Bidding was open here, certainly, but forced sales were forbidden. The market’s great renown was tied, in part, to the environment it fostered.

A good environment naturally drew more people.

Huang Hai’s face beamed with smiles, and Boss Lu was equally radiant. If this particular stone proved profitable, it meant Huang Hai would likely acquire even more rough material later on.

Those who played the stone gambling game were often superstitious, believing good fortune clung to them. A profit meant money gained; a large profit meant much more. Even the wealthy didn't willingly pass up gains.

It was much like the atmosphere at a gambling table: when someone is winning, you don’t suggest they walk away; they always feel they can win even bigger.

Releasing the rough stone, Huang Hai repositioned it, redrew the guidelines, and then brought the blade down once more.

With this initial viewing window as a guide, making the next cuts became easier.

Cutting, slicing, rubbing—these were new terms Zhang Yang had just learned from the young man nearby. Now, watching Huang Hai work, he wasn't completely lost; he understood much more of what was happening.

“Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzt!”

The sound of the stone cutter resumed, and Lightning burrowed further into Zhang Yang’s arms.

“Is that pet of yours a sable? How much did you pay for it?”

The young man, captivated by the adorable Lightning, asked with a hint of envy. In this era, keeping cats or dogs was common, but bringing a pet sable along was certainly unusual, especially one so beautiful.

“I didn't buy it; it just followed me!”

Zhang Yang smiled faintly, shaking his head slightly. Lightning couldn't be bought; even if it could, someone would have to dare to purchase it—its venom could easily be fatal if mishandled.

The young man paused briefly, then blurted out, “You have such good luck; you should try stone gambling!”

“Haven’t I already bought a piece?”

Zhang Yang gestured toward the rough stone beneath his feet and chuckled again. The young man glanced down once more, but this time he remained silent, though his expression clearly indicated he held low expectations for Zhang Yang’s material.

Zhang Yang paid no mind to his attitude. The crowd around them had thickened; word had spread that someone had uncovered a ‘Golden Thread Bell’ jadeite, drawing even more onlookers.

When a profit was made, the stone cutter—Huang Hai, gripping the cutting blade with renewed vigor—grew excited. Wearing his protective goggles, he meticulously observed his rough stone.

Boss Lu was also pleased. If Huang Hai realized a major gain, it would certainly boost his own business.

He wasn't the only one dealing in stone gambling here; the entire row of buildings housed dozens of shops. Without this scale, they couldn't claim to be the largest market in the southeastern provinces.

This ‘largest’ status was only temporary. Few people were involved in stone gambling now, but in ten years, many more markets would sprout up everywhere. Eventually, markets this remote and not particularly large would all be phased out.

Even so, Boss Lu faced stiff competition. If Huang Hai struck it rich, a significant gain, the resulting buzz would draw more buyers to his shop, naturally boosting his trade. “Whoosh!”

Huang Hai finished this cut, and the surrounding crowd immediately craned their necks forward, eager to see the result first.

Huang Hai himself was quite agitated.

However, his excitement didn't last long. After Boss Lu washed the cut surface clean, his expression shifted uncomfortably.

The freshly exposed face on both sides was a dull, dark color—the stone’s outer layer, the husk. This meant he had cut nothing this time; no jadeite had been revealed at all.

“It’s a bust!”

“With such good potential, how could it fail?”

The onlookers immediately started murmuring, laced with regret.

This cut was clearly a failure, and a severe one at that. If the first cut had yielded this result, no one would have offered fifty thousand for the rough stone before; even five thousand would have been a stretch.

It was better now, at least the viewing window still showed a patch of green, giving the material some residual value.

But it wouldn't fetch the previous fifty thousand; now, it seemed worth only about twenty thousand, meaning he would lose a little money just on the raw material itself.

“Huang... Boss Huang, keep cutting! Maybe you chose the wrong spot!”

Boss Lu quickly urged, his own face looking grim. A big win would help his business, but a major loss did, too.

If his shop’s stones frequently turned out to be duds, who would want to buy from him?

“Cut. Keep cutting!” Huang Hai gritted his teeth and immediately nodded.

He was not one to admit defeat easily. The result of this cut stung, but it wasn't unbearable.

No one offered a bid now. The situation of this rough stone was uncertain; since someone was willing to proceed, they might as well watch.

But this truly confirmed what the young man had just said: in stone gambling, you never know the outcome until the very end. It had looked so promising just moments ago, only to be hit with a bucket of cold water.

“I knew it. If it were me, I’d have sold it back then,” the young man whispered into Zhang Yang’s ear.

Zhang Yang couldn’t help but smile faintly. It’s easy to be wise after the fact. If he had said that earlier, it would have demonstrated his foresight; now, it seemed rather late.

“Oh, right. I still don’t know your name?”

Zhang Yang suddenly asked. After talking for so long, he realized he genuinely didn't know the young man’s name.

“My name is Qiu Jinghuan. And yours?”

“I’m Zhang Yang. Your name sounds like a girl’s!”

