Chapter 329: This Imagination is Amazing

Chapter 329: This Imagination is Amazing

While the three southern fruits—dragon eyes, pineapples, and jackfruits—were selling well in the capital city, Deng Shirong took the opportunity to visit his seven siheyuan (quadrangle courtyards) again. Using the special abilities of his newly researched system space, he cleaned up all the dust and dirt from the seven siheyuan.

In simple terms, he used his mind to gather all the dust and dirt into the system space and then found a place to dispose of it later.

Seeing the seven siheyuan completely refreshed, Deng Shirong found it somewhat amusing. This matchmaking system had been forced by him to become a transportation system, and now it had even turned into a cleaning system. It was truly unprecedented.

Initially, he had planned to give the second son's siheyuan to him if needed. However, the second son already had a two-bedroom apartment allocated by his workplace, with all the necessary facilities, making it much more comfortable to live in than a siheyuan. Therefore, he did not mention the siheyuan. After all, he had originally bought these seven siheyuan to provide a safety net for his seven children. No matter how they turned out in the future, each would have a siheyuan, ensuring they would have at least a billion yuan in assets.

In terms of living conditions, an unrenovated siheyuan could not compare to the well-equipped residential complexes.

Thus, after seeing that his son's living conditions were decent, Deng Shirong chose to keep the siheyuan a secret, treating it as a hidden card to play when needed.

One afternoon, after enjoying a sumptuous meal from the system space, Deng Shirong walked out of one of the siheyuan and began to stroll around the neighborhood.

After a few minutes, he saw a few middle-aged and elderly people gathered under an old locust tree, engaged in a heated discussion. Curious, Deng Shirong joined them to listen in. As he got closer, he realized they were discussing the content of "Journey to the West."

Mentioning "Journey to the West," one of the Four Great Classical Novels, one cannot help but think of the television series that has influenced several generations.

This year, on New Year's Day at 19:48 during the prime time slot, the new and lively, elegant, and grand opening sequence of "Journey to the West" officially debuted on television. However, only the first eleven episodes of the twenty-five-episode series had been completed, so only these eleven episodes were broadcast. The complete series would not be shown until 1988.

Despite only eleven episodes, the appeal of "Journey to the West" was undeniable. It captivated audiences of all ages, and in this era, no one could resist its immense charm. With the stunning opening music, "Yun Gong Xun Yin," everyone immediately gathered around the television to watch this addictive series.

Deng Shirong still remembered how his eldest grandson, locked in his room by his mother to do homework, heard the opening music of "Yun Gong Xun Yin" and cleverly climbed to the second-floor rooftop, where he asked a village friend to bring a ladder. After climbing down, he rushed to a neighbor's house to watch "Journey to the West." Only after the episode ended did he climb back up the ladder, deceiving his mother into thinking he had stayed home the whole time.

The middle-aged and elderly people, of course, were not discussing the television series but rather the satirical elements in "Journey to the West" that commented on contemporary society. Clearly, these were educated individuals who could analyze the content of the book with great insight.

As the discussion continued, one of the middle-aged men asked, "Old He, everyone says that Sun Wukong can travel 108,000 li with one somersault, so why can't he fly out of the Buddha's palm? What deeper meaning does the author have in this design? What is he satirizing?"

Hearing this, Deng Shirong recalled a very interesting explanation he had read in a later life and couldn't help but interject, "In my opinion, the author's description here has no deeper meaning. It's perfectly normal for Sun Wukong not to be able to fly out of the Buddha's palm."

When Deng Shirong approached, the middle-aged and elderly people had already noticed him. Seeing him standing quietly and listening, they nodded at each other and continued their discussion.

Now, hearing his sudden input, they were not surprised. After all, who would stand by and listen if they weren't interested in the topic?

The middle-aged man who asked the question curiously inquired, "Comrade, why do you say it's normal for Sun Wukong not to be able to fly out of the Buddha's palm?"

The others also looked at Deng Shirong, eager to hear his insights.

Deng Shirong, unfazed, said, "Before answering this question, let's first calculate how far one somersault of Sun Wukong's would be in modern terms."

Hearing this, everyone was taken aback.

Before they could think further, Deng Shirong continued, "Everyone knows that Sun Wukong can travel 108,000 li with one somersault. When Sun Wukong wagered with the Buddha, it had been 500 years since Tang Sanzang rescued him from under the mountain. Tang Sanzang was from the Tang Dynasty, and 500 years before the Tang Dynasty was the Han Dynasty.

