CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 37: VALUABLE MATERIALS THAT NO ONE CARES ABOUT

Although it’s an old-fashioned safe, since the overall structure hasn’t been damaged, if you don’t know the password, you can only smash it open with a fire axe.

Fortunately, the password for this safe is written on the second page of information about the find.

Enter the password and open the safe.

Inside are several thick bundles of items.

Chen Yiyang takes them out and sees they are some old stock certificates.

These stocks are tightly wrapped in layers of plastic film, so even though water got into the safe, the stocks inside weren’t soaked.

Chen Yiyang carefully wipes off the plastic wrap, then tears off all of the plastic film.

A total of fifty-four stock certificates from the Qing Dynasty and Republic periods.

But except for that China Merchants Steam Navigation Company stock certificate, which has commemorative significance as the first stock in the country.

Chen Yiyang checked the prices of the remaining stocks, and they could only sell for a few hundred, not worth much money.

Perhaps only niche collectors who like such items would collect them.

As for the original price of that China Merchants Steam Navigation Company stock certificate.

Chen Yiyang could only find online that someone once offered a million for it.

The specific real price is unknown.

After putting away all the stocks except for the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company one, Chen Yiyang plans to use them as merchandise when his secondhand shop opens.

As for that practical China Merchants Steam Navigation Company stock certificate, Chen Yiyang found a box in the store’s warehouse and put the stock certificate in it.

After returning to his newly acquired apartment building.

Chen Yiyang lay on the soft big bed but felt sleepless.

In just 22 days.

He has a car, a house, and even a shop.

In the past, this would have been enough for Chen Yiyang to take it easy.

But now there isn’t a trace of satisfaction in his heart.

Zhu Yuanzhang begged and became emperor.

Can’t I, through serendipity, become the richest man?

Have to keep striving.

At midnight, new intel arrived.

Today’s intel: Valuable materials no one notices: About one hundred kilograms of silver solder mistakenly piled as ordinary iron solder at the comprehensive recycling center in the Shaping District of Jin City. Buying within twenty thousand will snag a bargain.

Silver solder?

Chen Yiyang opened his computer and searched.

The so-called silver solder is an important material widely used in electronics, aerospace, medical devices, and other industries, highly favored for its unique properties like high conductivity and high thermal conductivity.

Its recycling price is as high as around two thousand per kilogram.

One hundred kilograms equals twenty thousand.

Not small change at all.

If the recycling center only treats it as iron solder, then a ton might only be quoted at two to three thousand.

Quite a price discrepancy.

This find is worth taking.

As for how to sell it after buying, Chen Yiyang already has an idea.

The next morning, Chen Yiyang first drove to the pawnshop.

"Take a look at this stock certificate." Chen Yiyang handed the 1872 China Merchants Steam Navigation Company stock certificate to the pawnshop manager.

Because this item is indeed too rare, the appraiser at the pawnshop had no relevant experience.

The manager could only call for an expert appraiser from out of town to assess it.

So Chen Yiyang left the stock certificate at the pawnshop and drove back to his shop.

Zhou Jianjun officially starts working today.

However, because the business license for this shop hasn’t been obtained, it can’t actually open for business.

When Chen Yiyang arrived, Zhou Jianjun was doing a major cleanup in the store.

"Stop for now, come with me to the recycling center."

"Sell this safe?" Zhou Jianjun thought Chen Yiyang planned to sell the safe they salvaged yesterday.

"Right." Reminded by Zhou Jianjun, Chen Yiyang also realized.

Since we’re going to the recycling center, we might as well take all the unused junk from the store and sell it.

After loading everything into the car, the two drove to the recycling center located in Shaping District.

A city with millions of people generates a massive amount of trash every day.

Even if only a small part is recyclable trash that gets brought here, it’s still a huge quantity.

When Chen Yiyang and Zhou Jianjun arrived at the recycling center, the staff was too busy to deal with them, telling them to wait aside.

This gave Chen Yiyang a good excuse to get out of the car and wander around the recycling center.

Here, there is a specific area for storing all kinds of scrap metal.

After wandering for more than an hour, Chen Yiyang finally found the silver solder mentioned in the intel.

Perhaps due to oxidation issues, this batch of silver solder looked no different from ordinary scrap iron.

Without a professional machine to measure the composition, it’s difficult for anyone to determine its material.

After finding the silver solder, Chen Yiyang returned to the car.

They waited for over an hour more before the staff could attend to their stuff.

Almost half a minivan of scrap metal, and it sold for less than a thousand bucks.

"By the way, I noticed you guys have a lot of scrap iron over there. I need some for a small project in the countryside, do your recycling centers sell?"

"Building a house?" The recycling center staff member wasn’t young either, looked around fifty, with quite sharp eyes.

"No, to build a pigsty."

"Pig prices are indeed high lately." Hearing it wasn’t for building a house, the staff’s expression eased quite a bit.

