Yinzhen didn't insist on anything. After Charlie left, Yinzhen sent someone to take the clam back. Then he accompanied Yunrong to another street, which looked much more prosperous. People dressed in fine clothes could be seen on the street from time to time.

The various vendors' cries created a lively atmosphere.

After arriving here, Yunrong felt like her legs couldn't move anymore. She even forgot her destination. There were many shops here that sold jewelry made of seashells and pearls. Although Yunrong didn't lack these, the ones she owned were all made to order. Although they were exquisite, she felt that they were somewhat "craftsman-like".

It's not that it's ugly, it just feels a bit "rigid".

Seeing these pieces of jewelry, I realized how beautiful they truly are!

Moreover, it's not just jewelry. There's a shop that's very creative, making many items decorated with seashells, such as dressing tables and wardrobes. In addition to these large items, there are also many small and exquisite seashell-made things that are very appealing.

Yunrong's girlish heart wasn't awakened in modern times, but now that she's been in the Qing Dynasty for a decade or two and has two children, that girlish heart has suddenly come back to her.

Before dinner, Yinzhen had Yunrong's belongings transported back to her residence in several trips.

Then they found a decent local restaurant and had a meal. It wasn't as exquisite as what the imperial chefs made, but it was worth the price. Both Yinzhen and Yunrong thought it was acceptable.

After returning home, Yinzhen thought about the foreigners he had met during the day, so he ordered someone to investigate the current situation of shipping in Guangzhou. This was also the second purpose of his trip.

While Yinzhen sent people to inquire, Charlie returned to his usual residence in Guangzhou, his anger growing. Merchants are driven by profit. He had seen someone open such a large clam before, which contained several high-quality purple pearls. Even if they were not transported back to China to sell, they could still make a considerable profit by reselling them to jewelry shops in the Qing Dynasty.

He was lost in thought, his expression showing regret and his eyes looking somewhat vacant. His roommate, Carl, asked, "Charlie, what's wrong?"

Charlie snapped out of his reverie and said, "I ran into someone trying to steal something from me today, and I got a little angry."

Carl was somewhat surprised. Charlie wasn't good at negotiating business, but he was quite generous. Was there anything Carl couldn't win over?

"Charlie, are you kidding me? Someone actually won't sell you anything?"

Charlie didn't think Carl's words sounded like a compliment, but he didn't care what he meant.

“I wanted to trade a telescope for three clams, but another group offered five hundred taels of silver. They didn’t even ask for my opinion before making the deal. Moreover, I was the one who initiated the transaction. It’s infuriating! The person who bought the goods in the end even tried to negotiate with me. Of course, I refused.”

Karl found it amusing, but then asked, "What business are we talking about?"

Charlie looked annoyed: "I don't want to deal with that kind of person, so naturally I won't ask him. I don't want to see that person again; it feels too unpleasant."

Karl: "Alright, but you should adjust your mindset. There's a gathering in a couple of days, and then we can bring back a lot of tea, silk, and porcelain. That will be countless riches. I've decided that if this time is successful, I will never go to sea again. This land of the Qing Dynasty is truly as Marco Polo said, full of gold. If I hadn't come here the first time without preparing too much, I would never have come a second time."

Charlie listened to Karl's words in silence. To be honest, his thoughts were different from Karl's. He also liked gold, but he also loved the land of the Qing Dynasty.

While the West at the same time might have had some more advanced technology, it wasn't as wonderful as the Qing Dynasty in many other aspects. For example, Western streets were always filled with the smell of horse manure; unless it was absolutely unbearable, it was never cleaned up...

Of course, what attracted Charlie the most was that he had heard that the Qing Dynasty was a vast country with many different styles of buildings. His father was a person who worked in royal architecture, and he had been interested in this field since childhood. Later, his father was wrongly accused and beheaded, and he came to the Qing Dynasty with this merchant ship.

He really liked the architecture here, so he wanted to see more buildings. He thought the architecture was so beautiful, which was why he wanted to trade those clams for some silver. He wanted to stay, as he was unfamiliar with the area and just wanted to earn more money.

"Charlie, why aren't you saying anything?" Carl asked when he saw Charlie lost in thought again.

Charlie: "Carl, I think I should stay?"

Carl asked, puzzled: "Stay?"

Charlie said firmly, "Yes, I want to stay. I want to see the architecture of the Qing Dynasty."

Carl thought Charlie was completely insane. He couldn't understand his decision to stay: "Why do you want to stay? Although the Qing Dynasty is prosperous, this is not your home. You should know that you are not familiar with this place. There is a saying in the Qing Dynasty: 'Those who are not of our race will surely have different hearts.' I think it would be better for you to go back and rely on the wealth you brought back to become a rich man. Countless beauties will throw themselves at you. That kind of life is simply paradise."

Charlie didn't think it was good that no one was throwing themselves at him; in his eyes, beautiful women didn't seem as wonderful as architecture.

Charlie: "Thank you for your suggestion, but I still think it's a very charming place. I want to stay, just like Marco Polo. If one day I see all the buildings, maybe I will go back, just like Marco Polo, and record the buildings I see and take them back with me."

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