Chapter 6

Bao Tou's economy was developed, with many fur shops, but gold shops were indeed few. Yang Yuanzhao walked down most of the East Street and finally saw a shop with a signboard reading "Tianyuan Building." He glanced inside and noticed that there were quite a few pieces of jewelry prominently displayed.

Liu Zhongwang, who had lain down again, felt a series of footsteps. A tall figure blocked the sun. Moving aside his fan, he saw that the young man who had just passed by, possibly a foreign student, was standing in front of him. Seeing him, the young man showed a mouthful of white teeth and smiled, saying, "Old man, is this a gold and silver shop?"

"Yes, young man, what do you need?"

"This!" Yang Yuanzhao hesitated for a moment.

Liu Zhongwang looked behind him at a group of onlookers and impatiently waved his hand, saying, "What are you looking at? The foreign student is back, everyone disperse, disperse!"

"Liu Boss, it seems you have business. Congratulations!" A sly-looking onlooker said with a smirk, seemingly trying to get a good look at Yang Yuanzhao, then loudly said to those behind him, "Disperse!"

Strangely, after these words, the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed. Yang Yuanzhao sighed in relief but did not notice Liu Zhongwang's slightly darkened expression.

"Young man, come inside and talk!"

Liu Zhongwang invited Yang Yuanzhao into Tianyuan Building, had him sit in a side room, and served him a cup of clear tea before asking, "Young man, I am the owner of Tianyuan Building. What do you need?"

Yang Yuanzhao had been carefully observing Liu Zhongwang. 15.5 grams of gold, not too much, not too little, in this unfamiliar place, caution was necessary. He didn't want to be robbed, which would be a loss not worth the gain. Not only would he lose money, but his safety would also be at risk.

Liu Zhongwang's eyes were clear, not those of a deceitful person. Yang Yuanzhao took out the gold and placed it on the table, saying, "Old man, I just arrived in Bao Tou and am short on money. How much is this worth?"

Liu Zhongwang looked at Yang Yuanzhao with caution, his eyes falling on the table. The gold was not large, about ten grams, with a bright yellow color. He picked it up, weighed it, and tested its hardness. Then he casually dropped it on the table, where it landed with a thud, making no sound and not bouncing. He then smiled, saying, "Not bad, good purity, a bit more than four taels?"

Yang Yuanzhao was taken aback. He knew some people could accurately estimate weight, saying it was a certain amount, and it would be exactly that. For something around ten grams, he could tell it was 15.5 grams, which, at 37.3 grams per tael, was indeed a bit more than four taels.

"Old man, you are impressive, it is indeed a bit more than four taels!"

"The gold is of good quality, over 99% pure. I'll take it!" Liu Zhongwang took out an abacus and started calculating, saying, "One small gold bar is worth 25 silver dollars. A bit more than four taels, 10 silver dollars, and I'll give you 100 copper coins as change, how about that?"

Yang Yuanzhao didn't know the price but recognized the silver dollars, also known as Mexican silver dollars. They were popular in late Qing China. The indemnity for the Opium War was 21 million silver dollars, which referred to these Mexican silver dollars. The Opium War was fought because of a trade surplus, with large amounts of silver dollars flowing into China. The British, unable to make money, started selling opium, leading to the war and the beginning of modern China's tragedy.

The weight of a Mexican silver dollar was about 27 grams, with a purity of 90%. The gold-to-silver ratio should be more than 1:10, but considering the value and profit, it was more than 1:15. This ratio was quite good. Yang Yuanzhao, just preparing to make his first fortune, didn't think much about it and nodded in agreement.

Liu Zhongwang was very pleased and quickly took out 10 silver dollars, which shimmered with a unique silver luster, and a string of copper coins.

Yang Yuanzhao didn't know how to identify silver dollars and silently thought, "Ding, scan!"

A red light flashed and disappeared. A mechanical voice said, "Mexican silver dollar, 90.30% silver, 4.3% copper, 5.4% nickel. Silver dollar blueprint found, store?"

"Store!" Yang Yuanzhao thought, then bowed to Liu Zhongwang, saying, "Thank you, old man. I won't disturb you further, I'll take my leave!"

"Young man, don't go yet!"

Yang Yuanzhao was taken aback and looked at Liu Zhongwang with caution. Liu Zhongwang smiled, saying, "Do you plan to stay in Bao Tou for a few days?"

