I stood beside the gambler as he examined the raw jade.
First, he touched it with his hands, then took out a small flashlight to shine inside.
After looking for a while, he shook his head and discarded it, continuing to search.
Suddenly, I saw his eyes light up. He picked out a piece weighing two to three jin, white in color. I had heard my master say that this was a Mozishapi stone, with thin skin and sandy texture, appearing rough with granular particles on the surface. Seeing my interest, he waved me over and began to explain the piece to me.
He said, "This is a typical Mozishapi stone. I haven't seen such a perfectly represented stone in a long time. Mozishapi produces two of the highest realms of jade: gelatinous jade and luminous jade. The skin of Mozishapi raw stones mainly has three types: white sand skin, gray sand skin, and the rarer red sand skin. White sand skin is the most common because almost all Mozishapi raw stones have a relatively low iron content. Even the red sand skin, though red on the surface, has a whitish flesh color."
He continued, "This is a typical white sand stone. We have to gamble on its color and texture. Mozishapi stones yield high-quality goods. It's not guaranteed, but it might even turn out to be high ice." He said excitedly.
He handed it to me. "Feel it. The sand particles are coarse and rough to the touch, a typical old pit stone."
I felt it. It was indeed as he described, showing all the characteristics of Mozishapi.
He took the stone back from me and went to the counter to inquire about the price. I heard the boss say that this piece cost three thousand yuan.
A three-jin stone for three thousand yuan. These people are truly crazy.
It's said that these small pieces are considered trash from the old Burmese, brought over by the ton. A truckload is not worth much, but classified and displayed here, they are priced astronomically.
Three thousand yuan. It's more than my father's salary for a year when he was working.
That thick stack of money was exchanged for just a piece of stone.
At that time, ten and fifty yuan notes were common, while hundred-yuan bills were still rare. Three thousand yuan was quite a thick stack.
The gambler paid the money and brought it over for my master to cut.
My master took a puff of his cigarette and looked up, asking how he wanted it cut.
The gambler said, "Just take off a lid, and make one cut about a centimeter from the top."
Mozishapi stones have thin skin, so cutting too much would damage the flesh. Although he said a centimeter, the actual amount removed from the pointed top was not much.
My master started the cut, and soon it was opened.
My master threw away the cigarette butt from his mouth and said, "Got something."
My master rarely offered opinions. If he said he got something, it was no ordinary item, especially since he hadn't even blinked when a bright green jade was revealed in the morning.
The gambler rushed over and exclaimed in surprise, "It's out, it's out! I was right, high ice!"
His shout attracted many people. Those who were idly chatting and bragging all ran over. Even people walking outside were drawn in.
This was just revealing a lid. Whether the texture and clarity had increased was still a gamble. Regardless, he had definitely made a profit, though the exact amount was yet to be determined.
The gambler said, "Master, polish the skin for me, peel off the entire skin of the stone. If this stone turns out well, I'll give you a thousand yuan as a bonus."
My master said nothing. He took the stone from the cutting machine, placed it on the workbench, and began to peel the skin with a grinding wheel.
Peeling the skin was laborious work, removing the old outer layer was a taxing process.
Fortunately, there were fewer people now. If there had been a queue like in the morning, he wouldn't have had time to do it.
If the entire piece turned out to be ice-jade, this stone could yield at least a pair of bracelets, worth tens of thousands. Not to mention carving plaques and pendants, the value would likely be a significant sum.
The gambler was extremely excited, constantly offering cigarettes to everyone.
Gamblers always liked auspicious signs. If someone spoke well of it, good luck would follow. If someone spoke ill of it, their luck would run out.
It took almost half an hour to peel off the skin. My master breathed a sigh of relief, rinsed the dust off the stone with water, and everyone gasped. I knew then that this stone was a success.
It lay quietly on the workbench, oval-shaped, like a cut large potato. However, it was bean-green in color, with wisps of white clouds floating within its translucent body. Under the natural light, it emitted a radiant glow that was truly breathtaking!
The shop owner ran over, also stunned by the piece. He hadn't expected this unassuming gambler to be such a master. He had gambled on two stones today, and both had yielded high-quality goods. This one was truly superior.
There was no shortage of ordinary jade. It was everywhere, bracelets sold by the dozen, a dozen for just over a hundred yuan, selling at a discount and still not moving. High-quality goods were different. As long as they were available, merchants from Shanghai and Beijing would buy them at any price, without negotiation!
The shop owner said, "I'll buy this one too. Can you let me have it?"
After all, high-quality goods were scarce, and the shop owner wasn't sure if they would sell.
The gambler said, "Name your price. If it's reasonable, I'll sell it to you."
The shop owner said, "I'll value a pair of bracelets at two hundred thousand yuan, and the rest at a hundred thousand. Will you sell it for three hundred thousand in total?"
I gasped. Three thousand yuan had made me marvel for a long time, and now it had increased a hundredfold, reaching three hundred thousand, and still depending on whether they would sell!
The gambler said, "Besides the pair of bracelets, this stone can yield six plaques, each at thirty thousand yuan, totaling another one hundred and eighty thousand. The remaining pieces can be made into ornaments worth fifty thousand yuan, and that's without counting the scraps. Even if the scraps cover the labor, it's over four hundred thousand. I'm calculating based on Ruili prices. Everyone knows that leaving Ruili triples the price. Thirty thousand is too low, boss, isn't it?"
The shop owner looked a little embarrassed. He knew he had encountered an expert and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, brother. You know, we have to make a profit in between. We're all trying to earn a living. Tell me, what price is reasonable for this stone? I'll buy it."
The gambler said, "I understand we're all in it for profit. I'm not just making things up. Add fifty thousand, make it thirty-five, and let's be friends. If you have good stones here, I'll bring more friends to play."
The gambler was straightforward, and the shop owner didn't hesitate. He quickly went to the counter to collect the stone and settle the payment.
Such a large sum couldn't be paid in cash, so the shop owner wrote him a check for three hundred and fifty thousand yuan.
The gambler didn't break his promise. He came over and gave my master a thousand yuan bonus, and also gave each of us twenty yuan.
Then came the firecrackers. This time, there were many firecrackers, and they crackled for nearly an hour.
My day was truly eye-opening. I witnessed the myth of "poverty with one cut, wealth with one cut."
I just don't know what it's like to have "one cut through burlap."
Burlap, meaning mourning clothes, signifies that the gambler has bet their life away.
Here, people play with hundreds or thousands. It's unlikely they would bet their lives even if they lost.
I remembered my appointment with Da Laizi. Seeing that it was almost time for school to end, I needed to go and verify if the confrontation this morning had any effect.
I had to go wait for them to come out.
The jade gambling street was a bit far from the school. I calculated that I had enough time and walked at a leisurely pace.
With twenty-five yuan in my pocket, I still owed thirty yuan for the glass marbles. I had to find a way to get it in the next few days.
Not everyone would give me a bonus every day, so I couldn't count on that. Today's gain was an unexpected windfall and didn't count.