Then he asked, "Do you need an invoice for the purchase?"

"No need for an invoice, if it’s convenient, we can deal in cash directly." Chen Yiyang still had over a hundred thousand in cash from selling gift cards last time.

Now when he goes out scavenging, he always carries around a hundred thousand cash as backup.

"Then feel free to load up, three bucks per kilogram. No need to weigh, I can estimate."

Upon hearing cash payment, the staff’s expression became even friendlier.

Seeing his agreement, Chen Yiyang and Zhou Jianjun drove the minivan inside, then mixed the batch of silver welding rods with other scrap iron and loaded them onto the vehicle.

"Let’s say two hundred kilograms, just give me six hundred."

Chen Yiyang counted six hundred cash and handed it to the staff, who then signaled they could leave.

After driving the minivan away from the recycling center, Chen Yiyang called Liu Chen, whom he’d previously traded gift cards with.

After some small talk, Chen Yiyang got to the point.

"I have a batch of silver welding rods here; can you help me find a channel to sell them? A total of one hundred kilograms."

"Brother, your route is really wild." Listening to Chen Yiyang, Liu Chen went silent for a moment.

He had heard from Zhang Guichen that Chen Yiyang helped wealthy people dispose of second-hand items. And he himself had once dealt gift cards with Chen Yiyang.

He hadn’t expected Chen Yiyang now to call and ask him to help deal with a batch of silver welding rods.

The leap was quite big indeed.

But Liu Chen had extensive connections in this area.

He asked Chen Yiyang to hold on, then hung up and began contacting others.

An hour later, Liu Chen called back.

"There’s a local boss in Jin City willing to take this batch, at two thousand per kilogram. But he doesn’t have the cash; can only barter with goods."

"What kind of things?" Chen Yiyang asked.

He seemed to understand how these project bosses operated.

Handling projects worth millions or billions, yet not much cash in hand. Trading modes akin to primitive tribes.

"Cars, branded bags, diamond rings, commercial tickets, orders for renovation projects, furniture made from expensive wood, a batch of office computers, massage parlor membership cards, precious plants, parking space in Jin City Center, an accountant."

"Wait." Chen Yiyang stopped him, "How is there an accountant, are you trafficking people?"

"Not human trafficking, it’s a rather unfortunate disabled girl from the orphanage.

Just graduated and hadn’t worked long before needing surgery to amputate a leg due to illness. Borrowed twenty thousand from the project boss for treatment, then repays from her monthly salary.

Now she still owes ten thousand. If you need accounting done, just bring her over to do the books for you. The girl is quite sincere, can be trusted with accounting."

Although Liu Chen didn’t explicitly say, Chen Yiyang understood Liu Chen’s undertone.

This girl could make fake accounts for you, and when caught, could even take the fall.

Otherwise, who would lend twenty thousand to a girl missing a leg?

Chen Yiyang fell silent hearing this.

"Then I want the accountant, counts as ten thousand. Where’s that parking space?"

"In Jin City Center, near the business district. You can park there yourself, or rent it to nearby businesses, counts as ten thousand too."

"Then just these two." Chen Yiyang closed the deal with Liu Chen.

"Tell me a place, and I’ll haul the stuff over."

Liu Chen sent an address to Chen Yiyang.

Chen Yiyang and Zhou Jianjun drove over and hauled a minivan of silver welding rods to the designated location.

"Why is there a bunch of scrap iron?" the receiver asked, looking at the unloading.

"Gift from me." Chen Yiyang generously waved his hand.

"Damn." The civil engineer receiver was quite cranky, "If the inspectors see this, my head will be screwed off and mixed with cement."

"Then can you help sell them to the recycling center?"

"Two hundred bucks!" shouted the civil engineer.

"I won’t charge."

"No, you have to give me two hundred. For all this over a hundred kilograms of scrap iron, I’d have to specifically call someone to pull a load!"

Because he really disliked the hassle of hauling to the recycling center himself.

Chen Yiyang reluctantly took out two hundred bucks and handed it to the civil engineer, making him responsible for handling that scrap iron batch.

Afterwards, Chen Yiyang called Liu Chen once more, asking how to collect his reward.

"The parking space is not a property ownership one, can’t transfer." Liu Chen immediately dealt Chen Yiyang a blow, then continued,

"Tomorrow the little accountant will bring the contract to Jin City Center’s property management to file it. From then on, the parking space is yours. I’ll give your number to the little accountant, she’ll contact you tomorrow."

Alright then.

At least there’s still a contract to file.

Considering he bought the batch of silver welding rods for six hundred, no wait, with two hundred spent on handling scrap iron, eight hundred total,

Chen Yiyang went along with Liu Chen’s trading way.

And learned from this experience that these project bosses hardly had a truthful word. Next time he couldn’t avoid transactions with them, he must confirm everything beforehand.