"Go away...go away, the old man is in good health, I have other things to do and need to stay here..."
Zhuang Rui was furious at the thought of being unable to go home. After exchanging a few words with Hu Rong, he hung up the phone.
"Brother, we haven't seen each other for that long, and you've already made such a big fuss?"
As soon as Hu Rongren stepped into the courtyard, he started shouting, holding a newspaper in his hand, clearly having read the report about the "Peking Man skull" fossil.
"Alright, Brother Hu, please spare me. Can't you see I've been hiding from the old man?"
Zhuang Rui was now in a real bind just hearing about this. He grabbed Hu Rong and said, "Don't go inside and disturb the old man. Let's sit in the yard and talk..."
Gu Yun had something to do at the company and went out early in the morning. Apart from Gu Yun, who was working on his studio, Zhuang Rui was the only other person in the courtyard, which made it very quiet.
"Tell me, Brother Hu, how much gold reserves does that gold mine actually contain?"
After pouring Hu Rong a cup of tea, Zhuang Rui asked bluntly, "Although I can detect gold mines, I am helpless when it comes to unprocessed ores, and I cannot determine their content."
Hu Rong laughed upon hearing this, waving the newspaper in his hand, and said, "Brother, what's written in this newspaper isn't wrong. You have a keen eye..."
"Stop, stop, let's get down to business, don't drag the newspapers into this..."
Before Hu Rong could finish speaking, Zhuang Rui interrupted him. Firstly, he didn't like hearing this, and secondly, Zhuang Rui was feeling guilty. He might not have sharp eyes, but he definitely had golden eyes!
"Okay, let's get down to business..."
Hu Rong put down his newspaper and lowered his voice, saying, "This past month has mainly been spent on gold mine exploration and the installation of gold refining equipment. Brother, do you know how much gold is in that mine?"
Zhuang Rui rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Of course I know, why would I be asking you? Bro, stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me..."
Hu Rong laughed smugly and said, "Hehe, after preliminary surveys, the gold content in those ores is extremely high. It's a rare rich mine. It's estimated that about one ounce of gold can be extracted from every ten tons of ore. Brother, we're rich..."
"What? It takes ten tons of ore to extract one ounce of gold? Brother Hu, is this considered a rich mine?"
Zhuang Rui knew that an ounce was an international unit of measurement for precious metals such as gold and silver, and that one ounce was roughly equal to 31 grams.
When Zhuang Rui heard Hu Rong say that ten tons of ore, or 10,000 kilograms or 10 million grams, would yield only 31 grams, he simply couldn't agree on that.
"Ahem, you... still think it's not enough?"
Hu Rong was drinking water when Zhuang Rui's words choked him, causing him to cough repeatedly. After a long while, he pointed at Zhuang Rui and said, "Do you know that in places like Africa, it takes 250 tons or more of ore to extract just one ounce of gold? Do you still think that's not enough?"
"Is the gold yield from ore really that low?"
Zhuang Rui was completely unaware of this. In his mind, one ton of ore should yield at least ten or eight grams of gold, right? But he never imagined that the amount of gold was far rarer than he had thought.
"Brother, you should be content. This gold mine alone is enough for us to live on for generations..."
When Hu Rong measured the proportion of gold contained in the ore, he was almost shocked. He was a geology PhD and knew the gold content inside and out. Of course, he was not as ignorant as Zhuang Rui.
Although the gold mine is not very large, it is an open-pit mine, which is easy to mine. Most importantly, after careful surveying, Hu Rong concluded that the gold mine could produce at least 80 tons of high-purity gold.
It's important to know that gold prices have skyrocketed in recent years, from over 100 yuan per gram in 2003 to over 300 yuan per gram in 2008, leading many forces around the world to flock to Africa to mine gold.
Eighty tons of gold is worth more than 20 billion RMB. Such a huge sum is enough to drive many people crazy. If outsiders find out about this gold mine, even with Hu Rong's influence in Myanmar, someone else will probably try to take a share of it.
