Volume 5: The Age of Storms Chapter 0640: Life is full of surprises
"What can I rely on?"
With this question in mind, Ren Youwei left Wenchangwei.
Nan Yi spent two days tearing down the old stove and building a new one. He didn't ask anyone for help. He did all the work of mixing mud, laying bricks, and laying tiles by himself.
After the new stove was built, he needed to get some firewood to burn it first. Nan Yi ran around all the vegetable stalls in Shencun and finally bought a cow skeleton. He chopped it up, put it in the pot to blanch it, and then simmered it in the pot.
The stew starts in the morning and is not taken out of the pot until Fan Hongdou gets home from school.
"Godfather, my old lunch box is gone, so I bought a new one. Can you help me carve my name on it?"
"Last time I went to your school, I asked the cafeteria staff to put your steamed food in the teacher's kitchen next time. Boys your age are more naughty, so it's normal for some good food to be stolen."
Nan Yi dug the beef marrow out of the bones and put it on Fan Hongdou's plate.
"Yes, there were people who stole food before, but they always left some for me. This time it was too much, they took away my lunch box." Fan Hongdou said with a pout.
"It's probably some little boy who likes you. When godfather was your age, he had a crush on a girl in the class. In order to get her attention, godfather would pull her braids, tear up her notebooks, and even steal her steamed bread."
"Godfather, what happened next?"
"Later, Mars invaded the Earth, and she enlisted in the army and became Sailor Moon. I can't tell you what happened after that because I signed a confidentiality agreement."
"Godfather, I'm thirteen years old and I want to hear a true story." Fan Hongdou said dissatisfiedly.
"Haha, okay, okay, let's tell the true story." Nan Yi chuckled and said, "The true story is that there is no later. Ever since her godfather stole her steamed bread, she completely hated him and ignored him completely."
“Is Wowotou made of white flour or whole grain flour?”
"flour."
"White flour steamed buns from 1973, no wonder." Fan Hongdou nodded her head and said with a look of sudden enlightenment.
"Don't worry about these details. The point is that my Hongdou is so beautiful. There must be a lot of boys who like you. There must be boys who deliberately bully you. No matter who bullies you, tell the teacher for the first time. If it happens a second time, just beat him up."
"Godfather, hitting people is not good, right ?"
"It's okay. You're a girl. If a boy hits a girl, it's the boy's fault. If a boy is hit by a girl, it's still the boy's fault. As long as you have a legitimate reason, no one will say it's your fault. Hongdou, you're the treasure of the Nan family. You can't bully others, and you can't let others bully you."
"Oh, I'll listen to my godfather."
"Eat it, and Godfather will carve your name on it."
Nan Yi took a piece of bone and handed it to Fan Hongdou. He pressed and dug on the belt buckle, and a steel needle that looked about the size of a one-inch nail fell into his hand.
He held the lunch box lid in his hand, pressed the steel needle against the top of the lunch box lid, and twisted it. Soon, the three words "Fan Hongdou" appeared on the top of the lunch box lid.
After carving the lunch box lid, Nan Yi picked up the lunch box and carved his name on the side.
"I'll go to the river and dig up some mud, and smear it on the places where the words were carved." Nan Yi looked at the words he carved and put the lunch box aside. "Why don't you buy one with handles?"
Fan Hongdou said: "The ones with handles are not practical, and they cost more than one yuan."
"Steaming rice is not practical, and you will get burned, but it is still useful to have hot water on a regular basis, such as when making instant noodles."
"I use a cup to get hot water, godfather, I don't eat instant noodles at school."
"That's right." Nan Yi nodded, took out a bottle of cold beer from the bucket and shook it, "Would you like to drink some?"
"No, it's bitter and not tasty."
"Then drink strawberry juice. Godfather squeezes it for you with gauze. We should have a juicer at home so that it will be more convenient for you to drink juice in the future." Nan Yi said as he poured juice for Fan Hongdou.
"Godfather, I can take care of myself."
"Well, I believe my Hongdou can take care of herself." Nan Yi nodded.
Some words are only suitable to be said at the time of parting. Once they are said, it means that separation is approaching.
The next day, Nan Yi and Xian Xiuyun met at the entrance of the village.
Nan Yi told Xian Xiuyun Ma Jiayan's contact information. After two years of testing and learning, Ma Jiayan has become a member of the financial team of the Intelligence Committee. Part of the Nan family's funds entering and leaving the mainland will pass through Ma Jiayan's hands.
When the train heading north traveled for some distance, the members of the pension fund management committee of the Nan Workers' Committee were holding a meeting in the "Aged Building", a property owned by the pension fund.
“Dai, I don’t agree with your opinion. Pension funds are related to tens of thousands of people, and in the future it may be a problem for the elderly lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Offensive funds are too risky.
If we cause huge losses to the fund, the boss will not forgive us, the Information and Strategy Committee will not forgive us, the Workers' Committee will not forgive us, and tens of thousands of Nan's employees will not forgive us."
Dai Zhengping spread his hands and said, "Dustin, what do you think we should do? You've seen the data. In just ten years, Nan's will welcome its first employee who will retire at the retirement age. In twenty years, there will be a small peak, and then it will enter a vicious cycle.
