Inside, the display featured all manner of jade articles, with the vast majority being jadeite—jewelry, pendants, and decorative pieces. At another counter, finished jade items crafted from Hetian jade and other raw jade materials were exhibited.

After a few glances, Zhang Yang slowly nodded.

This shop had a comprehensive selection of jade, and quite a lot of it, but it was all modern work; there were no antiques. Zhang Yang appreciated jade, but he preferred ancient pieces; things with a bit of age carried a sense of weathered history. In his past life, he had collected quite a few excellent antique jades.

“Boss Lu, let me introduce you. This is my friend from Changjing, Zhang Yang!”

“Zhang Yang, this is Boss Lu, the main proprietor of Ya Yu Zhai!”

Huang Hai took the cigarette offered by Boss Lu and cheerfully made the introductions. Zhang Yang turned back at this moment, politely shaking Boss Lu’s hand.

Boss Lu reciprocated the gesture toward Zhang Yang. Had it not been for Huang Hai’s introduction, he might have mistaken Zhang Yang for Huang Hai’s attendant, or perhaps a driver or secretary.

The reason was simple: Zhang Yang looked remarkably young, wore very plain clothes, and carried an inconspicuous canvas bag on his back. Though the pet sable in his arms was quite charming.

Zhang Yang’s attire today was indeed very ordinary, certainly less valuable than what he had worn a few days prior. Those earlier clothes were recently purchased—and judging by Zhang Yang’s taste in his previous life, the clothes he selected would not have been subpar.

But today, he was wearing the outfit Mi Xue had gifted him.

They had bought the set in the old city of Changjing, and the entire ensemble cost less than a hundred yuan. Clothes at this price point naturally differed greatly from those chosen for Zhang Yang’s branded shops.

Coupled with his commonplace canvas bag, it was genuinely difficult for him to command much attention.

In business circles these days, regardless of the trade, people possessed sharp, discerning eyes.

Especially those dealing in jade. The quality difference in jade objects varied immensely; the lower-grade ones might cost only a few dozen yuan, while the fine pieces could easily run into the tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands or millions.

With such a wide disparity in value, the clientele varied just as much. Boss Lu had seen countless customers, and his ability to judge character had long been honed. Just now, he had pegged Zhang Yang as an extremely ordinary young man.

Huang Hai was also astute. Seeing Boss Lu’s reaction, he immediately understood the situation and quickly added, “Boss Lu, don’t let my little brother’s youth fool you; he is a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and a very skilled one at that!”

“TCM?”

Boss Lu finally showed a flicker of surprise. In this era, a capable doctor still commanded significant respect.

He scrutinized Zhang Yang again. This time, he did notice something different.

Zhang Yang carried himself differently from the average person walking into the shop; he exuded confidence, appearing utterly unfazed by everything around him, treating it all with a certain detachment.

This was unlike some other young people who would enter wide-eyed with excitement and apprehension, immediately gravitating toward the most expensive jade pieces, gasping at the price tags, before perhaps moving on to examine the cheapest items.

In the end, they might select something to purchase, but mostly, they just looked.

“Brother Hai is praising me too highly. I am just a medical student studying at Changjing University!”

Zhang Yang smiled slightly. He was perfectly aware of Boss Lu’s attitude toward him.

The man was somewhat judgmental based on appearance, but that was common for businessmen now. Since he hadn't said anything offensive and maintained politeness, Zhang Yang paid it no mind.

Not caring, however, did not mean Zhang Yang would offer unwarranted warmth. He would treat the man exactly as he was being treated.

If the conversation lacks common ground, few words are needed.

Boss Lu simply nodded at Zhang Yang’s explanation. A student—likely connected to Huang Hai’s family, which was why Huang Hai had made a point of mentioning it.

Someone Huang Hai valued did not automatically mean he should value them too. Huang Hai was merely a client; his courtesy stemmed from the potential for profit.

Who Zhang Yang was, Boss Lu simply didn't care.

Seeing that neither man was overly enthusiastic, Huang Hai also grew a bit bored and directly asked, “Boss Lu, do you have any new stock?”

“Yes, of course, we do. Manager Huang, let’s go look in the back!”

Boss Lu’s face immediately broke into a smile. He gestured for Huang Hai to proceed toward the rear. Huang Hai called out to Zhang Yang, as Zhang Yang had accompanied him, after all.

Zhang Yang didn't mind; he followed them inside holding the sable. He was just here to look around; if it became tedious later, he could always wander over to the Antique Street.

It was close by, and he could just make a call when he decided to leave.

Everyone who came out this time had a mobile phone. To many students at Changjing University, phones were still luxuries, but for these people, phones were merely tools.

Next to Ya Yu Zhai was a back entrance, quite a large one. Boss Lu led them through it.

Exiting the back door led into a narrow alley, which piqued Zhang Yang’s interest.

It was a very old alley, reminiscent of Shanghai in the 1920s or 30s. Such alleys were practically non-existent in later years; one could only see them now.

