C206 A Test of Skill

Wang Gui was quite excited, exhilarated even, while I remained utterly bewildered. Holding the rough stone, I examined its interior, which resembled a bisected duck egg. At the very center, the jade's quality dramatically improved; starting from the one-centimeter cut, the texture became exquisitely refined. This abrupt shift in quality is known as a "cliff-like jump"—a stark contrast between the outer and inner portions, yielding two distinct types of jade in one stone.

The central portion resembled a duck yolk, albeit a verdant, apple-green one…

Mr. Wei, incredulous, took the stone and shone a light upon it, murmuring, "Damn, what luck! Pure green, high transparency, three-point water, no blemishes or cracks, exquisite texture—perfect for carving an egg-shaped ring. The color and quality are top-tier; each piece on the market fetches over three million…"

I inhaled deeply. Damn, I hadn't held out much hope for this piece; I'd cut it merely for amusement, without even paying for it. Now, having unearthed such a high-grade Imperial Green, I was at a loss. I should have just paid for it upfront; it would have saved me all this hassle.

Seeing Mr. Wei clutching the stone, reluctant to let go, I knew he wasn't particularly pleased. "Mr. Wei," I said, "Thank you…"

Mr. Wei, somewhat embarrassed, glanced up at me before handing the stone over. "Brother Zhao Fei, your luck is incredible! To uncover a top-tier Imperial Green—it seems our next public auction will be a resounding success."

I smiled, handing the stone to Wang Gui. He exclaimed, "See, Fei Ge? I told you I'm awesome! I was going to polish it, but seeing the full green, what was the point? So, I gritted my teeth and cut it open, and look what was inside!"

"Alright," I said, "You got lucky. Mr. Wei gifted us this; we'll split it fifty-fifty."

"Thank you, Mr. Wei…" Wang Gui added ingratiatingly.

Mr. Wei nodded, remaining taciturn and expressionless. Who could have imagined that a gifted stone would yield a top-tier Imperial Green suitable for an egg-shaped ring? It was unforeseen, yet it happened to us.

Our luck isn't so bad after all.

A surge of elation coursed through me. Damn, I'm a natural-born jade gambling champion! Even after losing a stone, I'll rise again.

Overjoyed, I put the stone away. At that moment, a woman entered, her head shaved and bandaged, yet attired in a strikingly alluring and elegant evening gown. Her feminine charm was undeniable; the cinched waist accentuated her figure, and the exquisite beading shimmered with artistic three-dimensionality.

It was Ma Lan. Approaching me, she demanded, "Explain yourself."

"Didn't you see a man gambling on jade?" I retorted, irritated.

Ma Lan was furious, but perhaps sensing my genuine anger, she remained silent, seating herself. My emotions were turbulent, yet exhilarating. While the iron is hot, I'll strike! Damn it, I'll gamble until the earth trembles!

I retrieved the previous stone. "Mr. Wei," I said, "How much for this piece?"

Mr. Wei chuckled. "Just a piece from Damakan; nothing special, though it's been partially polished. I got it for fifty thousand; it's tripled in value after crossing the border. One hundred and fifty thousand will do."

Discomfort gnawed at me. Fifty thousand for a Damakan stone? Who's he kidding? Mr. Wei is narrow-minded; he's incredibly generous when he needs you, but once you're useless, forget about any favors—he'll ruthlessly exploit you. A classic merchant, really.

This stone is worth, at most, two hundred thousand, yet he demands one hundred and fifty thousand, clearly still resentful about the earlier incident.

"Fine, Mr. Wei," I said, "I'll take it."

Mr. Wei smiled. "Let me write you a bill…"

I went inside with Mr. Wei, ignoring Ma Lan. She has a temper; I have one too. My stone was stolen, and it's her responsibility, her sister's doing, in fact. My anger is justified, and I can't resolve this matter, so all my fury is directed at her. If she's unhappy, I'm even more so.

I paid Mr. Wei; five million remained in my card. Thank goodness I'd gotten ten million back from Ma Lan; otherwise, I'd be dirt poor.

After the transaction, I handed the stone to Wang Gui. "Wang Gui, this one has bracelet potential; let's gamble on the color and quality. You decide how to cut it."

Wang Gui examined the stone. "Like a turtle shell. Let's remove the edges, leaving only a circle. If the quality remains unchanged after removing the edges, we'll cut it vertically—enough for two pairs of bracelets, in two sizes, four pairs in total. But with material from a small mine, the color won't change much."

