King of Gamblers: Growing from a Student to a Jade King

Chapter 2: Eggs

"Hey, Zhao Fei, I talked to my dad, but he doesn't agree..."

I listened to Zeng Hong's words on the phone; her tone was still so polite, but I just sneered. I said, "Fine, if you don't agree, then forget it. Your family doesn't owe me anything. I'll move out with my mom as soon as possible."

I hung up the phone and leaned against the wall. I had already tidied up everything in the room. I knew for sure that I would be moving out. This home, though dilapidated, has been my home for over twenty years. It is filled with my memories and emotions. Leaning against

As for Zeng Hong, I don't have the right to hate her; I actually owe her my gratitude. She helped me see the reality: I was reaching beyond my means, and I truly am just the son of a driver, unqualified to be friends with her.

I pulled a pack of cigarettes from my pocket. When I was a child, I often bought cigarettes for my dad, and this time was no different. I took out a few cigarettes, lit one, and placed it in the incense burner. I said, "Dad, we all have to go now.

I lit a cigarette for myself, my first time smoking in this lifetime. I took two deep puffs, stood up, and left the room, leaving behind this home where I had lived for over twenty years.

I moved in with my mom to my grandfather's house, but when we went back, I received a lot of disdainful looks. My grandfather was still scolding my dad, saying that my dad was useless when he was alive and that even in death, he was causing trouble for the family. I felt

However, what I can't stand the most is my uncle by marriage. He is a rural person and is particularly unhappy about my mother and me planning to live there permanently. He often makes sarcastic remarks about my mother, saying that since she doesn't have the luck to get rich overnight, she shouldn't dream about it

I never intended to live a serious life in the future. If I fall there, I have to get back up from there. I plan to get rich by gambling on stones, and even if I end up with the same fate as my dad, I accept that.

I don't plan to live permanently at my grandfather's house; I want to stay on campus, which also makes it easier for me to work.

That day I was getting ready to leave. While having breakfast, I said to my uncle, "Uncle, could you lend me two thousand yuan..."

My uncle hasn't even said a word yet, and my aunt said, "Here, can you pay me back?"

This sentence made me choke on the food in my mouth. My hand, holding the chopsticks, just couldn't reach out. I put down my bowl and chopsticks, said nothing, and turned to leave. It doesn't matter if others look down on me, but to be looked down upon by my own family

I returned to school, Kunming University, which can be considered one of the top universities in Yunnan. After coming back, I lost my motivation to study. I owe a lot of money; I accumulated fifty thousand yuan from my father's funeral expenses. I need to find a way to pay it back.

To turn things around, one still has to rely on betting on rough stones.

"Hey, buddy, what are you up to? Come out for a drink?"

"If there's class, I won't go..."

"Hey, fatty, come out for some skewers, it's on me..."

"Don't, keep the money and take your time living; your family matters are quite significant..."

I hung up the phone, threw the cigarette butt on the ground, and stomped on it hard twice. These classmates probably all know that I called them out to borrow money, and they're scared. I can't blame them; their money didn't come easily.

Gambling on stones requires capital, and right now, I'm in dire need of it. I only have a few coins in my pocket. If I don't borrow, I won't even see the sun next week. I'm truly at the end of my rope.

"Zhao Fei, have you finished dealing with things at home?"

I heard a sweet, gentle voice and turned to take a look. It was a girl, not very tall, petite, with dark skin, wearing glasses, and curly hair. She was quite pretty, with a delicate nose and a slightly pursed cherry-like mouth that looked soft and inviting. She was wearing

She is Xuanling, the class monitor, and I don't really like her. She always sees everyone through the lens of being the big sister. Her concern feels more like a formality rather than coming from the heart. In college, people have matured, and so-called friendships often carry a utilitarian aspect

I nodded and was about to leave when she grabbed my arm and said, "Once you're done, focus on your studies. You haven't been here for a few days. I have the tutor's notes; take them home and study. The exams are coming up, and you absolutely can't fail."

