Chapter 715
Unity of All
"Yes, I'm handing it over to you."
Wang Chaoyun's eyes suddenly turned upwards, her almond-shaped pupils shimmering beneath her long lashes. "Do I need to dress up?"
Sin Yiu-man shook his head. “You don’t need to dress up, or even wear clothes. We’re going to do a thorough examination of your whole body to figure out which flaws were there before and which ones I caused.”
Wang Chaoyun stood on tiptoe, hooked his arms around Xian Yaowen's neck, and rolled his eyes at him, "Don't you know which ones you caused?"
"I don't know, we must investigate thoroughly." With that, Xian Yaowen lifted Wang Chaoyun up by supporting her shapely buttocks.
Wang Chaoyun understood, clamped her legs around his thighs, and buried her head in his chest. "Not leaving tonight?"
"Ah."
"I made two sailor suits."
"Yoshi." Sin Yiu-man said with a faint smile, "From this moment on, call me Sensei."
"Hehe~"
Just as the two were building up the atmosphere to an ambiguous level, Wu Zecheng arrived, carrying a suitcase.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he opened his suitcase, revealing several stacks of US dollars and pounds, as well as a large yellow croaker and a golden Buddha statue.
"It adds up to about $103 million, let's say $100 million."
Sin Yiu-man nodded slightly, took out US dollars from his suitcase, and said while counting them, "Last year I did a deal with the Portuguese in Macau and received 50,000 US dollars. I took 10,000 to New York, but customs confiscated them, saying they were fake."
Later I learned that the Japanese had printed legal tender, US dollars, Indian rupees, and British pounds back then. They had the best technology for printing legal tender, and the US dollars were not bad either. Most of them were exchanged for real money through Swiss and Portuguese merchants.
"I was unlucky; I fell for the Portuguese trick. By the time I belatedly went to Macau to settle the score, they had already fled back to their home country of Portugal. I ended up spending another $20,000 to get them out."
Wu Zecheng said calmly, "The Japanese internally called it the Matsuoka Plan. They actually didn't print much US dollars, and they mainly printed Federal Reserve notes with the worst anti-counterfeiting features."
Federal Reserve Notes are US dollars issued by the Federal Reserve. What Sin Yiu-man is mainly counting are silver notes and gold notes issued by the Ministry of Finance. As you can tell from their names, the two versions of currency were issued in accordance with silver and gold reserves, respectively, and they were very strong when they were first issued.
When he pointed to a gold certificate, he picked it up and looked at it. "I have two gold certificates with a face value of $1. They are the highest denomination banknotes ever publicly circulated in the United States. After more than ten years of only accepting them and not issuing them, there are very few left out. If you don't need the money in a hurry, keeping it for decades will yield no less return than investing the money."
The item is in Hong Kong. I'll call back tomorrow and have my wife send one over when she visits your wife.
Upon hearing this, Wu Zecheng excitedly asked, "My wife is in Hong Kong?"
"Your son and daughter are both here. They arrived in Hong Kong at noon today and will probably be having dinner at my house now."
"Thank you," Wu Zecheng said, his voice choked with emotion.
“No need to be polite.” With that, Xian Yaowen pulled out a Federal Reserve note and put it aside. “The feel is about the same, but the color has faded too much, so I can’t tell the difference.”
Wu Zecheng took it and examined it carefully, pretending to tear it, but after thinking about it, he put it in his pocket. "Back then, I was ordered to intercept a train transporting counterfeit money. The legal tender was destroyed on the spot, and the rest was used as operating funds. Part of it was donated to stations in Northeast China. The money flowed around and eventually I didn't know where it ended up."
Xian Yaowen partially agreed with Wu Zecheng's explanation. Back then, he had delivered a package for a Kuomintang agent who was going to Macau. The package contained tens of thousands of US dollars. Looking back now, he realized that it was probably counterfeit money that was being taken to Macau to exchange for real foreign currency.
On the other hand, when he finished counting the US dollars, he only picked out 7 problematic bills, which was considered an acceptance.
He began counting the pounds, becoming increasingly meticulous. His very first real fortune came from counterfeit pounds. Previously, Britain had swallowed its pride to avoid panic, but now it was extremely sensitive to counterfeit currency. Anyone daring to flaunt tens of thousands of counterfeit pounds would be punished severely.
The amount of pounds was not much, just over 2.7, and it was counted quickly without any problems found.
When it came to the large yellow croaker, he simply weighed it and, when it was close to the correct weight, had Wu Zecheng stamp it to mark it. It would then be cut open and melted down for inspection when it was sent back to Hong Kong.
As soon as he touched the golden Buddha, he felt something was strange. It didn't feel solid in weight, but the sound it made when tapped was dull, indicating that it was solid inside, just not filled with gold.