Zhuang Rui originally had no direct understanding of this gold mine, but after hearing Hu Rong's explanation, he was speechless. He guessed that once the gold mine was mined out, the valley would cease to exist.
"By the way, Brother Hu, if we're mining gold, the jadeite mines definitely won't sell. What are you planning to do?"
Zhuang Rui suddenly remembered another deal: if the jade mine could be sold for £1.2 billion, his shares would be worth billions of RMB, which was no small sum.
"Hehe, I almost forgot to tell you. Recently, the Myanmar Ministry of Mines issued a new regulation that all foreign companies investing in Myanmar must obtain the corresponding qualifications from the Myanmar government... That British company is trying to obtain the qualifications. I promised them they would stop mining jade, but it will be at least six months before they can conduct any transactions. That's enough time for the gold mine to be completely depleted..."
Hu Rong felt that his luck had become exceptionally good after he met Zhuang Rui. The regulations issued by the Myanmar government seemed to be tailor-made for him.
"That's good, but Brother Hu, isn't the mining and refining time a bit too tight? I've heard that using mercury to refine gold is very harmful to the body..."
When Zhuang Rui got home, he also looked up some information about gold refining. During the refining process, mercury would evaporate in both gaseous and liquid forms, and it was extremely toxic.
Although this gold mine will become his largest business, Zhuang Rui does not want to exchange the lives of his workers for it.
"Don't worry, brother. The workers at the gold mine and refinery are all family members. I'll make sure all the necessary measures are in place..."
Hu Rong was pleased to see that Zhuang Rui had thought of this. He had already ordered a lot of protective masks and dustproof clothing from the black market to prevent the hazards that would occur during the gold refining process.
"Oh, by the way, this is for you..."
Hu Rong suddenly remembered something, took out a stack of documents from his bag and handed them to Zhuang Rui.
"These are... documents from that overseas island?"
Zhuang Rui glanced through them; English posed no difficulty for him, and he knew what the documents were after just a few quick glances.
"Yes, once you sign your name at the end, this document will be valid. I've already sent Xiao Si to that island; you don't need to worry about the construction there..."
Zhuang Rui gave him hundreds of millions of dollars of drug dealers' capital for nothing, and then discovered a gold mine. Of course, Hu Rong had to do something to show his appreciation, otherwise he would feel guilty.
"Okay, Brother Hu, thank you. Don't let anyone know about this island..."
Zhuang Rui did not refuse and carefully put the document into his bag. No family can prosper forever. The Ouyang family may not be prosperous in the future. Zhuang Rui was preparing a way out for himself.
"Let's not talk about thanks or anything like that between us brothers. I'll be staying in Beijing for a few days this time. Little brother, could you help me make an appointment with your uncle?"
Besides discussing the gold mine with Zhuang Rui, Hu Rong's purpose in coming here was to address the issue of the Chinese City. This matter was too significant for most departments to handle, so he wanted to meet the central figure in the Ouyang family.
"I can think of a way to do that, but Brother Hu, we need some kind of official explanation, right?"
Zhuang Rui frowned upon hearing this. Although they were considered close relatives, he had only seen his uncle a handful of times. Making a hasty appointment would surely make his uncle think he was being inconsiderate.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Hu Rong smiled and said, "A patriotic businessman returning to the country to invest, with an initial investment of 1 billion US dollars and a total investment of 3 billion US dollars, is that enough for that person to receive?"
Hu Rong has gone to great lengths for the future of the Chinese community in Myanmar, investing not only all of his family's funds but also the gold mine that has yet to generate any profit.
"Trying to show off, huh?"
Zhuang Rui curled his lip upon hearing this and said, "Your little bit of money is barely enough to get a meeting with a provincial party secretary. You're way short of meeting my uncle. You'd better donate a few hundred million US dollars to charity; that would be much more effective..."
