Bab 93: 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
Bab 94: Chapter 94: On the Way to USC
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Walking into an antique shop on the commercial street, Hardy was greeted by the middle-aged owner with a nod of acknowledgment.
Hardy wandered through the shop, which featured European furniture, silver jewelry, and various cultural relics. In one corner, he noticed a few pieces of porcelain: two large plates, three small bowls, and two vases. One large plate depicted a birthday star, while the other showed an ancient man riding a unicorn. Hardy didn't recognize the ancient man.
The small bowls were exquisite, each adorned with intricate patterns of flowers, birds, fish, and insects. The vases were a pair of jade spring bottles, decorated with golden pheasants.
The shop owner approached, noticing Hardy's interest in the porcelain. "Do you like these East Asian porcelains?" he asked.
"What are the prices?" Hardy inquired.
"The two plates are $120 each, the three small bowls are $80 each, and the pair of vases is $300," the owner replied.
"That seems a bit expensive," Hardy remarked.
In New York, Hardy had seen higher prices for porcelain.
"These are exceptionally beautiful. They are rare and supposedly from the Oriental Huaguo Palace, used by their emperors. I've had them appraised, and they are over 200 years old," the owner explained.
Hardy pondered this. If they were from the Qianlong period, they might have been taken from the Old Summer Palace or the Forbidden City during the Eight-Power Allied Forces' invasion of Beijing.
"I'll offer $80 each for the plates, $50 each for the bowls, and $200 for the vases. If you agree, I'll buy everything," Hardy countered.
The owner shook his head immediately. "No, the price you've offered is too low."
The two men haggled for over ten minutes before settling on a total price of $660. They shook hands to finalize the deal.
As the owner went to the back to fetch a suitcase and prepare the porcelain for packing, two girls entered the shop. One was a tall, brown-haired white girl, and the other was an Asian girl, about 1.65 meters tall and very beautiful.
Hardy found the Asian girl exceptionally striking. Her complexion was radiant, and he couldn't help but glance at her again.
The girl initially mistook Hardy for the shop owner and greeted him with a nod. Hardy smiled and nodded back.
She examined the pieces of Chinese porcelain on the table, clearly interested. After a moment, she asked, "How much are these porcelains?"
Hardy, realizing she had mistaken him for the shop owner, found the situation amusing. He approached her and said, "The plates are $120 each, the small bowls are $80 each, and the vases are $300 for the pair."
The girl nodded, examining the porcelain pieces. She liked each one but had limited funds. Reluctantly, she decided to purchase just one small bowl.
Standing close to her, Hardy noticed her delicate fragrance and admired her slender neck as she bent slightly to examine the porcelain.
"Can you lower the price of this bowl to $60?" she asked, looking up at Hardy.
He realized how impolite it was to stare and quickly averted his gaze. "Do you know the origin of this bowl?" Hardy asked.
The girl thought for a moment and replied, "This is likely from a Chinese palace, with a yellow glazed peony pattern and dragon motifs, as indicated by the base."
"Dragon patterns?" Hardy asked in surprise.
The girl pointed out the details on the bowl. Hardy leaned closer to see, their proximity almost intimate.
Just then, the shop owner returned with two boxes and began packing the porcelain. Seeing Hardy and the girl engaged, he said, "I've found the boxes and will pack these for you."
Han Yezhen, realizing Hardy was not the shop owner, looked surprised. "You're not the boss?"
Hardy smiled. "I'm purchasing the antiques."
The girl watched as the shop owner packed the porcelain and then asked Hardy, "Did you buy all of these?"
The shop owner, overhearing, answered, "Yes, this gentleman bought everything. Miss, what would you like to purchase?"
Han Yezhen hesitated and then said, "I also want to buy some porcelain."
The owner seemed surprised, as no one had inquired about the porcelain before. Han Yezhen decided to look at other items and found a beautiful jade hairpin in a glass cabinet.
"How much for this hairpin?" she asked.
"That's $35," the owner replied.
"Could you make it $30?" Han Yezhen negotiated.
The owner agreed, and Han Yezhen purchased the hairpin, placing it in a jewelry box and thanking the owner before leaving with her friend Irina.
Hardy watched the girls leave the shop.
Despite not finding the porcelain she wanted, Han Yezhen was pleased with her purchase.
"Yejin, what did you buy?" Irina asked.
"It's a hairpin," Han Yezhen explained.
"What's a hairpin?" Irina asked.
"It's an ancient accessory," Han Yezhen replied.
As they talked, a group of men appeared in front of them, including the thief who had tried to steal their bag earlier. The girls realized these men had come for revenge.
Among the group, a taller man addressed the thief, "Aimo, it's shameful that you were beaten by these girls."
Turning to Han Yezhen and Irina, he added with a smirk, "But these girls are quite beautiful."
Irina was terrified and clung to Han Yezhen. Although Han Yezhen knew how to handle one or two people, she was concerned about facing so many men.
"Run!" Han Yezhen decided, grabbing Irina and fleeing.
The gangsters chased them, surrounding them within a few dozen meters. As someone approached to grab them, Irina screamed and tried to fend them off with her bag, but it was quickly snatched away.
Han Yezhen kicked one of the attackers, but more came forward. She kicked another man in the crotch, causing him to collapse in pain.
"I can't deal with just one girl; let's all go after her!" the gang leader ordered.
Several men rushed forward. Han Yezhen fought back with her bag and tried to block attacks, but she was overwhelmed.
At that moment, a figure appeared beside them.
"Bang!"
A punch landed on the face of the man holding Han Yezhen's arm, sending him flying several meters away.
"Boom boom boom!"
Hardy swiftly dispatched the remaining gangsters.
Standing in front of the two girls, Hardy said, "Are you alright?"
Han Yezhen looked at him in surprise. "It's you!"
"I'm Jon Hardy," he introduced himself.
"Thank you, Mr. Hardy," Han Yezhen said.
Irina added tearfully, "We're now broke. How can we get back to school? We're heading to Southern California."
Han Yezhen also looked concerned.
Hardy offered, "My car is nearby. I can give you a ride back to Southern California."
"Is that too much trouble?" Han Yezhen hesitated.
Irina whispered urgently to her friend, "Don't refuse. We really need to get back."
Her voice was loud enough for Hardy to hear. He smiled at Irina's straightforwardness.
"Let's go. I'll drop you off at USC," Hardy said.
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