Although he harbored resentment, Zhuang Rui was not about to vent it on his phone.
"Who is this? This is Ouyang Jun. Don't you check caller ID when you answer the phone?"
The sound from the phone suddenly burst out like gunpowder, startling Zhuang Rui so much that he quickly took the phone away from his ear. He felt a surge of resentment. Why was he angry? Naturally, it was because the machine-gun-like sound had completely pulled Zhuang Rui out of his sleep.
"Sorry, you've dialed the wrong number..."
After saying that, Zhuang Rui immediately hung up the phone and turned it off.
After some time of reflection, Zhuang Rui had basically concluded that his mother and the Ouyang family were definitely related, perhaps even his mother's maternal family. However, they hadn't had any contact for decades, so something unpleasant must have happened. Seeing his mother's heartbroken and tearful appearance every Spring Festival, Zhuang Rui naturally blamed the Ouyang family.
Zhuang Rui doesn't seek overwhelming power or immense wealth. Well, he doesn't even need to ask for the second point. Zhuang Rui already has a net worth of hundreds of millions. Although he can't compare to some powerful families, he can still be considered a young and promising successful person.
As the saying goes, "He who has no desires is invincible." Since I can't ask anything of you, why should I treat you like food? That's why Zhuang Rui hung up on Ouyang Jun, making up the excuse of dialing the wrong number. Zhuang Rui was too lazy to waste time arguing with Ouyang Jun and disturb his friend's sleep.
"Wrong number? Oh, I'm sorry..."
Upon hearing the other party say that they had dialed the wrong number, Ouyang Jun habitually apologized, but he quickly realized that the voice sounded familiar. After checking the phone number again, he confirmed that it was indeed Zhuang Rui's mobile number.
Ouyang Jun dialed again, only to find that the other party's phone was switched off. Fearing that he had the wrong number, he called Yue Xiaoliu to verify. He finally concluded that he had been tricked by Zhuang Rui, and that the kid had deliberately hung up on him.
This time, Ouyang Jun wasn't furious. Instead, he was puzzled. Logically, the other party knew his identity, so why would they treat him like this? From childhood to adulthood, no one had ever treated him like this before. Even when he was in junior high school and was caught peeping into the girls' restroom by a teacher, he still smiled and didn't dare tell his parents. Of course, that young female teacher became the principal of that school ten years later.
"Fourth Brother, what's wrong now? Why are you spacing out so late at night?"
A fragrant breeze wafted over, and the room lights dimmed. Xu Da Mingxing, who had just come out of the bathroom, turned down the lights, stretched out her soft, boneless arms, and wrapped them around Ouyang Jun's body.
"I'll take you on a trip tomorrow. Let's postpone the filming for a few days..."
Ouyang, who usually loved this kind of romantic atmosphere, was in no mood for it today. He stood up and made a phone call, booking two tickets to Xinjiang for tomorrow. He wanted to see if Zhuang Rui would still be so arrogant and intimidating when he appeared before him.
Zhuang Rui slept soundly for over a week, having not slept in bed for a full ten hours. Had he not been woken up, he probably could have slept all day.
"Xiao Zhuang, we're about to leave, come and have breakfast quickly."
As Zhuang Rui stepped out of the room, he saw Old Master Gu and Adila sitting in the living room eating. When Adila saw Zhuang Rui come out, she greeted him.
"Senior Uncle, are you going too?"
Zhuang Rui sat down at the table and asked Old Master Gu if he knew how difficult that road was. Although Old Master Gu looked healthy, he was definitely not as robust as Prince Yu, who frequently went into the mountains.
"I'm not going. I'm used to getting up early. I'll just see you off. By the way, when you come back this time, those pendants will be almost finished. There's enough material left to make two earrings. You can give them to Brother Wu then."
Old Master Gu's words reminded Zhuang Rui of something else. He swallowed a steamed bun, then ate some porridge and got up. He hurriedly ran back to his room, and when he came out again, he was carrying a tattered backpack.
“Uncle-Master, what do you think this piece of jade is suitable for? I found it in the mountains. I didn’t ask for the money for mining the jade, but I wanted this piece of jade.”
