Seeing Zhuang Rui constantly glancing behind her, Lei Lei immediately understood his thoughts and said with a smile, "Alright, stop looking around. I came with my grandfather this time. Xuan Bing didn't come with us; she's still in England. She took on a pretty big order this time, which will probably take three or four months to complete. If you miss her, just fly to England to see her..."
“We are innocent, unlike some people, like Liu Chuan, who didn’t come to see his grandfather this time?”
Zhuang Rui and Lei Lei were familiar with each other. When he heard Lei Lei teasing him, he immediately retorted. After all, she was a girl, and Lei Lei blushed when Zhuang Rui said that.
"When did you start acting like Da Chuan and become such a hooligan?"
Lei Lei glared at Zhuang Rui angrily.
"He's never been honest, I can testify to that..."
"And me, beautiful lady, let me tell you, back in college, he slept in the bunk above me. There's nothing he can hide from me..."
Two abrupt voices came from Zhuang Rui's left and right. Wei Ge and Lao Si had appeared out of nowhere, flanking Zhuang Rui like two guardian generals, staring at Lei Lei with lustful eyes.
Lei Lei was above average in appearance, and her figure was comparable to a model's. What was worse was that because of the hot weather, she was only wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt on top and a pair of capri shorts on the bottom, showing off her beautiful figure. Wei Ge and Lao Si almost drooled at the sight of her, and at this moment they didn't care about Zhuang Rui at all.
"Hey, you two, stand back! I don't know you. Damn it, this is my brother's wife. How dare you flirt with her?"
Zhuang Rui angrily pushed the two away. If Liu Chuan heard about their actions, wouldn't that ruin their brotherly relationship?
"Oh my god, why are all the beautiful girls taken? Fourth brother, why are we two brothers so unlucky?"
Upon hearing that it was Zhuang Rui's girlfriend, Wei Ge's face immediately turned sour. He exaggeratedly looked up at the sky and cried out in distress. Of course, all he could see was the hotel ceiling.
"Hehe, you must be Zhuang Rui's college classmates, right? I'm Zhuang Rui's junior high school classmate. I know just as many embarrassing stories about him as you do. Oh, Brother Zhou, you're here too."
Lei Lei was amused by her boss's exaggerated manner. She had heard Zhuang Rui mention these classmates before, and then she saw Zhou Rui with the white lion behind them. She immediately took the initiative to chat with them. Although Wei Ge and Lao Si wouldn't steal Zhuang Rui's girlfriends, chatting with beautiful women was a very pleasant thing, and they actually stood there chatting and didn't want to leave.
"By the way, Lei Lei, didn't your grandfather come with you?"
Zhuang Rui noticed that Lei Lei was carrying a small bag and was alone, which was a bit strange, since she had just said that she came with her grandfather.
“This place is very close to Hong Kong. I came here first since I had nothing to do after returning from England. My grandfather and the jade gambling consultant will not arrive until the day after tomorrow.”
Lei Lei answered casually.
"A jade gambling consultant? What does that do?"
Zhuang Rui found the term somewhat novel.
"You don't know this? They are people who know a lot about jadeite rough. Almost every jewelry company has such consultants, who are used to identify rough stones when the company purchases them. However, our company's jadeite gambling master has not been very lucky in the past few years. He hasn't found any good rough stones for two years in a row."
Zhuang Rui was dismissive of Lei Lei's words. If they hadn't found any good raw materials in two years, it meant they had gambled away everything. Even consultants had to rely on luck when gambling on stones, so what was the point of having consultants? He might as well try his luck himself.
Zhuang Rui was unaware that jadeite gambling consultants were extremely important to a jewelry company. While they did rely on luck, they primarily judged the potential for jadeite by observing the external appearance of the rough stones. This level of expertise was unmatched by most. The rough stones they selected had a far higher probability of yielding jadeite than those chosen by laymen. Who else in the world, besides Zhuang Rui, could directly see through these raw materials?
"Alright, stop standing here. Lei Lei, have you booked a room yet? Oh, then go and rest for a while. We'll call it a day and have dinner together tonight."
When Zhuang Rui saw the people who had been surrounding him earlier turning their gazes in his direction, he felt a little flustered. These fans were really enthusiastic. After learning that Lei Lei had already booked a room, they quickly pulled the group back to their room.
"Hey, Woody, I heard my wife saw you. You better take good care of her..."
Zhuang Rui had just returned to his room and taken a shower when his phone rang. He answered it and saw it was Liu Chuan calling.
"Why don't you come by yourself? This is a great opportunity to meet the parents."
"Bullshit, what kind of parent is her grandfather? I've already met her parents, and we're getting married at the end of this year."
