America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 147 Selling Gold

Zhang Ailun took the gold, leaving Sieg to guard the camp, and immediately drove his off-road vehicle to Old George's pawnshop to exchange it for cash.

I drove through several blocks to the pawn shop, parked the Wrangler outside, and went in to greet old George. I found him arguing with an old man. The two were arguing heatedly, and the old man selling things was clearly a bit red-faced.

Zhang Ailun walked over and saw an ivory-white guitar on the table, with black and gold lacquer, patterns, and a unique musical symbol logo.

It's the kind of thing that looks expensive at first glance. Maybe it's worth over ten thousand dollars?

"This guitar is from Les Paul's collection. He's a legendary musician who invented the solid-body electric guitar. I would never sell it to you if I didn't urgently need the money," the old man said angrily. "If this guitar were sold at auction, it would be worth at least $25!"

To seize the young?

A broken guitar can sell for $25?

Zhang Ailun was shocked and immediately felt that he was a bit ignorant and too poor.

Looking at this white-bearded old man, dressed in an ordinary white shirt, trousers, and black glasses, with no accessories and clothes that looked to cost less than a hundred dollars, one can only say that appearances can be deceiving.

This old gambler has probably caught a big fish this time!

Old George patiently explained, "Yes, after authentication, this is indeed a Les Paul guitar, and your documents and notes are also genuine. However, I can only give you a maximum of $5 because this is a secondary guitar that Les Paul collected, not one used in concerts or for daily practice. The guitars that Les Paul used were sold at pawn shops in Las Vegas, but they only sold for around $10."

"According to you, this guitar was given to Les Paul by someone else, who then gave it to the brother of your friend's friend's aunt... oh, I'm really a bit confused about this relationship."

Old George donned a mask of anguish, hands covering his head, and skillfully brandished his dragon-slaying sword to negotiate a lower price. "Fifty thousand dollars! That's the absolute maximum I can offer. I won't make a single cent more!"

Before the old man could speak, she continued, "If you think this price is unreasonable, you can go to the pawn shop next door to inquire about the price, or sell it at an auction house. They might be able to give you a few tens of thousands more dollars, but you'll still have to queue up to bid, and you'll also have to pay taxes and handling fees. In the end, you'll only get about fifty or sixty thousand dollars. Don't you urgently need the money?"

After hearing his explanation, the old man gradually calmed down. He didn't say anything on the surface, but he was gradually accepting the price in his heart.

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After all, old George was right; he was indeed short of money and urgently needed cash, and the pawnshop could quickly provide him with cash. The Magic Flute Pawnshop next door even offered a lower price!

"I also have a Rolex mirror here. I bought it at an antique shop in Chinatown." The old man hesitated for a moment, then took out a mirror from the black box he was carrying.

It looks glamorous on the outside.

But Zhang Ailun glanced at it and thought that even a dog wouldn't want it. It would only be worth a dozen dollars on a street stall, and even the black people who buy it for free in a big shopping mall wouldn't even look at it.

Upon hearing the word "Chinatown," Old George's expression subtly changed, and he fell silent for a moment.

He picked up a mirror and looked at himself, noticing his pale face, which appeared even more haggard than yesterday. He asked, "How much do you want to sell it for?"

"At least ten thousand dollars!" The old man demanded an exorbitant price without hesitation, asking for an outrageous sum.

Upon hearing the price, old George gasped, instantly donning a mask of pain.

Zhang Ailun also felt that this was a bit outrageous. "You really dare to brag. What brand of glass is so expensive?"

After a moment's thought, old George held up one finger and gave the price: "$100."

"What!?" The old man was instantly stunned, incredulous.

You managed to bargain down from $10,000 to $100?

Are you even human?

"First of all, this is not a Rolex mirror. If it were real, I believe many people would be willing to pay a high price to collect it. But unfortunately, only the packaging box belongs to Rolex. The logos on the mirror itself have nothing to do with Rolex."

Old George immediately explained the facts to him.

She bluntly criticized, "Excuse my bluntness, but it should actually be found on a family dressing table or in a recycling bin, not in an antique shop in Chinatown, and certainly not in my shop."

"You mean, I was scammed by an acquaintance at an antique shop in Chinatown? I bought this mirror for $4000!" The old man was momentarily speechless, clutching his heart and nearly choking.

"I never said that." Old George immediately shrugged, shirking responsibility, also fearing that the old man might have a heart attack and die in the store.

