Chapter 8: Borrowing Money Just to Gamble on Stones—You’re Truly Ruthless!

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In fact, Gu Zhixia’s matter was just the prelude! Jiang Cheng wanted to make money; he wanted to stand out and be respected. He no longer wished to be looked down upon. Before, he thought having money to spend, a job, and a modest life was enough. He wasn’t a man who lacked contentment. But then the car accident happened—he lost his job, went blind in one eye, was deceived by Zheng Wanfú, and tricked by his girlfriend Song Yi. A burning anger welled up inside him. He wanted to become wealthy; he refused to be scorned again, refused to helplessly watch his friends suffer from illness due to lack of money, refused to be left in the dark when urgently needing funds, with no way out. He also wanted Xiaoshu and his sister Jiang Ling to live well, no longer struggling endlessly for survival only to meet a grim end.

Seeing Jiang Cheng’s determined expression, Zheng Wanfú sneered coldly. “Alright, Jiang Cheng, since you’re here to gamble on jade stones, you’re my guest. You pick the raw stones yourself, but whatever price I sell to others, I’ll charge you the same!” Zheng Wanfú was a merchant who cared only for profit. His ability to shift his tone was world-class. Jiang Cheng didn’t mind. He began selecting raw stones in the warehouse on his own.

Qin Xiaoshu had initially thought Jiang Cheng had some reliable way to make money. Unexpectedly, it was jade gambling! The world of jade gambling was perilous. A single jadeite rough stone might be worth a few thousand yuan if poor in quality, but if placed at auction, a fine specimen could start at hundreds of thousands or even millions. Moreover, to gamble on jade, one had to understand the origin of the stones. The better the source, the higher the likelihood of good quality.

Famous old pits like Pagang, Mowangji, Mogang, Old Houjiang, and New Houjiang had higher chances of yielding fine jade. However, stones from these pits usually entered auction houses and rarely private markets. A small private stone-breaking place like Wanfú’s was stocked with mediocre stones. Their quality, appearance, and translucency were all subpar. Choosing stones here meant a 90% chance of wasting money.

Otherwise, the place wouldn’t be so small. Zheng Wanfú couldn’t afford good stones. The rich were richer precisely because they had capital and could afford to lose. Losing was no big deal to them—they could just try again. But people like Jiang Cheng were no different from throwing money away.

Qin Xiaoshu wanted to warn Jiang Cheng but saw he had already started picking stones, so he said nothing and followed him. Jiang Cheng walked around the warehouse, shining a flashlight on stones, lifting and feeling them. He looked quite serious. What they didn’t know was that Jiang Cheng had been using his eyes’ special ability to carefully appraise the value of every stone. After more than half an hour, Jiang Cheng had a clear idea. The batch was mostly low quality; out of hundreds of stones, only five were valuable.

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The success rate was astonishingly low. Jiang Cheng memorized the locations and shapes of the five stones. Among them, one was a yellow sand skin stone, basketball-sized, worth 4.3 million yuan. Another was a black tungsten sand skin, cabbage-sized, worth 3.5 million yuan. The remaining three were valued at 320,000, 690,000, and 1.25 million yuan respectively. One was relatively large and well-shaped; the other two were ordinary.

Shen Sining looked puzzled as she scanned the warehouse. She had heard of jade gambling and knew that some people struck it rich overnight by finding rare stones. But those cases were rare. Most lost everything down to their last pair of underwear. She couldn’t understand why Jiang Cheng would choose such a risky gamble. Where did his confidence come from? How could he be sure he wouldn’t lose everything with one cut? Seeing Jiang Cheng seemingly picking a stone, she quickly followed.

It was a black tungsten sand stone with a shiny skin and a thin waxy layer. This kind of stone was riskier than yellow sand skin. The black tungsten sand skin carried greater risk. Jiang Cheng shone his light, polished the skin, and proceeded smoothly. His technique was deft, like an experienced craftsman. Of course, he did this deliberately to avoid letting others think he could randomly pick good stones.

When Zheng Wanfú saw Jiang Cheng select this stone, he said sternly, “Jiang Cheng, this stone is from Zi Bi pit. You know the prices for stones from big pits!” Jiang Cheng frowned. “Boss Zheng, you think I don’t know where this stone is from? I’m just helping deliver stones. This is a random stone bought wholesale from Ruili for a thousand yuan, not from Zi Bi pit.” But Jiang Cheng didn’t expose him.

Jiang Cheng smiled. “Boss Zheng, how much for this stone?” “Fifty-eight thousand!” Zheng Wanfú quoted a lion’s price. Jiang Cheng frowned. “Boss Zheng, isn’t that dishonest? You want 58,000 for a stone that cost a thousand?” Zheng Wanfú scoffed coldly, “Take it or leave it!” “I’ll take it!” Jiang Cheng said with a sly smile.

Zheng Wanfú was stunned, then grinned crookedly. Qin Xiaoshu hurriedly pulled Jiang Cheng aside, whispering, “Orange, you know that bastard is ripping you off, yet you buy? Are you crazy?” Fifty-eight thousand was no joke. Jiang Cheng might not even save that much in two years. Was he really going to gamble away two years’ income?

Qin Xiaoshu felt heartbroken and furious. Jiang Cheng knew Zheng Wanfú was overcharging, yet still bought. Wasn’t that foolish? Everyone dreamed of cutting a royal green jade, but was that likely? Qin Xiaoshu never believed Jiang Cheng would be so lucky.

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Jiang Cheng patted Qin Xiaoshu’s shoulder solemnly. “Xiaoshu, trust me, lend me 30,000 first.” “What? You don’t have money? And you still gamble?” Qin Xiaoshu was dumbfounded. Borrow money to gamble? This brother was ruthless! “Just lend it to me. I’ll pay you back. Don’t trust me? Fine. If I lose, it’s on me. If I win, we split the profits.” Jiang Cheng proposed. “I... sigh. I only have a bit over 30,000. If I give you that, I’ll have barely 300 left. My salary hasn’t even come this month!” Qin Xiaoshu looked miserable and unwilling.

In truth, half the money Jiang Cheng used for gambling was Qin Xiaoshu’s. It wasn’t Jiang Cheng gambling—it was Qin Xiaoshu. He didn’t want to gamble! Wouldn’t buying some pork ribs be better? Despite his reluctance, Qin Xiaoshu obediently transferred 30,000 yuan to Jiang Cheng. After all, when Qin Xiaoshu got into trouble with some street thugs, Jiang Cheng took a hit for him, leaving a scar on his back. Qin Xiaoshu would never forget that debt of gratitude, no matter how painful it was to part with the money.

“Thanks, brother!” Jiang Cheng grinned and transferred 58,000 yuan to Zheng Wanfú. “Jiang Cheng, will you break it yourself or hire a master here?” Zheng Wanfú had just ripped off 57,000 yuan and made a fortune off the man he loathed. He was thrilled. He wanted to see Jiang Cheng lose it all, cutting only worthless stone and wasting the 58,000.

But what he didn’t know was that Jiang Cheng wanted to make him furious even more. Jiang Cheng purposely chose to gamble at Zheng Wanfú’s place, determined to make him watch him earn millions, tens of millions! Meanwhile, Zheng Wanfú would only make a paltry few thousand. Even though Jiang Cheng knew the stone was worth only a thousand yuan and Zheng Wanfú’s price was outrageous, he didn’t mind. If he didn’t give Zheng Wanfú a taste of sweetness, how could he deliver a crushing blow?

Jiang Cheng smiled calmly. “Better have a master help break it.”

“Wait!” Just as Jiang Cheng was about to speak, the silent Shen Sining suddenly interrupted.