Chapter 406: Chapter 372: Jackpot
"Sir, you’re here again?" The stone cutter recognized Lin Miao and Sun Youwei; they had come with Dongguo Sun several times before to have stones cut.
Except for one loss, they had made profits each time. Dongguo Sun was already considered the classic example of "making a fortune from a small investment" tonight.
From an initial capital of a thousand taels of silver, he now owns several tens of thousands; the money he’s earned is truly astonishing.
Jade gambling is all about the thrill.
Like Dongguo Sun, some win big, while others lose tens of thousands in one go. It’s all about accepting the gamble.
"Master, please help open this stone." Lin Miao handed over the stone selected by Sun Youwei, paying the silver for the cutting.
The master agreed, then took the stone from Lin Miao’s hand. "How would you like it cut, sir?"
"Master, please handle it as you see fit. We’re not particularly knowledgeable, just buying one for fun," Lin Miao laughed. To him, twelve hundred taels wasn’t a significant amount of money; at worst, they wouldn’t earn tonight what they made from Dongguo Sun.
The master examined it carefully and found a suitable spot before making a single cut.
There was already a small window opened; the green inside looked promising. Even with just a bit of green, it was not a complete loss. A piece for one or two rings would still be worth a few taels of silver.
"Wow, this is icy jadeite, such a beautiful cut, without a flaw..."
Previously, due to Dongguo Sun’s miracle, everyone was deeply interested in the stone material that Lin Miao and Sun Youwei brought. As soon as they saw the stunning green revealed by the water wash, they exclaimed in awe.
"Ten thousand taels, I’ll take it!"
"Such fine icy jadeite, no less impressive than glass-like jade, and without flaws. It’s worth at least twenty thousand taels, though a bracelet can’t be made from it, which would have been more expensive..." an expert commented.
This was a definite jackpot!
Sun Youwei’s eyebrows arched with excitement. Her first jade gamble resulted in such a tremendous increase—twelve hundred taels turned into twenty thousand taels. No wonder many people are obsessed with this thrilling feeling of sudden wealth.
Of course, there must be interested buyers for jade to hold its value.
"Sir, are you selling this piece? If you are, we can discuss the price," a jade merchant approached to inquire.
"And me, I’m also interested; the price is negotiable."
"This is our first success in jade gambling. We have no plans to sell; we’ll keep it for personal use." Lin Miao refused. Such a good omen, and since it was the first material his senior sister bought in a gamble, he wouldn’t sell it for any price.
Hearing this, Sun Youwei didn’t oppose the idea. Winning was enough.
"Senior sister, let’s keep half, and with the other half, we could make two ring pieces and a jade plaque. What do you think?"
"Great, excellent."
"Sir, if you want something made, we have skilled carvers here who can assist you without overcharging," the stone cutter offered.
"No need, I’ll do it myself." Lin Miao laughed, gently refusing. He actually wanted to personally make some small ornaments out of this jade for Sun Youwei.
"Junior brother, you know how to carve?"
"Senior sister, don’t you remember, the jade plaque I gave you was made by me." Lin Miao replied.
"You made it yourself, I thought you bought it," Sun Youwei said, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart.
"Want to continue playing?"
"No, we just wanted to experience it, not really planning to get rich from this." Sun Youwei shook her head; she was easily satisfied.
"Alright." Lin Miao didn’t really want to buy more either; the thrill was sufficient, and it was important to maintain control.
"Lin, Lin, quickly lend me twenty thousand taels. I want to buy a big one; if I win, my capital for tonight will be complete!" Dongguo Sun hurriedly approached.
"Twenty thousand taels, did you buy something wrong?"
"No, I currently have about a hundred thousand taels, but the stone is large; they priced it at one hundred fifty thousand taels. I bargained it down to one hundred twenty thousand, but I’m still short by twenty thousand, so I can only borrow from you!"
"Are you sure?"
"You know my capability. Even if I lose once, I can still repay the money." Dongguo Sun responded eagerly. "Quickly, the raw stone auction is about to start."
"You still want to participate in the raw stone auction?"
"Not necessarily, if I earn enough this time, then I won’t..." Dongguo Sun laughed awkwardly.
"Fine, I can lend you the money..." Lin Miao took out twenty one-hundred-tael banknotes, but before he could finish speaking, Dongguo Sun snatched them away.
When Dongguo Sun brought back an original stone weighing one and a half tons, Lin Miao was somewhat stunned.
Such a huge item, like a massive egg, although irregularly shaped. The skin looked like it was dug from an old pit. Many people must have examined this piece, but no one dared to say there was valuable material inside, likely because it’s so large, with a blue skin and signs of sanding without revealing any color. Even after scraping off a layer, it hasn’t shown any color. This stone is famous, with many viewers but few buyers, not even the experienced dare to spend, especially at a price of one hundred twenty thousand taels, a sum many may never earn in a lifetime.
