Old Bian had never seen someone like Dai Li who would not turn back even after hitting a wall and was extremely stubborn.
But Old Bian is a very picky person. In his eyes, one is one and two is two. He can't stand her insisting on calling the plaster model a fossil.
"Little girl, if you don't believe that what you bought is a plaster model, put it on the ground now and knock it open to see. If you do, I will compensate you with another one. If there is not plaster inside, I will chop off my head and give it to you to sit on." Old Bian pointed seriously at the stone pavement on the ground.
Lao Kang kept pulling at Lao Bian's clothes, hinting that he should speak more tactfully and not be too aggressive.
Lao Bian had something to say and completely ignored Lao Kang's hint.
Dai Li remained calm, undeterred by Old Bian. She replied slowly, "I don't want your head, Boss Bian, and I don't want to smash the fossil I bought. Even if you give me two or three more as compensation, it's not the skull I bought."
Lao Bian wanted to say something, but Lao Kang interrupted him in time.
"Since it was personally selected by Teacher Xiao Dai, the ingredients inside are not important. The key is that Teacher Xiao Dai likes it."
Dai Li smiled and nodded: "Mr. Kang is right."
Guan Honghou also said: "Whether it is plaster or fossils, they are all treasures that Teacher Xiaodai has worked so hard to find."
It was obvious that Lao Bian was not satisfied with the result, but he was powerless to change anything and could only sigh and shake his head.
Lao Bian already regretted agreeing to help Lao Kang today.
Dai Li was walking and strolling at the front. Guan Honghou was not far away from her, also looking around at the new things. Lao Bian quietly pulled Lao Kang to the back of the team.
"When you look at the rough stones later, you have to listen to me. Don't just buy them blindly."
Lao Kang said, "Of course, otherwise why would I invite you here specially? Who are you, Lao Bian? You are a well-known master of gambling on stones in China."
Saying that Lao Bian is a master of gambling on stones does not undermine his abilities.
He used to be the deputy director of a jewelry association in a southern province. After retirement, he couldn't sit still and ran his own jewelry store. Many celebrities and wealthy businessmen invited him to help look at cut materials or raw stones.
The reason why Lao Kang was able to call him today was not only because they had known each other for many years, but also because Lao Kang was lucky. It just so happened that the mine here was about to produce new rough materials, and Lao Bian came to see the materials. If he encountered good materials, he would take a gamble.
"I think the girl you introduced to me today is very opinionated. I'm afraid she won't listen to me easily." Lao Bian was still a little angry. He hated dealing with people who didn't listen to good advice and were stubborn. However, he had to agree to Lao Kang and didn't want to offend Lao Kang on the spot.
"Plaster models are small money. It's no big deal for her to spend a thousand to make herself happy, so let her be. The raw stones will be different later. Large materials will cost hundreds of thousands, millions, or even tens of millions. Even if Teacher Xiao Dai is rich, she can't just buy them willy-nilly. If she's not careful, she'll lose everything."
Old Bian was almost persuaded by Old Kang and no longer cared about the plaster model.
His specialty is jadeite raw stones, not antiques, so he can turn a blind eye to things that are not related to his specialty.
The two of them finished chatting in private in the back, then quickened their pace and walked to the front to join them.
Old Bian is very familiar with the place and there are familiar people greeting him along the way.
He walked straight to a large shop. The shop was spacious and bright, with luxurious decoration. The shop was filled with various types of raw stones, some cut and some not, as well as jade handicrafts of various styles. It was obvious at a glance that it was a shop with strong financial resources.
The owner of the store is also a compatriot. When he saw Lao Bian coming, he came out to greet him enthusiastically.
"Boss Bian, Mr. Kang, thank you for your presence. It's been a while since we last met. Where have you been making your fortune lately?"
Lao Kang clasped his fists and said in return, "I just make a living, but I'm not as successful as Boss Wu. I see that Boss Wu's business is booming recently, and the store has doubled in size."
Boss Wu: "Thanks to you two, I made a little money last year. I just received some material and haven't looked at it carefully yet. Boss Bian, you're here just in time to help me take a closer look."
Lao Bian: "Today I am mainly here with a friend to look at stones. My friend is a little interested in gambling on stones and wants to come and have some fun."
Boss Wu knew that the friends that Lao Bian was talking about were naturally the two unfamiliar faces behind him.
When old friends introduce business to him, he will warmly welcome them regardless of whether the deal can be completed in the end.
"What are your names, bosses? Do you want to learn about the gambling stone industry, or buy a piece for fun? If you want to learn more, I'll ask the master in the shop to explain it to you. The shop next door will open the stone on the spot later, and I'll take you there to join in the fun."