In other words, Sun Wukong's wager with the Buddha took place during the Han Dynasty. One li in the Han Dynasty is equivalent to 415.8 meters, or 0.415 kilometers.

So, Sun Wukong's one somersault is equivalent to 45,000 kilometers in modern terms."

Hearing this, the middle-aged and elderly people, led by Old He, exchanged glances, unsure of how this calculation related to the previous question.

Deng Shirong continued, "Now that we know the distance of Sun Wukong's one somersault, let's look at where Sun Wukong wagered with the Buddha. According to 'Journey to the West,' the wager took place in the Heavenly Palace. So, where exactly is the Heavenly Palace?"

"The Heavenly Palace is inhabited, so it must be within the Earth's atmosphere, which extends up to 1,000 kilometers from the ground. This 1,000-kilometer thick atmosphere is divided into 33 layers in Daoist tradition. After excluding the three layers of Laozi's realm and the top layer, the Great Void Heaven, the next layer is the Heavenly Palace."

"Thus, the Heavenly Palace is located at the 29th layer."

At this point, Old He and the others were almost dazed by Deng Shirong's explanation.

However, they also began to realize that Deng Shirong was interpreting the reason why Sun Wukong couldn't fly out of the Buddha's palm from an unexpected angle, so they all listened intently, afraid of missing any details.

Deng Shirong, getting more enthusiastic, continued, "So, the distance from the Heavenly Palace to the ground is 1,000 kilometers divided by 33, multiplied by 29, which is approximately 800 kilometers."

"The distance from the Heavenly Palace to the Earth's center is 800 kilometers plus the Earth's radius of 6,370 kilometers, equaling 7,170 kilometers."

"The distance to travel around the Earth from the Heavenly Palace can be calculated using the circumference formula, 2πr, which is 2 times 3.14 times 7,170 kilometers, equaling 45,027.6 kilometers, approximately 45,000 kilometers."

"Through this series of calculations, we find that this distance is exactly equal to the distance of Sun Wukong's one somersault!"

"Since the Earth is round, Sun Wukong, starting from the Heavenly Palace, would travel exactly 108,000 li in one somersault, bringing him back to the starting point."

"So, this is the true reason why Sun Wukong couldn't fly out of the Buddha's palm."

This absurd conclusion left the middle-aged and elderly people in complete awe!

Old He, with a face full of amazement, said, "Comrade, that's incredible! To think of approaching the problem from such an angle and use mathematical calculations to perfectly solve it, it's truly amazing!"

The others also regained their composure, their faces filled with admiration.

In modern terms, this answer was so outlandish that it truly surpassed everyone's imagination, making it astonishing.

Everyone naturally knew it was a bit of a stretch, but the key was that Deng Shirong presented it logically, which was a skill in itself.

Deng Shirong laughed, "You flatter me, it's someone else's idea. I just happened to use it here."

The middle-aged man who asked the question praised, "What a talented mathematician!"

Deng Shirong replied, "I heard it somewhere, but I don't know who came up with it."

Another person remarked, "They say that mastering mathematics, physics, and chemistry can take you anywhere, and it's true!"

Deng Shirong joked, "Indeed, if Sun Wukong had mastered mathematics, he wouldn't have been trapped for five hundred years!"

Everyone couldn't help but laugh.

Next, they returned to the previous topic, continuing to discuss the deeper meanings hidden in certain scenes of "Journey to the West."

With nothing else to do, Deng Shirong stayed to discuss with them. In his previous life, during his later years, he spent his days reading novels and watching videos, absorbing a vast amount of information in that information-rich era, which far exceeded what was available in the information-limited era of the present.

Therefore, Deng Shirong often came up with novel viewpoints, causing Old He and the others to exclaim in amazement.

They chatted until it was dark, and only then did they reluctantly part ways.

...

The next day.

At a high-end restaurant near Dongfeng Market.

Zhou Shengli, Wang Dagan, and Tian Chunzhi invited Deng Shirong for a meal.

The three of them now fully grasped the significance of Mr. Deng's role. In their business dealings, he was the key player, and so they treated him with even more enthusiasm, akin to how local officials would cater to imperial envoys.

After satisfying their hunger and thirst, Zhou Shengli and his two companions settled the outstanding payment they owed to Deng Shirong. The money was bundled in stacks, and Deng Shirong didn't bother counting each note; he was content as long as there were enough stacks.

After settling the payment, Tian Chunzhi took out a house sale contract from her bag and handed it to Deng Shirong with a smile, "Boss Deng, you are our great benefactor. Over the past few years, under your care, the three of us have made quite a fortune."