If those one hundred twenty thousand taels were spent on worthlessness, losing the business or going bankrupt would be devastating.
It was assumed the stone would be returned to storage when Dongguo Sun appeared, circling the stone, touching every part. Finally, he started negotiating the price.
The original price was one hundred fifty thousand taels, talked down to one hundred twenty thousand, but they wouldn’t drop any further, which is when Dongguo Sun approached Lin Miao for a loan.
Open!
With bravado, Dongguo Sun laid the stone down, and with a wave of his hand paid the cutting fee.
Actually, his hands were slightly trembling. Spending one hundred twenty thousand taels—if he bought a worthless stone, he would be the laughingstock of the night and unable to bid for what he wanted.
Once that thing appears, the base price is a million taels of silver.
The stone-cutting master sweated slightly; if it turns out well, his fame will soar, and he won’t have to worry about business in the future.
If not, his business will plummet as well; this kind of thing happens a lot. In short, stone gambling and stone cutting are very mystical.
With one cut, a huge piece was removed from the top, weighing about seventy to eighty pounds.
The gray cross-section revealed nothing.
Onlookers, witnessing this, couldn’t help but exclaim "Oh no," clearly quite regretful about the result.
Again!
Another cut, still nothing. This time, there wasn’t even a trace of jade inside. Not just Dongguo Sun, but the spectators felt a sinking sensation.
This time, it’s likely a loss with nothing to show for it.
Dongguo Sun also fiercely tugged his beard and gritted his teeth; there’s still two-thirds left.
Continue cutting.
Cut in the middle!
This cut took quite a long time, about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. One stone-cutting master wasn’t enough; two masters had to work together.
Finally, the massive raw stone was split in half from the middle.
The crowd craned their necks, peering into the cross-section of the stone. Indeed, there was a bit of jade, but it was floral, bean-green in color, and not extending much, about the size of a washbasin. Estimated, it could be made into bracelets and pendants, worth at most a few hundred taels of silver.
Did it fail?
Seeing this scene, Dongguo Sun’s face turned pale, and sweat rolled down his forehead. If this gamble was lost, not only would he lose everything, he’d also owe Lin Miao twenty-one thousand taels of silver.
The two stone-cutting masters also looked unpleasant; such a valuable piece got wasted in their hands, impacting their future business significantly.
Still continue cutting?
The five discarded pieces were all bigger than the smaller raw stones from earlier tonight, but given the outcome, continuing might just mean greater disappointment.
Dongguo Sun stepped forward, feeling the two cut stones with his hands, examining every line under the light, until his hands trembled a little.
Apparently, he misjudged this time, a twelve thousand tael stone yielding only a few hundred taels, with an additional debt of twenty-one thousand taels.
That’s the nature of stone gambling; when luck is good, one gains with a cut, but when it’s bad, a single move can lose it all.
Lin Miao stood in the crowd, unsure how to help, knowing that only Dongguo Sun could decide for himself now.
Cut!
At this point, can it get worse than it already is?
Hearing Dongguo Sun’s decision, the two stone-cutting masters hesitated, with one outright refusing, even forfeiting the pre-agreed payment.
Yet the initial stone-cutting master gritted his teeth, but couldn’t find a partner after asking around.
"Mr. Lin, lend a hand?" Dongguo Sun pleaded with Lin Miao.
"Why don’t you do it yourself?"
"Just borrowing your luck!" Dongguo Sun explained.
Lin Miao, a bit annoyed, said, "Are you sure?"
Dongguo Sun nodded.
Lin Miao, holding Sun Youwei’s hand, stepped forward. The master briefly explained how to use the tools, and told Lin Miao he just needed to assist, while the master did the hard work.
After a brief familiarization, Lin Miao started assisting with sawing the largest stone.
At that moment, more people gathered, eager to watch the spectacle, especially since such a big piece already seemed a failure, yet the person involved refused to admit defeat, insisting on continuing. This wasn’t just stubbornness!
Still, everyone hoped for a good outcome, that the cut might at least recoup some of Dongguo Sun’s losses.
Unfortunately, after the cut, Lin Miao could clearly tell there was nothing.
It was clear that this stone had nothing.
Dongguo Sun’s face fell instantly, the night’s efforts in vain, no capital left to turn things around.
"Sir, should we continue cutting this piece?"
Dongguo Sun was about to refuse when Lin Miao’s hand touched the half stone, suddenly sensing a concentrated green mass inside, more intense than any jade he’d encountered before, with a much larger volume too.
"Wait, I’ll cut this one myself," Lin Miao suddenly raised his hand, lightly running a finger over it.
A small corner dropped off, revealing a vibrant green light dazzling everyone’s eyes.
Ice jade type!
Everyone, witnessing this, was so stunned they were practically petrified.
Unbelievable, it hit the jackpot!
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