Li Yu stayed in Wuchang for a few more days, trying his best to let several experimenters in the laboratories of Hanyang Iron Works and Steel Pharmaceutical Factory get better familiar with the equipment.
It can be seen that since Xu Jianyin died in an accident, they have a psychological fear of chemical experiments.
Although it is understandable, for scientific experiments, once this mentality is formed, it is difficult to continue.
Therefore, Li Yu tried his best to help them clarify their thinking on the operating procedures. These will be very critical in the chemical experimental operation examinations of later generations, but at present, these people in the Chemistry Laboratory of the Steel Pharmaceutical Factory really do not do it right enough.
Li Yu thoughtfully wrote down a lot of operational precautions for them, which were nothing more than some chemistry experiments in middle and high schools.
No amount of Li Yu can teach them.
But he also knew in his heart that the most important thing was that their theoretical knowledge of chemistry was really lacking.
You still need to study more! Although there is a certain difference between experiment and theory, it cannot be completely without theoretical foundation.
On this day, Li Yu came to say goodbye to Zhang Zhidong.
Zhang Zhidong is really busy now. Several days have passed in the blink of an eye before he realized it and said, "Shu Cai is leaving so soon?"
Li Yu said: "Master Taiwan, I am still in the capital university after all. Even if I am given a lot of freedom, I still have to abide by the disciplines I should abide by."
Zhang Zhidong sighed: "It's a pity that you can't be separated. It would be nice if there were more people like you."
"If we can firmly guard the education barrier, it won't take long before there will be more and more talents," Li Yu said.
"I hope so too," Zhang Zhidong said. "There are not many schools now, and I am also worried about the results. But I feel comforted if I can do things. People can plan things, and God can make things happen."
Li Yu remembered the textbook he had written and recommended it to him: "Sir, I am working with the Commercial Press in Shanghai to compile a set of Western textbooks. I will start from the basics, and then they can be widely promoted in schools everywhere."
"Western learning textbooks? Did you participate in the compilation?" Zhang Zhidong asked.
Li Yu nodded, "Actually, it was mainly written by me, involving mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and other subjects. It is inevitable that there will be mistakes, but I can vouch for the accuracy of the work."
"I believe you," Zhang Zhidong added. "It should be said that except you, no one else has this ability."
With Zhang Zhidong’s recommendation, this set of books will definitely sell better.
It seems that Li Yu will put more effort into this introductory textbook in the future.
"I will return to Beijing first, and I will definitely visit you more when I have the opportunity." Li Yu said.
Zhang Zhidong stroked his beard: "It won't be long before the Lu-Han Railway is opened to traffic. By then, it will be much more convenient to come to my place."
Of course, Li Yu can't take the train for the whole journey now. The fastest way is still to take the waterway.
When we arrived at the dock, Hua Shifang also came to see Li Yu off: "Don't forget to send me the new edition of "Fractals and Chaos". I want to read it carefully."
Li Yu smiled and said: "I will definitely send it to sir. Apart from you, I think there are not many people in China who can understand it now."
Li Yu's smile was obviously a bitter one.
Hua Shifang said: "The green mountains will not change and the green water will always flow. We will see you again in the future!"
Li Yu cupped his fists and said, "The future is promising!"
The ship left the dock and headed for Shanghai.
After arriving in Shanghai, we docked at the Merchants Wharf.
After Li Yu got off the ship, he planned to go to the Commercial Press to find Zhang Yuanji and show him the introductory biology lectures written on the way.
Although Li Yu really knew the relevant knowledge, he knew nothing about publishing. How to distribute it and divide it into volumes must rely on them.
Li Yu took a rickshaw and headed to the Commercial Press.
When passing by Nanjing Road, I feel that the construction is far inferior to that of later generations, and you can even see the edge at a glance.
Not far away, Li Yu saw a big sign hanging on the door of a foreign investment company: "For concession real estate, for top consultants, please contact Hartong International."
A fat-bellied foreigner was talking to several Chinese people.
Li Yu said to the driver: "Stop here."
The foreigner said to the Chinese in front of him: "I know all your needs, but that land will soon be mine, and you don't have to worry, I will give you the compensation. But you should know that according to the terms of the concession,
According to the regulations, compensation may not be given to you.”
Several Chinese people said: "Director Hartung, you have been there. We have built houses over the years, how can you just drive us away?"
It turned out to be Hartung, a big real estate developer. Currently, more than 40% of Nanjing Road is under his name. He is definitely the boss of Shanghai.
Hartung said: "This is the French Concession, and it has been great for you to live here for so many years. Besides, the amount I gave you is not low. You can build more houses outside the concession."
These Chinese people are considered small developers, and they are certainly not comparable to Hartung.
Li Yu asked the coachman next to him: "Can Chinese people build houses in the concession now?"
