Chapter 363: I Am Not a Good Person

"You've used this Vaseline for a while, how do you feel about it?" Liang Yao asked Qing Muling about her experience with Vaseline.

Vaseline has not yet been officially put on the market, Liang Yao just took some for Qing Muling and his maids to use.

However, oil workers have found that this thing has a miraculous effect on relieving the pain caused by burns and cuts, and also has a lubricating and moisturizing effect.

Many oil workers like to apply this unknown mineral ointment on their hands and faces before work, and also like to carry some with them as ointments when they get injured at work.

But the Vaseline in Liang Yao's hand is different from the mineral ointment used by oil workers.

This is the mineral ointment specially prepared by Nobel in the laboratory for makeup and skin care according to Liang Yao's requirements.

Before the emergence of the chemical industry, the cosmetics used by humans were mainly mineral powders and animal and plant ointments. Compared with these cosmetics, Vaseline has great advantages.

Furthermore, Liang Yao thinks that it is a bit of a waste to only refine kerosene, lubricating oil and asphalt from crude oil. He can completely refine some other by-products within his ability.

Moreover, the market for cosmetics and skin care products is not small. Taking over this market can make a lot of money and support many people in California.

"It works well." Qingmu Ling has a very high opinion of Vaseline.

"This ointment is different from the ointments I used before. The ointments I used in the past, no matter how carefully they were stored, would mold and grow hair over time, and the smell was hard to describe.

But this ointment will not grow hair and deteriorate no matter how long it is stored, and it also has a special fragrance. It is very comfortable to use and the effect is better than other ointments."

After Liang Yao released the news of opening up crude oil smelting technology, the dignitaries in California were extremely excited.

Their excitement was no less than when Liang Yao provided mercury for the alchemy industry.

Hearing that Liang Yao was going to use the opportunity of establishing the California Petroleum Association to publicize the kerosene refining technology, the dignitaries of California came to Tingtao Garden early and waited for the meeting to begin.

Since last year, the oil industry in Los Angeles has been as hot as the gold rush industry.

Many wealthy people from San Francisco and Sacramento have already settled in Los Angeles and bought land in Los Angeles from Liang Yao to dig wells and look for oil.

However, they don't make much money. The valuable part of oil is the refined products, and the profit of crude oil is not that considerable.

The wealthy people in California have long been coveting Liang Yao's oil refining technology.

In their view, the so-called oil refining technology is the alchemy that can turn oil into gold.

In the face of the huge profits of kerosene, some restless people even came up with the idea of ​​stealing Standard Oil's oil refining technology.

But this is just a thought. In California, these wealthy people in California dare not put this idea into practice even if they have it.

After getting dressed, Liang Yao came to the reception room.

Compared with the image of a group of old-fashioned people with dusty faces three or four years ago, the current California rich have changed at least in appearance.

They put on clean and tidy dresses, picked up civilized sticks, put on expensive etiquette, and even their speech and behavior have become much more civilized.

Of course, it is not only the appearance of California dignitaries that is different from three or four years ago.

Their ethnic composition has also changed.

Three or four years ago, except for a few Guangzhou merchants, California dignitaries were all white.

Today, among the upper class in California, the proportion of Chinese and white people is 50-50, and even two or three Indian chiefs can be seen.

California dignitaries is a relatively broad concept. Among the dignitaries present, there are not only dignitaries in California, but also dignitaries in Oregon.

For example, Thomas, the mayor of Eugene, is from Oregon.

With the increasing prosperity of California, California has become the economic center of the entire West Coast.

Before the rise of California, Oregonians had closer economic ties with Canada in the north, that is, the Hudson Bay Company of Britain.

Since the Oregon region and the core area of ​​the eastern United States are connected by only a fragile Oregon Trail, transportation is very inconvenient. Therefore, for convenience, Oregonians often sell their local furs, wood and other local specialties and some agricultural products directly to the Hudson Bay Company.

But after the rise of California, everything changed.

Although the transportation between the Oregon region and the eastern United States is inconvenient, the transportation between the Oregon region and California is very convenient.

Take Eugene as an example. Eugene has a road with Sacramento. This road is wide enough to accommodate four freight carriages running side by side.

Moreover, the road is paved with asphalt specially transported from Los Angeles. Even if it is rainy, the road will not be muddy and difficult to travel.

In addition to the road, the railway between Eugene and Sacramento is about to be completed, and then the trade between Eugene and California will be more convenient.

Now, Eugene has become the new economic center of the Oregon region, and its prosperity is no less than that of Portland, the first city in Oregon in the lower reaches of the Columbia River.

Immigrants and industrial products from California continued to flow into Eugene and Oregon, greatly improving the living standards of local people.

Oregon fur was also sent to California clothing factories, where workers processed it into ready-made clothes and sold it all over the world. Wood was mainly processed into barrels and sold to Los Angeles.