Walking down the alley, they soon reached a small street. This area was unremarkable now, making it hard to imagine that in just a few years, it would transform into a famous commercial district in Shanghai.

Not far down the small street stood a large courtyard enclosed by an iron gate, which stood ajar, with quite a few people milling about inside.

Upon arriving here, Huang Hai became visibly excited.

His steps quickened unnaturally, and he urged Boss Lu to hurry along.

Zhang Yang, meanwhile, took in the newly entered courtyard. It was vast, and the number of people inside was significant, gathered in clusters. Furthermore, there was a row of buildings inside, and many people were gathered near those structures as well.

Boss Lu led them toward the buildings.

“Boss!”

As they entered one of the rooms, someone immediately approached. Zhang Yang noticed a small sign hanging outside this room, which also read Ya Yu Zhai.

The name was the same, but this place was far inferior to the storefront outside; its aura was markedly less imposing.

The adjacent rooms were similar, each bearing a small sign.

If this row of buildings hadn't been situated so far back, Zhang Yang might have mistaken it for a commercial strip. Although the shop fronts were much plainer than those outside, they were still fronts nonetheless.

“You attend to your business first; I’ll show Manager Huang around!” Boss Lu waved a hand. Huang Hai was a major client who required his personal attention.

Entering further, Zhang Yang realized this interior was even more distinct from the outside.

The outer Ya Yu Zhai was lavishly decorated, showcasing exquisite jade pieces. Inside, there were only simple shelves, and most importantly, these shelves were laden with stones.

Moreover, inside this room of just over a hundred square meters, the floor was also covered with various stones of differing colors and sizes. To Zhang Yang, they all conveyed one single impression: chaos.

Upon seeing these stones, however, Huang Hai grew even more animated. He asked Zhang Yang to hold his bag and immediately walked toward one of the shelves, closely examining the stones displayed there.

Huang Hai’s bag did possess considerable weight, heavy to the average person. But handing it to Zhang Yang, carrying ten such bags would pose no issue for him whatsoever.

Zhang Yang looked around. Besides Huang Hai, there were several other people in the shop.

They were all examining stones—some looking at those on the shelves, others crouching to inspect those on the floor. These people shared one common trait: each held a small lamp, constantly shining it onto the stones.

Some even had water containers nearby, occasionally wetting the stones.

Finding the viewing tedious, Zhang Yang walked over to Huang Hai’s side.

Huang Hai was currently focused on a large stone, easily the size of a basketball. He moved it from the shelf to a nearby table and began scrutinizing it closely with his lamp.

“Brother Hai, what’s so interesting about these stones?”

After watching for a while, Zhang Yang couldn't help but knit his brow. He knew some people collected unusual stones; he had dabbled in that himself.

But these stones were clearly not rare specimens. In his eyes, they held no collectible value—just piles of ordinary, worthless rocks.

“Zhang Yang, you don’t understand this. They are stones, yes, but this specialty is called stone gambling (Du Shi). It’s different from other stones!”

Huang Hai looked up and smiled, offering Zhang Yang an explanation.

Stone gambling?

Zhang Yang was momentarily taken aback. This term was not unfamiliar to him; he had heard people mention it frequently in his previous life. He knew that stone gambling referred to rough jade stones that might yield jadeite gems inside.

He once had a patient who specialized entirely in the stone gambling business.

He had even seen raw stones at that patient’s house, though those he saw were much more polished and attractive than these, showing patches of gleaming green jadeite.

Zhang Yang was unaware that the stones his patient kept at home were mostly semi-gambling pieces that had already been cracked open and carefully prepared, showcasing significant exposed jadeite. Those were naturally beautiful, with much of the jadeite already revealed, leaving only a thin rind or presenting as open material ready for immediate crafting into jewelry.

The items before him, however, were rough stones brought straight from the mine, mostly full gambles, many still covered in thick layers of earth, making them look considerably less appealing.

“Zhang Yang, stone gambling refers to rough stones that have the potential to yield jadeite. Many of the beautiful ornaments we saw in Boss Lu’s shop were made from raw material extracted from stones like these, which were then processed!”

Fearing Zhang Yang, who had been immersed in his studies, might not have heard of such things in this pre-digital era, Huang Hai quickly clarified.

“Manager Huang is correct. Although stone gambling carries the word ‘gamble,’ it is not purely gambling. It relies heavily on keen observation and luck. If one is lucky, a single stone can bring enormous profit; if unlucky, one might lose money, hence the name Du Shi!”

Boss Lu also chimed in with an explanation. Regardless, Zhang Yang was someone Huang Hai had brought.

After finishing, he paused, then continued, “This is a stone gambling market. Not only is it the largest hub for stone gambling in Shanghai, but it also ranks highly among the southeastern provinces. We don't just attract friends from Shanghai; enthusiasts from surrounding provinces come here when they wish to play!”

As he spoke, he seemed slightly proud, his voice naturally rising a notch… The guaranteed update from yesterday is still short by one chapter; Xiao Yu will continue to work hard and type! (To be continued…) RQ