As Huang Hai gripped the cutting blade again, the surrounding chatter immediately subsided. Qiu Jinghuan stopped speaking, leaning forward intently, as everyone was desperate to know the outcome of this cut.

By now, sixty or seventy people had gathered, even more than before, forming the densest cluster around the stone-cutting machines.

Golden Silk Bell, being a mid-to-high-grade jade, still held a considerable market value at this time, and the price was not low.

Seeing such jade emerging, many more people crowded closer to watch.

“This piece won't result in a loss, but it’ll be hard to make a huge profit. That first cut went too deep; I estimate a maximum of fifty thousand!”

Qiu Jinghuan leaned close to Zhang Yang’s ear and whispered softly.

“Fifty thousand isn't bad; at least there’s a profit!”

Zhang Yang chuckled lightly. Buying the rough for twenty-six thousand and selling it for fifty thousand meant nearly doubling his money; in his view, that was quite good.

“You don’t understand. That first cut on this rough was excellent. If every subsequent cut had yielded similar gains, it would have been worth at least one hundred and fifty thousand, possibly even two hundred thousand. This piece of rough is quite large; it could yield several bracelets. Now that one cut has failed, it severely impacts the overall shape of the jade, meaning fewer bracelets can be made, and consequently, the price drops significantly!”

Qiu Jinghuan shook his head, continuing, “When the first cut shows such promise and then collapses, it’s essentially a failed stone. It’s like giving someone hope only to snatch it away in disappointment!”

Qiu Jinghuan used a very vivid analogy, and Zhang Yang nodded in understanding.

He comprehended it well; sometimes the hospital was the same—presenting a good prognosis and giving patients hope, only for the final result to fall short. However, in a hospital, the shattering of hope carried far graver consequences.

Furthermore, if Huang Hai’s rough could have been cut exactly as desired—meaning if that initial cut hadn't failed and every subsequent cut had been ideal—the final value of the jade would indeed have been over two hundred thousand without any issue.

Buying for just over twenty thousand and ending up with over two hundred thousand—that was almost a tenfold increase.

A gain exceeding tenfold was absolutely a massive surge back then. This wasn't the later era, not the peak frenzy of the jade market; the prices then were still far below what they would become.

“Whoosh!”

Huang Hai’s cut finally finished, and many people involuntarily craned their necks forward.

“There’s green!”

“Half green!”

The surrounding crowd erupted quickly. Huang Hai glanced at the freshly washed cross-section, his expression slightly strained.

This cut had revealed jade, but it wasn’t entirely jade—it was half and half. After this cut, everyone could roughly map out the jade’s distribution within the entire rough.

The jade in this piece formed a strange shape: large at both ends and thin in the middle. This meant the overall weight was not substantial, and such a shape was unsuitable for making bracelets, significantly lowering the jade's total value.

At this point, few people around were still making offers. Even gambling on the remaining sections wouldn't bring much upside. Those still interested could wait until the entire stone was finished.

The pure gamblers, those looking to buy a stone with a promising streak to bet on luck for the rest, now backed away.

That gentleman who had bid fifty-five thousand was one of them. He wasn't affiliated with a jewelry shop; he was purely a stone gambler. Initially, he offered a high price because Huang Hai’s rough showed such excellent progress.

Based on its early performance, Huang Hai’s stone genuinely looked capable of hitting that great surge to over two hundred thousand; he thought the same thing at the time. Unfortunately, the defining characteristic of stone gambling is unpredictability; no one can guarantee what lies ahead.

At this moment, that gentleman felt a surge of relief that Huang Hai hadn't sold; had he taken it over, he would certainly have lost money.

Boss Lu remained silent this time; the situation with the rough was mostly clear, and saying more was pointless.

Huang Hai also said nothing, continuing to operate the cutting machine. He needed to extract all the jade, as it was, after all, jade worth tens of thousands.

A dozen minutes later, Huang Hai stopped cutting.

The jade inside was much as everyone had guessed: a very peculiar shape—thick at one end, crooked at the other, and very slender in the middle.

What disappointed Huang Hai the most was that this jade couldn't be fashioned into bracelets at all; it could only be worked into other items, which caused its value to plummet even further.

“Mr. Huang, thirty thousand is fair. If you don’t want it, give it to me for thirty thousand!”

Boss Lu pondered for a moment, then looked up and spoke to Huang Hai.

“A crooked dealer!” Qiu Jinghuan couldn’t help but curse under his breath again.

Normally, for such an exposed material, Boss Lu would offer at most twenty-five or twenty-six thousand, especially since it couldn't yield bracelets and could only be made into pendants, ornaments, or small trinkets.

Raw jade wasn't as scarce then as it would be later, and jade prices hadn't reached their future madness. Materials that didn't perform well were usually subjected to dealer price suppression.

Boss Lu offering thirty thousand was not suppressing the price; it was actually quite a generous increase.

This is why Qiu Jinghuan cursed him as a crooked dealer—no good deed goes unpunished. Boss Lu must have an ulterior motive concerning Mr. Huang.

“Fine, thirty thousand is yours. I'll go pick out another one!” Huang Hai considered it and nodded immediately.

He knew the value of jade well; the thirty thousand Boss Lu offered was not low. This meant his purchase of this gambling stone hadn't resulted in a loss; he’d even gained a few thousand yuan.

Although he didn't care much about a few thousand, a profit was a profit, and no one intended to lose money.

