Every time BACK was shouted, the scenes in front of Dong Xuebing flashed.
The first time, Dong Xuebing saw the fat shop owner looking down cutting the stone. This was 60 seconds ago.
The second time, Dong Xuebing saw the fat shop owner talking to him. This was 120 seconds ago.
The third time, Dong Xuebing saw the fat shop owner touching the crystal stone, preparing to cut it. This was 180 seconds ago.
……
Dong Xuebing’s body and eyes could not keep up with the fast-changing flashes and became giddy. When he came back to his senses, his surroundings were no longer flashing. He felt he had just got off a roller coaster. His legs were wobbly and immediately grabbed onto a corner of the table. Sweat was dripping off his forehead.
“Oh, are you ok?” The shop owner looked at Dong Xuebing and asked: “What’s wrong?”
Dong Xuebing blinked and steadied himself. “I’m fine. Errr……. Where did I stop just now?”
“Where did you stop?” The shop owner was looking at him weirdly and pointed to the few crystal stones on the floor. “You said you want these two purple crystal, that yellow crystal, that colorless crystal, and that pick crystal.” The shop owner answered Dong Xuebing and lift up his calculator. “The total is 162,000 RMB. I will round it off to 160,000 RMB.”
God damn! It succeeded!
Dong Xuebing was overjoyed and had forgotten that he was still gambling.
The shop owner saw Dong Xuebing laughing to himself and felt a cold shiver up his spine. Was this person crazy? He sub-consciously took one step back from Dong Xuebing and asked: “You are in a hurry? Do you want all 5 pieces? I will cut those stones for you now?”
“No, no.” Dong Xuebing returned back to his senses. “I will not be on time even if I rush back now. You can take your time to cut the stones slowly.” Dong Xuebing said and looked at the stones on the floor. His eyes immediately stopped on the last stone the shop owner cut before he used BACK. “Those 5 pieces are too expensive. I do not want them anymore. Hmmm…… That piece. Yes. That piece that is slightly smaller than a football. How much is that?”
The shop owner looked at that stone and replied: “That piece? 20,000 RMB.”
“20,000 RMB!?” Dong Xuebing heard the price and cursed in his heart. Before he uses BACK, the shop owner quoted him 50,000 RMB. The shop owner should have quoted Dong Xuebing a much higher price as he was in a hurry and do not have time to bargain. “There are no small cuts on this piece. 20,000 RMB is too expensive.”
The shop owner shook his head. “The weight and size are worth this much.”
Dong Xuebing was in a hurry earlier and did not have time to examine this stone. He moves closer and picks up the stone. He pointed to the left side of the rock. “There is a crack here. It is a deep crack. The crystals on this side should be useless. The value of this crystal should be halved.”
The shop owner also knows that this stone was not worth much. He thought for a while. “18,000 RMB. This is the final price.”
Dong Xuebing immediately passed him the money. “Start from the side without the crack.”
The shop owner nodded and carried the stone to a corner to start cutting. He was facing the side of the crack, and he knew the crystals inside should not be any high-grade crystals. He picked up the stone cutting machine, switched it on and slowly press it against the side without the crack.
1st cut…… 2nd cut…… 3rd cut…… A small opening was cut through the dusty surface of the stone.
5th cut…… 6th cut…… 7th cut….. The opening was cut bigger, and it formed a finger width size window. They could see the crystals inside!
Dong Xuebing quickly walk over. He did not see the crystals earlier and was nervous.
The shop owner wiped the dust off the surface and looked at the crystals. He was stunned.
The crystals were colorless and very clear. The shop owner could also see silver-colored needle-like crystals inside through the small opening. Some of the needles were slightly curved, and some were straight. It was beautiful!
“This is……” The shop owner cried out in surprise: “Acicular crystal! Silver acicular crystals!!!”
Dong Xuebing pumped his fist! It’s really acicular crystal!
The shop owner took out a torchlight and shine into the opening. How could a silver acicular crystal appear in this batch of low-grade crystal stones? This young man was too lucky. He had only picked one stone and won the top prize? Damn! I should have open a small window first before selling!
Maybe it was because of the sounds from the shop, two passers-by walked in.
