Chapter 9 Section 8 Fatty

After leaving Professor Ling's ward, it was almost 5 pm, but Chu Feng didn't go directly to the hotel.Because he never brought too many things with him when he went out, besides carrying a notebook bag with him, he also carried a small briefcase.There were not many things, so he was able to walk slowly along the bustling Minzu Street where the hospital was located. At this time, it is the busiest time for this exotic street, and the shops on both sides are full of commodities with ethnic characteristics: Yingjisha knife, Uyghur flower hat, Kazakh horsewhip and original ecological fur, some They even restored the whole fox skin and black bear skin to the appearance of the animals before they were alive, and hung them on both sides of the store door. It's really scary to look at!

On the road, people come and go very lively.In addition to the Uyghur women in southern Xinjiang wearing turbans and veils, there are more tourists from other places. From time to time, some foreigners can be seen picking and choosing and haggling on the pavement. They seem to be familiar with all these. From time to time, taxis parked on the sidewalk to pick up and drop off passengers.Several little boys aged only 4 or 5 sneaked around in the crowd, holding a small bag of sunflower seeds in their hands, selling to passers-by from time to time: "One yuan a bag! One yuan a bag! "This yelling made them show the unique business acumen of the nation at a young age.

Chu Feng walked for a while, and was soon affected by the lively atmosphere around him. He looked up at the glowing red sunset, felt the golden sun caressing him, and suddenly felt a long-lost sense of comfort in his heart. Suddenly there was a wind blowing from behind, Chu Feng shorted his body, slid his shoulders, turned around, and stretched out his hand almost like a conditioned reflex, and finally grabbed a big palm. Before he saw the person, he heard a thunderous voice: " Haha, Chu-Feng, it's really you!" Chu Feng took a closer look, couldn't help showing a smile, and gave the visitor a bear hug: "Fatty, it's you!"

The person who came here really deserved the title of "fatty", with big shoulders and a round waist, he probably weighed no more than two hundred catties.His chubby flesh makes others worry about him when they look at him!Chu Feng looked at his round face again and again, only to see the outline of the past. The fat man is Chu Feng's comrade-in-arms and brother. Chu Feng stretched out his arms and held his shoulders, not knowing what to say for a while.And the fat man was obviously very excited, and he didn't know how to speak. After a long time, it was Chu Feng who spoke first: "Fatty, you are getting fatter and fatter, it's time to lose weight!"

The name of "Fatty" is Qi Shaodong, who was originally from Hunan. He was a comrade-in-arms of Chu Feng's recruit company. The two met their fellow countrymen in the remote and desolate Northwest. Later, when Chu Feng was demobilized and went back to retake the college entrance examination, the two often wrote letters to contact each other. However, when Chu Feng graduated from university, he suddenly couldn't receive any letters from Fatty, and he didn't reply to his letters, so the two broke up. got in touch. Fatty smiled after hearing Chu Feng's words: "Little lunatic, don't you envy me, you can't get enough of such a body?"

After hearing what he said, Chu Feng smiled and cursed and punched him: "Fuck you!" Fatty also punched back.Unexpectedly, on the first day he came to Xinjiang, he met his old friend, and he was still fat. Chu Feng was really overjoyed. The two found a small restaurant and ate while talking about old times.By the time the barbecue, yellow noodles, and beer were served, Chu Feng had already finished his simple experience of relatively smooth sailing.The fat man was unwilling to go home after being demobilized. At that time, the demobilized soldiers were still assigned jobs. He gave up and decided to stay in Xinjiang.At first he worked for others in southern Xinjiang: he let go of horses for Kazakhs, sold sheep with Uighurs, cleaned dishes in restaurants, picked sand on construction sites, and even worked as a bodyguard for others. Later, he really couldn’t stay in southern Xinjiang. I came to northern Xinjiang. At the beginning, I helped people plant land in Shihezi Tuanchang. After planting and planting, I didn’t want to do it, so I came to Urumqi and started my own business.