"Yes!"

"Then don't leave in a hurry. You've been spotted by Wang Er. My son works at the chamber of commerce and will be back soon. He can introduce you to a safe inn at the chamber."

Wang Er was unknown to Yang Yuanzhao. Clearly, he was not a good person, possibly a thief or a bandit. Yang Yuanzhao, new to Bao Tou, was not afraid but saw no need for conflict. Liu Zhongwang, the owner of Tianyuan Building, did not seem like a bad person and was very helpful, so there was no need to refuse his kindness.

They drank a few more sips of tea and chatted a bit. Liu Zhongwang, being a businessman, was very talkative and knew a lot about the local affairs of Bao Tou. Yang Yuanzhao took the opportunity to listen. He knew very little about Bao Tou. The time travel had brought him to a completely unfamiliar place. After his journey, he had carefully considered his options. Bao Tou was a good place, rich in resources and in a remote location, ideal for development. He decided to stay for a while and see if he could establish a foundation.

About an hour later, around two in the afternoon, there was a commotion outside. A voice with a strong presence called out, "Father!" Liu Zhongwang's face lit up, and he said, "My son is back."

Footsteps sounded, and a young scholar lifted the curtain and walked in. He was not tall, wearing a black jacket and a melon-shaped hat. He looked quite shrewd. Seeing Yang Yuanzhao, he was surprised and said, "There's a guest!"

Liu Zhongwang smiled, saying, "This is my son, Liu Shu. This young man is also a returnee from abroad. You two should get to know each other!"

Before Liu Shu could speak, another voice suddenly called out, "Who is the returnee from abroad?"

With the voice, a man in a dark blue Western suit, with a middle part hairstyle and a slender face, walked in. His eyes were bright. He followed Liu Shu, lifted the curtain, and walked in. His eyes scanned the room and finally landed on Yang Yuanzhao. Yang Yuanzhao stood up and extended his hand, saying, "I am Yang Yuanzhao, nice to meet you both!"

The newcomer shook hands directly, very naturally, while Liu Shu, who was less accustomed to it, hurriedly followed the suit.

"Young people, you chat. I'll go attend to business!" Liu Zhongwang got up and left. The three of them also stood up. He walked to Liu Shu's side and whispered, "This young man has been spotted by Wang Er. Help him find an inn later. He's a good young man, very steady."

"Wang Er, that guy, still hasn't changed. He should be sent to the mines!"

"Times are not peaceful, but Wang Er has become more restrained. If you take him there, he won't dare to act."

"Right!" Liu Shu nodded in agreement, saw his father out, and then came back in. When he returned, he found that Yang Yue was already chatting with Yang Yuanzhao, quite warmly.

"Brother Zelun (Liu Shu's courtesy name), this young man is my clansman. He returned from England, from Oxford University!"

"An English university?" Liu Shu asked, surprised.

"Oxford University is on par with my alma mater, Yale University, in academic terms. It is one of the best universities in England. For Brother Yang to graduate from there, he must be extraordinary!"

Yang Yuanzhao felt a bit bitter. He had just chatted a bit with Yang Yue and learned that Yang Yue had returned from Yale University, studying agriculture, a rather obscure field. He knew that the late Qing students sent to America were all elites. Yang Yue, a later arrival, had also been officially selected and stood out among thousands of students. Considering China's illiteracy rate, he was undoubtedly an elite among elites. Studying agriculture, rather than something like mechanics or political economy, was somewhat surprising.

As for Oxford University, Yang Yuanzhao had made it up. Since Yang Yue had studied in America, he couldn't have studied there. If he were caught in a lie, it would be embarrassing. He was not familiar with French or German universities, so Oxford University came to mind. Fortunately, his English was fluent, and he was confident that even a real Oxford student might not be better than him in mechanical knowledge. Pretending to be one was harmless. As for his reason for coming to Bao Tou, he could say he was looking for relatives, which was plausible.

The three young men, with Liu Shu being the oldest at 30, Yang Yue at 25, and Yang Yuanzhao, born in 1989, also 25, found common ground. They were of similar age and shared interests. Yang Yue was more outgoing and had overseas experience, giving him a broader perspective. Liu Shu was a bit more reserved but had excellent judgment. When he spoke, his insights were profound. The three of them got along very well.