Zhuang Rui replied nonchalantly, but he actually knew the truth. Whether it was the imperial green material or the glassy type of material, it was all concentrated on one side of the raw stone. Zhuang Rui's cut was destined to ruin it.
"Sigh, I really can't keep up with the way you young people think. Whatever..."
Old Tang shook his head. Zhuang Rui's behavior made him really suspect that the young man was just hitting the jackpot. If Zhuang Rui had seen through the clues, he certainly wouldn't have made such a move.
Zhuang Rui felt a bit hungry. After the rough stone was turned over, he pretended to draw a line along the cut surface with chalk, and then started the stone cutting machine.
The massive gears cut into the stone, sending up a cloud of debris. Zhuang Rui turned his face slightly to the side, avoiding looking directly at the stone, but he didn't reduce the force in his hands in the slightest.
A few dozen seconds later, a "click-clack" sound of gears spinning idly rang out, and then half of the stone, weighing several hundred kilograms, fell heavily to the ground next to the stone cutter.
Zhuang Rui turned off the stone cutter, spat out a mouthful of saliva, and the dust covering his head and face made him sneez several times. He then turned to Peng Fei and said, "Peng Fei, bring a basin of water. Or, just pull the hose over..."
"Awesome! Let's do it again!"
In the sweltering summer heat, and with only men present, Zhuang Rui bent down and simply had Peng Fei wash his hair for him. The icy tap water poured over his head made Zhuang Rui involuntarily shout out.
"This person..."
"Teacher Zhuang is truly a man of strong character!"
"Well...it depends on the occasion..."
Zhuang Rui's behavior shocked the thousands of people present. Did this guy forget that he was there to cut stones? He ignored the material he bought for over 100 million RMB and went to wash his hair first. No one in the room would have done that.
"Give it to me..."
After washing the dust off his face and head, Zhuang Rui took the hose from Peng Fei and started rinsing the half of the raw stone on the stone-cutting machine. White stone chips mixed with tap water flowed onto the ground.
After Zhuang Rui washed the rough stone clean, Old Tang was the first to rush to the cut surface and eagerly took a look. However, he was immediately disappointed and muttered to himself, "This...this is a failure?"
Although Mr. Tang spoke very softly, the sound was clearly audible to everyone in the audience through the wireless microphone and the large speakers in the venue.
"It's collapsed?"
"I told you long ago, that material has no chance of yielding jade. If it did, I'd eat it alive..."
"Sigh, Teacher Zhuang is certainly skilled, but why did he choose this particular piece of material?"
"When it comes to jade gambling, no one dares to say whether they'll win or lose before the rough stone is cut open..."
"This is probably the first time Teacher Zhuang has lost a bet. It seems that experience counts; Teacher Zhuang is no match for Old Tang..."
Old Tang exclaimed, "It's all over!"
This immediately caused a stir among the crowd, with everyone expressing their opinions. The guy who had initially wanted to eat raw meat seemed to have won a Long March, jumping around and making his point.
Although the saying "one cut to heaven, one cut to hell" in the world of jade gambling generally refers to small pieces of rough jade, especially black jade from the Ma Meng factory, which is usually about the size of a fist, if you cut it and see no green, then you are definitely falling into hell.
However, even with large rough stones, the importance of the first cut is undeniable. In cases like Zhuang Rui's, where no green was found on the first cut, the chances of finding jadeite are extremely small.
"Wait, something's not right... there's something fishy about this stone..."
Old Tang's next words caused the clamor of the crowd to fall silent, like a rooster being choked. They were all filled with doubt and uncertainty. The fact that no green had appeared already spoke volumes. What else could be so strange?
"Xiao Zhuang, look at this cut surface. There are quartz crystals! And here, there are even some inclusions. This really is a raw stone..."
After carefully examining the cut surface, Tang Lao, like the others on the outside, was filled with doubt. The surface of this piece of material did not have any characteristics of jadeite rough, and no green was found when it was cut open. However, the stone structure inside was very similar to the internal structure of jadeite rough.
"Mr. Tang, I... I lost the bet, didn't I? It's a piece of jadeite rough, that's true, but there's no green inside..."
Zhuang Rui was unusually humble. One shouldn't be too flamboyant. If he continued to act so confidently, it would really make people suspicious.
Given Zhuang Rui's current status in the jade gambling circle, as long as he can reasonably identify jadeite, no one can say a word against him. This is the benefit of fame.
Just like in the antique trade, when newcomers are appraising items, most people will be skeptical. However, if an expert who enjoys special government allowances appraises an item, even if it is fake, it will become real.
