The person who said this must be a jade merchant who buys raw materials.
Since jade gambling is not common in mainland China, other exhibition halls flocked to see the spectacle after hearing the news. The raw jade materials here were all laid out on the ground. In order to ensure that these rough stones were not stolen, the exhibition also dispatched a large number of security guards to maintain order. For a time, the originally quiet D exhibition hall became noisy.
"Uncle-Master, do you think it's alright if I cut it from here?"
Zhuang Rui drew a line on the rough stone with chalk. The line was slightly off-center from the center of the stone, which was exactly what Gu Lao had just explained.
"Yeah, whatever. No one in this line of work gets away with paying tuition. Tens of thousands or eight thousand is nothing."
Old Master Gu wasn't very optimistic about this rough stone, and he spoke up to Zhuang Rui, fearing that Zhuang Rui would feel disappointed after cutting it.
Zhuang Rui nodded upon hearing this and started the machine. He had even drilled into raw stones before, so he had no psychological concerns about cutting stones. He firmly gripped the machine with both hands and forcefully cut down along the white line he had drawn.
Wearing his specially designed non-prescription glasses, Zhuang Rui wasn't afraid of stone chips getting into his eyes. However, the flying stone chips still stung his face. After the saw teeth of the stone cutter split the entire rough stone in two, Zhuang Rui took off his glasses and looked at the rough stone.
"It's gone up! The betting has gone up!"
It's unclear who shouted it, but the crowd who had been holding their breath watching Zhuang Rui cut the stone suddenly became excited. Most of these people had never seen a stone being cut before, and those standing at the back were desperately pushing forward, eager to see the true story of the jade emerging from the stone.
The security guards surrounding the stone-cutting machine got busy, forming a circle to keep those people out. Inside, Old Master Gu was washing the half of the stone that had turned green with water, his eyes full of surprise.
"The water content is decent, reaching the level of egg white jade. Although the green is relatively light, the color is very pure. It's quite good, very good. It's perfect for making a bracelet. It's considered a mid-to-high-grade jadeite."
As the old man examined the rough stone, he made his own comments. He was not only surprised that the stone had yielded jadeite, but he was also astonished that Zhuang Rui had drawn the line so precisely, cutting right through the edge where the green jadeite was visible without damaging it in the slightest.
Chapter 137 A Lucky Break (Part 2)
"Young man, are you selling this rough jade? I'll offer 100,000 yuan..."
Upon seeing the jadeite, someone in the crowd shouted out a price. Zhuang Rui thought for a moment, then shook his head. This piece of jadeite was the size of a fist; selling it for 100,000 yuan was far too cheap.
"Young man, stop cutting. If you cut any more, it will collapse and won't even be worth 50,000 anymore."
The person who had just spoken was somewhat unwilling to give up and continued speaking.
"Xiao Zhuang, move aside, let me wipe the area next to me first."
The old man rolled up his sleeves, ready to take matters into his own hands. He was somewhat surprised that such a poor-performing rough stone could actually yield a jadeite with an egg-white texture. He wanted to see if his earlier judgment that jade resides in the heart of the stone was correct.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui quickly stepped aside. He didn't want to stand out, and besides, based on Old Master Gu's experience, since the plant had already turned green, it probably wouldn't be damaged by cutting it.
The old man was very cautious. He first rubbed the stone on the back of the cut surface, and after rubbing it inward for about two or three centimeters, he stopped and washed it with clean water. Seeing that there was no sign of green inside, he then put the stone on the stone cutting machine, aimed at another cut surface about two-thirds of the way in, and cut it down.
The surrounding crowd craned their necks, carefully examining the rough stone that had been split into two pieces by the stone-cutting machine. Some sharp-eyed people had already noticed and sighed, "It's ruined. It's worthless now, at most 30,000."
The crowd began to discuss the matter, with some feeling sorry for Zhuang Rui and others gloating.
Grandpa Gu remained calm and collected. He picked up the half of the stone that had been cut open and examined it carefully. Then, he began to polish the cut that had not yielded any green on the stone polishing machine.
"Young man, there won't be any more green ones, how about you sell it to me for 30,000 yuan?"
"Old Huo, you're really ruthless. That cut alone is worth 40,000. Young man, think about it for 40,000."
