booktalesy Chapter 18 Return
Chapter 18 Return
156.8 ounces of gold, after further refining, will weigh no less than 120 ounces.
At the current price of nearly $2500 per ounce, the value of the gold in front of us is around $30.
This has reached the annual income standard of the top middle class in the United States.
If you can earn $30 a year in Alaska, you can definitely be considered rich.
Even in the most developed countries in the world, most people would never save that much money in their lifetime.
He packed all his things, had a good night's sleep, and set off on his return journey early the next morning.
The weather is getting colder and colder, and ice and snow have covered this desolate wilderness.
Zhou Xin was certain that during the long, cold winter to come, almost no one else would venture here.
Once he returns, assembles a gold-mining team, and purchases the necessary gold-mining equipment, he will rent the mining rights for the area and take away every grain of gold he finds.
Although large-scale gold mining requires more money, including official permits, numerous procedures, and various taxes such as federal and state taxes, the rewards are also greater.
……
It took Zhou Xin four whole days to return to Livinggood.
His car was parked next to the only gas station and he had prepaid for its safekeeping, so it was not looted by the free people of America.
Although few outsiders come here in winter, many tourists who want to challenge the Dalton Highway arrive here during the warmer seasons.
It's the end of the return journey, and many tourists returning from Prudhoe Bay in the north are stopping here.
Now, carrying over a hundred ounces of gold and in the most desolate part of the Free Every Day Kingdom, Zhou Xin felt only unease.
He was carrying a backpack and wearing somewhat dirty clothes, looking like a poor backpacker, and wasn't particularly eye-catching.
But now he's accompanied by a tundra wolf whose appearance is increasingly showing the characteristics of a ferocious beast, which greatly increases the number of people turning their heads to look at him.
On the way to the gas station, several tourists were drawn to Logan.
"My God, what breed of dog is this? It looks like a wolf!"
"Yes, yes, it looks so cool! It looks exactly like the tundra wolves in the wild here!"
"Sir, could you tell me the breed of this dog? I'd like to have one too!"
Zhou Xin was somewhat helpless and could only give them a perfunctory answer, saying that this was a relatively common breed of dog in China: the Chinese Wilderness Dog.
These people marveled and cast envious glances their way.
Fearing that attracting too much attention would reveal her pregnancy, Zhou Xin hurriedly got into the car with Logan and set off.
I must get back to Salcha quickly and exchange my gold for US dollars and deposit it in the bank.
After getting in the car, he immediately drove off towards Salza.
……
The journey back was still smooth. By this time, the daylight hours were starting to shorten, and the aurora borealis had appeared in the night sky.
Bathed in the breathtaking aurora borealis along the way, I felt incredibly relaxed and happy.
It was late at night when the car entered the town of Salcha.
I've been away for several months, and nothing here has changed.
The night was still cold, and the streets were deserted.
It was also thanks to the late hour that he was able to quietly bring Logan back to his residence.
Landlady Sansa doesn't allow tenants to keep pets in her house, and if she found out he brought home a tundra wolf, she'd probably kick him out on the spot.
"Looks like I'll have to go out and find a new place to live tomorrow," Zhou Xin thought.
After all, he was raising a real wolf; it was impossible to secretly keep it at home.
Fortunately, Logan was very intelligent and, after Zhou Xin gave it a few simple instructions, it quietly followed its owner into the house.
Otherwise, if it suddenly tilted its head back and let out a loud yelp, the neighbors nearby would probably be so frightened that they would fall out of bed.
In that case, Zhou Xin would probably have to sleep on the streets tonight, clinging to wolves for warmth.
Fortunately, the money will be available soon. Once the money arrives, we can rent a nice detached villa in the suburbs.
Back at their lodgings, Zhou Xin first gave Logan a bath.
Although Logan was somewhat afraid of taking a bath, he still cooperated and finished the bath.
It took Zhou Xin quite a while to dry his hair. After everything was done, he went into the bathroom alone and took a good shower.
Comfortable!
Camping in the wilderness and snow can be quite pleasant for a few days, but staying for several months becomes a form of suffering.
Although he had brought enough equipment to make himself as comfortable as possible, only Zhou Xin knew the unspeakable hardships behind his harvest of over 100 ounces of gold.
The bitter cold of the frozen wasteland, the monotonous gold panning day after day, the scarcity of food resources, the fear of grizzly bears and wolves, and the loneliness of having no one to talk to.
Fortunately, the final return was quite good.
I prepared food for Logan and made him a simple nest out of old clothes.
Then, Zhou Xin lay on the soft bed and drifted off into a sweet dream.
He slept for more than ten hours, missing the brief daytime. When Zhou Xin woke up, night had already fallen.
According to his previous plan, he intended to first try to further purify the gold using the borax method before converting it into cash.
But he later abandoned the plan.
This is mainly because I have absolutely no experience in this area, and learning on the spot might not achieve the desired results.
"It seems that the gold mining team's ore processing workers also need to have knowledge and skills in chemistry." He added another requirement to the team members he was going to recruit.
He suddenly realized that Slant was an ignorant and incompetent man who lacked social experience and common sense, and he might not have considered the issue of gold purity.
After all, you can't tell the difference between 80% pure gold and 99% pure gold with the naked eye.
"Maybe I can even pull a little trick on him."
……
Brown Bear Bar.
As one of the few places in town that remains open past 5 p.m., this place is very lively.
In the dimly lit corner, "Drunken Wolf" Dawn was still alone, holding a bottle of whiskey, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, occasionally gulping down a couple of mouthfuls, seemingly uninterested in everything around him.
On the bar's television, the outcome of a football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams had been decided.
Immediately, some people in the bar shouted passionately, while others pounded the table and stamped their feet.
Then the TV switched to a gold rush program, which was obviously not as appealing as the rugby game. Most people stopped looking at the TV and started drinking and chatting.
Slant was still sitting in his usual spot, but the girlfriend beside him was no longer Zhou Xin's ex-girlfriend, Casey.
They broke up two months ago, and everyone is used to Slant changing girlfriends so often.
Slant was watching a gold rush program on TV when he suddenly burst out laughing.
"Haven't seen that fool in ages. Could he have died somewhere in the valley while panning for gold?"
The fool he was referring to was, of course, Zhou Xin.
At the next table, Bemon frowned slightly and sighed, "He's too reckless. He set off in a hurry before the snow has even melted. I've been worried that something might happen to him."
No one who lives in Alaska knows how harsh the survival conditions are in the Alaskan wilderness during the winter.
Creek glared at Slant and said in a deep voice, "Shin is a kind person and a brave man who dares to achieve his dreams through his own efforts. I believe he will be fine."
At that moment, a figure sat down beside him and smiled slightly, saying, "Thank you for your praise, Mr. Creek."
Everyone turned to look at the figure, even Dawn, who was sleeping on the table, looked up.