The coachman said: "Of course, if you have money, there's nothing wrong with you!"
Li Yu really didn't know this point, so he asked again: "Didn't the concession only allow foreigners to buy and sell real estate in the past?"
The coachman said: "It's long gone! Ever since the long hair came to the edge, the concession is now full of Chinese people. If you really buy it with money, the foreigners are not stupid, they recognize silver coins."
Li Yu suddenly said: "That's it."
He always thought that it was not until the Republic of China that Chinese people could buy and sell real estate in the concession and even purchase land to build houses.
After the small developers left, Li Yu approached him. Before he could say anything, Hartong unexpectedly took the initiative to say hello: "Are you the Li Yu in the newspaper?"
Li Yu was surprised: "Do you know me?"
Hartung said: "Of course I know him. He is a scientific giant and is well-known in Europe. I have read your name in newspapers many times, and the Times even published your photo."
Then he shouted towards the foreign bank: "Madam, the most powerful Chinese I have ever told you is here."
After a while, I heard a voice coming downstairs from inside: "Is it Li Yu? Hasn't he left Shanghai?"
Hartung smiled and said, "You are a big celebrity. After seeing the news in the newspaper that you were coming, my wife always wanted me to invite you to sit down. But when I found her, I heard that you had already gone to Huzhou."
Li Yu said: "Indeed, I also went to Wuchang."
"It's really you!" A Chinese woman about forty years old came out, "It's incredible!" Then she said to Hartung: "Look, I just said that Chinese people are smart and no worse than you foreigners.
!”
Hartong introduced Li Yu: "This is my wife, Ms. Luo. Ever since I saw the report about you in the newspaper, you have been telling me every day that the Chinese are definitely smarter than us Jews."
Li Yu was surprised and said: "It turns out that Mr. is a Jew."
Hartung said: "Exactly."
"No wonder it's like this." Li Yu murmured.
Hartung asked: "You also have a problem with the Jews?"
Europe has had a tradition of rejecting Jews since ancient times. Hartung was born in Baghdad, and it is the same there.
Li Yu quickly waved his hand: "I don't mean that. I mean, no wonder you can become a real estate tycoon."
Hartung smiled and said: "I know. Since I settled in China, I have found that the people here are very simple and friendly."
Hartung's wife, named Luo Jialing, said: "This is natural! Stop talking outside and come in quickly!"
Hartung is now the director of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Bureau of the Shanghai Public Settlement, which is equivalent to the senior leader of the concession.
This guy is really awesome. He started from scratch and became the largest real estate tycoon in Shanghai.
However, he is very strange and very contradictory. It is okay to say that he is the richest man in Shanghai, but he is also extremely stingy.
Later, Hartung donated some money to China, but he was so stingy towards his Jewish compatriots that it is unimaginable.
Moreover, although he was so rich, he never kept a mistress, he ate very simply, and built a huge garden, but he almost always stayed in a small office.
It's really hard to understand. I can only say that he is a money-making machine without emotions. His only hobby in life is making money.
Enjoy life? Where is the fun in making money?
Luo Jialing brewed a pot of Indian black tea: "I have read all the news in the newspaper. You really make the Chinese people look good."
Li Yu said: "It's not enough."
Luo Jialing's life experience is quite mysterious. It is said that he visited Fireworks Alley, but there is no evidence.
In short, as a Chinese (she said she is of mixed Chinese and French descent) and living in a concession, the most important thing is to have enough food and clothing, so she was really happy to see a Chinese become famous all over the world.
After all, people usually have to hang out in the wife circle, which is a source of conversation and can also indirectly set off their own identity.
Otherwise, there will always be a kind of discrimination in the eyes of others that makes her uncomfortable.
Hartung has also been trying to make friends with Chinese people with status. Coupled with the vigorous publicity of "Declaration" for more than half a year, he is also very interested in Li Yu: "Although I don't understand science, but looking at the posture of the British side, I think
They won't be able to wait for you to come over again."
In fact, it's not just the UK, but Li Yu doesn't want to brag about these things. He just said: "It's just a scientific discussion. It's really more convenient in person."
Hartung said: "It's not easy to be valued by the British."
Hartung had always wanted to become a British national and was quite familiar with the behavior of British aristocrats.
Li Yu didn't want to continue talking about science, since Hartung didn't understand it anyway. But now he really wanted to talk to Hartung, a big real estate developer, about something: "If I want to buy a piece of land to build a house, Director Hartung, do you think it's feasible?"
?”
Hartong did not expect Li Yu to ask this question directly, and the businessman's nerves immediately became tense: "Do you want to buy in the concession?"
"It can also be done in relatively marginal places," Li Yu said.
Housing prices in Shanghai took off decades ago. Of course, the main increase now is in housing prices in the concessions.
