145: Chapter 145 Sun Family Master_1 145: Chapter 145 Sun Family Master_1 The Antique Jade City of Tiannan, the gambling stone area, at the very back.
A cluster of workshop-like buildings, with dim lighting inside, arranged like a shopping mall, with horizontal and vertical aisles.
Along the aisles are stalls, and above each stall is a uniformly constructed shed, which obscures the already dim light.
In such an environnt, it’s convenient for buyers to use strong flashlights or ultraviolet lights to inspect the rough stones, and of course, it also facilitates the buyers in spotting potential cuts.
In front of each stall, there are always several people examining the rough stones, and once the price is settled, they hand it over to the craftsn nearby to start stone cutting and carving.
At so smaller stalls, you could get a stone the size of a fist to play with for a few hundred yuan, satisfying people’s curiosity and their dreams of striking it rich overnight.
The sound of cutting stone, usually noisy and grating.
But today, it was much quieter, and there were far fewer people surrounding each stall.
That’s because today, once a month in the center of the gambling stone area, the “Jade Selection Event” is held.
Each stall contributes a choice piece of rough jade, for the capable to co and select, like a monthly fair.
Even so owners of jade stone shops in the Antique Jade City would partake in a few rounds.
At this mont, in the central area.
There were long tables arranged in an arc, with two circles, one large and one small, leaving a gap for entry and exit.
On the tables were the choice rough stones brought out by the stalls for selection.
Even the process of selecting stones had its own rules.
Whoever entered had to choose at least one stone, with the cheapest starting at a value of ten thousand yuan, and the most expensive reaching into the millions.
Right now, around the area, hundreds of people were gathered, whispering and discussing animatedly.
From ti to ti, soone would walk over, make their selection, and then cut the chosen rough stone on the spot.
Those with good luck were naturally beaming with joy, while those less fortunate, or even losing their entire stake, were all eagerly awaiting soone worse off than themselves to show up.
In the front row of the onlooking crowd, several Taishi Chairs were arranged in an arc, seating the witnesses invited by the organizers.
Right in the center of these seats was the Sun surna elder who had stopped at the entrance of Antique Jade City to watch Bai Xiaosheng appraise the southern red agate, with Xie Youxin beside him, looking respectful.
“Today, we’re lucky to have Elder Sun as our witness.
Why don’t you give it a try?” Xie Youxin suggested with a flattering smile, “If we win, you take seventy percent and I’ll take thirty.
If we lose, it’s on .”
“Stop pulling my leg, Boss Xie.
With Elder Sun able to spot potential in stones, even thirty percent is a steal for you!” soone beside them sneered.
“Indeed, I’d be willing to go two-eight with Elder Sun, as long as he agrees!” another person called out.
The profits from gambling on stones could be more than tenfold.
The surrounding jade stone shop owners were there to play but also to wait.
Their eyes sparkled with anticipation of acquiring a fine piece of jade as soon as one was revealed so they could buy it on the spot.
“Ahem, gentlen, I’m here to serve as a witness, and so are you all.
It doesn’t seem quite proper for us to discuss these matters,” the Sun surna elder laughed as he stroked his beard.
“Yes, of course.” The crowd hurriedly nodded in agreent.
“Who is that old man that all the shop owners are so respectful towards?”
Among the onlookers, soone asked, which imdiately drew disdainful looks and snickers.
“That’s the legendary figure of the jade circle in Tiannan, God Eye Sun, Sun Tianli!”
“It’s him!
I’ve heard of him; he’s been on national radio!”
The crowd couldn’t help but gasp.
God Eye Sun from Tiannan, his skill was extraordinary.
Without any tools, just by looking with his eyes, touching with his hands, and gauging the weight, he could tell the quality of jade within a stone!
Moreover, without ever making a mistake!
This was truly a miracle, akin to the supernatural!
Sun Tianli received praise from everyone around him, and the smile on his face couldn’t help but show so pride.
