Chapter 72

Luodian made a phone call, found a forklift and a truck, and directly delivered the stone to the nearest stone processing factory. Wu Di was very calm, insisting on watching all the stones before leaving. As expected, he bought another piece of high-ice full-cui and two pieces of ice-type, all of which were small, with the largest one not exceeding the size of a child's fist.

Fatty was very anxious, constantly urging Wu Di to process the stone, fearing that if they delayed any longer, they would have to wait until the next day to see the results. Zhong Qi was even more straightforward; upon hearing this, he went directly to the stone processing factory to wait, and at the same time, he could take Chang Linlin to see how large-scale stone processing was done.

Around four in the afternoon, a group of people gathered at the stone processing factory. After negotiating the price with the boss, Wu Di personally took action. He drew many lines on the stone with his little finger, and Zhong Qi excitedly said:

"Cut it into eight pieces? I love doing this kind of technical work!"

"It's supposed to be you! Can't you see I can't even lift my arm now?"

Watching the forklift lift the stone onto the stone processing machine, Zhong Qi started to show off:

"Xiao Wu, if we get good stuff, I get a share, right?"

"Already prepared. I'll give you one when you get married!"

Chang Linlin was very embarrassed, lightly tapping Wu Di with her toe, as if bitten by a mosquito. It seems Zhong Qi's skills are quite good, huh? Has he succeeded?

Following the lines, Zhong Qi cut dozens of times, almost collapsing from exhaustion. He cut out five large white blocks. Wu Di collected them one by one without explaining, which made the guy anxious, scratching his head and ears. Finally, Wu Di had no choice but to say he would open one back in Beijing and give it to him, but there would be none left for the wedding.

Although they were tired all day, everyone's harvest was not small. After dinner, Zhong Qi pulled Wu Di into the room to show off. Wu Di then realized that these two guys had bought almost as much as Fatty, equivalent to emptying one person's stock.

Wu Di roughly scanned through it, and it was pretty good, with both good and bad materials. It seems Chang Linlin's luck was still there.

As soon as he lay down, fatigue washed over him, and he fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, everyone's spirits were not very good. They agreed to rest for half a day and then go to see the goods that Luodian's fellow townsman had reserved. After returning, they would prepare for the public auction the next day.

This batch of goods was in another direction. Old Luo told Luodian that they had come late, and in the past two days, no fewer than ten groups had already seen the goods. However, he still left them a few pieces of high-quality stones. When they were brought out, they were either scabby or cracked, and they were all leftovers.

Old Luo looked at the slightly unhappy faces of the group and said cautiously:

"My nephew's family just got a new batch of goods last night. No one has seen them yet. Want to go take a look?"

With the idea of not leaving empty-handed, Zhong Qi decided to take a look. However, when he gave the reason, he almost got beaten up by everyone. "You little guy, why not pick a good one to say? How impressive the mountain king is!"

Old Luo's nephew had a lot of goods, and they were worth looking at. The group picked and chose, haggled, and took away three pieces of rough stones, all done by Fatty. Watching the stones being loaded onto the minivan, Fatty patted his hands and laughed:

"It's still better to follow the lucky little superhero. We haven't even participated in the public auction yet, and we've already got the goods. No need to suffer, I can just visit."

Wu Di quietly moved to the side, highlighting Chang Linlin. "Here's the real lucky little superhero!"

Back at the hotel, the group, who had recovered, drank tea and chatted, starting to count their harvests over the past few days. Fatty had a pile of full-gambling stones, enough to sell for a year. Song Hongyan bought about twenty small stones, all from famous mining areas, and one cracked stone that he didn't have the chance to process. Zhong Qi and the other two got a brick-sized ice-mo green, a small watermelon-sized apple-green glass-type, and a mysterious goose egg. Wu Di's harvest was the most abundant, not only getting eight small ice-type stones but also a pig-eight carrying a wife, five large white boards, and a bucket of instant noodles (deep blue ice-type). However, he was very secretive, and the goods looked more like stones than rough stones, making everyone wonder how well he had done. They all planned to watch him process the stones. Fatty was the calmest; if this guy processed the stones, who else would he find? However, Wu Di not only planned to buy a stone processing machine but also a high-precision laser cutting machine to divide the jadeite.

The night passed without incident. The next day at eight, they gathered in the hotel lobby, preparing to participate in the eagerly awaited jadeite public auction. The hotel lobby was lively, with people chatting in groups. Fatty and Song Hongyan, Zhong Qi met many acquaintances, and after chatting, they found out that because everyone had been busy early in the morning and late at night, they hadn't met once. This made Wu Di even more nostalgic for his encounter with Wen Lan. In such a big city, how many years had he lived in his previous life? Was it enough to share a boat or, hehe, share a pillow?

