Chapter 7

Cigarettes are a new thing; Yang Rui wrote in his notebook while thinking, although Nanyang Tobacco hasn't appeared yet, its later success shows that the tobacco industry is worth entering. However, this project requires a lot of start-up capital, and skilled technicians are needed. Moreover, tobacco leaves need to be redried and fermented. My advantage is knowing that this industry is worth entering and understanding better market strategies. Additionally, I can apply the banana ripening process to shorten the tobacco leaf maturation time from one year to just a few weeks, quickly turning raw tobacco into mature tobacco, reducing inventory pressure and minimizing raw material loss. The tobacco project is feasible, but it requires significant resources.

Thinking of cigarettes, one can't help but mention lighters. This invention from the 1930s became popular worldwide during World War II. In an era when everyone uses matches, lighters are undoubtedly high-tech products. I have a finished product, a counterfeit Zippo, but it's a modern item that can be replicated and quickly brought to market. According to current technology levels, meeting basic manufacturing and material requirements is not a problem. The only issue is how to solve the flint problem, which is reportedly a cadmium-iron alloy.

Then there are toothpaste, soap, shampoo, and sausages. I have finished products of these items, and the ingredients are clearly listed on the packaging, thanks to the quality supervision bureau. With some research, I can successfully replicate them, and they are highly profitable. Yesterday, I saw imported American toothpaste selling for over five yuan in the store.

Another idea is honeycomb coal, which is mentioned in a穿越小说 (time-travel novel). In Shanghai, people still use firewood for cooking, and gas is only used for lighting, unlike in the future where gas is used for cooking. Coal stoves are also in high demand, especially in the cold winter without central heating. However, this project targets residents of the concession areas, and without government backing, it's hard to protect the results. Once the authorities see the benefits of honeycomb coal, they will try to force me to sell at a low price. While honeycomb coal can make money, the process is very frustrating.

Finally, there's monosodium glutamate (MSG). This Japanese invention made a lot of money initially. It hasn't appeared on the market yet, and Wu Yunchu's Tianchu MSG is nowhere to be seen. He used the gluten hydrolysis method to produce MSG and used Foshou MSG to drive Japanese Ajinomoto out of the Chinese market. I studied this case in the past, so it's deeply ingrained in my memory. Although I don't know the exact process requirements, I understand the principles and steps of MSG production. Finding someone who understands chemistry to simulate the process and write the requirements should be enough.

These are the most promising and mature ideas I can think of. Sulfonamides and penicillin are too advanced for now, and the fruit business is too low-level with low entry barriers, but even that requires a significant amount of capital. If only I had ten thousand dollars, Yang Rui thought, holding the oranges he had provided as samples to Walmart. These oranges are a good thing; if I could grow them... sigh, I just don't know if they have seeds. The probability of oranges having seeds is very low, so it depends on luck. If they do have seeds, I could try planting them on Chongming Island, where citrus fruits are grown in the future. Growing these oranges would make them invincible in the market due to their taste. Yang Rui's professional instincts kicked in, and he started thinking about the fruit business.

The next day, Yang Rui went out to buy bedding and daily necessities. It was getting colder at night, and a single quilt wasn't warm enough. Last time, to save money, he didn't buy many things. After a morning of shopping, he returned with some five-spice beans and fruits to give to the landlord. No matter what, they had helped him. When he got back, Mrs. Huang was preparing to cook, and there was a young man in the living room, wearing a dark cotton robe and a Qing dynasty-style braid, sitting and reading a book. As Yang Rui approached, he realized the young man was actually reciting silently. The young man looked up as Yang Rui approached, and Yang Rui smiled, intending to speak to Mrs. Huang, who turned around and said, "Mr. Yang, you went out."

"Yes, I went out to buy some things. Mrs. Huang, thank you for your help last time. I bought some five-spice beans and oranges as a token of my gratitude," Yang Rui said in a formal tone, handing the items to Mrs. Huang.

"Oh, you shouldn't have. No, no," Mrs. Huang said.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. They're just some snacks, not very expensive," Yang Rui insisted, pushing the items into her hands.

Seeing Yang Rui's insistence, Mrs. Huang accepted the items and said, "I'm really embarrassed. I'm cooking now. Let's eat together. Mr. Huang won't be back for lunch." She paused and added, "This is my nephew, Bocong, who is studying in Shanghai."

The young man stood to one side, bowed slightly, and said, "Hello, Mr. Yang!"

Yang Rui was inwardly surprised, as he rarely saw people bow in the modern era except at funerals. He quickly said, "Don't be so formal, don't be so formal. Hello! Hello!"

Mrs. Huang adjusted her apron and said, "Mr. Yang, I'll go back to cooking. You two can chat." She then said to the young man, "Bocong, Mr. Yang is a scholar who just returned from abroad. He's very knowledgeable. You should learn from him." She then went to the corridor, indicating that Yang Rui's appearance was quite convincing, making him look like a "sea turtle" (a term for someone who has studied abroad).

Yang Rui felt embarrassed by their treatment, as he was just an undergraduate and a fruit vendor. Being treated like a scholar and a "sea turtle" was not easy to handle. He sat down casually, placing the items aside and asked, "What book were you reading just now? Oh, sit down, sit down. What's your surname?"

The young man handed the book with both hands and sat down carefully, saying, "My surname is Qian. You can call me Bocong." His voice was soft, like Mrs. Huang's.

Yang Rui took the book and flipped through it, but he flipped it the wrong way, feeling embarrassed. Fortunately, Qian Bocong didn't notice. It was a line-bound book, bound in the style of ancient books. Yang Rui flipped it back to the front and saw a large black frame with a few traditional Chinese characters: "Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith." Fortunately, these characters were easy to recognize, or he would have been embarrassed. He flipped to the table of contents and recognized a few familiar lines. "Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations," Yang Rui exclaimed.

