Chapter 014: Blind Bet on Jade Roughs
Lin Lang replied cryptically, "Just a little! Just a little!"
As soon as Lin Lang's gaze fell upon the jade rough stall, a virtual system light screen instantly generated countless All-Purpose Entry Prompt System entries, floating in the air in different colors.
The success rate entries for all the jade roughs on the stall were presented to Lin Lang without suspense.
The greener the entry, the higher the success rate of cutting a profit from the corresponding jade rough.
The darker the entry, the higher the failure rate of cutting a loss from the corresponding jade rough.
Seeing this, a subtle hint of smugness flashed across Lin Lang's face, and he thought, "With the All-Purpose Entry Prompt System, I'm truly unstoppable. It's hard not to get rich."
"Zzzzt..."
The ear-piercing buzzing sound of the stone-cutting machine slicing the jade rough continued. To onlookers, it was noise, but to the jade rough buyer, it was incredibly exciting, for success or failure hung in the balance.
The so-called 'jade betting' is gambling with unpolished jade. Cutting a profit means getting rich overnight.
Cutting a loss means losing everything.
People die for wealth, and birds die for food.
This is the allure of jade betting; opportunity always favors those who dare to gamble.
Jade betting is a gambling game that requires courage and money.
On the ground beneath the stone-cutting machine, there were already many jade roughs that had been 'windowed' or even cut in half, clearly indicating they were worthless scraps that had resulted in losses, with almost no valuable jade. Evidently, the previous group of jade gamblers had all lost their money.
The middle-aged man currently gambling on jade rubbed his palms, unable to hide his excitement, and watched the jade rough stall owner cut the jade rough intently.
"Damn it!"
"I've already cut several jade roughs in a row that turned out to be losses!"
"This time, I've staked my entire fortune and life on this jade rough. It absolutely must be a profit!"
"Profit! Profit!"
"Profit..."
The middle-aged man's eyes were red from losing, clearly having gone 'all-in' and become desperate. He hoped to win back all the money he had lost by cutting a profit from this one stone, unaware that he would only sink deeper.
For every person who gets rich overnight from a jade rough profit, there's another who loses so much they jump off a building.
The onlookers chattered amongst themselves, watching the spectacle.
Gu Keqing, holding Lin Lang's arm, tested him, "You said you 'understand a little' about jade betting. So tell me, will this jade rough the stall owner is cutting be a profit or a loss?"
AI Generated Gu Keqing browsing a jade rough stall
Lin Lang replied, "This 4.8 KG jade rough, from its outer skin, has a proper 'field mouth' and a green 'sky window,' making it a stone that makes people's hands itch just by looking at it."
"The middle-aged man couldn't resist the temptation and staked his entire fortune and life on this seemingly profitable jade rough. He can already go to the rooftop to write his will."
Gu Keqing was startled, "A Lang, do you mean the middle-aged man is definitely going to lose?!"
Lin Lang replied, "That's right!"
"The greenest part of this jade rough being cut is only in the 'sky window' section. The green on the surface doesn't extend inward. After the actual cut, there will be no green inside."
"A loss is already a foregone conclusion."
Gu Keqing listened, half-believing and half-doubting, and replied with some anticipation, "Then let's wait and see!"
"Screech..."
The jade rough stall owner pressed the button, turning off the rapidly spinning stone-cutting machine.
The atmosphere around the jade rough stall instantly became tense. The onlookers fell silent, and the middle-aged man gambling on jade held his breath, his heart pounding. With his bloodshot eyes, he rubbed his hands, eagerly awaiting the result.
"How is it?"
"Is there any green?"
"Did it turn out to be a profit?" the middle-aged man asked urgently.
The jade rough stall owner handed the cut jade rough to the middle-aged man, replying regretfully, "Boss, you're unlucky today. It's another loss!"
"What a shame for this jade rough. If it had been an Imperial Green, Boss, you would have made a fortune in an instant!"
"Next week, a new batch of Myanmar jade roughs will arrive. Boss, you should pray to Buddha, turn your luck around, and you'll definitely win money if you come back to gamble on jade next week."
The middle-aged man was stunned upon hearing this, slumping to the ground in despair. Holding the jade rough that had resulted in a loss, he cried out with deep regret, "It's over! It's over!"
"Two hundred eighty thousand chinese yuan!"
"I lost two hundred eighty thousand chinese yuan gambling on jade in one day. What a prodigal!"
"My luck is just too terrible. I didn't get a single profitable cut from any jade rough. It's infuriating!"
"I've lost all my family's savings at once. How am I going to explain this to my wife? If my wife finds out, she'll definitely divorce me."
"Oh my ~ my God!"
"My son is already of marriageable age. I've lost all the family's money gambling on jade. How can I buy my son a house and get him a wife now?!"
"Smack..."
The middle-aged man who had lost his jade rough slapped himself hard, tears of despair in his eyes.
"Smack..."
"Smack..."
"Smack..."
The middle-aged man, who had gambled away his fortune, slapped himself several more times, beating his chest and stomping his feet as he cried, "I deserve to die!"
