"Lot H1, 1.68 million. Winning bid number 12..."
"Bid number H2, 750,000, winning bid number 58..."
"..."
Lot H384 failed to sell...
The bidding process took a long time this time, and the host was hoarse from reading so many bids. However, with tens of thousands of bids to be submitted, and 5,000 to be submitted this afternoon, the time was tight. The original plan to take a break after submitting 100 bids was changed to a 10-minute break after submitting 500 bids.
This full-bet lot number 384 was the first lot to fail to sell since the start of the auction. All the full-bet lots that had been opened before were sold, including the thirty-eight rough stones that Zhuang Rui had bid on, which also came to nothing. Counting the one hundred semi-bet rough stones that had already been sold, Zhuang Rui now only has twelve lots left, with a sliver of hope of winning.
"Lot H428, 380,000, winning bid number: 518..."
The person on stage who was submitting the bid had a somewhat hoarse and mechanical voice, but to Zhuang Rui's ears, that voice was nothing short of heavenly music, because the number 518 was Zhuang Rui's number.
"Damn, I finally won one..."
Zhuang Rui excitedly waved his fist, attracting everyone's attention. It was obvious that the young man had won the 380,000 prize. However, this amount was not particularly eye-catching among the bids offered today, and the bid was ranked after 400, so it was probably not a very good result and did not attract much attention.
"Brother, you won? Congratulations! I gambled on all the materials through sealed bids, and I only won three..."
Song Jun sounded somewhat dejected. He had invested a considerable amount of money and cast a wide net this time, but plans are subject to change. Just one piece of news from Myanmar made the jade gambling conference a turbulent and unpredictable event.
It's fair to say that all the jade and jewelry merchants in China are currently focused on the prices of raw jadeite traded at this jadeite gambling conference in Pingzhou. These prices will directly impact the future prices of finished jadeite products in the domestic market, with a direct correlation between the two.
"At least we didn't lose everything, Brother Song. I've only won this one piece so far."
To be honest, Zhuang Rui was quite happy, because the rough stone he won was one of the three glass-type rough stones he valued most. The first two rough stones performed better, ranking within the top 30, and were sold for 8.2 million and 5.8 million respectively. Zhuang Rui's hopes were all pinned on this rough stone.
Perhaps because the rough stone was of average quality, others didn't notice it when they increased the price, and the owner of the rough stone didn't care much about the price and didn't try to stop the bidding, Zhuang Rui was able to win it without any trouble.
After a short break, the bidding on the stage continued, but it was no longer relevant to Zhuang Rui. All the fully rough stones had already been bid on, and Zhuang Rui had won one piece. Now the stage was displaying semi-rough stones, which were the most competitive. Although Zhuang Rui had bid on a few more pieces, he was too lazy to pay attention to them. With the price he bid, he had no hope of winning.
The rough stone that Zhuang Rui, Fatty Ma, and Song Jun gambled on together, although large in size, had a mediocre window, so its number was assigned relatively late. The same was true for Lei Lei's semi-gambled rough stone. At the current bidding speed, it probably won't be opened today, and the suspense will have to wait until tomorrow to be revealed.
"Brother Song, I'll go pay the remaining balance for the raw jade I won the bid for first..."
Today's bidding is even more exciting than the stone-cutting he did a few days ago. Zhuang Rui is already feeling a bit suffocated. Anyway, the next bid has nothing to do with him, so Zhuang Rui got up and wanted to go outside for some fresh air.
"Let's go. We won't get any D98 rough today, so there's no point in staying any longer. Old Ma, are you still staying here?"
Upon hearing this, Song Jun also stood up. Apart from winning three bids on the full-bet rough stones, he only won one out of the first 1,000 bids on the half-bet rough stones. It could be said that he had almost lost everything, and he had no intention of staying any longer.
"Let me take another look, you guys go ahead."
The bidding site was a microcosm of all walks of life, which was exactly what Fatty Ma loved to ponder. Even though he was sweating profusely from the heat, he refused to leave.
