Boss Jin looked at him with a smile, still not noticing anything amiss. He said loudly, "Boss Li, you're too polite. Just say what you need to say. Is there anything that can't be said?"
"Since you've put it that way, I'll be direct. This batch of Mogansha jade you have is likely problematic." Li Yang said in a low voice.
Boss Jin smiled and said, "What is it? What are you saying? You're saying these stones of mine have problems!"
Suddenly, his expression changed, and he looked at him with confusion.
"That's right."
Li Yang nodded and pointed to a stone. "Without further ado, have someone smash this stone a few times. I guarantee, Boss Jin, you'll discover the problem immediately without me having to say it."
"Boss Li, are you serious?" Boss Jin's face turned somewhat grim. The jade business, like the antique business, hinges on integrity.
The antique business has the excuse of differing levels of discernment, but the jade business cannot tolerate any fakes. In terms of integrity, its demands are even higher than antiques.
If these items truly had issues, his reputation, built over twenty to thirty years, would suffer immense damage.
Li Yang nodded. "Without the courage of conviction, one wouldn't dare to venture into dangerous territory. I've gotten to know your character just now, Boss Jin. You should have some understanding of mine as well."
"I would never joke about something like this. If I've misjudged, I will compensate you double the original price of the stone."
"Alright, you two, smash this stone open for me." Seeing that Li Yang had spoken to this extent, Boss Jin stopped wasting words and looked at his employees.
The two employees immediately picked up iron hammers, used for knocking open container latches, and walked towards the stone. "Boss, where should we hit?"
"Boss Li, you tell us," Boss Jin turned to Li Yang and said.
Li Yang pointed to a spot. "Hit it right here. You'll see the problem very soon."
"Alright, hit it here."
Several employees swung their hammers and struck. With two bangs, the stone cracked open.
Seeing this, Boss Jin's heart leaped, and he realized something was wrong. "The stone is not right."
"Boss Jin, you see it?" Li Yang looked at him and said.
Boss Jin's expression was grim. "Jade has extremely high hardness. Even if an iron hammer could break it, it wouldn't crack so dramatically after just a few hits."
"There's only one possibility: someone switched the stones and tampered with mine."
"Boss Jin is a man of understanding," Li Yang nodded.
Among jade counterfeiting methods, "swapping the beams and replacing the pillars" is the most common, but also the most difficult to detect. Especially when done to raw stones, the outer shell obstructs vision, making it even harder to discover.
However, an experienced jade dealer like Boss Jin, with his seasoned expertise, should be extremely cautious when selecting stones. While this method might fool him once or twice, to have fooled him with such a large batch is truly baffling.
"Boss Jin, you should be able to find the person who sold you this batch of Mogansha jade, right?"
"I can't find him," Boss Jin said with a bitter expression. "The seller is a good friend of mine of decades, the owner of a well-known old mine in southern Myanmar. He said he had sold the mine and planned to immigrate to Western European countries, which is why he reluctantly sold me this batch of stones at a low price."
"I thought I had struck gold, but I never realized that while I was hunting all day, an eagle had been lurking nearby, blinding me."
"So that's how it is," Li Yang understood. No wonder he had been deceived.
A friend of decades, coupled with the prospect of a great bargain, had clouded his judgment. At such times, it's easy to fall prey.
Boss Jin looked at him. "Boss Li, with so many stones, is it possible that one or two are genuine?"
"I'm afraid not, from my personal observation," Li Yang shook his head.
Shui Xiang said, "Boss Jin, if I may ask, how much did you pay for this batch?"
"Heh, four hundred and eighty million," Boss Jin gritted out, his face already pale.
This was no small sum!
"To acquire it all at once, I even mortgaged my house and car. I thought I'd strike it rich with this deal and then retire to live out my old age. I never expected to be swindled so badly."
"Li Yang, see if there are any other good stones. Let's buy them all for Boss Jin," Shui Xiang turned to Li Yang and said.
After all, they had known each other for some years; they should help if they could.
Li Yang nodded. "Alright."
"Thank you both. I, Jin Buhuan, will remember this kindness for a lifetime," Jin Buhuan said gratefully.
They say it's better to send charcoal in the snow, but in this world, there are many who prefer to add flowers to the brocade. When you are rich and powerful, people will fawn over you, flatter you, and help you, as if the whole world has opened a green channel for you.
When you are poor and powerless, and facing difficulties, these "snow-sending" people are truly impossible to find, no matter how hard you search.
If no one takes advantage of the situation to stab you in the back or kick you while you're down, you should consider yourself incredibly lucky.
Unexpectedly, Li Yang and Shui Xiang extended a timely helping hand.
Li Yang examined some stones. For any stone that could yield something decent, he had his employees retrieve it, gathering over eighty million for Jin Buhuan. "Boss Jin, you must pull yourself together. I don't want to see you for the last time on our first meeting."
"Thank you, Boss Li. I will definitely return next quarter," Jin Buhuan said, deeply moved, shaking his hand and slipping a business card into his palm. "My hometown is Ruili. Whenever you have time to visit, I will host you properly."
"Ruili is the capital of jade in China. We in the jade industry can't possibly not go. We'll have to rely on you, Boss Jin, for your care then," Li Yang said, shaking his hand firmly and smiling.
Shui Xiang also said, "As the host, don't say you're too busy and ignore us then."
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!" Jin Buhuan quickly shook his head.
"Alright, we'll see you then."
"Yes, yes."
Jin Buhuan immediately had his employees load the stones onto the trucks. These trucks belonged to drivers who made a living at the docks, specifically for transporting goods for people.
For some bosses, while less cost-effective than driving themselves, those who don't transport goods frequently prefer to hire these truck drivers.
After all, they pay for each use and don't have to worry about truck depreciation or paying drivers a salary.
If the goods are damaged, the truck drivers and their corresponding companies are responsible, which is much safer than transporting them themselves.
Shui Xiang contacted an old acquaintance she had used before and smiled. "Master Zhang, one truck might not be enough. Can you recommend two more?"