Chapter 780: He Yuzhu Acquires Ancient Divine Jade

He Yuzhu nodded; he hadn't intended to get to the bottom of it anyway—why ask so much? He just wanted to drive the price down.

"Since you are all brothers of Xu Damao, we aren't outsiders. Why don't you gentlemen name a price? If I can afford it, I'll buy it; if I can't, you can ask someone else," He Yuzhu said indifferently, his face showing no sign of urgency.

Xu Damao glanced at Wang Pangzi.

Wang Pangzi cleared his throat and began: "I've long heard from Brother Damao that he had a particularly good friend. Seeing you today, you really are a straightforward person! We brothers are about to head to M Country, and we're really strapped for cash. We haven't managed to get our hands on anything good these years. I heard the cost of living there is sky-high, so I was thinking this jade could sell for some settlement money... Three hundred thousand US dollars, how about it?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao felt Wang Pangzi had opened his mouth a bit too wide, so he quickly tried to smooth things over: "Zhuzi, this is just an opening offer, you can counter."

He Yuzhu had a good idea of the situation—he wasn't short on money, but he couldn't be a sucker either. He made a move to get up and leave.

"Brothers, it's not that I don't want to give you face, but this price is truly outrageous."

Wang Pangzi turned his head to look at Hu Bayi, and Hu Bayi nodded slightly.

"Two hundred thousand US dollars! Not a cent less!" Wang Pangzi gritted his teeth and said.

Xu Damao also chimed in to persuade him: "Zhuzi, you need to be mentally prepared. The antique market today is different from a few decades ago. This price isn't asking too much of you."

He Yuzhu pondered for a moment and said: "One hundred and sixty thousand. I won't pay a penny more."

The three of them huddled together and whispered for a moment.

Wang Pangzi slapped his thigh: "Deal! One hundred and sixty thousand it is!"

He Yuzhu didn't say another word; he got up, went out, and brought back a suitcase of US dollars from his car.

The group counted it, and it was exactly one hundred and sixty thousand, not a cent more or less.

Watching He Yuzhu's smooth and efficient operation, Hu Bayi secretly admired him—this man was truly cut out for big things.

With the deal done, Xu Damao looked proud: "Zhuzi, do me a favor, I'm treating today, let's head to Quanjude!"

The group split the money, squeezed into He Yuzhu's Land Rover, and headed straight for Quanjude.

At the dinner table, after a few drinks, the conversation turned to going to the United States.

He Yuzhu let his tongue slip and mentioned that he had been to the United States.

Well, that was it; he had poked a hornet's nest.

Dajinya's eyes lit up: "Mr. He, could you enlighten us? What can we Chinese do when we get to the United States?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment: "Opening a restaurant is the easiest way to make money, but doing it yourself is very hard work. There are also many people who open supermarkets. To do other things, you need some professional skills, like having a technical trade."

Xu Damao immediately said sourly: "He Yuzhu, you've hidden this well! You've even been to the United States. You've been with me for so many years and never once mentioned it."

"If I had told you, who knows how many times you would have reported me!" He Yuzhu retorted with a laugh. "Even if you reported me now, the state wouldn't care, so I finally dared to say it."

The group burst into laughter again.

Hu Bayi suddenly asked seriously: "Mr. He, besides opening restaurants, can Chinese people do anything else?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment: "If you have capital, do trade. If you want to be both relaxed and make money, then play the stock market. M Country stocks go up more often than they go down."

It was clear that Hu Bayi had been mulling this over—he and Shirley Yang were already engaged, and while her family was wealthy, he couldn't just sit around and live off her.

"Mr. He understands stocks too?" Dajinya asked in surprise.

"I know a little," He Yuzhu said modestly.

Hu Bayi took over: "Shirley Yang told me that when her father was alive, he always bought oil stocks and made quite a bit of money."

He Yuzhu smiled: "You take that one hundred and sixty thousand US dollars over there, keep sixty thousand for settlement money, and take one hundred thousand to buy MSFT and AAPL stocks. Ten years from now, you'll make at least several million US dollars."

Dajinya's eyes went wide: "Master He, are you serious? What kind of stocks are these?"

"Microsoft and Apple, they just went public not long ago."

Xu Damao asked curiously: "He Yuzhu, why don't you buy them yourself?"

He Yuzhu laughed, a hint of smugness in his smile: "Let me tell you something that'll make you mad. I helped my cousin buy stocks back in the 1940s, and those stocks have now multiplied over a thousand times."

Xu Damao's eyes nearly popped out: "How much did you make in total?"

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "I won't mention the specific number, but it's certainly not a small amount. However, that's not my money; it belongs to Liu Rusi."

Xu Damao cursed directly: "You motherfucker, you're still playing coy with me! You and your cousin even have a son together—oh, and a daughter too, you think I don't know?"

He Yuzhu smiled, neither denying nor confirming it.

After hearing this, Hu Bayi carefully tucked the small slip of paper He Yuzhu had written on into his pocket.

The reason He Yuzhu told Hu Bayi all this was because he wanted these people to make some extra money—it wasn't his own capital anyway. If he could help Huaxia people make money abroad, why not? Even if Xu Damao had the ability to buy these stocks himself, he would be happy to see it happen.

The group chatted more and more excitedly, full of longing for the future.

He Yuzhu finally poured a bucket of cold water on them: "Brothers, if things don't go well over there, just come back. The United States is a paradise for the rich and a hell for the poor. Of course, if you do exceptionally well, staying there is fine too."

Hu Bayi sighed: "I won't lie to you, I have a fiancée over there. Her family is rich, but I don't want to be a kept man."

He Yuzhu nodded: "I understand. But for people like you who don't know a lick of English, it's definitely not easy to get by over there."

Xu Damao's eyes rolled: "How about we ship some good items over there to sell?"

He Yuzhu laughed: "Aren't you afraid of eating prison food? Shipping rare antiques is illegal, and ordinary items aren't worth much."

Xu Damao suddenly changed the subject: "Zhuzi, I saw Ding Li collecting ancient paintings at Panjiayuan last time, and she was quite generous with her spending. Is the boss behind her you?"

He Yuzhu shook his head: "I told you long ago, I'm collecting them for my cousin."

Xu Damao was so angry he slapped his thigh: "You bastard, you've deceived me so well! I never knew who the boss behind that big shop was; it turns out it was right under my nose all along!"

He Yuzhu still smiled: "That shop really isn't mine."

Xu Damao gritted his teeth: "You kid, you're really a crafty motherfucker!"

The meal was enjoyed by both host and guests, and Hu Bayi even left He Yuzhu with Shirley Yang's address and phone number in the United States.

Xu Damao was indeed cut out for business. He handed all sixteen thousand dollars of his share to Dajinya, asking him to help buy the two stocks He Yuzhu had mentioned.

Once He Yuzhu returned home, he couldn't wait to take out the piece of jade.

Clutching the jade, he shouted in his mind: "System, I want to upgrade! Use this piece of jade. Tell me, what specific improvements will I get?"

The system responded quickly: "Host, this Ancient Divine Jade can enhance your collection ability—the weight limit for objects increases from 100 tons to 10,000 tons, and the collection range increases from 10 meters to 20 meters."

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment, unable to believe it: "This is what you call a 'major upgrade'? It only upgrades these two things?"

The system's tone remained calm: "Host, the collection weight has increased from 100 tons to 10,000 tons, which is already a full one-hundred-fold improvement. The distance doubling, from 10 meters to 20 meters, is likewise a huge step forward. Are you still not satisfied?"

"Satisfied! Satisfied!" He Yuzhu said.