I said, "Cut a section at the shoulder, just the skin, don't touch the flesh."
As Master Zhang took the stone to cut, Brother Qing walked over and asked me, "How is it? Can we get anything out of it?"
I replied, "I'm just guessing. If it's wrong, we'll open another one."
Brother Qing said, "Even your guesses are better than mine. I don't even know how to guess."
I smiled and said, "Brother Qing has seen all sorts of rough stones. You're just joking with us. Just don't blame me if I misjudge it later."
Brother Qing: "It's just gambling for fun, how could I blame you."
Actually, I knew Brother Qing letting me gamble wasn't just for fun. He was testing my eyesight, seeing if I had any real skill.
He just hadn't said it out loud.
If I was truly just guessing, that large stone might not have been a miss, and it might have contained something.
Then he would have every reason to cut it open.
I could see the doubt in his eyes regarding that giant stone. It wasn't just about profit, but also partly for himself. After all, Brother Bao had bet a hundred million, only to gamble out a piece of limestone. He didn't want to get a reputation for setting a trap for Brother Bao.
Even if it yielded something of low value, as a large decorative piece, it wouldn't require much attention to detail or color.
However, at the moment, there was nothing.
Of course, besides the piece that was cut out.
If he insisted on cutting it open, the one who would be embarrassed wouldn't be him, but us.
We had to dissuade him from this idea in the next few days, to make him completely give up any thought of cutting it.
The only way to stop him from worrying about this stone was to make it disappear.
But who would be interested in such a large piece of waste material? To haul it away as building material?
I suddenly thought of the farmland we had purchased. We could completely move it there. However, we couldn't be involved in this; we had to find an unrelated person to take it and then haul it away.
At this moment, Wen Siqiang came in, having changed into new clothes. Although his walk was still not natural, he looked much more energetic.
I told him, "Just follow me. Don't worry about the site matters."
He nodded, greeted Brother Qing and Brother Bao, and Brother Bao even asked about his injury with concern. He said it was nothing serious and he could work.
Master Zhang's machine stopped, and Wen Siqiang quickly went to get the polished stone from the machine.
I took it. He had polished an area about the size of a fingernail. It had color, but the mist was still very heavy, obscuring what was inside.
I shone a light on it. The fluorescence was quite strong. From this, it seemed like a bright green was certain, but it still required gambling, gambling whether there would be cottony inclusions or impurities inside.
If it was mixed with other colors, it wouldn't be pure green. Even with green, it would be useless.
Rough stones themselves are a type of mineral. The presence of iron or other metallic tissues inside would present different colors. These were all variables. Based on this small window alone, no conclusion could be drawn.
However, even with just this small window, the value of this material had doubled. It would be worth twenty thousand, and someone would still gamble on it.
Brother Qing asked, "How is it? Any hope?"
I said, "I can't see the texture or clarity, but there's definitely color. However, it still needs to be cut."
Brother Qing took it with interest, imitating me, and shone his light on it. After looking for a long time, he handed it back to me and said, "Where did you see the color? I only see a chaotic mess."
I smiled and said, "Although the skin of 'Muna' rough is thin, mist can easily form under the skin. I only just polished the outer skin. What you're seeing is this layer of mist; it's normal not to see the color."
Brother Qing: "It's so troublesome. Wouldn't it be seen if it was opened directly?"
I said, "Cutting it directly is certainly good, but the fun of gambling on stones is in the process. Once it's opened, it's no longer interesting. You must have played Baccarat. Do you open the card directly, or do you reveal a little bit first?"
Brother Qing nodded: "It really is like that. It seems gambling is all interconnected!"
After saying that, he laughed heartily.
I handed the stone to Wen Siqiang and said, "Ask Master Zhang to cut a slice where it was polished. I bet it's a positive bright green. Brother Qing, are you in?"
Brother Qing: "Positive bright green, meaning high green, right? How come I can't see it?"
I said, "That's why it's called gambling. If you can see it, it's already a finished piece, just like what we saw earlier. Then there's no need to gamble, and we can just hand it over to the craftsman for processing."
Brother Qing: "I don't dare to bet. I can't see any green inside at all."
I said, "If Brother Qing doesn't gamble, then I'll gamble boldly. Positive bright green with three parts water. If I win, a pair of cabochons, a pair of pendants, and a pair of bracelets. Each piece will be worth over a hundred thousand. If the base is good, each piece could be worth fifty thousand."
Brother Qing: "Alright! If you win, I'll give the masters red envelopes!"
Brother Qing had his subordinate place ten thousand cash on the table, looking at me, implying that if I won, this money would go to Master Zhang and the others.
I felt immense pressure. I had boasted earlier, and if I wasn't right, with the money laid out like this, Master Zhang and the others wouldn't get it, and I would be greatly embarrassed.
Brother Bao watched me with a slight, sly smile, likely thinking, "This kid who hasn't even grown a proper beard, playing with Brother Qing, he'll be played like a fiddle."
Just then, Sister Xiang and her group also came over. Seeing that we were engaged in a game of wits, they quickly came to ask Brother Qing what was happening.
Brother Qing said, "Brother Hua is gambling on a piece of positive bright green for you. Soon, a master craftsman will be making bracelets for you."
When Sister Xiang heard this, she puffed out her chest and ran over, throwing her arms around me and kissing me on the cheek. I was so flustered that I looked nervously at Brother Qing. Brother Qing smiled and said, "Sister Xiang doesn't kiss just anyone. This kiss comes with a hefty price. You have to promise to win the gamble, or you'll have to find a finished piece to exchange for it."
Master Zhang's finished pieces started from over three million. If I had to exchange one, Sister Xiang would have to choose, and it could easily exceed ten million.
It seemed that my casual remark had already cost me a fortune.
I felt sweat beading on my forehead, my palms damp, and likely my forehead too. But I dared not wipe it, lest they see my nervousness and say something.
Master Zhang secured the machine, and instantly a sharp sound echoed, sparks flying.
This material had a very old texture, making it difficult to cut.
Cutting was different from polishing. Although both used a saw blade, polishing only removed the outer skin, while cutting had to go into the flesh, slicing off a piece.
Wen Siqiang, perhaps sensing my nervousness, lit a cigarette and handed it to me.
I didn't smoke much; I only smoked when I was nervous.
I took a deep drag, and felt much better.
Brother Qing and Brother Bao continued their conversation, as if this had nothing to do with them. Only Sister Xiang stood close to me, waiting for me to hand her the bracelets, pendants, and cabochons.
I stood there, not daring to move. The time it took to cut this small slice was only a few minutes, yet I felt as if the whole world had stopped. It felt incredibly, endlessly long.
The machine continued to hum. For the first time, I felt this sound was so piercing, as if it were pushing me into an abyss.