Chapter 59: A Huge Windfall!

"Alright!"
"It's a deal, but we have to draft a wager contract first!"
The stall owner was startled by the outrageous stakes, but then quickly became excited, nodding in agreement without hesitation.
What a joke—it wasn’t a loss at all.
If he won, the raw stones on his stall, bought for several million, would all sell out in one day.
As for the selling price, he could fetch ten million!
That meant, if he won today, he’d pocket several million in profit.
Absolutely delightful!
Even if he lost, it didn’t matter—he’d only lose ten raw stones, costing a few hundred thousand at most. It was a small gamble for a big reward!
Besides, this batch of raw jade stones shipped from Myanmar had a high yield rate. Even if none were top quality, at least two small pieces would surely emerge.
In short, it was a deal guaranteed to profit; the stall owner had no reason to refuse.
"So, what now, Master?"
Seeing the stall owner accept the challenge, Jiang Cheng eagerly turned to Ye Tian.
"What do you mean 'what now'? Sign the contract!" Ye Tian snapped, glaring angrily.
This little punk was always making trouble for him!
With the fat man’s agreement, a group of spectators immediately cleared a space, moving the stone-cutting machine over.
"Go ahead and cut, everything’s ready for you."
Such a spectacle quickly drew even more onlookers; a crowd laughed and urged them to begin.
"What’s the rush? The three of them are betting; it’s got nothing to do with me..." the fat man muttered in frustration.
But he couldn’t resist the pressure of the crowd and had no choice but to go through with it.
"Alright, let’s begin!" the stall owner declared with a wave.
As his words fell, the master stone-cutter in the center picked up a stone and sliced a thin layer along the edge.
The cutting machine screeched as it tore through the rock.
Soon, a small piece of the outer layer fell to the ground.
The old man rinsed the cut surface with clean water, revealing a smooth cross-section.
The cross-section was mottled with gray-brown and white mixed rock layers.
Not a trace of green.
A gasp rippled through the crowd.
"How should I cut next?" the master asked, shaking his head and looking at the owner.
From his experience, this stone was almost certainly a bust, so he asked for guidance.
"Cut through the middle."
The fat man felt a wave of frustration in his chest; he knew well enough after years of playing with stones that this one was a lost cause.

As expected, the old man followed his direction, slicing straight through. The stone split in two—no green inside at all.
Nothing, not even a trace. What terrible luck.
Someone couldn’t help but remark,
"Could it be those two kids were right?"
The stall owner heard this and immediately bristled, glaring, "Nonsense! It’s just bad luck. You can’t expect every stone to have green!"
The master wasn’t in the mood to coddle them. Without another word, he began on the second stone.
He expertly sliced along the edge, cutting a thin layer of the skin.
This time, after washing away the dust, the crowd finally saw a hint of green.
Beneath the layer of waste, illuminated by a flashlight, a streak of jade green appeared.
"I knew it!"
The stall owner was nearly beside himself with joy.
"Such pure green—this is good material!"
He turned to Ye Tian, unable to resist a mocking tone:
"Kid, get your money ready! Every word is clear in the contract; don’t even think about reneging!"
"Ah, Old Zhang is riding his luck today, making a killing. Later he’ll have to treat us all to dinner!"
"Absolutely!"
The stall owner was grinning from ear to ear.
"Green actually showed—how can that be?" Jiang Cheng frowned, looking at Ye Tian in confusion.
Didn’t Master say none of these three raw stones would yield anything?
How did the second one already show green?
Maybe Master wasn’t so reliable after all; he’d misjudged so easily.
At that moment, Jiang Cheng felt regret.
How could he believe someone had X-ray vision? That was just too foolish!
He’d signed the contract under his own name—if he lost, he’d owe over ten million...
For this trip from the capital to Zhongdu, he’d only brought a bank card with thirty million, but recently, tempted by women, he’d bought two supercars.
Now his card had only nine million left—he couldn’t cover the loss at all.
He was doomed!
"Why panic? Who says seeing green means it’s valuable material? Calm down and watch closely!"
Ye Tian scolded him, annoyed at his impatience.
Easy for you to say; I’m the one in trouble here, Jiang Cheng thought silently, but dared not speak. It was his own doing, after all, and had little to do with Ye Tian.
"Slow down, slow down!"
Seeing the green emerge, the fat man grew excited, rushing forward to examine the stone closely, caressing it like a treasure.

"Try slicing another layer just like before!"
The master nodded, maneuvering the machine to peel off another thin layer.
With this cut, a patch of jade the size of a fingernail appeared.
Clear, flawless, with strikingly even color.
"High-ice jadeite!"
Someone exclaimed, their voice breaking with excitement.
With that, more people craned their necks, and upon seeing the material, everyone drew a sharp breath.
Heavens above.
What luck was this?
The first stone had no green at all; the second yielded high-ice jadeite right away!
"Hahahahaha!"
The stall owner burst into laughter, hands on hips, nearly doubled over.
"This is incredible! No wonder today’s been so smooth—fortune has come knocking!"
"Young man, have you got the money ready?"
At this moment, he could already see a million in his account, and imagined himself at the dealership tonight, picking up a new Maybach to take his sweetheart for a ride!
"Master, master, look!"
Jiang Cheng was nearly in tears.
A piece of jade the size of a thumb was enough for a small ornament, and crucially, the stone wasn’t fully cut yet!
He was bound to lose!
"Let him keep cutting," Ye Tian said, his expression unchanged.
"How should I cut next?" Even the experienced master was excited at seeing such quality material.
"Cut off the outer skin first!"
The fat man was so excited he nearly jumped, speaking incoherently.
The old man quickly cut away the rest of the outer layer, leaving the stone’s core exposed.
Unfortunately, the remaining sides showed no green, meaning the jadeite wasn’t as large as hoped.
"No matter—it’s enough. As long as there’s yield."
The fat man comforted himself, then directed the master to keep slicing along the edge.
"Right, right, as long as something can be made into a pendant, we win."
The stall owner was calm and confident, unable to hide the smile on his face.
But soon, his joy would fade.