The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 583 Strong Purchasing Power

"That's true." Master Ma nodded. "The Palace Museum does have a persistent spirit. Anything they set their sights on, they'll find a way to get their hands on it by any means necessary. But they probably wouldn't dare to bother you, would they?"

"Who knows? What if they dare to do it?" Liu Hua said with a smile. "I just made these for fun. When I pass away one day, I will donate them all."

"That's generous." Master Ma gave a thumbs up and said, "Putting everything else aside, just look at that long scroll that just hung in your study. You could easily sell it for a hundred million. You really are willing to spend that much."

"I'm going to die anyway, and all that's left are worldly possessions. You can't take them with you when you're born, so what's there to be reluctant about?"

"Clear and bright." Liu Sheng gave a thumbs up: "Brother-in-law, you are so generous. If I had such a thing, I wouldn't even dare to hang it up. I would have to find a bank safe deposit box to store it and pass it down to my descendants as a family heirloom."

"If your descendants are capable, you don't need to leave them too much money and treasures. If your descendants are incapable, leaving them too much money and treasures will only bring trouble."

Master Ma agreed, saying, "That's right. The best legacy to leave to your children is actually your own ability. As we used to say, relying on heaven, earth, or parents doesn't make you a hero."

Master Ma was so engrossed in Liu Hua's collection room that he forgot all about it. Liu Hua even had a piece of porcelain that was suspected to be from the Chai kiln. Currently, there are zero confirmed pieces of Chai kiln porcelain in the world, so Liu Hua's piece can only be considered a suspected one. However, Master Ma said that if there really were Chai kiln pieces, this one would definitely be genuine.

"Academician Liu, I have a favor to ask," Master Ma pleaded as he was leaving. "If I ever visit you again, please don't turn me away. I just want to see these things; they're so eye-opening."

“I would certainly welcome it,” Liu Hua said with a smile. “However, that’s all I have. I won’t add any more. These were all collected during a special period thirty or forty years ago. Since the opening up, I haven’t touched antiques again.”

"Although you only have this much, it's already breathtaking," Master Ma said enviously. "I've been collecting for many years, and most of my collection can't compare to yours. Compared to you, I've been wasting my time."

"You can't force it, you can't force it." Liu Hua said with some pride, "I got these things by chance. I didn't want to see them destroyed in the fire back then, but I didn't expect them to turn out this way."

Master Ma nodded. He was very tight-lipped; when he boasted outside, he would only say that he had seen some good stuff, but he would never reveal whose stuff it was.

So everyone in the antique circle was trying to find out who had these treasures, but to their utter surprise, the person who owned them wasn't from their circle. So that time, they couldn't find out who it was.

For example, Wang Gang and Zhang Tielin, who are quite fond of collecting things in the entertainment industry, wanted to ask Master Ma about it, but Master Ma just smiled.

"Don't ask anymore." Master Ma shook his head: "Let me put it this way to you, even if I told you, you still wouldn't be able to get in. His family is of very high status. If it weren't for a stroke of luck, I wouldn't be qualified to visit him."

"Master Ma, who exactly is this person, speaking so eloquently?"

Master Ma gave a thumbs up: "Let me put it this way, in terms of wealth, he's second to none in the country, and in terms of status, he's someone we can't even dream of reaching. We're not on the same level as him, so don't bother asking around." Liu Hua had no idea about this; he had no time to concern himself with the affairs of the antique circle.

Last time at Zhou Tianxingdou Company, the researchers were stuck on a technical problem with an engine that could generate 150 tons of thrust, so Liu Hua left them some materials. This time, he said he'd go check on it after a breakthrough, and also assign tasks related to a rocket engine with a thrust of 300 tons.

"Teacher, we have successfully completed the task and finally produced a qualified rocket engine with a thrust of one or two hundred tons."

Looking at the engine test record, Liu Hua nodded repeatedly: "Not bad, not bad, excellent. Take a few days off, and then we'll start a new mission."

"We've just reached 200 tons, and we're about to start a new mission."

Liu Hua nodded: "Our country is about to start the development of the space station. I took the initiative to take on the task of launching rocket engines. Although 200 tons of thrust is enough, I hope to achieve a larger one, such as 400 tons."

"Teacher, this isn't just a simple matter of doubling the thrust; it involves many things. For example, the issue of fuel."

"Stop being so noisy. Do I need you to remind me of such common sense?" Liu Hua laughed and scolded, "Do you think your teacher is an idiot? I'm here today not only to assign tasks to you, but also to assign tasks to the company's human resources department. Over the next ten years, we will be recruiting talent on a large scale, not only in China, but also worldwide, in the United States, Europe, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and Taiwan."

"Teacher, you're being a bit wishful. These are all developed regions and countries. With the salaries and benefits offered by our country, can we attract talent here?"

Liu Hua laughed and said, "You guys are underestimating yourselves a bit. Although the salary levels in Western countries are very high, you're not that far behind. Besides, I give you raises every day. You can earn more than a million a year now, right?"

Liu Hua said dismissively, "The average annual salary of a professor at Harvard University in the United States is only around two hundred thousand US dollars. Please note that that is already the salary of a professor. Regardless of whether it is ordinary or not, it is still a professor. As for those ordinary researchers, they are even less than that. Last year, the average salary at NASA was just over one hundred thousand US dollars."

Several researchers made a comparison, and one of them curled his lip and said, "So the so-called developed countries in the West aren't all that great after all."

"That's because the salaries I pay you are indeed far higher than the average level in China," Liu Hua said proudly. "If you were in the system, your salary would also be between 100,000 and 150,000 yuan, except that the currency would be RMB, not USD."

The project leader said with a smile, "It seems that the world has a very uniform pricing system for researchers like us, ranging from 100,000 to 200,000, depending on the currency. Although our currency is not as valuable as the US dollar, our purchasing power is no less than itss."

“That’s right,” Liu Hua said with a smile. “The purchasing power of our RMB in China is really strong. Anyway, he doesn’t have the habit of saving money. As long as the salary I pay him is enough for him to squander for a year, that’s fine.”

"Teacher, are you planning to let American researchers make money in China and spend it all, without them bringing a single penny back to America?"

(End of this chapter)