Upon close examination from all angles, the outer shell appears to be cast in one piece, with no visible openings or cracks, suggesting a hidden treasure within.
He put the golden Buddha aside and said to Wu Zecheng, "I've heard that Mr. Wu is quite knowledgeable about antiques. Haven't you thought about taking a gamble?"
Wu Zecheng chuckled and said, "Mr. Xian, didn't you notice how exquisite this golden Buddha is?"
Xian Yaowen turned to examine the golden Buddha again, and after a moment said, "It is indeed exquisite, but I know nothing about antiques and cannot distinguish between ancient and modern. What is so special about this golden Buddha?"
"The craftsmanship of this golden Buddha is very similar to another golden Buddha I have seen. That golden Buddha is a pure gold Acala statue from the Tubo period. Although this Buddha statue may contain treasures, what is hidden inside may not be a valuable treasure. It may be a secret with a very short shelf life, an item representing identity, or a treasure map."
Wu Zecheng smiled faintly, "These things are not as valuable to me as this golden Buddha itself."
Sin Yiu-man responded with a smile, "If it were a treasure map, that would be great. I could learn from it. Treasure map stories are timeless and always have a market. If I ever run out of money, I could fabricate a map of Chiang Kai-shek's hidden gold. I could say that two years ago, Chiang Kai-shek secretly ordered 3000 million taels of gold to be sunk in the South China Sea. The coordinates were recorded in cipher on seven pieces of parchment, containing the secret of the Big Dipper. Mr. Wu has one of those in his hands."
Wu Zecheng laughed and said, "This number is too big. In the fortieth year of the Republic of China, when have we ever seen so much gold?"
“Numbers don’t have to be big, and the story can keep going. If we’ve unearthed the Qing Dynasty’s dragon vein or found the treasure of the rebel king, greedy people will believe it.” Xian Yaowen gestured for Wu Zecheng to sit down at the table and pointed to the plate on the table, saying, “This is a Minnan snack called Tusun Jelly. I wonder if Mr. Wu has ever tried it.”
"I saw it when I was on a business trip to Xiamen, but I didn't dare to try it."
“Mr. Wu, you can try it. The sea worm jelly is very delicious.” Sin Yiu-man then pointed to another plate, “Mr. Wu will definitely recognize this one.”
"I tried crab-stuffed oranges once at Lao Zhengxing, and the taste was just average. It's a bit overrated."
“A few days ago, the family chef made it once, and after I tasted it, I got the same evaluation as Mr. Wu. I thought to myself, something’s not right. Crab stuffed orange is a famous dish from Jiangnan in the Southern Song Dynasty. Countless literati and poets praised it. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t taste good. I thought at the time that perhaps the authentic recipe has been lost.”
Wu Zecheng shook his head, "It shouldn't be lost. The recipe for crab-stuffed oranges is recorded in many documents from the Southern Song Dynasty."
"Mr. Wu is very knowledgeable. I later went to check the information and asked a few chefs to confirm that the recipe had not been lost. I continued to search for information and finally found a clue. It turns out that the orange in the crab-stuffed orange is not the orange we know today, but a kind of pomelo."
This type of pomelo was originally widely cultivated in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River during the Tang and Song dynasties. It wasn't tasty, being very sour and not very juicy, but its aroma was extremely strong. It was once a tribute item; perhaps Yang Guifei used the pomelo's fragrance to mask her body odor.
Wu Zecheng smiled faintly.
"Because it didn't taste good, better varieties came along, and gradually no one grew it anymore. I don't know if it has disappeared on the mainland. But this kind of pomelo spread to Japan, where people called it Yuzu. They not only widely cultivated it, but also inherited the recipe for crab-stuffed orange, which evolved into their own dish, steamed crab meat with vinegared orange."
As he spoke, Xian Yaowen opened the lid of the pomelo in the plate, "It's just strange that the Japanese didn't use Yuzu, but instead used tangerines. These tangerines are more sour than Yuzu, and seem to be a hybrid of Yuzu and Japanese tangerines."
"Mr. Wu, please try this. I brought it from home; it got cold, so I reheated it here. It might not taste as good as when it was fresh out of the steamer."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sin Yiu-man scooped a small spoonful into his own spoon, tasted it, and then gestured for him to enter.
Wu Zecheng was, after all, the former stationmaster of Tianjin Station. He was wary, or rather, had a dark side. If he didn't take a bite first, how could people feel at ease eating? Even though the crab-stuffed orange was just enough for one person, they still had to eat them one by one.
Wu Zecheng took a bite and exclaimed, "It's definitely different from what I've had before. It's not sour at all, just fresh and sweet. It's wonderful."
