Chapter 50

Update Time: 2013-03-29

"Boss, how should we cut it?" the staff member asked.

Zhang Yang picked up the chalk next to him, drew a line, which deviated from the stone's center, right at the edge of the middle piece of jade.

After drawing, Zhang Yang smiled and said, "Cut it. If we get something, we profit; if not, consider it as paying tuition."

At this moment, Mr. Meng, who had followed up at some point, smiled and said, "Young brother, you have a great attitude! I have nothing to do, so I came over to watch. You don't mind, right?"

Zhang Yang already knew that this so-called Mr. Meng must have some other purpose. As long as he didn't say it, Zhang Yang would pretend not to know, sit tight, and see what he was planning. As for his good attitude, that was pure nonsense. It wasn't that he had a good attitude, but that he knew there was jade inside the rough stone, so there was no need to worry.

The staff member moved the rough stone to the stone-cutting machine, aligned the cutting blade with the line Zhang Yang had drawn, and asked, "Boss, if there are no changes, I'll start the machine."

"Cut it!" Zhang Yang said decisively.

This confident demeanor made Mr. Meng think that Zhang Yang didn't care about money. It seemed he had chosen the right target; this kid really had money.

The staff member turned on the power, and the stone-cutting machine hummed to life. The gears touched the rough stone, making a hissing sound, and stone chips flew everywhere. Zhang Yang took a few steps back to avoid getting hit in the eyes.

"Rising, rising, it's rising!"

In the crowd, someone with sharp eyes saw a hint of green and shouted. The people on the outside rushed forward, all excitedly watching the machine's operation.

Although these people saw stones being cut every day, it wasn't often that they saw a successful bet. Many had never seen it before, so they all called out excitedly when they saw the green.

At the same time, some people tried to push forward to see the quality of the jade. These were jade merchants who wandered around the Li Duo Gemstone Company every day, waiting for the chance to buy jade.

The price of jade had been rising steadily, and many people couldn't buy raw materials even with money. Therefore, the gemstone company had become their gathering place.

Liang Fatso's eyes narrowed with a smile, never expecting that a young man he had met casually would actually bet on jade. Perhaps he had a chance to buy it from him. Thinking of this, Liang Fatso pushed his way forward with his big belly.

At this moment, the security guards, who had received the news, ran over, pulled out ropes, and blocked the crowd from rushing in. If anything dangerous or unexpected happened, they would be held responsible.

The stone cutter turned off the machine, took out clear water to clean the half of the rough stone that showed green, his eyes full of excitement.

Anyone who personally cut out jade would be happy, and it also related to their future. Gemstone cutters were very superstitious; a cutter who often cut out jade would often be designated by regular customers, with significant increases in salary and bonuses.

After cleaning the rough stone, the stone cutter handed it to Zhang Yang and said, "Boss, you have great luck. If you cut a little deeper, the jade would have been damaged."

Zhang Yang looked at the rough stone in his hand and smiled, "It's my first time betting on a stone, so it's natural to have good luck."

Seeing the jade come out just as he had seen it, Zhang Yang felt relieved. He had been a bit worried that after his eyes absorbed the hidden spirit energy in the jade, it might be damaged and lose value. Now he didn't have to worry about that.

Mr. Meng stood next to Zhang Yang, carefully observing the jade inside the rough stone, and praised, "The water quality is good, it can be considered egg white. The green is a bit light, but the color is very pure. Nice, it's a good piece. Young brother, you've made it, you have great luck!"

Thinking that he had helped negotiate the price of this rough stone, Mr. Meng felt a bit regretful. If he had known there was jade inside, it would have been better. But it was good this way; this kid would definitely sell the jade, and with money in hand, it would be more convenient for him.

In the crowd, someone shouted, "Friend, I'll give you 100,000 yuan for this piece, let me have it."

"150,000 yuan, I'll take it."

"I'll give you 200,000 yuan, sell it to me!"

Zhang Yang looked puzzled and said, "What are they doing? I haven't finished cutting yet."

Mr. Meng smiled and said, "Although green has appeared, it's not completely cut out yet. No one knows how much jade there is, so there's still some risk. Some people, to avoid risk, will sell it to others when they see a good opportunity."

At this moment, someone in the crowd shouted, "Brother Zhang, it's me, Liang Fatso."

"Liang Brother, let the security guard let him in, he's my friend," Zhang Yang said.

Mr. Meng's face turned a bit sour when he heard this. Wasn't Zhang Yang a newcomer? How did he get to know Liang Fatso?

Liang Fatso wiped his sweat, walked up, and gave Zhang Yang a thumbs-up, "Brother, impressive, you got jade on your first bet."

"Liang Brother, you don't bet on stones, why are you here?" Zhang Yang asked, puzzled.

Liang Fatso laughed awkwardly, "I don't bet on full rough stones, but I occasionally look at semi-rough stones. Do you want to continue cutting?"

Zhang Yang said without hesitation, "Cut it out. This is my first rough stone, I want to cut it all out. Even if it fails, I'll accept it. And with my good luck today, it won't fail."

"Good, young brother, you have courage. If you don't mind, I'll cut it for you!" Liang Fatso said.

Zhang Yang asked in surprise, "Liang Brother, you can cut stones?"

"Brother, I told you, I've been playing with jade since the day gambling on stones started in the capital. Cutting stones is no problem. I have high hopes for this piece. If I accidentally cut it wrong, it would be a big loss, a waste of a good piece," Liang Fatso said.

The jade was inside, and it wouldn't run away no matter who cut it. Zhang Yang didn't care who cut it. Hearing Liang Fatso's words, he said, "Liang Brother, then I'll trouble you."

Liang Fatso smiled and said to the stone cutter, "Help me move the rough stone up."

