[The Girls' School Teacher] (Episode 24, Chapter 6)

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Chapter Six: Identifying Cheating Methods

At 8:55 AM, Hiraiwa Tateyama, one of the hosts, picked up a microphone, cleared his throat twice,

and drew everyone's attention.

"Everyone here is a jade gambling enthusiast, so I won't go into the unnecessary rules. The first sealed auction will begin in two hours, at exactly

twelve o'clock . Now, please hurry!"

Hiraiwa Tateyama's words were concise. Given his and the guests' status, he certainly wouldn't

waste everyone's time with rambling on like those who rely on hosting for a living. As

soon as he finished speaking, the traditional Japanese sliding door blocking the way was

pushed open by several beautiful hotel staff, revealing the exhibition hall. Hundreds

of stones of varying sizes lay quietly in the chestnut-colored floor, with a small, artificial grove of trees—about twenty 180-centimeter-tall saplings— dividing the hall in two. 　　The left side featured semi-gambling jade, while the right side was full-gambling jade. 　　The term "semi-gambling" refers to cutting a small opening in a rough jade stone to reveal a small piece of jade of varying colors inside. This proves the stone definitely contains jade, but the exact amount is left to the buyer's judgment. Because an opening has been made, the chances of success are relatively higher, hence the starting price is higher. 　　"Full gambling," in contrast to semi-gambling, refers to a complete rough jade stone with no indication of whether or . Full gambling is significantly more risky, and therefore, the starting price is relatively cheaper. 　　Larger rough stones are simply placed on the floor, while smaller ones are displayed on tall wooden platforms, creating an undulating landscape. Flowers and greenery are interspersed around them , adding a touch of greenery and vitality to the viewer's experience. 　　Due to different mining methods, rough stones vary greatly in size. 　　Some are taller than a person; some are so wide that it takes two or three people to encircle them; some are only the size of a basketball; and some are so narrow that a single hand can cover them. 　　Of course, the size of the rough stones displayed was far greater than the two hundred or so pieces shown. For example, I once read in a book that the smallest ones were the size of an egg. Don't underestimate these scraps; someone once unearthed a top-quality glass-type jadeite from one of them, worth millions of US dollars. 　　However, this time, the Hokkaido merchants spent approximately 1.6 to 1.7 billion US dollars on . Therefore, the rough stones that came to Japan were carefully selected; those with poor quality or low probability were simply not purchased. 　　Of course, the rough stones displayed here cannot be said to have a high probability, but after preliminary appraisal by the appraisers , these were of very good quality, and the probability of finding jadeite was much higher than that of ordinary stones. 　　Twenty-two wealthy individuals, nobles, and collectors, along with the organizers Hiraiwa Tateyama and Tendo Nobuyuki, entered in single file with their families and appraisers. 　　Because the appraisers were resting downstairs, this was the first time I'd seen them in person. They were all dressed in white robes, both men and women, and regardless of age, all wore solemn expressions . 　　Hiraiwa Tateyama's statement, "The sealed bidding will begin in two hours," is actually jargon used at jade auctions. 　　There are so many jade stones at these auctions that people can't possibly look at them all. If you like a stone and buy it immediately, it would be unfair to those who didn't see it. 　　Therefore, the auction organizers number each stone, set a time limit for viewing, and when the time they want, along with their identification number and the price they're willing to pay. This information is then given to the auction organizers, who tally all the bids to the highest bidder. 　　It's unrealistic to expect to examine over two hundred rough stones in two hours. One has to rely on intuition and appearance , focusing on a few or a dozen stones, sometimes with the appraiser's input, before finally choosing the ones they want . 　　Because the guests were of high caliber, the Hokkaido merchants didn't try to be mysterious; each had a sign indicating its origin and purchase price, allowing the guests to make their own judgments. 　　I naturally followed behind Nobuyuki Tendo and his family. Aside from Tendo not having a formal appraiser , Sun Zhenyi wasn't accompanied by a white-robed appraiser, but by a tall, beautiful woman in a black robe. According to Butterfly Dance, she was a renowned appraiser in South Korea named Song Youzhen. 　　The South Koreans' enthusiasm for rough stones is no less than the Japanese'. In South Korea, a male-dominated society, Song Youzhen's fame as a woman speaks volumes about her expertise. 　　However, Sun Zhenyi brought a South Korean appraiser, which greatly displeased the other appraisers, who were determined to teach her a lesson. 　　Tian Tong Xinyou took a semi-gambling approach; his jade gambling skills weren't particularly advanced, so he preferred to gamble on semi-gambling stones where the jade inside was visible, so that even if he lost money, he wouldn't be completely devastated. 　　Because Tian Tong Xinyou was one of the organizers of the jade gambling auction, he had inspected the rough jade stones before everyone else, so he directly led me to a gourd-shaped, yellowish-green rough jade stone. 　　The sign read: "Longtang Jade, weighing fifty kilograms, purchase price: five hundred thousand US dollars." 　　I nodded. The jade stone's surface was yellowish-salt colored, with small but not too large bumps on the outer skin. The weathered outer skin was very fine, commonly known as "sand skin," a typical characteristic of Longtang jade, one of the old mine varieties. 　　Longtang jade often produces high-quality green jadeite and is one of the most sought-after jade stones. 　　The opening was on the side, right in the middle of a python-like vein, about ten centimeters in diameter. Inside, a thick, vibrant green jadeite, glistening with life, was clearly a top-quality old mine jadeite. 　　"Hehe, my first piece of jadeite gambling was Longtang jade. That time I made half a million US dollars. Thinking back now , that was actually the biggest profit I made. Over the past ten years, I've actually lost twenty or thirty million," 　　Tian Tongxinyou said, pointing to the Longtang jadeite. "Mr. Liu, what do you think of its quality?" 　　I replied calmly, "The outer skin is smooth, the patterns are delicate, the veins extend very long, and there are pine-flower patterns on the python-like vein—it's... "