The proverb "the truth cannot be hidden, and the false cannot be made true" does not apply to the expert effect in the antique circle.
"No, look at the color here, isn't it a bit too dark?"
Old Tang discovered another unusual spot on the ground, pointing to a darker area within the misty flow, and said, "This should be a blemish formed by jadeite. Xiao Zhuang, look, the color of this blemish is very pure. There must be jadeite inside this piece of material..."
"Teacher, this might not be jadeite blemishes, right? Some minerals can also give rocks their color..."
Xiao Zhao was also squatting down in front of the knife, observing, and then offered a different perspective.
"I've been studying jade for so many years, how could I be wrong about this one?"
Old Tang shook his head, used a small pair of nail clippers to scrape off a small piece from the blemish, examined it carefully in his palm for a while, and said, "That's right, it's blemishes left after the jade weathered!"
"Old Tang, I estimate that this situation is likely due to the original stone being swept up by a secondary crustal movement. I'm afraid only this could have happened..."
Zhuang Rui's previous judgment was based solely on the appearance of the raw stone. He was not a geological expert and could not be certain. He was now bringing it up to hear Tang Lao's opinion.
“That’s right, Xiao Zhuang, your explanation is correct. This thing is like a creature inside amber, which was encased in resin and formed a resin fossil. This is the first time I’ve ever seen something like this…”
Mr. Tang graduated with a degree in geology and has worked in the field for decades. His research in geology even surpasses his research on jadeite. With these words, he has essentially made a definitive statement about the formation of this rough stone.
"Holy crap, could there really be jade?"
Hu Rong, who had been watching quietly from the side, was now dumbfounded. If jade were found in this stone block that had served as a roadbed for almost a century, it would truly bring shame to Hu Rong's ancestors.
"How novel! When has Brother Zhuang ever made a move and then come back empty-handed?"
Hearing Hu Rong's mutterings, Peng Fei pursed his lips and said that although he knew nothing about jade appraisal and gambling, he blindly trusted Zhuang Rui.
"If this piece of material can really yield jadeite, it will be an absolute legend in the jadeite industry. Xiao Zhuang, take a piece, rub along this mottled area and see if there is any jadeite inside!"
As Mr. Tang spoke, he became a little emotional. He had been dealing with jade geology his whole life, and even if this piece of material did not contain jadeite, it was still of great research value, at the very least allowing us to verify the geological features of that time.
"Alright, Mr. Tang, please give me some pointers from the side..."
Zhuang Rui was just returning the favor after Old Tang praised him so much. Otherwise, when the jade was unearthed, it would make Old Tang lose face.
In fact, Zhuang Rui underestimated the old man beside him. Having lived for nearly seventy years, what hadn't Old Tang seen in terms of glory, disgrace, rise and fall? If Zhuang Rui really won, Old Tang would only be happy.
"Mr. Tang, please stand a little further away..."
This time, Zhuang Rui didn't cut the stone. Instead, he used a grinding wheel to polish the colored spots. When the grinding wheel came into contact with the stone, tiny stone chips flew everywhere and landed on Old Tang's face.
"It's okay, you can continue, but don't go too fast. Be careful, and bring it back as soon as you see green..."
Old Tang waved his hand and squinted his eyes. His conversation with Zhuang Rui was like a teacher instructing a student on how to cut a stone on the spot, which was exactly the result Zhuang Rui wanted.
As the grinding wheel continued to push inward, large pieces of crystallized material broke off from the raw stone. After changing two grinding wheels, Zhuang Rui suddenly pulled his hand back as he was rubbing it inward.
"It's...it's turned green..."
Old Tang's unconscious remark immediately shocked the entire audience. Regardless of the quality of the jade inside, it now proved that this was indeed a piece of jadeite rough, and everyone else had misjudged it!
Comrade Guo, who had been looking worried, now looked much more cheerful.
Although this guy didn't really believe that the jade in Zhuang Rui's piece could surpass the purple eyes of Old Master Tang's jade, it still gave him a glimmer of hope.
"Hey, Liu, we've found some jade. Are you going to buy it?"
Suddenly, a sentence rang out from the previously silent arena.
Chapter 979 Legend (Part 2)
"We don't even know if this is jade..."
Da Liu blushed and said that he knew he had exaggerated too much.
"Hey, Old Tang said it's green, there's no doubt about it. Guys, throw this kid in and let him swallow that rough stone whole..."
The commotion caused by the people around them to burst into laughter, instantly dispelling the previous atmosphere of shock and tension.
"Mr. Tang, what kind of jadeite is it?"