The stone cutter nodded. Although he was a bit disappointed that he couldn't cut out the jade himself, he had to follow orders.

Seeing Liang Fatso step up, many people thought Zhang Yang was going to sell it. Some shook their heads in regret, but when Zhang Yang refused again and the stone was placed back, everyone quieted down, waiting.

As long as it wasn't sold, there was still a chance. As for Liang Fatso being Zhang Yang's friend, so what?

Money could make even family members turn against each other, let alone friends!

Everyone was determined, watching the stone being cut.

Wang Jun, an experienced hand, started by cleaning the back of the cut, then moved in a few centimeters without seeing any jade. He made a mark at the one-third point.

Zhang Yang asked, puzzled, "Liang Brother, why cut here?"

No wonder Zhang Yang was puzzled; this point was still one-third away from where the jade appeared. Cutting here wouldn't reveal any jade.

Liang Fatso said, "We can't cut too aggressively, or the jade might be cut in half, causing a big loss. We'll cut in gradually. It will take more time, but the risk is smaller."

Zhang Yang wanted to say, "You don't need to waste your time, there's no jade here," but then thought, "I already said you could cut it, so let you do it. If you can't, I'll step in."

Liang Fatso was a decisive person. After drawing the line, he immediately started the machine and cut.

With a thud, a piece of stone fell from the cut, but it was just white, nothing else.

"It's a failure, oh, it's a failure," someone sighed.

The crowd started to discuss, some sighing, some gloating, and some eager to try.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "Young brother, don't cut it anymore. How about selling it to me for 30,000 yuan?"

"Brother, that's a bargain. With that cut, it should be at least 40,000 yuan. Young brother, 40,000 yuan, let me have it?"

Liang Fatso looked back at Zhang Yang, who said without hesitation, "Liang Brother, cut deeper. Cut the same amount as before."

Liang Fatso was also a straightforward person. He repositioned the rough stone, secured it, and started the machine again.

Everyone watched the gears. If no green appeared again, the value of the rough stone would drop again. It was possible that the only jade was the piece Zhang Yang had already cut out, which had happened before.

This cut would decide everything.

Mr. Meng was a bit nervous, wiping his sweat, and Liang Fatso was even more nervous. If it failed, he would be blamed. Even if Zhang Yang didn't say anything, others would spread rumors.

Just as Liang Fatso was lost in thought, someone suddenly shouted, "Green, green, it's rising again, amazing, truly amazing."

Green appeared on both sides, and everyone knew the jade was significant. Some regretted not buying it when it failed, thinking they could have offered more money. They didn't realize that even if they had offered more, Zhang Yang wouldn't have sold it.

Liang Fatso sighed in relief. It was good that the rough stone didn't fail on his watch. He cut two more times, stopped the machine, and took out the jade. He started to polish it with tools, stopping when it was about the size of a fist, wiped his sweat, took out the jade, placed it on the table, and examined it with a strong flashlight.

He then smiled and said to Zhang Yang, "Brother Zhang, it's almost done. The water quality is good, no impurities, the texture is egg white, the color is uniform, it's good material for a bracelet. Whether to sell or keep it is up to you."

Zhang Yang was taken aback, thinking, "Brother, you should give a price. How can I sell it? You came up here to buy the jade, didn't you? Now that it's out, why aren't you giving a price?"

"A million yuan, I'll pay immediately. How about selling it to me?" a short, fat middle-aged man stepped forward.

"Old Xu, you have enough jade in your store. I'll offer 1.1 million yuan," another middle-aged man stood up.

From their conversation, they were all jade merchants.

With these two making offers, many in the crowd stopped watching and started bidding. Soon, the price of the jade rose to 1.4 million yuan.

Zhang Yang was extremely excited. A 40-fold profit, no wonder so many people bet on stones. There really was a chance to become rich overnight.

At this moment, Liang Fatso, who had been quiet, wiped his sweat and said, "Brother, 1.5 million yuan, how about it?"

"Brother, what are you doing?" Zhang Yang pretended to be surprised.

Liang Fatso smiled, "Brother, you should have seen it. I came here for this piece. Friendship is one thing, business is another! I don't have much good jade in my store, and I need to buy some. If you think the price is right, let me have it."

At this moment, the short, fat man called Old Xu said, "1.6 million yuan, brother. Friendship is one thing, but you can't let money go. Sell it to whoever offers the most. What's there to hesitate about?"

Liang Fatso frowned, "1.65 million yuan, brother, any more and I can't afford it. I need to make some profit, right?"

Before anyone else could speak, Zhang Yang announced, "No problem, I'll sell it to you, Brother Liang."

For a one-time deal, Zhang Yang wouldn't hesitate to sell to the highest bidder. But he would have many more chances to cut out jade in the future and needed a long-term partner. The price didn't have to be much higher, but stability was key to avoid not finding a buyer when he cut out jade. Besides, as a newcomer, he needed to navigate the industry and needed someone to guide him. As for profit, Zhang Yang didn't believe Liang Fatso wouldn't make any. This piece was worth about this much, and it couldn't be much higher.

Liang Fatso was a warm-hearted person. Whether their friendship was real or fake, as long as it helped, it was fine. A few tens of thousands in price difference didn't matter to Zhang Yang, who was no longer petty.

Hearing Zhang Yang's words, Liang Fatso smiled happily, "Brother, you're a good guy. Brother, do you want cash or a transfer?"

Zhang Yang, holding the jade, said, "A transfer, I'll feel more secure when the money arrives."

As for Mr. Meng, he was ignored by both of them. Mr. Meng wasn't disappointed; 1.65 million yuan, this kid had made so much money, but don't worry, it wouldn't be long before this money belonged to him.

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