"Young man, gambling on stones is not as simple as you think. It's a gamble on psychology. If you're not careful, you can lose everything and even your family. I advise you to just look and not make any moves."
"No, boss, I know what I'm doing." Liu Yihang insisted on buying it.
The boss sighed and said, "Young man, look at my hands."
The white-haired man's outstretched hand had only four fingers; his thumb was severed at the base.
"What is this?" Liu Yihang asked in surprise.
"When I was young, I relied on my family's wealth to seek thrills and fell in love with gambling on stones. From then on, I couldn't stop."
Like gambling, jade gambling is a game where nine out of ten people lose; one cut can make you poor, and another can make you rich.
Gradually, I squandered all of my parents' wealth, and my wife wanted a divorce.
For the sake of my family and to win back my wife and children, I've decided to stop gambling on stones and focus on running the family shop properly.
Just then, a friend who gambles on stones invited me to look at some stones. I couldn't control myself and pawned all my wife's jewelry, spending 30,000 yuan to buy a stone.
I'm really confident that this stone will yield jadeite, and high-quality jadeite at that.
However, unexpectedly, the stone broke apart.
My wife was completely disappointed in me and left with the children, but unexpectedly, the bus they were on encountered a landslide.
Overnight, his wife and children were gone.
I chopped off my own hand to warn myself and vow never to gamble on stones again.
Don't let my running this shop fool you; I haven't actually cut a single stone myself in all these years. No matter how good a stone is, it's none of my business. That's why the stones in my shop are of good quality, and everyone loves to patronize my shop.
It's good enough to just make a little money from advertising.
"You're so young, I think you shouldn't spend money on things you shouldn't. Money isn't easy to earn."
After hearing the story, Liu Yihang fell silent.
So that's how it is.
His hair must have turned white around that time, right? What kind of grief could make someone's hair turn white overnight and cause them to repent and change their ways?
The shop owner is a good person; he's clearly running a business, but he advises people not to buy his products.
Fearing that the young people might go astray, Liu Yihang felt a little reluctant.
"Boss, that stone should be the one you broke off back then, right?" Liu Yihang pointed to the square stone block.
"Yes, this is indeed a piece of waste material from a rough stone. I bought the rough stone for 30,000 yuan. It was a large piece, but after it was cut and ruined, a lot of things happened. So I kept this stone as a memento and also as a reminder to myself."
The answer was affirmative.
Liu Yihang felt a pang of sadness.
It was just a hair's breadth away. If he had cut the stone open back then, he could have seen this jadeite piece symbolizing fortune, prosperity, and longevity. He could have had it for 300,000, ... or even 3 million.
His wife and children wouldn't either...
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world.
"Boss, why don't you cut this stone open? Maybe there's jade inside?" Liu Yihang said jokingly.
"Haha, young man, don't be fooled by its size and think there's jade inside. It's only one-twentieth of the original stone. After cutting it into eight pieces, you couldn't find any jade. How could it be such a coincidence that there's jade in this piece of scrap I kept?"
"Moreover, I have sworn never to gamble on stones again in my life," the shop owner said with a hint of melancholy.
"Maybe there is? Boss, I really think there's jade inside, and it's high-quality jade. Why don't we cut it open and see?" Liu Yihang urged anxiously.
"No, no, it definitely isn't there." The boss shook his head firmly.
Liu Yihang understood.
He has never forgotten what happened back then. If this jade is cut open and jade is actually found inside, it would be a second blow to him.
He was so close to keeping his wife and children, just a hair's breadth away...
Therefore, it's best if there's no jade in this stone.
"Haha, do you like this stone? I'll give it to you! Let you experience the thrill of gambling on stones. Besides, it's about time I replaced this stone pillar."
"Don't buy these stones, I don't want to sell them to you!" the shopkeeper said, pointing to the stones in the basket next to him.
Liu Yihang was both amused and exasperated.
He's got X-ray vision, would he lose a bet?
The owner enthusiastically untied the ropes binding the stone block and replaced it with a new raw stone as a weight.
"Here, this stone is for you."
Liu Yihang was unsure whether he should accept the gift and was in a dilemma.
If he didn't know what was inside, he would be quite at ease.
This is a very valuable piece of jade.
“I can’t just take your stones for nothing. How about this, I’ll buy these stones instead, and this square one will be a bonus.”
Liu Yihang insisted on buying all the stones in the basket and secretly put all the remaining cash in his backpack into the boss's drawer.
It costs a total of 30,000 yuan.
That's exactly the price of the rough stone he broke off back then.
Consider it as if you've bought his stone, and in doing so, bought all the consequences.
I hope he can find true liberation.
Without saying goodbye, we parted ways with this boss, who had a lot of stories to tell.
The housekeeper sent someone to take away all the stones on his side and send them for shipment.
In the past few days, Liu Yihang has met some people and experienced many things in Yunnan. He has come into contact with more people and things related to jade gambling.
He also realized that without X-ray vision, he was nothing at all.
-
They picked up Miao Cuihua and took her back to the hotel.
Along the way, she told Liu Yihang a lot about the exchange meeting the next day.
This exchange meeting lasted for three days.
The first day was a time for everyone to freely exchange ideas and make purchases.
Everyone will compete to show off their best work and outshine each other.
The organizers will also put out a batch of materials for auction.
The bidding process began the next day, and this time it was conducted through sealed bids.
The bidding results will be announced on the third day, and the winning bid will be unveiled in public.
That's roughly the process.
In previous years, Miao Cuihua would directly participate in the bidding, and the first day's competition was just a formality.
However, this year the father and son surnamed Wang made it clear that they wanted to participate in the first day's activities.
She didn't want the father and son to be proud and show off.
"Xiao Liu, did you have any good news today?"
Miao Cuihua knew he must have gone to look at raw materials today.
All the stones Liu Yihang collected today have been shipped away. If he had known this would happen, he should have kept that stone block.
He suddenly remembered that he had a stone in his backpack, the imperial green stone.
"I have a stone here that I like. Sister Miao, you can take it if you need it."
I believe that once this stone is revealed, all other stones will pale in comparison, and securing first or second place will be no problem.
"Really? How much do you think it's going to succeed?" Miao Cuihua stared intently into his eyes.
"I have high hopes for it!" Liu Yihang replied earnestly.
Miao Cuihua realized that since Liu Yihang dared to say such a thing, it meant he had great confidence in the stone.
Moreover, he didn't check the stone in; he carried it on his body the whole time.
That speaks volumes.
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