When the bid reached 31 million, the merchants who were willing to raise the price hesitated. After all, such good jadeite is rare on the market now, so they didn't expect to come across it, nor did they anticipate such a large sum of cash.
Fortunately, Lin Shitu's business partners are all major merchants. In addition, since Jin Pangzi's business was shut down, several of the largest jewelers have switched to Lin Shitu's business.
Zhou Xuan himself didn't care. He didn't care how much money it cost. He didn't care about the small amount either.
Rakumoto and Ito Kinji were practically speechless. At first, they thought Zhou Xuan was taking a huge risk by spending 480,000 yuan on such a small stone. But after just one rub, the price increased almost tenfold. The owner even offered 10 million yuan, and after a few more rubs, the price jumped to over 30 million yuan!
Is it that I've gone mad, or are these people mad?
Fujimoto was drenched in sweat, even more nervous and excited than if he had actually won the bet on the stone!
"Thirty-three million five hundred thousand!"
As the price increased, it became clear that after purchase, the items would require polishing, manual work, and going through retail stores, so maximizing their true value wasn't entirely certain. Therefore, the price reached a reasonable level, and potential buyers were clearly hesitant to offer further discounts. The bidding stalled around 34 million.
The final transaction price was 34 million.
Because it was Zhou Xuan's first time here, and he didn't know the other merchant he was dealing with, Lin Shitu stepped in on his behalf, saying with a smile, "Old Zhang, this Mr. Zhou is here for the first time, so he's practically my guest. My friend, haha, I'll act as guarantor for him. I'll hold onto this jade for you for one day, and I'll give it to you after the check is cashed tomorrow, how about that?"
Old Zhang immediately nodded in agreement. He and Lin Shitu had been friends for many years, so of course he trusted him. Moreover, although Lin Shitu wasn't flamboyant, everyone in the circle knew that his net worth was definitely over a billion, if not more.
Zhou Xuan naturally had no objections, smiled, and put the check into his bag.
Zhao Lao Er couldn't hold back any longer and quickly took out his jadeite and asked Lin Shitu to bid for it for him.
Zhao Lao Er's piece is also good material, although the texture of the surface and base is slightly inferior, being icy. However, the volume of the glassy material on top is similar to, or even slightly larger than, Zhou Xuan's piece, though its transparency seems to be somewhat lacking. It's not from an old mine, but it's still considered extremely rare and high-quality material.
Zhao Lao Er was full of anticipation, waiting for Lin Shitu to help him get a good price. Although he initially got a price of 17 million from Zhou Bo, it hadn't turned into money yet. If it hadn't turned into money, it wasn't money!
The two Japanese soldiers continued watching with great interest, their enthusiasm undiminished.
Zhou Xuan ignored them and let them bid. Pretending to go look at more rough stones, he slipped out of the crowd. At this moment, people's attention shifted back to Zhao Lao Er's jadeite; seeing two good pieces of jadeite in a row was truly a rare occurrence. No one paid any attention to Zhou Xuan. If Zhao Lao Er hadn't brought out jadeite again, perhaps someone would have taken a peek at him—at least he seemed like a gambler who had won big and become rich.
Zhou Xuan went straight to the largest piece of jadeite rough he had detected first. No one had chosen this piece because it had too little green. The green wasn't good either; it was just a faint line, like a brushstroke. But inside was the largest piece of vibrant green jadeite with a glassy texture!
Volume One: The Lotus Buds Just Begin to Emerge, Chapter 165: Color Difference First Class
Zhou Shang carefully examined the shapes and colors of the rough stones. Now that he had some time, he decided to examine the green color on the surface to see what special meaning it might have. He wanted to know if there was jade inside, and if it was of good quality. Combining this with the appearance, he wanted to see if there was anything particularly noteworthy. After all, Zhou Xuan knew his own limitations. If it weren't for his ice-qi ability, he would be far inferior. If he relied on his own knowledge to gamble on stones, he might lose everything!
Just as Zhou Xuan was examining the stones closely, an elderly man, around sixty years old, leaned over and smiled, saying, "Young man, you also like gambling on stones? What do you think?"