The jade merchants who came to select rough stones all offered Zhuang Rui prices. Zhuang Rui ignored them all, his eyes fixed on the half of the rough stone that Gu Lao was holding.
The old man's large, veiny hands were very steady. Amid the "chattering" sound of the machine rubbing against the stone, the old man's eyes were fixed on the stone surface. As the stone chips fell to the ground, a smile appeared on his old face.
"It's gone up! Damn, it's gone up! Old Master Gu is truly a god..."
With a smile on the old man's face, the crowd that had been bidding just moments before turned their attention back to the raw jade. Some of those who were closer noticed the green color peeking out from the polished surface.
Stopping what he was doing, Gu Lao took the towel Zhuang Rui handed him, wiped the sweat from his forehead, placed the rough stone, now only the size of two or three fists, on the table, examined it for a while with a high-powered flashlight and magnifying glass, and said to Zhuang Rui with a smile, "Although it's not glass-type jade, both sides have an egg-white texture, good translucency, and few impurities. The color is also quite even, making it good material for making bracelets. I estimate we can make two bracelets, and the rest can be used to make five or six small pendants. It'll probably be worth around 1.2 million. Xiao Rui, you can decide how to handle it."
Old Gu was also a bit tired, so he sat back down in his chair. The rough stone had been almost completely cut open, so it was now a ready-made piece. Moreover, Old Gu had already set a price. For a moment, all the jade merchants were calculating the gains and losses of buying it, and no one dared to bid first.
Xu Wei looked at Zhuang Rui with some envy, secretly cursing the kid for being so lucky. He managed to find a piece of Wang Shizhen's handwriting and randomly picked a rough stone that turned out to be jade. Although the half-rough stone in his own hand also had a high chance of yielding jade, it was still not as reassuring as seeing someone else cut it open.
“Young man, since Mr. Gu has spoken, let’s offer 1.2 million RMB to sell this jade to me.”
It was the same voice that had offered 100,000 yuan to buy it earlier, but the price had increased twelvefold. Zhuang Rui was tempted. After all, he didn't really have any use for the jade, and he was a bit short on cash lately, so he might as well exchange it for some money.
"Old Huo, your business is big enough. Let me have this little bit of raw material. I'll offer 1.3 million. Think it over, young man."
A voice interrupted the previous person, raising the price by 100,000.
As Zhuang Rui hesitated, Qin Xuanbing walked up to him and said somewhat shyly, "Zhuang Rui, could you... could you sell this jade to us?"
Zhuang Rui was taken aback by Qin Xuanbing's request. Seeing that Zhuang Rui didn't speak, Qin Xuanbing quickly continued, "I'm not asking you to give it to me, I'm asking you to sell it to our company. I can offer 1.5 million to buy it. Is that okay?"
The jade merchants outside had already raised the price to 1.4 million, but after hearing Qin Xuanbing's words, no one spoke up. This piece of jade could only yield two bracelets at most, plus a few small pendants or cabochons, which would probably sell for around 2 million, provided there were good distribution channels. 1.5 million was already beyond their expected price.
“Xiao Xuanxuan, if you had just offered yourself to Mu Tou earlier, he would have been eager to give himself to you. Why are you begging to buy him now?”
Liu Chuan started rambling nonsense from the side. Qin Xuanbing blushed as she listened, but didn't say anything to refute him.
"You pervert! You even dare to flirt with my sisters! I'm asking you, if that piece of yours could yield jade, would you give it to me?"
Lei Lei pinched Liu Chuan's waist hard and asked, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she had misspoke. Asking like that would be telling others that she had already given herself to him.
"Of course, of course. What kind of relationship do we have? Let alone a broken rock, even my own 100-plus pounds, I can take it whenever I need it, whenever I call."
Liu Chuan was secretly delighted and became even more smug.
"Zhuang Rui, don't listen to Liu Chuan. This jade is not something I want to buy personally. It's being purchased in the company's name. If you don't accept the money, I really don't want it."
Fearing that Zhuang Rui would be embarrassed, Qin Xuanbing quickly explained that in recent years, both the mainland and Hong Kong jewelry markets have faced a shortage of jade raw materials. In particular, Qin Xuanbing's family company has not been able to purchase good raw materials at the jade auctions in Myanmar in recent years. Although the piece of jade that Zhuang Rui offered was not large, it could still be used to make a few nice pieces of jewelry, so Qin Xuanbing wanted to help the company purchase it.