“Actually, it could be even better, but unfortunately it’s not the season for eating crabs right now, and Taiwan doesn’t have any good freshwater crabs.” Xian Yaowen put down his spoon and said slowly, “I have an idea to import mitten crab species from the mainland, find a good water area in Taiwan to raise them, and then sell them abroad under the name of smuggled Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs when the crabs are plump and full of roe in the autumn.”
"Mr. Xian's idea is brilliant. Transporting live crabs is extremely difficult. As long as we control the quantity sold to the outside world, even if we sell them at an exorbitant price, people will still be eager to buy them."
"I don't plan to raise many. I will only sell a few thousand kilograms a year. It would be best to cooperate with restaurants and focus on dine-in service. If someone insists on buying it to cook for themselves, I can serve them as a restaurant and avoid a lot of trouble."
"That's really good. There are no easy guests who can afford to eat hairy crabs."
Wu Zecheng responded with great interest, showing no impatience whatsoever. Xian Yaowen went around in circles, talking about sea worm jelly, then crab-stuffed oranges, and then about hairy crabs. It was clear that he was talking to him on purpose, not just some trivial topic at the dinner table.
He has always been interested in money, and this interest only intensified after he learned that his wife and children had arrived in Hong Kong. He had some savings before, but not as much as a million US dollars. In order to get rid of the days of cutting sugarcane as soon as possible, he spent most of it on bribes. He now actually has only three hundred thousand US dollars. He just handed over two hundred thousand to Sin Yiu-man and kept one hundred thousand in his own hands.
He only thought about how he could live comfortably on $300,000 until he died, but what can he do when he has four children and might have a few more? As parents, how can they not pave the way for their children? It's not okay to just sit around and do nothing; increasing income is the right way.
Sin Yiu-man scooped up a spoonful of sea worm jelly and put it in his mouth. "With hairy crabs leading the way, other ingredients can follow. Take Jinhua ham, for example. It has quite a market in Taiwan. It's not difficult to transport it from the mainland to Hong Kong, and it's not difficult to imitate it ourselves."
The reason Jinhua ham is so good is twofold: firstly, the local black pigs (Liangwu) are ideal for making ham; secondly, the craft has been passed down for thousands of years, and the ham-making masters are experienced. As for the climate and water quality of the Jinhua region, they may be important, or they may not be, but even if they are very important, it's not technically impossible to achieve the desired results.
Wu Zecheng picked up a piece of pickled radish, held his chopsticks in mid-air, and expressed a different opinion: "Climate should be very important. I have heard people talk about the production process of Jinhua ham. They say that the winters in Jinhua are cold and dry, and the sun is mild, which is perfect for drying ham. The summers are hot and humid, which is perfect for fermenting ham. The combination of winter drying and summer fermentation is what gives Jinhua ham its good quality."
Xian Yaowen nodded. "Then we can only try to find a low-cost way to simulate the climate of Jinhua. If the cost is too high or it is not feasible, we will have to act as a middleman."
That being said, if you don't want to produce it yourself and just act as a middleman, there are many things you can do: Shaoxing rice wine, Hangzhou Longjing tea, Fujian red mushrooms, Guangdong Tianjiu shark fin, Shandong dried abalone, Liaodong sea cucumber, and mountain products from Changbai Mountain and the Greater Khingan Mountains.
To be honest, Mr. Wu, I became obsessed with Northeastern cuisine at the beginning of the year. I've eaten "Three Treasures of the Earth" a few times, and I've also had my share of other wild game. I even created my own dish, "Five Palms Stir-fry with Green Peppers." First, I stew bear paw, tiger paw, camel paw, deer paw, and roe deer paw until tender, then slice them into strips and stir-fry them with green peppers. It's perfect with brown rice.
"Mr. Xian really knows how to enjoy life; all five types of palm techniques are quite expensive."
Sin Yiu-man waved his hand, “It’s not expensive, not expensive at all. They’re all from North and South Korea. I have business dealings with South Korean merchants, and I always bring some wild game with me when I transport herbs to Hong Kong.”
You know there's a war going on over there. They can trade a few pounds of rice for game from hunters; the cost isn't too high. The only problem is that temperature needs to be carefully controlled during transport to keep it fresh. It sounds simple, but the actual cost is considerable.
Wu Zecheng looked at Xian Yaowen's face and said meaningfully, "It doesn't matter if the cost is a little higher. These rare goods are transported to Taipei, and it's not just a matter of selling them at exorbitant prices."
“This deal is all set, except for the final push.” Sin Yiu-man stared into Wu Zecheng’s eyes. “I suspect Mr. Wu has a white crane jade fan that can bring about this opportunity.”
"Chinese people have always valued reciprocity."
