The purpose of the trip to Honolulu has been achieved, and the plan went smoothly. Now it depends on what price these gold items can fetch.
Currently, the US Dollar is in circulation in Honolulu. In this era, the best Remington double-barreled hunting rifle costs about ten dollars; a Comet brand bicycle is just four dollars.
These items are valuable in the future. If preserved well, on the antique market in 2018, an old Remington rifle can sell for 7,000 dollars, and a Comet bicycle can fetch 5,000 dollars.
Su Ming's gold jewelry should theoretically be worth 2,000 dollars. Of course, that's the price in a jewelry store, and you certainly won't get that in a pawnshop.
But Su Ming insisted on selling the jewelry at a high price.
Weaving through the crowds at the port, he dealt with a few clueless pickpockets, easily snapping their fingers, and naturally walked into the pawnshop.
With retro counters and railings, and some vases and paintings as decorations, an elderly man with round glasses and a grizzled beard was dozing behind the counter.
He was dressed in a long gown with a black hat on his head, with an abacus and magnifying glass at hand.
Su Ming knocked on the counter with his knuckles and placed a small fabric bundle on the countertop.
"Shopkeeper, business has come to you."
The old man took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Oddly, before him stood a young white man, yet he spoke with an authentic Beiping accent?
But the rule was not to question the source, so he just politely smiled and took the small fabric bundle to open it.
Instantly, golden light shone in all directions, and the old man gasped as if sipping broth.
"Hiss....."
Not only was the gold of excellent quality, but the gemstones were clear and brilliant, and even the carving and design were exquisite beyond compare.
These were undoubtedly top-notch treasures in the world.
Of course, this was future craftsmanship, with a more inclusive aesthetic concept of the future. In this era, isn't it world-class? Ever heard of vacuum casting machines or computer micro lathes?
The old man took up his abacus, ran his fingers over it, and the beads clicked and clacked, indicating that he was interested in this business.
"Young man, these are good items, solid gold. I won't deceive you, but the rule in our pawnshop is to cut the price in half upon entry. You understand this, don't you?"
The old man had a Southern provincial accent, prompting Su Ming to switch to the same dialect. In the internet age, who doesn't know a few dialects?
"Shopkeeper, I naturally understand the rules, but I haven't come to pawn. I'm offering you a way to get rich."
The old man was taken aback. Well, is this a foreign devil becoming a local? He wanted to see what this foreigner would say.
"Oh, I'm all ears."
He fiddled with his abacus beads, signaling Su Ming to begin his performance.
Su Ming was unyielding, happy that the old man was willing to hear a story, making it easier to hike the price.
"Setting that aside, just look at the quality and craftsmanship of this gold, then look at the clarity and cut of the gemstones. Have you seen this before?"
The old man's brow furrowed. Going out to do business naturally means earning as much as possible, but this foreigner said it wasn't a pawn and mentioned a way to get rich. This was unusual. He wanted to hear more.
Pawnshops valued keen observation most, preferring customers who knew nothing, like second-generation rich kids, who pawned family heirlooms due to lack of knowledge.
And this foreigner with very fluent Chinese brought all sorts of surprises from the moment he stepped in, indicating he was worldly.
"No, as I've said, these are fine items." The old man stroked his beard: "People say our trade is crooked, thriving on others' misfortunes, but I'm still a businessman; honesty breeds wealth. I have a rough valuation of your items, and I'd be willing to take them."
Su Ming smiled and nodded, but he didn't believe a word. The old man wanted him to pawn, but Su Ming intended to collaborate in another way.
"To be honest, these treasures came from the palace—not the one in Beiping, but the Louvre Palace in France. Heard of it?"
In fact, the jewelry's origin was the Bat Cave, but could Su Ming tell him that?
"I've heard a little."
The old man demurely sipped his tea, but his mouth felt dry. Just hearing the name was impressive.
"Heh, well, France is currently the world's number one land military power, unmatched by the Great Qing. And these items were the jewelry of Marie-Louise, Empress of the First French Empire and wife of Emperor Napoleon, a century ago." Su Ming continued to fabricate, as the parties involved were long dead, and carbon-14 dating wasn't available back then: "But an incident occurred. Napoleon was defeated and captured, and Marie went into exile overseas. So, these few pieces of jewelry... you get the idea."
Did the old man get it? Actually, not at all. He didn't really understand what these foreign names represented.
However, he understood the terms emperor, empire, first strong nation, and empress.
"No wonder, such exquisite jewelry must indeed be royal."
The old man remained calm, but inwardly he was delighted. He only needed to remember this story, and he could earn a huge profit when reselling it.
Su Ming didn't care about his internal thoughts. He had already seen the old man's interest from his eyes. Now, he just needed to give it a little push, and there was no way he would be on the losing end.
"These pieces of jewelry later ended up in my ancestor's possession, but the moon waxes and wanes, and just a few days ago, my father's fleet mysteriously disappeared at sea. I'm now looking to buy a ship and hire people to search for him, so I took out these treasures, hoping to find someone with a connection."
The old man glanced at him; is this guy a fake foreigner? Such a smooth talker.
But... someone with a connection?
He didn't say anything but was calculating the jewelry's price in his mind. Regardless of the get-rich-quick scheme or the story's truth, the intrinsic value of the items alone was guaranteed.
"Shopkeeper, you're a person with a good eye. This kind of treasure, if you take it to Hebei Dingling for a walk, even Old Buddha would crawl out from below to give you two thumbs up."
"Pfft..."
The old man didn't know if Old Buddha would come out, but he did spit out a mouthful of tea. This must truly be a foreigner, bold enough to say anything.
Although the Great Qing fell, respecting the deceased remained a cultural norm.
Little did he know, Su Ming was from the future and had no positive opinion about Empress Dowager Cixi. Just making a joke about her now was already light. If he'd traveled a few years earlier, he'd have definitely looted her tomb before Sun Dianying.
Burial items worth over a hundred million taels of silver, bombing it all the way down with C4 wouldn't be just like getting them for free?
The old man coughed for a while before finally speaking: "Young man, do you know what the fate is for gold and silver jewelry after we take them in this trade?"
Su Ming nodded: "It's nothing more than reselling to the wealthy or melting it down and recasting."
"Indeed. But this jewelry is expensive. Now that the Great Qing is gone, who else is qualified to wear such jewelry?"
The old man was still struggling, trying to lower the price, suggesting he couldn't find a market and the goods would tie up funds.
However, this was already part of Su Ming's plan. He didn't want to take advantage of his fellow countrymen, hence had already prepared a bright path for the old man.
He chuckled heartily: "Shopkeeper, you got this wrong. You're no longer in the Great Qing, but in Honolulu. Though the Queen of Hawaii has abdicated, she isn't dead."
The old man's eyes lit up, truly lost sight amidst the chaos. The royal family that ruled Hawaii for hundreds of years—they have wealth!
The United States forcibly annexed Hawaii, compensating the queen with 42,000 US Dollars and a sugar plantation. The current Queen of Hawaii is wealthy but otherwise has nothing.
All he had to do was acquire this jewelry and sell it to the royal family for a guaranteed profit. With good operation, profits could even double.
So this was the get-rich-quick way, perhaps even connecting with old nobles, who still hold significant influence in Honolulu. This wasn't just a financial path but a potential ladder to rise.
He didn't understand why Su Ming approached their pawnshop, but if the deal fell through, Su Ming would head out and find another foreign businessman, and this lucrative opportunity would fly away.