Zhuang Rui took the piece of colored jade from his backpack and placed it on the table.
It was still dark outside. By the light of the living room lamp, the old man took a quick look at the jade material and his expression changed slightly. He said to Zhuang Rui, "Five-colored skin? Where did you find this treasure?"
"This thing is called Five-Flower Skin? It was found in Wild Buffalo Gully. I lost 400,000 yuan for this piece of material."
Zhuang Rui continued eating his breakfast and answered casually.
"Four hundred thousand? You've made a fortune again, kid. Although I don't know the quality of the jade inside, just based on these colors, it's worth two million."
The old man kept rubbing his hands on the leather, looking as if he loved it dearly.
Zhuang Rui asked, puzzled, "Uncle-Master, aren't mixed-color materials not expensive?"
"Xiao Zhuang, it depends on the size of the material and the amount of color. If the material is small and there aren't many colors, it can't be made into a decorative piece, so the price will naturally be low. But a piece like this could yield a large decorative piece. Once it's carved by Brother Gu, it's not impossible for it to sell for a few million..."
Adila, who was standing nearby, explained to Zhuang Rui that the piece of jade he had inadvertently left behind was actually the most valuable one. However, Zhuang Rui did not intend to bring the others back to clarify, as it had been agreed upon beforehand that he had not understood the value of the jade at the time.
Unlike antiques, jade is not necessarily more expensive the older it is. New jade of good quality is often worth dozens of times more than old jade, especially jadeite. Nephrite is also a good example, although the price difference is not that great.
In recent years, jade ornaments have become very popular. For example, a white jade cabbage ornament carved by Mr. Gu in the 1990s was auctioned for a sky-high price of 14.8 million yuan two years ago, which shows how sought-after jade ornaments are in the market.
"Alright, I'll take a look at this material later. You go into the mountains with Brother Adila."
After finishing his speech, the old man skipped breakfast and took the jade material to the jade carving studio that Adila had prepared for him, intending to study it carefully. Zhuang Rui and Adila looked at each other in surprise, not expecting him to be so impatient.
This is not hard to understand. Good jade requires good craftsmanship, but even a good craftsman will feel a strong urge to work with good jade.
It's important to understand that for a master jade carver like Mr. Gu, the sense of satisfaction from creating a rare treasure is something outsiders can hardly comprehend. This piece of colored jade is extremely malleable; if the jade itself is of good quality, the finished product could be even more valuable than that piece of imperial green jade.
Adila glanced at the lucky kid beside her and said, "Eat up, we're about to leave, don't mind that Jade Madman."
"Jade Madman?"
Zhuang Rui chuckled to himself; it turned out that Old Master Gu had such a nickname.
After breakfast, it was already getting light, and a dozen or so strong young men were waiting in the yard, including Mengzi.
Only two vehicles went into the mountains this time. The one in front was a minibus for passengers, while the truck behind it was loaded with all the equipment for quarrying and chiseling rocks.
The truck also carried a small diesel generator. Although it was small and not very big, it still weighed over a hundred kilograms. Zhuang Rui was puzzled when he saw it. How was this thing going to be carried up the mountain?
Chapter 273 Opening the Mountain to Mine Jade (Part 2)
After a bumpy five or six-hour journey, Zhuang Rui returned to the transit station at the entrance of the Kunlun Mountains. With the rainy season approaching, the mountain roads would become even more difficult to traverse, and there were fewer people heading into the mountains than he had seen the day before.
However, there were more than twenty donkeys at the transfer station, which made Zhuang Rui feel a bit novel. He had known the story of Afanti riding a donkey since he was a child by reading comic books. Could it be that he would also ride a donkey up the mountain?
Zhuang Rui's idea became a reality. Of the twenty-six donkeys, twenty were used to transport supplies, and the remaining six were for people to ride. After unloading the supplies from the trucks and placing them on the donkeys, the long procession entered the Kunlun Mountains.
