"This auction event has come to an end. It's already noon, and our hostesses will serve you delicious dishes. After dining, please proceed to the outside of the venue, where there are more exciting stone gambling activities."
The auctioneer said with a smile as he stepped down from the auction platform. His task for today was complete, and now he awaited his payment.
In the hall, rows of hostesses dressed in white cheongsams carried a variety of dishes to the tables in front of everyone.
The auction had gone on for several hours, and everyone was hungry. Once the food was served, they all started eating.
Outside the venue, some stone gambling vendors had already arrived by truck, bringing the stones. Some eager buyers hurriedly took a few bites and headed outside.
The others ate quickly as well, and after about ten minutes, there were very few people left in the hall.
"Qin Yang, let's go too."
Ruan Xinxue said with a bit of embarrassment, looking at Qin Yang, who was still eating heartily.
"These people are really crazy, they can't even eat properly."
Qin Yang lifted his head and glanced at the nearly empty hall, lamenting. This reminded him of the saying about stone gambling: "Madmen buy, madmen sell, and madmen wait."
Qin Yang and Ruan Xinxue left the venue, turning right along the clean stone path, heading toward the back of the venue.
Behind the venue was a lawn covering tens of thousands of square meters, usually only visited by cleaning staff, but at this moment, it was bustling with people.
The vast lawn was divided into dozens of sections, with each section belonging to a different stone gambling vendor.
They laid large wooden boards on the grass, pushing numerous stones onto them for customers to select.
At this time, in front of each vendor's section, there were quite a few buyers observing the stones.
"It's quite a large scale," Qin Yang said.
"Yes, the stone gambling merchants here have some strength. They own many stones," Ruan Xinxue said.
"Plus, the number of people entering the auction house is limited to just over a hundred, but there's no limit to the number of people participating in the stone gambling activities. Anyone in Yunshui City who likes stone gambling can come."
Qin Yang nodded, estimating that there were at least four or five hundred people gathered here.
"Let's go, Qin Yang, let me introduce our company's chief stone gambling consultant to you," Ruan Xinxue said with a bright gleam in her eyes as she scanned the crowd and smiled.
"Stone gambling consultant?"
Qin Yang was slightly stunned, then followed Ruan Xinxue to one of the nearby stalls, or more precisely, towards one of the figures.
The two finally stopped in front of a well-built girl.
The girl in front of them wore a coffee-colored short-sleeved top and denim shorts, showing off her long legs. Her short hair was clean, making her a beauty, even though her face often had a cool expression.
Through Ruan Xinxue's introduction, Qin Yang learned that the girl in front of them was named Ling Xiaoyu.
"The stone gambling consultant you mentioned wouldn't be her, would it?"
Qin Yang said, a bit surprised.
In his imagination, the chief stone gambling consultant of a large jewelry company, even if not an old man like Zhou Lao or Mu Lao, should at least be an experienced middle-aged man. But the girl in front of him looked barely any older than Qin Yang and was the chief stone gambling consultant of a company?
"Hmm."
The short-haired beauty gave Qin Yang a cool look and let out a cold snort, evidently a bit dissatisfied with his skepticism.
"Don't underestimate Xiaoyu. Her great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were all stone gambling merchants. During the Qing Dynasty, when Empress Dowager Cixi started the jade craze, her great-grandfather began making a living by selling raw jadeite stones."
A hint of surprise flashed across Qin Yang's eyes. Although jadeite appeared during the Ming Dynasty, it wasn't until the late Qing Dynasty, when Empress Dowager Cixi developed a passionate love for jadeite, that this type of hard stone became popular in China. It also fostered many stone gambling merchants traveling between Myanmar and China, and he didn't expect this cool girl to come from a family of stone gamblers.
"Xiaoyu grew up in Tengchong, Yunnan, and has been playing among stones since the age of four or five. Her sensitivity to stone gambling is different from ordinary people. Last year, she made a remarkable achievement of winning three glass types and seven high ice types for the company," Ruan Xinxue said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yang was stunned for a moment, scrutinizing the short-haired beauty before him.
The girl's achievement was indeed surprising. Being able to win three glass types and seven high ice types isn't something an average person can do. Many play stone gambling their whole lives without ever winning a single glass type or high ice type.
"Hmm."
Facing Qin Yang's gaze, Ling Xiaoyu snorted again, a proud expression on her cool face, as if to say, "See, kid, this girl is awesome."
Seeing her proud demeanor, Qin Yang couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement.
"Ahem, I wonder how many stones Miss Ling gambled in total last year," Qin Yang asked with a smile.
"About three hundred stones," Ling Xiaoyu said, although she didn't quite understand what Qin Yang was getting at.
"And how many did you win?"
"Almost a hundred. Why do you ask?" Ling Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow, still in a cool tone.
"Oh, so the winning probability is around thirty percent? Seems rather average."
Qin Yang smiled, murmuring seemingly to himself, then walked toward the nearest stone gambling stall.
"Damn, this guy! Do you think a thirty percent probability is easy to achieve?"
Ling Xiaoyu's cool expression was instantly broken, knowing full well that Qin Yang intentionally said it for her to hear. Despite knowing it was just for teasing, Qin Yang's tone still angered her.
What does "rather average" mean? Does this guy understand stone gambling at all? Ling Xiaoyu thought indignantly.
Ten gambles nine losses; achieving a stone gambling win rate of around thirty percent is already considered very high. Among stone gambling experts, it's considered top-notch.
"Alright, let's go. Xiaoyu, Qin Yang is just joking with you."
Ruan Xinxue said with a smile, looking at the puffed-up Ling Xiaoyu. Although Ling Xiaoyu was famous in the stone gambling world, she was still young, and naturally, her thoughts were simpler.
"Hmm, Sister Xinxue, I must let this arrogant guy witness my skills later."
Ling Xiaoyu nodded, deciding that once she won, she would definitely show this guy up. How dare he belittle me!
Ruan Xinxue and Ling Xiaoyu walked to the stall to observe the rough materials.
The stall owner was a middle-aged man with the characteristic shrewdness of a businessman. Seeing two pretty girls coming to buy jadeite, a smile appeared on his face. After all, no matter who he was, any man would feel happy seeing beauties.
"Young ladies, feel free to look around. The stones beside your feet with white salt sand skins are materials from the Muna old mine. They have high chances of winning," the stall owner eagerly introduced.