Huang Hai looked at the cut rough stone with some hesitation. After a few seconds, he finally spoke softly.

Boss Lu remained silent, wheeled over the grinding stand, and carefully repositioned the rough stone for Huang Hai.

By this time, dozens of onlookers had gathered. That’s how stone cutting went: few at the start, but as soon as the action began, people would inevitably flock to watch.

If the cut brought a win, or a major win, even more people would gather. Everyone loved the thrill of striking it rich.

Stone polishing involved using an abrasive grinding wheel to slowly wear away the rough's exterior. This was one method of opening a stone, slower than direct cutting, but with the advantage of better protecting the jadeite inside and minimizing waste.

The slice Huang Hai had made was along the edge of the rough—it only revealed the skin and shell. The appearance of a white mist layer in this spot indicated a high probability of finding fine jadeite beneath.

"Brother, I have a feeling this mist layer isn't too thick. This guy polishing first is a cautious move. Just watch, we’ll see green any second now!"

The young man next to Zhang Yang was enthusiastically explaining things to him.

The person Zhang Yang had casually pulled over turned out to be quite talkative. Not only did he explain every question Zhang Yang asked, but he also offered much information Zhang Yang hadn't even thought to inquire about.

"I believe your judgment; we’ll see green soon!" Zhang Yang grinned, and his affirmation only made the young man more excited.

"You were right to believe me. Don't let my age fool you; I've been playing this game for three years now. I’ve bought no less than twenty or thirty thousand worth of rough stones. All my earnings from my job have gone into this stuff!"

The young man became even more animated, continuing to tell Zhang Yang about the different kinds of rough he had purchased.

Zhang Yang listened quietly as the young man spoke. Having an audience like Zhang Yang energized him even more, as if Zhang Yang were a diary into which he could pour his woes—which stones he shouldn't have lost on, and which stones he missed buying that later brought huge gains to others.

After hearing all that, Zhang Yang finally understood completely.

This young man had certainly bought a lot over the years; just as he claimed, probably twenty to thirty thousand. Unfortunately, his returns were meager; strictly speaking, he had lost money on all of it.

He still had a batch of raw jadeite materials in his possession, all common roughs with subpar quality and low value. Most of what he bought were the very cheapest kinds, so what he managed to cut out was naturally nothing exceptional.

Often, when cut open, they turned out to be just bricks—completely worthless stones with no jadeite at all. That was the purest form of loss.

"There's green! Green has appeared!"

Someone suddenly shouted. Huang Hai, who had been carefully polishing, paused for a moment. Boss Lu quickly rinsed the window, and indeed, where he had polished, a faint hint of green surfaced.

"There's green! It’s a win, congratulations, Boss Huang!"

"Thank you, thank you!"

Boss Lu congratulated Huang Hai, whose own face was beaming. Seeing green meant the rough had increased in value, and an increase in value meant profit. Few people would be unhappy about making money.

"Not bad, you called it right! Green appeared so quickly!"

Zhang Yang turned back and smiled at the young man, who puffed out his chest with pride and continued, "Of course! I've cut countless roughs myself, and seen even more. Any stone I look at, I can generally make a solid estimate. I’m basically an 'Eye of God' around here!"

The young man said this while craning his neck to look deeper inside.

He was genuinely excited now; being proven right felt as if he were the one cutting the stone and profiting.

The others around them were also discussing, guessing what shade of green it was and what quality of jadeite might be inside.

"Yes, you really are an Eye of God!"

Zhang Yang responded with a chuckle, careful not to deflate the young man’s enthusiasm.

In truth, Zhang Yang had already discerned that this young man lost far more than he won in his gambling, possessing only the gift of gab.

Such people were common in every industry—many could talk a good game but couldn't deliver in execution. However, since the young man had explained so much and taught Zhang Yang so many basics, Zhang Yang knew the principle of reciprocity. Naturally, he said things the young man liked to hear.

As expected, Zhang Yang's words brought a wide smile to the young man’s face, and he continued his explanations as if he were a seasoned master of stone gambling.

"Cassia skin green! It’s cassia skin green!"

Another voice called out. The young man who had been speaking to Zhang Yang immediately stopped and squeezed closer to look.

Huang Hai had polished away a significant portion of the rough's outer layer, exposing enough for everyone to see the jadeite within.

At the shout, he paused again, and Boss Lu helped him rinse the exposed surface.

"Cassia skin green is uneven in color, and it carries a slight bluish tint. Its transparency isn't very high either. See this piece before you? Isn't that exactly it? That’s cassia skin green!"

The young man glanced at it and then explained it to Zhang Yang beside him.

With him around, Zhang Yang learned many fundamental things. He had essentially performed a crash course for Zhang Yang, enlightening him on many aspects he was previously unaware of.

Zhang Yang had previously practiced medicine and had little exposure to stone gambling, only knowing it was a craze. He hadn't realized there were so many intricate details involved.

"Right, exactly like that. How is this piece? Is it a good win?"

Zhang Yang nodded. Having listened to so much, he could now ask precise questions.

