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墨書 Inktalez
He walked over to the stone, shining his flashlight back and forth. Bird Uncle also leaned in, ready to answer any questions. However, whether the stone was rising or slumping beneath was still a matter of analysis; no one knew for sure.
After a while, Mr. Xu and Bird Uncle stepped out of the cutting shop and stood by the roadside. Mr. Xu took out a pack of Huanghelou cigarettes, pulled one out, and placed it between his lips. Bird Uncle stepped forward to offer a light, but after fumbling for a while, Mr. Xu still couldn't manage to take a puff. The two of them stood there in the bustling corridor, blocking the way.
Bird Uncle said to Mr. Xu, "What now?"
"You’re right," Mr. Xu interrupted him, taking another drag from his cigarette, "I need to think this through."
Bird Uncle fell silent, glancing at me and then at the Blue-Clothed Man who was bidding for the stone. Everyone was waiting for Mr. Xu to make up his mind.
I had been observing from the side and suddenly felt that Mr. Xu had never considered cutting his losses. A person truly deep in thought would look down or at the object of their contemplation. But ever since Mr. Xu left the bidder’s side, he hadn’t glanced at the Blue-Clothed Man even once; instead, he kept staring at that cut stone. I thought to myself that he probably already had an answer in his heart; this so-called consideration was merely a way to validate what he already knew.
In truth, no one could really say how much color would be lost; many of Bird Uncle's stones only revealed their beauty through windows or cuts. I pondered this.
Bird Uncle urged Mr. Xu to cut his losses, but after hearing this, Mr. Xu became even more silent. Bird Uncle understood immediately; he patted him on the back and took half a step away.
As if he had received Bird Uncle's tacit approval, Mr. Xu extinguished his cigarette and said to the Blue-Clothed Man, "Sorry, but I still want to take another look inside. Today, I trust myself."
He turned to the operator of the machine and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
This time when the machine started again, Mr. Xu's face grew serious. The pure excitement he had felt earlier transformed into a kind of anxious tension that made me nervous as well. Logically speaking, this cut should be quicker than the last one, yet it felt like an eternity had passed.
Finally, the machine stopped again, and this time it was Mr. Xu who rushed forward first.
"Oh no!" This time it was Mr. Xu who held his forehead in disappointment.
Bird Uncle and I followed him over and gasped in regret as well. The originally vibrant green color looked fantastic at first glance; however, beneath it lay less than an inch of thickness before it gradually blended into black moss. The color line did indeed run through the entire stone with a large area visible at first, but after just a few centimeters in, the black became more pronounced until most of it was pure black with only specks of green mixed in—definitely not suitable for making jewelry-grade jade products anymore.
The black part is moss. In the image, if there is more green than black, it is highly valuable; otherwise, it is of low value.
"Are these black parts still worth anything?"
"To be frank, they are practically worthless."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Xu exclaimed in dismay, as if he were experiencing a migraine. After a moment, he glanced at the Blue-Clothed Man beside him.
Seeing Mr. Xu looking at him, the Blue-Clothed Man shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, "What do you want from me?"
The stone had already been cut open, revealing its quality. Regardless of whether the outcome was a rise or fall in value, the previous agreement of 340,000 was rendered invalid the moment the knife struck.
The Blue-Clothed Man walked away with a sense of disappointment. Watching his retreating figure, Mr. Xu sighed, "Well, it's my own decision; I was too greedy."
He turned to the old bird and asked, "How much is it worth now?"
"About tens of thousands," came the reply.
"At least I can break even; that's not too bad."
At that moment, a loud bang echoed through the air. Startled, I looked toward the source of the sound and saw fireworks being set off outside the Delong Night Market. The dark stalls, stones, and vendors sitting on the ground were illuminated red with each burst of fireworks before returning to darkness, then turning green again before fading back.
"In Ruili," the old bird explained, "there's a tradition: whenever someone cuts a stone that increases in value, fireworks are set off. It wasn't always like this; it started around 2000 when people from Guangdong came here. They began celebrating with fireworks whenever there was a rise in value. Eventually, it became a custom for every household."
The loud fireworks were overwhelming, forcing us to pause until the last explosion faded away.
Fireworks are frequently seen in Ruili.
Mr. Xu remarked with a sense of wonder, "Wow, so many people are cutting stones; you Ruili folks really have a treasure here."
"Not exactly," replied the old bird. "Every night, countless stones are cut; do you know how many actually increase in value?"
"How many?"
"Those who set off the firecrackers."
However, just in this Delong Night Market, there were countless people holding flashlights.
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