Chapter 4

On the 25th day of the twelfth month of the 31st year of the Guangxu era (January 19, 1906), in Neijiang.

Neijiang is located in central Sichuan. Before the 1930s, it was a famous sugarcane production area in the country. By the late Qing Dynasty, Neijiang's sugar production accounted for 70% of the province and about 50% of the country, earning it the nickname "Sweet City."

Although Neijiang is not well-known in later generations and is just a third-rate city, at this time, it was a very prominent place. One could say that in the entire Sichuan province, and even in the entire southwestern region, Neijiang and its neighboring counties were the wealthiest and most profitable areas.

There was no way around it; sugarcane was a highly profitable commodity before the modern era. A place that produced half of the country's sugarcane was a significant concept, and anyone with normal intelligence could understand that. Moreover, this area also produced salt and raw silk, and the output of these two items was also considerable. In such a place, it was impossible not to prosper.

Therefore, there were many wealthy landlords in this area. However, someone now raised an objection.

"Mr. Wen, the information says there are many rich people here. Why does this city look so dilapidated..."

The speaker was Gu Xiaolv. She was wearing a white men's suit and a hat, looking like a returned overseas student. Not only her, but Wen Desi was also dressed similarly, though he held a cane in his hand.

Behind him, four burly men followed. These men, with their rugged faces and black suits, clearly looked like bodyguards or enforcers. There was also a tall foreigner with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and carrying a briefcase, looking like a manager of a foreign company.

The seven of them were all dressed in suits, clearly people of importance. In this period of China, foreigners were the most powerful, followed by Chinese who looked like foreigners, and even the ruling Manchus did not dare to provoke them. With six Chinese who looked like foreigners and one real foreigner, they naturally had free rein in a small place like Neijiang. When they entered the city gate, the guards did not even dare to ask questions and respectfully let them in.

"Hehe, there are indeed many rich people here, but the money is theirs, and the city is not. They naturally won't spend their money to improve it. Even in Shanxi at the beginning of the 21st century, there were many wealthy coal bosses, but few cities looked decent," Wen Desi smiled and pointed ahead. "However, not all the buildings here are dilapidated. Look at that area ahead..."

Not far ahead was a luxurious residential area with intricate carvings and paintings, and magnificent pavilions and terraces. Compared to the area they had just passed through, it was a completely different world.

"Wow, these must be the rich people's houses. Such large villas right in the city center!" Gu Xiaolv was amazed.

Everyone knew that in later generations, to have a garden villa of over a thousand square meters in the city center required a lot of money. In this era, the threshold was lower, but not by much.

At this moment, the foreigner spoke in fluent Mandarin: "Mr. Wen, the jewelry store is just ahead..."

...

Dasi Jewelry Store was the largest jewelry shop in Neijiang County at the time. Despite its low profile, its assets were no less than those of major brands.

There were too many rich people in this area. For most people, when they had money, they couldn't resist showing off. However, in China at that time, there were no private planes, yachts, or sports cars. There were few things to show off, so high-value jewelry naturally became the most suitable item.

On this day, Mr. Jiao, the manager of Dasi Jewelry Store, was sitting at the counter flipping through the accounts, while the clerks were busy in the store. A few merchants' children were shopping for jewelry, but it was just small business, and Mr. Jiao didn't need to handle it personally.

At this moment, a girl's voice came from outside: "Mr. Wen, is this the place..."

"That's right, this is the place. Let's go in and take a look..." a man's voice replied.

Then, they heard the receptionist outside say respectfully: "... Gentlemen, please follow me..."

Mr. Jiao saw the receptionist bowing and leading a few people in, including a foreigner.

"Oh, welcome to our store!" Mr. Jiao immediately put down the accounts and greeted them with a smile.

Foreigners were the most formidable people in the world. A few years ago, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor in Beijing offended the foreigners and were beaten to a pulp, almost unable to return to the Forbidden City. Although Dasi Jewelry Store had a strong backing, it was not as strong as the Empress Dowager.

"May I ask your name, sir?" Mr. Jiao, of course, regarded the foreigner as the leader and greeted him warmly.

However, the foreigner stepped aside, revealing a young man in a white suit and said, "This is Mr. Wen Desi, the general manager of our Xingke Company. I am called Caffrey, the chief assistant of the company..."

"Ah..." Mr. Jiao was stunned. It was the first time he had seen a foreigner working for a Chinese person, even if the Chinese person was a fake foreigner. Even so, it was quite shocking.

