Boss Wei watched me standing in front of the materials for so long, then squatted down, picked up a piece of material, weighed it in his hand, and said with some concern, "This is Wombali material. It's very easy to be deceived by this type of material. The skin is very thin, but it's hard to sell. The water content is insufficient, it's tender, and the chances of betting big are very low."
Boss Wei is also knowledgeable about materials, but he is limited to what he knows and doesn't know how to adapt. For every type of material, no matter where it comes from, he has both the dregs and the best quality. The same goes for Wombali's materials; there are top-quality ones, but whether you can find them depends on luck.
I said: "Wengbali Port is mostly used for planting and watering materials.The characteristic of this open-pollinated variety is that it has tender cotton, multiple splits, and is prone to mutation, which can lead to cotton death.If there is cotton, the stones in this field can be seen on the surface of the skin.
As I spoke, I took a pen and started drawing circles on the stones. If the stones had any cotton-like inclusions, I circled them and marked them as not to be used. By doing this, I had already eliminated half of them. Boss Wei watched my method and gave me a thumbs-up. He said, "Brother Zhao Fei, you really are amazing at stone gambling. I never thought of using this elimination method."
I smiled and said, "This method can only be used on materials from the same quarry. Ombali, the type is generally a bit tender, the water isn't very clear, and the polishing usually doesn't have enough luster. So I have to try to pick stones close to the old factory area because the Ombali stones from the old factory area also have an old type."
I picked through them again, and the raw Umba stones near the old factory area have clear skin shell patterns, with more skin textures. There are few coarse sand skin shells, and the sand is fine with clay, making the sand feel less pronounced. The skin shell is thin, and the transition layer between the skin and flesh is also thin. Most of the skin color is yellowish with a slight red hue.
So I eliminated another batch of materials, and in the end, only one piece was left. Looking at this piece, I smiled, took a strong flashlight, and shone it on the surface. The light was very clear, the granules on the surface appeared delicate and concentrated, and the arrangement of the sand grains was relatively orderly. Although it couldn't compare to materials from Mosi or Mu Na, it was still quite good, with a bright icy quality.
Boss Wei looked at the stone and said, "This piece is really nice, probably over thirty kilograms, quite a large piece. If I had seen it at first glance, I definitely wouldn't have chosen this piece. If I had known it was from Wengbale, I definitely wouldn't have chosen it either, because the bigger it is, the more it loses."
It is well known that the materials from Wombale are rarely shipped, and everyone knows that the stones from the new factory are not thoroughly weathered, so the quality of the stones is quite poor. As a result, people naturally tend to avoid Wombale's materials. However, few people know that Wombale also produces ice and glass types, and even ice-type spring materials, with a relatively high probability.
I looked at the material, the skin, yellow-white sand skin, basically no sandblasting, the texture is flat; the surface skin has two types of patches, white patches and brown-yellow patches, but washing off the brown-yellow patches still shows white.
I said, "This piece has two betting methods. One is to bet on a semi-full glass-type material. If there are no inclusions or cracks, it's worth no less than 30 million. The second is a semi-ice-type material. If there are inclusions and cracks, as long as they are not fine lines or small cracks, 20 million is not a problem. The former requires a big gamble and a large cut, while the latter only needs to be polished and windowed to
Boss Wei listened to what I said and then said, "Brother Zhao Fei's analysis is really detailed. Alright, let's bet on this piece. How much are you willing to offer?"
Qian Guang said, "First ask the price, then we will invest."
Boss Wei nodded and waved his hand. At that moment, a Han character came over. Boss Wei asked, "How much is this piece of material?"
This man looked at it and said, "The boss set the price, five hundred thousand."
As soon as I heard five hundred thousand, I was shocked. This material is so damn cheap. Such top-quality material would cost at least five million in the mainland.
Boss Wei listened and said, "Ah, it's an old friend, how could it be less?"
I was a bit surprised to hear that Boss Wei was actually haggling...
The other party looked at me, smiled, and said, "Boss, please don't make it difficult for me. The price was set by the boss, and I can't change it casually. How about you talk to the boss?"
Boss Wei waved his hand and said, "We're all friends. He's busy, so forget it. Just take care of it for me. Same old rules, give me the bill. Here's the card."
That man skillfully swiped Boss Wei's card and then entered a stilt house. I was a bit curious and said, "Why do others bring cash, but you use a card?"
Boss Wei said, "Those people are not familiar with Kun Sang, and since this is Myanmar, they are afraid that Kun Sang might tamper with the card machine. If it really happens, they have no way to appeal, so they prefer to bring cash rather than use a card. But I'm different; I've been working with Kun Sang for over ten years, and we trust each other. Using a card is very convenient."
I nodded after hearing that. Since Boss Wei trusts this person so much, I feel reassured too. At least I know he won't harm me.
After a while, the other party came over with the receipt, handed the card back to Boss Wei, and said, "Boss, all the procedures are complete, the materials are yours now. Do you want us to take them back through the special passage?"
Boss Wei said, "No need, I'll take the bet today. I want to cut it, right here and now."