"Let's hope for some luck," I said. "Maybe we'll get a beautiful color? I trust your golden touch."

Wang Gui grinned. "Alright, Fei Ge…"

He began cutting. I watched, exhilarated. I felt a burning sensation in my neck and knew I was getting carried away. Licking my chapped lips, I swallowed, quenching my thirst.

Wang Gui pressed the stone against the cutting machine, sending stone dust flying. He was removing the edges; this stone had a serpentine pattern, so it should have some green inside. I liked this serpentine pattern; that's why I took it, even knowing Mr. Wei was ripping me off.

Wang Gui ground the stone, sparks flying as he rotated it. Water constantly dripped onto the cut, obscuring the view. I was impatient, eager to see the result, but I didn't interrupt Wang Gui's work, containing my anxiety.

The anticipation was agonizing, like a child craving candy.

After about twenty minutes, Wang Gui finished grinding the edges, leaving an irregular circle. He submerged the stone in water, rinsed it, and showed it to me. I snatched it, and a wave of elation washed over me.

"Look at this cut! It's full material! And look, it has floating flowers—blue floating flowers! Icy-糯种 (nòu zhǒng - a type of jade texture), slightly fine crystals, good water, good luster, no cotton, mature texture. It's a pity it's only onion-green; the color hasn't jumped. Damn, what luck! Just by cutting the edges, we've revealed the whole piece. Your hands are truly amazing!" I exclaimed excitedly.

Wang Gui chuckled. "Fei Ge, you're the amazing one. Even if I had the skill, if you gave me a brick, I couldn't cut this out."

There was no need to cut further. The outer portion was already exquisite; it was truly a single cut to riches. This stone could yield four pairs of bracelets of varying sizes. This icy-糯种 (nòu zhǒng) with floating flowers, good water, and onion-green color would sell like hotcakes.

I shone a light on the cut, checking for potential color changes. The stone was translucent, but there were no further color changes. The only thing this stone didn't win big on was the color.

Onion-green isn't bad; anyone who's eaten onions knows the color of the heart—extremely tender, slightly yellowish. This green is only fourth-tier, so it doesn't add much value, but each bracelet from this stone would fetch at least fifty thousand; four pairs would be at least four million. The scraps could be made into pendants and rings, easily adding another three to five hundred thousand. Four million for this stone is easily achievable.

Mr. Wei approached, examining the stone with envy and embarrassment etched across his face. "Zhao Fei, I'll still buy this…"

I glanced at Ma Lan, who was also looking at me. Although we didn't speak, I knew what she wanted to say. Despite our argument, I said, "Ms. Ma has opened a shop; we should support Ms. Ma's business, shouldn't we?"

Mr. Wei glanced at Ma Lan, annoyed, but gritted his teeth. "Yes, we should support Ms. Ma's business. I won't compete with Ms. Ma. Zhao Fei, keep playing. If you find a good stone, I'll invest, and we'll split it fifty-fifty, how about that?"

I lost the urge to gamble. He cheated me, and now he wants to gamble with me? Is that even possible?

Looking at Ma Lan, I said, "Ms. Ma needs me. Let's call it a day, Mr. Wei. These stones are quite good. Look at this Moina stone;糯种 (nòu zhǒng) with partial melting, slightly coarse crystals, good water, good luster, bluish tint, partially showing a clear watery color. It's a gamble worth taking."

Mr. Wei picked up the stone I indicated, frowning. I found this irritating. "This stone has been poorly cut. If the outer layers are peeled back gradually, the final product's value would be much higher. Cutting it directly, with an insufficiently large saw blade, cutting from several directions and then breaking the middle is extremely damaging. This stone has good potential for color change; the best parts have been damaged. The best color changes are often found in the center. You should be more careful in the future. However, this stone can still yield various sizes of beads. As long as the quality and color are good, there's no waste in jade. I'm leaving now, Mr. Wei."

I turned to leave. Mr. Wei looked at the stone, then at me, his expression hesitant, but he said, "Let me see you out…"

At the door, Mr. Wei made some polite remarks, which I ignored, getting into my car. I didn't bother with Ma Lan; I just used her as an excuse to leave.

But today's harvest was substantial: a gifted stone yielded six million unexpectedly, and I won four million myself—a seven-million profit. It's far from eighty million, but I'll get there eventually.

A/N

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