Mr. Steely Steve's name was Steve Tussenberg, a wealthy young man who lived in the eastern city of Boston.
He chatted with Li Du for a while, and Li Du sensed that the young man was not in good health, or that his life was constrained and stressful.
When talking about birds and specimen collection, Steve easily expressed his desire to fly. He did not yearn for the ability to fly, but for the fact that birds could fly freely.
Therefore, Li Du speculated that either he was not in good health and could not move freely, or he had a special status and could not move freely.
They exchanged addresses and hung up. Li Du promised to send the specimen to him as soon as possible.
After hanging up, he was about to tell Hans that he was going to Boston, but Hans said excitedly, "Did you hear what Big Cain said?"
Li Du said, "Huh?"
"Big Cain said that a storage unit in Holbrook is going to hold an auction soon. We can take a look. He seems to have a batch of mahogany furniture," Hans said.
Mahogany furniture referred to furniture made of traditional mahogany, such as rosewood. To the Chinese, it was a general term for high-quality, rare hardwood furniture since the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
However, it was not only the Chinese who liked this type of high-quality hardwood furniture. It was also popular in East Asia. After the opening of the Silk Road, rich people around the world also liked mahogany furniture.
Especially in Europe after the 1920s, families with a bit of class would decorate their homes with mahogany furniture.
Americans looked down on Europe, but in fact, they secretly learned from Europe. That was how mahogany became popular in the United States.
However, the people who liked mahogany the most were Chinese.
When Li Du heard the news, he became interested and asked, "Is that so? That's great, but is the news reliable? "
Hans looked at Big Cain and asked, "Buddy, is it reliable?"
Li Du could not help but kick his chair. This b * stard did not even check the accuracy of the news before telling him. Was he kidding?
He did not believe that there was mahogany furniture in the storage unit. If the news was true, there was no reason for Big Cain to tell him. Wouldn't it be better for him to secretly bid for it?
Big Cain swore that the news must be true. He had a friend living in Holbrook, and he was the one who got the news.
His friend had wanted him to make a fortune, but Big Caen was an old goods dealer. He was a treasure hunter in the old goods industry, and he was not good at storage auctions.
That was why when Hans asked him about it, he told him about it.
Hans was an expert in this field. After getting the information from Big Caen, he took out his laptop and started searching the internet.
After a while, he moved closer to Li Du and said in a low voice, "The news might be true. We have to go."
"How so?"
Hans placed the laptop on his lap and pointed at a piece of news for him to see.
The news article was from two years ago. It said:
"Recently, we learned that the headquarters of the Delon Mahogany Boutique Gallery in Holbrook is moving. Hundreds of pieces of mahogany furniture are on clearance sale!"
"According to the person in charge, considering the cost of transportation and labor, as well as giving back to the vast number of consumers, the inventory in the boutique gallery will no longer be moved to the new location. Instead, they will be auctioned off at a price lower than the factory price to bring more mahogany enthusiasts."
"According to our understanding, this clearance sale price is not only lower than the market price, but also lower than the factory price!"
"This includes a three-piece bed set (rosewood) for the bedroom, a six-piece sofa set (rosewood) and a glass cushion for the living room, a seven-piece elephant-head dining table set (rosewood) for the dining room, a five-piece glass and coffee table set (rosewood hedgehog), and an induction cooker. A total of 21 pieces of mahogany furniture for only 50,000 dollars …"
Li Du looked at the news website. The logo showed that the news was published by Arizona Life Network. This website was very reliable. Local housewives were its fans, and it was still very popular.
Hans added, "There's no problem with the news. Not only did Life Network report about it, but it was also published in the newspapers. Two years ago, a mahogany gallery did hold a clearance sale."
Hearing this, Li Du nodded. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's do it! "
If they could really get their hands on the mahogany furniture, they would definitely make a fortune.
In the 21st century, the price of mahogany furniture began to soar around the world.
In 2001, the United Nations Department of Wildlife Protection issued the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The import and export of many types of raw materials for mahogany was restricted.
In 2004, the international commercial trade of Brazilian rosewood, Brazilian mahogany, Thai mahogany, Burmese mahogany, Laotian rosewood, and Vietnamese rosewood was banned.
Because of the shortage of raw materials and the import and export restrictions, the price of mahogany furniture continued to rise.
Before they set off, Li Du and Hans began to look forward to it. This time, if they could get their hands on high-end furniture such as rosewood and rosewood, they would make a fortune.
Even if they could get their hands on Indian rosewood, Burmese rosewood, or Laotian rosewood, they would still be able to make a fortune.
As the Iron Knight drove on Route 66, Hans opened the window and poked his head out. "Woo woo, Holbrook, the land of vendettas, here we come!"
An off-road vehicle drove past them. A girl poked her head out and shouted, "Veni! Vidi! Vici!”
Hans asked curiously, "What's this pretty girl saying?"
Li Du said, "You don't know this? It's a famous saying of Julius Caesar. It's three Latin words. When translated, it means: I come, I see, I conquer! "
Hans poked his head out and shouted, "Hey, chick, you want to conquer me? Welcome, I'm ready, baby. Come and conquer me, haha! "
As he was shouting, the off-road vehicle next to him stopped. Three strong guys got out of the car and looked at him with gloomy faces. "Get out, b * tch!"
Seeing this, Hans laughed and said in a relaxed manner, "Someone's looking for a thrill?"
Li Du stopped him and said, "Don't, buddy. You were the one who provoked them."
Hans said unhappily, "I provoked you? I was just joking. Li, can you be more like a man? Don't be so cowardly! "
Li Du said, "Men have to provoke and fight? That's a boorish man. A wise man would never do that! "
Li Du and Hans were sitting together. Big Quinn was in the driver's seat, Godzilla was in the passenger seat, and the two of them were in the back seat. Hence, Hans's window was down, and the three young men could see him.
As he was trying to persuade Hans, one of the young men outside started scolding, "There's an Asian chick in the car. Get her out and break her butt!"
Li Du was furious. "Get down and beat them up!"
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