"Yeah, tell everyone, how's the water quality?"
"This damn Burmese government is a real rip-off. They can't even afford a big screen, otherwise we wouldn't be standing here like idiots unable to see anything..."
What people are concerned about now is what quality of jadeite Zhuang Rui has unearthed. After seeing the glass-type purple-eyed jadeite, their appetites have been whetted, and they are all wide-eyed and listening intently, looking forward to the performance of this rough stone.
If Zhuang Rui can also find a top-quality jadeite, then today's jade gambling competition will become a legendary tale in the jade industry. As for who wins and who loses, it is no longer important to everyone.
"Everyone, wait a minute, the green ones have just come out, the face cream hasn't come out yet..."
Zhuang Rui only rubbed away the white crystalline particles, revealing the green luster inside under the light; the jadeite was not yet fully revealed.
"Mr. Tang, you have so much experience, why don't you wipe it down next?"
Polishing the stone doesn't require much effort, and once the green color is visible, you just need to control the force. Zhuang Rui's intention in handing over the grinding wheel was actually to let Old Tang handle the cutting of this piece of material.
"You kid, forget it. Your hands are much steadyer than mine, and your eyesight is better than this old man's. You keep wiping, I'll take a look." Old Tang had been in the cutthroat business world for so many years, and he knew Zhuang Rui very well. With his seniority and reputation, he didn't need Zhuang Rui to do this.
Although Old Tang just said that his skill in gambling on stones was not as good as Zhuang Rui's, he was referring to his eye for jade, not admitting defeat in terms of the jadeite in their stones. While he admired Zhuang Rui's eye for jadeite, Old Tang did not believe that the jadeite in Zhuang Rui's stone could beat his own eyesight.
It's important to know that there are only a few top-grade jadeite varieties. Purple Eye jadeite, comparable to Imperial Green, gave Old Tang enough confidence that he would ultimately win the competition. "Chop chop... chop chop chop..."
Zhuang Rui had already put down the grinder and picked up the coarse sandpaper provided by the conference to polish the surface of the window. You should know that even a small scratch on a top-quality jadeite can result in a significant loss.
Especially considering this piece of glass-type jade, even a small cut could be worth hundreds of thousands of yuan, so Zhuang Rui was extremely cautious.
After about seven or eight minutes, Zhuang Rui finally cleaned the granular crystals off the face, and a palm-sized face was clearly visible in front of everyone.
Zhuang Rui gestured for Peng Fei to activate the tap water. After the water came out of the hose, he directly rinsed the face with it. Instantly, a bright green light scattered out, dazzling everyone.
The water droplets dripping from the surface seemed to be tinged with green, like dew on leaves in the morning, crystal clear, and so graceful and beautiful under the light.
"Xiao Zhuang, let me take a look..."
Ignoring the fact that Zhuang Rui hadn't removed the hose yet, Old Tang squatted down in front of the window to wipe it. The splashing water wet the old man's hair, and his gray hair fell down, making the usually dignified Old Tang look quite disheveled.
Old Tang ignored all of that, wiped the water off his face, gently touched the window with his right hand, and then picked up a high-powered flashlight to look at it. After seven or eight minutes, he finally stood up.
"It's a glassy type of jadeite, and although the green color is a bit lacking, it's very even. Xiao Zhuang, if three fingers of this jadeite could penetrate into it, its value would be at least over two hundred million..."
When Mr. Tang said these words, his face was somewhat moved. He did not expect that this rough stone, which did not look like a raw stone, could actually produce glass-type green jade.
It should be noted that Mr. Tang has been cutting jadeite rough stones for decades and has handled quite a few glass-type materials, but most of them are colorless glass-type jadeite. Only a few times have he managed to cut out glass-type green jadeite.
However, compared to the even color distribution of Zhuang Rui's material, the jadeite that Tang Lao had previously cut was slightly inferior.
Two hundred million?
Zhuang Rui remained noncommittal after hearing Tang Lao's words. He knew that this piece of glass-type jadeite had penetrated more than three fingers deep, but was a huge piece of jadeite material that was at least 40 centimeters long, more than 20 centimeters thick, and weighed at least 50 kilograms.
Leaving aside the imperial green jadeite hidden behind this piece of material, the value of this piece alone is calculated by the gram. After being processed into jewelry, it can bring Zhuang Rui at least 500 million yuan in income. "Teacher Zhuang, the material you cut is worth 200 million yuan?"
When Tang Lao’s words reached the square, the crowd immediately stirred. Those who hadn’t been optimistic about Zhuang Rui were stunned by the news. How could a rock possibly yield jade?