Chapter 30: Stone Betting (Part 2)

"If no one else bids, then I declare the jadeite rough from White Jade Factory at Exhibition No. 18 sold to this gentleman!"

As the jade shop staff announced this, a bald man emerged from the crowd. He approached the platform, and the staff asked him, "Sir, would you like to transport it, or should we cut it open on-site? If you'd like to cut it here, we have the full set of tools and the best stone cutters, and any jade we find, we can buy from you at a high price."

In the world of stone betting, there are usually two kinds of people: jade merchants looking to make a business out of acquiring jade roughs and gamblers who bet on whether the stone will reveal jade. The bald man clearly belonged to the latter group as he decisively said, "Cut it here."

Just like the thrill of revealing a poker hand in gambling, the most exciting moment in stone betting is cutting the stone to see if it contains jade. The process involves slicing off the weathered outer layer of the rough to see if jade lies within. If there is jade, you've hit the jackpot; if not, you've lost everything.

Upon hearing that the bald man was going to cut the stone, the crowd became excited, with even the gamblers from neighboring stalls gathering to watch the result. 

As the jade shop staff skillfully moved the rough stone to the cutting machine, Lin Muqing asked Zhou Ming in disbelief, "Are those beautiful jade pieces really taken from these ordinary stones?"

Zhou Ming nodded, "Yes, but whether there's jade inside is all down to luck."

While Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing were talking, the cutting had already begun. The skilled stone cutter operated the machine, following the bald man's instructions to start cutting from the largest crack.

The atmosphere was intensely quiet, everyone holding their breath and staring at the rough stone under the cutter. As the harsh sound of cutting began, the stone was gradually sliced open. To everyone's disappointment, the entire rough stone was eventually split in two, with not a trace of jade inside.

The bald man's face darkened, and Lin Muqing exhaled in relief, saying to Zhou Ming, "It seems he lost the bet; it's just an ordinary stone."

Before Zhou Ming could respond, a middle-aged man nearby chimed in, "Miss, it seems this is your first time watching stone betting? This is actually quite normal. Even though the rough was large, it's already lucky to get jade out of half of it. Usually, there's only a small piece. Now, there's still one side with 'pine flower'—that side might reveal jade."

Lin Muqing looked at Zhou Ming in confusion. Zhou Ming replied, "Maybe, but it's also possible that the other side is just as ordinary."

The middle-aged man, eager to appear knowledgeable in front of Lin Muqing, immediately retorted, "Young man, if you don't understand, don't speak nonsense. Did you see the 'pine flower' on the left side of the rough? That's a sign of jade beneath. I've seen more rough stones than you've crossed bridges, and I've never seen a stone with 'pine flower' that didn't contain jade."

Zhou Ming chuckled, "Well, today might be the first time you do."

The middle-aged man frowned, about to say something, but just then, the cutting machine started again. Clearly, the bald man was unwilling to give up and wanted to continue cutting.

However, after one, two, three cuts, the left side of the rough was reduced to variously sized fragments, still without a hint of green jade.

The bald man slumped to the ground, while the crowd sighed in disappointment, "Looks like this guy lost the bet. Five thousand dollars down the drain in just a few cuts. But there's nothing he could've done; who could've known the stone would be so cursed, looking so good on the outside but containing nothing inside. It's like the heavens are playing a joke on him."

The middle-aged man who had just boasted to Zhou Ming was left dumbfounded, muttering, "Impossible! How could a rough with 'pine flower' on the outside not have jade beneath?"

Zhou Ming said, "I know you're all experts, but nothing is absolute, right?"

The middle-aged man, still unconvinced, argued, "The right side hasn't been cut yet. Maybe the jade is on the right side?"

"Oh, really? But judging by his expression, it looks like he doesn't plan on cutting further. How about you buy the right-side scrap and continue cutting?" Zhou Ming suggested, provoking the middle-aged man, who immediately shook his head. Zhou Ming sighed regretfully, "If you don't want it, I'll buy it. Maybe, as you said, the side without the 'pine flower' will turn out to have jade."

With that, Zhou Ming walked toward the cutting machine. Lin Muqing hurriedly grabbed his arm, "Zhou Ming, are you crazy?"

Zhou Ming turned back, gently patting Lin Muqing's hand, "Don't worry, Muqing, I know what I'm doing."

