Chapter 41

After hanging up the phone with Pang Kuan, Wu Di drove around for a long time but still couldn't find the jade cutting factory. Helpless, he flipped through the phone numbers of Pang Kuan's relatives and called one of them. The person who answered sounded very young, but Pang Kuan called him Uncle. Wu Di wasn't surprised; in the countryside, the seniority of relatives is usually quite high. He even called a little boy who was running around with a runny nose and wearing open-crotch pants "Grandpa."

Following the instructions on the phone, Wu Di drove around for a while before finally seeing several connected jade cutting factories. It turned out he had not only taken the wrong road but had gone in the opposite direction. But that was the route pointed out by Old Qin's partner. A hint of a cold smile appeared on Wu Di's face. They didn't want him to cut the stone here, afraid he would expose them? He would just have to cut it and show them what treasures were inside!

Wu Di parked his car and carried a bag containing six pieces of rough jade into one of the factories. The yard was large, and the business was thriving. The harsh sound of the grinding wheels made Wu Di's skin crawl from a distance.

A young man in his thirties came out to greet him. After a brief conversation, it turned out he was indeed Pang Kuan's uncle. Seeing Wu Di at a loss for words, the man smiled and said, "We'll keep things simple. Just call me Brother Long. Do you want to cut the stone first or eat first?"

"Brother Long, no need to be so polite. Let's cut the stone first. I have some things to do after that."

"Alright, let's cut the stone first. But you must eat. No matter how big the matter, it can't compare to eating. If my grandson finds out I didn't take good care of you and complains to his grandmother, I won't be able to handle it."

Wu Di couldn't help but smile at his slightly teasing tone.

They found a jade cutting machine, and Brother Long took out the stones Wu Di had bought. He smiled and asked, "You spent 100,000? Not too bad, it seems you know a bit. Small stones are hard to fake, mainly because it's not worth the effort. These few pieces are pretty good, you have some eye for it."

Wu Di smiled, "I just bought them for fun, no need to spend a lot of money."

Brother Long picked up the slightly larger stone and asked, "How much did you pay for this one?"

"72,000. It seemed to have a good appearance."

"It does have some good points, but it's not from a good source. There's a problem here, look."

Brother Long pointed to a slightly indented area on the stone.

"Ah? There's a problem?"

Wu Di hurriedly looked but didn't see anything wrong.

Brother Long pointed to the spot and said, "Look, this area is slightly indented. The texture of the stone feels different from other parts when you touch it. It seems a window was opened, and the appearance wasn't good, so they treated the surface and stuck it back. It's not a fake rough stone, but the window is usually the best part. A stone with a window that doesn't show well is worth much less than one without a window that shows well. Brother, I'm being straightforward, don't take it personally. Your 72,000 might be a total loss."

Wu Di carefully felt the surface with his fingers and indeed found a significant difference. How did he miss it?

Brother Long patted Wu Di on the shoulder and smiled, "Don't worry, you'll learn with experience. Let's start with this one. How do you want to cut it?"

"Cut it straight down the middle!"

"Have you never cut a stone before? You can't cut it like that. If there's jade, it will be cut away. Let's clean the area where the window was opened first and see what happens."

Wu Di, who had never cut a stone before, nodded and learned from the advice.

Sure enough, when the grinding wheel touched the area, the surface of the stone crumbled. Looking inside, there were only some crystalline particles, not a trace of green. Brother Long said, "This stone is basically useless. Let's cut it straight."

After securing the rough stone, he handed the handle to Wu Di, "Come on, let off some steam!"

Wu Di gripped the handle, turned on the switch, and pressed down. When the blade touched the stone, he felt a huge counterforce and quickly used both hands to press down. The stone, not very large, was split in half in a minute. Inside were only some coarse crystalline particles. Brother Long glanced and said, "This is a new source stone. It might become jade in a few hundred thousand years, hehe."

He then picked up another fist-sized stone and smiled, "Don't be discouraged. Gambling on stones is like this. You don't expect every one to have jade; you just hope for a big win! Come, get a grinding wheel, let's clean these little guys. Maybe we'll find a glass-type!"

Brother Long clearly didn't have the ability to predict the future. He cleaned four of the five stones, and Wu Di cleaned one. Except for one that showed some crystalline signs, the rest were just stones, probably needing another hundred thousand years to become anything.

Wu Di spat and patted the dust off his clothes, then suddenly smiled, "Gambling isn't about losing. If every stone had jade, where would the thrill be?"

"Alright, with that attitude, we'll have an extra bottle of wine at lunch!"

Wu Di quickly declined. He had a deep understanding of the drinking culture in Yudu. There was only one rule: if you don't drink until you fall over, you haven't drunk well.

