King of Gamblers: Growing from a Student to a Jade King

 I waited a long time in the shop before it was my turn to cut the stone. Almost everyone before me didn't bring out good material, and I felt very anxious. I took the material over and handed it to the master. The master looked at me, then at the stone, as if he didn't want to cut it, and asked me, "How do you want it cut?"

 I said, "The material from Dama Kan is thin and small, can you polish it for me?"

 The methods of gambling on stones are mainly achieved through rubbing, cutting, and grinding.

 Therefore, how to wipe, how deep to wipe, how large an area to wipe, and even whether it can be wiped at all must be carefully considered.

 Cutting stones is the same; it can make you rich or poor with a single cut. There's a saying in the trade: "Polishing doesn't count as a profit, only cutting does." Whether you can cut and how you cut all depend on your own experience and luck.

 Grinding is done to clearly see the internal color and water; the quality of the grinding is also very important. If the grinding reveals color, you can stop, because that means it has swelled. If there is no color after grinding, you have to keep betting.

 The master was a bit reluctant and said to me, "This small piece, just cut it in half, and it's done. Skinning it is too much trouble."

 I was very anxious and said, "Master, this material is too small to be cut. What if it's not solid all the way through? Should I make it into a pendant or a piece?"

 Cutting materials is not something you do carelessly; you have to consider the shape and size of the material and what it is suitable for. If you cut it recklessly, you might ruin a good piece of material. Therefore, the master who cuts the stone is crucial. If he is not pleased with you, he can ruin a good piece of material for you.

 "Hey, kid, don't waste time with such a small piece of material. Master will cut it for you. Hurry up, this piece is so big, it's worth hundreds of thousands. I need to hurry and get lucky with the boss."

 I turned to look at the person who was speaking. He was a stout man with a big head and ears, wearing a suit, with a face full of flesh, and a big gold chain around his neck—a typical nouveau riche. I saw my master was about to cut the material for me, so I hurriedly stopped him and said, "Master, don't cut it for me, you must polish it. This piece of material is thin, and there's a great chance it will be full. If you cut it, it will ruin its appearance."

 The master was a bit displeased, muttering, "With such a small piece, how good can the quality be?"

 I watched him appraise the material, and I felt very anxious. Generally, people who cut stones listen to the owners of the stones. If the owner has a request, they have to follow it because if they ruin it, they won't be bothered by the owner. So even though he didn't want to polish this piece, he still did it according to what I said.

 "Damn it, kid, don't waste my time. I make hundreds of thousands in a minute. How long do you think it takes to polish one piece of material?"

 I turned to look at the boss, I didn't say anything, I didn't want to cause trouble, I still told my master, "We must grind."

 The master nodded, but the boss behind him wasn't willing and said, "You looking for a fight, huh?"

 He grabbed my clothes and tried to hit me, but at that moment, two security guards came over. The boss took a look and then let go, saying, "Kid, let's talk outside."

 I ignored him; I didn't believe he would dare to hit me again. The security on Sister Gao Street is very good because there are thousands of transactions happening every moment, so the security is particularly strict.

 The master held the material and struck it on the cutting machine, causing some sparks to fly. I felt very nervous, gripping my hands tightly, and I could feel sweat in the palms of my hands.

 The master ground it a few times, and my heart raced along with the sound of the grinding. After a while, the master opened a hole, took it out, and poured some water on it. Looking at me, he said, "Not bad luck, it has yellow, typical of Dama Kan yellow jade, but it's not worth much, at most a thousand yuan. It would be good for making a pendant."

 I sighed in relief and said, "Keep grinding, let's see if we can change the color."

 Jumping color means the color distribution in jadeite changes. The number of colors in a piece of jadeite rough is unpredictable. Sometimes, yellow is mixed with green, which is called jumping color. If it turns green, the stone's value can double or even more, so I really hope it can jump color.

 The master shook his head, which meant it was unlikely. He turned the stone around and continued polishing it. I was very excited and nervous. If it changed color, it would be worth at least three thousand and would sell well.

 I was very nervous, my throat felt like it was on fire, and I kept swallowing. Suddenly, I saw the master pick up the material. The ground skin was still light yellow. I felt very disappointed. Damn it, why is it still yellow? Why isn't there any color change?If this piece of material doesn't have any color variation, then it's settled—at most, two thousand yuan, and it's very hard to sell.

 The master glanced at me, smiled, and said, "Young man, you still lack experience. Do you need to polish your skills further?"In case there's no color inside, this piece of stone will be wasted. I've seen many stones that have lost their color or have no color at all. This one is just about there, so it's better to take what you can get.

 I looked at the rough stone, my heart racing with anxiety. This was the time to make a decision. If I stopped and didn't carve it, I could still sell it for one or two thousand, but it would be hard to sell. I estimated that the gambling stone shops wouldn't take it back because they have too many low-grade stones. So I had to gamble and carve out a good piece.

 I said, "Grind, keep grinding, the color will definitely change inside."