Zhou Ming's confidence didn't come out of nowhere. This stone betting scenario had played out exactly as described in a biography he read. In it, the first person to buy the rough stone cut the wrong side and found no jade, leaving him disappointed. At that moment, a jewelry tycoon stepped in to bet on the remaining half of the rough. But now that Zhou Ming was here, that tycoon would have to step aside.

Lin Muqing finally let go, and Zhou Ming squeezed through the crowd to the bald man, asking, "Brother, are you still betting on the remaining scrap? If not, would you sell it to me?"

Zhou Ming's voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like a bomb going off in the ears of those around him, instantly igniting everyone's nerves. They looked at Zhou Ming as if he were crazy, with a chorus of sneers erupting.

"Is this young man out of his mind? That's just scrap now, and he still wants to bet? Isn't he just throwing his money away?"

"Exactly! Stone betting only works with rough stones that have betting potential. This is just useless scrap; what's the point?"

"He must be from the mainland. Mainland people are just disgusting. They get excited over saving a few pennies and now think they can buy scrap cheap and find jade. But they don't realize that if there were any chance of finding jade, no one would sell it to him. They're just stupid and greedy!"

"Totally. Mainland people are ignorant and greedy!"

Ignoring the crowd's hostile remarks, Zhou Ming continued to ask the bald man, "So, what's it going to be? Will you sell it or not?"

The bald man thought for a moment and then held up two fingers, "I bought this rough for 50,000 Hong Kong dollars. Now, with half cut, if you offer 20,000, I'll sell it to you."

Zhou Ming laughed, "You're really insatiable, aren't you? You want 20,000 for this worthless scrap? Let me tell you, I'm from the mainland, and I don't have much money. I only have 6,000 Hong Kong dollars on me. If you want to sell, I'll buy it; if not, take this scrap home and use it as decoration."

The bald man gritted his teeth, "Alright, I'll sell!"

"Deal!" Zhou Ming's lips curled into a slight smile. He knew the bald man couldn't afford not to sell; selling it would at least recoup some money, but not selling would mean a total loss.

Zhou Ming then asked some people nearby to bear witness as he handed 6,000 Hong Kong dollars to the bald man, officially buying the scrap and asking the jade shop staff, "I'd like to cut this stone here too. If I find jade, will you buy it?"

The staff nodded, "We will. But if there's no jade, we'll charge a 100 Hong Kong dollar cutting fee."

"No problem," Zhou Ming agreed.

After settling things with the jade shop, the staff cleaned up the cutting machine and placed the scrap Zhou Ming had purchased on it.

"Come quickly! A mainlander just bought some scrap and is going to cut it open!"

The news spread quickly among the gamblers, and a crowd soon gathered around Zhou Ming, pointing and whispering.

"That mainlander must've been tricked. He spent 6,000 Hong Kong dollars on a worthless piece of scrap; he might as well have picked up a stone from the street and cut that!"

"You're wrong; no one tricked him. The mainlander is just stupid, greedy for a bargain, thinking he can find jade in a piece of scrap!"

"Yeah, those mainlanders are all like that, always trying to get something for nothing, dreaming of pies falling from the sky. I wonder what his reaction will be when he realizes he spent 6,000 Hong Kong dollars on an ordinary stone."

"What reaction? He'll probably throw a tantrum and roll on the ground! Do you expect a mainlander to take it like a man?"

These mocking comments reached Lin Muqing's ears, making her uncomfortable. During her time in Hong Kong, she had become painfully aware of the strong prejudice locals held against mainlanders. She felt that no matter how much she wanted to defend Zhou Ming, it would be pointless.

Zhou Ming understood Lin Muqing's feelings and turned to her with a smile, "Don't worry. I just hope that when I reveal the jade, they don't throw tantrums and try to weasel out of paying me."

Zhou Ming's words sparked another wave

 of laughter from the crowd, with many people exclaiming, "He's crazy! Does he really think he'll find jade in that worthless scrap?"

Ignoring the jeers, Zhou Ming stood calmly in front of the cutting machine, watching the jade shop staff as they began cutting the scrap.

Soon, the sharp blade reached the scrap, and everyone in the crowd held their breath. Although most believed that Zhou Ming's 6,000 Hong Kong dollars were wasted, a small glimmer of hope remained in their hearts that a miracle might happen, allowing them to witness a truly astonishing stone betting success.

As the blade advanced, a faint green color emerged from the scrap. The jade shop staff exclaimed in surprise, "It's green!"

The crowd erupted in shock.