Chapter 63

After completing the transaction with Su Zhe, Liu Xiong had the staff take the five ginseng roots to be stored properly. Now that Li Wenbo was no longer needed here, he took the initiative to leave, saying he needed to return to manage the Liu Family Pharmacy. Liu Xiong let him go.

After Li Wenbo left, Liu Xiong glanced at his watch and suddenly asked Su Zhe, "Su Zhe, are you interested in going to this year's Jade Gambling Festival with me?"

Su Zhe was taken aback and said, "The Jade Gambling Festival, are we going now?"

Jade, when mined, is covered by a layer of weathered skin. Before cutting, it is impossible to know the quality inside; only after cutting can the quality of the jade be determined. This process is known as jade gambling.

The Jade Gambling Festival was something Su Zhe had heard about long ago. This was the first time Yanyun City had the opportunity to host the festival, and a large amount of funding and unprecedented publicity had been invested, making even a layman like Su Zhe aware of it. The so-called Jade Gambling Festival was essentially a gathering of people from all over the country involved in the jade gambling industry, where they would trade.

"Right, let's go now."

"Sure, I'll go with Brother Liu to experience the charm of jade gambling." Su Zhe did not want to disappoint Liu Xiong's enthusiasm, and he himself was somewhat interested, so he agreed to go to the Jade Gambling Festival together.

"Great, let's go now. I guarantee you won't be disappointed." Liu Xiong said cheerfully, then called the driver to have the car ready downstairs.

After making the call, Liu Xiong and Su Zhe set off in a hurry.

The location of the Jade Gambling Festival was in the center of Yanyun City, with a large crowd. Enthusiasts from all over the country gathered here, making the festival site bustling with people.

The shops on this street were all related to jade gambling, selling both processed and unprocessed jade. The variety was dazzling, and Su Zhe was overwhelmed. Of course, the most attractive were the unprocessed raw stones, which were the main selling points of the festival.

On the way, Liu Xiong explained to Su Zhe about jade gambling, sharing many stories and knowledge. Liu Xiong had already told Su Zhe a lot about his own experiences with jade gambling. Liu Xiong enjoyed jade gambling but knew how to control himself, as he often said, it was just a small hobby, not a big deal. He usually only made small bets. Liu Xiong had lost a bit when he first started, but now he had both wins and losses.

As for how much he lost initially, Liu Xiong did not elaborate, but Su Zhe guessed he had paid a lot in tuition.

Liu Xiong and Su Zhe entered a larger jade gambling shop. The shop had two floors. On the first floor, glass counters displayed various jade ornaments, including pendants, rings, bracelets, bead necklaces, and decorative pieces. The first floor mainly sold finished jade products.

Su Zhe and Liu Xiong were not very interested in these finished products, so they quickly browsed through them and went directly to the second floor.

On the second floor, rows of display racks held unprocessed raw jade stones of various sizes, all covered by their weathered skin.

Some of the better-looking raw stones had a higher chance of containing jade. The staff would introduce the origin of the stone, the appraiser who had evaluated it, and the stone's characteristics and internal quality to potential buyers. Of course, these stones were priced quite high.

There were already many people on the second floor selecting raw stones, and some were even on-site cutting the stones. To attract customers, the jade gambling shops usually offered free cutting services, and this shop was no exception.

When Su Zhe and Liu Xiong arrived, someone was just about to cut a raw stone, drawing a crowd. Liu Xiong and Su Zhe joined the crowd to watch the process.

The buyer was a man in his early fifties, not very tall but with a prosperous appearance.

According to the onlookers, this raw stone had cost the buyer 150,000 yuan. Su Zhe was quite surprised; to him, it looked like an ordinary stone. However, from the comments of the onlookers, the stone had a good appearance and a high chance of containing jade.

After some discussion with the cutter, the 150,000 yuan stone was placed on the machine.

The cutter adjusted the angle, asked the buyer for his opinion, and with the buyer's consent, made the first cut.

As the cut was made, a strip of emerald green appeared, about the thickness of a thumb.

"It's green, it's a win."

"The first cut is green, a good omen."

The onlookers were more excited than the buyer, as if the green stone belonged to them.

"If this stone were sold now, it could fetch at least 200,000 yuan," Liu Xiong whispered.

The potential to earn 50,000 yuan in a moment surprised Su Zhe even more.

Liu Xiong's judgment was indeed accurate. As soon as he said that, a middle-aged man dressed as a businessman offered 200,000 yuan to buy the stone.

Unfortunately, the buyer seemed very confident in his stone and said he would only consider selling it after it was fully cut.

The cutter, following the buyer's instructions, made another cut on a different side of the stone.

Fortunately, this cut also revealed green, and the area was twice as large as the previous one, instantly raising the stone's value to 300,000 yuan.

The buyer still did not want to sell and decided to cut the stone completely before selling. After a few more cuts, unfortunately, no more green appeared. After the final cut and polishing, the jade inside was revealed, but it was disappointing.

The jade was of good quality but too small.

The buyer, who had been so confident, now looked dejected. The jade was eventually sold to the businessman who had offered 200,000 yuan, but the final price was only 30,000 yuan, a difference of 270,000 yuan.

No wonder people in the jade gambling industry often say, "One cut can make you poor, one cut can make you rich." The dramatic fluctuations are unpredictable. Su Zhe sighed, as the price difference was tenfold in a short time. Liu Xiong, however, seemed unfazed, having seen many such events.

After the result was announced, the crowd dispersed, either to watch the next cutting or to select raw stones.

Liu Xiong and Su Zhe also went to the raw stone area. Initially, they both selected stones, but soon they separated, each choosing their own stones.

Their goals were different. Liu Xiong was here to gamble on jade, so he would spend a long time examining each stone he was interested in, carefully assessing its value. Su Zhe, on the other hand, had never intended to gamble on jade; he was only here to accompany Liu Xiong. He would look at each stone but not stay long.

Su Zhe did not like gambling because it was too unpredictable, and jade gambling was even more extreme. He would only bet on fighting fish because he was confident in his fish.

Although he did not intend to gamble on jade, he was very interested in the raw stones. Ordinary-looking stones could fetch such high prices, so Su Zhe wandered around the raw stone area, examining and touching each stone.

However, he rarely approached the better-looking, more expensive stones because the staff would always come to introduce them, making him feel uncomfortable since he had no intention of buying.

So, Su Zhe focused on the stones casually piled on the ground, unlike the others displayed on racks. These stones were rarely asked about because they had poor appearances and had been screened multiple times, with most already determined to contain no jade, making them very cheap.

Despite the low price, few people bought these stones. The chances of finding jade in them were lower than winning the lottery.

But Su Zhe did not know this, and even if he did, he would not have cared. To him, all the stones were the same, and he could not tell the difference. It was better that no one bothered him here.

For each stone, Su Zhe would squat down, examine it, and touch it, comparing the differences between them.

In the end, Su Zhe concluded that the main difference was the size of the stones, ranging from small to large. He had not yet figured out any other differences.

After examining dozens of stones, Su Zhe was tired and decided to end his research. He reached out to touch a stone in front of him, intending to use it to help him stand up.

But as his hand touched the stone, he froze. Su Zhe felt a desire emanating from deep within the stone, as if it wanted to absorb his energy. This feeling surprised him because he had only felt it from plants or animals, never from an inanimate object.

This stone looked no different from the others, about the size of a basketball, with a poor appearance, and was casually thrown in a corner, ignored by everyone.

To confirm his feeling, Su Zhe touched the neighboring stones, but felt nothing. He touched several more stones, but only when his hand was on the basketball-sized stone did he feel the same sensation.