Lan Ya might not even know the inside story, making us guess wildly.
However, the biggest beneficiary remained Brother Qing. He wanted a twenty percent dry share of Original Stone City. If it operated well, this would be an astronomical figure, and the key was that he wouldn't have to invest a penny.
The roaring of the machine finally stopped. I waited for the workers to move the cut stones and eagerly walked forward.
From a distance, it still looked white, and my heart sank. Could it be solid granite? If so, ten million would truly be wasted.
I did as before and first looked at the piece that had been cut off. It was white, but this time it was white mist, showing a slight color change, with a hint of blue undertones visible. I got up to look at this side. If the color continued, the possibility of a variation was high.
I shone my flashlight at the center. The mist was still heavy, but light could penetrate, and I could see some green veins spreading inward like snakes. This was a good sign, but another cut was needed to remove all the transitional color to see how much it had changed.
As the saying goes, it's better to buy an inch of jade than a foot of rock. A whole piece could be transitional color and not reach the valuable part.
I told the master to cut directly from the large crack, one cut to decide its fate.
The large crack was slightly off-center. This cut would essentially split it in half.
Just then, Brother Bao walked over and asked me, "How is it? Any jade?"
I said, "The skin of this rough stone is too thick. Even a thirty-centimeter cut doesn't show any jade. I'll cut from the middle, one cut to decide its fate."
Brother Bao said, "Good, straightforward."
I nodded and instructed the master to adjust the machine.
The crack wasn't straight up and down, it was slightly angled. I told him to stay as close to the crack as possible, so if there was jade inside, it wouldn't be damaged too much.
Brother Qing and Teng Ji had left at some point. The public auction for the day had ended. Apart from us, everyone else had left the venue.
Lan Ya came over and said she had booked a table at a restaurant outside and suggested we eat first.
The cutting would take at least another hour, so it was the perfect time to go for a meal.
I didn't want to go. This cut was crucial. I wanted to stay and watch.
Brother Bao couldn't persuade me, so he decided to stay with me until this cut was finished.
Because it was a crack, this cut wasn't as difficult and was quickly nearing its end.
I saw the crane driving over, ready to move half of the rough stone aside once the excavator finished cutting.
At this moment, Brother Qing appeared from nowhere, followed by two unfamiliar individuals who looked like his bodyguards, standing on either side.
Teng Ji hadn't come with him, and A Xiang still hadn't appeared.
At this point, the crane began to move the opened half of the stone aside, and then the workers started to wash the cut surface.
The crack didn't go deep, only about a meter before disappearing. However, no miracle occurred. Although it wasn't granite, there was some green, but it was very dry, with almost no clarity or luster. It was considered a failure.
Brother Qing and Brother Bao came over, looked for a long time, and Brother Qing asked me, "It failed?"
I didn't know how to answer. From the cut surface, the green had penetrated. Regardless, it shouldn't have shown this outcome. At least from the current situation, there was no hope.
I said, "Let me take another look."
This was a stone weighing several tons. Even if it was cut in the middle, it couldn't be definitively declared a complete failure, as the two resulting pieces were still enormous.
However, I couldn't make a blind conclusion anymore. It was impossible to determine if another cut would yield jade, so I tacitly accepted that this giant stone had failed.
I sensed that Brother Qing was losing his composure. His earlier nonchalance was a facade. He thought he had victory in his grasp, which is why he could chat and laugh with Teng Ji. Now, after three cuts, it was still a stubborn stone, and his true colors were finally showing.
Over four million could do many things in his hands.
Brother Bao noticed Brother Qing hesitating and said, "Big Brother, if you're not interested in this stone, count me in. I happen to want to create a jade sculpture at the entrance of Original Stone City. Although the stone is a bit dry, the requirements for display pieces aren't high, so it would be useful for me to take it back."
Brother Qing: "How can I do that? If I do this, it would be unfair of me as an elder brother."
Brother Bao: "Not at all. I know your character, Big Brother. Listen to me, let me have this stone. I'll transport it back as is and make two large display pieces to place at the entrance of Original Stone City, making the most of it."
Brother Qing: "Since Ah Bao says so, then I won't transfer money to you. I'll handle the customs declaration and transportation. You just wait to receive the goods in Ruili."
Brother Bao readily agreed, and then everyone left the public auction venue together.
Brother Bao said that tomorrow we would go gamble on rough stones, and buy a batch of goods.
The rough stones at the public auction were far better than those in the Ruili gambling stone shops. Missing such a good opportunity would be regrettable.
While waiting for the cutting, I had already collected that rough stone from the display area. Carrying the stone, I got into Brother Qing's car with Brother Bao and Lan Ya, and he drove us back to the hotel.
Brother Qing did not ride in this car. He bid us farewell and got into a sedan, heading in another direction.
Lan Ya shook her head as she watched Brother Qing's car. I knew what Lan Ya's shake of the head meant. We hadn't misjudged him; he intended to take advantage of Brother Bao. If the stone yielded jade, he would take half. If not, he would renege on the deal, as he never intended to spend money. In the end, Brother Bao would be the one to suffer.
Brother Bao certainly understood this better than us. Looking at his demeanor, it was clear he intended to default. It would be better to confront him directly and allow him to save face.
Brother Qing went along with the flow, even appearing to be the magnanimous one.
Brother Bao's face was ashen in the car, showing no expression.
Although he didn't speak, we knew he was definitely angry but suppressing it, unable to act out.
The next day, after breakfast, we took the hotel's car to the public auction.
Brother Qing did not show up today. He was not interested in gambling stones; he was only interested in money. Yesterday, he said he would attend to his own affairs and would come later after the public auction ended.
However, he had arranged for people to transport the stone, and it was estimated to arrive at the Ruili port by the day after we returned, just in time for us to pick it up.
Yesterday, the Beijing group and the Shanghai group had already snatched up all the visible materials. Today, everyone swarmed towards the rough stones.
Brother Bao said, "We'll bid on any stone you fancy. Try to bid higher to increase our chances."
I nodded. Bidding was a gamble of psychology. To win a particular stone, one had to gauge the other party's mindset, betting on their price. Conversely, one had to set a price that the other party couldn't guess.
I was still thinking about that large stone, feeling that something was strange about it, though I couldn't quite pinpoint what.
I would go back and study it again.
Even a fist-sized stone could yield a masterpiece, let alone a giant stone weighing over ten tons.