After this rough was finished, many people dispersed. This cutting session would become fodder for conversation among many people later—a stone that was showing great promise but encountered an unexpected failure was the kind of event that easily sparked interest and discussion.

Many would become Monday morning quarterbacks, dissecting the stone, speaking as if they would have achieved massive gains had they cut it.

“Zhang Yang, want to come take a look? Maybe you should buy a few stones to try your luck?”

Huang Hai turned around, saw Zhang Yang, and immediately walked over. He had been so focused on cutting that he had neglected Zhang Yang earlier.

“I won’t go look yet. I still have one piece left; I want to cut mine first,”

Zhang Yang smiled and shook his head, pointing to the black sand rough he had purchased on the ground. He knew nothing about stone gambling; if Wu Ying hadn't been there, he wouldn't have even chosen this rough.

Huang Hai blinked in surprise, then slapped his forehead: “Look at my memory—I forgot you bought one too. Here, let me help you cut this stone.”

“Mr. Huang, this piece is very ordinary. I can have Xiao Liu stay here to help. Why don’t we go look at the other stones together? Mr. Huang has good luck today; you should cut a few more while the luck is hot; maybe a big score will come through!”

Boss Lu was unhappy about Huang Hai wanting to stay.

He knew Huang Hai had brought a substantial amount of cash today, and his presence was solely intended to facilitate Huang Hai’s business. If Huang Hai stayed to help Zhang Yang cut his stone, it would inevitably waste his time.

This might mean Huang Hai would look at fewer stones, looking at fewer meant buying fewer, and buying fewer meant less business for him—he certainly wouldn't be happy about that.

“Boss Lu, Zhang Yang is my brother!”

Huang Hai said with slight displeasure. He wasn't stupid and understood Boss Lu's intentions.

He could still do business with him; he needed to buy more anyway. Since this jade didn't meet his expectations, it wasn't suitable as a gift, and he needed to cut one that was.

But Boss Lu's eagerness to rush him off to see other stones, leaving Zhang Yang behind, genuinely annoyed him.

Zhang Yang came with him; he was here as his companion. How could he only look after himself and leave Zhang Yang stranded?

“Mr. Huang, please don't mind me. I was just thinking about saving you some time. Very well, we will help and cut Brother Zhang’s rough first!”

Boss Lu immediately changed his tune with a smile, realizing Huang Hai was displeased.

However, in his heart, he grew even more irritated with Zhang Yang. If it weren't for Zhang Yang, he would likely be doing much more business. Now, there would inevitably be an impact.

“Boss Lu, no need to trouble yourself. Jinghuan, will you help me cut this stone?”

Zhang Yang smiled slightly, speaking quickly so Boss Lu couldn't react, and addressed Qiu Jinghuan beside him.

Having lived two lives, his insight was no less sharp than these businessmen and old foxes; Boss Lu’s petty maneuvering did not escape him.

Boss Lu offering to help was only out of respect for Huang Hai; Zhang Yang knew how annoyed he truly was.

How could Zhang Yang agree to be helped by someone who was inwardly reluctant but outwardly pretending to be helpful out of obligation? Whether in his past life or now, Zhang Yang was an extremely proud person.

“Ah, okay, no problem!”

Qiu Jinghuan was momentarily stunned, then immediately agreed with a cheerful smile. Zhang Yang’s request was one he wouldn't refuse. In fact, Qiu Jinghuan loved stone gambling, deeply, but he was currently short on funds and hadn't bought a rough to cut in days. Zhang Yang asking for his help was a perfect chance to indulge his urge.

“I’ll help too!” Huang Hai stepped forward and added.

Three people cutting would be fastest. However, when he offered to help, Boss Lu's expression soured further.

He was mentally cursing Zhang Yang: being offered face and rejecting it. He couldn't fathom why Huang Hai held this person in such high regard.

He cursed internally but dared not speak it; Boss Lu knew that if he dared utter those words, his business dealings with Huang Hai for the day would be over.

“How about this: Jinghuan does the cutting, and Brother Hai and I will assist with the groundwork!”

With two helpers, the cutting process would be sufficient. Unfortunately, Zhang Yang didn't know how to cut himself and still needed assistance. Zhang Yang made this decision thinking Qiu Jinghuan enjoyed cutting, and Huang Hai, having just finished one, should be resting.

“No problem, Brother Yang, rest assured, I will definitely cut a huge gain for you!”

Qiu Jinghuan first laughed heartily. They had already exchanged ages; they were both the same year, but Zhang Yang was three months older, so Qiu Jinghuan started calling him Brother Yang.

“I’ll take that blessing. If there’s a big score, I’ll give you a share!”

Zhang Yang also laughed. Qiu Jinghuan was already carrying Zhang Yang’s black sand rough to the cutting machine, even taking out a pen for Zhang Yang to mark the lines. Huang Hai was tidying up the machine, preparing for Zhang Yang.

Behind them stood Boss Lu, whose face was distinctly unhappy. He felt completely overlooked at this moment.

As the year begins in spring, the month begins today; today was crucially important.

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Even though Xiao Yu stumbled last month, his updates remained plentiful, and he had compensated for everything; the average update count never dropped below fifteen thousand, and he never fell off the update rankings.

I humbly ask for your guaranteed monthly vote support. Xiao Yu is utterly exhausted and relies purely on everyone's backing. Once that support wanes, Xiao Yu truly doesn't know how much longer he can last. I beg you all!