While watching the cartoon, Zhuang Rui felt that Afanti rode the donkey very easily, and Zhang Guolao rode the donkey backwards, which seemed much simpler than riding a horse. After the Jade King gave him a donkey, Zhuang Rui was eager to try it out and rode it.
Donkeys are much smaller than horses, standing about 85 centimeters tall with a slightly narrower chest. Their limbs are slender and their torsos are short, so their height and length are roughly equal. However, their hooves are small and sturdy, and the donkey caravan makes a constant "clattering" sound as it walks on the rocky mountain road.
Nationwide, Xinjiang has the highest distribution and usage rate of donkeys. Many people in the mountainous areas of Xinjiang cannot live without donkeys in their daily lives. For example, donkey-hide gelatin, which is made from donkey skin, is very valuable, but it is not as famous in Xinjiang as it is in Shandong. This is also why many people in Xinjiang regard donkeys as partners and friends.
Once on the donkey's back, Zhuang Rui felt awkward. The donkey's back was narrow and had little flesh, making it very uncomfortable to sit on. The swaying and bouncing as it walked made it even more uncomfortable. After riding for less than five minutes, Zhuang Rui gave up. However, seeing Adila sitting comfortably on the donkey's back, his body bobbing up and down with the donkey's movement, Zhuang Rui was filled with admiration.
"Attention, everyone in front! Keep walking straight ahead and don't look back. Don't shout when you cross the mountain path."
On the way to Yeniu Gully, they had to traverse several extremely narrow mountain paths, with cliffs tens of meters high below. This posed a significant challenge for Zhuang Rui and his group, but experienced team members helped them organize their efforts.
The mountain path was passable for humans, but it was rather narrow for donkeys. Every now and then, pebbles would be kicked off the path by the donkeys, making a series of crisp sounds.
"Ah, watch out!" "Kamaiti, don't look back, keep going forward, keep going forward!"
Suddenly, a commotion arose ahead, and Zhuang Rui saw a donkey carrying supplies tumble down a cliff with a pitiful bray. Standing on the cliff, he could clearly hear the sound of the donkey's body hitting the ground, its mangled flesh a sight too painful for Zhuang Rui to bear a second glance.
"Keep your donkey under control, don't look down, and get through quickly."
Because the team leader was experienced, there was no disturbance in the group ahead. After more than ten minutes, the entire group passed through the deadly path, and everyone was covered in a cold sweat.
You have to understand, the situation just now was really critical. If the leader hadn't been able to adjust and control the group in time, and the other donkeys had gone out of control, then everyone walking in front would likely have perished in this valley.
After this near-disaster, the team's pace slowed considerably, and it took them nearly four days to reach Yeniu Gully. ...
To prevent sudden flash floods, the team did not set up camp at the river mouth, but instead went to a higher location about a kilometer away from the river mouth to set up camp. After resting for a few hours, Adila, along with two other people, and Zhuang Rui arrived at the river mouth.
"Uncle Tian, this is it. Look, the base of this rock is in the soil, so it definitely didn't come down from the mountain..."
Zhuang Rui put down the shovel in his hand, his breathing a little rapid. He had just cleared away the hard soil under that rock, which was no easy task.
Adila crouched down, carefully examined the rock for a while, then stood up. Nodding, she said, "Hmm, I hadn't noticed it before. Let's go up a bit further."
Actually, it's perfectly normal to have a rock at the foot of the mountain; apart from Zhuang Rui, probably no one else would care.
The peaks of Yeniu Gully are mostly rocky with little soil, and only low shrubs can survive there. Tall rocks are everywhere. The group walked upstream along the edge of the river. Along the way, Adila observed the exposed rocks on the mountainside. After walking about forty or fifty meters, Adila stopped.
"It's somewhat like limestone formed by magma overflow after crustal movement..."
Having spent his entire life dealing with jade, Adila could be considered a geological expert without formal qualifications. After examining the mountains along the way, he drew his conclusion.
Due to long-term weathering, these rocks have long since changed shape and color, and it is really hard to see them without careful observation.
This trip into the mountains was suggested by Zhuang Rui, so Adila looked at him and asked, "Zhuang, in your opinion, where should we start our survey?"