From Boss Wei's words, I can easily tell that he used to take it back to cut, but unexpectedly, this time he did it here.
Boss Wei took the stone and said, "The material is worth five hundred thousand, how do we invest?"
I listened, my heart itching. If this rough stone could yield a value of thirty million, it would truly be a miracle. Of course, I want to buy it myself; I have the ability. But I believe they definitely won't agree.
Qian Guang said, "Boss Wei's route, of course, takes the lead, I'm second, Zhao Fei follows, let's say two, three, five. You take fifty percent, I take thirty, Zhao Fei takes twenty."
I listened to Qian Guang and nodded. This is the best plan. Betting on stones isn't a guaranteed win. Although my share is small, the risk I bear is also low.
Boss Wei said, "Okay, let's note it down for now, and settle it when we divide the money later. I'll contribute 300,000, Qian Guang 150,000, and Zhao Fei 50,000. Does that add up?"
I nodded, and Qian Guang also nodded. Boss Wei then said, "Alright, let's get started. Zhao Fei, you decide how to cut it. If you really manage to cut out ice-type material, I'll give you a hundred thousand yuan bonus."
I smiled and said, "Then I really have to take this red envelope."
A few of us started laughing, and I followed the guide with the stone to the stilted house where they were cutting the stone. Inside the house, people were cutting stone; it was quite large and filled with many people, a bit smoky and murky.
Suddenly, I saw a familiar person. This person was missing several fingers on the hand holding the cigarette, looking thin and frail. Although the smoke was thick, I still recognized him. It was Liu Qiang.
Qian Guang seemed to have seen it too, but he didn't look like he was going to greet him. Liu Qiang just glared at him and continued to draw his eyes.
"The material is ruined, and there's a crystal. Should we pry it out? We can make a label."
The master called out, and Liu Qiang stood up, cursing, "Damn it, lost at the card game, lost at the stone gamble, really damn frustrating. Keep it, consider it a family heirloom..."
After he finished speaking, he walked out, and the master didn't pay any attention and just tossed the materials aside. At that moment, I walked over, handed the materials to the master, and said, "Master, you take a break, I'll ask my friend to cut."
After finishing, I lit a cigarette for my master. He looked at me, didn't say a word, smoked the cigarette, and then stood to the side. This is because many meticulous bosses bring their own masters to cut stones, and he knew this too. I called Wang Gui over, and he didn't hesitate either. He sat in front of the cutting machine, took a stone, sprayed it with water first, and asked me, "Fei Ge, where should I start cutting?"
I looked at the material, it looked like an egg, but a big egg, pointed at the top, wide at the bottom, but it looked like it had been cut open from the base. I said, "Open a window for me from the pointed end, let's see how the water is first."
Wang Gui lit a cigarette and took a few hard puffs before starting to deal. Boss Wei and Qian Guang didn't ask any questions, just watching intently. They had completely trusted me; whatever I said went.
However, I'm a bit nervous. It's one thing for them to trust me, but whether I have this luck is another matter. Although the rough stones from Ombale can produce ice and glass types, they are also rare. If I fail on my first attempt at gambling with stones abroad, it will definitely affect the morale going forward, and my status will surely decline. Although it won't be a complete disaster, it will give them a chance to doubt my abilities.
I am beyond doubt, beyond question, so I must win.
"Buzz buzz..."
The cutting machine was grinding against the tip of the stone, and the lid was quickly cut off. I started to feel nervous, sweat dripping continuously. I couldn't tell if it was because of the heat or the stuffiness, or perhaps it was more due to my anxiety. Every time I bet on a stone, it felt like the beginning of a new life. Even if a billionaire came to bet on a stone, it would be the same. One cut could make you poor, another could make you rich
Suddenly, Wang Gui picked up the cover of the material he had opened, flipped it over to show me, and said with a smile, "Fei Ge, you're in luck, the bottom sheet is pretty good."
Hearing his words, I breathed a sigh of relief, but I still checked the material myself. I took it to show Boss Wei. Under the light, I examined the material with a serious expression, and Boss Wei also looked serious. After a while, I smiled and said, "From the water mouth, the water head is very good, the texture is close to medium ice, with fine and small cotton spots. Look at this larger piece, the cotton is more prominent, but it's not large chunks
Boss Wei pointed at me and laughed, saying, "Oh, Zhao Fei, the cotton from Muna is called 'Starry Sky,' and that's extra money. If you want to rush it, it's very difficult. Anyone who knows the trade can see it right away."
I chuckled a bit, just making a joke. In all the jadeite stones, any appearance of cotton is considered a flaw. But only with the Muna jadeite, the appearance of cotton can actually increase its value. Experts call the cotton inside Muna jadeite "starry sky," and it was a person who literally hyped it up.
I said, "The current situation is the second scenario. We won the bet, but the outlook isn't optimistic. Twenty million is a bit difficult, but ten million is doable. However, I want to keep betting. What do you all think?"
I looked at the two of them, my heart racing. Of course, I wanted to bet big. I only had two layers, so the bigger the bet, the more I would get. But I didn't know if they would dare to bet again!