"This is the epitome of jadeite. Two million US dollars is a great deal."

"It's a very good deal,"

said Nobuyuki Tendo with a smile. "However, precisely because its appearance is so good, I'm a little uncertain.

After all, if it were just this one piece, it would only be worth about 100,000 US dollars, and I'd worry it's too thin to make

a finished product."

Tendo's concerns were indeed valid. Most jadeite rough is waste material; usually

only a small portion is jadeite.

Burmese jadeite experts have a very keen eye. They usually make incisions on high-quality jadeite roughs

, choosing the most likely spots to yield jadeite. Even a hint of green can fetch a high price.

What's inside isn't their concern; they don't gamble, and

a large profit is enough.

This piece of Longtang jadeite is of such high quality, and the jadeite it contains is clearly from an old mine. The auction

price will likely climb to at least one or even two million US dollars. Tendo, not being a

jadeite gambler, hesitated, wondering whether to take the plunge.

While he was fretting, Tendo Shumei and Chomei were watching the Dragon Hall Jade Stone with great interest. Chomei even reached out

her slender hand to touch the exposed jadeite.

"Hmm...so cool and smooth, just like the one on my foot,"

the elegant and beautiful girl exclaimed sweetly.

Earlier in the car, Chomei had mentioned that both Sakura and Chomei had nearly been in trouble last time, and their parents were

terrified. They went to a temple to pray and even bought each of them a string of jadeite beads symbolizing

good fortune , and happiness—a considerable expense.

I had also seen that string of high-quality jadeite beads. The fact that Chomei said the exposed jadeite felt

similar already indicated that the price of this rough stone was not low.

"I like it too."

Tendo Shumei stepped forward and touched it, smiling, "If it's all jade inside, then Mom will give it to

you as part of your dowry..."

"Mom..."

Even the usually aloof and reserved Diewu couldn't help but blush and act coquettishly, making Tendo Xinyou and Tendo Shumei

laugh.

Yes, what could be more joyful for parents than seeing their daughter grow up healthy and graceful

?

I smiled slightly and then reached out to touch the Dragon Hall jade. Instantly, my true energy flowed through my

palm and into the raw jade stone.

Sure enough, the raw stone was mostly stone, except for a piece of

glass-type jade about 30 centimeters long, 20 centimeters wide, and 5 centimeters thick on the open side. The rest of the stone contained only small amounts of

low-grade jade mixed with the stone.

I withdrew my hand and secretly calculated that the top-quality old mine

jadeite could fetch a million US dollars after being cut open. If it were processed and then sold, it would be worth at most three

million US dollars. Therefore, offering two million should be the break-even point.

However, I always felt that such a high-quality Longtang jadeite shouldn't only have jadeite in this one spot.

Otherwise, wouldn't those craftsmen who cut the stones be too miraculous, deliberately choosing to cut only jadeite from that spot?

Feeling somewhat unconvinced, I placed my hand on the Longtang jadeite a second time,

focusing my true energy even more carefully than before.

At first, as before, I mostly felt the stone. However, when I focused my mind on

the jadeite mixed among the stones, I suddenly felt a bright light in my divine sense. A piece of

transparent , stood out with a unique brilliance among the stones and lower-grade jadeite about twenty centimeters from the base.