His achievents today were the result of decades of accumulated experience.
The great literary master of the Northern Song Dynasty, Ouyang Xiu, once wrote “The Oil Selling Old Man,” in which the old man “placed a gourd on the ground, covered its opening with a coin, and gently ladled oil into it, pouring through the coin hole, yet the coin remained dry.”
Sun Tianli was at this level, which, frankly, relied entirely on the hand-feeling honed over the years.
Of course, intuition was also very important.
At this mont, Sun Yiran was surrounded by a group of young people, standing on the side, eager to try his hand at picking stones.
When Sun Tianli saw his grandson, his eyes sparkled with an indescribable satisfaction.
“Yiran’s talent is even higher than mine, and in the future, the Sun Family will have another master!
Even now, he’s already capable of holding his own!”
“Mr.
Yiran is about to take the stage,” Xie Youxin said to the elderly Sun with a flattering smile, “I just don’t understand the rule you set for him, allowing only five stones for selection—that’s way too few.”
“Out of those five, two are selected for you, isn’t that enough?” the old man lowered his voice, “If I let him pick freely, what would others do?
Not to ntion, wouldn’t they say we have inside dealings?”
“Haha, yes, indeed.
Mr.
Yiran, at the very least, possesses a good fifty percent of Old Sun’s success rate in stone selection, not to say it’s a sure bet, but it’s close enough!” Xie Youxin laughed loudly, clearly holding Sun Yiran in high regard as well.
“You don’t know, but they’ve given Mr.
Yiran a nickna in the circle—’Sir Ran’!” Xie Youxin remarked nostalgically.
“What nonsense!” Sun Tianli scolded with a laugh, “Do that brash young man really live up to it?”
“He does, he does!” The people around joined in the chorus.
This made Sun Tianli’s face beam with pride, and he couldn’t help but feel proud.
Entrance to the gambling stone area.
Bai Xiaosheng and three others walked in.
“So this is the gambling stone area, huh?
It’s so dark here,” Zhang Min couldn’t help but whisper.
“Yeah, it’s different from what I expected.
Why does it seem a bit quiet?” Han Shuying was also surprised.
Bai Xiaosheng and Min shared the sa sentint.
“Young ladies, this must be your first ti, right?” A woman tending a stall nearby said with a smile, “It’s not usually like this, but today happens to coincide with a ‘stone eting,’ so everyone is inside making it lively.”
“A stone eting?” Bai Xiaosheng and the others were completely bewildered.
The woman didn’t bother to explain and simply pointed inward with her hand, “Just go over there and take a look, and you’ll understand what’s happening.”
As she spoke, the woman sized up the group.
She had no particular reaction to Bai Xiaosheng, Han Shuying, or Min, who looked average and wore ordinary clothes.
However, she nodded at Zhang Min, sensing that she looked like she had money.
“The gambling starts at ten thousand inside.
If you’re lucky, there’s money to be made,” she added.
“Starting at ten thousand?” Han Shuying frowned imdiately.
She hadn’t planned on playing big this ti—just spending a few hundred or thousand to pick so small ones for fun was her intention.
“It seems really interesting.
Let’s go have a look!” Zhang Min was unusually excited, pulling Bai Xiaosheng and heading straight inside.
Han Shuying and Min had no choice but to follow.
They had just gone in.
Two n walked in hurriedly behind them.
It was Scarface, accompanied by a man with a rat-like face but a sowhat burly build.
They stared at the backs of Bai Xiaosheng and his group and followed them inside.
“Scabby?” The woman at the entrance couldn’t help but frown, looking worriedly after Bai Xiaosheng and his companions.
She muttered to herself, “What is that rascal up to now, targeting them?
Those young people are probably in for trouble.”
“Ah well, at worst, it’s just a loss of money.
What’s it to ?” The woman sprawled leisurely on the chair, choosing not to concern herself further.
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