At 2 p.m., the three of them reached Yunnan. Zhang Jiefangâs business partner came to escort them. When they got off the plane, he welcomed them with enthusiasm.
âBoss Zhang, how have you been since I saw you last?â The person shook Zhang Jiefangâs hand graciously.
âBoss Wu, your car has changed to a Hummer already. Looks like you have earned quite a lot this year!â Zhang Jiefang said with a laugh.
âNot at all. Isnât it true that you guys are looking after me like a fortune god?â Wu Facai said.
Wu Facaiâs name was interesting. His family was poor when he was young. His parents hoped that he could make a fortune, so they named him, Wu Facai. But his surname was Wu, so it sounded like not getting rich! However, Wu Facai struggled a lot these few years â starting from earning several ten thousand yuan and now he was a billionaire. [1]
âHow are the items? You know that Iâm not an expert. I am rarely involved in such business except when the items are good in quality!â Zhan Jiefang explained.
âBoss Zhang, donât you worry. The stones that came from Myanmar this time are the best. If it werenât because we got along drinking, I wouldnât have asked you to join!â Wu Facai said.
âHowâs the price?â Zhang Jiefang was mostly worried about this problem.
âA items, the price is about the same as B items, one piece for five hundred yuan!â Wu Facai said.
âFive hundred yuan, so expensive? Last time, it was just two hundred yuan?â Zhang Jiefang asked in an exaggerated manner.
âMy boss Zhang, youâre in this business, but you donât know the price? Last time, they were B items, and the stone wasnât bigger than this either!â Wu Facai said, âYouâll know when you see the items!â
Wu Facai had arranged a place to stay; it was a three-star hotel. The environment wasnât bad. Zhang Jiefang didnât nitpick because it was arranged by the other. Besides, it was comfortable here.
After he settled his luggage, Wu Facai arranged a dinner to welcome Zhang Jiefang. When Zhang Jiefang saw Wu Facaiâs manner, it was clear to him. Even if tomorrowâs items arenât ideal, I still have to take several ten thousand yuan out of respect.
The most important thing in business was face. Although profit should come first, face must be considered in a situation that didnât damage each otherâs profit.
When he returned to the hotel at night, Zhang Jiefang gave Zhang Bing ten thousand yuan and said, âTomorrow, you two go and enjoy yourselves. If you donât have enough money, call me again!â
âNo problem!â Zhang Bing immediately accepted the money. When Zhang Jiefang usually gave Zhang Bing pocket-money, it was only a few hundred. This was the first time he was so generous.
âOh yeah, Uncle Zhang, What did you discuss with that Uncle Wu today?â Yang Ming was curious, just now, he got lost on the topic during the dinner. One piece of cheap jadeite can sell for about five hundred yuan? There still exists such a huge profit? Yang Ming really couldnât understand that Wu Facai became a billionaire by just selling stones for three years!
What speed was this? If I could find a similar business, then, I will be richer than Wang Zhitao sooner or later!
âOh, youâre talking about the gemstones!â Zhang Jiefang was quite drunk, so he wanted to show off in front of a junior! Zhang Jiefang usually could maintain the dignity as a senior, but now, he was like their brother, sitting on the hotel bed and talking big. âYang Ming, you know Uncle Zhang has a jewelry business. Besides gold and platinum. Jade is one of my key businesses too!
âReal jade has two types, soft and hard. Common jade usually refers to soft jade; hard jade has another popular name â imperial jade. We and your Uncle Wu were talking about the unpolished stone, so we donât know whether the stone is jade or not. Since there are different grades for jade, the best is what we call jade, and the latter is an inferior quality product. Jade looks like a stone, so we in the field usually call them gemstones.
âOriginal gemstone trading is the most mysterious business in the market of jewelry. It was mysterious because of gambling, so the buyer has the statements of gambling jade, gambling stone. Gemstones usually have a layer of stone crust; the crust turned brownish-red, brown-black or other mixed colors because of oxidation. Therefore, it was hard to inspect its real value by just observing the appearance. Even today with scientific advances there isnât an instrument to distinguish through the outer crust whether it was a real jade or a ruined stone.
