The first glance at a piece of rough jade is very important; sometimes, careful selection is even more crucial than the first glance. When I first saw this piece, it stirred my emotions, which means it has something that attracts me.
I looked at the material and said, "Boss Wei, what can I say? This piece has an old texture and fine meat, so it shouldn't be a problem. What I'm worried about is if it changes mid-cut and starts leaking water, or if it's full of small cracks, then we're really in trouble! But who knows, it might still turn out green. With gambling stones, who can really predict?"
Boss Wei said, "You, always being modest. If you can't judge it accurately, who else can? The material is decided. I'll go pay for it, you all get ready to cut the material."
I nodded, and Boss Wei handed the card to the person in charge. We waited outside for a while and then saw Boss Wei come out with the receipt.
Boss Wei had someone carry the material inside. This piece was very large and required two or three people to lift it together. It took a lot of effort to finally get it into the stilt house.
As soon as I walked in, I heard Liu Qiang's displeased cursing: "Damn it, bad stones don't come out, good stones don't come out either. I really doubt if they're selling real stones here. If I had known it would be like this, I might as well have gone to play cards."
We listened to Liu Qiang's curses and ignored him. At that moment, he looked at us coming in, glared at me, but didn't say anything to me. Instead, he said to Qian Guang, "Qian Guang, you're lucky again, huh? Found another good piece?"
Qian Guang nodded and didn't plan to pay him any attention, but Liu Qiang said, "Brother, how much is this piece of jade? Count me in for a share. Your younger brother is quite skilled at gambling with stones. I've lost over two million today and I'm getting a bit desperate. Give me a chance to win back some money."
Qian Guang smiled and said, "Sorry, we are already in partnership with three families, we can't split again. Maybe next time."
Liu Qiang's face turned a bit pale upon hearing this. He said, "Qian Guang, give me some face. Try to make things easier for yourself in Ruili from now on."
Qian Guang's expression also turned unpleasant. He said, "Hmph, face is something that is mutually given. I give you face, but I can't slight others' face, so I can only apologize."
Liu Qiang wiped his face, nodded, and without saying a word, sat down and started smoking, but he kept glaring at me, which made me a bit uneasy.
Qian Guang whispered to me, "Don't be afraid, he won't dare to touch you here."
I nodded, not afraid, just thinking that Liu Qiang was a bit creepy, but I ignored him and went straight to check the materials. Wang Gui had a nicotine craving and kept smoking. Earlier, he had been chatting enthusiastically with the master, but when he saw me, he just smiled. We lifted the stone onto the cutting table, and Wang Gui asked, "Another damn piece that might get stuck. I've looked at it three times, and it's all damn bubbles. Fei Ge, I'll check the polishing. If it doubles after polishing, let's not cut it."
Wang Gui's words are very true; the more you grind the material that gets stuck, the more valuable it becomes, and the more you cut it, the more it collapses. But this time I want to cut it because I feel it could be something big. Although it might collapse more the more I cut it, I just want to go against the grain. Who knows, maybe I can hit it big this time?
I said, "Big pieces usually aren't peeled, just cut directly, but they need to be sliced properly, understand?"
Wang Gui nodded and said, "I understand, don't underestimate me. Isn't 'li pian' just cutting it into slices?"It's the same as fucking raw fish."
I nodded. Yes, that's right. Large stones, no matter how you cut them, will always have a certain range. Cutting them into slices makes it easier to observe and later turn them into finished products. This is a common practice among stone gamblers, so this time I will slice them.
Wang Gui asked me, "Where did you cut from?"
I looked at the stone; the material was oval-shaped, like a potato. I said, "Let's start from the top. Open the lid for me first, let's see the situation..."
Wang Gui nodded, pulled down the cutting machine, bit his cigarette, then pressed hard, and sparks flew everywhere. We all stood quite far away, and I wasn't too nervous, perhaps getting more accustomed to it. I looked at Boss Wei and Qian Guang, who still had smiles on their faces, maybe they had gotten used to it too.
The piece wasn't very thick, so it was cut off in just five minutes. Wang Gui, with a cigarette in his mouth, handed me the cut piece. When I looked at it, I was suddenly shocked, feeling like the world went black. Damn, how come there's nothing at all?
I hurriedly dropped the material in my hand and went to check the cut of the large stone. As soon as I looked, I was dumbfounded. I felt utterly disheartened, and my face turned green in an instant. There was absolutely no sign of anything inside, let alone any quality, water, or color. It looked just like a piece of brick!
Boss Wei and Qian Guang's faces changed when they saw me. The two of them walked over, and Boss Wei frowned as he looked at the material, his mouth moved a few times as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't say anything.
Qian Guang asked me in a low voice, "What's the situation with the materials?"
I listened, swallowed hard, felt a bit anxious, and even found it a bit unbelievable. This was completely different from what I had in mind. This piece looked so good; even if it wasn't top-notch, at least it should have some water content or texture inside. But after cutting it open, there was nothing—just a useless brick.
