Juston was quite thorough, asking the right question. Stone cutting isn't like slicing open a watermelon at a roadside stand—it requires skill and precision. Those familiar with the trade have their own techniques. Typically, they first mark the cutting line on the stone with chalk or a similar tool, slicing off thin layers from the sides. If green jade is found, they switch to carefully polishing the stone, slowly removing the outer layer until the jade's overall shape is revealed.
"Full gamble, just cut it straight down the middle to save time," Samuel said casually, waving his hand as he returned to his seat, not even looking at the stone. Honestly, a piece that cost him only 20,000 dollars didn't hold much value in his eyes.
The security guard, trained in stone-cutting, expertly powered up the machine. With a buzz, the cutting blade swiftly sliced through the stone, and soon, two uneven patches of green jade appeared.
"Congratulations, Mr. Samuel, it's a lucky start..." Juston's enthusiastic voice filled the air as everyone turned their attention to the two spots of green jade, shimmering in the stone.
Samuel was thrilled, quickly jumping back to the table to inspect the two baby-fist-sized green patches. Rubbing his hands together in excitement, he exclaimed, "Ha! The water content isn't great, but this is still worth at least 100,000 dollars. Looks like I'm off to a lucky start today."
The security guard skillfully worked the cutting machine, extracting two small chunks of jade the size of baby fists. Wrapping them in red silk, he presented them to Mr. Samuel.
The elderly man, worth billions, beamed as he accepted the red silk bundle. Though the two jade pieces were only worth about 100,000 dollars, the thrill of winning the bet and the sense of accomplishment were priceless.
With Mr. Samuel's lucky start, the rest of the crowd couldn't sit still any longer. One after another, they rushed to the table, eager to choose their stones. The security guard running the stone-cutting machine found himself incredibly busy, though fortunately, everyone chose to cut their stones straight down the middle, so there wasn't too much delay.
Grant, always one for a gamble, pulled Ethan up to the table as well. He'd already cut open two stones priced at 50,000 each, but they turned out to be pure white on the inside—nothing but worthless stone. A total of 100,000 dollars had just gone down the drain.
Ethan strolled leisurely around the table, his eyes casually scanning the stones that others had left behind. Occasionally, he'd chat with Mr. Grant, the very picture of someone simply along for the ride.
All the larger stones on the table had already been purchased, leaving only smaller ones behind. Several pieces priced at 500 dollars were completely ignored—after all, in a "full gamble," people tended to assume that higher prices and larger stones meant a better chance of finding jade. However, the results were disappointing; aside from Mr. Samuel's initial find, every other stone revealed nothing but pure white, with not even a hint of green.
Ethan blinked absentmindedly. When he opened his eyes again, he noticed two stones, one priced at 3,000 dollars and the other at 500 dollars, each emitting a wisp of colored mist—one red, one green. The sight was mesmerizing. What was even more surprising was that he could see two chunks of jade floating in the center of each stone, both the size of eggs. The green jade was pure and transparent, like colored glass. The red jade, slightly larger and less transparent, looked like a piece of crystalline red ice from a distance.
The colors were enchanting, almost hypnotic. Ethan stared, captivated, at the two stones, completely unaware that the mist had silently drifted into the corners of his eyes.
"Hey, buddy, thinking of giving it a try?" Grant, noticing Ethan's intense focus, assumed his friend had caught the gambling bug. To Grant, men always had their vices—whether it was alcohol, women, or gambling. If a man claimed to have no bad habits, he was either too poor or pretending to be some sort of highbrow intellectual.
Ethan nodded. "Lend me 3,500 dollars, I'll pay you back later."
Grant rolled his eyes and pulled out a wad of cash from his bag, shoving it into Ethan's hands with a grin. "If you win, it's yours; if you lose, it's on me."
Ethan nodded, walking over to place the two stones at his feet. He counted out 3,500 dollars from the cash, handed the rest back to Mr. Grant, and kicked the 3,000-dollars stone lightly with his foot, saying, "This one's for the two of us. I'll take the other one home."
Grant laughed, took the cash, and stuffed it back into his bag. "Deal. I'll have someone pack it up for you later."
Ethan smiled, picked up the 500-dollars stone, and kicked the larger one like a soccer ball, rolling it over to the cutting machine.
"Haha! You've got the right idea. These heavy stones are best rolled along the ground. Earlier, I carried two all the way over, like a complete fool..." Grant laughed heartily, realizing that this new friend of his was like a breath of fresh air. It had been a long time since he'd had this much fun.
The security guard manning the cutting machine picked up the stone and expertly secured it in place. Without looking up, he asked, "How would you like it cut?" Naturally, he assumed they'd want it sliced straight down the middle.
"Just cut off a thin slice from this side," Ethan said, bending down to pick up a piece of chalk and marking a line on the edge of the stone. He then sat down with the smaller 500-dollars stone in his lap.
The guard gave Ethan a puzzled look but adjusted the stone and followed the marked line. With a sharp buzz, the blade cut into the stone, and after a few moments, it sliced off a thin piece.
"Red jadeite... it's really red jadeite!" The guard, lifting the blade, exclaimed in a trembling voice, immediately drawing everyone's attention. Samuel and Zhuang, the two old men, rushed over faster than anyone, their movements quicker than rabbits.
"Ice jadeite with a red hue! Be careful when you polish it. This stone could at least make two bangles, and there should be enough left for a few pendants..." Samuel muttered to himself, staring intently at the red jadeite.
"I think making pendants would be a waste—it'd be better to craft a set of red jade beads. If handled correctly, this could be worth at least five million..."
The two old men, usually at odds with each other, were now chatting amicably, discussing the best way to maximize the value of this exquisite piece of red jadeite. They seemed to have forgotten that neither of them owned the stone—at least, not yet.
"Hahaha! Ethan, you've hit the jackpot! You've made me proud!" Grant couldn't stop grinning, feeling both impressed by Ethan's luck and a bit smug, as though he had played a part in the discovery of this rare gem.
Ethan laughed and said, "I'll leave the rest to you, brother. But remember, you get half of whatever we make."
He was straightforward about it, passing all the responsibility to Grant. What Ethan really wanted to understand was why his right eye could see the jade inside the stones. Money, for now, was secondary—he figured one million dollars would be more than enough for him.
"Alright, gladly handle it," Grant replied happily, throwing an arm around Ethan's shoulders in a show of brotherly camaraderie.
Grant was overjoyed, thinking to himself that finding such a considerate and generous young friend today had been the highlight of his day.