I looked at the notes she handed over, and I had lost all desire to study. I looked at Xuan Ling and said, "If you really want to help me, just lend me some money."

I looked at Xuan Ling sincerely. She hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she lowered her head and said, "How much do you want?"

"Two thousand..."

My words surprised her for a moment. Two thousand yuan is quite a sum for college students like us, but she still took her wallet out of her handbag and handed me a thousand yuan. She said, "This is all I have; it's my living expenses for this month..."

I held it in my hand, feeling very happy inside. Although borrowing money from a woman felt a bit off, I said, "I will definitely pay you back."

After I finished speaking, I left. I want to recoup my losses. Although a thousand is a bit small, I'll take it slow. As long as I turn things around, ten thousand or a hundred thousand will be a small matter.

I bought the high-speed train ticket at noon and headed straight to Ruili. When one is consumed by obsession, nothing else matters; all I could think about was wanting to turn things around and make a comeback.

Upon arriving in Ruili, I went straight to the street of gambling stones in Jiegao. Jiegao is the largest jade rough stone trading hub on the border between Ruili and Myanmar, and half of the jade in the country is wholesale from here.

I didn't go to Old Niu's shop; that guy doesn't even know where he ran off to. But there are plenty of shops here, so I found a bigger one because I'm afraid of getting ripped off.

The Dachang gambling stone shop is quite large; there were people sitting at the entrance. I walked in, and inside there was a finished product area and a rough stone area. I didn't linger in the finished product area and went straight to the rough stone area.

In the rough stone area, there are many shelves, lined up in rows, all filled with rough stones. The so-called rough stones are those that have been excavated from jade mines in Myanmar or from rivers.

These stones are the original form of jade. Each piece of translucent green jade you see is cut from these raw stones.

Near the rough stone area, the sound of friction is incessant, and there are many people betting on stones. These stones are uncut, commonly referred to as "covered heads" in the trade, and they are quite cheap—one can buy a piece for just a few hundred yuan, which is the

These raw stones are sold by size, with the largest weighing dozens of kilograms, but they cost hundreds of thousands. I can't afford that. I felt in my pocket and found only seven hundred, and I still need to save three hundred for a high-speed train ticket. So, after searching around for stones I

I can't worry about so much anymore; I can only take a gamble and go all in. In front of those egg-sized materials, I started to pick and choose. I'm not in a hurry to make a decision; those with experience in the stone gambling business know that it's best to look more and buy less

I have to choose a site first. There's a saying in the jade gambling world: if you don't understand the site, you won't be able to gamble on jade. The so-called site refers to the place where the jadeite is sourced. The raw stones from each site yield different products, and if you want

I saw a piece of material with a yellowish skin, very small, pointed at both ends and round in the middle, weighing less than a pound. As soon as I looked at it, I knew it was a typical small piece from Dama Kan, known as "a nest of chickens." This kind

However, I have made up my mind to bet on this piece of stone. My father's research experience suggests that if the material from Dama Kan has a thick skin and is misty black, it is not worth betting on, as it often results in a short supply of gray water, with green typically leaning

I took the stone to the counter to settle the p*****t, five hundred yuan. They issued a receipt and asked me to wait in line. There were many people betting on stones, and the master who cuts the stones was overwhelmed.

I had just arrived at that station when I suddenly heard someone shout, "Haha, it's gone up! A full batch of blue-green material, over two hundred pounds. This must be worth over twenty million, let’s set off the fireworks, hurry up and set off the fireworks!"

As I listened to the shouting, I leaned my head out to take a look. On the ground were two large stones, split open in the middle, revealing a completely jade-green material inside. My eyes turned red with envy; this raw material must be worth at least two million. But with this cut,

"Bang bang bang..."

A burst of firecrackers sounded from outside, and I saw a boss handing out red envelopes. Damn, each envelope had over a thousand bucks in it. He distributed a dozen or so, and everyone was crowding around him, looking really impressive.

I tightly hold this egg-sized raw stone in my hand, damn it, whether it can hatch a chicken or an egg depends on you. I want to live like this in the future too.