Fortunately, Xiaohong's work was arranged properly, and she could support herself, which put my mind at ease.
The car drove to Zhongmian Street. There were still people at Master's shop picking stones, but no one was cutting them. Master was sitting by the machine, smoking.
I handed him the two packs of cigarettes I bought on the way. Seeing me, he said happily, "You brat, you've finally come to see me. What's up, got a girlfriend after a few days apart?"
Perhaps he saw us holding hands just now, and he teased us.
I smiled and said to him, "This is President Zhang from Liduo Jewelry Mall, my friend."
Master: "Ah! I know Liduo. So President Zhang is a young lady, nice to meet you, nice to meet you!"
Jinglei nodded to him, as if to say hello.
Jinglei wasn't wearing professional attire, but was dressed casually. She looked about my age, at most a university student.
I said, "I came to ask you something. I opened a large stone from an old Burmese seller. Half of it yielded over a ton of glutinous ice with floating flowers. The other half was white stone. I originally thought it was granite, but when I shone a light on it, it seemed to absorb the light like hitting glass. When I turned off the flashlight, it appeared milky white, like a layer of milk."
Master pondered for a moment and said, "Are you sure the light was absorbed, and it wasn't glutinous ice?"
I said, "Yes, I'm sure. Glutinous ice jade has a bluish-white appearance. This stone only shows that when it's wet; when it's dry, it's white."
Master: "There's another type of base called white jade, but it's not common. If it's truly as you say, it's likely a white jade similar to soft jade. Although it's not as warm and lustrous as soft jade, it's more transparent due to its good water content, giving it an unusual charm."
I said, "What you said matches all these characteristics, but it's quite thick, and I'll need to slice it to determine its grade. Master, what's the general price for this kind of base?"
Master: "White jade, due to its purity and flawlessness, is suitable for ornaments and decorations, and mostly sells for hundreds of thousands per kilogram. If the base is good, it could even reach millions. You said it was a large stone you gambled on, how much do you estimate you can yield?"
I said, "Probably over a ton. Definitely over a thousand kilograms."
Master nodded: "I only opened a piece of white jade weighing over ten kilograms ten years ago. I sold it to a Hong Kong client for 100,000 per kilogram at the time's market price. Now, if it's the same base, 500,000 is no problem. Your stone is guaranteed to be worth at least 500 million!"
I gasped. Five hundred million, plus the over 100 million from the other piece, that's an astronomical figure. If Brother Qing found out, I estimated he'd eat us alive!
I felt a chill of fear. Fortunately, no one recognized its value at the time. If there had been someone who understood white jade, we would have been in trouble!
However, with such a large piece of material, ordinary merchants wouldn't be able to handle it. Selling it would definitely cause a stir. I truly worried for Brother Bao.
These figures were conservative estimates. The actual yield would likely increase by another one or two hundred million.
I bid farewell to Master. Several people brought stones to be cut, and Master was about to get to work.
Jinglei drove me to the entrance of Da Shijie. She didn't get out, saying that the driver would wait for me downstairs before she finished work. For now, she would let her driver drive me, and we'd sort it out once I got my driver's license.
Brother Bao and Lanya were both there, so I decided to talk to Brother Bao about the stone.
I said, "Brother Bao, I just asked my Master. He told me that the raw stone we opened might be white jade, a type of glutinous ice, with a heavier white color than the glutinous ice we usually see, as if the cotton is evenly distributed within. Compared to Hetian white jade, it lacks warmth and luster but is more transparent. However, both are suitable for ornaments and decorations, symbolizing purity and flawlessness. This type of material is especially popular in Hong Kong, Macau, and overseas. Because it's suitable for large pieces, it's usually traded by the kilogram, with an average price of around 500,000."
Brother Bao's eyes lit up: "Really? Are you sure it's white jade?"
I said, "I told Master about the raw stone's light absorption and its appearance. He's basically confirmed it's a giant piece of white jade!"
Brother Bao: "That's great! This way, the funds for sourcing raw materials and building the market will be secured. We'll still give you both ten percent each, and it will be credited to your accounts when it's sold. But how do we explain this to Brother Qing? I managed to gloss over the last stone, but if this one disappears out of thin air, it might be hard to explain."
Yes, these two large stones couldn't just disappear. Even if they were paved on the road, they would be visible. If they went missing, it would truly be hard to explain.
Brother Bao frowned, unable to come up with a solution.
I said, "Brother Bao, didn't we only carve out a core from the previous stone? We can bring back the unused parts, replace them with other stones, and create a large carving. If it's done well, it might cover up the loss and fool them."
Brother Bao: "That's the only option for now. But Brother Qing isn't that easily fooled. His true nature is definitely not what you see. If Bogang's ruthlessness is just for profit, Brother Qing's ruthlessness wouldn't spare even a life!"
Hearing this, my back broke out in a cold sweat. Although I hadn't seen Brother Qing's other side, I could infer quite a bit from Brother Bao's subservient attitude towards him.
Lanya handed me a glass of water and said, "Let's take it one step at a time. The most important thing right now isn't Brother Qing, but the Crown Prince, Bogang, and how to sell the stones. With such large pieces, we definitely can't sell them in Ruili. It would require people from outside the region to take them, which would cause a huge stir. It would be hard not to let Brother Qing know. So, the key now is who to sell the stones to. Preferably, someone who can quietly take them, so we have a chance to stay out of it."
Lanya was right. We had a lot of troublesome issues. The Crown Prince was racking his brains to deal with us, and Bogang wanted to open a channel for drug transportation into the mainland. And these tons of jade were still in our hands, unable to be converted to cash. All of this was very troubling.
When this raw stone was acquired, several major players in the country were paying close attention. Now, they might be even more interested in knowing the results of opening the raw stone. Therefore, no matter who this stone was sold to, it would create a sensation in the jade industry. Guangdong, Shanghai, Beijing, and even Hong Kong and Macau would all know about it. How could Brother Qing not know?
Even if Brother Bao managed to gloss over it yesterday by saying it was packed for someone, Brother Qing would definitely investigate to find the truth.
I knew that what Brother Bao wanted most was not to become enemies with Brother Qing. He would sacrifice his own interests and property, and try his best to maintain his relationship with Brother Qing, all to avoid falling out with him.
Brother Bao: "Huazi, you need to put in some effort regarding the buyer. Miss Zhang's father has friends in Hong Kong jewelry stores. Ask around later. If it can be sold to Hong Kong, that would be the best choice."
I nodded in agreement. He didn't know that we had actually transacted with Hong Kong in the past few days. I just wasn't too familiar with Mr. Lin, and I didn't know if he was interested in these tons of materials we had.
I took out my phone and asked Jinglei to inquire if Mr. Lin was available for a call.