An investment of over 20 billion RMB is not small, but it's still not enough to get a meeting with a national leader of Ouyang's caliber. Zhuang Rui's idea is to have Hu Rongda do charity work and then find someone to hype it up, elevating the matter to a higher level.
"Okay, we'll do it your way..."
Hu Rong thought about it for a moment and realized that investment is about returns, and the relationship with the country is at best a cooperative one.
But doing charity is different. Take those super-rich people in Hong Kong, for example. Didn't they throw billions of US dollars into the mainland to establish relationships with certain high-ranking officials?
"Hmm, I heard a lot of chattering in the yard. Oh, so it's Little Hu here?"
Just as Zhuang Rui and Hu Rong were discussing some details, Old Master Gu came out, and the object he was holding immediately attracted their attention.
Chapter 1030 Red Hare and Guan Yu Statue (Part 1)
"Grandpa, what... what is this object? And why are there two of them?"
When Zhuang Rui saw that the old man was holding an object in each hand, his eyes widened. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a person and an animal, but due to the angle, Zhuang Rui couldn't make out what the objects were.
"Look, these linked pieces are truly my final masterpiece. Don't try to lure this old man with any more good materials in the future..."
Gu Tianfeng asked Zhuang Rui to put away the tea set and carefully placed the items in his hands on the coffee table. For the past month or so, apart from sleeping and eating, the old man had devoted almost all his energy to these few things, and he was really exhausted.
However, since Zhuang Rui moved in, Gu Lao felt that his spirits seemed to have improved, so the ending went particularly smoothly. He didn't know that Zhuang Rui was using spiritual energy to help him regulate his body every night.
"Old man, is this the Red Hare among horses?"
Hu Rong, looking at the items on the table, exclaimed. Zhuang Rui quickly looked over and saw that one of the items was indeed a chestnut horse, about seventeen or eighteen centimeters long, with its head held high and hooves pounding, neighing loudly towards the sky, its expression extremely majestic.
This Red Hare horse figurine is carved from a single piece of red jade. The carving technique is extremely delicate, and the entire piece is covered in a blood-red color like fine gold scrolls. Its shape is as round as the moon, as if it is following its owner in the midst of thousands of troops.
Zhuang Rui looked at the lifelike red jade rabbit and asked Gu Tianfeng in surprise, "Grandpa...Grandpa? Is this the red jade you wanted to take?"
Before Zhuang Rui participated in the "Awa Maru" salvage operation, Old Master Gu went to his basement and took away a piece of red jade with good quality and texture, but the color distribution was a bit uneven. That piece of material was not suitable for making bracelets, so Zhuang Rui had kept it in the basement.
Zhuang Rui never expected that the old master would actually carve it into a Red Hare.
Moreover, the old man's technique was very unique. He arranged the light and dark colors in an extremely clever way. For example, the area around the horse's eyes was a dark color that was almost purple, while there was a white mark on the forehead of Red Hare, which matched the characteristics of Red Hare.
Regardless of whether this piece of red jadeite has reached the icy variety, the ingenious design and exquisite carving by the old master alone are enough to place this red jadeite Red Hare among the top three contemporary handicrafts.
If we also consider the material of this icy red jadeite, the value of this Red Hare jadeite horse is probably no less than that fruit plate ornament carved from Hetian chalcedony by Zhuang Rui.
"Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, ancient, this junior is truly humbled..."
After carefully examining the Red Hare from all angles, Hu Rong sighed. He had thought his jade design skills were already quite advanced, but compared to Old Master Gu, he realized that the old man was indeed more experienced.
It should be noted that Mr. Gu is famous for his carving skills, and designing objects is not his specialty. But even so, such a lifelike Red Hare horse was not designed by Hu Rong.
Seeing their expressions, Old Master Gu couldn't help but laugh and scold, "You two lads, this jade horse is just an accessory, you don't even care about the main thing?"
