Chapter 615 - 6: Antique Street
On September 2nd, with thoughts of selling gold, Chen Zhou got up early. After a simple wash, he informed his mother and went out.
At around six in the morning, the breakfast stalls on the street next to the community were bustling with business. Hot soy milk, fried dough sticks, sticky rice cakes with bean paste, and tofu pudding mingled with the sound of people paying via QR codes, creating a lively atmosphere not found on the island.
Students in uniforms walked in twos and threes, laughing and heading towards school. Seeing them, Chen Zhou was reminded of the children from the island’s school.
Sitting at an outdoor table in front of a breakfast stall, thinking about the island’s bleak prospects after his departure, he felt a bit melancholic.
He ordered a bowl of sweetened soy milk, four fried dough sticks, four sticky rice cakes, a bowl of tofu pudding, and two meat buns. As he chewed his food, Chen Zhou couldn’t help but think about the future—
He was only 25 years old, and barring any surprises, he would likely live another 45 years at least.
In this long life, he had already achieved wealth that many could not attain even after several generations of striving, reaching what most people would perceive as financial freedom.
But along with this came an experience not belonging to this time and space, eroding his youthful mindset and causing him to lose desires typical for ordinary people prematurely.
Having bought a house and a car, should he then get married and have children, indulge in enjoyment, or pursue spiritual fulfillment?
Chen Zhou was momentarily unable to find an answer.
Quickly, the food piled on the table was swept away by him. After paying, he went straight to the station and took the 8:30 bus to the city.
...
At two in the afternoon on September 2nd, Chen Zhou arrived at the first Gold Recycling Company he had found.
Hearing that selling gold required personal identification, he specifically brought his ID and bank card.
Not wanting to state his purpose at the front desk, he quickly got a reception, and Manager Sun, who was responsible for gold appraisal, told him that the company’s rules were not as strict as found online.
As a precious metal, gold circulated frequently in the market, with investors buying heavily and people in urgent need of money selling a lot.
In corners not commonly crossed by ordinary people, gold bars and Gold Coins issued by banks constantly moved in and out of the hands of wealthy merchants, becoming a "unique gift" for opening business opportunities and maintaining relationships.
Despite the shiny appearance, most of the time in the Gold Recycling Company, it was considered a "gray" metal.
Therefore, even without identification documents, one could still sell gold.
After all, they purchase gold, not identification; in other words, as long as the gold is real, whether the identity is fake or not doesn’t matter.
Business is a voluntary transaction, and there’s no need to inquire about one’s ancestry.
Hearing this, Chen Zhou felt slightly at ease and then took out a 500g gold bar. After clarifying the gold price and approximate loss, he handed the gold bar to the staff.
While waiting for test results, he indirectly inquired about how much stock this Gold Recycling Company could probably handle.
Being a shrewd person, Manager Sun noticed that although Chen Zhou was dressed ordinarily, he could casually take out a precious gold bar, and his conversation and demeanor seemed very mature, not like a young man in his early twenties, so he deduced that this seller must be of extraordinary status.
After understanding Chen Zhou’s intentions, he did not immediately provide a definite answer; instead, he gave his contact information to Chen Zhou, suggesting they could chat over a meal sometime.
Though Chen Zhou wasn’t adept at dealing with personal relationships, it didn’t mean he was oblivious to them.
Taking Manager Sun’s business card, he didn’t pursue further questions—
The answers would naturally come during the meal. Besides, the "goods" he held were too substantial, and it was obvious even without thinking that this small company couldn’t handle gold worth billions.
This visit was not in vain if he could meet someone like Manager Sun and open a channel for selling gold. As a professional in gold recycling, Manager Sun undoubtedly knew much more than he did.
Of course, given the high value of gold, it wasn’t impossible that a smiling Manager Sun might secretly use tricks to embezzle more money or even harbor intentions to rob or harm him.
As the saying goes, no harm intended, but one must always be wary.
At their first meeting, despite Manager Sun’s attentiveness, Chen Zhou instinctively remained cautious.
Modern people are different from island natives, especially those active in officialdom and business. Their acting skills might even surpass that of actors, and trusting such people blindly would definitely lead to loss.
...
Sitting on the sofa and drinking the tea brewed by Manager Sun, it wasn’t long before the test result for the gold bar’s purity came back.
According to the staff, Chen Zhou’s gold bar had a purity of about 95%, higher than 22K gold but lower than the 999 pure gold issued by banks, so the recycling price would be slightly lower.
The gold bar’s purity being below 99% was expected by Chen Zhou. The island’s smelting technology was insufficient and certainly couldn’t refine ultra-high-purity gold.
Upon returning to the modern days and consulting records, he learned about a special technique called mercury gilding, which could refine gold with 99.9 purity.
But such technology was unknown to him on the island, and besides, with the vast amount of gold accumulated over the years, there simply wasn’t time for such cumbersome refinement processes.
...
Without expressing any objections to the gold purity results, Manager Sun quoted the gold price for the day.
After a bout of frenzy at the beginning of the year, the gold market slowly returned to normal levels. The international gold price was 3248 US Dollars per ounce, whereas in the domestic gold exchange, it was 761 RMB per gram that day.