Chapter 29: The Stone Bet (Part 1)

Lin Muqing was left stunned by Zhou Ming's words, "Without touching the funds in Fenghui Bank, are you planning to take out all the money from the stock market?"

Zhou Ming shook his head, indicating that wasn't the case, which left Lin Muqing even more puzzled. "Then where are you getting the money to buy me clothes? Can you magically conjure money out of thin air like the Monkey King?"

Zhou Ming laughed and said, "Muqing, I'm not the Monkey King, nor do I have the ability to perform his seventy-two transformations. But I do have a way to multiply the few thousand dollars we have by at least ten times."

"You're kidding, right?" Lin Muqing said in shock. "How can you possibly make money out of thin air?"

"Muqing, what day is it today?" Zhou Ming asked.

"It's August 8th, the 14th day of the 6th month on the lunar calendar. Why?" Lin Muqing responded, puzzled as to why Zhou Ming was asking about the date when she was inquiring how he planned to make more money. She couldn't understand the connection. Did he check the almanac before leaving the house, thinking he might stumble upon a fortune today?

Just as Zhou Ming was about to explain, a sales assistant approached them, her tone carrying a hint of disdain and impatience, "Are you two planning to buy these clothes or not? You're from the mainland, aren't you?"

Zhou Ming didn't mind her attitude at all. "Wrap up those two outfits for me. I'm going out to pick up some money and will be back to pay for them."

After saying this, Zhou Ming ignored the assistant's reaction and pulled Lin Muqing out of the store. Lin Muqing, though cooperative, couldn't help but ask once they were outside, "Are you really planning to pick up some money?"

"Of course not. Muqing, have you ever heard of stone betting?" Zhou Ming asked. Lin Muqing's bewildered expression made it clear she hadn't. Zhou Ming went on to explain, "Stone betting is essentially buying uncut jade stones. These raw stones have a weathered outer layer that makes them look like ordinary rocks, so you can't tell if there's jade inside until they're cut open. It's a gamble, hence the name 'stone betting.'"

Lin Muqing thought for a moment before saying, "So the price of the raw jade stones is relatively low, but if you bet correctly, you can make a lot of money. If you bet wrong, though, you could lose everything?"

"You're spot on, Muqing. That's exactly what stone betting is. Here in Tsim Sha Tsui is Hong Kong's largest jade market, and since it's a free port with no tariffs, I'm sure they have stone betting here," Zhou Ming explained.

Lin Muqing didn't know what to say. She hadn't expected Zhou Ming to seriously consider such a plan. She asked, "But do you even know anything about stone betting?"

"When I was a kid, an old man in the countryside taught me a bit. I still remember it, and maybe it'll come in handy," Zhou Ming replied, pulling Lin Muqing towards a nearby jade shop on Canton Road.

However, Zhou Ming wasn't acting on a whim, thinking his luck was extraordinarily good. Instead, he suddenly remembered something. In his previous life, he had read the biography of a Hong Kong jewelry tycoon who mentioned that his first fortune was made through stone betting at a jade shop in Tsim Sha Tsui. The time was exactly August 8th on the Gregorian calendar, which was today. This was why Zhou Ming had asked Lin Muqing about the date.

Following the memory in his mind, Zhou Ming led Lin Muqing to the jade shop mentioned in the biography. It was a large establishment, likely owned by one of Hong Kong's financial conglomerates, with a reputable name. A sign at the entrance announced that the shop had recently received a batch of raw jade materials from Myanmar and would be hosting a stone betting event.

Everything matched the description in the biography. Zhou Ming took Lin Muqing to the entrance, where they collected a number and followed a staff member to the stone betting event.

Although called an event, it was more like a market stall. The jade shop had displayed the raw jade materials on various stands, and the participants, like shoppers at a vegetable market, wandered around selecting stones.

According to Zhou Ming's memory, this stone betting event indeed featured some excellent stones. However, even the raw materials would cost at least tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars, far beyond what he had on hand. Thus, Zhou Ming had only one goal.

He led Lin Muqing directly to booth number 18, where a jade stone about the size of a winter melon was displayed. A staff member from the jade shop was introducing it, "This is a piece of old mine material from the Baibi Mine in Myanmar. Everyone knows that Baibi is one of the oldest and best-quality mines, with a history of two to three hundred years. The jade from there is top-notch, and this piece is undoubtedly high-quality material. You can see from the 'pine flowers' on the surface that there's likely jade inside."