Hearing this, Chu Feng interrupted and asked, "What business are you doing now?" "Jade! In the past two years, especially Hetian jade, the price has risen like crazy in the past few years. No, I made a fortune by dumping a few stones at the beginning, and then I opened it in a serious way. A jade store on Youhao Road. I came here today to buy goods. Xinjiang Minjie is the largest distribution center of Hetian jade in Xinjiang, and all the jade from Hetian is shipped here." Just as he was talking, a Uighur man came in, saw the fat man’s eyes brighten up, and walked towards this table: “Hey—Adaxi (friend), why are you here? Shall we take a look?"

The fat man turned his head when he heard it: "I won't go today, I have friends here who came from afar!" The man didn't walk away after hearing this, but walked directly to their table, asked the boss to bring a cup of "Kavas" (a drink brewed with honey), and then raised it to clink glasses with Chu Feng: "He who came from afar Friends—you are welcome—come, cheers!" Finished, drank it down.Chu Feng also raised his glass to signal: "Thank you!" The man then left and said to the fat man before leaving, "Fatty, remember to come early tomorrow, otherwise, all the good stuff will be gone."

Chu Feng waited for him to walk away before asking: "Is this your friend?" The fat man smiled: "I guess he is a business partner. His business is very big, and he buys rough stones directly from Hotan. I often buy from him, and I get to know him after a few visits. He is a good Uyghur, forthright, generous, and loyal." "Oh!" Hearing what he said, Chu Feng nodded.He still has certain attainments in ancient jade identification, but he has never been in contact with rough stones. Hearing what Fatty said now, firstly, he didn't want Fatty to miss a good opportunity to buy goods, and secondly, he also wanted to experience the trading of rough stones, so he encouraged Fatty Take yourself a piece.Fatty hadn't seen his old friend for a long time, and the conversation was intense, but he couldn't let go of the good stuff that the Uighurs said, so he readily agreed.

The two got up to check out and leave, but were told that the bill had already been settled.Hearing what the boss said, the fat man thought for a while, smiled and said to Chu Feng, "It must be the money from the Amity just now, it doesn't matter, let's go!" Chu Feng was a little uneasy. He didn't like to owe favors to others, but seeing the fat man's indifferent appearance, he knew that such things between them were already used to it, so he didn't say anything else.Follow the fat man, come out of the restaurant, walk along the main street for less than 20 meters, and you will see a circle of ethnic buildings on the opposite side of the road, and a typical Uyghur-style gate, written in Uighur and Chinese on the door There are several big characters of "Xinjiang Minjie".

