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"Is this seal good enough?" Hu Zhongshun asked Zhu Wencong with a smile.
"The craftsmanship is not bad!" Zhu Wencong observed carefully, in those days there was no such thing as anti-counterfeiting, even currency could be forged.
"Old Hu had once made the Jade Seal for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, back then he was incredibly glorious, enjoying all the wealth and honor!" Zhao Da hurriedly sang his praises.
Hu Zhongshun kicked Zhao Da, back then there was no damn wealth or honor, always running around with Hong Xiuquan.
In the midst of fighting, they got separated from the main force, and before Hu Zhongshun could react, he was captured by a snakehead and put on a ship bound for the high seas.
Luckily, after following Hong Xiuquan in battles through the South, he had a strong physique that enabled him to withstand the storms at sea.
Hu Zhongshun considered himself to have a hard fate, not dying with a bunch of cannon fodder, and yet again not dying at sea during the long voyage.
"Just write it directly? I see some foreigners using fountain pens!" Sun Ji remarked as he watched Zhu Wencong wield his brush, looking somewhat handsome.
"Oh! Which one of you has a fountain pen?" Zhu Wencong only then remembered that this was not the East.
The fountain pen was born in England in 1809 and had already become the exclusive writing tool for Europeans and Americans.
Sun Ji glanced around at everyone, none of them were cultured people, let alone that fountain pens were so expensive.
Zhu Wencong covered his face and felt his empty pockets, he couldn't afford a fountain pen either at the moment.
"No problem! These are internal stocks, so it's fine to write with a brush.
In the early stages, our main goal is to build momentum. If we don't present generous profits, no one will believe us later on.
Of course! Investing carries risks, and market participation must be cautious. If they choose high returns, they must be ready to take on high risks.
You all are my most trusted brothers, from home to here, we have been through life and death together," Zhu Wencong's gaze shifted to everyone.
The crowd couldn't help but lower their heads, indeed, it had been a journey of life and death from home to here.
Nobody believed they could make it here alive, nor did anyone believe they could live like humans here.
The poor on this land would not starve to death, no, more accurately, Easterners would definitely not starve to death on this rich land.
Therefore, many Easterners poured more of their energy into gambling houses, gambling every day after work.
"Let me briefly explain the gist of this scheme to you.
To describe it in one sentence: The gentry's money is returned in full, the common people's money is split seventy-thirty.
The gentry refers to influential individuals within our group, they are the ones we cannot afford to provoke.
We must not only refrain from making money off them but also show them a little interest; the operation is very important," Zhu Wencong instructed patiently.
"Why not just give them money directly?" Luo Chu asked plainly.
"Too naive! We definitely can't just give it to them!" Hu Zhongshun knew well in his heart.
"I mostly understand what Wencong means! First, we need to make them lose money, everyone loses to preserve our credibility.
Those high rollers will certainly cause us trouble when they lose money; that's when we should take the initiative and make amends in advance.
Big shots know that investing entails huge risks. It's almost impossible to preserve principal and also profit from interest.
Once we return the principal to the big shots, they will feel indebted to us," Hu Zhongshun elucidated in detail.
Luo Chu looked left and right, he could never have thought of this layer, thinking giving money directly was simple and straightforward.
To give money and still have others remember your kindness required a certain level of acting skills and capability.
"Seventy-thirty is the profit sharing for us brothers!" Zhu Wencong added.
"No problem!" Everyone thought for a while, and getting three levels was already quite a lot.
"Old Hu, I see you have some talent, and I think you could manage this project on your own in the future," Zhu Wencong approached Hu Zhongshun.
"Wencong! I feel that you won't get far like this! The Underworld's tricks will sooner or later be exposed!" Hu Zhongshun warned him.
Zhu Wencong continued writing stocks; if this were in the East, by the next morning he would have hung himself on the southeastern branch of a tree.
The people of the agrarian civilization believed in getting rich through hard work, to rise at dawn and rest at dusk, to drink from wells they dug and to eat from fields they plowed.
Although America was an agricultural giant in its early days, it was not a true agrarian civilization and was more like primitive people who had just left their tribes.
The East had long abolished slavery, yet America had the Civil War because of it.
"To put it bluntly! We're too honest! We carry too many historical shackles on our backs!
Have none of you noticed that since arriving here, you seem to have changed? At first, you still tended the fields outside, but who farms them now?
Because the mountains and rivers are full of food, there's no need to worry about hunger; there's meat in every meal.
Those foreign devils lack the concept of passing on the family line, they lack the virtue of respecting the elderly and loving the young, and they aren't burdened by too many family or clan obligations."
"They don't have any historical baggage, just like their country, and that's why they dare to boldly try any risk," Zhu Wencong couldn't help but chatter.
Zhao Da nodded vigorously, "I was wondering why I feel more and more confused, not knowing what to do all day long.
Sigh! If Heavenly King Hong hadn't stirred things up, I might be at home with a wife and kids, being a tenant farmer every day…
Though life would have been hard, I felt very grounded and my days were incredibly fulfilling..."
Luo Chu, Sun Ji, and others also remembered that they were tenant farmers back in the day, but they were forced to join because of the rebellion of Heavenly King Hong.
Better to follow them and raid others than be raided by the ragtag troops of Heavenly King Hong.
"The scholar sees through it all! I suddenly realize we have lost something very important, yet I can't quite put my finger on it.
I wouldn't have even listened to such Underworld tricks before, but now they seem believable," Sun Ji sighed.
Zhu Wencong saw the helplessness on their faces; in this foreign land, their only form of entertainment was gambling.
They were betting not only money, but also their tomorrows; no one could guarantee they would remain healthy and alive.
Over time, they lived for the present like the Americans, never considering the future, concerned only with their own little lives.
Nor did anyone desire to save money to buy a ticket home; the land of freedom changes everything about a person.
"Alright! Stop thinking about all that mess. Now and in the future, we have only one goal—to make a lot of money!
This stock is the proof of our wager against fate. Whether we can grow big and strong relies wholly on your Kung Fu.
As long as you succeed, I'll use this success story to hoodwink those foreigners, achieving a leap in class status!
At the end of the day, our own people are too poor; if we want to accumulate our first pot of gold, we have to look to them..." Zhu Wencong felt a touch of regret.
"You speak a foreign language?" Sun Ji was curious; he had lived so long and knew only a few phrases of English dialect.
Zhu Wencong nodded. Americans of that era were particularly wealthy; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they had a Gold Mountain.
The Indigenous people didn't know how to develop the land under their feet; the rich mineral resources and fertile land were left unused.
"Those foreigners make money too easily, too simply, so they are even more likely to believe our propaganda.
We believe in getting rich through diligence, they believe in getting something for nothing; you can describe them in four words—easy come, easy go," Zhu Wencong concluded.