“I don’t know which deity Mr. Wu believes in, nor do I intend to inquire. I will keep 30% of the profits and give 70% to Mr. Wu.” Xian Yaowen chuckled. “Whether Mr. Wu goes to the street to buy pig heads or hires people to capture young boys and girls, it is his personal religious belief, and others have no right to interfere.”
Wu Zecheng smiled faintly, “I believe in the true God. I only need to bathe, change clothes, and pray devoutly. There is no need to waste people’s money and resources by offering inhumane sacrifices.”
Sin Yiu-man raised his wine cup to Wu Zecheng and asked, "Brother Wu, when do you plan to set off for Hong Kong to visit your sister-in-law and nephew?"
"I haven't seen my wife and children for a long time and I miss them very much. I plan to set off as soon as possible."
“Brother Wu, if you encounter any inconveniences in Hong Kong, you can contact Peipei.”
Wu Zecheng raised his wine cup an inch higher, saying, "I'm unfamiliar with Hong Kong, so I'll inevitably have to trouble my younger siblings."
"cheers."
Once the important matters are settled, we can chat about trivial things; when the time is right, the conversation will end.
……
Paris.
Hans, the captain of the Dürer squadron of the Camel Company, stood in front of the Arc de Triomphe, his gaze piercing through the years, recalling the scene of him participating in the parade, passing through the Arc de Triomphe, and marching along the Champs-Élysées.
Unfortunately, he didn't stay in Paris for long before being transferred to the Eastern Front, where he spent several years in what felt like hell. Fortunately, he managed to crawl out of piles of corpses time and time again.
He took a deep drag of his cigarette, stubbed it out with his index finger and thumb, put it in his pocket, then pulled his hat down and walked to the left.
As he walked forward, people began to follow him, one, two, and soon seven, eight people moved forward silently, climbing onto the back of a truck parked by the roadside a few minutes later.
After the first batch of Camel Squadron members finished training, Chu Xufei began recruiting the second batch of members to form the Dumas Squad, the Dumas fils Squad, the Newton Squad, and the Yeats Squad. The first two squads mainly recruited French people, while the latter two squads recruited English and Irish people respectively.
People are recruited according to their nationality, but training and assignment are done separately to prevent them from becoming too familiar with each other and forming cliques. However, if needed in the future, personnel can be drawn into teams based on their nationality at any time.
Those who are now with Hans are lucky enough to have drawn the "settlement representative" lottery. They can represent their fellow countrymen and teammates to go home and deliver the settlement allowance to their relatives.
The French may not have recruited from within France; they could have been recruited from Vietnam. Similarly, the English and Irish were recruited from within Vietnam. For example, Bob Denard, who had previously served as a quartermaster in the flintlock regiment and was stationed in Saigon for over a year without getting any fighting, heard that someone was recruiting mercenaries who could fight, so he retired on the spot and changed his career to work for money.
Hans glanced at Bob Denard from the truck bed, giving him a warning look. This kid was a troublemaker; he dared to challenge his authority on the first day of training, and despite being punished several times, he remained a troublemaker.
Bob Denard gave him a reassuring look, assuring him that he knew what was important and wouldn't act recklessly on a mission.
Yes, while on their mission and visiting their hometown, they also took the opportunity to visit Alice Ferreira's St. Ergo Castle to confirm Sin Yiu-man's theory of a Jewish treasure.
No one dislikes unexpected wealth, especially since Xian Yaowen faces considerable pressure in supporting his men. From this squadron to that platoon, if he dares to delay paying his debts, a whole host of dark gun barrels will be pointed at his head.
After Wu Zecheng left, Xian Yaowen asked Qi Longque to take the suitcase home first, but left the golden Buddha statue behind.
He didn't care about Tibet or the value of the golden Buddha. In his eyes, gold was gold, and it didn't matter what form it took. He was only interested in the secrets that might exist inside the golden Buddha. Even if the secrets were worthless, even if there was only a note inside that said, "Idiot, you've been fooled," he would still open it and take a look.
He observed it again and scratched it with a knife, becoming quite certain that the outer shell was cast in one piece. He held it in his hand and continued to examine it, thinking about where to break it open according to normal thinking, and where people who hate Buddhism would break it open. He had to avoid both ways of thinking and find another way.
Two minutes later, he took a knife and began drilling a hole inward from the angle of the golden Buddha's shoulder blade, working carefully. He would drill twice, then stop to take a closer look at the hole before continuing.
The process was terrifying, with fears that toxic fumes or water would emerge from inside, but it turned out to be a false alarm. After removing one arm, a peek inside revealed a grayish, cement-colored substance.
The word "rub rub" popped into his mind. Could it be that the golden Buddha outside was there to protect a Buddha made of clay?
He had a bad feeling; perhaps the clay used to make the tsa-tsa was mixed with the ashes and relics of some enlightened monk. (End of Chapter)