Zhuang Rui was taken aback by Liu Chuan's words. Among their group of classmates, the two brothers were considered to be getting married late. Now that Liu Chuan was also getting married, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
"You have the nerve to say that? If you hadn't called Brother Zhou, would I have gone? Now I'm the only one looking after the mastiff kennel. In a few days, I have to go to Nagqu, Tibet to pick up Brother Renqing Cuomu. How the hell am I supposed to manage?"
Liu Chuan's complaints continued through the phone. Zhuang Rui knew that after staying in Pengcheng for a few days, Renqing Cuomu returned to Tibet, ending her life as a herdsman on the grasslands and settling down in Nagqu. She was now living with her parents. Renqing Cuomu had to attend the Shanxi International Tibetan Mastiff Exchange Conference at the end of June. Otherwise, Liu Chuan and his group would have no chance of controlling that golden mastiff king.
"Alright, who gave you the idea to build a mastiff kennel? When you see Lei Lei's grandfather later, I'll call him 'Grandpa' a few more times for you, haha..."
"Get lost! Keep a close eye on my wife! No drinking, no karaoke, no going out at night, no talking to men, no..."
"Stop, stop, stop! Are you done yet? If you've got the guts, go and say it yourself. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
Zhuang Rui heard Liu Chuan grumbling on the phone like a complaining woman, and quickly hung up. Long-distance roaming costs money, and he wasn't going to waste his time arguing with him. ...
"Brother Song, over here..."
Zhuang Rui jumped out of the car and took the bag from Song Jun's hand. Song Jun's flight was a bit delayed, and he had been waiting at the airport for more than two hours.
"Xiao Zhuang, let me introduce you. This is Master Peng, who has a very keen eye for jade. This is my younger brother, Zhuang Rui. You two get to know each other."
Song Jun did not come alone; he was accompanied by a middle-aged man in his forties, about the same age as Song Jun, tall and thin, with very bright eyes.
Zhuang Rui knew that Song Jun was a man with high standards. Even someone as wealthy as Fatty Ma couldn't catch his eye. But now he was praising Master Peng highly. Zhuang Rui also paid some attention to him. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Master Peng, he helped the two into the car and drove towards Pingzhou.
"Zhuang Rui, I've heard that you and that kid Da Chuan have been making quite a splash in Nanjing. You didn't even see how cocky Da Chuan was when he got back to Pengcheng. He was as arrogant as a crab, and he almost bought my villa."
Zhuang Rui knew Liu Chuan's temperament. He knew that once he made tens of millions, he would definitely show off when he returned to Pengcheng. However, Song Jun's words were a bit exaggerated. Even if Liu Chuan had the guts, he wouldn't dare to be arrogant with Song Jun.
"Come on, Brother Song, we're just lucky and playing around. We can't compare to your scale. But Brother Song, you're not into jade, so why are you getting involved in this circle?"
Zhuang Rui had always had this question in his mind. Not only Song Jun, but also Fatty Ma. As the saying goes, "a trade is like a mountain to climb." Fatty Ma and Song Jun were not people in the jade industry, but they were both very interested in this Pingzhou jade gambling, which Zhuang Rui did not understand.
"I'm just spending tens of millions to play around, it's nothing. Now even some investment companies affiliated with state-owned enterprises are injecting funds into jade gambling. Zhuang Rui, you need to understand that jade gambling has now developed into a very sophisticated speculative market, just like the stock market."
Song Jun's words stunned Zhuang Rui. He hadn't expected Song Jun to elevate the topic of jade gambling to such a level.
Chapter 177 Zhuang Rui's Thoughts
After Song Jun explained, Zhuang Rui finally understood. It turned out that Song Jun hadn't come for gambling on jade stones, but rather to stockpile a batch of rough jadeite stones, intending to sell them off in a few years and make a profit.
After entering the 21st century, with inflationary expectations, the price of gold soared. Meanwhile, another speculative market, jade gambling, which had faded from people's sight for many years, also flourished and gradually entered a booming market. In this highly speculative market, jade and emeralds are considered to be collectibles with the same function of preserving and increasing value as gold.
Since mining has been ongoing in jade-producing areas such as Myanmar for hundreds of years, especially since the beginning of the 20th century, some old mines have been almost completely depleted, and more people are looking for new mining areas. As a result, the price of raw jade stones has increased significantly.
Generally, the starting price for rough jadeite is not very high. However, the final transaction price is often several times or even dozens of times higher than the starting price. Around 2000, the price of old-type rough jadeite was only around 200 yuan per kilogram, but this year it has risen to around 700 to 800 yuan. If the rough jadeite has good appearance with green or pine flower patterns, it is common for a piece of rough jadeite to go from a starting price of 800 yuan to tens of thousands of yuan per kilogram.