Guan Honghou has been in the business world for many years, and his only principle is never to show weakness. He asked calmly, "What's the point of watching others open a business? Since I'm here, of course I should open my own."
When Boss Wu heard this, he knew that this man was a wealthy man, and he unconsciously became more enthusiastic.
"I also have some uncut materials here, some weighing dozens of kilograms, some weighing one or two tons, but I don't know if the boss would like them."
Guan Honghou said ambiguously: "As long as it's good material, there's no reason not to like it."
Boss Wu: "Boss, come and take a look at the materials in our store first. If you don't like them, I have more in the warehouse behind."
Guan Honghou turned his head to ask Dai Li's opinion, but saw that she was fiddling with her smart watch again. It was full of data formulas, and he really didn't understand the content.
He felt that Dai Li was doing something important, perhaps dealing with a work issue, and it was inconvenient to disturb her, so he asked Boss Wu to wait for a moment.
After Dai Li finished looking at the data analyzed by the scanning device, she looked up and saw that everyone was staring at her.
Guan Honghou's expressionless face immediately broke into a smile, and he asked cheerfully, "Teacher Xiaodai, are you done with your work?"
Dai Li: "I guess so."
Guan Honghou: "Would you like to go to Mr. Wu's shop and see the rough stones he has?"
Dai Li: "In the store? I've already seen it."
Lao Kang said with a smile: "Teacher Xiao Dai, this is not the way to look at raw stone. You have to study and analyze it carefully, and use a strong flashlight to illuminate the pattern on the surface. You can't just glance at it and think you have seen it all."
Dai Li raised the hand with the scanner and showed it to him: "Boss Kang, I have carefully analyzed it using scientific methods, not just a casual scan."
Several people came over to look.
Apart from being able to tell that it is a smartwatch, nothing else can be seen. It is nothing more than an APP downloaded inside the smartwatch that teaches people how to identify antique jade artifacts.
Lao Kang: "Teacher Xiao Dai, can you analyze it using this?"
Dai Li had no reason to hide her expertise in the scanning device, and she generously introduced it to them, saying, "Whether it's antiques or jade, there's a standard for identification. Within that standard, humans can do the identification, and so can machines."
Boss Wu: "Excuse me, but machines are unreliable. Professional work still requires personal inspection."
Old Bian frowned, suddenly thinking of what happened earlier: "You just offered to buy the plaster skull. Were you just blindly trusting the appraisal results of your watch?"
Lao Kang asked in disbelief, "Teacher Xiao Dai, are you really using a smartwatch to determine authenticity?"
Dai Li: "Of course, it's very easy to identify, and it's more efficient than manual work. There won't be any misjudgments. Data won't lie."
Lao Kang and the others could not agree, and the expressions on their faces were indescribable.
Only Guan Honghou was suddenly enlightened. He knew without asking that this watch could only be made by Teacher Xiaodai herself.
Guan Honghou immediately felt more confident, thinking that anything made by Teacher Xiaodai could not be bad.
Guan Honghou: "Teacher Xiao Dai is right. Using scientific methods for analysis and identification is less likely to make mistakes and can save a lot of time."
Old Bian didn't like to hear this, as it was a complete challenge to his authority.
"What do you mean by less prone to errors in data? I've been in the jade industry for 30 or 40 years, and I've never made a mistake."
Guan Honghou: "Old Bian, you misunderstood. I didn't mean that you would make mistakes, but that machine-reading data is more efficient."
Lao Bian said disdainfully: "Then let me see how efficient your watch is and what kind of good stuff it can find."
Guan Honghou thought to himself that Teacher Xiaodai could find all the good stuff in the market and open his eyes.
But he didn't dare to act on his own initiative, so he first asked Dai Li's opinion: "Teacher Dai, how about we show Old Bian some of our skills?"
From the beginning, Dai Li planned to watch it herself, whether Lao Bian was there or not.
She accepted Guan Honghou's suggestion: "Okay, let's go and have a look ourselves."
Old Bian was still not satisfied. His old habit of being a stickler for details came back, and he said sternly, "You say your machine is highly efficient, but I've been looking at raw stones for decades and I'm not convinced. Do you dare to challenge me to a contest and see who can find the raw stones and cut them better?"
Facing Lao Bian's challenge, Dai Li was indifferent: "If Boss Bian wants to compete with me, I am happy to accompany him."
Lao Bian: "Okay, then we will have an hour to choose a piece of rough stone that we are most satisfied with. After an hour, we will come to Boss Wu to cut it on the spot. Whoever has the best water quality and makes the most profit from the price difference will win."
Dai Li: "Okay."
