The day I arrived in Ruili, it was drizzling. After checking into the hotel, the TV was playing "Romance in the Rain" on TVB Jade. After a call to my parents, I excitedly called Old Ghost, anticipating our long-awaited reunion.
The landline number was still in use, but it wasn't Old Ghost who answered, but a new tenant.
The house was rented, and the phone was registered under the landlord's name. Apart from Old Ghost's appearance, I knew nothing else about him. The next day, I went to the house he rented and had a brief chat with the landlord. According to the landlord, Old Ghost had likely gone to the jade rough market in Jiegao. He then called to terminate the lease, leaving before the rent was up and not asking for a refund.
...
Jiegao is the name of a rough stone market. Unlike the jewelry street we visited, it's only a few hundred meters from the Myanmar customs. I went to this market and noticed a strange phenomenon: every day, a group of Myanmar people would arrive from customs with sacks of stones. Then, another group of young Chinese would snatch these raw stones as if they were free.
...
Jade is Myanmar's national treasure, and its export procedures are extremely complex and restricted. To buy rough stones, one must go through the public auction. However, Myanmar does not restrict the personal trading of rough stones, so some Myanmar people buy directly from the mines and smuggle them over.
Emphasis here: smuggling.
Therefore, the transactions between both parties were very quick, commonly known as "抢包" (qiǎng bāo - snatching bags).
Only those who "snatch bags" were qualified to inspect the raw stones in the sacks and then make an offer. It wasn't that you had to buy every stone you inspected, but if you refused several times, your reputation would be tarnished.
...
There are people who specialize in being "bag snatchers" and then reselling the stones to make a profit.
...
I observed here for a few days and felt that this place wasn't Old Ghost's usual scene. From my perspective, I couldn't see any need for a setup or any opportunity for him to dispense justice.
Those "bag snatchers" were merely profiting from the price difference. I heard that "bag snatchers" used to earn a lot, but as transactions became more frequent, the Myanmar people started to become more cunning. However, the buyers were also from the martial world, so there were no scams.
...
I casually asked around, but no one knew of Old Ghost. So, I found a hotel in a nearby food street and decided to leverage Old Ghost's gluttonous tendencies.
I inquired for two days with no leads.
Would I really just miss Old Ghost like this for the rest of my life? Honestly, I was very unwilling.
But what else could I do?
Dejected, I returned to the small hotel and found a paper bag on the table. Inside the bag were a few rough stones, each about the size of a fist.
These rough stones were all "蒙头料" (méng tóu liào - covered roughs), also known as "蒙包料" (méng bāo liào - bagged roughs). This means the mud and sand were brushed off to reveal the skin of the stone. The stones in the paper bag all had marked cutting positions. I wasn't interested in the stones themselves, but my eyes were fixed on a single character on the paper bag, and a smile involuntarily spread across my face.
The paper bag had the character '鬼' (guǐ - ghost) written on it.
Old Ghost, he had finally appeared.
Besides these items, there was also a business card in the bag. The card looked like an address and read "狸猫换太子" (lí māo huàn tài zǐ - a famous Chinese idiom meaning "the civet cat for the prince," referring to a deception).
...
What did it mean?
What kind of scheme was this?
Was Old Ghost preparing to use me as his tool?
Every schemer has their tools. Guiguzi, though he never emerged from his mountain, produced disciples who controlled the realm. Liu Bei was cunning, yet he always wept, never leading troops himself, and it was only after the "three visits to the thatched cottage" to invite Zhuge Liang that he could contend with a formidable figure like Cao Cao and establish the Three Kingdoms.
To be honest, I was willing to be Old Ghost's tool.
...
The next day, I eagerly went to the address on the card. It was a bit further from the Jiegao market, with not much foot traffic. It was a shop selling rough stones.
I bought a backpack, stuffed it with sponge, and then placed the rough stones inside, with books on top. From the outside, I looked like a university student still studying.
The stone gambling shop was called Hesun Gambling Stones, and the owner was Chen Ashun. He was in his forties, with slightly greasy skin and a receding hairline. Seeing me as a student, the owner's expression wasn't particularly welcoming.
"Buying stones?"
"Yes, yes, do you have any smaller ones?"
"Over there."
Chen Ashun pointed to a counter where stones the size of goose eggs were displayed, mostly white-skinned and thoroughly washed. I squatted by the counter, picking stones while listening to the owner.
"Xiao Li, I have a customer. Help me make a deal today. Listen, there are a few people coming today. Yes, don't snatch too much. Business hasn't been good lately."
From the owner's phone call, I gathered that this Chen Ashun might be a "bag snatcher." However, given his age, he didn't quite fit the profile of those sharp, agile "bag snatchers."
"Boss, what should I call you?"
"Your accent suggests you're from the north. I'm also from out of town. Just call me Brother Shun."
"Brother Shun, how much are these stones?"
"150 yuan per kilogram. If you buy them, I'll give you a twenty yuan discount."