The public auction opened at 8:30, located in a warehouse area not far from their hotel. Due to the impact of recent events, the number of people participating in the public auction was not large, only about five hundred, but gathered together, it was still quite a sight. After a round of firecrackers, a big-bellied leader standing on a temporary stone platform gave an enthusiastic speech and then announced the start of the public auction. The big iron gate opened, and the Ruili jadeite public auction officially began!

If you weren't in the industry, you couldn't get the qualification to participate in the public auction. However, this didn't bother Zhong Qi, who had already prepared invitations for Chang Linlin and Wu Di. One invitation could bring two people, but only the person with the invitation number could bid. The invitation number was random, and to confirm the validity of the bid, the invitation number and ID number were required. If someone knew your invitation number and ID number, they could place a sky-high bid on a piece of scrap, and if you refused to pay, not only would you lose a one million deposit, but you would also be blacklisted by the three major raw stone merchants, effectively declaring your exit from the jadeite industry.

Wu Di followed the crowd into the yard. The yard was large, and everyone scattered as soon as they entered. Wu Di wasn't in a hurry and stood at the gate, looking around.

In front of him was a large open space. At the far end was a row of office buildings, the bidding hall, and offices. A little closer was a square surrounded by railings, with a colorless fiberglass canopy on top. Below were rows of tables like a market, with many stones on them. Most people ran towards that area as soon as they entered, as if whoever grabbed it first would own it. That must be the rough stone area of the public auction.

On Wu Di's left were three stone processing machines with water pipes and other配套设施. On the right was a row of simple tin houses, a rest area selling fast food, tea, cigarettes, and a small medical aid room. It was said that people had fainted in previous public auctions! Wu Di, who had cheated his way to success, couldn't imagine the torment of the gamblers with limited funds. He naturally scoffed at these people who bet their lives.

On the left side of the public auction tent was a small yard surrounded by railings with only one entrance, guarded by several security guards. Inside, there were more than ten shops, all displaying many raw stones. Wu Di was curious:

"What's over there?"

"That's a unique feature of the domestic public auction. You'll see when you get there!"

Zhong Qi teased, then ran off with Chang Linlin, leaving Wu Di alone and frustrated. When he turned around to look for others, there was no one in sight.

Wu Di walked towards the small yard. As soon as he entered, he saw Fatty's friend Liu Li, who was smoking and drinking tea. Seeing Wu Di, he was surprised:

"Why aren't you going to the public auction? What are you doing here?"

"It's my first time, and no one told me. What's going on here?"

"Ha, to prevent people from getting bored at the public auction, the three major merchants set up some shops here for us to sell raw stones. Friends who come to visit can run here to process stones for fun. These ten shops are bid for, and the prices are not cheap. Over there are the stalls of the three major merchants, which are really impressive. Many people come here, but no one comes this early! Hehe."

"High, really high. If someone processes a glass-type stone on the spot, wouldn't the people at the public auction go crazy?"

"That's why stones bought in this area can't be taken away; they can only be processed on the spot. However, true old-pit glass-type stones are rare these days. What's circulating are mostly high-ice and ice-glass types. With fewer stones, good ones are even rarer! If you had stockpiled a batch of stones a few years ago and sold them now, you'd be rich!"

"Even the landlord has no surplus! We're all in business, and we need to focus on turnover. Who has such foresight and capital?"

"That's why only three giants have emerged!"

Wu Di said goodbye to Liu Li and went to see the jadeite public auction. The legendary grand and passionate public auction revealed its mysterious veil to Wu Di, making him feel it was not so impressive.

Under the fiberglass canopy, the rough stones were neatly arranged in rows. The stones were divided by size, clarity, windowed, and full-gambling. Small stones were placed in trays, and large ones were thrown to the side. Each rough stone had a number and a price. Wu Di calculated that there were about ten thousand rough stones in total, with more than half being clear stones, and less than a thousand full-gambling stones, which made him less interested.

Outside the tent, there were dozens of piles of small stones. These were the gambling stones Wu Di had first encountered with Fatty. Merchants bought them in piles and then sold them by piece, with low prices but high profits. Many people were examining the stones, likely second-hand dealers like Fatty.

The clear stone area was the most crowded, with everyone holding a notebook, copying the numbers of the rough stones as they looked. Wu Di wasn't in a hurry; he wouldn't touch the clear stones. The windowed stones were cheaper and worth a try, and he could finish the full-gambling stones in half a day. The public auction lasted five days, so why rush?

Seeing the busy crowd, Wu Di had some mischievous ideas. With all the attention he had received lately, it was inevitable that some people would notice him. If he went to the shop area and bought a dozen stones and failed miserably, would anyone still pay attention? However, if he failed continuously, would the organizers' faces turn green like emeralds? Then, if he went to the gambling stone area and gambled, would the people who wanted to compete with him think twice?

Should he do it or not? Oh, you're so annoying, always trying to tempt me. Wu Di smiled and raised his finger in a delicate gesture!

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