Hartung touched the cigar and lit it. After blowing out a puff of cigarette, his image changed directly into that of a mature businessman, and he asked sharply: "How much do you want to buy, and where do you want to buy it? The public concession or the French Concession?"
The concessions in Shanghai used to be the British Concession, the French Concession and the American Concession. Now the British and American Concessions have merged to form the largest public concession.
But as we all know, Britain and France are at odds, so France is unwilling to merge, so the French Concession still exists alone.
These are the only names for the Shanghai Concession that have ever existed. As for the Japanese Concession that appeared frequently in some TV dramas in later generations, they actually did not exist at all.
Li Yu recalled the map in his mind, looked at Hartong's eyes, and had some ideas. He said, "I want to buy the land west of Jing'an Temple."
Hartong's hand trembled slightly and asked: "Is it to the west or east of Jing'an Temple?"
Li Yu said firmly: "To the west."
Hartung was surprised and said: "To the west!"
The westernmost part of the current concession is Jing'an Temple, but Li Yu knew that the concession has been expanding its area through road construction and other means.
The Qing government had absolutely nothing to do, so although these places were not technically concessions, they were still managed by the concessions.
Later, many famous celebrities also lived on the edge of this concession, such as Lu Xun.
Because the development of this kind of place is relatively good.
But currently, the west side of Jing'an Temple is indeed undeveloped.
Not to mention the west side of Jing'an Temple, the large land to the east is still wasteland, it just has roads.
Luo Jialing didn't understand what Li Yu was thinking after hearing this, "There is no shopping mall over there now, so what are you going to do to buy land there?"
Luo Jialing was also a woman with extremely vicious vision. It was she who originally encouraged her husband to buy land at a low price, allowing Hartong to make a huge profit.
Li Yu said: "It's nothing. I just want to build a school."
Hartung almost choked on his cigarette: "Building a school? That's not profitable! Although the land west of Jing'an Temple is not expensive, building a school cannot recoup the cost at all."
However, Hartung was relieved. He originally thought that Li Yu also wanted to be a real estate speculator to compete with him, but firstly, the place he chose was not very good, and secondly, building a school was simply a fool's errand.
Next year, Hartung will buy a 300-acre piece of land east of Jing'an Temple for 700,000 silver dollars and build a huge Hartung Garden.
It was really so big that countless bigwigs from the Republic of China lived in Hartong Garden, including Mr. Zhongshan.
Even Zhang Taiyan's wedding was held in Hartong Garden.
And when completed, it will be a top-notch luxurious Chinese-style garden, with an area as large as four Humble Administrator's Gardens.
Of course Li Yu didn't have that kind of money, but as someone who had been through it all, he was completely pretentious. No matter how accurate Hartung's business vision was, it couldn't compare to God's perspective.
Li Yu asked: "Why, can't it be done?"
Hartung held his cigar with two fingers and calculated in his mind: The land now does not belong entirely to the concession, but the concession was not strictly delineated in this area. Moreover, the leading agency of the concession, the Ministry of Industry and Industry Bureau, had tried it many times, and the road was built.
The Qing government didn't bother much.
If you sell that piece of land, you will indeed skip a lot of procedures and make a lot of money in vain.
Nowadays, most of the income of the Ministry of Industry and Industry Bureau actually comes from real estate. If it sells so much more, it will definitely be happy.
What Li Yu was actually thinking was: in a few years, especially after the Nanjing Road development in 1908, land in Shanghai would become more expensive and it would be impossible to afford it, so he should hurry up and get started now.
Anyway, land prices in Shanghai will never drop again.
It is unlikely that a bargain-hunting opportunity like Hartung's during the Sino-French War will arise again.
Hartung thought about it, it was a very profitable business, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, but the price is not cheap now, at least 500 taels per mu."
Nowadays, the cheapest area in the concession should be the eastern part of the public concession, but it only costs about 7,000 to 8,000 taels. As for the core area, it has already reached 7,000 to 8,000 taels.
Li Yu bargained: "400 taels."
Hartung shook his head and said: "It's too low. We, the Ministry of Industry and Industry, still have to bear the responsibility of protection and management."
Li Yu smiled and said: "What if I want to buy a lot?"
Hartung asked, "How many do you want?"
Li Yu stretched out two fingers.
Hartung tentatively asked, "Two acres?"
Li Yu said: "Twenty acres!"
Hartung almost dropped the cigar in his hand: "Twenty acres!"
This is just to buy land, and you will have to pay a lot of taxes when building a house in the future. Although the concession is a sure profit, it is completely a waste of money.
Such an idea of "spending money and waste" was not in Hartung's mind at all, and it did not belong to mature business logic. He couldn't figure out whether Li Yu had a brain cramp or was simply teasing him.