Chapter 1518 Connoisseur (1/2)

The so-called python stripes he mentioned were not like stripes; they were more like patches, and there were both white and gray ones.

Python stripes were found on the outer layer of jade rocks, and they were stripes or patches that were different from the rest of the rock. In some cases, they could take up half the rock's surface. They could be grain-like arrangements, or they could be long stripes resembling ropes and coils. The official terms used within the industry were rope, python, or python stripes.

This feature made the rock look ugly, but it was an important clue that indicated whether the rock had good quality jade. Generally speaking, raw rocks that had green on the inside or jade spots that protruded would form these python stripes, so these stripes were actually rather precious.

Zhong Da Pao said suspiciously, ”D*mn, this is what we're betting on? You've got to be kidding me.”

They were at a disadvantage in this aspect. Before, the two of them bought rocks based on the summarized experience of other people and made loss after loss.

Speaking about rocks made Da Mao perk up and grow more talkative. ”Look, there's a white patch here. White rocks could have white patches too, so this is not a good way to distinguish, but you have to believe me. This is a white patch, and if you look here, there's some gray on the rock, further proving that there's a python hiding beneath!

”My grandfather once taught me that, of all the types of pythons, the greyish-white kinds were the best, especially the kind that looks like snot. Those are the safest bets. It's just a shame that this one doesn't have obvious hints of green on the surface, or I'd be able to say for sure that there is jade in it. Trust me on this, the jade rocks back at Hpakant would have been safe bets if they had pythons. If it's a black sand rock from Old Hpakant with a python, it's definitely a safe bet!”

Zhong Dapao listened to Da Mao before saying, ”That's right, you mentioned that rocks from the Old Hpakant mining area were safe bets. But this is from Aung Bar Lay.”

”The Aung Bar Lay mining area borders the one that houses Old Hpakant, you can barely tell one from the other,” Da Mao said. ”This is worth a go!”

Seeing him so confident, Zhong Dapao looked towards Li Du, who had been squatting and staring at the rock the entire time. He nodded. ”How much?”

The stall owner perked up at that. Aung Bar Lay's rocks were not popular at the market, so he barely had any business here. At Li Du's question, he immediately said, ”1.5 million.”

Da Mao nodded. ”This is considered cheap. At Ruili, it would cost at least 5.1 million, possibly even tens of millions!”

Liu Zi was itching to whoop the boy. ”Are you listening to yourself? Whose side are you on?!”

Li Du said, ”Hand him the money, I'm buying this.”

Da Mao said, ”There are still a few pieces…”

Li Du pointed to a few of the rocks that were on display without waiting for Da Mao to finish speaking. ”This, this, this, and that. And those over there as well, I'll take them all.”

The stall owner was overjoyed, and asked, ”Really? Da Mao, I was wrong about you. You really did bring me good business.”

Da Mao beamed with pride. ”Of course!”

The owner said, ”I'll buy you some food later. I'll even buy you an extra portion.”

”To hell with that, who wants food? I want some money,” Da Mao retorted petulantly.

Li Du bought twelve rocks in one go, which totaled 7.5 million. He handed his card over to the stall owner, who laughed, ”You're not going through the public market? You really trust me that much?”

Zhong Dapao guffawed. ”It's not you that we trust, it's us. You mess with the card and I'll mess with you.”

The stall owner hurriedly clarified, ”No, I would never do that! I'm here to make an honest living.”

After he swiped the card, the rocks passed to Li Du's ownership. Zhong Dapao eyed the rocks eagerly. ”Should we go get them cut?”

Li Du shook his head. ”There's no rush, let's not cut them yet. We'll continue looking around for more rocks.”