Li Du had decided to work with Zhong Da Pao after hearing about this.
He was sure that Zhong Da Pao was not a scammer. He was a righteous and responsible person. He had been in the local area for a long time and had connections. Hence, he was a good partner.
After looking at the situation in the Chinese village, Li Du said, "You're quite similar to a friend of mine in America. He's known as the Son of God. I've worked with him before and it was a pleasant collaboration. I hope it's the same for us."
Zhong Da Pao smiled and said, "Can we work together now?"
"How?" Li Du asked directly.
Zhong Da Pao said, "I know a few fields that have good goods coming out recently. They're all materials that can participate in the public auction. If we can pick out two pieces, we should be able to solve the food problem for me and my compatriots here."
"I'll provide the information, I'll bring you there and ensure your safety. I'll handle the jade, and you'll pick the stones. We'll split the profits two-eighty. We only want two!"
That was quite a generous offer. Li Du asked, "Are you sure? Two-eighty? "
"Yes!" The hale and hearty little old man said resolutely.
Li Du said, "Then, how do we invest?"
The little old man said firmly, "I don't have money, you invest!"
Li Du was speechless.
For the sake of eighty percent of the profits, he reluctantly agreed to the terms. The main reason was that he could not find a better partner.
He did not want to waste time here. After confirming the terms, he went to the field to look at the stones.
Zhong Da Pao said, "Let me tell you about the situation here. There are three fields, Hpakant, Longken, and Xiangdong. The Hpakant market is crowded in the morning, Xiangdong is crowded all day, and Longken is the night market.
"So, if the veterans here want to save time, they go to Hpakant for morning tea, have lunch in Xiangdong, and go to Longken for the night market. That's the general market. What do you think? Do you want to experience the general market first, or go straight to the treasure market? "
The general market was the market. There were markets in every field area that traded sporadically. There were many stones there, but most of the stones that were sent were things that were not worth much after being seen by the experts.
Such stones were more valuable than those in the junkyard. They could be sold for some money based on their appearance, but it was difficult to sell them for a lot of money. Most of those in the junkyard looked like garbage.
In addition, there were many fields in the market. The relationship between the fields and the field areas could be compared. The field areas were similar to a town with many villages, and the fields were the villages.
In fact, it was similar. The name of the local mine was often the name of the village. There was a saying in the stone gambling industry, "If you don't see the mine, don't extend your hand." It meant that if you didn't know the origin of a stone, you shouldn't gamble on it.
The Treasure Plate Field was a small market privately opened by the field. It was illegal, but it was extremely valuable. There were good things produced inside, and the bosses took the risk to open it. Every stone was priced very high.
Both parties did not understand each other. If they went directly to the treasure plate, it would be risky. It would be risky for both parties. Li Du's risk was that he might be betrayed. Zhong Da Pao's risk was that he did not know Li Du's background and ability.
Li Du thought for a while and said, "Let's take a look at the stock market first."
It was still early. Zhong Da Pao had come early in the morning, so he looked at the sky and smiled. "Alright, then I'll treat you to morning tea!"
Their first stop was the Hpakant field area. It was easier to find. It was just next to the town. It looked like a very prosperous residential area, but it was surrounded by barbed wire.
The field area was divided into two parts. One was the mine, which covered a large area. There were many miners working there, and many trucks going in and out. The other part was the residential area, where the market was.
Weapons were not allowed to enter the field area, and they were not allowed to bring too many people. The security was maintained by the boss, and the safety was handled by the boss and the military police. If anything happened, the boss would come and give an explanation.
Li Du brought five people in. Brother Wolf, Driver, Godzilla, and a pair of Markelov brothers. They spoke Burmese very well.
They drove to the entrance of the field area. Two days ago, Li Du was chased away the moment he got out of the car. This time, Zhong Da Pao showed up and nodded. The security chief, who was covered in tattoos, opened the door. He even smiled darkly and said, "Master Pao, you've made a fortune."
Zhong Da Pao laughed. "You're the one who's made a fortune. I'm here to give you money."
"My boss said it before, Master Pao. Wash your hands in a golden basin, and your luck will be good." The security chief continued to smile. "This is the culture of the Chinese, isn't it?"
The bald man immediately turned hostile. He pointed at him and said, "Assange, don't talk nonsense if you don't know anything. Wash your hands in a golden basin? That's f * cking …"
Zhong Da Pao stopped him and said with a smile, "To wash my hands in a golden basin, you first need a golden basin. How about you buy me a golden basin?"
The security chief smiled and said, "If Master Pao wants it, our boss can give you one anytime."
Zhong Da Pao said, "Sure, 24K pure gold. You see, I have a lot of brothers, so the basin has to be big. Two meters in diameter, two centimeters thick, will that do?"
The security chief opened the door and said, "Master Pao is very particular!"
After a round of verbal sparring, they officially entered the field area.
After entering through the door and passing through an open space, they reached the residential area. There were some miners resting in the open space. They were skinny, and their eyes were hollow. They looked lifeless.
Big Markelov frowned and asked, "Such a big mine, do we rely on people? Why aren't there any machines? Isn't it more efficient to use large machines? "
Li Du said, "Manpower is cheap. Who would use machines? Besides, machines don't have manpower. What if they accidentally break the jade? That would be a big loss. "
Zhong Da Pao laughed and said, "Yes, Brother Li is right. A miner here only earns one or two dollars a day. That's three to four hundred dollars a month. Ha, how do we buy a machine? Tens of millions of dollars! "
It was the same for the diamond mines in South Africa. There were more miners than machines, but the pay was much higher. After all, South Africa had a stable government, and the miners had some human rights.
There was a lot of fighting in Hpakant, and human lives were not worth much.
The living conditions in the field area were very bad, not much better than the Chinese village. Zhong Da Pao skillfully brought them into the teahouse. There was some fragrance of tea and the aroma of meat and vegetables, barely suppressing the stench outside.
Li Du gestured for Brother Wolf to follow him into the teahouse. The other four waited outside. It was too crowded inside, and there were not many empty seats.
Zhong Da Pao went in to order his food first. He did not order much. "Lapei beans, Menhengga, Puti Jue … and a pot of Lapei!"
The teahouse was a two-story wooden house. It was ventilated on all sides and had good circulation. The first floor was filled with wooden tables and chairs. People sat inside and ate, and there were people peddling jade stones.
The jade stone peddlers were a little like the snack vendors in old Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s. They hung a wooden board in front of their chests, and the front end of the board was hung around their necks with a rope. They held the board with both hands, and the jade stones were placed on the board.
Most of these stones were smaller, of different colors and shapes. Whoever was interested in a piece could call it over to discuss the price.
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