If it's an old mine jadeite rough stone with green inclusions, the price is immeasurable. Generally, the starting price for a good old mine jadeite rough stone is at least 20,000 yuan per kilogram, but the transaction price often reaches hundreds of thousands of yuan per kilogram. It's normal for a piece of raw material to cost tens of millions of yuan. This would have been unimaginable a few years ago, which shows the upward trend of jadeite raw materials.
Jade culture has a history of thousands of years in China. As a result, the business of jade has developed to a very mature stage, from raw stones to jade artifacts. There are circles for gambling on raw stones, circles for jadeite, and circles for finished jade products. Among them, the riskiest circle is naturally the circle for gambling on raw stones.
However, there is another group of people who transfer the risks of jade gambling to others. These people only buy raw jade stones without cutting or quarrying them, hoarding them for several years. They then release the stones into the market when the price is right. Song Jun and Boss Ma belong to this group, and the reason why the price of jadeite rough stones has been rising steadily is also related to their capital injection.
According to Song Jun, two big names in the domestic jade gambling industry will also appear at this Pingzhou jade gambling conference. Due to the impact of the financial crisis on the real economy, these outside funds have entered the investment field of jade and gemstones. Compared with the financial market, investing in the jade gambling industry is more exciting, and the returns are greater if you are lucky.
Moreover, compared to overseas collectible markets, China's similar market is still underdeveloped and has greater potential in the future. Recently, it has been rumored in the jade gambling circle that a buyer from outside the industry in Thailand recently invested 13 million yuan to buy a batch of jade in China.
"Brother Song, how much money have you prepared this time? I'll bring my underlings along to get some of the benefits too."
Zhuang Rui joked with Song Jun as he drove. Because Song Jun's flight was delayed, it was already past five o'clock, which was also time for dinner. Lao Si had arranged a seafood restaurant in Guangzhou, and Zhuang Rui would take Song Jun there directly to eat before resting.
"Brother, you're thinking of stockpiling too? This stuff really ties up a lot of capital. If the market goes badly, you might end up with nothing."
Song Jun said with a smile.
"Come on, just look at how you and Fatty Ma rushed over here. You're bound to make a profit. If you don't want to involve your underlings, just say so."
Zhuang Rui didn't buy into Song Jun's act. Although they were more than ten years apart in age, they could be considered friends despite the age difference. Zhuang Rui and Song Jun always spoke very directly.
"Brother, are you serious? You really want to get into the market?"
Upon hearing this, Song Jun became serious. He had invited Zhuang Rui to participate in this jade gambling conference, but when he went to frame Tang Bohu's painting, he had promised to show Zhuang Rui the scene of jade gambling. He never expected that Zhuang Rui would also have the idea of making a fortune in the jade rough market.
In fact, Song Jun overestimated Zhuang Rui. With Zhuang Rui's current net worth, all of it adds up to just over 9 million RMB, which is at most enough to buy one or two pieces of rough jade with decent quality. He simply doesn't have the financial strength to hoard rough jade and wait for prices to rise.
Zhuang Rui's words were merely a preemptive warning to the Song army. Given his limited funds, Zhuang Rui was thinking that if he found any raw materials he desired but lacked the necessary capital, he could borrow some from the Song army.
However, this could not be said outright, otherwise the Song army would become suspicious: how could you be so confident that the rough stones you had chosen would be worth the bet?
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and said, "Brother Song, I only have a little over 9 million on hand right now, as you know. Your appetites are too big, and I can't even get a piece of that. But when you go to look at raw jade, you can take me with you. First, I'll learn from you, and second, if there are any cheap raw jade pieces that you don't like, I can pick up a bargain."
Of Zhuang Rui's 9 million yuan, more than 8 million yuan was for Song Jun to buy paintings. He naturally knew this, and he readily agreed to Zhuang Rui's request. He already owed this young man a favor, so showing him around was nothing.
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Master Peng glanced at him a few more times from the back seat. He hadn't expected Zhuang Rui to be so wealthy at such a young age. However, in his mind, Zhuang Rui was already categorized as a prince or a rich second-generation heir.
Some friends might say at this point, "At the Pingzhou Jadeite Gambling Conference, the rough stones are all laid out there, each with a number. If you like one, you can bid on it. Why did you need Song Jun to lead the way? Zhuang Rui is capable of doing anything; couldn't he go and see for himself?"