I bought a few rough stones that were very similar to the ones in my backpack. After weighing them, the total was over 4000 yuan. I then pleaded with Brother Shun to round it down, and paid in cash. Brother Shun didn't seem to expect me to make such a purchase and was beaming with joy.
"Brother Shun, where can I cut stones cheaply?"
"It's cheap right here. Do you want to cut them?"
"I'll take them back to ponder over them carefully before cutting."
Hearing me say that, Brother Shun gave a disdainful smile. "For such small stones, you need to ponder? Usually, people cut them with one swift stroke. If that doesn't work, I can help you polish them. What can you possibly research back there?"
These stones were very similar to the ones in my bag. As long as I used the "civet cat for the prince" strategy and swapped the stones in my bag, I would have completed Old Ghost's task. However, I suspected Old Ghost's task wasn't that simple. I decided to play hard to get, piquing his interest, and then asked Brother Shun about his opening hours for the next day before leaving the shop.
On the way back to the hotel, I also went to an optician. I got a pair of glasses, -0.50 for my left eye and -0.75 for my right. For someone who plays games all night and doesn't even have blurry vision, I looked in the mirror for a long time, and indeed, I resembled an undergraduate student who hadn't experienced the harsh realities of life.
Back at the hotel, I took out the rough stones from my backpack and compared them with the ones I had bought. Three of the rough stones had over 70% similarity in their outer skin, enough to pass off as genuine. The others were only superficially similar and could easily be exposed.
I kept these three rough stones and packed the rest, mailing them home. Then, carrying these three stones, I went to Brother Shun's shop early. I waited there before he even opened. I watched as Brother Shun returned, dusty and carrying two large bags.
"Such a big boss, still going to buy raw materials himself."
"I used to call myself a boss, but now I'm just a laborer. I don't know if any big shots will take a fancy to these two today."
"Business isn't good?" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Making a small profit is not as good as a steady job in an office."
I could tell that Brother Shun was speaking reluctantly. From the beginning until now, I couldn't understand why Old Ghost had set up a scheme involving him. However, I was ready to proceed with cutting the stones according to plan. At this moment, a person entered the shop. He was not tall, had only one eye, and three fingers were missing from his right hand. However, his thumb bore a bright green jade ring.
I felt that this man's intentions were not good. I noticed his one eye and the three missing fingers, while Brother Shun stared with envy at the jade ring on the one-eyed man's hand.
"What wind blows such an important figure as Captain here to my humble abode today?"
"Shunzi, don't be so sarcastic. I haven't provoked you, so what's with the attitude? I came today because I want to inlay gold on the ring. Isn't that popular recently?"
"Don't mess with the treasure in your hand. Let me tell you, there were seven such rings left from the Qianlong era, and one of them was a jadeite ring. What you have might be it."
The one-eyed man chuckled dismissively. "Nonsense. Some people say it's Eunuch Li's jade ring. I bought it for three hundred silver dollars from the Ghost Market in Beijing."
"I really don't know how someone like you, who knows nothing about jade, has become famous in this circle. Forget it, I won't chat with you anymore, I have other customers."
This one-eyed captain seemed determined to inlay gold on the ring and wasn't leaving. He watched as Brother Shun cut my stones.
The first one was white with green, looking promising. Brother Shun said it was worth two thousand yuan. A profit.
The second one was "花" (huā - flower), meaning jadeite with colors other than green. Mine had a purplish hue. If it weren't for its small size, it would likely be worth hundreds of thousands. Brother Shun estimated this piece at 8,000 yuan. After cutting two stones, Brother Shun's gaze towards me changed.
"How many did you buy yesterday?"
"About six or seven."
"Kid, you have good luck."
I couldn't fathom how Old Ghost had identified these raw materials, but if he could use them to deceive someone, there must be something more to it, and they were definitely not inferior goods.
Hearing Brother Shun say that, I pushed up my glasses, making myself look young and reckless.
"It's not luck, it's a family heirloom skill."
Brother Shun smiled dismissively, and the one-eyed captain's smile was subtle, but their sentiment was the same: this young man could really brag.
It was at this moment that the third stone was cut open. It was glass-like transparency. Brother Shun's expression became awkward, unsure of what to say. I had seen glass-like transparency before; it could be sold by the gram. Although my stone was small, it could be made into a ring or a pendant.
"My grandfather used to gamble on stones and never lost professionally, but for some reason, he retired at the age of thirty. He supported our family through manual labor his whole life. If it weren't for our family's difficulties and my parents falling ill, I wouldn't have brought out my grandfather's skills to make money. Brother Shun, can you ask around if anyone wants to buy it?"
"How much do you want?"
"Mid-six figures."
Hearing me say that, Brother Shun frowned. "I can't believe you, a young man, are actually an expert. Alright, I'll ask around for you."
Just then, the one-eyed captain interjected, "Why ask around? Jade finds its destined owner. I'll buy it for 500,000 yuan."
As he said this, I suddenly felt a pang of emotion. I had inquired about Brother Shun; he doesn't cut stones, he buys raw stones and sells them. If this was a scheme, it likely involved someone close to Brother Shun. Could this man be the target?