Chapter 49

**Update Time: March 29, 2013**

Standing next to Zhang Yang, a fat man in his forties saw the piece of jadeite rough that Zhang Yang was sitting on and burst out laughing.

"Little brother, is this your first time gambling on jadeite?" The fat man seemed to be quite talkative. Seeing that Zhang Yang didn't speak, he asked proactively.

Zhang Yang asked curiously, "How did you know?"

The fat man squatted down and pointed at the jadeite rough. "Little brother, not to be blunt, but look at your piece. It's ordinary on the outside, with a dull color, no moss, no pine flowers, and it's so big. It's definitely what others have left behind. Old people wouldn't want this. They'd rather bet on smaller pieces. Whether jadeite can be found doesn't depend on the size of the rough but on how its surface looks."

After listening, Zhang Yang asked without showing any emotion, "So, did I overpay?"

"Little brother, it's not that you overpaid, but that you made the wrong choice. If you overpaid, you could still make a profit if you found jadeite. But if you made the wrong choice, your money is gone. By the way, how much did you pay for this piece?" the fat man asked.

Zhang Yang didn't hide it and said, "Thirty thousand. It's my first time gambling on jadeite. If I had known, I would have negotiated a better price!"

The fat man looked at Zhang Yang in surprise. "Thirty thousand isn't expensive. It's strange that they didn't take advantage of you, a newcomer. Unlike their usual behavior!" Seeing Zhang Yang's puzzled expression, the fat man added, "Little brother, if this stone were in Myanmar, it would cost a few hundred dollars, by weight. Once it crosses the border, it would cost ten thousand, plus transportation and other miscellaneous fees. By the time it reaches the capital, the cost would be around fifteen thousand. More and more people are gambling on jadeite, driving up prices. Paying you thirty thousand means they still showed some mercy. Of course, this is also because the piece doesn't look good. Otherwise, they would have asked for one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand."

Zhang Yang almost shouted, "Damn, the profit margin is so high. They made a profit of my entire amount, and they still say they gave me a discount? Gambling on jadeite, it's really about money!" Thinking about the white stones in the warehouse, selling for one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand, Zhang Yang suddenly shivered. No wonder people say that those who gamble on jadeite are crazy!

"Hello, I'm Zhang Yang. It's my first time gambling on jadeite. May I ask your name?" Zhang Yang saw that the fat man was very kind-hearted and wanted to ask some questions he didn't know, so he greeted him proactively.

The fat man smiled and said, "You can just call me Liang Fat. Everyone calls me that. I'm also a newcomer!"

Zhang Yang looked at Liang Fat in confusion.

"I only look, I don't buy. Or to put it another way, I won't buy unless I see jadeite." Liang Fat explained.

Zhang Yang nodded and said, "Are you a jewelry merchant?"

Liang Fat smiled and said, "Not really. I just run a small store, making a living. I often come here to look around. If someone finds jadeite and wants to sell it, I'll buy some."

"Mr. Liang, if you do it this way, won't your profit be much less? Why don't you gamble? If you find jadeite, wouldn't you make more money?" Zhang Yang asked.

Liang Fat shook his head and said, "Just call me Liang Fat. Calling me boss makes me uncomfortable. I can't gamble. Gambling on jadeite is like a knife that can make you poor, rich, or even bankrupt. My heart can't handle the excitement. Let's not talk about this. What do you do, little brother? Why did you start gambling on jadeite?"

Zhang Yang smiled. This Liang Fat was quite interesting. He said, "I used to work in the courier industry, but I found no future in it, so I quit. A friend mentioned this place to me, so I came to check it out. By the way, why are they still drawing and not cutting the stone? What are they waiting for?"

Always asking when he didn't understand was one of Zhang Yang's good qualities. He didn't feel ashamed about it. Pretending to know when he didn't would only make him look worse. As a newcomer, if he pretended to be an expert, he might be cheated in ways he couldn't imagine.

Liang Fat smiled and said, "He's thinking about how to cut the stone. Experienced people usually choose a spot to open a window. If they see green, they continue to polish along that spot. If there's jadeite, keeping it in a complete shape is better for the carvers to make pendants, which can fetch a higher price. If they don't see green or the rough is too big, they'll find a line to cut and see what's inside. After all, only by cutting the jadeite rough can you know if there's jadeite inside. That's why it's called gambling."

Hearing Liang Fat's explanation, Zhang Yang looked down at his piece of rough. He decided to find a line to cut, as Liang Fat suggested. The whole piece would be more valuable. Zhang Yang used his ability to confirm the location of the jadeite, then gestured with his hand. Knowing where the green was, he decided to cut there to save time.

Liang Fat watched Liu Jian drawing and smiled without saying anything. In his view, this piece of stone had no gambling value, but as long as the rough wasn't cut, there was still a chance of finding jadeite. Over the years, he had seen pieces that no one liked turn out to have jadeite. He smiled at Zhang Yang.

