There were twenty-one gold nuggets, each the size of a baby's fist. Chen Ke gave eleven to Li Guaizi, since he was doing the hard work of digging.
This was the first time Li Guaizi had carried so much gold. He felt unsafe no matter how much he changed it, so he ended up hiding it in his crotch.
Thankfully, it was autumn, so I was wearing a warm long-sleeved shirt. If it were summer and I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, well…
On the way, Li Guaizi walked with difficulty and looked at Chen Ke, who was walking with long strides, with a puzzled expression. He asked quietly, "Where did you hide the gold?"
Chen Ke: "From head to toe." In reality, the system had stored it away.
Unaware of the situation, Li Guaizi immediately looked at Chen Ke with admiration, sizing him up from head to toe. "Your distribution is so even, I can't tell at all."
Chen Ke didn't want to discuss the fairness of the distribution with him. He had other things to do, and seeing that they were about to enter the city, he said, "Li Guaizi, this gold is enough for us to live on for a while. I have some things to do back in Shanghai. After we enter the city, let's go our separate ways."
Li Guaizi was taken aback, not expecting that the newly formed two-person gold-mining team would part ways so soon, and he was very reluctant to see them go. "When will you come back?"
Come back? Chen Ke hadn't really thought about that, but seeing Li Guaizi's eager look as he awaited an answer, Chen Ke simply said, "Maybe after I finish my business."
"How long will it take you to process?"
"...That's uncertain."
As they talked, they arrived in the county town. At that time, warlords were fighting each other, and wars were constantly taking place everywhere. One side would finish its turn and the other would take over. Today this place is under your control, but after a war, it will be under my control tomorrow.
The people and the land have gone through round after round of wars, and no matter who is in charge, their belts are tightened more and more.
There weren't many people entering the city. They were all sallow and thin, their clothes patched one after another. Some carried baskets, some carried loads, and the one or two who drove donkey carts into the city would attract envious glances from others.
Chen Ke and Li Guaizi were also covered in dust and dirt from their journey, and they didn't stand out in the crowd.
The only thing that caught people's attention was that Chen Ke had cut his hair short. Chen Ke had attended school in Shanghai, so he had always kept his hair short, and he hadn't grown it out even after returning to his hometown.
However, Chen Ke should thank the original owner for this. Look at Li Guaizi's shiny bald head next to him, he really doesn't want to be a prince.
Seeing Li Guaizi's expression just now, Chen Ke thought he was very reluctant to part with him. But as soon as they entered the city, Li Guaizi cupped his hands, said "see you later," and then turned around and left impatiently.
Chen Ke really wanted to remind him to slow down. He was taking such big steps; wasn't he afraid of bumping his golden nugget in his crotch? But then he thought, "He's in such a hurry; he must have something important to do."
Banks were not yet widespread in the remote county town, but there were pawnshops and money exchanges where he could exchange his gold nuggets for common silver dollars.
Chen Ke chose a well-known money exchange at the time, Jufengdong. The reason for his choice was simple: this money exchange had already opened in Shanghai, and most of his activities would be in Shanghai in the future. It would be convenient for him to exchange some of his gold nuggets for silver dollars and deposit them in the money exchange for easy access.
Of course, there was an even bigger reason: Chen Ke planned to "retire from business" and go back to commerce. How could a businessman not deposit some money in a money exchange or bank for working capital? He couldn't just pull out gold nuggets to use at any time.
Chen Ke wore a coarse cloth long gown, his hair was messy, and there was mud on his face from last night. He didn't look like someone who could work at a money exchange at all.
However, the waiter didn't look down on him; he warmly welcomed Chen Ke inside. "This way, sir. What kind of business do you need? Our money exchange has branches all over the country. Whether you need to deposit or withdraw money, it's very convenient. We also offer gold and silver exchange, pawning, and loans—"
"I have some gold to exchange for silver dollars," Chen Ke interrupted the waiter's rambling introduction. Judging from his business acumen, he was definitely a top-notch salesman.
The waiter probably hadn't expected that Chen Ke's attire would contain gold. Although he tried his best to control his expression, his eyes still revealed his surprise.
However, she quickly realized what was going on and said, "Oh, okay, this way please, sir."
Upon arriving at a counter, the clerk discreetly stepped back, demonstrating a strong sense of respect for customer privacy. This pleased Chen Ke even more, but whether a collaboration was possible remained to be seen.
Gold is valuable in times of chaos, and at this time, paper money was being issued in large quantities everywhere, and prices were rising, causing silver dollars to depreciate. One tael of gold could be exchanged for 40 silver dollars.
The gold nuggets that Chen Ke brought out each weighed sixteen taels, which was equivalent to 640 silver dollars.
Chen Ke exchanged three gold nuggets for a total of 1,920 silver dollars, but he only carried 20 silver dollars with him. He deposited the rest into a money exchange and then transferred 1,000 silver dollars to Zhou Shanhuai's adoptive father in Shanghai.
The money exchange charged him a total of five silver dollars in fees, including the exchange fee and the transfer fee.
Chen Ke raised an eyebrow. No wonder the money exchange makes money.
However, Jufengdong's clearly marked prices make it a relatively honest money exchange. If you encounter a black-hearted money exchange, they'll take half of your money if they don't.
Holding the receipts and banknotes, Chen Ke, with 20 silver dollars in his pocket, headed straight for the clothing shop.
What he didn't know was that after he left, the manager of the money shop came out to inspect the place and was very surprised to find that someone had deposited such a large sum of money today. The money shop was located in such a remote small county town, and the number of people who came into the money shop each day could be counted on one hand. Sometimes, less than 1,000 silver dollars were deposited in a month. He never expected that such a big customer would come today.
The shopkeeper couldn't wait to ask the counter staff if they had any information about this big customer, but all they found was a name.
The shopkeeper was furious and scolded the counter staff and waiter. Such a big customer hadn't even left any information. How could they possibly maintain the relationship in the future?
The counter staff, humiliated by the scolding, looked utterly submissive. But the quick-witted waiter explained, "Shopkeeper, this customer wired the money to Shanghai, which is very likely a big city like Shanghai. People like that usually come here on business, so knowing that information isn't very useful. It's better to contact the money exchange in Shanghai and keep an eye on this account number, saying it's a potential customer. If it turns out to be a big customer later, you'll get some credit for that too."
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up after hearing this, "Not bad, not bad, you're a quick learner."
The waiter quickly smiled modestly, "It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, sir."
The shopkeeper was immediately delighted by the flattery and patted the waiter on the shoulder, saying that he would definitely take him to Shanghai to see it someday.
The waiter repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
After the shopkeeper left, the woman behind the counter looked up and muttered disdainfully, "Sycophant!"
The waiter pretended not to hear, put on a smile, and turned to greet the new guests.
In this world, if a person wants to survive, they have to do everything they can to climb up to a stable place free from war. Otherwise, if you are content with the present, you may wake up one day to find that you have lost your job, your money, and even your house.
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