"Alright, let's do it this way. Since you've brought it up, Xuanbing, let's do it your way."
Zhuang Rui nodded in agreement. The price of 1.5 million seemed quite high. On the other hand, he hadn't known the price of jade before, and it would have been inappropriate to give Qin Xuanbing a top-quality jade worth millions. Given their relationship, it would be somewhat inappropriate to give her another piece of jade now.
"Okay, thank you, Zhuang Rui."
Upon hearing this, Qin Xuanbing immediately opened the combination lock box in Lei Lei's hand and put the jade piece belonging to Zhuang Rui inside. Zhuang Rui glanced at it casually. The seven or eight pieces of finished jewelry that had originally been inside were now gone, presumably sold off by Old Master Gu.
After carefully storing the jade, Qin Xuanbing took out a checkbook from her handbag, wrote out a cash check for 1.5 million, and handed it to Zhuang Rui. Zhuang Rui glanced at it and knew that the cash check could be cashed and transferred at any time, so he accepted it without hesitation and put it on his person.
"You rascal, how's your part going? Why don't you go up and untie it yourself?"
Zhuang Rui glanced at the large piece on the table and asked Liu Chuan. He knew very well that the jade inside Liu Chuan's rough stone, in terms of both size and grade, was superior to the piece he had cut open, and must be quite valuable.
"I...I think I'll pass. You're lucky, you should go and open it."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's question, Liu Chuan, who had been full of confidence, began to feel uneasy. He didn't care about the three thousand yuan; no matter how loudly he had boasted earlier, it would be incredibly embarrassing if he couldn't offer anything.
"Fine, I'll do it. If I cut out a pile of dog shit, don't blame me."
Zhuang Rui didn't stand on ceremony. With some effort, he picked up the rough stone, which weighed fifty or sixty pounds, and placed it next to the stone-cutting machine.
"Uncle Gu, should we wipe this part clean first?"
Zhuang Rui squatted on the ground and looked at the old man, asking him a question.
After sitting for a while, Gu Lao recovered and went over to examine the rough stone carefully. He said, "This is strange. Your stone clearly had no chance of turning into green, but it turned out. This half-gamble rough stone is already ruined by rubbing. But I can't be sure now. Here's what we'll do: rub the cracked area for about four or five centimeters. If it still cracks, then cut it in the middle."
When Zhuang Rui saw the spot the old man was pointing to, it was precisely the crack where the green jade could be found about three or four centimeters below the surface. He couldn't help but admire the old man immensely. This was what an expert was all about. He could make the most accurate judgment about a stone that was practically worthless.
Zhuang Rui turned on the stone-grinding machine and used the grinding wheel to grind the cracked area of the rough stone. Liu Chuan, who seemed to have pulled out a pair of sunglasses from somewhere, put them on his face and came over, completely unconcerned about the flying stone chips hitting his face.
"Green, it's green! Haha, damn it, I, Liu Chuan, told you there was definitely jade inside this stone. Oh, I say, you blockhead, couldn't you have turned off the machine? You obviously don't know how to cut stones."
Liu Chuan had just seen a glimmer of green peeking through the cracks in the stone and excitedly took off his sunglasses. Zhuang Rui, who was still using a grinder, was hit by a piece of stone dust, which brought tears to his eyes. He couldn't help but complain, forgetting who had asked Zhuang Rui to grind the stone earlier.
Chapter 138 One Strike to Heaven, One Strike to Hell
People gathered in Hall D to watch the stones being cut. Most of them were in the jewelry business and were no strangers to jade gambling, but today they were truly amazed. Two rough stones that even the renowned jade expert, Mr. Gu, didn't think highly of had actually won the lottery. Such a situation is usually only seen at major jade auctions.
While some are happy, others are sad. The two people with the most complicated feelings right now are Xu Wei and Liu Chuan. Xu Wei had mocked and ridiculed Liu Chuan into buying the three-thousand-yuan rough stone, but he never expected that he had given away money to someone else. He felt as bitter as if he had drunk bitter melon.
