In 2000, it was my second year working after dropping out of high school. My name is Tang Nan, and my life at that time was extremely ordinary. I wasn't poor; I had a few thousand yuan in cash savings, and my savings passbook held the 70,000 yuan my parents had left me for my wedding. These conditions made me easily satisfied, and I spent most of my time at home playing computer games. As a homebody, I had almost no friends, except for one guy I grew up with, who I still kept in touch with. My friend's name is Tie Zhishan, and I naturally called him Lao Tie.
One day, Lao Tie invited me to travel to Yunnan. Without a second thought, I packed my few thousand yuan savings and my passbook and boarded a bus to Ruili. Ruili is a border town adjacent to Myanmar. The reason Lao Tie came here to travel was that he had recently fallen in love with jade, and Ruili was the city with the most jade sales.
There was a jade shopping street there, an entire street piled with all sorts of jade products. Bracelets worth tens of thousands of yuan hung there like grapes. I followed Lao Tie, who seemed to ignore these jade pieces, to a place called Jingxin Zhai. The owner here was a man in his forties named Xie, who smiled at everyone.
Boss Xie was enthusiastically pointing at raw jade stones, cut open on a long table in the shop, for Lao Tie to choose from.
These were very beautiful stones, even more attractive under the light source. Lao Tie eagerly examined them with a high-powered flashlight. I was not very interested and looked around. Just then, a person walked into the shop. He was not tall, with dark skin, looking like a farmer who had been exposed to the sun and wind. Perhaps it was because my mind was sensitive, but I felt he had a cunning look on his face. Behind the cunning farmer was a man in a suit, who looked like a white-collar worker or a tourist boss.
"Yo, Master Wang, long time no see, where have you been making your fortune?" Boss Xie asked with his signature smile, cheerfully.
"Just making a little money to get by, helping people pick stones."
"Really? Don't help outsiders make our money."
"What you're saying is wrong, Boss. The owner pays me wages for my eyesight. You've never given me a cent, so we're not on the same side."
Boss Xie was countered, but he didn't seem to mind and said cheerfully, "Are you bringing a boss to buy stones?"
"Yes, this is President Lan. He's been lucky recently and wants to buy stones."
I watched the two of them chat, feeling something was off. Boss Xie was very enthusiastic when he saw Lao Tie and me. But he seemed to have a hostile attitude towards Master Wang. And I had a hunch that this hostility was meant for me to see. However, the thought quickly left my mind as I was captivated by their transaction.
Buying stones is gambling on stones. In a sense, gambling on stones is not true gambling, but it is absolutely not less exciting. With current technology, it's impossible to see the inside of raw jade. Therefore, before the raw jade is cut, no one knows what's inside. The quality of the jade after cutting is called gambling on stones.
Lao Tie was looking at what were called "Mingliao" (exposed stones), which were cut open and polished on the surface. The price of the material, its texture, water content, and color were all displayed on the table for everyone to see.
However, Master Wang brought President Lan not to buy Mingliao, but raw stones – the kind that are dug up, with mud and sand removed to expose the skin, known as "Mengtou Lia" (blind stones). With these kinds of stones, even if you have experience, you can't determine what kind of jade texture or water content is inside. The gambling element is ten times stronger, and the purchase is more thrilling.
Confirming that President Lan wanted to buy Mengtou Lia, Boss Xie went to the back room and brought out a few of his shop's treasures for President Lan to examine. President Lan clearly didn't understand and looked worriedly at the cunning farmer who had entered earlier, saying, "Master Wang, you missed the mark on those last few pieces. If this is your skill, don't blame me for not reminding you; I won't give you a cent of our agreed-upon commission."
"President Lan, please don't be angry. Calm down. I grew up here and have seen all kinds of stones. This time, I guarantee I'll pick a good one for you."
Master Wang finally chose a piece of white fish skin stone, weighing thirty to forty catties, a rather large stone. Since it was from the Longtang mine, after some bargaining, it was finally priced at 30,000 yuan and sold to President Lan.
President Lan paid in cash. Master Wang, holding the stone, went with him to have it cut, chatting and laughing. I witnessed the entire transaction and felt a sense of awe. Gambling on stones is truly a game for the rich. To me, it was just a stone, and they bought it without hesitation. Comparing oneself to others is truly infuriating; my net worth is only equivalent to two stones.
My friend Lao Tie, however, was single-minded, constantly searching for his true love among stones worth a few thousand yuan. But he seemed dissatisfied with these clearly priced Mingliao. I took a paper cup from Boss Xie and sat there waiting for him. Soon, Master Wang and President Lan returned excitedly, holding the cut stone. Judging by its shape, it was the same piece they had just bought from Boss Xie. From my angle, the cut surface had alternating white and green colors. Boss Xie shone his flashlight on it, revealing it to be completely transparent and bright.
"Good stuff!"
When selecting jade, the first thing to look at is the "zhong" (texture), which essentially refers to the structure. This piece of jade was "ice type." After polishing, the texture was translucent, like ice and jade, pure and clean. This kind of transparent "zhong" can be made into two types of bracelets that people are particularly willing to buy: one called "piaohua" (floating flower) and another called "piaose" (floating color). Both "piaohua" and "piaose" are very valuable.
