"Nothing?"
Li Yang glanced at the text message on his phone, his brow furrowing slightly. He shrugged. He had done all he could. If there was nothing, then there was nothing.
With that thought, he put his phone away and continued to pick out stones.
Half an hour later, he had selected 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 be waiting for your red envelope," Li Yang replied with a smile.
Professor Ning, standing nearby, nodded slightly as he looked at the six stones Li Yang had chosen. "The texture and clarity seem good. Mr. Li, your judgment is truly excellent."
"However, I personally believe that one shouldn't be too optimistic when gambling on stones, or it can lead to excessive joy turning into sorrow. It's better to assume from the start that you won't find anything good. Then, when you cut the stone and see ordinary ice-grade jade, you'll still feel a sense of happiness."
"Professor Ning's experience is vast; it's worth learning from." Li Yang smiled faintly, not arguing with him.
After all, Professor Ning's words were out of kindness.
Professor Ning chuckled, "After all, I've been gambling on stones for so many years. If my mindset isn't good, I could easily break down."
"That's true," Li Yang nodded with a smile and then instructed someone to start cutting the stones. "If we find anything good this time, it will also be thanks to your good fortune, Professor Ning."
"Whether it's me or Xiaoyu, you can't skip the red envelopes."
"Of course not," 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 could I dare to accept a red envelope?"
"Professor Ning, don't be so modest. The value of a guide is considerable," Li Yang said with a smile, then beckoned to the stone cutters to help him with the stones.
The stone cutters approached, examined the stones, and finding no lines marked on them, 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 effort in marking."
"However, cutting them in half can easily lead to unnecessary losses. I personally suggest marking them."
"No need, these stones are to be cut in half," Li Yang shook his head.
"Ah?"
The stone cutter looked confused, glancing at him 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."
"In that case, 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.
Moreover, some of them were not gambling enthusiasts but jade merchants who specifically staked out such places to acquire good jade immediately.
Watching the stones being placed on the cutting table and about to be cut in half, Professor Ning exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Li, are you serious?"
"I still think you should mark a line."
"Professor Ning, cutting them like this is the best choice," Li Yang shook his head.
Professor Ning completely disagreed with his statement. He looked at Li Yang and dismissed him as one of those novice stone gamblers who liked to take shortcuts.
Indeed, some novice stone gamblers, to save trouble and due to their lack of experience in marking lines, would deliberately not mark them to avoid revealing their lack of skill, asking for them to be cut in half.
They would sacrifice substance for the sake of appearance.
It was truly not worth it.
"Mr. Li, these stones must have cost several million. It's such a waste to be so careless. If you don't think of yourself, you should at least think of Miss Lin beside you, right? She paid 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 mark, and to cut them directly in half, then it must be correct," Lin Xiaoyu said with a smile.
Professor Ning almost choked with anger. He had intended for Lin Xiaoyu to speak up and persuade Li Yang, but he hadn't expected this young lady to persuade him instead!
Truly, love makes people blind!
"Fine, fine. I won't interfere with you young people's affairs," Professor Ning sighed and waved his hand. "I just hope you learn from your mistakes. After suffering this setback today, don't repeat it in the future."
"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 let the facts speak for themselves."
"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," 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 onto the center!
Sizzle!
A burst of watery light appeared, and many people showed expressions of amazement, exclaiming, "Every time I see this kind of watery light, it looks so beautiful, so 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 exclaim in surprise, "Whoa, it's oily!"
"Oh dear, when jade becomes oily, it's definitely a treasure!"
"This young man has really good luck, finding something good with the very first stone!"
"You have good luck," Professor Ning said, surprised, seeing the black, viscous substance on the cut surface of the stone.
But then he felt a pang of regret. "Such a good thing, if it hadn't been 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 is truly the best way to cut it," Li Yang said, a wry smile on his face. This middle-aged professor was truly concerned about everything.
Professor Ning didn't believe him and sighed, "You're just being stubborn. When they wash it with water, you'll regret it."
As he spoke, the stone cutter indeed scooped up a ladle of water from the nearby sink and splashed it onto the cut surface several times, gradually revealing the true appearance of the cut.
"Ah, it's purple! No, it has green too! Wow, dual-colored!"
"It's dual-colored jade! And judging by the variety, it looks like 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 interest, but this stone doesn't belong to me; it belongs to my friend," Li Yang said, smiling and pulling Lin Xiaoyu's delicate hand, "Xiaoyu, are you willing?"