Cash Flow

The next morning, Zhang Yang opened his eyes but didn't rush to get up, choosing instead to count silently for a few seconds.

Left leg, right leg, quadriceps, hamstrings...

Move.

Hiss... Sore as hell.

Like a tottering old man, Zhang Yang steadied himself against the bed to stand, then moved sluggishly through his morning routine and a shower.

Today is Sunday, the last weekend before the May Day holiday; the next time they get a break, it will be the holiday itself.

Song Wenqin mentioned last night that she wanted to buy a jade bracelet, so he might as well buy one for his mother here in the Magic City; he had nearly half a million on hand now anyway.

Past nine in the morning, Zhang Yang drove his Cayenne straight to the jade shops near the City God Temple.

Inside a long-established jade store with an excellent reputation, Zhang Yang looked at the bracelets in the display case while listening to the staff's introduction.

He naturally looked down on the waxy-variety jade under ten thousand, but the low-grade icy-variety bracelets around a hundred thousand or so were quite suitable; as for higher-quality high-ice or even glass-variety bracelets, those were priced at several hundred thousand to over a million.

Moreover, bracelets of that caliber were the store's treasures, kept on display just to anchor the shop.

The slightly awkward part was that even if Zhang Yang wanted to buy those now, he couldn't afford them yet.

"I'll take this one." Zhang Yang chose a low-grade icy-variety bracelet and had the staff wrap it up; as for the better ones, he would wait—he would consider them once his financial strength grew further.

The square in the distance outside was exceptionally lively; Zhang Yang heard from the staff that they seemed to be holding some kind of stone gambling convention.

"It's been held for several years now to draw a crowd. It's mostly entry-level raw stones brought over from Myanmar, usually priced at a few hundred or a few thousand. Just treat it as a bit of fun to hear a crack."

Zhang Yang gave an "oh" as he watched the clerk write the receipt, pack the item, and hand it over.

The bracelet was secured, costing a total of 150,000.

Zhang Yang carried his purchase out of the shop, intending to head straight back, but he was truly drawn in by the raw stone convention not far away, so he simply walked over to take a look.

At each stall, raw stones of various sizes were piled up, surrounded by a circle of onlookers picking through them. Many looked quite professional, holding magnifying glasses and high-intensity flashlights, examining them with intense focus.

"How much for this one?" An older gentleman picked one up and asked while weighing it in his hand.

"The ones in your hand are five hundred each; these over here are in the thousand-yuan tier. Would you like to take a look at these instead?" the stall owner introduced enthusiastically.

Zhang Yang had heard the saying that stone gambling could lead to poverty or wealth in a single cut—one cut to heaven, one cut to hell—and he knew full well that these stones costing tens or hundreds were exactly what the clerk had described: just for the fun of hearing a crack.

Hitting a jackpot was equivalent to winning the lottery.

It wasn't that he hadn't fantasized about buying a stone on a whim and opening it to find a glass-variety imperial green, but after all, he had a system now; buying a stone and hitting it big wasn't entirely impossible.

But he thought better of it—how could such a cliché, coincidental thing happen?

At a stall not far away, there were more onlookers, but very few people were making moves. Zhang Yang walked over to take a look; the raw stones at this stall were all massive, and there weren't many of them. When he asked the price, they ranged from tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand, even several hundred thousand.

These were the items that could actually yield a big find. Of course, the cost was high; with prices starting at tens or hundreds of thousands, not everyone could afford to get in on the action.

"Are you still cutting?" Beside the stall, a worker was opening a window according to the buyer's request.

After the watermelon-sized raw stone was polished to reveal a window, the color was distinct, and it looked quite promising.

The buyer held a flashlight, shining it repeatedly to check the light transmission, his expression somewhat indecisive about whether to continue cutting.

The veterans nearby were discussing it in a flurry of voices.

"The window polished out well, the water content is quite sufficient, but the light transmission isn't great."

"There are also chicken-claw cracks on the surface."

"Might as well sell it now. You didn't pay much for it, so you can still make a profit. If you actually cut it and it flops, it'll be worthless."

Zhang Yang stood in the crowd watching the spectacle, and he had heard the price from others.

This buyer had risked 50,000 to buy this stone. Now that the window was open, it seemed to have potential, but the overall appearance of the raw stone really didn't inspire much confidence.

"Ah!" The buyer put away his high-intensity flashlight, his expression struggling as he seemed to make a decision. "Three hundred thousand! Is there anyone who wants it for three hundred thousand? I'm planning to just sell it."

He held up three fingers and looked around; it was clear he didn't intend to take any more risks and was prepared to take his profit while he could.

The people around looked at each other, and for a moment, no one was willing to take over.

After all, he had his concerns, and the other buyers had the same ones. If the interior turned out to match the window, naturally everyone would be happy and make a huge profit.

But if a single cut ruined it, that 300,000 would go down the drain.

300,000 wasn't a small number, unless someone truly didn't care about the money and was willing to gamble on it.

"Three hundred thousand?" Zhang Yang wanted to leave, but his heart was feeling a bit restless.

Those stones costing hundreds or thousands were pure daydreams, but this raw stone in front of him was only one step away from a big find; it just depended on who was willing to risk hundreds of thousands on a gamble.

Zhang Yang didn't need to get involved in this, but if it really did turn out to be a big find, it would be a huge help to him.

He would have an excuse for bringing the Porsche Cayenne home, wouldn't he? Wouldn't that be much more reliable than some excuse about winning the lottery or getting rich from day trading?

It's only a few hundred thousand; why not take a gamble?

"Forget it, I'll look around some more." Zhang Yang suppressed the restless urge in his heart and walked away to circle the area again.

After a full lap, he found himself inexplicably drawn back to the same spot.

The raw stone was still for sale, and the crowd of onlookers had only grown larger.

"Really no one wants it? If no one wants it, I'm opening it!" The buyer shouted a few times, but with no takers, he gritted his teeth and prepared to have the master cut it open in one go—whether it rose in value or crashed, he would gamble it all!

Zhang Yang pushed through the crowd and stepped inside, calling out immediately.

"I'll buy it at that price."

The surrounding clamor fell silent for a heartbeat. Everyone looked at Zhang Yang, and the next second, the noise grew even louder.

Three hundred thousand—this young man is going to shell that out?

Does he really dare to take out three hundred thousand for a gamble? Isn't he afraid of losing everything?

"This?" The buyer had just mustered the courage to open it, and now that he had been interrupted, the feeling of being left in limbo made him deeply uncomfortable.

"If you want to sell, I'll take it. If you want to open it yourself, then go ahead, and pretend I never said anything," Zhang Yang said indifferently.

It was just a whim anyway; he could afford to lose three hundred thousand—it was merely the cashback earnings of a dozen days or so.

If the other party sold, he would give it a try; if not, he wouldn't force it.