"Nothing?"
Li Yang glanced at the text message, his brows furrowing slightly. Fine, he had done all he could. If there was nothing, then there was nothing.
With that thought, he put his phone away and continued selecting stones.
Half an hour later, he had chosen three stones for himself and three for Lin Xiaoyu.
Lin Xiaoyu said excitedly, "Brother Li's eyesight is unparalleled. I'm sure I'll make a fortune this time. I'll give you a red envelope then."
"Alright, I'll wait for your red envelope," Li Yang replied with a smile.
Professor Ning, standing nearby, looked at the six stones he had chosen and nodded slightly. "The texture and clarity seem good. Mr. Li, your judgment is truly excellent."
"However, I personally believe that one shouldn't be too optimistic about gambling on stones. It's easy to have joy turn into sorrow. It's better to assume from the start that you won't find anything good, and then when you cut the stone and see ordinary ice-jadeite, you'll still feel happy."
"Professor Ning's experience is extensive and worth learning from," Li Yang smiled, not arguing with him.
After all, Professor Ning's words were out of good intentions towards them.
Professor Ning chuckled, "After all, I've been gambling on stones for so many years. If my mindset isn't good, I can easily break down."
"That's true," Li Yang nodded with a smile, then signaled for the stone cutters to begin. "If we find anything good this time, it's also thanks to your good fortune, Professor Ning."
"Whether it's me or Xiaoyu, you can't shortchange us on the red envelopes."
"Of course," Lin Xiaoyu replied with a smile.
Professor Ning waved his hand with a smile, "Besides bringing you here to look at stones, I haven't done anything else. You chose the stones yourselves. How can I dare to accept a red envelope?"
"Professor Ning, don't be so modest. The value of a guide is considerable," Li Yang smiled, then beckoned the stone cutters to help him with the stones.
The stone cutters walked over, looked at the stones, and found that none of them had lines drawn on them. They immediately reminded him, "Sir, your stones haven't been marked yet? If we cut them like this, we'll default to cutting them in half, as it saves a lot of visual effort."
"However, cutting them in half can easily cause unnecessary losses. I personally suggest it's better to draw lines."
"No need, these stones are meant to be cut in half," Li Yang shook his head.
"Ah?"
The stone cutter seemed unable to understand. He looked at Li Yang several times, still unsure if he was serious. "Sir, you're not joking, are you?"
"I'm very serious, and very clear-headed," Li Yang said with a smile. "Just cut them in half. I won't mind any losses incurred."
"If that's the case, then we'll cut them in half." The stone cutter took a deep breath, nodded, and along with his colleagues, pushed the stones towards the cutting room.
Many people saw that someone was about to cut stones and immediately followed to watch the spectacle. After all, if they couldn't afford to play themselves, they could at least watch others play, right?
Moreover, some of these people were not gambling enthusiasts but jade merchants who specifically staked out such venues to acquire good jadeite immediately.
Watching the stones being placed on the cutting table and actually being cut in half, Professor Ning exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Li, are you serious?"
"I think it's still better to draw a line."
"Professor Ning, cutting them this way is the best choice," Li Yang shook his head.
Professor Ning completely disagreed with him. He looked at Li Yang and dismissed him as one of those new gamblers who liked to be lazy.
Indeed, some novice gamblers, to save trouble and because they lacked the experience to draw lines, would deliberately not draw them to avoid revealing their lack of skill, thus opting for a half-cut.
For the sake of appearance, they lost substance.
It was truly not worth it.
"Mr. Li, these stones must have cost several million. It's such a shame to waste them like this. If you don't think of yourself, you should at least think of Miss Lin beside you! She's paying out of her own pocket."
"Isn't that right, Miss Lin?"
"Professor Ning, please don't worry. My Brother Li's eyesight is exceptionally good. If he says there's no need to draw lines and to cut them in half directly, then it must be correct," Lin Xiaoyu said with a smile.
Professor Ning almost choked with anger. He had intended for Lin Xiaoyu to also speak up and persuade Li Yang, but he didn't expect this girl to try and persuade him instead!
Truly, love makes people blind!
"Forget it, forget it. I won't interfere with your affairs as young people," Professor Ning sighed and waved his hand. "I just hope you learn from this experience and don't make such mistakes again."
"Professor Ning, you really should trust Brother Li," Lin Xiaoyu said to him with a serious expression.
Professor Ning was utterly frustrated. "Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. Let's see the results."
"Okay," Lin Xiaoyu blinked her eyes, feeling a bit helpless, and whispered, "Brother Li, why don't you explain to Professor Ning?"
"Some things are useless to explain, it's better not to explain," Li Yang shook his head slightly, his eyes fixed on the cutting table.
The stone cutter, with steady movements, positioned the stone and slowly pressed the blade down in the center!
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
A splash of water light appeared, and many people showed expressions of amazement, exclaiming, "Every time I see this kind of water light, it looks so beautiful and healing."
"Yes, if only there wasn't the loud rumbling noise, it would be even more wonderful."
"Ding!"
The blade reached its end. The stone cutter lifted the blade and separated the stone. He couldn't help but be surprised, "Huh, it's oily!"
"Oh my, when jadeite becomes oily, it's definitely a treasure!"
"This young man has really good luck, finding something good with the first stone!"
"You're quite lucky," Professor Ning said, surprised by the sticky, dark substance on the cut surface of the stone.
But after speaking, he felt a pang of regret. "Such a good thing, if it wasn't cut in half, its value might have been even higher. Mr. Li, you really shouldn't have been so lazy."
"I wasn't lazy, Professor Ning. Cutting it in half really is the best way to cut it." Li Yang felt both amused and exasperated. This middle-aged professor was truly concerned about the nation and its people.
Professor Ning didn't believe him and sighed, "Just be stubborn. When they wash it with water, you'll regret it."
As he spoke, the stone cutter indeed scooped a ladle of water from the nearby sink and splashed it onto the cut surface of the stone several times, gradually revealing the true appearance of the cut.
"Ah, it's purple! No, it has some green too! Wow, dual-colored!"
"It's dual-colored jadeite! And judging by the quality, it seems to be high ice-grade. This is a good thing!"
"Young man, sell me this stone, thirty million!"
"I'll offer forty million!"
"Forty-five million!"
"Thank you all for your support, but this stone doesn't belong to me, it belongs to my friend." Li Yang smiled and gently pulled Lin Xiaoyu's jade-like hand, "Xiaoyu, are you willing?"