Zhang Yang looked up at him, somewhat surprised. Qiu Jinghuan—at first hearing, one could easily mistake him for a girl; the name was too feminine.

“Many people say that, but my parents gave it to me, so I can’t help it!”

Qiu Jinghuan shook his head helplessly and began telling Zhang Yang more about himself.

He had graduated high school but failed to get into university. He had been working odd jobs these past few years, though he had managed to earn an associate’s degree through self-study.

He was a native of Shanghai; his family owned a home, so the pressure of living expenses wasn't high. The money he earned working over the years had all been spent on stone gambling. The money was gone, leaving only a pile of ordinary jade roughs.

‘Ordinary’ wasn't entirely accurate—they weren’t exceptionally poor quality.

He had quite a bit of 'bean’ and ‘flower-blue’ jadeite, but unfortunately, it was all small and fragmented, not large enough for bangles. The prices offered were too low, and he was too lazy to sell.

But letting it sit wasn't ideal, and he couldn't use that much himself. He was preparing to sell it all off; these pieces could fetch ten to twenty thousand yuan.

With that sum, he could give his family some explanation. His family had always been against his stone gambling; in their eyes, it was a wayward pursuit, almost identical to outright gambling.

“If you can get one or two thousand yuan for it, you’d better not sell it. Keep it. In the future, these things will be worth far more than they are now,”

Zhang Yang said slowly after a moment’s thought.

Zhang Yang didn't actually know how much these jadeites would appreciate in the future, but he understood that later on, jade prices would be at least ten times higher than now, some even dozens of times higher—a rate of increase comparable to real estate.

Currently, ordinary housing in Shanghai cost a thousand or two per square meter, compared to twenty or thirty thousand later—the appreciation rate was indeed similar to jade.

Of course, this applied to ordinary homes; properties in prime locations were a different matter entirely.

“Perhaps that’s for the best. Truthfully, I’m reluctant to sell, and it’s not that much money anyway!”

Qiu Jinghuan hesitated slightly, then nodded to himself.

He hadn't wanted to sell because the offers felt too low, making him feel cheated. But without the pressure from his family, he wouldn't sell. His family constantly objected.

Now, with Zhang Yang’s support, he immediately felt unwilling to part with these materials. Even though Zhang Yang wasn't family, having someone agree with him was what he needed most right now—just a single voice of support.

“It went up! It went up again!”

“This rough stone is truly miraculous!”

While the two were talking, Huang Hai finished another cut. After washing the surface clean, exclamations erupted from the crowd.

This cut revealed jadeite again, and this time it was completely exposed—the same ‘Golden Thread Bell’ melon-skin green appearance. With jadeite showing, the stone’s value naturally climbed again.

A smile returned to Huang Hai’s face, and Boss Lu let out a deep sigh of relief.

It was good that it rose. This stone-cutting session had truly been full of twists and turns. That previous failure had terrified him; he had genuinely feared the stone only had that one window's worth of green, or perhaps very little jadeite overall.

If that had been the case, the stone would certainly have been a loss, and a significant one at that.

This new cut alleviated that worry. For now, the jadeite seemed substantial enough to be worth something. Even if it didn't reach the initial high predictions, it would ultimately yield a profit.

“Boss Huang, I told you! Keep cutting, it’s bound to rise!”

Boss Lu chuckled heartily, and Huang Hai laughed in return, his mood significantly lighter.

The previous setback had put considerable pressure on him.

“Shady dealer!”

Qiu Jinghuan spat disdainfully, muttering under his breath.

“How is he shady?” Zhang Yang smiled and asked casually.

“His shop, Ya Yu Zhai, is huge; he has his own processing channels. He frequently buys up fragmented pieces cut by others here, but he offers ridiculously low prices!”

He paused, then continued, “That’s not all. After setting the purchase price low, he conspires with other bosses to collectively suppress prices, while simultaneously inflating the price of the rough stones themselves. As a result, stones that could have made a small profit end up yielding nothing, or even causing a loss!”

Qiu Jinghuan spoke with indignation, while Zhang Yang offered a faint smile.

In Qiu Jinghuan’s view, this was indeed the behavior of a profiteer, but Zhang Yang didn't see it that way.

Since Boss Lu was a merchant, his own interests would naturally come first. Merchants have always pursued profit since antiquity.

Lowering the purchase price for finished goods was merely a tactic of his trade. Zhang Yang was confident that Boss Lu wouldn't push this too far; after all, the market existed, and there were other markets besides this one.

As long as it remained within an acceptable range for everyone, it wasn’t excessively greedy—as long as no outright fraud was involved.

Qiu Jinghuan spoke this way because his own raw material prices had been suppressed, directly impacting his interests.

Having already spent tens of thousands buying rough stones, he naturally wanted to sell his resulting materials for a decent price to offset his losses. He was looking out for himself.

Since everyone was looking out for themselves, the concept of 'shady' didn't really apply. Zhang Yang viewed the situation objectively; just because he thought this way didn't mean his impression of Boss Lu was entirely positive.

Another bonus chapter added; it’s a bit short. I’ll add more tomorrow!