Zhou Xuan looked at the old man. He wasn't tall, but he was very energetic, with bright, piercing eyes. When asked, Zhou Xuan politely replied, "Sir, I'm just looking around randomly. I don't know anything about this, so I'm just looking!"
The old man looked at Zhou Xuan's stone and smiled, saying, "Young man, you're very modest. But to be honest, I haven't seen many people your age who truly understand jade gambling. There's so much to it; it's impossible to understand it in a short time. A lot of experience can only be tested over time!"
Zhou Xuan had a good impression of the old man. Although it sounded like he was lecturing, it wasn't boasting or arrogant; it was as if he were simply advising a junior. Zhou Xuan smiled slightly and said, "Sir, you're right. I'm new to this line of work and don't have much experience. Could you perhaps share some insights?"
The old man chuckled and said, "Of course we can chat. Experience is very important, but sometimes mistakes can happen. People are adaptable, and we can't generalize about everything. Hehe, let's chat. Let's talk about this stone in your hand."
Zhou Xuan placed the rough stone on the shelf and then asked the old gentleman to take a look.
This rough stone weighs about 70-80 jin (approximately 35-40 kg) and is about the size of a blue ball. It is irregularly round, and except for a very thin jade-like green band around its waist, the rest of the stone is grayish-white. The old man rotated the jade-like green band on the stone to examine it. The green band did not form a complete circle, but only about half of it. He then looked at the rest of the rough stone.
After a long pause, the old man finally said, "Young man, look, the surface of this rough stone has semi-weathered sand grains with shell-like patterns. This indicates that the rough stone was strongly influenced by both directional dynamic metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration. This is a typical environmental factor in the formation of jadeite. This is why jadeite is only found in Myanmar. These environmental factors are indispensable, formed during geological movements tens of millions of years ago. Anyone who understands jadeite knows that jadeite ore doesn't form in very deep strata, but rather in relatively shallow surface layers, through intense geological movements and simultaneously at temperatures above -200 degrees Celsius. This is why jadeite is so rare on Earth, and its distribution is limited to Myanmar. Now look at this!"
The old man then pointed to the green band around the waist and said, "Look below this green band, there's no green on the actual jadeite. But there are pine flowers. These pine flowers are like fish scales, and the color is dark black, which indicates that the jadeite is very old and is a genuine old mine jadeite."
"Hehe, I thought only jadeite was categorized by its 'old' or 'not old' quality. Do you even categorize rough jadeite by its 'old' or 'not old' quality?" Zhou Xuan asked with a chuckle, finding the question amusing.
"Of course it needs to be divided, especially for those who gamble on stones!" The old man patiently explained to Zhou Xuan, "As the saying goes, it's better to buy a line than a large patch, which means you have to pay attention to the green on the surface layer."
Zhou Xuan was very curious. He had never heard of such a saying as "better to buy a line than a large area," so he asked, "Sir, what does that mean?"
"It's better to buy a single line than a large patch" is a saying based on visual experience when gambling on rough jade. Opinions on the green color on the surface of rough jade vary, and these sayings aren't always accurate. "A single line" refers to the thickness of the green color, while "a large patch" refers to a wide, broad expanse of green on the surface. Experienced jade gamblers will carefully examine the jade, and sometimes a single line of green actually increases the likelihood of finding jade, while a large patch of green might not. Of course, the first thing all jade gamblers look at is the amount of green; more green means a higher price, less green means a lower price—this is the general rule. My saying is only held by a very small number of experienced experts.
The old man explained carefully again: "Young man, most people wouldn't want this piece of rough jade you picked. The jade needs to be old, but there's too little green, and the surface is all gray and sandy." As he spoke, the old man went to the shelf and took a water spray bottle. He sprayed some water on the rough jade that Zhou Xuan had picked, then touched the sprayed area with his finger and said with a smile: "Young man, you touch it too!"
Zhou Xuan did as instructed, touching the old man's fingers and picking up a few grains of sand. He then looked at the old man and asked, "Sir, what does this mean?"