Oregon's economy has become integrated with California's economy.

California can leave Oregon, but Oregon cannot leave California.

There have even been calls from the people of Oregon for the Oregon region to be incorporated into California.

But this hope is very slim. California is currently the second largest state in terms of territory after Texas. If it swallows up the Oregon region, the federal government will probably face great resistance.

In the 19th century, the federal government had already intentionally or unintentionally weakened the power of local areas.

Texas was willing to be feared by the federal government because of its large territory. After Texas joined the United States, the federal government had already divided several pieces of land from Texas and incorporated them into the quasi-state area.

Because Liang Yao swallowed up the western part of Nevada, California's area is about 110,000 square kilometers larger than that of California in history, which is equivalent to the area of ​​Fujian Province.

It is impossible to say that the federal government is not afraid.

What's more, compared with Texas, California's current population size and economic strength are several levels higher than Texas.

Before Liang Yao appeared, the focus of the reception room was Deng Wenshun.

Deng Wenshun is the president of Standard Oil Company and the mayor of Los Angeles. With either of these two identities, Deng Wenshun is worthy of the fawning and flattery of these California dignitaries.

Just two years ago, Deng Wenshun was still a very marginal figure in California, the mayor of a remote town in California.

"The Speaker is here!"

Someone shouted in the crowd, and the lively reception room suddenly became quiet.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Liang Yao, waiting for Liang Yao to speak with expectation.

"Everyone is now well-dressed, and looks more and more like upper-class people."

Liang Yao walked to the round table and found a seat to sit down, smiling and said.

"In America, having money is upper class, and having no money is lower class." After seeing Liang Yao sitting down, Feier also found a seat to sit down.

"Zhaoming, do you really want to disclose the secret recipe of oil refining?" Wu Yuanhua and Liang Yao addressed each other by their names to get closer to Liang Yao.

"When have I ever lied to you?" Liang Yao said with a smile, "I can tell you very clearly that the rumors you heard are not groundless. We are all Californians. How can Liang make money alone without bringing everyone to make money together?"

"What the Speaker said is very true. Many of you here are California veterans who followed the Speaker to establish the state. The Speaker will not treat us California veterans unfairly." Sheriff Flagg said.

When Flagg first arrived in California, it was still California, the California region, and the federal government's quasi-state region.

At that time, Flagg just wanted to live a life of idleness in California. After the gold rush, he just wanted to use his position as sheriff to make more gold and return to the east for retirement.

He never thought that one day he would be able to become a state legislator, become a shareholder of a large mining company, and gain both power and wealth.

The other California dignitaries also nodded in agreement.

Following Liang Yao all the way, Liang Yao really never treated them unfairly.

Liang Yao can eat meat, and they can also drink a mouthful of soup.

Fremont, who was sitting next to Liang Yao, smiled but said nothing.

Liang Yao is not the kind of person who likes to eat alone, but he is not the kind of person who will share wealth with others without any additional conditions.

Based on Fremont's understanding of Liang Yao, Liang Yao is indeed likely to disclose the secret formula of oil refining, but there will definitely be additional conditions.

Liang Yao waved his hand, and Carnegie, his least experienced assistant, brought four bottles.

The four bottles contained kerosene, vaseline, lubricating oil, and asphalt.

These four products are the four most economically valuable commodities that can be extracted from crude oil at the current level of chemical industry in California.

"What I want to tell you is that Standard Oil can not only refine kerosene from crude oil, but also cosmetics, lubricating oil for mechanical parts, and asphalt for paving. I believe you are also aware of the commercial value of these four products."

Liang Yao introduced these four products to these California dignitaries, and then clapped his hands, and the maids brought out samples on trays and let the California dignitaries present take them.

Kerosene and asphalt are no longer rare in California, and these California dignitaries do not find them strange. What is less common are lubricating oil and vaseline.

Especially vaseline, many people have never seen it before.

Some people who are more curious directly stretch out their fingers and apply vaseline from the glass container to their hands and faces.

It seems quite comfortable, without the disgusting smell and feeling that animal fats bring to people.

"Do you really want to share these business secrets with us?"

Fair looked at Liang Yao doubtfully. Like the California dignitaries present, he originally only wanted to get the smelting formula of kerosene. He did not expect Liang Yao to be so generous and even willing to share other formulas.

"It depends on your sincerity." Liang Yao said.

"California has been established for almost four years, but it still does not have its own university. I think you also hope that your children can receive a good education in California in the future."

"Do you mean that we should fund the establishment of a university?" Fremont's eyes lit up.

If they jointly fund the establishment of a university, even if Liang Yao does not share the refining technology, he is willing to pay.

There is no doubt that California is now a strong economic state in the United States, but California’s current educational strength does not match its economic strength, and it still does not have a single institution of higher learning.