Volume 1 Chapter 0017: Ten Years of Sharpening a Sword
“Is there any way to exchange Hong Kong dollars?”
"Yes, do you want to exchange it for Hong Kong dollars ?"
Nan Yi and Lai Biao met again to receive the remaining 600,000 yuan in payment.
"Yes, I want to buy stocks, Hong Kong stocks."
"You also know about stocks?" Lai Biao asked in surprise.
“A little bit.”
"I'll help you change it, but it's only one to four."
Nan Yi thought about it. The official exchange rate is about 1:5, 1 RMB to 5 Hong Kong dollars. Lai Biao's price is not too high. So he nodded and said, "Okay, but I hope the money is in Hong Kong and reliable."
“Absolutely reliable.”
"No need to check the money, just change it into Hong Kong dollars for me."
“Are you sure about the stock?”
"What do you think? This is 2.4 million Hong Kong dollars. How can I take it lightly without any confidence?"
"Okay, I'll find a stockbroker for you. You can meet him on Chung Ying Street and tell him the stocks you want to trade."
"No need. I will find a stockbroker myself. If you want to follow my instructions, I can tell you to buy Wharf Holdings. Don't ask me the reason. Just get a few Hong Kong newspapers and read them yourself."
"Fuck, am I so untrustworthy?"
Lai Biao was a little exasperated.
"Boss, I trust you a lot. How many houses can you buy in Hong Kong with 2.4 million Hong Kong dollars?"
If Nan Yi remembers correctly, the current housing price in Kowloon is less than 350 per square foot, and less than 300 in the New Territories, while Kowloon is almost 400.
Damn it, I have to send a trustworthy person to Xiangkeng as soon as possible.
"Okay, okay, if you want to find it yourself, go ahead. I'll tell you how to withdraw the money in a couple of days."
"Thank you very much."
"Oh no!"
In a few days, 2.4 million Hong Kong dollars were used to buy 48,200 shares at a price of 49.6, and the rest of the money was used to pay commissions, which was exactly what he spent.
Then, for several days in a row, members of Wenchangwei could see Nan Yi chasing butterflies everywhere, muttering, "Boss, don't have the effect, absolutely not."
"Nan Yi, I heard that this stock will lose money."
Another day, Nan Yi was drinking at Xian Yaodong's house, and Xian Yaodong said this.
"Don't panic. If you really lose, I'll make up for your share."
"That's not necessary. You made this money with me. Nan Yi, I can see that you have a bright future. I, Uncle Xian, will hand over these 100 pounds to you from now on. You ask me to catch a dog, but I will never chase a chicken."
"Okay, okay, Uncle Xian, I'll eat solid food, but I won't let you drink watery food. Let's work together to achieve common prosperity and move towards the four modernizations."
"Yes, the Four Transformations."
…
February 4, 1978, the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, was the beginning of spring.
In the expert building in the tube building of the No. 2 Chemical Plant's family compound, a woman started yelling early in the morning, "You idiot, hurry up and get up. What are you doing? It's already so late, and you're still sleeping."
Nan Yi looked at his watch. It was only five twenty. In order to avoid the noise, he got up.
The one who called him "bie duzi" was Nan Yi's former mother and also Nan Yi's mother now. She had a nice name, Yi Jinru, and she was pretty. If she didn't speak, she would look like an elegant lady from a noble family.
But if you open your mouth, you're doomed. You'll be called nasty words like "finished bastard", "fuck you", and "wheel stick", just like buying pork in the Northeast, one after another.
Especially after staying in Beijing for many years, not only did he bring the Northeastern swear words here, he also learned the Beijing people's ability to talk big, and mixed it with the national swear words from other places. Humph, anyone who has tried it will know.
I got up, folded up the bedding, moved out the stool that served as a bed, opened the door to the corridor, went to the bathroom to put on the toilet and wash up. When everything was ready, I put on my coat, opened the kitchen door and went out.
Don't be surprised, it's the kitchen door.
The Experts' Building was a tube-shaped building built in the 1950s to accommodate experts from the north. It has one bedroom, one living room, one kitchen and one bathroom.