After confirming, Zhang Yang looked up and saw Liang Fat's smiling face.

"Mr. Liang, I'm sorry. It's my first time gambling on jadeite, so I'm a bit nervous," Zhang Yang said.

Liang Fat smiled and said, "No problem. I'm a few years older than you, so just call me Brother Liang. Calling me Mr. Liang makes me feel uncomfortable!"

Zhang Yang readily agreed, but he wouldn't underestimate this Liang Fat. Anyone who could afford to buy half a wall of rough and clear rough wasn't a simple person. Besides, this was the capital. They say you don't know how small your position is until you come to the capital, and you don't know how little money you have until you come to the upper city. Liang Fat, who could afford to run a jewelry store in the capital, must have at least a few tens of millions. He might have even more. Zhang Yang needed to make friends with such people, as it would help him enter the jadeite gambling industry.

"Brother Liang, you must come here often. I have a question. Do you know someone?" Zhang Yang thought of the Meng General who had offered to help him.

"Who?" Liang Fat asked.

"A man named Meng General." As soon as Zhang Yang said this, Liang Fat's expression changed.

"How do you know him?" Liang Fat asked.

Zhang Yang explained the situation. There was no need to hide it.

"Little Zhang, you need to be careful. Meng General isn't really in the jadeite gambling business, though he occasionally comes here. He runs an antique shop. I think he's after your money. The antique business is even more complex than jadeite gambling. You have to be careful. At least with jadeite gambling, there's a one in ten thousand chance. With antiques, if you don't have the ability, you'll definitely lose money." Liang Fat said.

Zhang Yang sneered inwardly. As he had guessed, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Meng General probably saw his car and mistook him for a rich young man, trying to trick him.

"Thank you, Brother Liang. I'll be more careful," Zhang Yang said.

Liang Fat nodded. The crowd became restless, and he quickly stood up. "They're about to cut the stone."

Zhang Yang stood by his piece of rough and looked up.

Sure enough, the gambler on the stage had finally drawn a line and placed the stone. He then stepped back to watch the workers operate.

As the machine hummed, the crowd, which had been chattering, fell silent, watching the machine with tension. Life or death, profit or loss, it all depended on this one cut.

The stone worker followed the line drawn by the customer and started the machine, slowly cutting from the side. As the gears rotated at high speed, pieces of stone kept falling off the rough. Finally, with a splash, about a third of the rough fell to the ground.

Both sides were white, with no trace of green.

The crowd couldn't help but sigh, as if the rough belonged to them. Everyone's face showed disappointment.

Liang Fat sighed and shook his head. "It looks like it's a bust."

"Isn't there still a lot left?" Zhang Yang asked, puzzled.

Liang Fat said, "Did you see the line he drew? Based on the appearance, that was the most likely place to find jadeite, so he cut there directly. But now there's nothing. Either his judgment was wrong, or the rough is a bust. Based on my experience, the latter is more likely."

Zhang Yang looked at the rough on the machine, not fully understanding. This large piece of rough, much bigger than his, had just become worthless. It meant that the tens of thousands of dollars spent on it were now gone.

Realizing this, Zhang Yang's face turned grim. Fortunately, he had his ability. Otherwise, he might have ended up like the gambler. He had seen so many stones in the warehouse, and only this one had jadeite. How many people must have lost everything?

The man's face turned pale. He steadied his emotions, gritted his teeth, and drew another line on the remaining rough. He told the staff, "Cut from here. I don't believe a piece that looks so good could have nothing inside!"

The staff, who had seen this many times, remained silent and rearranged the rough according to the customer's request. They were already numb to such scenes. If every piece of rough could produce jadeite, it wouldn't be so expensive.

The man watched the gears closely, and the crowd became tense. If there was no green, it would be a complete bust. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. The stone, now split in two, was still white, with no trace of green.

"It's a bust, a complete bust," Liang Fat shook his head.

Zhang Yang felt some sympathy for the man, who had paid eighteen thousand for the rough and now had nothing.

Liang Fat sighed again. "That's how jadeite gambling works. One cut can make you poor, rich, or bankrupt. You never know what's inside until you cut it open!"

Seeing the man leave with a dejected look, Zhang Yang felt a sense of empathy.

"Little brother, did you see that? That's jadeite gambling. It's very risky. You can play, but don't get too involved!" Liang Fat said.

Zhang Yang nodded without comment. Seeing no one else go up, he picked up his piece of rough. He had to cut it sooner or later, and he was eager to know the value of the jadeite inside, as well as whether it would change after absorbing all the qi.

Liang Fat, seeing Zhang Yang go up so readily, thought that this young man had excellent mental fortitude. Most people would hesitate after seeing what had just happened, but this guy was eager to go up. Truly, the young are fearless!

**End of Page**