Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
There was a Canton system in the mining areas, providing comprehensive service. A professional was responsible for cutting the raw materials. If they discovered jade, they could choose to polish it or keep it as it was.
The Canton system was a public system because the mining area belonged to the public, where the services were free of charge.
There were many mines in the area, but there was usually only one public canton, so many people were waiting in line to cut the stones.
It was still early and there were not many people inside. After Li Du counted about ten people were in line, he and Zhong Daopao went and queued at the end of it.
The atmosphere in the Canton area was very strange. When the bets rose, the ones who make money would earn a big amount, but if they made a bad bet then they would lose a lot of money. There were countless times where extreme emotions such as joy and sadness would be seen.
Li Du saw it today. Someone in the front was shouting, “Oh, fuck it! I want to set up firecrackers to celebrate!” Meanwhile, another man screamed, “No, I can’t lose so much money. I still owe the loan shark!”
Hearing such words, Li Du shook his head and said, “Master Pao, new people are coming to stay in the village.”
Zhong Dapao nervously looked at the stones in his hands and said, “Okay, we will tend to every single one of them. They are from our country by the way. We have to look out for them. But it doesn’t matter now, we have so many stones…”
“At least one of them will bet on a rise,” said Li Du.
“Ah?” Zhong Dapao was stunned.
Li Du said, “What’s the matter? You bought ten stones for six hundred thousand, and if one of them goes up, maybe you could get back six million. This is good business.”
“Ah!” Zhong Dapao could hardly speak when he heard this.
Liu Zi was skeptical. “Brother, you are indeed talented, but do you think this is a lottery? Never mind. I will not say anything more. I used to think so at first too.”
Li Du said, “What’s the matter? Am I wrong? These stones are about the same as the ones the swindler gave me a few days ago. There are so many of them here, so they couldn’t all be worthless, could they?”
Zhong Dapao said with a bitter smile, “Not worthless, brother. They are not from Damakan. This is Muna from the old mine in Hpakant. It is one of the best materials in the market. The color is evenly green, with a clear water source. It is the best match to the Muna in all the mines.”
“However,” continued Zhong Dapao with a wry smile, “There is a caveat in everything, I’m afraid. Since this is something good, it must be the reason why it is so expensive. It must be damn rare!”
“Yes, you’re betting not ten to one, but more like a hundred to ten!” Liu Zi said in a rough voice.
Li Du looked at him with surprise and said, “What’s the difference between the two?”
Liu Zi looked at Zhong Dapao stupidly and said, “Of course there is a difference, right?”
Zhong Dapao said impatiently, “Okay, shut up, damn it. Are you here to act clever?”
“It’s your turn, hurry up,” the man at the back of the line called.
While they were talking, the people in front of them were done cutting their stones. The ones who won the gamble ran out happily, while the ones who lost were dragged out by the security guard.
Zhong Dapao chose a stone to put on, and the polishing master glanced up and said, “Oh, Master Pao, you came to participate again?”
Liu Zi was in a hurry and said, “Old Biao, stop talking nonsense and start cutting.”
The polishing master slowly lit up a cigarette and said, “I’ll smoke a little and take a rest. I’m at this damn thing since morning. At least let the grinder rest, right?”
They were acquaintances, and as he spoke, the master took out his cigarettes and offered them the box.
Zhong Dapao took one. Liu Zi took several.
The polishing master scolded, “Damn you, that is a Chunghwa, one of the guests gave me that.”
“Would you be out of cigarettes?” Liu Zi rolled his eyes.
Li Du tapped the stone and said, “Cut it, brother. If there is water, I’ll give you a Chunghwa.”
“All right!” The polishing master took two deep drags on his cigarette, and half of it was gone.
He tossed away the butt, took the stone and said, “The stone shell of this Muna is very thick. This is the typical white salt sand skin. It is so small. I’m afraid there wouldn’t be anything in it. So, let’s open a door first?”
“Open the door!”
The knife grinder whined, and the master polished the stone layer by layer skillfully.
The people behind were standing on tiptoe to watch. A fat man smiled in disdain and said, “F**k, white salt and sand skin. There won’t be even a shade of stone in it.”
Liu Zi stared at the man and said, “If so, why bother at all?”
The merchant, not daring to attract trouble, laughed and said nothing, but waited patiently.
After polishing half of the stone, they still saw nothing and were afraid that this was a loss. A low laugh came from the back, while Zhong Dapao was cursing angrily.
He could not grind anymore. The master cut the stone in the middle, and they saw it was a total loss.
“Another one.” Zhong Dapao took out another stone.
The fat man at the back was carrying a slab the size of a millstone. He said impatiently, “Don’t grind it. Cut it. Damn! What would the little thing be worth?”
The polishing master was still patiently grinding. Unfortunately, the stone was also a loss.
Zhong Dapao’s lips trembled. “D…Damn, another one!”
He took another piece out of Godzilla’s knapsack. The people behind started to make noises:
“Damn it, brother, are you playing circus?”
“How many do you have? Take them all out!”
“Are these stones from the roadside? I haven’t had breakfast yet!”
Zhong Dapao put on a straight face and poured out all the stones from the backpack.
Seeing about ten stones, the people behind them felt like screaming. The fat man with the big ears exploded, “You are wasting my time. What are you doing gathering small stones and coming here? Get out quickly!”
The master took the largest piece and said, “Take this one. The fine leather shell looks attractive. It is a typical color for high-quality goods. If this has no…”
He did not continue his sentence, but shook his head, and everyone understood.
Zhong Dapao tensed up, and so did Liu Zi. Sweat was dripping from their foreheads.
Once the stone was polished, the master sighed, “Master Pao, you are out of luck.”
“F**k!” Zhong Dapao slapped his thigh with a look of despair.
Li Du said, “What’s the hurry? Aren’t there many left? Come on, keep grinding.”
This time it was the turn of the line behind to look desperate. Someone gave up and moved away from the line.
The master shook his head and changed the work method. He scraped the stone instead of grinding it, which was faster.
As a result, when he scraped through, the master’s eyes narrowed. “Damn it! Master Pao, it’s a rise!”
The distraught Zhong Dapao raised his head. “Ah?”
“It’s a rise!” The polishing master washed it and showed it to him. “Good water source, a high ice species!”
Zhong Dapao was excited. “Really?”
The master said, “Think about what you want to do with this stone. Do you want me to continue to polish it, or will you sell it?”
“Hey, hey, brother, sell it! I’ll give you half a million dollars for it,” someone in the back shouted.