Of course, I couldn't see the whole piece of jade, but based on the experience passed down from the old man and my

own experience observing rough stones, I sensed that this piece was of better quality than the one at the opening

. If we were to rate its clarity as ten parts per unit, this transparent jade would at least be six parts per unit, which was already quite remarkable.

Seeing me repeatedly touching the Ryudo jade, Tendo Shin'yū also seemed to have a growing expectation. When I turned

around , Sakura and Tendo Shumei's eyes were also fixed on my face.

"Junxiong, do you think there might be more jade inside?" Butterfly asked casually. After all, she was my

student and we were close, so she spoke without any reservations.

"This Ryudo jade is of such high quality, and it's something Mr. Tendo cherishes. I think it's worth three

million US dollars,"

I said gently.

Butterfly Dance was startled, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. "Dad and the others only paid

500,000 , and you've increased it sixfold! What if you lose? Wouldn't that be a huge loss?"

"Yes, Mr. Liu, the quality and appearance of Longtang Jade are quite good, but isn't it a bit risky to gamble so much based on the old mine

green ?"

Tian Tong Shumei expressed her opinion tactfully. In reality, she didn't trust me that much either. If

it were Dr. Nak, this beautiful woman would definitely have her husband pay without hesitation.

"It's alright, I'm just offering my suggestion. Whether you buy it or not is your decision."

I said calmly with a smile, my attitude not affected by Tian Tong Shumei's distrust.

The mother and daughter's gaze immediately turned back to Tian Tong Xinyou.

Three million US dollars was nothing to the Tian Tong family, but spending it on gambling still

made Tian Tong Xinyou quite hesitant.

In the past, the jadeite rough stones he encountered at public auctions varied greatly in quality. He only gambled a couple of times, not aiming for

high-end jadeite rough stones. Each win or loss was only around a million US dollars, so over more than ten years, he only claimed to have lost

twenty or thirty million US dollars.

Today's stones are clearly different; they are all from famous old mines, and the prices are naturally high. To win

the sealed bid, one can only increase their investment.

A few minutes later, Tian Tong Xinyou, who had made up his mind, laughed, "A thousand pieces of gold can't buy happiness.

Since I like this Longtang jadeite, I can't let it fall into someone else's hands! Come on, wife, help me write down

the price, the price Mr. Liu mentioned!"

The two reached for a cloth bag next to the playing cards, pulled out a hard card inside, and wrote down their numbers, identities, and...

After the price was given, the cloth and the money were tossed into a small bamboo basket next to the jade.

Seeing that three million dollars had been tossed away so easily in less than a minute, the elegant young woman quickly

tugged at my clothes, making us fall a few steps behind the parents, and whispered sweetly, "Junxiong... you

made thirty thousand dollars in one go! Why don't you treat all of us classmates to something when we get back?"

I chuckled. Butterfly Dance was rarely so charmingly naive. "Your teacher helped your family make money, so you should

be treating me, not me!"

"Whether it works or not is still unknown!"

Butterfly Dance bluntly retorted, "I think you're not as professional as those appraisers..."

"Actually, your teacher's skills are quite good,"

I said honestly.

"I don't believe you!"

Butterfly Dance smiled gently, then ignored me, and gracefully caught up with her parents.

Next, I helped Tiantong Xinyou choose two stones, he chose one himself, Tiantong Shumei chose one, and

Diewu, naturally, joined her parents and chose one as well.

In total, there were six and a half rough stones, with a sealed bid price of six million US dollars.

The two stones I chose would earn them at least three million, while the ones Tiantong Xinyou and Tiantong Shumei chose were

disastrous , not even worth a tenth of their cost price.

However, the rough stone Diewu chose contained a palm-sized piece of jadeite, far more valuable than the egg-white jadeite

at the opening , and was only priced at 150,000 US dollars. Diewu had bid 300,000 US dollars, which she should be able

to pocket, earning at least 500,000 US dollars. If the jadeite hadn't been so thin, she might have earned two

million US dollars.

Only half an hour had passed since the stones were purchased. Tiantong Xinyou told me and then went with his wife and

daughter to greet their friends.

After all, he was one of the initiators of this jade auction, and he couldn't just focus on the jade gambling; taking care of the guests was

his most important task tonight.

The other guests, accompanied by appraisers, were discussing the jade pieces in hushed but intense conversations.

The appraisers actually had a very hard job; they not only had to appraise the jade but also try their best to convince the buyers

to purchase it. Therefore, not only did their appraisal skills need to be excellent, but their eloquence also had to be top-notch.

Before I knew it, I had wandered around the semi-gambling jade area for quite a while. Feeling bored and not seeing Sakura and

Midori , I figured they were on the full-gambling side, so I strolled over there.

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