"You two, hurry up and get the tools." Seeing that he was about to close a big sale, Boss Song quickly called for his shop assistants to get the cutter. He then pulled a card reader out of his pocket, plugged it into his phone, took Shen Yibin’s bank card, and deftly started the transaction, afraid Shen Yibin would back out.

To be honest, Shen Yibin was nervous too. He was only guessing about Egg’s ability; it hadn’t been proven yet. He was really worried, having so rashly bet half his life savings.

’Sigh... if I lose this time, you’re not getting any lunch.’ Shen Yibin stroked Egg’s back, smoothing its fur, then entered his PIN to complete the transaction. A moment later, his phone buzzed with a text confirming the successful payment.

Meanwhile, Boss Song had gotten the tools ready. He set up the stone-cutting machine, plugged it in, and asked, "Mr. Shen, are you going to cut it yourself right now?" He was already planning how he would console Shen Yibin after it was cut open, and how he’d coax him into another gamble.

’Uh, I don’t actually know how to do this.’ From what he’d researched last night, he knew there was a real art to cutting these stones. If he didn’t do it right, he could ruin the jade even if it was there.

Ruined jade wouldn’t fetch a good price, so Shen Yibin demurred, "I hurt my hand playing ball yesterday, so it’s a bit unsteady. Could you do me a favor and cut it open?"

"I can do that, but I have to say this upfront: if something unexpected happens during the cut, you can’t blame me." Boss Song was giving him a preemptive warning, so Shen Yibin couldn’t use it as an excuse to get angry if the stone turned out to be empty.

After Shen Yibin nodded, Boss Song placed the pomelo-sized raw stone onto the cutting machine. He then started the grinding wheel and slowly pressed it against the stone’s outer skin. A piercing "SCREEE" echoed from the front of the shop, attracting the owners of neighboring stores and passersby, who gathered to watch the excitement. Live stone gambling was a rare event in Yunzhong City.

The onlookers didn’t mind the flying stone chips and dust, their eyes glued to the raw stone under Boss Song’s hands. In no time, he had ground a small window into the material. An assistant brought over a basin of water and wiped the polished window clean. Before Boss Song could even speak, a wave of sighs rippled through the crowd.

"Ah, it’s a dud." These bosses were all veterans of the jade trade. Judging from the color and texture of the stone face in the window, it didn’t look like there was any jade inside at all.

’Wait, so you’re saying there’s nothing in this stone? Did my fifty thousand yuan just go up in smoke?’

"Young man, you must be new to this, huh? Everyone pays their dues when they start stone gambling." The silver-haired old man who had spoken before chuckled dismissively. "But it’s too early to say it’s a total loss. Let’s see what happens if we cut a bit more."

"I’ll cut a bit deeper this time." Boss Song shifted the grinding wheel closer to the center. After Shen Yibin nodded, he decisively lowered the blade. In no time, a slice of the stone’s rind, about half a centimeter thick, came off, revealing a much larger window.

Shen Yibin waved a hand to fan away the dust in front of his face, his eyes glued to Boss Song as he washed the grime from the window.

"Wait! I think there’s something." The silver-haired elder seemed to have spotted something. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he immediately leaned in for a closer look.

"Did the value just go up?" The onlookers at the side immediately grew excited. They all surged forward, craning their necks. Regardless of whether they understood what they were looking at, they all wanted to be the first to see what was happening.

"Don’t push, don’t push! Can any of you afford it if you break something?" Boss Song quickly had his assistants hold back the crowd. There were several other raw stones lying around; it would be a huge loss if someone managed to pocket one.

The silver-haired elder, however, was a well-known figure on this street and clearly not subject to such restrictions. He carefully cradled the raw stone, closely examining the freshly cut window. Little by little, he washed the dust away with clean water, revealing a touch of red in the center.

"*Gasp!* Red jadeite?" Boss Song sucked in a sharp breath, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. To the average person, jadeite was always green, but it actually came in six colors: green, purple, white, yellow, red, and black. While green was the most common, the other five colors were also extremely valuable, with red jadeite being particularly prized.

For now, only some faint, cotton-like red flecks were visible through the window. But to the experienced eyes of both the silver-haired elder and Boss Song, the probability that this stone contained red jadeite was extremely high. As they say in the trade, the moment that window was opened, the value of the raw stone had already gone up.

"Sir, are you selling this raw stone? If you’re willing, I’ll offer you two hundred thousand for it." The silver-haired elder considered for a moment before stating a number.

’The price just quadrupled?’ From fifty thousand to two hundred thousand—a net profit of one hundred and fifty thousand! Shen Yibin’s research from the previous day hadn’t been in vain; he immediately understood the elder’s proposition. While the chances of finding good jade had increased dramatically, nothing was certain until the stone was fully cut open. By offering two hundred thousand, the elder was taking on all the risk and all the potential reward. If it turned out to be a great find, the profit would be his. If it was a bust, that had nothing to do with Shen Yibin, who would still get to keep the two hundred thousand.

’But two hundred thousand is still a long way from what I need for Mrs. Wang’s shop. Finding one valuable stone can be chalked up to good luck, but if I immediately succeed again, people will definitely get suspicious. Then they might start getting funny ideas about Egg. It seems better to let it ride.’

"I’m not selling. Let’s keep cutting," Shen Yibin decided after briefly weighing his options.

"Hmph. Gutsy. You’ve got the nerve for this business." The silver-haired elder wasn’t angry. He gave Shen Yibin a thumbs-up, then scratched a line on the raw stone with his fingernail. "Make the next cut right here." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Let’s do as the elder says." ’It’s not like I know what I’m doing, and this old man obviously looks like an expert. Might as well trust him this once.’

This cut was far more aggressive than the last one, slicing nearly a third of the way into the stone. Even though Shen Yibin had already nodded his approval, Boss Song’s hands were still trembling slightly. He took several deep breaths to steady himself before he finally cut the stone.

"Alright, let me see it." The moment the cut was finished, the elder snatched the stone from him. He washed the dust from the surface, a look of pure astonishment spreading across his face. A dazzling crimson emerged, fiery red and as rich as blood. Even someone who knew nothing about jade could tell it was immensely valuable, and it instantly captured the gaze of every single person there.

Boss Song looked in astonishment at Egg, who was standing beside Shen Yibin, and thought to himself, ’So there really *is* braised pork belly in this stone.’ And wouldn’t you know it, the red jadeite in the raw stone did bear a slight resemblance to braised pork belly.