Nan Yi has both healthy parents. His father is Nan Huaiqiu, an engineer at the Second Chemical Plant. His mother is the one mentioned earlier. He has an older brother named Nan Tieli, who returned to the city in 1976 and is married. His wife is Jin Yan, who works as a nurse in the factory hospital of the Second Chemical Plant.
On the first day of 1978, the Nan family had a new granddaughter, whose full name was Nan Ruochan and whose nickname was Guagua.
The Nan family’s house was converted into a two-bedroom house since Nan Yi was born.
It was just right now that one room was available for a couple, and Nan Yi, the extra one, had to live in the kitchen.
Fortunately, due to the layout of the house, the kitchen and the original living room are not connected, but are independent. If the kitchen is demolished, it can also be a good bedroom.
Of course, this is a beautiful imagination. In fact, Nan Yi felt very uncomfortable, embarrassed and ashamed sleeping in the kitchen.
Nan's house has a bathroom that is connected to the kitchen and can only be entered through the kitchen door.
From this, we can imagine that if other people get up frequently at night, will Nan Yi be often awakened when sleeping?
Well, frequent waking up at night is not an assumption, but an objective fact.
Nan Huaiqiu has a problem with his prostate, and he has frequent urination and cannot urinate completely. He may have to get up seven or eight times a night to urinate. With other people joining in the fun, he still can't sleep at all.
So, strictly speaking, what Nan Yi said to Li Hai and the others was not a lie.
The Nan family’s house is indeed very cramped.
Nan Yi went downstairs, lit a cigarette, walked out of the family compound, and headed towards his grandmother's house which was not far away.
I walked into an alley and pushed open a gate. What came into view were two trees, a jujube tree on the left and a chicken claw tree on the right.
There are five rooms in the courtyard, and Grandma Nan Yi lives alone.
Nan Tieli spent his childhood here. Nan Yi was not like that, he was born in the expert building. As for why the Nan family was so cramped and didn't live here, it was of course because of the powerful Yi Jinru.
"Grandma, grandma, is breakfast ready?"
"It's ready. I'm waiting for you."
A soft and sticky sound was heard from a room.
"What do you want to eat today?"
As I walked into the room, I heard Zhou Xuan's "Eternal Smile" playing on the gramophone.
"The one in my heart has a smiling face. He once brought me spring in late autumn..."
The music seemed to bring me back to the old times. Sitting opposite me was a lady from the Republic of China, with white teeth, beautiful eyebrows and graceful manners.
"Today I'm eating sweet potato porridge, and eating mulberry."
"I'm used to it. It doesn't matter. I get up in a bad mood every day. You know I'm not popular there."
"Forget it, you should just speak Mandarin. Your Shanghainese accent is unpleasant to listen to."
"Hehe, I'm just trying to cooperate with you, a famous lady."
"What socialite? The Fang family has been bankrupt for decades. I am just an old lady now."
Nannai, Fang Mengyin served Nan Yi a bowl of sweet potato porridge, handed him a set of bowl and chopsticks, and the two began to eat breakfast.
After drinking a few mouthfuls of the sweet sweet potato porridge, Nan Yi said, "Grandma, do you miss the taste of Western food?"
"Why, you want to treat me to Lao Mo?"
"I know you look down on Lao Mo. I'm talking about authentic Western food, French and Italian food."
“Where can I eat this?”
"It's fragrant."
Fang Mengyin put down her chopsticks and looked at Nan Yi with burning eyes, "Is your business growing?"
"Well, there is no reliable person. I want grandma to settle in Xiangkeng. I need someone with Xiangkeng identity to cooperate with me."
"Okay, let's go. Have you bought the house for me?"
"Not yet. Now the villas in Repulse Bay cost hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars. When you go there, bring a few yellow croakers with you. That will be enough for you to buy a house there and hire two servants. Although it won't be as good as before, it's better than now ."
"It seems that you have really made money. I said that you must have inherited the genes of the Fang family. Since you were a child, I have seen that you are smart. If the Nan family really wants to prosper, it still depends on you.
That's your mother. She's confused. She treats her eldest son as a treasure and her youngest son as grass. I really don't want to say anything about her."
