Chapter 5: High-Temperature Crucible Electric Furnace
He is indeed his own god of wealth! "Ha... then, young master, please take care!" Although Gao Chuanliang felt a bit uneasy, he still tried to conceal his worries while bidding farewell to Sima. Deep down, he felt ashamed of his performance today, realizing he was too greedy. If... if... Watching Young Master Sima ride away on his buzzing "motodro" made him quickly make a decision, hoping that the young master could give him another chance.
However, it is quite easy to sell silver ingots made from silver dollars in the market using an electric furnace. Although the local market for extracting silver from industrial waste is not as significant as that of Yongxing or Xianju, the annual transaction volume still amounts to several hundred million yuan. The small stones one invests in cannot create any significant waves. Moreover, most of the recycled mixed silver has a purity of around 90%, which is similar to that of silver dollars.
The boss is busy. In an alley in the city, Sima sat in front of a goldsmith's shop, took out a cigarette, and struck up a conversation with the goldsmith before him. "Not busy, not busy. What work does the boss have to do?" At this moment, there was not much business; most of the time, it was just chatting with others, hoping for potential customers. The seemingly thin goldsmith became more enthusiastic, took the cigarette, lit it, and then asked, "I see you have a sign saying you buy gold and silver at high prices. I came to ask about the price." Sima stated his purpose directly.
I apologize, I apologize! After such a long time, my hands have become stiff; I hope Boss Wang can forgive me. The goldsmith finally finished inspecting each silver dollar after more than an hour. He looked up and saw Sima appearing a bit impatient, and quickly said, estimating in his heart that he could earn several thousand this time, and that he must serve this God of Wealth well. Boss Wang is a pseudonym that Sima created temporarily in the morning.
The clear and crisp sound produced when two silver dollars collide was so delightful to Sima's ears. Lying in bed, Sima held a handful of shiny silver dollars, pondering why old movies often featured scenes of characters holding silver dollars and listening to their crisp sounds. This was indeed a pleasure. Looking at the thousands of silver dollars before him, Sima began to worry about how he could dispose of them. These silver dollars were no different from those he had seen in the antique market, yet most of them gleamed with dazzling silver light. Such brand-new silver dollars, if taken to the antique market, would surely be regarded as counterfeit. Moreover, even if they were brought to the ancient market, it was unlikely that so many silver dollars could be disposed of quickly.
The six hundred silver dollars, according to the price we discussed this morning, total thirty thousand nine hundred and sixty. In total, it amounts to thirty-one thousand, Mr. Wang; you can count it, and there's no need to worry about the change. Mr. Chen took out three bundles of cash wrapped in newspapers from several pockets of his clothing and handed them to Sima.
"Go ahead. A total of six hundred pieces, payment and delivery at two o'clock in the afternoon." Sima calculated the price of the G-12-16 high-temperature crucible electric furnace he had checked, estimating that selling six hundred pieces would yield over thirty thousand. Buying an electric furnace costs twenty-five thousand, and adding the rent for a small room to draw industrial electricity, over thirty thousand would just about suffice. Purchasing the G-12-16 high-temperature crucible electric furnace is a last resort; if he doesn't buy the furnace, selling silver dollars like this once or twice for a few hundred pieces might be manageable. However, if he were to throw those several thousand silver dollars around, he would likely end up having dinner at the police station. Purchasing the G-12-16 high-temperature crucible electric furnace is a last resort; if he doesn't buy the furnace, selling silver dollars like this once or twice for a few hundred pieces might be manageable. However, if he were to throw those several thousand silver dollars around, he would likely end up having dinner at the police station.
Young Master... where should I go to pick up the goods? The watch you brought last time has already been sold out, hasn't it?" Gao Chuanliang gritted his teeth and mustered the courage to express his thoughts. "Oh! Look at my memory; I was in such a rush that I left the watch behind. I will personally deliver it to you at this time tomorrow. Don't worry!" Upon hearing Gao Chuanliang's words and seeing his expression, Sima immediately understood why Boss Gao was acting this way; he was afraid that this business opportunity would not come again.
"Young Master... Young Master, are you leaving just like this?" Gao Chuanliang asked dryly after having the shop assistant help the Young Master place the bag filled with silver dollars into the Young Master's "moto" cart. As he spoke, Gao Chuanliang felt an extreme tension in his heart. Why had the Young Master come this time without bringing a watch or informing him where to collect the goods? Could it be that the Young Master had changed his mind? "Hmm! Is there anything else?" Sima asked while riding the motorcycle, pondering that there seemed to be no other matters at hand. Wasn't he here just to collect the money? As he spoke, Gao Chuanliang felt an extreme tension in his heart. Why had the Young Master come this time without bringing a watch or informing him where to collect the goods? Could it be that the Young Master had changed his mind? "Hmm! Is there anything else?" Sima asked while riding the motorcycle, pondering that there seemed to be no other matters at hand. Wasn't he here just to collect the money? Now that he had received the money, what else could there be? Why did Boss Gao's expression seem a bit off? Wasn't his share also considered given to him?
At 2 PM, at the agreed location, Sima was carrying a bag of silver dollars, weighing nearly 20 kilograms with 600 pieces of silver dollars, which did not feel light in hand. "Boss Chen, please check; there are a total of 600 pieces, and I guarantee there are no counterfeits among them," Sima said to the goldsmith who exchanged gold and silver, placing the satchel on the table and then taking out six pieces of silver dollars.
