even I, who's not in this circle, can get this information. Do you think those raw material merchants who deal with Myanmar every day wouldn't know about this?"
Upon hearing Song Jun's words, Zhuang Rui's face also turned bitter. If this news had come after the sealed bid opening today, it wouldn't have had a significant impact on the Pingzhou Stone Gambling Conference. However, that possibility was unlikely. It was probably true that the bidding blockade and the reserve price of this stone gambling conference would increase significantly.
If this news were to reach China, it would be nothing short of a magnitude 10 earthquake for the domestic jade market. Domestic jewelry companies would also be reshuffled due to the stockpiling of jade raw materials, as the recent rise in raw material prices would inevitably trigger a surge in jade consumption.
"Mr. Zhao, have you heard? Something happened in Myanmar yesterday..."
As Zhuang Rui and his group were talking, a few people entered the rest area. They walked and chatted, their voices not loud, and they immediately stopped talking when they saw that there were people in the rest area. However, their words had already reached the ears of Zhuang Rui and his group, and they all looked at each other in surprise.
"This year's Pingzhou Jadeite Gambling Festival... a storm is brewing."
After the few people who came in later left mysteriously, Commander Song sighed.
Undoubtedly, the news has spread far and wide. At this moment, the three of them are somewhat conflicted, as they are afraid that the price they set earlier will definitely not be enough to win the bid for that giant rough stone.
Song Jun said to Zhuang Rui, "Brother, in terms of funds, no one can compare to the three of us at this jade gambling event. But tell me the truth, what's the quality of that rough stone? Is it worth us acquiring it?"
Song Jun brought over 80 million RMB in spare funds to the Pingzhou Jadeite Gambling Conference. Combined with Fatty Ma's 300 million RMB and Zhuang Rui's 40 million RMB, they were unstoppable if they put their efforts into a single rough stone. However, Song Jun and Fatty Ma's first consideration was how much the rough stone was actually worth and how much jadeite could be extracted from it.
"Brother Song, if I knew this, I wouldn't be gambling on stones. I could just go to any casino and win a fortune. How about we give up on this rough stone?"
In Zhuang Rui's mind, money is never enough, but the matter of the eye is something that absolutely cannot be revealed. Although he knew that the rough stone was worth hundreds of millions, he was unwilling to arouse suspicion because of it. Even in front of Song Jun and Fatty Ma, who had a good relationship with him, Zhuang Rui refused to reveal a single word.
"Old Ma, what do you think?"
Song Jun turned his attention to Fatty Ma.
"I'm betting. I came here specifically for this piece of rough jade. I trust my intuition; it shouldn't be wrong."
Fatty Ma said casually that what he was really looking forward to was probably the cutting of the stone after winning the bid. Moreover, he had been staring at this rough stone for two days and observed from the expressions of those who were studying it that the jade inside should be quite good.
"I think it's good too, Brother Song, you make the decision."
After Fatty Arima spoke first, Zhuang Rui's courage grew a bit. Since others had already voiced their intuitions, it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to share his own.
"In that case, let's take a gamble. With the price of jadeite rough stones skyrocketing, the price of the finished pieces will be even higher than the increase in the price of the rough stones. As long as the amount of jadeite contained in this rough stone is about the same as our estimate, we won't lose money..."
Song Jun was determined. Last year, he ruined a rough jade stone and was ridiculed by people in his circle for a long time. This year, Song Jun was also determined to unearth a rough jade stone that would yield a huge profit and show those people.
"Brother Song, why don't you tell us how much the bid price is?"
Zhuang Rui knew the situation regarding the raw materials, so he didn't need Song Jun to explain further. What he was concerned about was the revised bid.
After thinking for a while, Song Jun said, "I've been considering it. Affected by this news from Myanmar, the price of all raw jadeite will probably more than double. For example, this big piece of raw jadeite has a starting bid of more than 40 million, plus other bids. I estimate it will be around 60 million. If we invest 63 million, I think we can get it."
"Isn't three million a bit too risky? Since we've decided to gamble, why not raise the price a bit more?"
Zhuang Rui raised a question.
"Brother, the top bid at this year's Yangon jade auction in Myanmar was only equivalent to 58 million RMB. A single bid of 60 million RMB for a rough jade stone is already very high."
Like that rough stone you had the day before yesterday, the front and back windows were full of green, basically the same as the finished stone. Xu's Jewelry still managed to get rid of it, that's extremely bad luck. The rough stone we're going to gamble on, the window isn't good, we should be able to get it for 60 million. I've already added a little more to 63 million.
Moreover, the news from Myanmar came very suddenly, and many jade gamblers were probably not prepared. Sixty million, hehe, although that amount isn't huge, there aren't many people who can actually come up with that kind of money..."
Song Jun's words dispelled Zhuang Rui's doubts. Seeing that Fatty Ma also nodded in agreement, he said, "Alright, Brother Song, it's settled then. Brother Ma and I will transfer another eleven million to you."
Song Jun waved his hand and said, "It's too late. Let's go bid first. I'm afraid many people will be bidding this morning. If we're late, we might miss the deadline. If we win the bid, I'll pay the money first, and we can settle the rest after the raw material is cut open."
Song Jun knew Zhuang Rui inside and out, so he wasn't afraid of him running away. He also wasn't afraid of Fatty Ma, who had a huge business in Shanxi. If Fatty Ma dared to renege on his debts, Song Jun had plenty of ways to deal with him.