There are some Uighur vendors on the left and right sides of the door, and they spread a piece of cloth on the ground, and put some small green, white, and yellow stones on the cloth.Chu Feng took a rough look, and seeing that the fat man didn't intend to slow down at all, he understood that he didn't like it. Entering Min Street, there are shops selling ethnic products on both sides. There are all kinds of shops, and there are even shops selling medicinal materials that directly hang a goat's head on the door of the shop, which is a bit simple and sturdy. However, there are many jade shops here, and there are countless stones of various sizes on both sides of the street. The large ones are one or two meters in diameter, and the small ones are 20 centimeters.Most of these stones are ordinary stones that look reddish-brown, blue, or black in appearance. It is really difficult for people to connect them with those crystal clear jade. However, the so-called "jade cannot be made into a tool", when jade is first mined, the outer layer is usually wrapped by a thick layer of stone skin. If the stone skin is not cut and polished smoothly, the crystal clearness of jade will not be reflected. of.Many people gamble on stones on the China-Myanmar border because of this characteristic of jade. Of course, Burmese jade is jadeite, commonly known as "jade", and Hetian jade is nephrite. Because the price of jade is higher than that of jade, Myanmar's The profits and risks of betting on stones are relatively large, which has also stimulated many people to flock to it.Hotan also has a style of betting on stones, but the profits and risks are relatively small. Even so, according to Fatty, there are still people who often get rich or go bankrupt overnight because of betting on stones. "Fatty, you're here!" "Fat-boy, eh-Mcgray (come and see)!" From time to time someone greeted the fat man.Chu Feng noticed that all the stone sellers were Uighurs, and most of the stone buyers were Han Chinese.There is a scale next to each stone stall. The fat man introduced earlier that the jade here is traded by the kilogram.Although there are some finished products such as jade bracelets, jade pendants, and jade handles on some stalls, the quantity is very small, and the raw stones are mainly traded here. Along the way, although Qi Shaodong kept saying hello to the people around him, his speed did not slow down at all. "Fatty, come quickly! Help me see!" A person suddenly jumped out from the side, grabbed the fatty and dragged him forward to the right.At first glance, the man looked like a Han nationality, with a skinny appearance, probably because he had lived in Xinjiang for too long, his facial features looked a bit like that of a Uyghur, and his cheeks also showed a kind of maroon that is unique to frontier ethnic groups.The clothes are also very simple, looking a bit like the old farmers in northern Shaanxi that are common in film and television works, except for a white turban. "Fatty, you're here just in time. Quickly help me see, how about this stone?" Saying that, the "old farmer from northern Shaanxi" handed a stone to Fatty.The stone is not big, with a diameter of only 30 centimeters and a thickness of no more than 5 centimeters. It is an irregular oblate stone with a dark brown appearance.After the fat man took the stone, he took out a small strong flashlight slightly thicker than a finger from his pocket, and shone light on the stone. After a long while, he asked, "Old Qi, it doesn't matter how much you want. money?" "200,000!" Lao Qi replied immediately. Chu Feng stood by and watched, but he didn't see how this stone could be worth so much. The seller was a young Uyghur man. Seeing the faces of these people, he hurriedly said: "Hey——look at this leather, this is suet jade seed material, and it costs 300,000 yuan per kilogram. Now you only need 20 yuan for 14 kilograms." Wan, it's cheap!" He said, and pointed out to the three of them the white light shining from the thin skin on the stone. Fatty sneered when he heard him say this: "Hmph, mutton fat jade seed material, who are you kidding? Now where do you go to find mutton fat jade seed material? This is a piece of green and white jade. 3000 yuan, will you give it?" When the seller heard this, his face became bitter: "Hey—Adasi, friend—well, the price can't be paid back like this, and you, you can't let me suffer, 10,000 yuan, 10,000 yuan for you Yes! OK?" Fatty was unmoved, and led the other two to turn around and leave.The Uighur boy chased after him and shouted: "Hey, Adasi, talk again, talk again! 