“Silver acicular crystal? It is from stone gambling? Let me take a look!” One middle-aged man took the torchlight from the shop owner and examine the crystal.
The other middle-aged man looked at Dong Xuebing and asked: “You are lucky. How much did you spend?”
Dong Xuebing smiled: “18,000 RMB.”
“Hahaha, you should be able to make a large sum from this.”
That middle-aged man finished examing the crystal and nodded to his friend. He turned to Dong Xuebing and asked. “Are you selling this crystal?”
Dong Xuebing replied. “It depends on how much you are offering..”
“Hmmm…… how about 80,000 RMB?”
Dong Xuebing shook his head.
“90,000 RMB?”
Dong Xuebing shook his head again.
That man smiled. “90,000 RMB is my highest offer. You should consider my offer. This stone is not fully opened. There might be a risk. Look, there is a deep crack on the other side. If the crack extended into the crystal, then part of it will be useless. It cannot be used to carve out big ornaments. It can only be made into a small Guanyin statue.”
Dong Xuebing only smile at him and turn to the shop owner. “Boss, continue to cut the stone open. This time, start from the cracked part.”
The shop owner did not move. “Young man, I suggest you sell it. If this crack is too deep, then this stone will not be worth so high. 90,000 RMB is really a good offer.”
Dong Xuebing had seen the shop owner cut open this stone from the cracked part before he used BACK. Although he did not see whether if there were acicular crystals, but thee surface was clear, and there were no impurities. This was why he had no hesitations. “Just cut it.”
The shop owner did not persuade him anymore. He picked up the stone cutting machine and start to cut the outer layer bit by bit.
Eeeeee! Eeeee!
It was only the first cut, and everyone in the shop were shocked. Part of the crack was cut away!
The shop owner paused for a while and proceeded to make another cut. Another part of the 3 mm deep crack was cut away!
The shop owner made the 3rd cut! 4th cut!
The crack was gone entirely, and the colorless, clear crystal inside was exposed!
The crack did not extend into the crystal! It was only on the out layer of the stone!
The two middle-aged men looked at each other and took a deep breath. Without the crack, the crystal in the stone will be huge. A small Guanyin Statue? No. This crystal can be made into a 20 cm diameter crystal ball!
The shop owner looked at Dong Xuebing and felt this young man was lucky beyond words. “My shop will buy this piece from you. Name a price!”
The middle-aged man immediately interrupts. “Young man, I will give you a reasonable price. Don’t sell it to others. Come, let’s go out and discuss the price.”
An acicular crystal ball was rare even at auctions. The shop owner really wanted this crystal. “How about 200,000 RMB?”
Dong Xuebing’s eyes brighten up but did not say anything.
The middle-aged man frowned and said: “210,000 RMB!”
The shop owner gritted his teeth. “220,000 RMB!”
The middle-aged man said without thinking. “230,000 RMB!”
This time, the shop owner kept quiet and shook his head disappointedly.
“If this is not for my collection, I will also make sure high offer.” The middle-aged man said to Dong Xuebing. “Are you willing to sell for 230,000 RMB?”
Dong Xuebing hesitated for a moment and then smiled and shook his hand. “Deal.”
The middle-aged man laughed. “Ok. I do not have so much cash with me. Can I pay you with a cheque?”
Dong Xuebing does not know how to use a cheque. Furthermore, he can’t tell the difference between a real or fake cheque. He hesitated for a while and said: “Let’s go to the bank together.”
The man could tell Dong Xuebing was worried and nodded. “Ok. You can give me the crystal after the cheque is banked in. Let’s go.”
There was an ICBC bank near Panjiayuan.
After the cheque was banked into Dong Xuebing’s account and he checked the balance, Dong Xuebing gave the crystal to that man. Those two men left. But Dong Xuebing remained in the bank and banked in all his cash in his bag into his account. After that, he checked his statement. His total savings was 440,000 RMB! He took a deep breath. Words can’t express his feelings!
The most important thing was the discovery of a new way to use BACK!
If he accumulates his power every day, and only use it in critical moments, he will be able to store a long time!
Promotions? Making money? Getting married?
All these dreams should not be too far.