"Starting from the rock face at the river mouth, drill about ten meters into the mountain to take a look..."
Zhuang Rui blurted it out without thinking, only realizing afterward that it was inappropriate. However, seeing Adila nodding, he realized that Adila shared a similar opinion.
"I think that's a good idea, Engineer Zhao. Let's get the young men together and get to work..."
Prince Yu acted decisively; once the tone was set, preparations immediately began.
It should be noted that most of the jade veins in Kunlun Mountain are already being mined, and new jade veins are becoming increasingly rare. If a jade vein is discovered this time, Adila's reputation as the Jade King will be further solidified.
The roar of the diesel engine echoed through the river canyon. The diamond cutter, more than a meter tall, kept chiseling away at the rock face, while Adila stood beside the diamond cutter, carefully observing the situation inside the rock face. Usually, the rocks close to the jade veins were easy to distinguish.
More than two hours later, a human-shaped opening appeared at the bottom of the huge rock wall.
Zhuang Rui stood not far away, watching as a hole was gradually carved out of the rock wall. He became nervous. In just over a meter of depth, he would see a piece of jadeite weighing more than a ton, and the jade vein would be revealed to the world.
"Wait, stop, stop now."
Suddenly, Adila shouted loudly, stopped the diamond machine, and crawled into the hole that was more than one meter high and two meters deep. When he came out, he was holding a palm-sized stone in his hand.
This stone doesn't look like a mountain rock, because the entire stone is white and crystalline, somewhat like coarse salt, and it reflects a dazzling light under the sunlight.
"There's jade, there really is jade. Let's get another diamond machine and make the opening bigger..."
After muttering a few words to himself while holding the stone, the old man immediately gave loud orders. The progress of the rock carving immediately accelerated.
"Uncle Tian, what's the story behind this stone?"
Zhuang Rui went over and saw the old man holding a stone, examining it as if it were a treasure.
"This is dolomite, a by-product of jade. The presence of dolomite basically confirms the existence of a jade vein nearby. Xiao Zhuang, your assessment is accurate; there must be a jade vein here."
Adila smiled happily, the wrinkles on her face smoothed out, and she looked more than ten years younger. For Adila, who had spent her whole life mining and searching for jade, finding a jade vein was like an old man having the opportunity to carve a peerless jade. The sense of satisfaction was indescribable.
As the opening widened, both diamond drilling machines simultaneously drilled deeper, quickly breaking through a distance of over a meter. The experienced workers who were quarrying the rock immediately shut down the diamond drilling machines as soon as their miner's lamps found the jade. They scrambled out of the hole and shouted to Adila, "Your Highness, jade has been found! Jade has been found!"
The crowd gathered around the cave entrance immediately stirred. They all made their living from jade and understood the significance of discovering a jade vein. Excitement was evident on their faces. Even Grandpa Adila raised his right arm and clenched his fist.
When the jade stone weighing over a thousand kilograms was mined out of the cave, the crowd cheered. Apart from Zhuang Rui and Meng Zi, everyone present was a veteran jade miner who had followed the Jade King for over ten years. The discovery of a new jade vein would bring them considerable profits.
After circling the jade stone a few times, Adila said happily, "Not bad, not bad at all. This jade vein is no worse than the Taleksu mine, and the jade quality is even better..."
“Uncle Tian, this is just ordinary bluish-white jade, the material is only average, right? I’ve heard that mutton fat white jade has been mined from the Taleksu mine.”
Zhuang Rui knew that the Taleksu Mine was the one that had yielded more than 60 tons of jade. He believed that this jade vein would definitely surpass the Taleksu Mine in terms of output, but he didn't quite understand what the old man meant by the good quality of the jade.
"What do you know, kid? This is just the edge of the jade vein. The deeper you dig, the better the jade will appear..."
Adila glared at Zhuang Rui, but his face was full of smiles. He had a premonition that this mine would become the largest jade mine in Xinjiang.
"Fourth Brother, we've been here for five or six days now, when are we going back to Beijing?"