Lao Bian said very seriously: "To be fair, I won't choose the materials from Boss Wu and my acquaintances' shops. I will also go out to buy them."
After saying that, he and Dai Li left Boss Wu's shop together.
At this time, Lao Kang was confused. Didn’t he ask Lao Bian to be his guide? Why was Lao Bian competing with others?
Lao Bian is a man of his word. If he says he won't go into a shop owned by an acquaintance, then he definitely won't go in. He just like when he first came to the raw stone market, selecting raw stones with a group of strangers.
One hour is still too tight for selecting raw stones.
Relying on his decades of experience in the industry, Lao Bian was able to pick out a satisfactory raw stone.
The raw stone he selected weighed nearly two hundred pounds. When a strong flashlight was used, a very beautiful piece of pine flower appeared. If it had icy floating flowers after being cut, it could be made into an ice jade bracelet, and his investment in the raw stone would be worth it.
The quality of jade from other places is a little worse, but it can still be made into ordinary jade bracelets, beads, and jade plaques.
He had his eyes set on this piece of material. It was the best material he had found within the limited time. He would definitely not make a loss. If he was lucky, he could cut out more ice flowers and make a few more ice jade bracelets, and he could make a lot of money.
Lao Bian was very satisfied with the raw stone he had selected and went back five minutes early.
As a result, Dai Li came back earlier than him and was already drinking tea in Boss Wu's shop. Boss Wu's shop was crowded with people, both inside and outside the shop.
Old Bian and his assistant who helped him move the raw stones finally squeezed into Boss Wu's shop with some effort.
"Boss Wu, why are there so many people here suddenly after you came back from your outing?"
Boss Wu looked listless and said with a tired expression, "I'm here to watch you cut the rough stone."
Lao Bian couldn't understand it. They weren't driving any big truck, so why did so many people come?
"Why are we seeing rough diamonds? The ones next door are seeing the real stuff today."
"They are not here to see you, they are here to see her." Boss Wu winked at the back.
Sitting not far behind was Dai Li, who was drinking tea.
Old Bian took a look, his expression slightly tense: "Did she bring back good material?"
"It's more than just good material," Boss Wu let out a deep breath, waved to Old Bian, and pointed to a pile of raw stone and said, "There's a lot of it."
Old Bian had no idea what kind of mental journey he had gone through in the past hour.
Not long after Dai Li and Lao Bian went out together, in less than ten minutes, a clerk came back with a piece of raw stone weighing more than 500 kilograms, saying that it was bought by Miss Dai.
Boss Wu and Lao Kang were very surprised. After all, the time was too short and they thought Dai Li was fooled as soon as she went out.
Curious, Boss Wu wanted to know whether the rough stone she was cheated of had any market value, so she picked up a high-intensity flashlight to study it, and she saw several beautiful fogs.
Boss Wu exclaimed in amazement, and lamented that Miss Dai was so lucky that she could buy a beautiful rough stone just by casually buying it.
Little did he know that this was just the beginning. Basically, a piece of raw stone would be delivered to Boss Wu's shop every one or two minutes.
In a short while, the raw stones in Boss Wu's shop piled up into a small mountain.
Boss Wu took a quick look at the raw stones that Dai Li bought. Some of the raw stones had few colors on the surface, and it might be a loss to cut them, but there were also a lot of good materials.
She bought them just like she bought fruits and vegetables at the market, as long as the price was right, which scared all the jade owners in the market.
She was particularly quick in filling out the check and even asked him to send it to Boss Wu's store to be cut later.
In just one hour, Dai Li became famous in the jade market.
Everyone knows that a rich woman has come to the jade market. She will buy any piece of raw stone she points to and have it cut on the spot.
People who had nothing to do in the market came to join in the fun.
This wealthy foreign woman went to the jade market and bought a lot of raw stones that no one else liked. Some of the raw stones did not even have any patterns on them.
They wanted to see whether the rich woman would laugh or cry.
It was just over half an hour before Dai Li came back. It wasn't because she was tired of picking, but because she couldn't find anything good enough to satisfy her in the market.
So I just came back to have tea.
Boss Wu also became curious about Dai Li's smart watch, so he invited Dai Li to his warehouse to see his newly arrived jade raw stones, and told her to pick any one she liked.
Dai Li stood at the door of Boss Wu's warehouse for less than a minute and picked out Boss Wu's old stock. This rough stone was the largest in the entire warehouse and weighed a full five tons.
This material is not that good if you say it is good, but it is not that bad if you say it is bad.
Only an area as big as the mouth of a bowl on the surface of the raw stone is green. Light cannot penetrate into other areas, so it is impossible to tell whether there is any material inside.