"This family is ruined because of my jade gambling!"
"If I ever touch jade gambling again, I'll chop off my hands and feed them to dogs." The red-eyed middle-aged man stood up with a dejected expression, his head drooping as if possessed by bad luck, and left the jade rough stall filled with regret.
The onlookers sighed with emotion.
In the year 2000, the average price of housing in Shanghai was only 3000 chinese yuan per square meter. Losing the equivalent of a house's price in one day of jade gambling was considered a high-stakes gamble back then.
AI Generated Gu Keqing browsing a jade rough stall
Gu Keqing exclaimed, "The middle-aged man's jade rough really did turn out to be a loss, A Lang. You truly are prescient!"
Lin Lang scoffed, "Sister, don't mind the middle-aged man swearing he'll never come back to gamble on jade again. Jade gamblers have no shame. It won't be long before he scams some money and, unable to resist his addiction, comes back to the antique market to gamble on jade again, having learned nothing."
"A Lang, you have a point. Jade gambling, like playing cards for money, involves a psychological game. Both have an addiction that's hard to break once you're hooked."
Lin Lang replied, "Indeed!"
"Jade gambling, similar to appraising treasures and finding overlooked gems, requires keen eyesight and luck. A slight misstep can lead to losing everything. I'm afraid the middle-aged man who just lost all his money gambling on jade will never recover."
Gu Keqing listened and advised, "A Lang, since you know that ten bets out of nine lead to losses, then don't touch jade gambling."
"You just found two big overlooked gems and instantly earned 11 million chinese yuan. If you put that in a bank for wealth management, you'd get 300,000 chinese yuan in interest annually, which is more than a senior white-collar worker's annual salary. Wouldn't it be a huge loss if you lost it gambling on jade?"
"For others, jade gambling is ten bets out of nine losses, but I, Lin Lang, am a child of destiny, favored by the Fortune Goddess. Keqing Sister, just you watch!"
Wealthy people are superstitious, emphasizing feng shui and fortune.
Gu Keqing saw Lin Lang's radiant face, his dignified demeanor, and his air of overwhelming good fortune, not at all like someone experiencing bad luck, so she stopped trying to dissuade him.
"A small gamble is for enjoyment. Since you insist on taking a chance, I won't stop you."
"However, regardless of winning or losing, you can only gamble on one jade rough to try your luck. If you lose, it's on me; if you win, it's yours, alright?"
"Kiss..."
Lin Lang kissed Gu Keqing's beautiful small face and replied with a smile, "I'll listen to everything Keqing Sister says. Am I a good boy?!"
Gu Keqing gently held Lin Lang's arm and replied with a radiant smile, "You're just a little wolf in sheep's clothing, but I like it!"
Immediately after, they heard the jade rough stall owner shouting, "Don't walk by, don't miss out!"
"Those with money, support us with your money; those without, support us with your presence."
"Newly arrived Myanmar Dama Kan old-pit jade roughs! You won't lose out, you won't be fooled. Take a gamble, and a bicycle can turn into a motorcycle!"
"Chase after her, and a girl can turn into a wife!"
"Gamble, and a motorcycle can turn into a Mercedes!"
"Strive, and yellow earth can turn into platinum!"
"Try it, and white paper can turn into cash!"
"No gambling, no struggle, life is lived in vain. If you want to be rich, bet big!"
"The chance to get rich overnight is right before your eyes!"
"If you lose, start over. If you win, a outhouse becomes a mansion! A migrant worker becomes a boss! A boss becomes a tycoon!"
"Small gambles support the family, big gambles make you rich..."
Amidst the jade rough stall owner's highly inciting shouts, onlookers began to continuously squat in front of the stall, like treasure hunters. They started using strong flashlights to examine the good-quality jade roughs on the stall, all seriously beginning to appraise the stones.
Each jade rough on the stall was marked with its weight and price.
On the vast jade rough stall, there were dozens, even hundreds, of Myanmar jade roughs.
The jade rough stall owner was simultaneously hawking and distributing strong flashlights to onlookers who wanted to gamble on jade, for inspecting the jade roughs.
"Handsome man, here's a strong flashlight for inspecting stones. Want to gamble on a jade rough for fun?!"
The jade rough stall owner handed Lin Lang a strong flashlight, but Lin Lang replied boastfully, "No need. I always blind bet on jade. I don't need a flashlight to inspect the stones."
The jade rough stall owner muttered, "Awesome!"
Then the jade rough stall owner thought to himself, "Even with a strong flashlight for inspecting stones, you might not necessarily win and cut a profit. Blind betting, relying on guessing, won't that just make you lose to death, you big fool?"
Gu Keqing was startled, "A Lang, who gambles on jade blind, relying on guessing, without using a strong flashlight to inspect the stones?"
"Wouldn't the probability of cutting a profit from a blind-bet jade rough be even lower than winning the lottery?!"
Lin Lang put his arm around Gu Keqing's soft waist, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, and said, "Keqing Sister, do you believe I have the ability to turn stone into gold?"