Qian Bocong was struggling with the book, as even the teacher who taught the course wasn't very familiar with it. This was the first time China had translated an economics classic, and the term "economics" didn't even exist at the time. Seeing that Yang Rui seemed familiar with the book, he asked hopefully, "Sir, have you read this book?"

Yang Rui, still looking at the book, answered, "Yes, I studied it in university..." He then realized he had been too casual and wondered how to explain which university he attended, Harvard or Tongji.

Qian Bocong wasn't thinking about that; he was just struggling with the book and wanted to understand it. Seeing that Yang Rui was still reading, he sat quietly, waiting to ask questions.

After reading the table of contents and flipping through the book, Yang Rui found it difficult to read the classical Chinese text, with its vertical writing and lack of punctuation. The book was translated by Yan Fu and published by Nanyang Public School, with the Commercial Press's logo, indicating it was a textbook. However, the book only contained the first part of the original, which had four or five parts. He stopped and said, "This book is a foundational work in economics, and Adam Smith is the father of economics." Seeing that Qian Bocong didn't understand, he explained, "Economics is what the book calls 'Jixue.' Does your school... Nanyang Public School offer an economics major?"

Qian Bocong, surprised by the question, answered, "There used to be a business class, but it was later canceled. We are in the middle school, and we haven't divided into majors yet. I guess we will in the upper school."

Middle school, upper school, Yang Rui suddenly thought of Jiaotong University. The first time he visited Jiaotong, he was puzzled by the division of the teaching buildings into upper, middle, and lower schools, which seemed like the British Parliament. Nanyang Public School later became Jiaotong University, and the timing was about right. He didn't delve into this issue, seeing that Qian Bocong had questions, and said, "There aren't many people studying economics, or 'Jixue,' in China. Some concepts are easy to confuse at first."

Qian Bocong then asked about a few terms he knew but found confusing. After answering, Yang Rui felt that the teacher who taught the course was not very competent. As they were talking, Mrs. Huang brought in the dishes and, seeing them chatting, said with a smile, "Bocong, let Mr. Yang finish his meal first."

They then sat down to eat, and after the meal, Mrs. Huang served tea, and they continued chatting. Yang Rui learned that Nanyang Public School was founded by Sheng Xuanhuai, the Minister of Commerce, and provided accommodation. The school was located in Xuhui, with about six or seven hundred students. There were no majors yet, only a special class teaching both Chinese and Western subjects. "Wealth of Nations" was translated by the school and used as a textbook, but the teacher didn't understand the book well and taught it poorly.

Yang Rui comforted him, saying, "Economics is inherently difficult to understand. There's a saying that mathematics is hard to understand, and economics is even more confusing. Once you finish the book, it will be easier to understand. Adam Smith belongs to the classical economics school, and his book is relatively easy to understand." Seeing that Qian Bocong still didn't understand, he explained the principles of classical economics, focusing on the "invisible hand." Whether Qian Bocon understood it or not, Yang Rui couldn't tell.

This experience wasn't significant for Yang Rui, but it was quite impactful for Qian Bocon. It wasn't because someone knew more than him, but because Yang Rui mentioned that his studies belonged to the classical economics school, which he understood to mean outdated. Mrs. Huang, seeing him silent, asked, "What's wrong? Did Mr. Yang not explain well?"

Qian Bocong frowned and said, "Mr. Yang explained very well..."

Mrs. Huang, seeing that he was still thinking about the academic content, didn't press further. Qian Bocon, however, was silently repeating the phrase, "an invisible hand..."

Yang Rui went to his room and started preparing for another task—writing books. Seeing "Wealth of Nations," he thought of the university textbooks in his suitcase. Each one was valuable, and he realized he was sitting on a treasure trove. Of the dozen or so textbooks, he could discard the one on college moral education, but the others could be copied and published. He decided to take them to the Commercial Press, which had published "Wealth of Nations," and likely would publish other economics books. As for the classical Chinese and simplified/traditional characters, that was a challenge. He considered hiring an old book craftsman to polish his writing, but that seemed excessive. In the end, he decided to write an outline for each book and the introduction, to see which ones the publisher was interested in, so he wouldn't do unnecessary work. He started with "Principles of Microeconomics," "Introduction to Management," and "Introduction to Accounting."

Later in the afternoon, Qian Bocong came to say goodbye, very politely, making Yang Rui feel uneasy but also appreciating the politeness of the time. Copying books was faster than writing, and by the next morning, the manuscript was complete, a thick stack in an envelope. It felt like trading paper for money. Because he was waiting for the electric company, he couldn't go out to mail it. At two o'clock in the afternoon, the electric company arrived. Since the power source was far away, they spent a long time pulling the wires into the house. They installed a light bulb at Yang Rui's desk, a long, narrow bulb with a filament that looked like a jellyfish. Yang Rui guessed it was a carbon or bamboo filament bulb, invented by Edison. After the bulb was installed, Yang Rui asked the two workers to make a simple wooden junction box with the leftover materials, which cost him two packs of cigarettes. After they left, Yang Rui carefully connected his laptop's power cord. The yellow and green indicator light on the transformer lit up, and at that moment, Yang Rui felt the entire room brighten. He pounded the table excitedly and shouted, "Damn, finally, there's electricity!"

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Note: The protagonist's background is a graduate of Tongji University in the modern era, which explains his knowledge of German.

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Note: The protagonist's background is a graduate of Tongji University in the modern era, which explains his knowledge of German.