It is very likely that when a five-ton raw material is cut open, only the green parts can be shipped, and the rest are stones.
This situation is too common, so Boss Wu did not plan to open his own business. He did not want to bear the risks involved. Such a large piece of raw stone would not be cheap to buy, and the risk was too great. He planned to sell it at a similar price.
Dai Li: "Boss, are you willing to sell this biggest rough stone?"
Boss Wu: "Boss Dai, do you think there's some good stuff in there?"
Dai Li responded generously: "Yes, Boss Wu, do you want to open it yourself, or sell it to me?"
At this time, Boss Wu was faced with a very big choice. Dai Li said that there was good stuff inside and gave him the choice to sell it or not.
He had to admit that this was a great temptation, not to mention that there were Dai Li's spoils outside.
But he couldn't completely trust Dai Li's vision. No matter how beautiful the surface of the raw stone was, it hadn't been opened yet, and no one could guarantee what it would look like when it was opened. Besides, the good stuff that Dai Li talked about might not be the same level as the good stuff he defined.
Moreover, this largest piece of raw stone is not a new material. It has been in his warehouse for a long time. Many jade owners have come to see it, but they have been hesitant to buy it for fear of losing all their years of wealth.
Boss Wu once thought that the five-ton raw stone was going to fall into his hands.
It's rare to find someone willing to buy now, so you should act quickly if you are rational.
Boss Wu made a prompt decision and reported the selling price of the raw stone to Dai Li.
This was the most expensive piece of raw stone Dai Li had encountered today, but she did not bargain and happily went with Boss Wu to handle the formalities.
Boss Wu is still in shock. He actually sold out the inventory that had been piling up for years.
"She said that your raw stone weighing more than five tons has good material?" Lao Bian had also studied the raw stone, but because there was too little information visible on the surface, he was not sure.
Boss Wu nodded secretly: "No fixed price."
Old Bian had a sullen face and said nothing, not knowing what he was thinking.
Boss Wu is now extremely anxious and wants to take a look at the five tons of raw stone.
"Boss Dai, Lao Bian is back. Can we start cutting now?"
Dai Li was eating local specialty pastries that were bought for her by the clerk in Boss Wu's shop.
She cleared her mouth with tea and turned back: "Cut it."
Lao Bian could guess what kind of product would be made from the material he bought, so he asked Dai Li to make the one she chose first.
Dai Li did not let everyone down and asked the master in Boss Wu's shop to cut a five-ton raw stone first.
The small crane was still moving the raw stone, and the people watching around had already recognized the raw stone.
"Isn't this the material from Boss Wu's shop?"
"I remember this piece of material wasn't cheap, right? She even bought that piece? This woman is really rich."
"It's not just expensive, there's a bowl-sized head of water around the waist. You can't see anything else about it. Even the biggest jade boss wouldn't dare to buy it. I think young women are just bluffing."
"I've also seen this piece of material, Boss Wu. It's not something that an ordinary person would dare to touch."
"Isn't it just that she has too much money to burn? Going to our jade market is just like going to a vegetable market, buying things all the time. I think she's going to ruin more than just Boss Wu's rough stone. Let's wait and see."
"This girl is young, I hope she won't cry later. If things go wrong, she might end up bankrupt."
The people around were chatting with their hands raised, and they were more looking forward to the result of cutting the raw stone than Dai Li herself.
Guan Honghou and Lao Kang both went to watch the fun, while the current owner of the five-ton rough stone was still drinking tea calmly.
The master who cut the raw stone gestured at the raw stone and finally decided to start cutting from the only water head.
The cutting machine blade slowly fell down, and the people around were closely watching the movement of the blade.
Until the blade cut through, everyone finally saw the internal structure of the stone.
The reason why water cannot penetrate the surface is that the surface of this raw stone is nearly 20 centimeters thick, which tightly wraps the jade inside.
The jadeite raw stone inside not only has very beautiful emeralds, but also has an ice flower. If it is made into a bracelet, one can easily sell for tens of millions or even hundreds of millions.
Especially now that the mines have been almost mined, emerald raw stones are becoming increasingly rare, and emerald bracelets of good quality are priceless.
Just make a few emerald bracelets and sell them to make back your investment, and the rest is all profit!
Many people saw the water head inside and their eyes turned red with envy.
"Oh, if I had known earlier, I would have been so hard-hearted and gritted my teeth to buy this piece of material."
"I wanted to buy it from the beginning, but my husband wouldn't agree. He said if I lost the bet, my son and daughter would have to starve with me."
"I have a big client who wants to buy this kind of emerald bracelet with a water head. He often calls me to ask if I have any good materials recently. If I buy it, ah..."