"Grandma, forget it, let's not talk about my mom. I also bought a house in the countryside in the south. It was originally owned by a small wealthy man, and it's very large. You can stay in Xiangkeng for a few years. If you can't get used to it, you can live with me in the countryside.
When I graduate, I will go back there.”
"Okay, my eldest grandson will make the arrangements. Grandma will listen to you."
"Well, have you bought your New Year's goods?"
"I prepared it a long time ago. I didn't buy too much for one person. Your father even sent me a pound of meat. Oh, he did it in secret, making me feel like I was his concubine."
"Haha, grandma, don't you dare say that."
"That's all I'm saying. Back then, even the tycoons in Shanghai who kept concubines were not as shameless as him."
"Tsk, tsk, you used that word."
"What's wrong with using this word? Your father is really your grandfather's offspring. Gousheng Gousheng, the name is not wrong."
Gousheng, it turns out that Nan’s father Nan Huaiqiu’s real name, um, was given by Nan Yi’s late grandfather.
Nan Gousheng, bah.
Later, Fang Mengyin argued and forced Nan Huaiqiu to come.
If Grandpa Nan Yi hadn't died, he would probably be called Nan Goubao, Nan Fenji, Nan Daoyang, or something like that.
It is not difficult to imagine who gave the name Nan Tieli to Nan Yi's eldest brother.
"Grandma, you are not young anymore. You should stop being so proud like an 18-year-old Shanghai Beach lady. We should put down our airs and get down to earth."
"Hmph, Mr. Xiaoce, what do you know? I was dancing at the Paramount earlier, and that prodigal son of the Zhang family in the Northeast had to watch eagerly."
"Grandma, look forward and don't think about the past. The Paramount is nothing. I will have you live in Mid-Levels soon and dance in a Mid-Levels club so that those old bastards from Eagle Country can watch you."
"Okay, okay, I won't say anything more. Eat quickly. After you finish eating, dance tango with grandma."
"Grandma, you've gained weight. I can't swing you."
"You, your mouth really deserves a beating." Fang Mengyin pointed at Nan Yi and said.
“Hehehe.”
After breakfast, he helped to wash the dishes and beat Fang Mengyin for the whole morning, then Nan Yi walked towards Donglaishun again.
When I walked into the door, Men Saner was already there, chewing mutton with a hissing sound.
Nan Yi walked over and sat down, picked up the chopsticks and started to pick up the mutton, "How many pots of meat did you order?"
"Three pots, Master Nan, you know I like this. When you were not in Sijiu City, I often came here to eat alone, and I ate six or seven pots at a time."
"Be careful and don't let anyone target you. As the old saying goes, don't show off your wealth."
"I know. I feed my whole family. I earn fifty-something yuan a month. Plus, with all the extra money that other people want, I can afford to eat like this with my salary. At most, people will call me a spendthrift."
"Well, just think about it. Don't waste your money recklessly. We'll have a big move in two years."
"Yes, Master Nan, I apologize to you. You asked me to start preparing so early, but I still didn't pass the exam. I'm sorry for embarrassing you."
"If you fail the exam, then you fail. Failing the exam has its advantages. Your unit can still prosper for two more years. And you need to travel around a lot. In the next two years, you should pay attention to those smart people who are secretly doing business in other places.
If possible, build a good relationship with them.
In the future, these people will be our sales channels. If we continue to do business, we will not be doing retail, but wholesale. We will just stay behind and make a fortune quietly.”
"I'll do whatever you want, Master Nan."
"By the way, you should find someone who is good at antiques. Don't look for someone who has no ties. Look for someone who has a family and children. People who have no ties are prone to extremes. If they get tired of living, we can't control them at all."
"Okay, I'll take care of this matter. But the antiques aren't selling for a high price right now. Is there any profit in doing this?"
"When we get back, find a book about Hu Xueyan and read it to help me understand what hoarding means. If we can't sell it at a high price, we can raise the price.
Antiques are valuable in prosperous times, and gold is valuable in troubled times. This saying from our ancestors has already pointed the way forward for us.
We must dig a few spoonfuls of gold from antiques."
"Okay, Hu Xueyan was the richest man in the Qing Dynasty?"
"Yes, that's it. You should not only study how it was launched, but also how it failed. The experience of success is important, but the reasons for failure are equally important."
