Chapter Four: Everyone’s a Mastermind

Finding good pieces in the market is truly no easy task. Even jadeite types like watery jade, flower green, or violet are rare encounters. What Zhang Can often came across were pieces with oil-green backgrounds, snot-green, or purple-flowered jadeite—materials that might earn him only a few hundred yuan when resold, with the better ones fetching a thousand or two at best.

Nowadays, most of the jade jewelry sold in gold shops is what’s known as Grade B jade: low-quality jadeite that has been chemically treated to remove impurities and enhance its color to appear more vivid. In fact, the color and translucency of these Grade B pieces make them almost indistinguishable from top-quality old-mine jade—if you’re not an expert, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Yet, there is a market for these Grade B goods because most of today’s customers are low-end buyers, content to spend a few hundred yuan on a piece to wear around their neck or wrist. Who among them could recognize it as an inferior product?

In Zhang Can’s hand was a fragment of jade with a rough skin, encasing a small, clear piece of watery jadeite. The shape inside was distinctly visible to him, unobstructed by impurities. If this were made into a finished ring or earring, it could fetch over a hundred thousand yuan—perhaps even more. Of course, selling it as raw material would halve the price, but it would certainly be worth at least fifty thousand!

A wave of dizziness swept through Zhang Can, his vision darkening as he nearly staggered to the ground. He quickly steadied himself against a stone railing. When he reopened his eyes, everything had returned to normal; despite the rain, the world was once again full of color. He stared at the fragment of jade in his hand, but now, in this vibrant world, his gaze could no longer penetrate it. The piece was only a small broken sliver, and his palm still bore traces of blood.

Was it just an illusion? Or had it truly happened?

A strange phenomenon indeed.

Zhang Can’s heart clenched with sorrow once more as he gazed upon the dark, turbid river. Yet, the courage to throw himself in and end it all had deserted him.

After over three years of scavenging and treasure hunting, Zhang Can had made many acquaintances. Though desperate, the strange vision he’d just experienced sparked a glimmer of hope. Was this fragment truly a jade-encased jade?

If it was, extracting it would be worth at least fifty or sixty thousand yuan—enough to pay off his debts, even if his own savings were gone. The heavy burden of high-interest loans and the thirty thousand yuan borrowed by his family pressed down on him like a mountain, suffocating him. Even if he ended his life, the debt would not die with him—could he really leave it all for his father to bear?

At that moment, Zhang Can found himself unable to muster the courage to end his life. Trembling, he made his way to Zhu Dongsheng’s workshop, where jade was polished.

Zhu Dongsheng ran a small stall specializing in jade trinkets—mostly small pieces. Skilled with his hands, he had once carved seals and small stone paintings for a living. But after regulations tightened and private seal carving was forbidden, he switched trades, first selling odd stones and inferior jade, then gradually building up his business and investing in a small set of tools for jade carving and cutting.

Zhang Can had previously brought pieces to Zhu Dongsheng for finishing work, so they were on familiar terms. He now came to ask for help in cutting the jade fragment.

He vividly remembered the scene he had seen when his vision penetrated the stone by the river, so he drew a few lines on the fragment, instructing Zhu Dongsheng exactly where and how to cut to avoid damaging the jade inside.

Of course, Zhang Can did not have high hopes—perhaps it was all just a hallucination brought on by despair. Coming to Zhu Dongsheng was almost an unconscious decision.

Zhu Dongsheng examined the fragment and chuckled, “Fifty yuan for cutting—old friends get a discount. I’d charge anyone else a hundred!”

Zhang Can said nothing, pulling out his remaining cash—275 yuan in total—and handed Zhu Dongsheng a fifty.

Zhu Dongsheng’s experience exceeded Zhang Can’s. To him, this was just a piece of jade skin, with some jade material soaking through the upper layer—technically jade, but not worth much. Zhang Can probably wanted to have the edges cut and smoothed.

He secured the fragment and started the small cutting saw, following the lines Zhang Can had drawn. This method differed from cutting large rough stones with heavy machinery; this piece was no bigger than a matchbox and required more care.

After cutting one side and turning the fragment, Zhu Dongsheng’s eyes fell upon the cut surface. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Hey! Zhang, there’s a piece of jadeite hidden inside!”

Zhang Can’s heart pounded fiercely—so it was real! His vision by the river had not been an illusion; he had truly seen through the stone!

Excited, Zhu Dongsheng continued cutting, while Zhang Can stood dazed—not thinking about the unexpected jadeite, but pondering the cause of that momentary vision.