6,000 yuan, 6,000 yuan!" The fat man stopped for a while, then turned around and shouted, "Just 3,000, will you give it?" Seeing that the fat man was very firm, the seller had no choice but to show a painful expression and agreed to sell the stone for 3,000 yuan. Lao Qi didn't say a word during the whole process, relying entirely on Fatty.After the transaction was completed, he took the stone and went to a small house at the end of the street. The sign hanging at the door showed that it was a jade cutting workshop. "Master Zhu, please cut me a hole." Lao Qi handed the stone to an old man next to the cutting machine.The old man with gray hair was wearing a work apron and was working with his head down. He listened to the voice and took the stone without even raising his head.While observing the stone carefully under the reading glasses, he complained: "Lao Qi, can you be more careful every time, and be careful not to hit my old man." A voice: "I said, old seven, you have grown up, this piece of material is not bad, how much did you get?" "3000!" Lao Qi was triumphant. At this time, the fat man said: "Master, I brought a friend to see you." Chu Feng was surprised when he heard the fat man's title. The old man glanced at the two of them angrily: "Huh, I knew when Lao Qi became so discerning. You must be unruly." Put it firmly on the only work table in the house, then went to wash your hands, and then respectfully took the stone and put it on the cutting machine. Seeing the old man's actions, the fat man hurriedly explained to Chu Feng in a low voice: "This is about to open the stone. There is a lot more attention here. In the past, it was necessary to burn incense, but now it is much simplified. But you can't neglect it, because If it rises, a poor boy can become a rich man in an instant, and if it falls, a millionaire can become a loser in an instant. So the old jade craftsmen are always pious when they open stones." Just as he was talking, there was a "chuck" sound from the console, and a small opening with a radius of 2 cm was cut at one end of the stone, exposing the white inside. After cutting his mouth, the old man threw the stone to Lao Qi without even looking at it.Lao Qi saw that this piece was made of white jade seed, and when he calculated its value, he went crazy. The fat man knew he didn't understand when he looked at him, and said, "Lao Qi, don't be too happy, you bought this stone cheaply, but it's not entirely white jade, look below, it's all stone. pulp, and the color is a bit blue from the middle, this is not a piece of white jade, at most it is the top-level green and white jade, it is worth tens of thousands of yuan, don't be too happy!". After hearing this, Lao Qi still kept his smile on his face: "It's okay, as long as it's worth the purchase price!" The fat man ignored him: "Look at how promising you are!" Then he led Chu Feng around to the old man, "Master, this is the comrade-in-arms I often mention to you—Chu Feng, he is a very learned man now , it's the professor!" Hearing what he said, the old man raised his head and looked Chu Feng up and down.Chu Feng hurriedly saluted the old man: "Hello, old man!" The old man nodded and said to the fat man: "Well, it's still a scholar who knows how to be polite. Shao Dong, your friend is much better than you." After speaking, he turned his head and said to Chu Feng: "Young man, I'm sorry , now it's working hours, I can't entertain you, let Shaodong show you around, and when it gets dark, go home for a drink, ah!" In Urumqi in late May, it was already dark at 9 o'clock, and it is not yet 7 o'clock, which means that it will take more than two hours to wait. Seeing the old man's concentration and busyness, Chu Feng knew it would be inconvenient to disturb him, so he went with the fat man We left the little house together. The fat man led Chu Feng straight to the end of the street.There was a large truck parked beside the main road, and the truck was loaded with stones in snakeskin bags.The workers were unloading the goods, and several people were picking around the snakeskin bags on the ground. Chu Feng was wondering, when he saw the Uyghur Amiti whom he had met earlier said to Fatty, "Here you are?" "Here we come!" The two didn't gossip, and directly negotiated the price. It turns out that the selection of stones here does not even open the snakeskin bag, and the stones are all priced according to the bag.The fat man bought 40 snakeskin bags. After negotiating the price, he went to the car to choose the goods.Chu Feng watched from below, wondering secretly. Soon, the fat man picked out the goods, paid the money, and then picked one of the many minivans waiting around to pick up the goods, and hired two people to deliver the goods to his warehouse. "Lao Qi is a jade player here, not a businessman. He has been shopping in the market for seven or eight years. He loves to gamble with stones, but his vision is not good. He bought a bunch of useless stones. him. "Ten years ago, I came here to worship Master Zhu as my teacher. He is an old jade craftsman with a first-class eye for jade, but he never gambled with stones, nor helped others to gamble with stones, and even made rules for me not to gamble Stone, you are not allowed to help others gamble with stones! This is Lao Qi, the master knows that he does not buy and sell stones, and keeps them for himself, so I will not get angry if I occasionally break the precepts to help him. If you gamble with stones yourself or help other businessmen Betting on stones, the master will definitely beat me out with a big stick. "Amiti's stones are sold in snakeskin bags. The price of a bag is not expensive, 1,000 yuan a bag, and regular customers will give discounts. But there are often good things in it. This is not gambling stones. I'm wearing a snakeskin bag, and the master can't say anything about me, most of the raw ore from the jade mine is sold in this way." After the fat man finished explaining the purchase, he explained to Chu Feng and led Chu Feng out: "Okay, let's get to work. Let's go home and go drink!"