He said tactfully, "But after my appraisal, this mirror is indeed only worth $100. If you can accept that, I'll take the loss and keep it. Consider it a free gift with the purchase of this guitar."

The old man immediately felt uneasy and began to weigh the pros and cons.

As soon as Zhang Ailun heard George say "I'll take a loss," he knew the old man had made a killing again.

That old gambler never utters a word of truth; what comes out of his dog's mouth is utterly awful.

Old George also took a moment to smile at Zhang Ailun and asked, "Sir, is your item ready? Please wait a moment, I'll be able to finalize the transaction with this guest shortly."

Zhang Ailun nodded, indicating that he was not in a hurry.

The old man considered it for a long time before finally accepting the price, letting out a long sigh of relief: "Alright! $50000 for the guitar, $100 for the mirror. Cash only!"

"Okay, it's a pleasure doing business with you." Old George suppressed a smile and reached out to shake hands with the other party.

He turned around, went inside to get the money, and gave the other party a receipt.

I took it out and counted it using a money counter.

$50100.

The old man was a little depressed and dejected. His life's work was only worth tens of thousands of dollars. Who could accept that? But when he saw the stacks of US dollars and held them in his hands, he felt a little comforted. He picked up his suitcase and left without saying goodbye.

"That guy has absolutely no manners," Old George remarked, a rare occurrence for him, after the guest left. He then took out his Paul guitar, admiring it and playing a cheerful tune.

"I didn't know you could play the guitar!" Zhang Ailun said in surprise.

"Dude, I'm from Texas. My father fought in World War II, and my grandfather started as a cowboy and worked his way up to become a rancher. What cowboy's descendant can't play guitar?"

Old George smiled and put down his guitar. "The only pity is that by the time of my grandfather, slavery had already been abolished."

What are you regretting?

That's racist!

However, given that you've repeatedly disrupted the zero-yuan purchase system, I acknowledge your spirit and willpower.

"You must have made a lot of money again, right?" Zhang Ailun looked at the mirror and the guitar, estimating their value. "At least $3?"

"Not that much," old George shook his head. "It's just that I happen to know a few musicians who also love Paul's guitars and are spending a lot of money to find and collect them. If they're willing to buy this guitar, they'll only make about fifty or sixty thousand dollars."

"..."

You fucking bastard, you're not even human.

But there's no way around it; that's how transactions work. If you lack channels and connections, your goods will rot in your hands without anyone buying them. What's rare isn't the goods themselves, but the trading market.

Zhang Ailun didn't want to continue discussing profits with him, since the other party wasn't making much money on his end anyway, so he took out the gold coin and placed it on the table.

"Look at this. This is 95% pure gold, weighs 709 grams, and its market price today is $74 per gram."

Old George immediately took out his equipment and cut open the gold ingot. He rarely saw anyone selling gold here; they mostly sold gold coins and the like.

After testing the purity, the gold's purity actually reached 96%.

This is already very high. A purity of 99% or higher is considered pure gold. Except for the higher requirements for materials used in the military industry, the actual price of jewelry made from it will not be affected much.

Most gold nuggets acquired by prospectors have a gold content of 83%-96%, which barely meets the required standard after refining, resulting in a reduction in weight. Pure gold nuggets like these are readily available on the market!

"I can offer you $52000." After all, it's gold, and he's a regular customer, so even if Old George wanted to haggle, he couldn't get the price down.

Last time, Zhang Ailun's gold necklace was snatched up by someone else at a higher price, and he didn't get a penny. Even an ant is still meat!

A profit of several hundred dollars.

"Gold is still on the rise. If you buy it at the market price today, you can sit back and make an extra thousand dollars tomorrow!" Zhang Ailun urged Old George to spend a lot of money to buy it. "$52466, you won't lose out, you won't be cheated! And didn't I also bring you that battlefield motorcycle?"

"Where's the car?" Old George immediately became interested, but he didn't give up easily. "$52000, that's the highest I can go! I only accepted this gold coin under pressure. If we weren't working together regularly, I would never have given you this price."

"Alright, then $52000 it is." Seeing that the price was really hard to raise, Zhang Ailun gave up and took Old George outside to help unload the American Standard motorcycle.

"Look at this behemoth! I love this kind of rugged, old-fashioned style!" Old George laughed heartily. It even had military identification numbers sprayed on it, and an MG34 or MG42 machine gun could be mounted directly on the side seat of the tricycle.

