I went down first. This place is not peaceful, and any sudden incident could happen. Although Bo Gang spoke eloquently, who knew if it was a trap.
Brother Qing had arranged personnel on the periphery, but we still had to be careful if there was any trickery.
After all, Bo Gang was our mortal enemy, an opponent who wished for our death.
If they took us hostage and extorted money, we would be helpless right now.
Anything could happen in this land.
Bo Gang, dressed in a military uniform, came out of the wooden house. He wore dark sunglasses and saw me, saying, "Did you bring the money?"
I said, "I said I'd see the goods first. We can trade in Zhongmian Street. I'll pay the shipping and handling fees, but I don't trust your side."
It was better to say it directly, so as to avoid mutual suspicion.
If we didn't trade here, there would be no one to trick whom. Trading hand to hand in Zhongmian Street was the fairest way.
Bo Gang tapped me with his pipe and said, "In this life, the only one who can make me bow my head is you. Even Ah Qing wouldn't dare to talk to me like this."
I said, "Since it's a transaction, it should be fair. It's not about bowing or not. I think General Bo Gang understands better than me. Where is the raw stone? Take me to see it?"
Bo Gang waved his hand, and a middle-aged military officer came out from inside, followed by a soldier. They led us to another wooden house.
Da Kui was by my side, walking with me.
This room was large, about thirty to forty square meters, with no doors, just an opening. I thought it was a warehouse for seized items.
A tarpaulin was covering something in the center of the room. The soldier lifted it, revealing stones of various sizes.
These stones seemed to be from different locales, with all sorts of skins and shapes. However, they weren't too large, the biggest being only a few dozen pounds, and none too small, with few under a kilogram. Most were ten to twenty pounds.
I squatted down and looked. Although the locales were mixed, they were all raw stones. The texture and clarity were quite old. Some had exposed interiors due to bumps during transportation, and many were green. This was definitely not intentional, but the result of natural collisions.
I picked up a stone at random and felt the skin. The sand particles were fine, yellow-white sand skin, a material from Dama Kan. It weighed five to six pounds, with a slight amount of snow. This stone might not have heavy color, but its base was definitely good. The clarity was likely to reach ice jade quality.
I estimated that although there weren't the twenty-plus tons Bo Gang mentioned, there probably wasn't that much, but it wouldn't be less than seventeen or eighteen tons.
He didn't understand raw stones, so asking for twenty million wasn't excessive.
However, I couldn't agree too readily, or he would think he was being taken advantage of.
I stood up and said to Bo Gang, who was standing at the entrance, "Look for yourself. Not only are the sizes different, but most of them are indistinguishable from pebbles or raw stones. I'm not taking them back to pave roads. What good are the rest to you?"
I was certain he had no idea of the value of raw stones. If he did, he would have at least found someone knowledgeable to sort them.
I continued, "We load these stones by the truckload in the mining area. The mine owner sells them at half price, basically just covering the shipping cost. You're asking for twenty million, aren't you ripping us off?"
Bo Gang: "Don't give me that crap. I said, as long as it's a raw stone, not a penny less. Otherwise, I guarantee you won't be able to leave the military control zone."
The military control zone he was referring to was calculated from the wooden fence we passed earlier.
Indeed, if he didn't let us go, we couldn't get out.
Even if Da Kui was capable, it wouldn't be enough.
But I was sure he wasn't trying to kill us. Unless we truly refused to give him the money, he would resort to other means. As long as he could get the money, he definitely wouldn't do that.
I said, "We are all here. What good is it for you if we can't leave? Don't always try to scare us with your bandit ways. Let me tell you, we don't fall for that. If you want to do business with us, you have to abide by the rules of business. These rules are not set by me, nor by you, but by all of us. Otherwise, it would harm both parties' interests. If you think it's too low, we can discuss it, instead of using harsh words to escalate the conflict."
He was speechless. After a long pause, he said, "How much are you willing to pay?"
Seeing him bow his head, I knew he was wavering. I said, "I'll cover the transportation and checkpoint fees. You need to assign soldiers to load the trucks carefully without any damage. I'll also pay for this, a total of 100,000 RMB. I'll give you ten million for the raw stones, not a penny more. These stones, I would buy them in the mining area for a maximum of three million, and they would be eager to sell them to me."
Bo Gang's expression turned a bit grim, but it was fleeting. He changed his demeanor and said, "Little brother, to be honest, I also know that this pile of junk stones is not worth that much. I'm just short on cash lately and urgently need a large sum of money. Ten million yuan won't solve the problem. Consider it a loan. Give me another five million, and I'll make it up to you next time there are raw stones."
Since he said that, adding five million wouldn't be impossible, but I still couldn't agree too readily. I said, "Do you know how much five million can do in Ruili? It can buy a residential building. You just ask for it, and a building of ours is gone. That's too easy. Since you've asked, I'll agree on behalf of Brother Bao, but you need to write an IOU, and we'll settle it next time we have raw stones."
Bo Gang was a little reluctant. I looked at him steadily, showing no intention of backing down. He thought for a moment, then had a soldier fetch paper and pen from the house and wrote an IOU in Chinese for me to see. I said, "Keep it for now, and you can hand it over to me when we transact later."
He took back the IOU, then instructed the officer to arrange for vehicles and gather soldiers to load the trucks.
I went back to the car and told Brother Bao the situation. Brother Bao nodded with satisfaction and said, "Once this batch of raw stones is back, sort and mark them quickly. After the transaction is complete, after deducting the principal, you, Lan Ya, and Da Kui will each get a ten percent profit."
Brother Bao is a fair person. Although the raw stones were his personal investment, as long as we put in the effort, he wouldn't pocket it all himself.
Over ten tons, even if sold as rough material, it would at least double. If we had time to open some windows, it would at least double again. Each of us would get millions.
This amount, even today, would be a substantial sum, let alone in the 1990s.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to compare raw stones to "crazy stones."
At this moment, two green trucks drove over, backing up in a line towards the warehouse entrance.
Dozens of soldiers in military uniforms, carrying rifles and with rolled-up sleeves, appeared from somewhere and went to move the stones.
I went over to watch them, instructing them to handle them gently and avoid any collisions.
These soldiers didn't seem to understand. One of them translated excitedly, and then they resumed their work.
Da Kui stood on the other side. He didn't speak, just stood there, like an imposing iron tower, radiating an unspoken authority.