After washing his hands, Brother Long changed his clothes and offered to take Wu Di to a restaurant called "Hand in Hand and Unbeatable East." According to him, the "Hand in Hand" dish was the best, and people often drove from the city just to eat it. Wu Di asked what it was, but Brother Long teased him, saying he'd know when he saw it, and it wouldn't be as interesting if he told him.

Brother Long's car was a QQ, parked next to a Range Rover, making Wu Di's car look like a giant. From a distance, they could see a Range Rover parked next to Wu Di's car. Brother Long was puzzled, "I didn't hear about any big customers coming to cut stones today, and this car has a Beijing license plate!"

Wu Di, embarrassed, said, "Brother Long, that's my car, borrowed from a friend."

"Wow, you're doing well, getting a Range Rover from a friend. That 100,000 loss is nothing! If you want to play, I can take you to their warehouse this afternoon to buy directly. No one will dare to sell you fakes."

As soon as they got in the car, Brother Long saw the large stone in the trunk and exclaimed, "Damn! Isn't this Old Qin's old elephant skin? How did you get it?"

"How did I get it? I paid for it, of course."

"How much?"

Brother Long asked nervously, "Hehe, 5 million!"

"Damn, no more eating, let's go get a refund! If he doesn't give an explanation, I'll take care of that old man!"

"No, no, I'm counting on this stone to produce a glass-type!"

"Glass-type? Are you serious? A glass-type wouldn't be left for you. This stone has at least ten fakes!"

Brother Long looked at Wu Di with a disappointed expression.

"Damn, I only saw two!"

"Two and you still bought it? Are you a pig?"

Brother Long was about to explode. He had to keep his grandson away from this guy; his brain wasn't right.

Wu Di, seeing Brother Long's angry face, knew he was a warm-hearted person who truly considered him a friend. He said sincerely, "Brother Long, my money isn't blown by the wind. I bought it knowing it was fake because this stone has some secrets. You'll see after lunch."

Brother Long calmed down and apologized, "Sorry, Xiao Wu, I..."

"Don't say anything. I know you're treating me like Pang Kuan. I understand. By the way, do you know a fat, thirty-something businessman who speaks Cantonese?"

Wu Di described the appearance of Mr. Mao.

Brother Long immediately cursed, "I knew it was that bastard Erzi! Was he waiting on the side, saying he would buy it if you didn't?"

"Yes."

"That guy is a thug. He cut someone and ran away, lived in Guangzhou for a few years, and came back this year after the matter was resolved. He's said to have made some money outside but lost everything gambling on stones. Now he's back and colluding with the bosses on that street to scam tourists. Your car must have caught their attention. Think about it, why would someone from Guangzhou come to our poor village to buy stones? I have to find them and get at least some of your money back."

"Brother Long, no rush. You'll see who loses after the stone is cut. This old elephant skin seems quite famous. What's the story?"

"This old elephant skin was bought by Old Qin's son from Myanmar two years ago, at a high price. When it was brought back, it caused a sensation in the entire jade carving village. But the cutting was done in secret. After a few windows were opened, the Qin family was too scared to continue. Later, they found experts to repair the windows, and it was only put up for sale this year. I didn't expect you to take such a big hit."

Wu Di smiled and changed the topic, "Brother Long, I didn't see many people buying stones. Why are there so many people at the jade cutting factory?"

"You forgot what this place is for? Every household has a jade carving machine! The government issued licenses to five jade cutting factories, and the pollution fees for private cutting would bankrupt you. Now, people from all over the area bring their stones here to be cut, so the business is good."

The restaurant was a rather shabby place by the roadside, but it was crowded. Brother Long was familiar with the owner. Seeing no seats available, he set up a table under a tree. Soon, the food and drinks were served. Wu Di looked for a long time but couldn't recognize which dish was "Unbeatable East" and "Hand in Hand," so he asked, "Brother Long?"

Brother Long pointed to the peanuts and said, "One by one, they never finish, Unbeatable East. Pig trotters pulled by human hands, good for drinking. These are famous dishes in Yudu!"

Wu Di laughed, "Another plate of Hand in Hand, to take away!"

The wine was Shediao Laojiu. Wu Di insisted on only one bottle, and they started drinking. The pig trotters were indeed delicious, no wonder they were so famous. As the wine flowed, Brother Long's talk became more animated. The jade gambling market in this jade carving village wasn't for amateurs. But who would come here? Every household was involved in jade carving, and they all knew the stones. The better ones were already cut, and the rest were dressed up to fool tourists, making a thriving business. Especially the larger stones, 80% had problems!

Brother Long spoke with enthusiasm, and Wu Di listened with a red face. Except for the Jade Gambling World, he hadn't seen many fake rough stones this morning.

---

The page flip ad starts

The page flip ad ends