"Mr. Wen, welcome, welcome..." Mr. Jiao, a seasoned businessman, was shocked but quickly recovered and greeted Wen Desi with great enthusiasm. To have a foreigner as a subordinate, this person must be of high status!

After the guests and host were seated, they exchanged pleasantries. Wen Desi said he was from America and was in Neijiang to examine the market, planning to make some investments and start a few factories.

While talking, Mr. Jiao secretly observed Wen Desi and his companions. People in the jewelry business had sharp eyes. They could tell if someone was truly wealthy or just pretending with just a few glances.

However, the more Mr. Jiao looked, the more he felt that the young man in front of him was unfathomable.

Although Mr. Wen's appearance was not exceptionally handsome, his commanding presence was very evident. He had a ruddy complexion, smooth skin, and bright eyes, indicating good nutrition. His manners and speech were refined and well-organized, and he was clearly well-educated. From this, one could deduce that his background was not low.

What surprised Mr. Jiao even more was the clothes of Mr. Wen and his subordinates. Mr. Jiao had seen many things, but he could not identify the material of these clothes. He could confirm that the fabric was neither silk, cotton, nor wool, but it was straight and smooth, with a fine texture and uniform quality, definitely a top-grade material.

Most shockingly, there were no visible seams or stitching marks, as if the clothes were a single piece. This was definitely the work of a high-level tailor. Of course, clothes made by a 3D printer would naturally be a single piece, and it would be strange to see any seams.

Regardless of other factors, just the suit alone would cost no less than two or three hundred silver dollars. As for Mr. Wen's cane, the material was also unidentifiable, looking like jade but not quite, with a glossy finish. It was also inlaid with four large diamonds, each the size of a soybean.

The girl in men's clothing next to Mr. Wen also wore a diamond ring, with a diamond the size of a soybean.

Although diamonds were not very popular in China at the time, influenced by foreigners, domestic buyers had increased in recent years. With Mr. Jiao's years of experience, he could immediately tell that these large diamonds were genuine.

These diamonds alone were worth at least ten thousand silver dollars!

Mr. Jiao immediately gave an estimate in his mind.

After a quick calculation, he estimated that the attire of Mr. Wen and his companions alone was worth no less than twenty thousand silver dollars. Anyone who could wear such clothes and show off must be of high status.

Well, it was not Mr. Jiao's fault for lacking insight. After all, in this era, people did not know about synthetic diamonds, fiberglass, or synthetic fibers, let alone 3D printers. Of course, his estimate of twenty thousand silver dollars was not far off, as these items were not available in this era, and there was no place to buy them even if one had the money.

...

Mr. Jiao's attitude became increasingly humble, but he felt increasingly uneasy. He cautiously asked, "May I ask what brings Mr. Wen to our humble store?"

Wen Desi tapped his cane and Caffrey said, "It's like this, we heard that your store is the largest jewelry shop in Neijiang... We have a business proposal for your store."

"Business? What kind of business?" Mr. Jiao was surprised.

"Bring it up..." Caffrey gestured to one of the bodyguards, who immediately walked forward and placed a silver-gray box on the table.

Caffrey waved his hand and said, "Take a look at the goods first..."

Mr. Jiao first examined the box and found that the silver-gray metal was probably "aluminum." This metal seemed to be exclusive to foreigners and was very rare in China. If not for Mr. Jiao's expertise, anyone else would not have recognized it.

"Wow..." When he opened the box, Mr. Jiao's eyes widened.

Inside was a box full of gems, red, blue, green, and other colors, with at least a hundred gems! The largest were the size of broad beans, the smallest the size of soybeans, and the largest a few were the size of pigeon eggs.

After examining the gems, Mr. Jiao, who had just finished the appraisal, smiled and said, "Our company recently needs a batch of funds for investment, and it's troublesome to transfer funds from America, so we plan to sell this batch of gems. Mr. Jiao, are you interested in purchasing them?"

"Ah, this..." Mr. Jiao was unsettled. The gems were definitely genuine and flawless, absolutely top-grade. However, the quantity was quite large. He estimated that they were worth at least 500,000 silver dollars, and he could not make such a decision.

However, if he did not take this opportunity, it would be a waste of his years of experience. So, he immediately said, "Mr. Wen, this is a large batch of goods, and I cannot make the decision. Please wait a moment, I will call our owner..."

"Please do..." Wen Desi smiled and nodded. He knew that with such a large amount of money, a manager would not dare to make the decision.

A short while later, Mr. Jiao led a small, thin old man over.

"Mr. Wen, this is our owner, Mr. Cheng..." Mr. Jiao introduced.