 My words are very firm because I believe in my dad's empirical theory. He said that this material will definitely sell.

 The master listened and looked as if he couldn't persuade me no matter what, then continued polishing the stone. Listening to the sound of the cutting machine grinding, I couldn't help but shiver. I was extremely nervous. If I lost, I wouldn't even have enough money to get back home. I borrowed money to gamble, and I didn't want to follow in my father's footsteps. I had to win. Whether I could turn my life around depended on this rough stone. This rough stone carried all my hopes.

 I swallowed hard, my throat dry as a bone, when suddenly, Master shouted, "Yo, kid, you're impressive! It's color-jumped, with green in the middle, and the base is ice-grade. A typical batch of Da Ma Kan yellow with green, a whole bunch of small pieces, starting at ten thousand!"

 Master's call nearly took my soul away. I looked at the material; it was green in the middle, very transparent, with a great base and excellent quality. I won the gamble, which proved that my father's research on gambling stones was correct. I was very happy. I took the material and walked out with a smile, but no one congratulated me or even looked at me twice because this material was only worth ten thousand yuan. In their eyes, that amount of money wasn't even enough for a decent

 But for me, this is the key moment in my life, and it's very important to me.

 I took the stone to the recycling counter. Gambling stone shops usually have counters for recycling raw stones. Here, you can consign them, and the owner takes a commission. If sold, you get paid, or you can sell directly to the owner, but the price will definitely be lower.

 "Sir, are you selling fabric?"

 I looked at the beautiful waitress, handed her the material, and she sprayed it with a mist, removing the residue on top. She said, "The material from Dama Kan has a good mix of yellow and green, the quality and base are good, reaching the icy-milky grade, and it has three colors. However, it's too small, so we can only offer you ten thousand. Please consider our offer."

 The "texture" of jadeite, also called "grade," refers to the fineness of the crystal particles. The smaller the crystal particles, the better the texture; the larger the crystal particles, the worse the texture.

 "Water," also known as "water head," refers to the translucence of jadeite, which is the degree of its transparency. Experts categorize jadeite's translucence into three levels, from one to three, with increasing transparency. Three parts water is the most transparent, and glass-grade jadeite is considered three parts water.

 Another commonly used term is "di'er," and some experts also call it "di'shui" or "di'zhang." In fact, they all refer to the transparency of jadeite, which is determined by the size of the jadeite crystal particles and the density of its fibrous structure. The smaller the crystal particles and the denser the fibrous structure, the higher the transparency of the jadeite, and the better the quality.

 The quality of jadeite also has levels. The best is the Imperial Green grade, which is sold by the gram. Next is the Glass grade, also sold by the gram, which is extremely rare. The Ice grade is considered the third level, and it is relatively common.

 I felt a bit unwilling when I heard that. If this piece weighed ten kilograms, it would be worth at least a million. But unfortunately, it weighs less than a kilogram. I said, "Alright, give me the receipt."

 She smiled and asked me to wait for a moment. Soon, she gave me a receipt, took the cash, and handed me the money. I held ten thousand yuan in my hand, feeling very pleased. Winning once means I can win again, haha, betting five hundred to win ten thousand is really a profit.

 Dad, just wait, I will definitely win more, and I will prove that your research experience is not wrong.

 I had just stepped out when suddenly a few people surrounded me. I didn't even have time to shout before one of them held a knife to me. I was really scared, thinking I was being robbed. But then they dragged me to the side, and I saw that fat, big-eared boss from before. He came over and slapped me so hard my ears rang. I looked at him, not daring to say a word. He said, "Kid, you're pretty bold, huh? You dare to

 I didn't dare to speak. I knew that saying more would only lead to more trouble, so I let him vent. He looked at me without saying anything, then laughed and said, "Don't say I'm bullying you. If you make me unhappy, you have to let me cool off. Call me 'grandpa' and let me hear it."

 I looked at him, feeling very angry, and said, "Fuck you, I'm your grandpa. If you have the guts today, kill me. If you can't, I'll definitely make you die."

 He listened and then burst into laughter, very disdainfully. He said, "Playing tough? The nickname 'Qian Lao Wu' in Ruili isn't given for nothing. Do you believe I could throw you into the Ying River and no one would know? By the time your body floats to Myanmar, it would be rotten. Do you believe that?"

 I stared at him in silence, and he slapped my face twice with the knife, saying harshly, "I'm a tough guy, you know?"

 I'm very scared, really, but I don't want to back down. I don't want my grandpa and dad to be humiliated. I said, "If you don't kill me here, you're a coward."

 He listened, very annoyed, glanced around, bit his lip, really wanted to stab me, but didn't dare to do it. Seeing his expression, I felt relieved. Although he was a thug, he wasn't the kind of person who would kill someone casually; he was just tough on the surface.

 "Go ahead and hit me, I'll cover the medical expenses, damn it."

 He was about to hit me when I heard someone shout, "Don't cause trouble..."

 This sentence is more effective than an imperial edict; these people really let me go. I turned around and saw someone important had come out.