Oh! This! Gold at 130, silver at 2 dollars," the jeweler replied skillfully while taking a puff of smoke, carefully scrutinizing the young man before him, who did not seem to fit the profile. Unless it was for disposing of stolen goods, no one would come to sell their gold and silver at such a low price in a place like this. This person, judging by appearance, did not seem to belong to that line of work. "Ah! The price is so low!" Although Sima Xin had checked the recent silver market prices online before coming, where the general price hovered around 2.6, he did not expect to be offered nearly 20% less here. Calculating the gold price, it was also about 20% lower, confirming that this small shop specializing in buying stolen goods was indeed quite unscrupulous.
Boss! What price will you offer for this silver dollar?" Sima said as he took a silver dollar out of his bag and placed it on the table. "Hehe! This, ah! I must say, brother, this silver dollar has been cleaned; otherwise, how could it be so new?" The goldsmith said as he casually picked it up to take a look, then tested its quality and weighed it. "One dollar fifty-one, one dollar sixty, the highest I can offer is this price. So, brother, are you interested in selling it?"
In just a few minutes, Sima had finalized the details of the afternoon transaction with the goldsmith surnamed Chen. The transaction would take place in a star-rated hotel in the city, as carrying several hundred silver dollars on the street would inevitably lead to various inconveniences. After taking Boss Chen's business card, Sima hurriedly hailed a taxi outside the alley to rush off to attend to other matters that had yet to be arranged.
Sima rode his sidecar, almost leaving Kongjiazhuang at top speed. Although he had not encountered any highway robbers during these past few trips, he could not afford to be careless about the security of this time and space, especially recalling the murdered doctor he had met when he first entered this realm. Who knows if a group of bandits might suddenly emerge from some corner, putting his life in jeopardy. Due to the road conditions, the motorcycle could not travel fast, moving at a sluggish pace of around 40 kilometers per hour. Sima even felt that his hearing had become much more acute, as he could clearly hear the crisp and pleasant sound of silver dollars clinking together in the sidecar, which was filled with bags and books, due to the bumps of the motorcycle.
Thank you, Boss Chen. Sima took the banknotes and opened the newspaper to count them. Fortunately, verifying paper money is much easier than counting silver dollars; it only requires a simple touch to determine authenticity. After all, GMB has been in operation for decades, and practice makes perfect. Although the verification speed is not as fast as that of bank staff, it only took a few minutes to complete. Sima packed the money into his satchel, thanked him, and felt that carrying paper money was very light, but it completely lacked the tangible feeling of holding silver dollars.
"Hey! Sima, may I ask if you know how to use this electric stove? Do we need to send a technician to train you?" Li Feng asked as if he suddenly remembered something just as Sima was about to leave. "Ah! Hmm! You are right to think of this, I really don't know how to operate this kind of machine. Don't forget to send a technician over, okay?" Fortunately, Li Feng reminded him; otherwise, Sima would have completely forgotten that he didn't know how to operate such a machine.
"Goodbye then! Boss Wang, next time there’s business, you must take care of your little brother!" As the two were parting in front of the hotel, Boss Chen said during the farewell, "Of course, of course." Although Sima said this, he was secretly thinking about who would dare to take care of him again after being pressured to a price that was more than 20% lower.
Boss Li, here is a deposit of 10,000 yuan. I hope you can expedite the process; it would be best if the crucible electric furnace I ordered could arrive by tomorrow. I am counting on your assistance!" At an industrial equipment company in the city, Sima stated as he handed over the deposit. "Sima, you can rest assured; we are old friends. We will definitely deliver the equipment to you by tomorrow, at the latest by tomorrow afternoon." Although Li Feng found it somewhat strange that Sima was spending money to order this laboratory G-12-16 and high-temperature crucible electric furnace from him, no one would refuse money. Even though this type of electric furnace has a small capacity for experimental use, its wide range of applications ensures that the supply is always sufficient. After receiving Sima's call in the morning, Li Feng confirmed with the supplier that they would definitely deliver it to him by tomorrow morning.
Hehe! Please wait! The goldsmith opened the newspaper package containing the silver dollars and began to skillfully examine each silver dollar one by one. Examining a single silver dollar does not take much time, but the total time required for six hundred silver dollars adds up to a considerable amount. If he had not already rented the necessary yard in the rural area of the suburb where he works in the morning, and if he had not reached an agreement with a friend working at the power supply bureau at noon to assist with the industrial electricity connection, it is likely that at this moment, Sima would not have the leisure to wait for this Boss Chen to finish examining each silver dollar. Sima began to feel that purchasing the electric furnace was indeed the right decision; if these several thousand silver dollars were to be sold like this, he did not know when they would be sold.
"Hehe! I said, brother, ever since you left that company, we haven't been in touch for these past few months. It seems like you've found a new path again," Li Feng said with a smile after preparing the receipt. "You know the situation, what new path could I possibly find? I'm just starting a small business with a friend, and we happen to need this kind of electric furnace, so I thought of you," Sima replied as he took the receipt and sat on the sofa. A week ago, no matter what, Sima would never have come to Li Feng's company to let him see his disheveled state. Now that everything is starting to improve, Sima feels that he is slowly regaining the confidence he once had, at least his self-respect. In Li Feng's office, the two of them casually chatted about some amusing stories from the past few months, creating a relaxed atmosphere.