After making a wish, financial freedom

Chapter 577 Dutch Tulips

After Li Zhuo left the West Villa in Vanke County, he returned to the flat on the Sunshine Coast.

He used the wishing censer again.

The cigarette is slowly concentrated in the incense burner, and is eventually slowly absorbed by the Yin and Yang fish through the inner wall.

Soon they came to life, swam out of the furnace wall, quickly entangled themselves and flew up, breaking the rules in mid-air.

The next moment, the sky cracked, and a gap opened right in front of Li Zhuo.

He stretched out his hand to tear open the curtain of history and walked in again.

Suddenly, he appeared in the Netherlands in the winter of 1636.

Netherlands, port city Amsterdam.

At night, the weather is cold.

Li Zhuo appeared in a low room in a mansion.

There seemed to be endless black light around him, looking like a god.

Li Zhuo lowered his head and saw clearly the prostrate person underneath.

She is a woman in her 20s, with a healthy red face that only physical workers have. She is not in good shape and has a thick waist, but is healthy and strong.

She looks like a maid.

The maid obviously saw Li Zhuo in mid-air, with a look of awe on her face.

She knelt down to Li Zhuo and said:
"Lord Angel, thank you for coming. Did you hear my prayer and come to help me?"

Europeans are deeply influenced by Christianity, and their first reaction is to regard Li Zhuo as an angel.

Li Zhuo said:

"No, I have nothing to do with angels. You can think of me as the God of Trading. I am here to make deals with you. I will help you realize your wish, and you must give me an equivalent material return."

This made it clear to the maid, and she was no longer in awe of Li Zhuo.

She said:
"Honorable God of Trading, my name is Fanny de Boer. I come from the countryside of Leiden. I have been working as a tailor and maid in the house of Mr. Banning Kirk, the Amsterdam alderman and captain of the city's militia for three years."

"I'm not illiterate. I usually do a heavy job. I often work from morning to night. My food is not good. The salary given by the congressman is low. Fortunately, I can pay it on time every week, so I can barely make ends meet."

"I am a maid. If I had no special circumstances, I would probably have been a maid all my life. I would be fired the day I could no longer work. If I could find a hard-working and capable carpenter or blacksmith as my husband in Amsterdam, I would probably be lucky. , you know, the money they earn every year is enough to support a family of four.”

The 17th century was the century of the Netherlands. As a sea coachman, the Netherlands almost monopolized transoceanic trade, and wealth flowed to the Netherlands. Therefore, even an ordinary craftsman could earn 150 guilders a year. If he was a skilled worker, he could earn 250 guilders a year. Earning 300 Dutch guilders or even [-] is not a dream.

Li Zhuo nodded and motioned for her to continue.

Fanny continued:

"However, my mother in my hometown asked someone to come to the city to come to me and tell me that my father was sick and needed money for medical treatment now. She asked me if I could pay for the medical expenses. As you know, sir, I have no money. But I can’t watch my father die.”

"The money I have saved is too little. Even taking it back cannot solve the problems at home. I am eager for a miracle to happen. Trading God, have you heard of tulip bulbs? If you plant them this year, they will grow tulips next year. The magical flower of the flower, which is so popular here, has sparked a national craze in our country.”

Li Zhuo may have never heard of other flowers, but he really knows about the Dutch tulip bubble.

Because it was tulip fever that led to the first futures trading in the history of mankind and the first financial crisis in the Netherlands.

The Dutch people were crazy about tulip speculation, which pushed the price of tulips to a terrifying level. However, after it was exposed, there was nothing left. The wealth accumulated by countless people was wiped out, and even the entire Dutch economy was hit. Finally fell down.

Fanny added:
"Yes, trading god, it is winter now, and there are no tulip flowers to trade, but now there is a tulip bulb exchange, because the price of tulips has risen very high, and basically there are almost no tulip bulbs in the entire market. Because no one wants to sell those who have bulbs in their hands." She became excited when she said this, and her eyes became bright:

"I saw with my own eyes at the exchange that even the worst tulip bulbs have not sold for less than 300 guilders since the beginning of winter. Some high-quality tulip bulbs cost more than a thousand guilders."

"The most famous tulip is called 'Eternal Augustus'. It is said that there are only two bulbs in the entire Netherlands. The current selling price changes three times a day. Today's price has reached 5500 Dutch guilders. Maybe in a few days Days later, the price will exceed 6000 Dutch guilders.”

5500 Dutch guilders is equivalent to the money a craftsman earns in 36.6 years. The price has reached a very scary level. In fact, few people in the Netherlands can afford it.

"Anyway, I really want to participate in such a grand event, hoping to get rich overnight so that I can raise enough money for my father's medical expenses. I have never thought about owning precious varieties of tulips. That is not what I should have. I am grateful to have an ordinary tulip bulb that sells for 300 guilders.”

This maid is not greedy, she just hopes to raise enough money for medical expenses.

Li Zhuo asked:

"So your wish is to have tulip bulbs?"

"Yes, God of Transaction, this is what I pray for. Can you help me achieve it? I just want an ordinary tulip bulb. I am very poor, but I am willing to give you all the money I have saved. Of course it is very Meager, or do you have something you want? I’m willing to work hard to help you get it done.”

This maid is relatively poor, and she definitely doesn't have anything valuable there.

Li Zhuo asked:

"Does the patron you serve have anything good?"

The maid hesitated for a moment, then said:

"The God of Trading, he has a good relationship with a great painter. He has several paintings by that painter. People say that the painter can always paint good things."

"Oh, what's the painter's name?"

"The name is Rembrandt, Rembrandt van Rijn. He is very famous here. His paintings are very good. Many nobles and wealthy people are proud of having his paintings."

Rembrandt, Li Zhuo often heard, he is considered the greatest painter in the famous Dutch school. His skill level is the highest among classical painters, and his status in the history of painting is no less than that of famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci. .

Li Zhuo became excited after hearing this. The key is that Rembrandt's paintings are very expensive in modern society, and just buying one is not of ordinary value.

"Fanny, that's very good, could you get a painting from Rembrandt, preferably one that's already painted?"

The paintings that are currently ordered are too slow to be painted and often take several months to complete. Li Zhuo cannot afford to wait, so he has to work quickly.

Fanny was confused after hearing this:
"God of trading, Mr. Rembrandt's paintings are very expensive. A small painting costs at least three hundred guilders. A large painting even costs more than a thousand guilders. The price is too high. I can't afford it at all."

Li Zhuo said:

"That's not a problem. I'll give you more tulip bulbs and you can buy them after you sell them."

Fanny said uneasily:
"There is another problem. I am just a lowly maid. This great painter takes orders from distinguished upper-class people. He will probably not agree to sell me paintings, because if he sells me paintings, it will If his customers find out, his orders are likely to be greatly reduced, and his value will also drop sharply."

This is indeed a problem. It is indeed unlikely that Rembrandt would sell a painting to an illiterate maid. His customers were all nobles and wealthy businessmen, and he himself probably looked down on a maid.

How to solve this?You can't encourage the maid to steal, right?

"Can you ask your master to help buy it?" Li Zhuo asked.

Fanny thought for a moment and replied:
"My master will probably find it very strange. I think he is unlikely to help me, but... I might try it through someone I know. He once served as Mr. Rembrandt's apprentice."

……

(End of this chapter)