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墨書 Inktalez
Mr. Xu let out a bitter laugh and sighed, saying, "We should have set off some firecrackers."
This is the survivor bias, isn't it? Just like when we scroll through social media, after a while, it seems like everyone is traveling abroad and earning millions. This illusion arises because everyone only shares the best parts of their lives, and when we look at them, we piece together those highlights into a single narrative.
Ruili has exaggerated this survivor bias in a surreal way. Every night there are fireworks, reminding you every fifteen minutes: someone else is making money.
What about those who aren't making money? We can't hear them; their voices are nothing but curses or silence. Just like Mr. Xu's silence now.
In just over ten minutes, Mr. Xu went from having made 300,000 to dreaming of making a million, only to end up with nothing.
"Not everyone who sets off firecrackers has made money," Bird Uncle tried to comfort him. "Some are just putting on a show."
The group wandered around a bit longer, but Mr. Xu lost interest. Bird Uncle asked if he wanted to go back for tea, but Mr. Xu was not in the mood for tea anymore and said he would head back to the hotel to rest. Bird Uncle asked his assistant to drive him back.
After bidding farewell to Mr. Xu, Bird Uncle turned to me and asked, "Tea?"
I replied, "Absolutely."
We returned to Bird Uncle's shop and walked to the back tea room to sit down. Bird Uncle started boiling water for tea. "Why are you so interested in stone gambling today?" he asked leisurely. "Did Wei Ye not let you touch the jade?"
I was eager to discuss stone gambling and quickly asked, "Bird Uncle, my master said something I don't quite understand. He said we shouldn't touch gambling stones or we'd be expelled from the sect. He said jade carvers shouldn't gamble on stones."
"Isn't that clear? What part don't you understand?"
I brought up his example: "But aren't you the owner of a stone gambling shop? You're also an impressive jade carver."
"That's true," he replied, "but jade carvers really shouldn't gamble on stones."
"Why is that?" I asked, feeling a bit lost. Bird Uncle was still smirking. "Because everyone is focused on gambling with stones to make quick money, no one is taking the time to learn jade carving. Wei Ye doesn't have any apprentices anymore."
I felt a bit helpless. Bird Uncle had boiled the water and poured himself a cup of tea before continuing, "I'm not joking with you. To be honest, the thing about gambling with stones is that the sellers make money. The jade carvers use their earnings to buy raw materials; there's a reason for this practice."
I countered, "But didn't Mr. Xu almost make money today?"
"Almost?" Wu Shu's face lit up with a smug smile. He opened his phone, accessed WeChat, and said, "Dachuan Er, have you returned to the company? Come to the tea room."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a knock at the door. It swung open, and a man in blue walked in. I took a closer look—wasn't this the same man who had just bid 340,000?
"Wow, so you're Bird Uncle's accomplice!" I exclaimed.
The man in blue, Dachuan, chuckled. "How can you call me an accomplice? I'm genuinely prepared to buy if I find something worthwhile."
"Are you here to give Mr. Xu money?" I glanced at Bird Uncle and blurted out.
"Zi Kun, you're really sharp," Bird Uncle replied.
"Then I don't understand," I asked. "Why don't you let Mr. Xu pick out a stone from your shop?"
"I'm here to give him money; I can't profit from him, so naturally, I can't let him buy anything from my shop. I also don't want to give away the stones for free."
"Then why are you arranging for Dachuan Er to bid on his stone? What kind of favor does Mr. Xu owe you that you're willing to give him such a large sum of money?"
Bird Uncle took a sip of tea and slowly said to me, "Actually, it's not what you think. I'm going to give him money, but I haven't prepared to spend any."
What does it mean to not be prepared to spend money?
"Remember this: gambling on stones is about the raw form of the product; what it sells is dreams," Bird Uncle said suddenly, his tone turning serious.
The idea of selling dreams captivated me even more.
"The stone Mr. Xu had earlier, when cut open, looks quite beautiful. From my experience, the color is already pretty much there; it won't really go down. But outsiders think, what if? What if it turns out to be a large expanse of green? — that’s the dream."
I nodded. After all, everyone has a greedy heart.
"So this stone can sell for around 400,000 with me. That way, I can give Mr. Xu some money without taking a loss."
"I only make a few thousand in profit on something worth over 300,000 because it needs to be bought by someone in the industry who can then resell it for a profit. The potential for this color is vast; if the dream is worth over a million, finding someone willing to pay 500,000 or 600,000 isn't impossible."
I was still pondering that phrase: the raw form of the product.
Sometimes, even before being cut, a stone's value has reached its limit—at least for experts like Bird Uncle who can see through it.
But for outsiders, it can still sell dreams.
I suddenly wanted to ask Bird Uncle a pointed question but felt embarrassed. I opened my mouth but said nothing.
Bird Uncle smiled and said, "What do you want to ask? Just say it."
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