Even now, Zhang Yuan wouldn't just find some random institution to analyze the composition of the remaining liquid. He might accidentally expose some secret.
If things blew up, it would do more harm than good.
He understood the principle of not flaunting one's wealth. He could just keep the benefits his father had given him to himself.
"Ah, forget it. What I need to know, I'll find out eventually. There's no need to go digging into things I shouldn't know... Since Dad was so vague and didn't explain why, he must have had his reasons."
Zhang Yuan suppressed his curiosity and put the matter out of his mind.
The pedestrian street had all kinds of shops: convenience stores, clothing shops, restaurants, fruit shops, and more.
The fruit here was cheap and fresh. One kind, called Pupu Grass, was an algae-like plant and a new species cultivated a hundred years ago. It was known as "the gift from space bestowed on humanity by God."
It tasted sweet, a lot like grapes, and its flesh was rich in a kind of antioxidant B vitamin that was very good for human health.
Eating it regularly could even directly increase the average human lifespan.
Zhang Yuan bought a few pounds of Pupu Grass for three yuan a pound, planning to eat it slowly at home.
Next came the clothing shops. They stretched as far as the eye could see.
Even though logistics were highly advanced and online shopping was cheap, women still couldn't break their bad habit of shopping in person. To them, online shopping and going out shopping were two completely different things.
That was because there was no petroleum in this era, so clothes were a little expensive.
Owning a wardrobe full of all kinds of clothes came at a steep financial cost. As a result, women liked shopping in person even more. For them, just looking and touching was nice, too.
Zhang Yuan walked into a lingerie shop and casually bought a few bras, pairs of underwear, and pairs of socks.
"After the twenty percent discount, that'll be 887 yuan!"
"Could you make it a little cheaper, boss?" Zhang Yuan tried haggling.
"Sorry, no haggling!"
The reason shops had sales assistants was to create jobs. Even though Xia Kingdom's current productivity and social welfare system could support a lot of idle people, high unemployment would leave those people with nothing to do, and crime rates would rise.
So it was better to create some low-end jobs that didn't require any technical skills.
So expensive! Four pairs of underwear, three bras, and five pairs of socks—and they weren't even name brands—had still cost him over eight hundred yuan. An ordinary person only made four or five thousand a month.
Zhang Yuan wrinkled his nose, feeling that his haggling skills were terrible—or maybe it was because the other person was a man.
If the sales assistant had been a woman, she might have been charmed by his looks and given him a discount.
Still, expensive as they were, all these clothes were made of nanomaterials. They were high quality, didn't get dirty easily, and wouldn't wear out even after years of use. When he thought about it that way, they were worth the price.
He planned to take the clothes with him and use them aboard the spaceship.
As he walked out of the shop, he caught sight of an advertisement for the latest clothes from a famous clothing manufacturer: "Nanoplastic fabric clothing, cool as ice, with an exceptionally smooth feel..."
He casually touched the white garment, which looked like a pair of stockings. It really did feel cool to the touch.
Ordinary clothes blocked infrared radiation, but this nanotech clothing offered no warmth at all. The nanopores in the material let infrared radiation pass through, helping the body shed heat.
Of course, because the new fabric was so thin and soft, it showed off a girl's figure when she wore it. It was also quite expensive, costing over two thousand yuan for a single piece.
Nanotechnology had changed the world, even the way people dressed.
Zhang Yuan touched it a few times. It felt incredibly soft, and his mind wandered. "It kind of looks like white stockings. Pretty soft, too."
"Petroleum really is a wonderful thing. How were clothes in the old days so cheap?"
"They actually burned petroleum as fuel!"
Zhang Yuan sighed.
He thought of people in some countries on Earth who had only just managed to get enough to eat, yet still couldn't afford clothes and were living in dire straits.
He didn't feel much sympathy for them, because most of those countries had once been oil-producing nations.
They had once been the richest countries on Earth, but their current situation could be summed up in one phrase: living off their dwindling wealth.
Nothing stayed prosperous forever, and no one stayed fortunate forever. History was full of countries that had declined. Whether an individual or a civilization, everything had its lifespan.
Rising amid crisis and declining amid comfort and pleasure—this had been an unchanging truth since time immemorial. They hadn't made plans for the future when they were rich, and now they could only suffer the consequences.
Next, Zhang Yuan walked into a life insurance company, intending to buy additional retirement insurance policies for his aunt and uncle.
Even though his family didn't lack money right now, society was changing, and people's fortunes could change in an instant. What if something happened in the future?
It was always good to have an extra insurance policy.
"...Could you please not tell the people involved just yet? Maybe in two years? I'll pay the full amount upfront; there's no need to pay in installments."
"Of course!"
The pretty sales assistant was exceptionally enthusiastic, her cheeks flushed.
Insurance sales came with a commission, especially for a deal this big. She was absolutely delighted. On top of that, her customer was handsome and spoke so politely that he made her feel very comfortable.
"The total cost for both of them... is 300,000. After they retire, each of them will receive 2,000 Federal Credits per month. Without factoring in inflation, it'll take 75 months to break even."
"Sounds good!" Zhang Yuan signed without hesitation and paid the full amount.
He didn't mind spending so much. He could think of it as a small gift for his relatives before he left.
After taking care of this, there weren't many more errands he needed to run.
Zhang Yuan returned home and sorted out the things he had on hand.
As for the various reminders and unimportant matters, he might as well give up on them for now. All he wanted to do was study.
Time to study like crazy!
Over the next few days, Zhang Yuan happily worked his way through all kinds of books, first trying to review all his university courses, including Mathematical Analysis, Mathematical Analysis, Real Analysis, Modern Algebra, University Physics, and so on.
The days passed quickly.
His greatest wish now was to understand the articles his father had left on the tablet.
They were a little like casual notes. His father had probably jotted down inspirations as they came to him while working, so the articles looked somewhat disorganized.
But Zhang Yuan had no doubt they were valuable...
Before you continue