After leaving the bidding site, Zhuang Rui and Song Jun went to the bidding office to pay the remaining balance for the winning bids for raw materials. Zhuang Rui had submitted more than 50 bids, with a deposit of more than 1.8 million yuan. After paying the remaining balance, more than 1 million yuan was returned to his account.
Song Jun, however, lost a lot of money. Although his total bid amount reached more than 90 million including the giant rough stone, the four rough stones he just won were worth more than 18 million. So, after deducting the deposit of more than 6 million for the giant rough stone, he still had to pay more than 12 million.
Chapter 220: The Mark Begins, the Winds of Change Stir (9)
Since the raw materials could only be collected after all the sealed bids were opened, the group had nothing to do after paying the remaining balance of the winning bid. Song Jun and Fatty Ma were clearly not in high spirits, so they went to the hotel first.
It was only a little past four in the afternoon when Zhuang Rui remembered that Yang Hao had just received a new batch of raw materials, so he walked towards Yang Hao's stall.
"Hey, Yang Jun, where's your brother? Why did he leave you here to watch the shop?"
Zhuang Rui walked into the shed and saw Yang Jun sitting there angrily eating watermelon, looking very unhappy.
"It's Brother Zhuang! My brother went to check on the bidding process and left me here. Brother Zhuang, have some watermelon, I'll call him back right away..."
Presumably unable to attend the bidding process, Yang Jun was somewhat unhappy. However, upon seeing Zhuang Rui arrive, Yang Jun's eyes darted around, and he took out his phone to call Yang Hao.
"Brother Zhuang, why aren't you watching the bidding process anymore? I just saw you..."
About five or six minutes later, Yang Hao came running up, panting heavily, his face flushed, whether from the hot weather or from the atmosphere at the bidding site, it was hard to tell.
"Brother, you stay with Brother Zhuang, I'm going to the bidding site to take a look."
Before Zhuang Rui could answer, Yang Jun greeted his older brother and ran off in a flash.
"Excuse me, Brother Yang, I'm sorry to interrupt your viewing of the bidding."
Zhuang Rui apologized to Yang Hao, saying that today's bidding was a big event, a rare sight even for people in the industry.
"It's nothing, we're just going to join in the fun. We took care of everything that needed to be done yesterday."
What Yang Hao was referring to was actually the blocking of the bidding. He received the news much earlier than Song Jun. Just after the Myanmar meeting ended yesterday, the rough jade merchants in China with connections received calls from Myanmar immediately. Therefore, for some rough jade that could obviously fetch a high price, they blocked the bidding yesterday with exorbitant prices.
"Brother Yang, where are your new raw jade stones? Show them to me..."
Zhuang Rui's sealed bids this time were almost entirely unsuccessful. Now he's trying to salvage the situation with open bids, hoping to earn something, even if it's just a small profit.
"Come on, Brother Zhuang, the rough jade we've brought in this time is really good. It's all black-skinned black jade from the Ma Meng mine. This kind of rough jade often yields bright green glass-type jade. Even imperial green jade is often mined from this kind of black-skinned black jade..."
Yang Hao led Zhuang Rui to a corner of the raw material area outside the shed. There were about five or six square meters of ground where several hundred pieces of raw material were piled up. The reason there were so many pieces was that they were all small. The largest piece was no bigger than a child's ball, and most were about the size of a fist.
"Is this the black-skinned jade from the Ma Meng factory?"
Zhuang Rui's eyes widened as he looked at the pile of dark rough stones on the ground. He recognized these rough stones; the imperial green glass-type jadeite the size of an egg yolk that he gave to Qin Xuanbing was taken from these kinds of rough stones. Zhuang Rui had almost thrown those rough stones away as if they were just rocks back then.
In fact, Zhuang Rui had seen quite a few rough stones from the Wumeng Factory in the past few days, but he had only seen large pieces. This was the first time he had ever seen such small rough stones, almost identical to those left by his grandfather.