"Over the years, we've noticed that whenever you visit the capital, you stay at the guesthouse. So the three of us discussed and decided to purchase this house as a gift for you. This way, you'll have a place to stay in the capital and won't have to rely on the guesthouse anymore."

Deng Shirong took the house purchase contract and noticed that it was a traditional courtyard house with two entrances. He was surprised to see that the address was not far from the Dongfeng Market, but he also felt that it made sense.

This year, he arrived over ten days later than usual, and he could clearly sense the change in attitude from Zhou Shengli and the others. Even without thinking too hard, he knew that they were afraid of losing their sole supplier.

After all, this was an exclusive business. If Deng Shirong wanted to, he could replace his partners at any time.

However, if Deng Shirong were to cut ties with them, they would lose this business entirely, and it would be impossible to find another supplier with such strong capabilities.

Thus, with a sense of urgency, they decided to give Deng Shirong such a valuable gift.

The choice of a house as a gift was also very understandable. Although they had been working with Deng Shirong for several years, their knowledge of him was extremely limited. They only knew that he was from the south; everything else was a mystery.

For example, this time, Deng Shirong's delay of over ten days left them anxious and helpless.

If they could give him this house, they would at least have an address to contact him, which would be much more reassuring than their current situation.

Deng Shirong, with his combined psychological age of 94 years from two lifetimes, quickly grasped the intentions of Zhou Shengli and the others.

If he intended to continue this business indefinitely, he could have accepted the house. However, he himself did not know when he might stop this business, so he couldn't accept the house. Otherwise, if he suddenly decided to stop after a few years, it would be awkward for everyone.

With this in mind, Deng Shirong handed the contract back to Tian Chunzhi and said with a smile, "Boss Tian, Boss Zhou, Boss Wang, I appreciate your kindness, but I cannot accept this house. I only come to the capital once a year, and the rest of the time, I stay in the south. It would be a waste if I accepted it."

Zhou Shengli said, "Boss Deng, there's no waste. If you're worried about maintenance, we can take care of it for you. The house will always be clean whenever you come to stay."

Tian Chunzhi nodded in agreement, "Old Zhou is right. We can handle the maintenance of the house."

Deng Shirong waved his hand, "Really, no need. I'm a southerner and not used to living in the north. I only come here for a few days each year. There's no need for me to have a house here. You should keep it for your own use!"

Wang Dagan added, "Boss Deng, we all have our own houses. We've already bought this one, so please accept it!"

Deng Shirong shook his head and said, "I appreciate your kindness, but I truly don't need this house. If I wanted to settle in the capital, I would have bought a house years ago. So, there's no need to be so formal."

Hearing this, Zhou Shengli and the others exchanged glances. They really hadn't expected that they couldn't give the house to Boss Deng. This would be hard to believe if told to others.

They had spent a lot of money on this house and had no ulterior motives, just wanting to deepen their relationship. Yet, Boss Deng refused, which was truly unexpected.

However, this incident raised their respect for Boss Deng. He was truly a person capable of achieving great things!

After some more casual conversation, Deng Shirong left with the money.

...

The next day, Deng Shirong went to Tianjin. A few days later, he traveled to Jinan and sold all his dragon eyes, pineapples, and jackfruits.

Then, he headed to the last city on his list—Shanghai.

Shanghai had been a bustling city for over a century. The Communist Party was born here, and it remains a crucial city in China, both now and in the future.

This was Deng Shirong's first visit to Shanghai in his two lifetimes.

Since he had decided to take his time, he didn't rush into business. Instead, he spent a few days touring Shanghai, and he noticed that the now-famous Pudong was still a vast, undeveloped area.

This discovery made Deng Shirong somewhat excited.

If he could secure a large plot of land in Pudong now and sell it when the area was developed, he could make a substantial profit.

However, he wasn't sure if this was feasible, and his current financial situation didn't allow for such a venture. He could consider it when his finances were more stable in a couple of years.

During his tour of Shanghai, Deng Shirong had also inquired about the price of lychees.

In this era, lychees, for example, in the market of Bobai County, could be sold for 2 yuan per pound, regardless of the variety, as long as they were fresh and not sour. The high price in the origin area meant that the price would be even higher when sold elsewhere.

From this price, it was clear that lychees were indeed the "king of fruits," with few other fruits able to match them.

Shanghai did not grow lychees. The lychees sold here were mostly transported from Wenzhou, as the transportation costs would be too high if they were sourced from farther away.