It was impossible for Boss Wu not to be jealous at this time. Such a beautiful water head was placed in his home. Miss Dai told him that there was a good thing, but he still didn't dare to open it, and missed an opportunity to make a fortune.
Fortunately, Boss Wu is more open-minded and is not the kind of person who gets stuck on trivial matters. He feels inferior to others who have good vision and courage.
He went to congratulate Dai Li with a smile on his face, thinking that Dai Li would come to see him, but she didn't even stand up and casually said to open the rest.
Those who watched the fun today were really treated to a feast for the eyes.
Dai Li bought more than 20 pieces of raw stones in total and asked the master to cut them on the spot.
Whether it is the material with beautiful water head on the surface or the material with no visible water head at all, all of them have beautiful water head.
It was the first time for everyone present to see so many beautiful water heads gathered together, and it was also the first time for everyone to see so many good things being sold by one person without any failure.
They didn't dare to calculate the value of the pile of jade in front of them. They knew it was an astronomical figure without any calculation, dozens or even hundreds of times more than what Dai Li spent in the jade market.
The raw stone that Lao Bian bought was never opened in the end. The result was obvious whether it was opened or not, and he lost miserably.
He frowned and asked Lao Kang, "Who is this friend of yours? And what's with her smartwatch?"
He was completely defeated by an old hand with decades of experience.
"I don't know either." Lao Kang was as confused as he was. Guan Honghou was a very tight-lipped person. He never mentioned anything related to Teacher Xiao Dai. He still didn't know the identity of Teacher Xiao Dai.
What he was sure of was that Teacher Xiao Dai was a person with real skills, and Guan Honghou made money thanks to Teacher Xiao Dai.
After Dai Li left that day, legends about her continued to circulate in the local jade market.
Everyone knows that a very powerful young rich woman has been here. She can tell the quality of the raw stones at a glance, and every raw stone she points to is of top quality.
Later, another version of the story circulated, saying that the rich woman had a magical watch that could analyze the quality of the raw stone. She relied on the watch to turn stones into jade. Many people had seen her watch, and Boss Wu was even more confident in it and often talked to others about the five-ton waist-sized green raw stone.
No matter which version it is, it is too fantastic and almost no one believes it. Later people just treat it as a story.
But there are also some imaginative stone gamblers who say it would be nice if they also had a watch that could analyze the quality of the raw stone.
That day, Sister Tu, who was enjoying sunbathing on the beach, suddenly received a call from Dai Li. Sister Tu changed her clothes and went out of the hotel, where she saw a truck full of raw jadeite, each of which was of excellent quality.
Even Sister Tu, who knows nothing about jade, knows that this car is worth a lot of money.
She swallowed hard and said, "Is this your trophy today?"
She just wanted to say that the identification device that Dai Dai made last night was too powerful.
Dai Li: "I'll leave it to you."
Sister Tu was immediately overwhelmed: "How do you want me to take care of it?"
Dai Li: "You can sell it locally, send it to auction, or ship it back to your country and find someone to do it with it. It's up to you."
Sister Tu made a pause gesture: "Why do I feel like you are explaining something? Where are you going?"
Dai Li: "I am preparing to return home."
Sister Tu was stunned for a moment before she said in surprise: "Go back? Didn't we just get here?"
"I have to go back. This thing is very important and needs to be sent back as soon as possible." Dai Li opened the skull fossil and showed it to Sister Tu.
After reading it, Sister Tu was silent for a long time, and unconsciously lowered her voice: "Is it true?"
Dai Li: "Judging from the decay rate of carbon 14, this piece is definitely a fossil, about 500,000 years old. The information matches. Whether it is the piece that was lost that year, we have to wait until it is sent back for testing."
Regardless of whether it is true or false, this is a serious matter and Sister Tu dare not be negligent in the slightest.
"Okay, go back and pack your things first. I'll book you a flight for tonight."
When she opened her phone to book a plane ticket, Sister Tu sighed silently.
Other people spend their vacations eating, drinking and having fun, but Dai Dai spends her vacations making a killing by buying a truckload of top-quality jadeite rough stones, earning back all their annual earnings.
Now what Sister Tu worries about every day is not how to make profits for the company, but that there is too much money in the accounts and how to invest and operate it.
What’s even more amazing is that Dai Dai also found a fossil that is suspected to be the skull of Peking Man.
Sister Tu couldn't even imagine what kind of sensation it would cause in society if Dai Dai bought the piece that she lost that year.
After thinking about it, Sister Tu smiled with relief again. Everything Dai Dai did had caused a sensation in society.
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