“Gambling on stones involves a lot of intricacies, starting with the stone’s origin. Generally, raw stones from old pits have a much higher chance of containing jade.”
“Then, you look at the pattern on the stone. There are many types…”
Just as Tang Feng was marveling inwardly, Song Lele was by his side, earnestly giving a crash course.
She had, after all, played once before, so she was definitely clearer about the tricks of the trade than Tang Feng.
Tang Feng nodded.
Then, he seemingly picked out three stones at random from the price-tagged cabinet.
As casual as if he were picking cabbages at the vegetable market.
Seeing this, Song Lele obviously panicked, “Young Master, you can’t select stones like that; it’s too easy to lose money!”
“Gambling on stones isn’t like scratch tickets; any random stone here is a gem—each worth at least several hundred thousand!”
“If this round results in a loss, that could be a significant one.”
However, Tang Feng dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand, “We are both newbies, just here to have some fun.”
“Compared to those professional gamblers, we lack far too much experience. It’s better to just pick at random and try our luck.”
Song Lele was clearly lost for words and opened her mouth to speak, “Ah… this…”
“Pfft…”
Just then, a snicker came from the side.
Tang Feng and Song Lele immediately turned their heads.
They saw a young man dressed very fashionably, decked out in clearly expensive brands, looking like someone who didn’t lack money.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help but laugh at what you just said,” the young man said, realization dawning on him that he had been rude.
Despite his attempt at an apologetic tone, the amusement in his eyes couldn’t be completely hidden.
Tang Feng gave him a sideways glance and nodded without a word.
If it weren’t for the scanning system he had, his method of choosing stones indeed looked pretty reckless.
Like a naive country boy throwing away money.
After paying, Tang Feng moved the three stones to the Stone-Dissolving Platform.
The person dissolving stones was an old master, who said with a beaming smile upon seeing Tang Feng:
“Young man, this is your first time here, isn’t it?”
Tang Feng also smiled: “Yes, master, you have good eyesight.”
When the other customers in the shop saw that someone was about to dissolve stones, they quickly gathered around.
The young man who had laughed earlier approached Song Lele and asked curiously. “Dude, your friend is quite something.”
“He bought three stones right off the bat. Could he be an expert?”
Song Lele explained casually, “This is my second time here, his first.”
As he spoke, there was a hint of worry in his expression.
Upon hearing this, the young man was clearly taken aback, “Wow, it’s not apparent, but your friend has some serious guts.”
“These three stones aren’t anything special, but they’re worth four to five hundred thousand combined!”
“To gamble this big on the first try, what kind of family can withstand such spending?”
From his words, it wasn’t hard to deduce that he thought Tang Feng would most likely not ‘hit the jackpot’.
But just then, the crowd of onlookers erupted into noise.
“Holy crap, it’s gone up, it’s gone up!”
“There’s water, that’s decent ‘water type’ jade!”
“Direct full cut? You’ve got guts, brother!”
…
The young man was suddenly stunned, “Wait, is that a hit already?”
Song Lele, too, couldn’t help but widen his eyes in shock.
At the Stone-Dissolving Platform, the master dissolving the stone looked up at Tang Feng.
“Young man, your stone has increased in value; are you sure you want to cut it all?”
Tang Feng nodded, “Go ahead and cut it.”
The master immediately got to work.
And as the entire stone was cut open, revealing the jade inside, cleansed by water and freed of rock debris, its true appearance was revealed.
A chunk of ice-type jade!
Of medium quality, not very large.
But according to the scanning system’s results, it should be worth around three hundred fifty thousand, at least enough for Tang Feng to break even.
That meant even if the next two stones Tang Feng had chosen were complete duds, he wouldn’t lose money today.
“Young man, are you selling that jade? I’ll offer three hundred thousand,” one person said.
“Three hundred thousand? Old Liu, you’re way too cheap. I’ll give three hundred fifty thousand,” another chimed in.
“Three hundred eighty thousand for me, the rest of you can step back!” said another.
“Four hundred thousand!”
…
Wan Shi Pavilion wasn’t just frequented by the gambling types; many were there specifically to purchase unprocessed jade raw stones.
These people didn’t gamble; they were simply there to stock up during the cutting!
Tang Feng didn’t bother with them and directly told the stone cutter, “Master, please go ahead and dissolve the other two as well.”
“I’m having good luck today; who knows, maybe more good things will come out?”
The old master didn’t say much, and summoning two apprentices, began to work.
As they did, the crowd became quiet once more.
But although they quieted down, the looks they gave Tang Feng clearly carried a bit of mockery.
A few people were even whispering among themselves, “This guy got lucky once and now he’s gotten cocky.”
“He clearly hasn’t been smacked down by the gambling scene yet.”
“Heaven with one cut, hell with the next. Let’s see if he turns humble after he busts another stone.”
“…”
Tang Feng didn’t say anything, just quietly watched the masters at work.
But it wasn’t long before those whispers ceased completely.
What replaced them was a chorus of shock and admiration:
“What the… it’s gone up again?”
“Damn!”
“And that luster, it’s even better than the previous ‘water type’!”
“What luck this young man has!”