After all, the preservation time of lychees is very short, hence the saying, "The color changes in one day, the fragrance changes in two days, the taste changes in three days, and by the fourth day, the color, fragrance, and taste are all gone." Unless air transportation is used regardless of cost, it is difficult to transport fresh lychees from Fujian, Guangdong, or Guangxi to Shanghai by land or sea.

Only Wenzhou, being relatively close, can transport lychees to Shanghai by sea.

However, even with the proximity, it takes at least two to three days to transport lychees from picking to Shanghai. Even if the merchants preserve them well, the lychees inevitably lose some of their flavor and cannot be as fresh and delicious as those from the origin.

Despite this, the retail price of these lychees is still over 3 yuan per pound.

In this era, lychees can be considered a very luxurious fruit.

Initially, Deng Shirong planned to sell 500 tons of lychees in Shanghai. However, after finding out the sales price, he abandoned this idea. At such a high price, even if the people of Shanghai were wealthy, it would be difficult to sell such a large quantity in a short time.

It seemed that to sell all 500 tons of lychees, he would need to visit several more places.

Deng Shirong had experience in fruit sales and knew that as long as he found powerful fruit wholesalers to cooperate with, the sales volume would be substantial.

As for how to quickly find such powerful fruit wholesalers, Deng Shirong naturally had his methods.

A few days later, Deng Shirong reached an agreement with a powerful fruit wholesaler in Shanghai, selling 300 tons of Guiwei lychees at 2.5 yuan per pound.

This wholesale price was indeed very high, but there were reasons for it. Guiwei lychees are one of the best varieties of lychees and are naturally more expensive than other varieties. Additionally, it was already the eighth month of the lunar calendar, and the season for eating lychees had long passed. Selling lychees at this time was a unique business opportunity.

Therefore, a high wholesale price was very normal.

In any case, Deng Shirong did not plan to repeat this time-sensitive business in the same place, so there was no reason to sell at a lower price.

After selling 300 tons of Guiwei lychees, Deng Shirong rushed to Wuxi and Nanjing, using the same method and wholesale price to sell 100 tons of Guiwei lychees in each city.

Thus, all the fruits were sold.

830 tons of jackfruits were sold at 1.5 yuan per pound, totaling 2,490,000 yuan.

1,200 tons of pineapples were sold at 0.65 yuan per pound, totaling 1,560,000 yuan.

270 tons of dragon eyes were sold at 2.3 yuan per pound, totaling 1,242,000 yuan.

500 tons of lychees were sold at 2.5 yuan per pound, totaling 2,500,000 yuan.

After deducting the purchase cost of 1,367,600 yuan and other miscellaneous expenses, this trip netted him over 6,420,000 yuan.

The cash, which was already in a precarious state, soared to over 7,790,000 yuan, greatly alleviating his financial pressure.

However, there were many expenses to consider. He needed to repay the 800,000 yuan loan to the credit union, spend 2,000,000 yuan on the renovation of the seven-story building in the Ye Deng community, and fulfill the 370,000 yuan donation to the ancestral hall, totaling over 3,170,000 yuan in expenses.

Additionally, the renovation of the Wuyue Square in Nanning required a significant amount of money, and he needed to reserve funds for next year's purchases. Thus, although the cash amount looked substantial, it would not last long.

However, after completing the renovation of the Wuyue Square in Nanning, Deng Shirong did not plan to build more buildings. He had already made arrangements for his seven children, planned their development paths, and provided them with startup capital. Their future development would be up to them, and Deng Shirong did not intend to continue personally handling everything as he did now.

He thought this way, but whether he could truly rest, Deng Shirong himself was unsure.

...

Returning to Nanning, Deng Shirong first visited the Wuyue Square.

He immediately saw one of the retired soldiers patrolling the square and nodded in satisfaction.

Indeed, the retired soldiers of this era were diligent and responsible. Even if the boss did not visit for months, they could still maintain their posts, which was quite commendable.

Their salaries were paid by Deng Shirong every six months, so he did not need to travel to Nanning every month.

Seeing the boss, the retired soldier was very pleased and voluntarily reported on his work. There was not much to report, as watching an empty building was a simple task as long as he did not slack off.

Deng Shirong asked him to gather the other two retired soldiers. He then advanced their salaries for the second half of the year and encouraged them before heading to the Nanning Architectural Design Institute to discuss the renovation of the other floors of the Ye Deng community in Bobai with Deputy Director Huang.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end