Xiao Hong came down first. Seeing me drinking, she came over. I asked if she wanted a drink, and she nodded. I asked why she came down so quickly. She said the guest she was accompanying had an emergency and left, so she came down.
Xiao Hong took a sip of wine. Unlike me, she didn't wince but seemed to enjoy it. At that moment, a Myanmar man approached with a glass and said to Xiao Hong, "May I have a dance with you?"
The Myanmar man's Chinese wasn't perfect, but understandable.
Xiao Hong gave him a disgusted look and said curtly, "Don't you see I have a friend? Go away."
The Myanmar man ignored me, probably thinking I was just a kid and not taking me seriously.
He said, "Dance, tip."
Xiao Hong said, "Can't you understand me telling you to go away? And you're talking about tips! Go back to your mother!"
I didn't know why Xiao Hong was so angry. Perhaps she had been humiliated by that Myanmar man yesterday, and now she disliked all Myanmar men.
I wanted to advise Xiao Hong. Inviting someone to dance is normal here. Xiao Hong was being a bit too extreme.
Before I could say anything, Xiao Hong pulled me off the high stool and dragged me away.
The Myanmar man behind us was so angry he rolled his eyes and mumbled something unintelligible. Judging by his tone, it certainly wasn't anything good.
We sat on the chairs in the back. I said to her, "Why are you so angry? If you don't want to dance, you don't have to. There's no need to lose your temper."
She said, "I feel disgusted when I see these dark-skinned Myanmar men. What kind of people are they? They come here acting like big shots. Screw them!"
I clinked my glass with hers. "Forget it, don't be angry. There are many Myanmar people here anyway, you can't avoid seeing them. Like you said, we're here for money. For the sake of money, suppress your anger."
Xiao Hong said, "These Myanmar men loitering in bars are all looking for cheap thrills. During a dance, they not only touch you inappropriately but also want to take you out for a room. Afterward, these people don't play by the rules. Many girls are taken advantage of and even beaten, yet they dare not speak out. These people have weapons. Getting beaten is the least of it. They can be tied up and thrown into the river, and by tomorrow, they'll be floating to Myanmar, or perhaps eaten by crocodiles before they even get there, leaving nothing but bones."
I gasped. I never realized that beneath the seemingly lively scene, there were so many undercurrents.
No wonder she showed no respect to that Myanmar man. People like that shouldn't be treated kindly. I was the one who didn't understand the situation and was trying to mediate earlier.
Just then, the Myanmar man Xiao Hong had scolded earlier came back, holding a stone in his hand. He held it up to Xiao Hong and said, "Dance with me, and I'll give you a raw stone."
I glanced at the stone in his hand. It was about the size of my palm, twenty centimeters long, sixteen or seventeen centimeters wide, and ten centimeters thick. It was flat and probably weighed a kilogram. Its skin was dark and shiny, indicating it was from old Pa Gkan. It was a completely covered rough stone, and if it yielded good material, it would be high-grade. However, the probability of getting good material was also high, making it very risky. My heart moved. I pulled Xiao Hong behind me and said to him, "She doesn't want to dance with you, but how much is your stone? I might buy it if the price is right."
The Myanmar man looked at me, still with the condescending gaze of someone looking at a child. He mumbled something in his language before saying in Chinese, "Are you old enough to buy stones? I have plenty of stones, but I won't sell them. I just want to dance!"
I said, "Can't you understand human language? She's not feeling well today and doesn't want to dance. If you want to sell it, let's talk. Let's be friends. Aren't you here for business? Are you afraid of having too much money?"
I figured he didn't have much money, or he wouldn't be playing with a stone.
Indeed, he seemed somewhat tempted and asked hesitantly, "Do you really want the stone?"
I said, "Let me see the material first, then you can give me a price, and I can decide whether to buy it."
He handed me the stone. I touched its grainy surface; it was a bit rough and heavy in my hand. It was definitely old material, but I couldn't see the details, so judging the quality and color was difficult. It was a pure gamble. As long as it had some luster, I wouldn't lose money. If he quoted a reasonable price, I'd consider it a pastime; if it was too high, it wouldn't be worth it.
I handed it back to him and asked, "What's your price?"
He was surprised that I was actually interested. He said, "This stone is very likely ice jade. I haven't opened it yet. I was planning to use it to get acquainted with beautiful girls. If I give it to you, I won't have it anymore."
What kind of logic is this? Using a stone to trick young girls, calling it high-grade ice jade or green jade to get them into bed? This Myanmar man is too amusing.
I said, "You need money to get acquainted with girls, do you understand? Stones are useless. Try it, see how many dare to take a stone and walk away with you?"
He scratched his head and said sheepishly, "Yes, I've asked several, but none."
I said, "That's obvious. Name your price. If it's reasonable, sell it to me. Money is king, you know?"
He said, "One thousand. I weighed this stone; it's 1.2 kilograms. One thousand is not too much for you. In a shop, it would be at least two thousand."
Last time, at my master's place, that gambler from out of town also gambled on a thousand-yuan material. It was indeed smaller than this one, at least by a third. However, that one was picked by him; this one was pure luck.
I said, "Eight hundred. Not a penny more. I'll accept it even if it's just granite."
The Myanmar man said, "How is that possible? My stones are all from old mining areas. This one I picked out to give to a girl. How could it be granite?"
I said, "This is all I'm offering. If you're reluctant, forget it. The lighting here is so dim, I can't see anything clearly. I'm not going to just throw money away."
The Myanmar man was a bit reluctant, but he handed it over. It seemed he was really in need of money.
I counted out eight hundred yuan for him and said, "If you want to find someone to dance with, go over there. There's a row of girls sitting on chairs over there. Go ask them to dance."
He looked at Xiao Hong helplessly and left somewhat dejectedly.
Xiao Hong said, "Hua Zi, you spent eight hundred yuan on a broken stone. Are you crazy?"
I said, "Gambling on stones, gambling on stones, it's all about gambling. If it were a finished product, it wouldn't be sold to you for tens or hundreds of thousands. Of course, it might just be granite. This is gambling on stones, betting on risk and luck."
Xiao Hong took the stone from my hand and examined it from all sides. In her eyes, it was just an incredibly ugly stone. She couldn't see how it was worth so much money.
I put the stone in my backpack. At that moment, the manager came over and called Xiao Hong for her shift.
Tomorrow, I need to go to the hardware store to buy a grinder to verify if this rough stone I gambled on has any value.
I still have a few thousand yuan on hand. I can go out and try my luck during the day.
The Myanmar man who had left earlier came back and sat next to me, saying, "Little brother, I have a shop in the China-Myanmar Street. If you're interested, you can come and visit."
Perhaps seeing that I bought his stone changed his impression of me, and his attitude changed.
I promised Sister Zhang that I would go gambling for stones. Why not take her to China-Myanmar Street? There are many stones there. Most of the stones in the hands of Myanmar men come from old mining areas, and they are very risky to gamble on, worth exploring.