Chapter 93: Han Yezhen
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In Los Angeles, Hardy spent a significant amount of money hiring two staff members from the water quality inspection department. Under the leadership of the Columbus prospecting team, they traveled to New Mexico.
Despite the July heat, the tops of the Rocky Mountains remained snow-capped. They climbed over rocks to reach the heart of the mountain, where the lush vegetation and pure air created an unspoiled paradise.
As Columbus had indicated, the water resources here were exceptionally rich. The area was dotted with several canyons and rivers, with abundant, clear water that had a slightly sweet taste.
The inspector noted that the water was weakly alkaline, which contributed to its sweet taste and made it more beneficial for the body.
After collecting ample water samples from various rivers and properly labeling them, they returned to Los Angeles. The water quality inspection report was released after two days.
The report confirmed that the water was naturally weakly alkaline, having been filtered through the mountains for thousands of years. It contained potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, metasilicic acid, and other essential minerals and trace elements. The naturally pure, sweet-tasting water was considered highly beneficial for health and ideal for long-term consumption.
Hardy smiled as he read the report.
He had initially thought the area was a wasteland with no value, but now he realized there was a genuine treasure hidden there.
This mineral water was as valuable as discovering a gold mine, and it was inexhaustible.
Hardy called Mike in New York, who answered the phone shortly. Hardy shared the news, and Mike was equally pleased.
"That's fantastic, Hardy! I also have good news. Congress is about to lift the ban on TV production," Mike said.
This was indeed more good news.
It seemed the old godfather had done something useful.
Hardy recalled a plot from "The Godfather," where a group of prisoners from Sicily was about to be sent back to Italy, and the godfather had influenced the senator to propose changes in national laws so they could stay in America. This highlighted the power of the godfather.
"Mike, let's celebrate and aim to recoup our investment as soon as possible," Hardy said.
"Absolutely, Hardy," Mike agreed with a smile.
Hardy then called Adams, the manager of the mining company, and Columbus, the director of the prospecting team. "I want to build a mineral water plant on the land in New Mexico. Can you handle this? If not, I'll find someone else."
"If you build it well, there will be a huge bonus for both of you," Hardy added.
Upon hearing about the bonus, the two men were immediately energized. "Boss, don't worry. We're fully capable of handling everything related to the mine."
The term "mine" seemed to confuse them, but they had experience building mining farms and were confident they could handle the mineral water plant.
"Alright, I'm counting on you. Keep me updated on the progress," Hardy instructed.
"Got it, boss," they replied with smiles.
After they left, one of Hardy's subordinates came in with news. "Boss, we've received a batch of parcels from New York with your signature on them."
Hardy remembered that these were the porcelain pieces he had bought from an antique shop in New York.
"Move those packages to the storage room," Hardy ordered.
He had set up a storage room on the third floor of his security company, where he kept porcelain pieces on wooden shelves. Though the room had only a few dozen pieces, it felt quite empty.
When the parcels were moved to the storage room, Hardy had his subordinates unpack the wooden boxes and place the porcelain pieces on the shelves, filling up two more shelves.
He felt a sense of accomplishment.
He loved these porcelains deeply. In addition to oil paintings and sculptures from Europe, he felt there were few antiques as accessible to him.
Hardy thought about going back to the antique shop in Los Angeles, but he knew that San Francisco had more Chinese influences, which made it less appealing.
He then thought of the women in his life.
Ava was still filming in New Mexico but should return in the next couple of weeks.
Hardy hadn't seen Elizabeth Taylor for a week and wondered how the young actress was practicing. He called Taylor's house, and Taylor answered excitedly.
"Mr. Hardy, you're back from New York!"
"Yes, I'm back."
"How's your practice going?" Hardy asked.
"I think it's going well. Would you like to see it?" Taylor replied.
Hardy drove to Taylor's house, where Mrs. Sara welcomed him inside. Taylor ran to greet him with a smile.
Taylor was now dressed casually, her demeanor more relaxed than when they first met. She had transformed from a princess into the girl-next-door.
Hardy had to admit, Taylor had a natural acting talent.
Taylor performed a few scenes for Hardy. He provided some feedback, and she listened attentively.
