Old Ghost taught me that a strategist must understand the game, set up the game, and break the game. They must also possess the ability to use everything without owning anything.
...
Glass jade, a piece worth hundreds of thousands. In the past, hearing such a price would make my legs tremble. However, after the battle of wits with Boss Xie, I've become more open to sums in the hundreds of thousands. You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a lamb.
"Since Brother likes it, take a closer look. If it suits you, we'll make a deal, but it has to be in cash."
While Captain One-Eyed was appraising the jade, I subtly inquired about him from Shun Ge. Captain One-Eyed's name is Li Dazhi, and he's from the Northeast, like Shun Ge. About ten years ago, they came to Ruili together to pan for gold, initially buying rough stones themselves and cutting them. Later, they found it unprofitable, sometimes losing so much they couldn't afford steamed buns. Gradually, they stopped cutting stones, buying rough stones and selling them, making a profit from the price difference. When border controls became stricter, preventing them from easily crossing, they became part of the first batch of "smugglers" (qiang bao ren).
This business was decent, and they made quite a bit initially. Shun Ge settled down here and opened a shop. Li Dazhi, however, was a gambler, someone who couldn't live without it. For such people, no amount of money is enough.
One day, Li Dazhi lost all his earnings and owed someone two hundred thousand. He tried to flee the country but was caught and had three fingers cut off. Shun Ge saved him. Upon their return, Shun Ge advised Li Dazhi to quit gambling and return home. But Li Dazhi didn't. He took five hundred yuan from Shun Ge and still went across the border to Myanmar.
When he returned, Li Dazhi was missing an eye, which he'd left in Myanmar. He brought back a sack of rough stones and made a comeback.
Now, Li Dazhi owns five gambling stone shops in Ruili and is a well-known figure there. Furthermore, the so-called gambling stone circle has given Li Dazhi a nickname: Captain. It's said he's like a pirate captain who has sailed the seas.
...
Li Dazhi was engrossed in examining this stone, forgetting himself. Later, I heard Shun Ge recounting his old stories, and Li Dazhi's expression turned somewhat grim. "Why tell these things to an outsider?"
"Just chatting, it doesn't affect your business."
Li Dazhi shot Shun Ge an annoyed glance, then turned to me with a beaming smile. "I've looked at this material, it's good, truly good. Are you sure about fifty thousand?" I remained silent. Perhaps sensing my hesitation, Li Dazhi added, "Young man, if you truly have skill, I'll take you around the circle. If you can still pick out good stones there, then you'll truly strike it rich."
The circle? I seemed to have caught a keyword.
"What circle? Ruili's gambling stone circle?"
My question elicited a complex expression from Shun Ge. Li Dazhi patted my shoulder and said, "In Ruili, if there's a gambling stone circle, everyone is an insider. So, our circle isn't about gambling stones; it's a circle of influential people. Without an introduction, even money can't get you in."
A circle of influential people? A place money can't buy entry into. I feel like I'm getting closer to the game here.
"Alright, brother, bring me along sometime to broaden my horizons. This material, you can have it for fifty thousand. We'll be friends."
"Agreed. A promise is a promise. I, Captain, am a man of my word."
"Stop blabbering. You got the better end of the deal and you're still acting like you're doing me a favor. For fifty thousand, you've made a huge profit on this piece of jade. Why drag others into it?"
Shun Ge seemed displeased when the topic of the influential circle came up. He directly admonished Li Dazhi, but Li Dazhi just chuckled. "Alright, I'll go get the money. You two wait for me."
...
After Li Dazhi left, Shun Ge and I chatted. I learned that people in Ruili's influential circle were either rich or noble. Moreover, there's an event called "qiang san" within the circle, where one is guaranteed to acquire good stones. However, there are two requirements to enter this circle. First, on the day of transactions, whether you buy or not, a deposit of two million is required. Second, an introducer is necessary. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Shun Ge had inquired extensively and knew of some people who had indeed purchased excellent materials. Recently, being a smuggler had become increasingly difficult, so Shun Ge decided to use his experience to earn money and return home to retire. He then participated in the influential circle's event through Li Dazhi's introduction. The circle was full of wealthy people and fine items. One segment was live stone cutting. Stones worth hundreds of thousands would vanish in an instant, only to increase in value astronomically. Shun Ge's eyes turned red, but due to his poor luck, his two million yuan were lost without a trace.
Gambling on stones is inherently risky, but losing two million yuan felt peculiar. Furthermore, for someone like Shun Ge, a seasoned veteran in Ruili, to be taken advantage of by the influential circle, I felt I was on the right track. This was definitely the game I needed to get into.
About two hours later, Li Dazhi arrived. He was a regular at the influential circle and had plenty of money. He brought the exact fifty thousand in cash, carried in a basket without any apparent concern. After I verified the cash, I packed the other two pieces and gave them to Li Dazhi.
Li Dazhi showed little interest and tossed them to Shun Ge. "Take them and sell them. Find someone you know to design this thumb ring for me, with a gold border."
Shun Ge sighed, "Don't be silly. That thumb ring is truly a good piece."
I had gathered enough information for today and didn't pry further. I put the money in my bag and left Shun Ge my phone number, asking him to contact me if he found any new materials. I didn't say much to Li Dazhi, but he seemed impatient. "Brother, what's the meaning of this? You're not even leaving your number? Afraid I'll eat you?"
"Captain brother, I can't afford to play in the influential circle."
Li Dazhi turned to Shun Ge and said, "You told him. You lost two million. Oh, Shun Zi, you're getting old. In Ruili, you can't even handle two million. You deserve to work with young people as a smuggler."
"You look down on me?"
"No, I could never look down on you. Shun Zi, you are my savior. If not for you, I wouldn't just be missing three fingers; I would have lost my life."
With that, Li Dazhi tossed a card to Shun Ge. "Shun Zi, I'll send you the PIN to your phone. Two million. Get up from where you fell."
"You're lending me money to gamble?"
"You're mistaken. I'm giving you money for you to gamble."
Perhaps out of anger, Li Dazhi glanced at me and said unhappily, "Why are you still here? Go find somewhere cool to hang out. We brothers are talking, you don't have a place here."
...
That evening, Shun Ge came to my inn. He was very sincere. "Brother, I have a lot of experience, but in the influential circle, my experience is useless. I look at every stone there and think it has potential, but when they cut it and strike it rich, my cuts break my heart."
"Maybe you should stop playing."
"I can't stop. I lost two million and can't face my wife and children. And Captain is right, we came here when we were young, to gamble with our lives. I've lived my life cautiously. It's no wonder that at my age, I'm still like a young person, working as a smuggler in the Jiegao market."
I could see it. People from his generation either died in a foreign land or became rich. He had achieved nothing. Seeing his friend, whom he had once helped, now mingling in the much-talked-about influential circle of Ruili, he felt jealous.
"Alright, Shun Ge, how do you want me to help you?"
"Come with me to participate in the influential circle's event."
"Is that appropriate?"
"Let Captain be our introducer. You don't have to spend any money. Just be my assistant, help me look at stones. If we win, we split it seventy-thirty. If we lose, it's all on me."
"Deal!"