âIn your uncleâs level, I can only play around occasionally. Thereâs too much of an element of luck in play, and they will not let you bring an instrument in for jade gambling!â
It was the first time Yang Ming was hearing of such a business in the world. Isnât this the same as buying lottery? LotteryâŚ
Yang Ming had an idea. âUncle Zhang, can we go to the place for stone gambling to have a look?â
âYeah, you can. Why not? If youâre interested, uncle will give you a few pieces, and then you can play along with Zhang Bing!â Zhang Jiefang said.
âYang Ming, letâs not go there. What fun is there? Why donât we go around and play!â Zhang Bing wasnât interested in it.
âZhang Bing, Iâve never seen it before, so Iâm curious. It wonât waste much time. Letâs go have a look!â Yang Ming suggested.
âYeah, thatâs right. Zhang Bing, whatâs wrong with you? Yang Ming is a guest and youâre the host. The host is obligated to accompany his guest! Fine, I wonât give you pocket-money anymore if youâre not willing!â Zhang Jiefang, of course, wanted Zhang Bing to get in touch with this business because it was such a big family business. Zhang Bing will inherit it. A bigger connection will be helpful for Zhang Bing in the future!
âAh? Alright then! Iâll go!â Zhang Bing became listless as soon as he heard about not getting pocket-money.
Yang Ming laughed. How could he not understand what Zhang Jiefang meant? However, he didnât expose it as long as he could achieve his aim!
That night when they returned to their room, Zhang Bing wasnât content. He asked with a bitter face, âYang Ming, why are you interested in such a thing! So boring!â
âHehe, Iâm just curious only!â Yang Ming explained.
âBrother, why canât you find something else to be curious about? Iâm still hoping to get a girl!â Zhang Bing complained.
âGet a girl? Donât do it in Yunnan. Didnât you read about Wiselyâs novel [2]? It is about a man having a one night stand. It turned out that the partner was a virgin. She kept forcing him to marry her. Of course, the guy disagreed and ran away! As a result, the lady was so furious that she cursed him with voodoo. In the end, the guy almost died by exploding!â Yang Ming said.
âF***, Brother, donât you try to scare me! Why does it sound like a pseudoscience?â Zhang Bing couldnât help but have a chill.
Science? Hehe, Yang Ming laughed. There are too many phenomena which canât be explained by science such as my special abilities. So is it considered pseudoscience or science?
Youâre saying that itâs science? Itâs impossible to explain based on current technology. If youâre saying that itâs pseudoscience, then how can you explain the phenomenon on Yang Ming?
So, not everything can be considered as science or pseudoscience!
âIâm telling the truth. You can try if you donât believe me!â Yang Ming was having fun with him.
âAh? F***. I wouldnât be here if I knew earlier. Oh my gosh, Iâm having such bad luck!â Zhang Bing lay on the bed crestfallen.
âHehe, Iâm just trying to scare you. Truly, voodoo is quite rare now. In Yunnan, only Miao people [3] know how to do it. Of course, not all of them know how to do it! Only a small number of people know, and these people usually stay in a village that is isolated from the world!â Yang Ming looked at Zhang Bingâs expression, and he couldnât help but find it amusing. âBesides, there are rules in this tribe, so they arenât allowed to simply curse anyone!â
âF***, I still feel that itâs quite confusing. No way, I have decided!â Zhang Bing shouted all of a sudden.
âYou decided? What did you decide?â Yang Ming thought he decided not to get a girlfriend anymore.
âI decided that I will check her identification card before making her a girlfriend and just look for the minority race!â Zhang Bing said.
ââŚâ Yang Ming was speechless. Why is this so exaggerated? Iâm only learning and applying immediately. I was just saying.
This night, Yang Ming slept so comfortably. Although the environment had changed, Yang Ming felt safe because he finally found a way to explore his abilities! Although he wasnât sure about it, he could at least give it a try.
On the next morning, Zhang Jiefang called Wu Facai after breakfast. Then he brought along Zhang Bing and Yang Ming to Tengchong [4] in Yunnan. Tengchong is one of the major distribution centers in the country.
However, this was just a small business. Some jewelers didnât import from Tengchong anymore; instead, they directly imported from Yangon [5]. Like Wu Facai, he imported from Yangon. Then he resold it when he was back in the country to earn the price difference.
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