I said, "The first cut failed, as expected, materials that can jam shouldn't be cut..."
Qian Guang straightened his back, moved his mouth a few times, and like Boss Wei, both of their faces looked exceptionally bad. This was the first time I lost a bet, but I was unconvinced. This piece of material had such a strong appeal to me, how could I lose?No, I have to make a second cut. I must get it out. I said, "Wang Gui, give me another cut from this side. Maybe the water has risen to this side."
Wang Gui also became serious and said, "Hey, got it, Fei Ge, you ramble on..."
I hurriedly stepped back when I heard that. I held my waist and wiped the sweat off my forehead, but I felt my back was drenched in sweat. Damn it, how could this happen?The big shots are indeed all showy?It looks beautiful, but in reality, it's just bricks. No, it definitely isn't.
I heard the cutting machine start up again, and as I watched the sparks flying from the stone, my heart began to race. I started to get nervous. If this cut didn't go well, it would really be a disaster. I looked at Wang Gui; he cut deeper this time for safety, almost reaching the middle of the stone. If this cut didn't have enough material, the stone would collapse.
Because the cut was deep, it took a long time to cut. We were all waiting, and my heart was in agony. I have to pay for my caution. Yes, I should have been a bit more cautious, I shouldn't have been so casual. Eye contact, damn eye contact...
I watched Qian Guang and Boss Wei; they were even more nervous than I was, with beads of sweat forming on their foreheads. This time it was a 15 million yuan gambling stone. Although I've seen bigger gambling stones, this time was different. Qian Guang owed them 100 million yuan. If we lost, we would be left with nothing. The bank would seize all our assets, and we would be on the brink of bankruptcy, gambling on this stone.
Suddenly, the material opened, and I felt very nervous. I walked over, but I didn't dare to look at the material. Boss Wei, however, was braver than I was. He walked over to the material, suddenly slapped it hard twice, and angrily said, "Damn it, it's ruined..."
This sentence hit my heart like a bullet. I quickly ran over to check the material. As soon as I saw it, I collapsed. Damn it, the second piece was almost identical to the first, just a colorless, seedless piece of brick. I clenched my fists tightly, sweating profusely. Now I finally know what despair feels like.
Boss Wei said, "Brother, we really messed up this time, but it's okay, we still have opportunities. You said it yourself, no one can be 100% sure when it comes to gambling stones. You're still young, you'll learn from this experience..."
I knew Boss Wei was trying to comfort me, but seeing his trembling face, I knew he was also feeling the pain. Looking at Qian Guang, I said, "Brother Guang, the material is ruined..."
Qian Guang looked at the materials, wanting to say something several times but swallowing his words each time. At this moment, Liu Qiang chuckled and said, "Damn, I thought he was something special, but he's just a lucky kid. Good thing I didn't follow him, or I would have lost a few million again."
I listened, feeling extremely annoyed. Qian Laowu was very angry, and after holding it in for a long time, he finally couldn't take it anymore and said, "What the hell did you just say? Say it again."
Liu Qiang stood up, smiling unhappily and said, "You really are a fucking idiot, look at you like a pig..."
Qian Laowu wanted to explode, but Qian Guang held him back, suppressing his anger and saying, "Shut up and stop causing trouble. Have you forgotten where this is?"
Old Man Qian clenched his teeth and swallowed his anger. I ignored them, squatted down, and looked at the material, which was divided into three sections. Both ends were waste, and the middle section was the same. One cut was poor, one cut was rich, and one cut was burlap. The second cut was ruined, leaving no chance. The third cut was even more hopeless.
I said, "Cut it again..."
"Fei Ge, the material is ruined, let's just admit it. Even if we cut it again, the result will be the same," Wang Gui said to comfort me.
I stood up and defiantly said, "Cut it, slice it, damn it, split it open, I want to see if it's really a brick, cut it!"
Boss Wei came over and pulled me aside, saying, "Zhao Fei, a bet is a bet, no one blames you for anything. We still have a chance, don't lose your dignity."
Identity? I have no identity, I'm just a little brother. I only know that I can't lose, I won't admit defeat. I said, "No, the last blow, the last blow, then I'll give up. I have to see if this last blow is made of bricks. Wang Gui, break it for me."
Wang Gui looked at me, a bit concerned for me, but I didn't appreciate it. I said, "Hurry up..."
Wang Gui nodded, took a few hard puffs from the cigarette in his hand, then threw it on the ground and stomped on it. He picked up the material, placed the cut surface on the table, and then began to cut. I watched as the material was sliced open from the previous cut, sparks flying everywhere. I swallowed hard, sweat continuously dripped down into my eyes, stinging them, but I didn't dare blink. I kept my eyes fixed on him, determined to see this
Suddenly, the material was cut open, like a watermelon, split in half. I used the light to look at the edge of the flesh.
Damn it, still "brick..."