The other person was Yang Hao, the original owner of the rough stones. He never expected that the two rough stones, which were considered worthless by everyone at home, would actually turn out to be worth a fortune. More importantly, the price he sold them for was practically dirt cheap. This made him feel extremely awkward.
Fortunately, when the onlookers heard that both rough stones came from his booth, they all went inside to select some. Among them were legitimate jade merchants and tourists who wanted to try their luck, since Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan had just stumbled upon them by sheer luck.
Zhuang Rui continued rubbing the stone. After Gu Lao came over and took a look, he told Zhuang Rui to continue rubbing. However, after rubbing from the side, what was revealed was not green, but white, misty crystals. This made Gu Lao frown. The performance of this rough stone was really strange. The jadeite color and texture that came out when rubbing the cracks were not very good, but when rubbing from the side, it was all white mist. Even Gu Lao had never encountered such a situation.
In fact, Zhuang Rui was now considering cutting it open. He was fully confident that he wouldn't damage the jade inside at all. However, doing so would be too conspicuous. Once could be attributed to luck, but a second time would be unacceptable.
"Xiao Zhuang, stop. Don't wipe it anymore. This white mist must have seeped in quite a bit. Make a cut from the side and see what's inside."
Gu Lao stopped Zhuang Rui from rubbing the stone and let him start cutting it. Hearing that there was another stone being cut, the crowd that had gone to select raw materials gathered around again.
Zhuang Rui didn't want to cut the jade directly. After measuring the distance with his eyes, he cut the rough stone in half. The onlookers sighed at the same time. Clearly, this cut had ruined the jade.
"Hey, what do you think of this piece of wood? It's so big, it should be worth more than yours, right?"
Aside from the moment he discovered the green color, Liu Chuan had been completely baffled by the jade. However, hearing the sighs of the crowd, he realized that his rough jade wasn't very good, so he quickly pulled Zhuang Rui aside and asked.
"It's better than mine. I'm telling you, you rascal, don't just look at it, go up and practice yourself. You bought it for three thousand dollars, you should have some fun with it."
Zhuang Rui replied irritably. He didn't want to continue wiping it himself; the cut was only two or three centimeters away from the jade, so he might as well let Liu Chuan do it himself.
"Hey buddy, it's good enough that this piece of scrap can yield any green material. You bought it for three thousand, I'll offer eight thousand. How about you sell it to me?"
While the two were talking, the middle-aged man, who was called Old Huo, carefully examined the cut and then said to Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan.
"Eight thousand? That's five thousand in profit from reselling it, isn't it? Wood, what do you say, are you going to sell it or not?"
Liu Chuan was a little undecided. Gambling really tested his heart's endurance. The cut Zhuang Rui made earlier made Liu Chuan's heart feel like it was on a roller coaster, going up and down.
"That boss just offered 30,000 yuan for my piece. Do you think I'll sell it or not? Look at you, so pathetic. Go get your stone polished. At worst, you'll just be doing your thing for 3,000 yuan."
Zhuang Rui glared at Liu Chuan with annoyance. If this guy really sold the raw material for eight thousand yuan, he would definitely jump into the Qinhuai River in less than ten minutes.
"You've already made over a million, so of course you can talk so easily. My three thousand dollars didn't come from thin air either."
Muttering to himself, Liu Chuan picked up the grinder and started grinding the cut surface. He was strong and holding his breath. In just a few strokes, he cut in three or four centimeters, but his eyes weren't on the cut surface; instead, he was looking around.
"Damn, you're such a pig, you've been cheated on."
Zhuang Rui kicked Liu Chuan in the butt, sending him flying. He then rinsed the cut surface of the jade with water. Upon hearing this, Liu Chuan quickly threw down the grinding wheel he was still holding, forgetting his anger towards Zhuang Rui, and got up to lean over.
"Can't you concentrate on what you're doing? Look at yourself, you've scratched a hole in a perfectly good piece of jade."
Zhuang Rui pulled Liu Chuan aside and pointed at the cross-section with an annoyed expression, saying, "If I had known it would be like this, I would have just cut it myself."
"Dude, I don't know how, you blockhead. How much do you think this piece of mine is worth?"
Liu Chuan grinned foolishly, completely unaware of how much money his actions would cost him.
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Let my senior uncle take a look."