The old man chuckled and said, "This piece is yellowish-white sand. After it's been wetted, you can feel the fine sand coming off, which means it has good translucency. This type of material is also called 'yellowish-white small-grained jade,' meaning it's very old, but it doesn't have any mossy or black caps. So, even experienced experts wouldn't pay a high price for this piece. If it had mossy and black caps, it would be a good piece, but not many people can tell that, young man. Look at other jade gamblers; they go for rough stones with lots of green on the surface, haha, but they usually end up losing big. The best advice for jade gambling is to look more and buy less. Of course, that doesn't mean don't buy at all. Looking more is just a selection process, a process of accumulating and verifying experience, and it's a prerequisite for buying. Buying less is actually a reminder to look carefully before you buy!"
Zhou Xuan listened with great satisfaction. He could tell from his intuition that these were truly valuable experiences, something money couldn't buy. Without his foundation in icy energy, he wouldn't have been able to discern or appreciate the subtleties in these words. It's like a high-achieving high school student who, when faced with a difficult problem, can immediately grasp the solution with a crucial hint from the teacher. But if that hint is directed at an average student, no matter how crucial or important it is, they won't understand.
Zhou Xuan was like someone possessing a treasure trove but not knowing how to access it. The old man's words suddenly made Ran feel enlightened, but then he felt strange. This kind of experience couldn't be bought with money, so why was the old man so generous in sharing it with him? It seemed like they had only just met, and they weren't related. Zhou Xuan hadn't given him any...
"An, what makes him think he has such useful experience to Zhou Furu? In the jade gambling industry, much experience is closely guarded secrets, just like martial arts sects. Masters usually don't easily pass on their secret techniques to their disciples, and even if they do, they only pass them on to their most direct disciples. As a result, over several generations, the most powerful techniques become fewer and fewer, with each generation keeping a secret, and the line is broken after a few generations."
Zhou Xuan became somewhat wary. At first, he thought it was just a chance encounter and casual conversation with the old man, but now he realized that the old man was doing it intentionally. He focused his mind and stared at the old man, asking, "Sir, may I ask your surname?"
The old man smiled slightly and, without hiding anything, said, "My surname is Lin, and my name is Lin Lifu. I am the father of Lin Shitu, the owner of this place!"
So it was Boss Lin's father!
Zhou Xuan immediately understood. It turned out Lin Shitu was intentionally trying to curry favor with him, sending this experienced old man to impart his wisdom. Heh, it seemed Boss Lin was truly thoughtful. Whether intentional or not, Zhou Xuan had developed a good impression of Lin Shitu. A person always has to face new things and new friends.
Lin Laocha chuckled again and said, "Brother Zhou, let's take another look at the raw materials and pick some out together!"
Zhou Xuan reached out and picked up the rough jade that Wang Gang had been looking at, shook his head and said, "Old Lin, I'll take this one. Anyway, there's not much green, and as you said, it doesn't have any moss or black bands, so the price should be cheap. It's fun to buy cheap things to test my skills and broaden my horizons!"
Old Man Lin smiled and said, "Alright, let's go see how their commotion is going!"
At this moment, Zhao Lao Er's jadeite, after being bid on by Lin Shi Tu's helpers, was finally bought by a jewelry merchant from the south for 21.6 million. Zhao Lao Er's check was in his pocket, his heart was still pounding wildly. This time it was really sold, and for a high price of more than 20 million! This was something he dared not imagine!
Although Zhao Lao Er's jadeite was also glassy, its transparency was slightly worse than Zhou Xuan's. Even though it was only slightly different, the price difference was significant. However, despite being nearly ten million less than Zhou Xuan's piece, Zhao Lao Er was still very satisfied. He had come hoping to learn from Zhou Xuan, work diligently, and make money under his wing. He never expected that such a casual grab would bring him over twenty million, turning him into a multi-millionaire!
As Zhou Xuan carried the stone and walked over with Old Man Lin, Lin Shitu was bidding on another piece of rough jade. This piece of rough jade was the size of a washbasin. Apart from a large, fish-scale-like patch of deep blue-green on the surface, the other parts were devoid of green.
Zhou Xuan put the stone down, then patted the stone dust off his hands, and patted Zhao Lao Er, who was obviously very excited, to calm him down. Then he activated his ice energy, and instantly, all the commotion within a dozen meters around him was in his mind.