Lan Ya: "Are you crazy? An ordinary pebble, you offer someone eleven thousand, and you call him a friend? I think you're a fool."
I said: "You're right, it really is a fool's stone."
I took it to the master and said: "It's too small to peel, I'll give you a red envelope when it's done."
It was so small, it could only be polished or peeled. If I cut it, it would be ruined with one slice.
The master didn't say anything, took it, and fixed it on the machine.
I didn't pay attention to him. I went to Ang Cai and said, "Let's go see your treasure."
Ang Cai quickly led us upstairs.
Lan Ya and Jing Lei followed me. Jing Lei hadn't said a word. She was probably unhappy about what had just happened.
Her worries happened right under his nose. How could she be happy?
I offered no explanation, nor did I comfort her. This was my life, living with death every day. Fear and worry were useless. All I could do was give my all, without daring to slacken.
Arriving upstairs, Ang Cai opened a cabinet and moved out several raw jade stones for me to examine.
There were five or six stones in the cabinet, mostly pieces weighing twenty to thirty pounds. They were from different mining areas: mountain stones, half-mountain half-water stones, and water stones.
I walked around the raw stones at the table.
I'm a judge of appearance; I don't like things that are particularly ugly or poorly shaped. I prefer symmetrical, rounded stones, or those with little difference between the top and bottom.
I spotted a not-so-large raw stone, a Tamkan water stone, weighing only a few pounds. It was the smallest piece in the pile. Lan Ya muttered again, "What's wrong with you today? You're not looking at all these big raw stones, but specifically picking small ones to gamble on?"
I smiled and said, "Let's go with this one. Who knows, there might be a surprise. Our hot spring resort depends on it."
Lan Ya: "Have you been drinking? You're talking nonsense again."
I said: "I told you you don't understand, and you're still unconvinced. Let's make a bet. If you win, I'll continue to call you senior sister. If I win, you have to call me senior brother. How about it?"
She said: "We have to win both together. If one loses, it doesn't count."
I said, "Deal. Jing Lei, you be the witness. I must drop your senior sister title today!"
Jing Lei smiled and said, "Okay, I'll be the witness!"
Ang Cai understood the stones I had chosen. He gave me a thumbs-up and then helped me carry them downstairs.
This stone weighed five pounds and eight ounces, and it cost eighty thousand.
I asked Jing Lei to pay, then handed it to the master.
He only had one master here. Our small piece was being peeled slowly, so we had to wait.
Tamkan water stones, also called gravel stones, are raw stones submerged at the bottom of rivers. They are oval, round, and smooth, with no sharp edges, indicating they have been transported by river water for a long time. Their texture is fine, their color is generally good, and their skin is thin, making it easy to see the interior. Many beautiful and high-quality jadeite are found in water stones.
This raw stone met all the characteristics of a water stone. According to Lan Ya's way of thinking, it was just another pebble, only larger.
In principle, it really was a pebble, but its intrinsic quality was far superior.
The Houjiang piece from earlier had been peeled. The master rinsed off the powder with water and handed it to me.
I wiped it with a cloth. Lan Ya craned her neck to look. I said, "Senior sister, quickly enjoy this esteemed title. It might be gone forever very soon."
Lan Ya: "Don't be so sure. It might just be a white stone. If you take away my senior sister title, you'd better keep calling me that properly."
I opened my hand and flashed it in front of her eyes, saying, "Half of it is already removed."
In my palm, a piece of crystal clear, vibrant green jade material lay quietly before everyone.
Many people gasped, "It's so beautiful!"
Its only drawback was that it didn't reach imperial green, but it achieved high green with full water content, no impurities, and absolutely no cracks!
Even if sold now, it would be worth millions.
It had increased a hundredfold!
Jing Lei was no longer surprised and watched Lan Ya with a smile.
Lan Ya seemed startled. How could I produce such beautiful jade as if by magic?
I said, "Senior sister, enjoy it a little longer. I'll be taking it all back soon."
Lan Ya: "Don't celebrate too early. It only counts if both stones produce high-quality jade. Ordinary goods don't count."
I said, "Of course. If it were ordinary goods, I wouldn't be able to afford to lose face."
The master asked me how to cut it. I said, "Cut a slice on the shoulder first, make an opening."
I handed the small piece of jade to Jing Lei and said, "This is yours. Two cabochons, and the rest for a pendant. All the metal fittings are yours. I'll formally gift you the finished pieces when they're ready."
Jing Lei took it and put it in her bag. Then she took out two hundred yuan and handed it to the stone cutter.
The slice on the shoulder was very thin and was cut off quickly.
He rinsed it with water and handed it to me.
There was a layer of mist, but I could see it was yellow jade. I was betting on its three colors. Having jade meant it had a foundation.
I said: "Let's peel another slice off the face, I'll bet it produces green."
The master took it without a word, fixed the stone, and began to cut.
When I shone the light on it earlier, the yellow was there, the base was fine, it was just the water content and other colors.
Lan Ya looked at me triumphantly. She couldn't understand raw stones. Seeing the white mist on the cut surface, she thought it was a failure.
I ignored her, letting her revel in it for a while longer before her triumph would fade.
I spent a long time conceiving this book. In 2010, I stayed in Tengchong for several months, and that's when my understanding of jade began.
The jadeite was beautiful, exceedingly so. The lobby of the Shangri-La Hotel where we stayed had a jade carving weighing over a ton, which was truly awe-inspiring and magnificent.
The jade ornaments in the exhibition hall were even more captivating, a feast for the eyes.
It was then that I suddenly became fond of jade. Whenever I had free time, I would visit the jade market, though mostly I just browsed and admired.
Sometimes I would buy a small item or two, just to satisfy my craving.
Jade can be addictive, especially stone gambling. It truly is a case of "one cut to poverty, one cut to wealth, one cut to rags," a scenario that plays out daily in the stone gambling city.
As written in the book, most stones don't yield great surprises. Getting even a little color is considered good, yet people constantly seek the next opportunity, holding onto dreams of striking it rich.
I've written about the experience of struggling in this industry. I hope readers will simply take it as a story. If it can offer any enlightenment or help, I will be content.
The book has been released. I started uploading chapters sequentially from the end of last month, meeting the required upload criteria. From now on, there will be locked chapters. If you feel this book is still worth reading, I hope you'll spend a few thousand coins to support the author. I didn't know writing a book was such arduous work until now. It's not only mentally draining but also involves daily updates and immense pressure.
I once missed the last high-speed train of the day because I was writing, forcing me to cancel my ticket and reschedule for the next day. This earned me ridicule for a long time, with people saying I had become a bookworm.
Sitting in the waiting room, I didn't hear the boarding announcement and only realized the train was gone when it was too late.
There are many other interesting incidents during the writing process that I will share gradually. In short, I hope you will support the author and leave more reviews. Your support is my only motivation to keep writing.