The young man paused to think before nodding. "It’s alright. Cassia skin green isn't the best, but it's not bad either. Judging by the structure right now, it shouldn't be poor quality. This piece probably won't lose money!"

Not losing money—that was good enough.

Zhang Yang certainly didn't want Huang Hai to lose on his very first stone, especially since Huang Hai was "his person," as they had come together.

"Oh, I bought one too. Can you take a look for me?"

A slight thought sparked in Zhang Yang’s mind. He gestured towards the rough stone at his feet and asked the young man.

"This is yours? Sure, let me see!"

The young man said softly, then bent down and carefully picked up the rough.

He had actually noticed this piece earlier and knew it belonged to Zhang Yang, but since Zhang Yang hadn't mentioned it, the young man hadn't dared to bring it up.

Alternatively, he had been waiting for Zhang Yang to ask so he could offer a detailed critique and show off his supposed superior skill, making Zhang Yang admire him even more.

"Your piece has decent size, but the presentation isn't great..."

The young man soon launched into his assessment. He spoke at length, but his summary was simple: he wasn't optimistic about Zhang Yang's stone, concluding that the chance of it collapsing was quite high.

"Gold thread clock! It’s a win again, Boss Huang, congratulations!"

As he was speaking, Boss Lu called out again. The entire window on Huang Hai's stone had been completely polished clear, finally revealing the jadeite behind it to everyone.

Gold thread clock, cassia skin green. The young man explaining to Zhang Yang immediately stopped and looked over with envy.

A win—that was certain. Huang Hai’s smile was so broad his eyes were barely visible. Having his very first stone cut result in a win! No one would be unhappy about that.

"Gold thread clock, cassia skin green. How much will this one gain?"

Zhang Yang also stepped closer. While he knew little about other aspects, he was somewhat familiar with basic color categories. In his previous life, he dealt only in finished jadeite products.

He had some understanding of jadeite prices, though he hadn't directly handled the raw material.

"A big win! I don’t know what price he paid for it, but right now, this piece is worth at least fifty or sixty thousand!"

Gold thread clock, cassia skin green—that presentation wasn't poor; many operations needed this quality of raw material.

Jadeite prices had been on a strong upward trend over the last few years, rising everywhere. More wealthy people had also fueled greater consumer demand, driving up prices.

"I know. He bought it for twenty-six thousand. It’s already doubled in value!"

Zhang Yang nodded silently. Buying for twenty-six thousand and soon seeing it worth fifty or sixty thousand—that appreciation speed was indeed quite fast.

No wonder so many people were obsessed with stone gambling; overnight fortunes were certainly possible.

However, Zhang Yang knew even more clearly that far more people gambled and lost, sometimes even losing their family fortunes on the spot. Overnight success was the minority.

"Boss, I’ll offer fifty thousand for your stone, how about it?"

"Fifty thousand is a bit low; it should be at least fifty-five thousand. With such a large window, it's definitely enough to make bangles!"

"I’ll offer fifty-five thousand!"

Soon, people nearby started bidding to purchase the rough Huang Hai had just cut. Their actions surprised Zhang Yang a bit.

Finally, the young man beside him provided the explanation.

In stone gambling, anything could happen until the very end. A stone that started as a win might collapse later. Therefore, if the cutter felt uncertain during the process, they could sell the partially cut rough.

The price offered for a transferred stone depended on the results revealed so far. Whoever bought it accepted the risk of what followed. If they managed to keep winning, they made money; if it collapsed, they took the loss.

That explained why people were bidding halfway through the cutting process; those bidders mostly felt positive about the revealed stone and were willing to take on the subsequent risk.

"I once cut a Gold thread clock myself. Someone offered me a hundred thousand for it, but I didn't sell. In the end, it collapsed, and I sold it for five thousand!"

The young man added, his face clearly showing lingering regret as he spoke.

One hundred thousand was a significant sum in this era; even in Shanghai, it could buy a small apartment.

Unfortunately, he hadn't sold it. When it collapsed, the value plummeted—one hundred thousand down to five thousand. The young man almost spat blood right there. That incident became the most regrettable thing in his life.

"I'm not selling, not selling! I'll cut it open myself; I have a use for it!"

On the other side, Huang Hai was continuously shaking his head and waving his hands. His purpose for this trip was to find a suitable piece of raw jadeite to process into finished products himself, intended as a birthday gift for his teacher.

His current piece was quite substantial; if it contained a lot of jadeite, he could even make a figurine. Although the quality (seed and water) hadn't met his full expectations, it was at least a backup option.

At this moment, he genuinely had no intention of selling the half-gambled rough.

I was too exhausted and sleepy after finishing the chapter in the afternoon and fell asleep.

Fortunately, I didn't sleep long. I woke up quickly to write the next chapter; the guaranteed minimum for today has been met, Xiao Yu has completed it.

I still have time, and I feel much more refreshed now. Xiao Yu will write one more chapter, making it an extra chapter.

My energy hasn't been great these last few days, so my updates haven't been as fast as the days before. Xiao Yu is very sorry and sad about this, and I apologize to my friends again.