This was a tragedy of gambling on stones that I witnessed firsthand. For a long time afterward, I couldn't bear to watch any more gambling on stones. I couldn't stand seeing people experience sudden great joy or deep sorrow when the stones were cut, nor could I bear to see the obsessed gamblers, who wagered their very lives on a dream, vanish in an instant.
Later, I spoke to my master about it. He said that man had fallen into a trap from the very beginning. Whether he jumped into the river or not was his own choice, and the outcome of the gamble had been orchestrated.
I didn't understand, and he didn't elaborate. It wasn't until much later, when I read some books about gambling on stones, and found a chapter specifically describing how raw stones were faked, that I suddenly realized it was all just a play performed by a group of people, with the actors themselves kept in the dark.
And the best raw material for faking was Hei Wu Sha.
It was jet-black and lustrous, and you couldn't see inside from its skin. You could only gamble based on luck.
Fakers exploited the characteristics of Hei Wu Sha. They would buy a worthless piece for very little money, conceal all its features, dig out a section in a particular spot, inlay a small piece of jade with good quality, and then treat it to blend seamlessly with the original stone, making it appear as if this raw stone would yield good jade no matter how you looked at it.
That was considered the more laborious method. Some even directly drilled a hole with a drill bit, inserted a section of a green toothbrush handle, and then polished it with an abrasive wheel. They would create a window about the size of a little finger. Shining a flashlight through it, it would appear emerald green, translucent, with a strong fluorescence. Even if it wasn't imperial green, it would at least be a vibrant, positive green!
A toothbrush costing a few cents could lead someone to ruin.
Several times, I mentioned the matter of faking raw stones to my master, but he always evaded my questions. After that, I stopped asking.
It was said that there was a specialized chain for creating fake stones: some people supplied the raw materials, some specialized in faking, and others specialized in selling.
They could make fake stones look more real than genuine ones. Coupled with the presence of decoys with different roles, once you were caught, it was a dead end.
The few people who chimed in around that man that day were likely decoys from the gang, pretending to be strangers and giving advice to disorient the gambler and make them fall willingly into their trap.
Thinking about it, their willingness to risk lives for money was truly detestable!
Lan Ya was driving, and Jing Lei and I sat in the back.
Jing Lei held my hand and said, "If you feel tired, lie down and rest. I can sit sideways."
I said, "Leaning back is fine. I don't feel particularly tired, just that my feet and legs are uncoordinated and don't obey my brain's commands. I can't put any strength into them."
Jing Lei: "You can't rush. You still need to rest when necessary."
I said, "So many things are waiting for me. How can I stop and rest? A few days ago, when I had no sensation, it was one thing. But now, how can I lie down? I'll die of impatience even if I try not to."
Just then, my phone rang. I gave a wry smile and said, "Even if I want to rest, others won't let me. Look, Bo Gang is like a persistent ghost, calling again."
Bo Gang said, "We can put the drug matter aside for now. I have a batch of raw stones here that were seized by the government forces at a checkpoint as smuggled goods. There are about twenty tons, worth twenty million. Since you want to do business with raw stones, I'll help you. However, you need to bring the money to buy them, and give me an additional fifty percent. I'll arrange for someone to deliver them to you."
Fifty percent! I hadn't even seen the quality of these stones, and I was supposed to give him ten million? If they turned out to be a pile of junk, of granite, I'd have thrown thirty million down the drain.
Even if they weren't junk, but just of poor quality, where the material didn't match the cost of processing, it would still be a waste of money.
I said, "The price can only be set after I've inspected the goods. If they are truly good stones, I might even add a few million. I won't listen to you before I see them! What if it's just a pile of granite, and I spend tens of millions to bring it back for road construction?"
I was firm. I guessed Bo Gang would be furious again on the other end.
Indeed, he said fiercely, "It's the price I say it is! Even if it's a pile of granite, you have to buy it. If you don't come, I'll send people to deal with you!"
I said, "Is your brain full of shit? Come and deal with me? Then come. I won't go anywhere. I'll wait for you to come and deal with me here!"
Seeing my tough stance, he changed his tone and said, "You can inspect the stones first, but as long as they aren't stubborn stones, the price cannot be reduced!"
This Bo Gang was truly from a bandit background; he really didn't reason things out.
Even if they weren't stubborn stones, the difference between poor quality and good quality was immense, making the prices worlds apart. Ordinary jadeite raw stones could cost about the same as large granite blocks, making them useless, where the material didn't justify the processing cost.
We definitely wouldn't gain anything by confronting Bo Gang head-on. I could only hope that his stones weren't stubborn or of low quality. If I could get them for half the price, or even a third, I wouldn't lose money.
I said, "I am indeed short of some raw stones, but I certainly don't want any rotten or defective goods. If that's what they are, I won't take a single piece!"
Bo Gang: "Don't worry. These are all high-quality stones. We confiscated them from the guerrillas. If they weren't good, would they have kept them?"
I said, "That's not necessarily true. I can only decide after I've seen the goods."
Bo Gang couldn't persuade me and had to compromise, also giving me the address.