"So you're saying there's definitely jade inside this stone?" a middle-aged man asked.

"I didn't say that," the staff member replied. "This is a gamble, after all. Even the most experienced experts can't guarantee what's inside. But that's the nature of stone betting—the high risk comes with the potential for high reward."

The middle-aged man remained silent. As an experienced stone bettor, he understood that even the most knowledgeable jade experts couldn't guarantee whether there was jade inside, making it a gamble of fate.

"This stone's outer layer is yellowish-gray, which does suggest it's from the Baibi Mine's old pit, but the overall condition is poor. Look at all the cracks on it," a bald man pointed out.

His observation made everyone realize the stone had numerous cracks, with one on the back even extending deep into the rock. Many people tried to peer into the crack, hoping to catch a glimpse of jade, but the crack was too small to reveal anything.

Watching their reactions, Zhou Ming smiled inwardly because even if they could see inside the crack, it wouldn't help. According to the biography, the jade was located on the unmarked right side of the stone, not where the cracks were.

"This stone is risky; the cracks are too deep, and we can't see any green inside. The risk is too high," a younger bettor remarked.

The staff member remained calm, "That's why it's a gamble. If you could see the jade through the cracks, there wouldn't be any need to gamble. It would just have a fixed price."

"So how much are you asking for this stone?" someone asked.

The staff member finally turned the price sign around—20,000 Hong Kong dollars. The price caused a stir. The jade shop seemed to understand the stone's poor condition, with its many cracks and no visible jade inside. To make it sell, they had set the price relatively low.

Seeing the price, Lin Muqing gasped. "This stone costs 20,000 Hong Kong dollars?"

"Muqing, this isn't just a stone. It's a piece of jade material from a mine. The price is low because the jade hasn't been cut out yet. If it were a fully cut jade piece, it would cost at least 200,000 to 300,000 Hong Kong dollars," Zhou Ming explained.

"But what if it's just a stone?" Lin Muqing asked.

"Then you'd have bought a rock for 20,000 Hong Kong dollars. If every raw material could yield high-quality jade, it wouldn't be called stone betting. It's the uncertainty that makes it so thrilling. The stakes are higher than even in the stock market," Zhou Ming said, "Just look at the eyes of the people around you."

Following Zhou Ming's advice, Lin Muqing noticed the intense gleam in the eyes of the surrounding bettors, as if they were staring at a block of gold rather than a stone.

At this point, the staff member spoke again, "According to our shop's rules, the 20,000 Hong Kong dollars is just the starting price. You're free to bid, and the highest bidder will win the stone."

Zhou Ming chuckled inwardly. The jade shop was smart, setting a base price and letting the bettors drive it up through competition, ensuring they wouldn't lose money and might even make a big profit.

While Zhou Ming was deep in thought, the bidding began. After all, the bettors were there to gamble, and this stone from one of Myanmar's best and oldest mines seemed worth the risk. With a bit of luck, they could profit by tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars. The stone's "pine flowers" indicated it probably contained jade, so there was little chance of losing money.

With such thoughts in mind, the price quickly rose to 50,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Seeing the wild enthusiasm around them, Lin Muqing said to Zhou Ming, "Are these people crazy? This stone's price has already jumped by 50%."

"That's the nature of gamblers! They hope to buy this stone and find a large piece of jade inside. Even if only half of it contains jade, they can still make a fortune," Zhou Ming explained. "But with all those cracks and no visible jade, even gamblers won't go too high. 50,000 Hong Kong dollars is likely the limit."

As if on cue, the crowd fell silent after Zhou Ming spoke. Faced with the steep price, the bettors were unwilling to go higher, not believing the stone was worth more. No matter how much

 the staff encouraged them, no one placed another bid.

Lin Muqing turned to Zhou Ming and asked, "Are you planning to bid?"

Zhou Ming smiled and shook his head, "Muqing, we only have 10,000 Hong Kong dollars on us. Even if I wanted to bid, I couldn't."

Lin Muqing sighed in relief, grateful that Zhou Ming hadn't turned into one of those gamblers. Otherwise, she wouldn't know how to handle the situation.

But despite her relief, Lin Muqing couldn't shake her unease at Zhou Ming's confident smile. Little did she know, she was about to witness a miracle in the world of stone betting.