"Hehe, yes, you've heard of the name 'black-skinned Wusha jade'? Well then I won't lie to you, these materials are indeed from the Wumeng factory, but they're all materials with little gambling potential. After the sealed auction, they'll be sold to tourists to cut and play with."
Yang Hao wasn't very experienced in business, but he felt he had a good relationship with Zhuang Rui, so he told Zhuang Rui all his secrets.
As mentioned earlier, three days before the sealed bid opening, an invitation from the event organizers was required to enter the jade gambling venue. However, after the sealed bid opening, it was open to everyone. The tourists from all over the country who came in at that time constituted a relatively large consumer group. At the very least, they were able to dispose of the waste materials that were a headache for the rough jade merchants, which made them quite popular.
"Since we're here, let's take a look."
Zhuang Rui squatted down under the scorching sun. Unlike others, this was his first time encountering jadeite rough stones, and these rough stones that looked like rocks made him feel a sense of familiarity upon seeing them.
"Then you take a look first. I'll go back and get some water. If you like any of these little trinkets, I'll give you a few."
Yang Hao, somewhat impatient, gave Zhuang Rui a brief instruction before turning and returning to the shed.
Picking up a fist-sized piece of black sandstone, Zhuang Rui examined it carefully. He was no longer the novice he was a few months ago, still thinking of using a hammer to crack open the rough stone.
Black jadeite rough is one of the most common rough stones for gambling on jadeite. Because the surface of black jadeite is covered by a layer of black clay such as chlorite, the internal and external characteristics of the jadeite are very different. It is the riskiest type of rough stone for gambling on jadeite. The saying "nine out of ten gambles fail" mainly refers to this type of rough stone.
Because black sandstone often yields high-quality green jadeite, there are also many fake rough stones. Some people will use black dye to coat and protect them, while others simply smear soot on them, leaving their hands covered in black soot when they scratch.
If you buy genuine Wusha jade, you can accept the outcome, whether it's a success or a failure. Success brings wealth, failure brings experience. But if you buy fakes, it's like a sudden shock in broad daylight. The emotional turmoil is indescribable. Many people in the jade gambling circle have suffered heavy losses in this kind of gambling.
Zhuang Rui would never make such a mistake; he didn't even bother to search the area. After throwing the piece of raw material back to the ground, he simply released the spiritual energy from his eyes, covering an area of four or five meters in radius.
"Hey, it really is old mine material from Wumeng Factory."
Through his spiritual energy, Zhuang Rui discovered that among these hundreds of rough stones, there were actually seven or eight spots scattered around, each radiating spiritual energy, though the intensity varied and the feeling they gave Zhuang Rui was different. Reaching out, he parted the pile of rough stones and picked out the lowest one, which also contained the most abundant spiritual energy.
The piece of raw jade was slightly larger than a fist. Zhuang Rui took it in front of him and examined it carefully. When spiritual energy seeped into the raw jade, Zhuang Rui was delighted to find that a familiar color appeared before his eyes.
"Imperial green, it must be imperial green..."
When that captivating green came into view, Zhuang Rui was so excited he almost shouted out. It was clear, bright, and vibrant green. This was the second time he had seen such a pure green and such transparent jade. Moreover, it was much larger than the jade he had cut before, about the size of an egg.
After calming his excitement, Zhuang Rui simply took the rough stone in his hand, stood up and walked towards the shed. However, after taking only a few steps, he turned back and randomly selected a few more rough stones before returning to the shed.
"Brother Yang, take a look, how much are these pieces worth?"
Zhuang Rui casually placed the few pieces of raw jade he was holding onto the table.
"Hey, didn't I tell you? This thing, even though it's from an old mine, isn't worth much. You can take it..."
Yang Hao glanced at the pieces of raw jade and said nonchalantly.
"No, your elders have been visiting these past few days. Let's just pay for it. It's the price we're talking about. I don't need these extra few."
Zhuang Rui wasn't going to take advantage of him. He was just picking up a bargain with his eyesight, not expecting it to be given away for free. What? Cheating? Of course! That takes skill too. Let someone else try.