That's true. At the Pingzhou Jadeite Gambling Conference, there are generally two ways to sell rough stones. One is through bidding. Many people may bid on a single rough stone, and the highest bidder wins. The other is through jadeite gambling venues organized by some merchants themselves, where stones can be cut on-site. However, those who can enter these venues need to have a certain economic foundation or reputation; it's not something that ordinary customers can just enter at will.
Zhuang Rui's words above did not mean that he wanted Song Jun to take him into the jade gambling venue. With Old Master Gu's name, Zhuang Rui could enter any public place. The reason he wanted Song Jun to take him was to go to those private places that even Old Master Gu could not go to.
Most of the merchants who trade in jadeite rough stones in Pingzhou rent warehouses locally, or many are locals whose homes are in Pingzhou. In addition to investing some rough stones in the jadeite gambling conventions, these people often hoard some rough stones to sell at higher prices. Their target customers are people with strong financial resources, like Song Jun. They often have specific connections and take these people to their homes or warehouses to inspect the goods.
In Pingzhou, there have always been jadeite rough stone brokers. "Broker" is an ancient or pre-liberation term; now, only a few industries still use this term. Other industries use "intermediary" or "broker." Brokers generally don't have their own shops; they communicate between buyers and sellers solely through their words and actions. They are not responsible for the profits or losses of the transactions; they only receive a commission based on a certain percentage once a deal is completed.
The brokers in Pingzhou all had information on buyers and familiar customers. They invited these visiting merchants to inspect the goods at the homes of jade traders. If a deal was struck, these brokers could receive a substantial commission from the jade traders. However, given Zhuang Rui's abilities, he naturally wouldn't attract the attention of these jade brokers. That's why he had Song Jun take him there.
The idea actually came from Grandpa Gu to Zhuang Rui. He knew that Zhuang Rui wanted to see more rough stones, so he told Zhuang Rui about this place. However, although Grandpa Gu was highly respected, firstly, he would not act as a gambling stone consultant for any merchant, and secondly, he disdained to go to these underground gambling stone places, so naturally no brokers would invite him.
Last night at dinner, Fatty Ma insisted on paying for the meal. He did hint that he wanted to take Zhuang Rui to see the raw material merchants, but Zhuang Rui had more contact with Song Jun, so he didn't say yes or no.
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Song Jun understood and readily said, "Okay, you're not bad, kid. You've only been here a few days and you've already found out about this. Someone invited me to look at raw materials tonight. Let's go after we finish dinner and rest for a bit."
"Okay..."
Zhuang Rui was delighted to hear this. Old Master Gu had said that the Song army had connections, and it was indeed true.
Seeing Zhuang Rui's joyful face, Song Jun said, "Brother, don't be too happy yet. There are some things I need to make clear to you, otherwise you might offend someone."
"Huh? There's an explanation for this, Brother Song, what do you say..."
Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment.
"Actually, it's nothing. In a setting like this, we're definitely not the only ones looking at rough stones. There are probably other people too. There's an unwritten rule in this industry: when someone is looking at a piece of rough stone, you can't ask the price first..."
"I know that. We can only watch it after others are dissatisfied or have given up on it, right?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui interrupted Song Jun, saying that he had been taught these rules long ago.
"Hey, it's only been a few months, but you've improved a lot. But Brother Zhuang, listen to me, luck plays a big part when it comes to gambling on stones. You don't have much money, so take it easy and just pick up some small rough stones to play with. Don't get too addicted."
Song Jun first teased Zhuang Rui, but his expression immediately turned serious. He was really afraid that Zhuang Rui would impulsively gamble away his entire fortune. The jade gambling industry is very complex. Not to mention 9 million, it's not uncommon for people to lose more than 90 million.
Chapter 178 Excuse
After arriving at the seafood restaurant where Lao Si had made a reservation, Zhuang Rui discovered that Fatty Ma had also come. He did know Song Jun, but the two obviously didn't have much of a relationship. They chatted for a few words before taking their seats separately.
Song Jun is a typical official-businessman. His first pot of gold was probably earned by reselling licenses. Moreover, most of the businesses he does now are related to the government. On the other hand, Fatty Ma is a representative of the grassroots. He went from being a errand boy to a billionaire. The hardships he endured are self-evident. It is likely that the two of them look down on each other at this moment.
To Zhuang Rui's surprise, besides the girl named Yanzi, Fatty Ma also brought a gaunt old man in his fifties or sixties. Fatty Ma spoke very respectfully to the old man, and Zhuang Rui understood after a moment's thought that this must be the jade gambling master that Fatty Ma had found.
"Hey, Fourth Brother, why didn't Brother Zhou come for dinner?"