"Don't worry yet," I said, "if we can't make it work, we'll create a diversion. We'll let him examine the uncut stone first, then have someone cooperate with me to gamble on a rough stone outside. We'll let him make some money, and then we'll figure out other ways."
Brother Bao: "That's all we can do. When he looks at one stone, we'll say it's been acquired by someone else. We'll see how he reacts and adapt accordingly."
We didn't dare to delay and quickly returned to the restaurant.
Brother Qing: "The two young men are finally back. What, shall we start the feast?"
Brother Bao, blushing, said: "Sorry, Brother Qing, come, come, let me toast Big Brother and Big Sister first to apologize!"
We quickly raised our glasses and cooperated with Brother Bao to toast.
Sister Xiang gave me that killer look again. My hand trembled, and I almost spilled my drink. I quickly tilted my head back and drank it down in one go.
This time it was high-proof liquor. As it went down my throat, it felt like fire, burning all the way to my stomach.
Brother Bao toasted three times, all in one gulp.
I could barely handle one cup. After three cups, my head felt like it wasn't my own.
The women were drinking rice wine, which was like rice soup. Seeing them drink it without any problem, I guessed it wasn't very strong.
Even if the alcohol content was high, I had to tough it out. The heavy responsibility for the afternoon rested on my shoulders. Whether the act succeeded or failed depended entirely on me.
Brother Bao was only in charge of pouring drinks. He could get drunk, but I couldn't.
I tried hard to stay sober, but the alcohol in my stomach was playing tricks. Jing Lei saw I was uncomfortable and quietly said: "You can go to the restroom and throw it up. It hasn't been absorbed yet, so throwing it up will be fine."
As soon as I heard that, I got up and ran to the restroom.
I heard Brother Bao say: "Hua Zi hasn't drunk baijiu before, he's probably had enough."
I didn't care, and quickly vomited everything.
After I dealt with that, I rinsed my mouth at the faucet, tidied myself up, and then returned to the table.
I sat down and said to Brother Qing: "I really can't drink this stuff. I won't dare to drink it again next time."
Brother Qing: "You don't understand baijiu. You threw up this time, and your popularity will increase by thirty percent. If you drink and throw up again, it will increase by another thirty percent. In no time, you'll surpass us."
I said: "No way. I can't even stand the smell now, how can it increase? I definitely can't drink it."
Brother Qing: "Trust me, it will definitely increase."
I said with a wry smile: "It would be more like the stones increasing. As for popularity, forget it."
Brother Qing: "You can't stop talking about your business. We'll see what you do this afternoon."
I said: "Even immortals can't predict the value of jade, let alone a rough stone with no signs of water or color. Winning or losing depends entirely on luck."
Brother Qing: "We're just playing around, don't feel pressured."
I nodded: "Since you say that, Brother Qing, I feel much more relaxed. You mentioned earlier that you were short on money, which put a lot of pressure on me. I was thinking of finding a stone to gamble on for you in Zhongmian Street. If we win, it might alleviate your financial strain."
Brother Qing: "Oh, you're confident?"
I said: "I know a shop run by an old Burmese man in Zhongmian Street. He has a batch of goods from the public auction, and the chance of finding high-quality pieces is very high. It's worth a gamble."
Brother Qing: "That's great. We'll examine this stone first this afternoon, let them proceed, and then we'll go to Zhongmian Street."
So, the diversion failed. We had to operate on two fronts.
This Brother Qing is not easy to fool.
By this time, the meal was nearing its end. Everyone had a final drink, and then we got up to go to the warehouse.
Da Kui had already arranged for the forklift and cutting machine, waiting for me to direct the stones.
As soon as Brother Qing entered, he saw there was only one stone. He asked: "I remember there were two, why is there only one left?"
He said it casually, as if it were unintentional.
Although he said it casually, it felt like a sharp sword piercing Brother Bao's heart.
Brother Bao: "We encountered a Northerner at the public auction this time. He wanted it since we were leaving the border and kept pestering us to let him have one. I thought it was just a rough stone anyway, and he offered a good price, so I let him have it."
Brother Bao told a lie. Brother Qing frowned, looking somewhat incredulous, and asked: "How much did he pay?"
Brother Bao: "Half of it, one million."
Brother Qing: "One million for a rough stone? Is he crazy?"
Brother Bao said: "After all, it's a jade rough stone. Its hardness is sufficient, and it can still show some potential in carving large pieces. If the craftsmanship is excellent and combined with a good design, it's worth it as an artwork."
What Brother Bao said wasn't entirely wrong, but it wasn't easy to fool Brother Qing. He was naturally suspicious, and if there was a flaw, it wouldn't be a trivial matter.
Brother Bao knew this better than us.
At this moment, the large stone had been moved to the center of the warehouse. Several workers were tying thick ropes to secure it.
We walked closer. I stepped on a ladder and shone the flashlight at the opened window again. The light penetrating the opening showed a strong fluorescence reaction. This stone, no matter how you looked at it, should have potential. Perhaps it was just too big. At the time, they made several cuts but couldn't find anything, and everyone lost patience and gave up.
I got down and looked at the stone. I said to the mechanic operating the machine: "Just make one cut right through the center of the opening, split it in half, one cut to decide the winner."
The mechanic nodded, started the machine, and I dipped a brush in ink and drew a black line where the cut should be. The mechanic drove the machine over, aligned the cutting head with the black line, and instantly sparks flew.
This stone was hard enough, and its texture was very old. As long as quality pieces were produced, it would be no mistake.
Seeing the cut made, I called Ang Ji and asked if he was at his shop. We were going over to look at stones.
Ang Ji happily said he was there and that a batch of good material had just arrived, urging me to come quickly.
I said to Brother Qing and Brother Bao: "It'll take a while here. Let's go pick out a couple of good pieces and come back to check."
Brother Bao quickly asked Da Kui to prepare a car. Lan Ya, Jing Lei, and I got into one car and headed to Zhongmian Street.
Ang Ji and his brother were standing at the entrance. They saw my car from afar and waved at us.
Brother Bao and Brother Qing got out of the car and didn't come forward, following behind us.
"Where are the good stones? Bring them out," I said.
Ang Cai handed me a cigarette and pointed to several sacks nearby, saying: "You've come at just the right time. I just got home when your call came. This is the inventory from my friend. They are all Mu Na old materials dug out by hand decades ago. My friends have good karma, so let's test my eyesight."
I have a special affection for Mu Na material. It has a high yield of quality stones and old texture. Today, I really came to the right place.
Ang Ji had already untied a sack and laboriously poured the stones onto the ground.
There were three sacks in total, and Ang Ji poured them all onto the ground without leaving any behind.
The rough stones were of various shapes, typical of Mu Na material, mostly with white and yellow skin and wax.
I estimated my eyes were now shining with green light. They were so beautiful! I dared say that in the entire Zhongmian Street, the old street, there wouldn't be so many high-quality Mu Na materials appearing at once!
Ang Ji looked at me somewhat smugly, implying, "Didn't I tell you?"