"Alright, since you're going to give it to me, there's no reason for me to refuse. There are four pieces of raw material in total, so you can give me four thousand yuan."
Yang Hao kept saying it was free, but he was really ruthless in taking advantage of the situation. These raw materials would only cost tourists five or eight hundred each, but he took a thousand yuan from Zhuang Rui for each one.
Zhuang Rui didn't know the price. Even if Yang Hao asked for 40,000, he would still pay. He took out 4,000 from his handbag, had Yang Hao write a receipt, and then the pieces of raw material would belong to him.
Unexpectedly, his unintentional act had yielded such a great bargain. Zhuang Rui asked Yang Hao to find him a snakeskin bag, put the pieces of wool inside, and happily returned to the hotel. ...
"Youngest brother, you didn't do anything bad last night, did you? Why do I feel like the third brother's appearance the day after his first time is so similar to yours now?"
That evening, while having dinner with Wei Ge and Lao Si, Zhuang Rui was still grinning from ear to ear, making the two of them think that Zhuang Rui had taken a girl to his room the day before.
"Sigh, I have nothing to say to you guys. Let's eat and go to sleep. Tomorrow I'll take you to see some big scenes."
Zhuang Rui's enthusiasm was dampened, and he was somewhat depressed. After finishing his meal, he didn't join the two men's nightlife and went back to his room to sleep. However, he was so agitated by the piece of raw jade containing imperial green that he got up in the middle of the night, washed it with water, and placed it on his bedside before he could finally fall asleep.
The next morning at seven o'clock, Zhuang Rui was woken up by Song Jun's phone call. It turned out that this brother hadn't slept very well the night before. Zhuang Rui knocked on Wei Ge's and Lao Si's doors and woke up the two groggy guys.
The group grabbed a quick bite and arrived at the jade gambling venue a dozen minutes before 8 o'clock. They thought they were early, but the dozens of chairs from yesterday had already been snapped up. Helpless, they could only stand in the aisle and wait for the bidding to begin.
The bidding started promptly at eight o'clock. It was the same host, but today there was no nonsense. He started announcing the bids right away. His hoarse voice showed that even Jin Sangzi throat lozenges are not a panacea.
"Lot D96, 3.86 million, winning bid number 257..."
"Lot D97, 1,248,000, winning bid number 658..."
When the host announced the D97 lot, Zhuang Rui and the others couldn't help but push forward, because the next lot was the giant piece of raw jade they had bid on.
"The next bid has special significance. Although not all the sealed bids have been drawn yet, I can tell you here that bid number D98, at 66,660,000, is the winning bid, number 88. Congratulations to this friend! This bid has also created the top bid of this Pingzhou Jade Bidding and Trading Fair!"
The host on stage, disregarding his hoarse voice, shouted loudly, and the crowd below the stage instantly erupted in cheers, just as he had expected.
Chapter 221 The Mark Rises, the Winds of Change Stir (10)
"Sixty-six million six hundred and sixty thousand yuan. Not only is this the top bid at this jade auction, but it is also the highest bid in the history of domestic jade gambling in recent years. At the same time, this bid also broke the record of 58 million eight hundred thousand yuan for the highest single bet on jade gambling in China. Congratulations again to the friend who won the bid."
The host's inflammatory words reignited the excitement of the crowd. Witnessing the birth of a record would certainly give them more bragging rights in the industry.
"What I need to tell everyone is that this D98 lot had a second bid of 65 million RMB, which also broke the record for the highest price ever paid for a rough stone in China. It's just that this friend wasn't very lucky and lost to the friend with lot number 88."
The host's words sparked endless speculation among the audience about this D98 rough stone. Both bids were over 60 million, leaving everyone wondering what kind of stone it was.
Those who had paid attention to the rough stone began to show off, sharing their insights with others. The bidding scene resembled a bustling marketplace—utterly noisy.
"Brother Ma, you just want to cut stones, right? I'll give you that rough stone I photographed to cut and play with later."
Seeing the dejected look on Fatty Ma's face, Zhuang Rui offered words of comfort.