This is also a US-standard copy of the German BMW R75, based on the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union copied a German-developed car and labeled it with American markings. Just hearing that makes it sound like it has a prestigious background.

World War II military technology will never be outdated. Countless classics were researched and manufactured during that period.

Modern shooting motorcycles may be more functional and usable, but they are still just civilian scooters. Real tough guys should play with military-grade products!

I found a key in the side door and tried to start the car, only to find that there was no gas.

Old George immediately brought out a bucket of oil with a military logo from inside the house and added it in.

As the throttle was twisted, the motorcycle roared to life, emitting two plumes of smoke.

"Hahahaha! Absolutely perfect!!" Hearing this roar, old George felt goosebumps rise on his skin.

"Can I ride it around a couple of times?" Old George was very fond of the blue sky and white cloud logo.

There's no need to worry about the quality of this military product. Although it's a Soviet copy, it's fitted with American standards, uses original parts, and was designed for use on snow, slopes, and muddy roads. The tires are also very sturdy, and the style suits his taste perfectly.

"This is a real man's car! A true man! Those three sissy cars you sent yesterday wouldn't be enough to crush it if they were stacked together!" Old George laughed heartily.

"This is the city center, so you'd better not drive too far. Once you buy it, you can drive it anywhere you want," Zhang Ailun reminded him.

The vehicle has been tested and is fully functional; it can fight, run, and withstand attacks. Now we can discuss the acquisition price.

Old George reluctantly got out of the car. "Well, this car is just what I like. I really like it. I've always wanted to collect a BMW from the last century, but these kinds of things are rarely sold because most people who can afford to collect them aren't short of money. What price are you planning to sell it for?"

"I've looked into the market price. A BMW military motorcycle like this, from the last century, is worth at least ten thousand US dollars!" Zhang Ailun thought to himself, "I want to sell it for 12000 US dollars."

BMW's series of motorcycles are priced between $15500 and $28000 on the market. Although this BMW motorcycle from the last century is a military product, its collectible value outweighs the value of the vehicle itself. $14000 is basically the maximum collectible value.

Old George also thought the price was reasonable, but wanted to try and negotiate it down further. "How about $7800?"

Zhang Ailun said with a forced smile, "I think if I listed it on an opportunity website for $12000, many people would be interested. Yesterday, someone tried to buy it for $13000, but I didn't sell! I have plenty of time; I'm not in a hurry to sell it!"

That's enough.

I didn't ask you for an exorbitant price; I gave you a fair and square price. It's a win-win situation where everyone makes a profit, and you're still whining to me like this.

Zhang Ailun immediately prepared to tow the car away.

"No way! $12000! It's a deal! I can buy it!"

Old George admitted he was getting a little impatient. This car is really to his liking. Why are you like this?

"Okay! A BMW motorcycle worth $12000, and gold worth $52000. Would you like to pay in cash or online?"

Old George had grown old after all, and could no longer wield the Dragon-Slaying Saber in front of a peerless master.

"Send the money!" Zhang Ailun took out his collection card. He still had more than ten thousand US dollars in cash on him. He didn't need that many US dollars for meals on a daily basis. He didn't charge rent, and Dominic and Jennifer paid for the groceries.

Old George took the debit card, went inside to write a form for Zhang Ailun, and after a few steps, he received a text message notification that the money had been deposited into his account.

+64000 USD.

Total deposits: $146,859.

Including other existing assets, the total assets have reached two hundred thousand US dollars!

Yay, that feels good.

Without exchanging further pleasantries with Old George, Zhang Ailun drove his Wrangler back to the camp and sent a few messages to Sieg, instructing him to gather everyone together for profit sharing.

Back at the bridge camp, the Modern Brothers were all there, and the Beggar Clan disciples who had been supervising the alchemy work for the past few days had also gathered.

Zhang Ailun parked the Wrangler to the side, got out of the car, took out a bag of cash, pulled up a stool, sat down, and looked at Faith Modern.

He chuckled. "Your people almost ruined a deal for me. I could have been angry with you, but considering you brought me profit and worked diligently, I won't be too demanding of your share. I sold that gold coin for a total of $52000, but I also taught that short-tailed dog a lesson. How much of your share do you think you deserve?"

"Can I choose not to receive bonuses and continue working here?" Fies asked.

(End of this chapter)