The old man was very pleased with Hu Rong and Zhuang Rui's reactions. He was extremely satisfied that he could create such works in his later years. In terms of both design and craftsmanship, these two works can be considered representative works of his artistic life.
Zhuang Rui was jolted awake by the old man's words. He slapped his forehead and said repeatedly, "Right, right, how could I have forgotten about that?"
A jade horse, no bigger than the palm of their hand, captivated Zhuang Rui and Hu Rong's attention, causing them to momentarily forget about the piece of yellow jade.
After reluctantly shifting his gaze from Red Hare, Zhuang Rui casually remarked, "Red Hare among horses, Lü Bu among men. Uncle-Master, why did you carve a yellow jade Lü Bu?"
The story of the Three Kingdoms is widely circulated. Zhuang Rui has been reading it since he was a child. Although he admires Lü Bu, who is the strongest warrior in the story, he is ultimately a brave but reckless guy and is not well-liked by later generations.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Old Master Gu laughed and scolded, "You brat, since you're reading unofficial history, how come you don't know that Red Hare was later obtained by Guan Yu?"
"Of course I know! Oh, it really is Guan Yu!"
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms describes Red Hare in great detail. It was originally a fine steed brought by Dong Zhuo from Xiliang. In order to win over the young general Lü Bu, Dong Zhuo gave him the horse. After getting the horse, Lü Bu indeed killed his original owner Ding Yuan and joined Dong Zhuo's ranks, becoming his adopted son.
Later, this horse followed Lü Bu and displayed its might, but at the White Gate Tower, because of a word from Liu Bei, Cao Cao killed Lü Bu, and the Red Hare horse came into Cao Cao's possession.
Perhaps by chance, Guan Yu temporarily sought refuge with Cao Cao in order to protect Liu Bei's two wives. Cao Cao also wanted to emulate Dong Zhuo's "gift of a fine horse to a hero," but Guan Yu was not Lü Bu after all. He accepted Red Hare in order to find Liu Bei more quickly.
From then on, Red Hare and Green Dragon Crescent Blade became the representative images of Guan Yu. When Guan Yu was defeated at Maicheng and killed by Eastern Wu, Red Hare was acquired by Ma Zhong. However, this time it did not obey its new master and starved itself to death, following its former master Guan Yu.
Of course, these are all records from unofficial histories of the Three Kingdoms period. According to historical records, after Lü Bu's defeat, the Red Hare disappeared without a trace and did not become Guan Yu's mount.
However, jade carving was originally a folk craft in the early days, and the old man was not a history expert, so he carved the Red Hare Guan Yu according to the description in the novel.
"Huang Fei Guan Gong?"
Hu Rong's attention was now focused on the jade figure, but his brows were furrowed. As everyone knows, Guan Yu has a bright red face, and carving it with yellow jade might not necessarily achieve the effect of "a face as red as a date, as if painted with rouge".
This statue of Guan Yu is about twelve centimeters tall, with a two-foot-long beard. The carving is exquisite and detailed, with a pair of narrow, slightly squinting phoenix eyes and thick, powerful eyebrows that resemble the gnarled roots of an old tree. In terms of craftsmanship, it fully displays Guan Yu's appearance.
Moreover, this is a statue of Guan Yu on horseback, with his long robe flowing down his back, covering his legs, and his right hand holding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
The Green Dragon Crescent Blade was carved by the old man from a different material. It was a variegated jadeite, the handle was gold-iron colored, and there was a bloodstain on the blade. It was carved with a winding and coiled dragon body. The whole statue was majestic and domineering.
Although the Guan Gong statue was sculpted to be lifelike, the color of its face was something that Zhuang Rui and Hu Rong could not compliment. It is said that Guan Gong had a red face and Qin Qiong had a yellow face. This big yellow face could not show the demeanor of Lord Guan at all.