"Will you buy it for 600,000 yuan?" Master Wang asked Boss Xie.
"300,000 yuan," Boss Xie, a true businessman, immediately lowered the price.
"Old Xie, you're being a bit unfair," said the cunning farmer, Master Wang, speaking up for President Lan.
"Master Wang, you've only opened a large window, and we don't know what's inside yet. If I buy it back for 300,000 yuan, I still have to sell it. Even if I think the price will rise, I wouldn't dare cut it."
Boss Xie's words sounded sincere, but I felt there was still a business shrewdness in him. At this moment, I actually felt Master Wang was a decent person. His cunning appearance didn't give a good impression, but you can't judge a book by its cover. He kept speaking up for President Lan and was now turning to consult President Lan's opinion. President Lan, on the other hand, seemed impatient, with a look of extreme disdain: "300,000 yuan? Are you trying to dismiss me as a beggar? The money I spent on the stone is more than thirty thousand."
I watched from the side, dumbfounded. This was my first time being shocked by gambling on stones. Is this thing so profitable? Seeing Master Wang and President Lan leave, I quickly rushed out and asked Master Wang for his contact information. If a stone worth tens of thousands could be sold for hundreds of thousands, then I had the capital for it now.
Boss Xie saw me return and advised me, "Young man, gambling on stones is a game of 'one cut to poverty, one cut to wealth, one cut to a burlap sack.' Without experience, it's best not to touch it."
At that time, I was completely captivated by gambling on stones and completely ignored Boss Xie's words. I dragged Lao Tie along and discussed gambling on stones with him back at the hotel. Lao Tie had also seen the entire transaction, and his eyes sparkled green like mine. I was looking at the money, while he said the jade was priceless. We were both enticed. So, we discussed it and contacted Master Wang that evening. Master Wang was cold and distant. After settling on the buying price, he took us to a jade gambling shop. This shop had very few people, and both the decoration and the raw stones displayed were far inferior to Boss Xie's Jingxin Zhai.
Lao Tie had seen Boss Xie's Jingxin Zhai on a forum and had come specifically for it. This shop felt unfamiliar, and I felt a bit suspicious. I said to Master Wang, "Master Wang, why don't we go to Boss Xie's shop to buy stones."
"Boss Xie knows you don't have much money and would fleece you. This shop is newly opened and offers good quality at low prices."
I looked at Lao Tie. Lao Tie said, "It's okay. Look at all the shops in Ruili; does it matter which one we buy from?"
We bought two Mengtou Lia stones, spending over ten thousand yuan. After they were cut, Lao Tie's face turned ashen like a pig's liver. I don't understand jade, but I understand people. I knew we were out of luck. Over ten thousand yuan was all our savings, lost in an instant. It felt like a stone was lodged in my chest.
At that moment, I realized something: we couldn't afford to play this game.
"Let's go, Lao Tie. A bet is a bet."
Lao Tie shook his head vigorously, his eyes looking unfocused. He ignored me and instead asked Master Wang, "Where did we go wrong?"
"It's really hard to say with Mengtou Lia. How about we buy Kai Chuang Lia (opened window stones)?"
Kai Chuang Lia are stones with opened windows, allowing for a slight understanding of the stone's texture and water content. However, before the stone is completely cut, it's not entirely certain. These stones have less gambling risk than Mengtou Lia, but they are still very risky.
I pulled Lao Tie, "Let's stop playing."
Lao Tie said, "Let's look again."
I regretted it. If I hadn't been blinded by greed, Lao Tie wouldn't have fallen into this trap. At Lao Tie's insistence, we looked at another Kai Chuang Lia stone with the owner. Lao Tie examined it for a long time with his flashlight, trembling with excitement: "Yang Green, the texture and water content are both good."
Lao Tie likes jade and has been studying raw stones for some time. He first looks at the texture and water content, then the mine. The stone from Weika mine was not small. Lao Tie made up his mind; we were buying this one.
I asked about the price and was startled. The owner asked for 300,000 yuan.
My wife's dowry was only 70,000 yuan, and Lao Tie was more affluent, but not even 200,000. I said to Lao Tie, "Let's go, let's go."
Lao Tie gritted his teeth, his eyes wide open: "Boss, will you sell it for 200,000?"
"That won't do."
Finally, Master Wang mediated. The stone was priced at 265,000 yuan, which was almost all of mine and Lao Tie's savings. After the purchase, Lao Tie was eager to have the stone cut. Master Wang said it was already late at night and advised against it, explaining that many stones that looked promising were ruined by hasty cutting. He suggested they study it thoroughly tomorrow, polish it, and then cut it.
We felt blessed and grateful for encountering such a good person.
That night, as we returned, Lao Tie didn't sleep at all, spending the entire night examining the stone with his flashlight. I was also so excited that my hair stood on end, dreaming of becoming a millionaire the next day.
The next day, I called Master Wang early in the morning, but my calls went unanswered.
I felt something was wrong. I quickly made inquiries. Although Master Wang was a local, he often disappeared for days at a time, had a bad reputation, and was full of hot air. I felt something was amiss and dragged Lao Tie to the shop where we bought the stone yesterday.
The shop that was fine yesterday was now closed. I peeked through the window and saw that the place was empty, everything gone.