She admired Hardy deeply, valuing his advice.
After the performance, they chatted casually. Noticing the murals in the living room, Hardy recalled that Taylor's father was a businessman who sold paintings. He wondered if he could buy some European oil paintings from him as an investment.
"Mrs. Sara, I'm a big fan of oil paintings. Does Mr. Taylor have any famous works?" Hardy asked.
"Mr. Hardy, you like paintings too? If you want something specific, we might as well visit the gallery. If he doesn't have it, we can ask Taylor to find it for you," Mrs. Sara suggested.
Hardy was pleased with the idea, and they drove to Mr. Taylor's gallery.
The gallery was elegantly decorated and quite large, like a small exhibition space. Mr. Taylor greeted Hardy and showed him around, introducing him to various paintings and artists.
"This is a painting by Max Ernst, known for its surrealist style and current popularity."
"This one is by Jean Dubuffet, featuring native art."
"This is a painting by Jackson Pollock, who is known for his abstract expressionism."
"This one is by Henri Matisse, a Fauvist painter. I particularly admire his works."
Mr. Taylor's introductions included paintings by artists Hardy didn't know.
"Do you have paintings by Monet, Van Gogh, Cézanne, or Picasso?" Hardy asked.
Mr. Taylor looked surprised. "Sorry, Mr. Hardy, those are masterpieces, and I don't have any of them here."
"What are the typical prices for the paintings you have?" Hardy inquired.
"Most of the paintings here are well-known in the art world, priced between three thousand and twenty thousand dollars," Mr. Taylor explained.
Hardy thought this was quite expensive.
Investing in these paintings could be risky if they didn't gain future fame. The money needed for one painting could buy several pieces of porcelain, which he knew would be highly valuable in the future.
The next day, Hardy drove through the streets of Los Angeles, searching for antique shops where he might find Chinese porcelain.
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In Hollywood studios, which are open to the public in addition to filming, many tourists visit them as attractions.
Two girls arrived, one of whom was named Yezhen . She had a delicate appearance and an elegant demeanor in her white dress.
"Wow, Yezhen look! It's a huge poster of *Gone with the Wind*," said the brown-haired girl.
"I really like Scarlett," Yezhen responded.
"I prefer Rhett," the brown-haired girl said with a smile.
They paid two dollars to enter the studio, where a crew was filming. Many tourists were watching from a distance. The weekend brought even more visitors.
Allowing tourists to watch the filming was a feature of the studios, especially for major companies like Universal, MGM, and Warner Bros., which capitalized on every opportunity to make money.
"Unfortunately, there are no stars here. I can't get any autographs," the brown-haired girl lamented.
"It's all for fun,"Yezhen said.
The two girls watched the film crew for a while before moving to another set. At the third crew, the brown-haired girl spotted a young, third-tier actor and rushed to get his autograph.
Around noon, they had a meal at a nearby restaurant.
"I spent the morning with you. Now it's your turn to join me this afternoon," Yezhen said.
"Do we have to go to those antique shops again? What's the point?" the brown-haired girl pouted.
"But I like it. We agreed to spend time together, so you owe me this," Yezhen insisted.
Irina sighed and agreed, "Alright, I'll go with you."
After lunch, the two walked down a busy commercial street. A man in a ruffled suit with short stubble followed them, appearing somewhat disheveled. He trailed behind the brown-haired girl, frequently reaching into her bag.
Irina sensed something and looked back, seeing the man reaching into her bag.
"Ah!" she screamed.
The man, realizing he had been caught, no longer cared about discretion. He grabbed Irina's handbag, and she held on tightly, leading to a struggle on the street.
"Let go, or I'll stab you!" the man threatened, pulling out a dagger.
Irina, terrified, clung to the handbag and screamed.
As the dagger was about to stab her, Yezhen extended a leg and kicked the thief's wrist with precision.
The dagger flew from the thief's hand. Infuriated, the thief threw a punch at Yezhen.
Determined, Yezhen leaned back slightly and delivered a powerful kick to the thief's chin. He flew backward and fell heavily to the ground.
Onlookers were shocked by Yezhen's display of strength and skill.
The thief, holding his chin and glaring at Yezhen