An hour later, Zhu Dongsheng finished the process, roughly polished the piece, and revealed a thumb-sized, transparent chunk of fine watery jadeite—exactly as Zhang Can had seen in his vision.

Holding the piece of jadeite, Zhang Can did not head to Old Su’s shop but instead went to an antique store owned by Wang Guohua, another acquaintance. In this line of work, he was familiar with nearly all the antique shops in Jin City, and Wang Guohua’s shop, though small, was run by the boss himself—he handled both the buying and the appraisals, with his son assisting.

In Wang Guohua’s store, Zhang Can dispensed with pleasantries. They knew each other well enough. He handed over the cut jadeite. “Boss Wang, I found something. Take a look—are you interested?”

Wang Guohua, around forty-five or six but looking much older, was a shrewd man. In this business, one had to be—otherwise, you couldn’t run a shop on your own.

“This is...,” Wang Guohua turned the jade in his hand, examined it under the light. He knew exactly what it was—a fine find. He hadn’t expected Zhang Can to stumble upon such a good piece.

“This isn’t bad, but there are impurities, the transparency is average, and the water content is nothing special,” Wang Guohua said, then fixed his gaze on Zhang Can. “How much do you want for it?”

Zhang Can grinned. “Boss Wang, we both know the trade. No need to treat me like a novice. I understand the value. No need to talk this piece down—‘average transparency’? It’s not glass, after all. Even if it were, you couldn’t see through to the other side. This feels warm in the palm—how is that ‘average water content’? There’s not a single impurity in the center—any specks are just powder from the cutting. What impurities? Let’s not mince words—just tell me, how much will you pay?”

Wang Guohua gave an awkward laugh. This guy wasn’t going to be taken advantage of—not like other amateurs. Business was business, and if he couldn’t make more, he’d settle for less.

“Well, the price...,” Wang Guohua hesitated, then raised a finger.

Zhang Can curled his lip. “Ten thousand? You’re joking, right? If that’s your offer, there’s nothing to discuss—I’ll take it to Old Su!”

He held out his hand for the jadeite.

Wang Guohua drew back his hand, chuckling. “Zhang, we’re all friends here—this is how business works. I make an offer, you counter, we haggle. Why don’t you name your price? As long as it’s reasonable, not outrageous, I’ll do the deal.”

Wang Guohua was too shrewd to open with his best price.

Zhang Can considered for a moment, then raised a finger. “The same—just add a zero.”

“Hundred thousand?” Wang Guohua’s face changed—he hadn’t expected Zhang Can to counter with a tenfold increase. He hesitated, looking troubled. “That’s... a bit much. Be more realistic.”

Zhang Can waved a hand. “Boss Wang, you know as well as I do the value of this piece. Fine watery jadeite—finished, it’s worth two to three hundred thousand. As raw material, half that. A hundred thousand isn’t a high ask. If you won’t take it, I’ll go elsewhere.”

Wang Guohua paused. If Zhang Can was this confident, he probably wasn’t desperate for cash and wouldn’t sell cheap. Most sellers who lost big were either in dire straits or gambling addicts. Zhang Can was clearly not one of them.

“Your price is a bit high, Zhang. You know the cost of carving is up these days. Finishing this piece will take at least a month, plus other expenses. How about we meet in the middle? Fifty thousand, cash—how’s that?”

Zhang Can held out his hand again, expression calm. “Boss Wang, I’m not here to haggle. Take it or leave it—if not, give it back.”

Though he’d been tricked out of his savings, Zhang Can’s business sense remained sharp; his weakness was only in technical experience. After the vision by the river and the jadeite revealed at Zhu Dongsheng’s workshop, his confidence and composure returned. With clear judgment, he would not let Wang Guohua shortchange him.

In truth, his price was a bit high, but he knew Wang Guohua was a savvy dealer—as were all the shop owners in this trade. Whatever price you named, they’d bargain as low as possible. So Zhang Can aimed high, knowing the final price would settle higher as a result.

He was surprised at his own calmness.

Wang Guohua’s face flushed. Zhang Can’s firm stance left him little room to maneuver. After a moment’s pause, he said, “Sixty thousand.”

Zhang Can stayed silent—if Wang Guohua was raising his offer, the piece was indeed valuable, perhaps even more so. Zhang Can simply curled his hand, signaling for the jadeite back.

“Seventy thousand... that’s the most I can offer,” Wang Guohua added, sweat beading on his forehead, looking both anxious and desperate.