Calculated based on the proportion of funds that Nan's company has injected into the pension fund, in just seventeen years, the pensions of our Nan's employees will no longer be superior to those of others. In just twenty-two years, our pension fund will sound the orange alert.
We need to take advantage of the current stage when funds are only flowing in but not out to conduct riskier operations and try to expand the pension fund pool to protect against the continuous depreciation of the currency. "
"Dai, it's the same question again. What should we do if it causes huge losses?"
"Dai, Dustin, in the short term, the Nikkei index will continue to rise, and Japan's stock market is thriving. I suggest that we invest our funds in the Japanese stock market first."
"You little Japs, shut up!" Dai Zhengping shouted.
"Mr. Dai, I sincerely invite you to go to the boxing gym and have some fun." said Jincheng Wansheng, who was called a Japanese devil.
"Go ahead, I'm afraid of you."
When another committee member, Julian, saw the two men confronting each other, he quickly patted the table and said, “Dai, Jincheng, we are in a meeting now, please resolve your personal grudges after the meeting.
I suggest that we set up our fund as a mixed fund, with funds diversified and a combination of high, medium and low risks in a certain proportion . It is a bad idea to put too many eggs in one basket. "
"Julian's a good idea," Dustin agreed.
Dai Zhengping: "The current market situation is very suitable for taking a few risky actions."
"The Nikkei index is good." Jincheng Wansheng said.
"OK, since we can't reach a consensus, let's wait until Miss Huang attends the next meeting to discuss it."
Julian's words marked the end of this failed meeting.
"Sea bass, pig ears, broad beans, not bad, Lao Gao, why didn't I see any of them sold on the dining truck during lunch?"
In Nanyi's soft sleeper compartment, Gao Tie walked in with a meal tray.
"How could there be any in the dining car? I prepared it myself." Gao Tie put the dishes on the table and took out a bottle of wine from his pocket. "My classmate gave it to me. He runs the Moscow line."
"Red Label Vodka, keep it for yourself and savor it slowly. I can't get used to it. Tiger cub, go to the dining car and buy a few bottles of soda." Nan Yi said, glancing at the bottle.
Nan Yi said that he couldn't get used to it because, firstly, he really didn't like vodka, and secondly, he wanted to avoid Gao Tie making mistakes. Although the management was not strict now, he was still on duty after all, and Nan Yi would feel bad if he was caught by the pigtails for accompanying people to drink.
"I'll go, I'll go. Once you get on my train, you'll arrive at my territory. How can I let you pay for it?" Gao Tie stopped the tiger cub and said.
"Lao Gao, don't be so polite. It's just a few bottles of soda."
"All right."
Gao Tie let go of the tiger cub and sat opposite Nan Yi. He picked up the disposable chopsticks on the table, tore off the outer wrapping paper, pulled out the chopsticks, rubbed the chopsticks crosswise a few times, rubbed off the burrs on the chopsticks, and then handed a pair to Nan Yi.
Do the same with the next pair.
"Try this sea bass from Songjiang. It tastes better than those from other places." Gao Tie pointed at the sea bass and said as he picked up the chopsticks.
Nan Yi picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and asked, "Have you been to Shanghai?"
"No, my colleague brought it to me. I have loved eating fish since I was a child, whether it is freshwater fish or marine fish, as long as it is fish, I like it. At home, I eat fish for every meal and I will never get tired of it after eating it for decades.
Last time I went to the market, I saw a headless fish that was pickled with salt. Although it was extremely salty, I still bought a lot of it. It was cheap and I could even eat it as a meal.”
Nan Yi asked, "Imported from North Korea, right?"
"I don't know. I don't know what kind of fish it is."
Nan Yi thought about it and thought it should be yellowtail haddock or pollack. Anyway, they were both low-grade products among cods. It tasted fresh the first time you ate it, but you didn’t want to eat it the second time. Apart from the salty and fishy taste, there was no other flavor.
Tiger Cub bought some soda, and Nan Yi and Gao Tie drank it while serving food and chatting.
As the conversation went on, Gaotie shifted the topic to the carriage.
"One of my classmates has some quotas in his hands, and he wants to find someone to sell them."
"You got it wrong, didn't you? You still need to find someone to get the carload quota? Isn't it others who have to beg you for help?"
"The train number from Shanghai to Helan Mountain."
Nan Yi thought about the places that Huhai would pass through to reach Helan Mountain, and said, "There aren't many goods to Helan Mountain, but it passes through Anhui Province, Central Plains, Vinegar Province, and Qinchuan. There should be many people begging for it, right?"
"The indicators are quite special. You have to go from the starting point to the end point, and you can't unload in the middle."
"Oh, which days are the trains?"
"It is effective in the long term and the price is negotiable."
Nan Yi suddenly realized, "Are your classmates generating income?"
There must be a time limit for individuals to get some indicators through connections. Such long-term indicators must be an open act of the railway section, otherwise no one can do this.
"I don't know the details, but we can put it on the table and talk about it. There's no need to hide it." Gao Tie shook his head and said, "I'm just asking for help. If you need anything, you can tell me."
"Oh, round trip is fine?"
"If you order a few more train cars to Helan Mountain, you can send one train car back to Shanghai. It's not free."
"I understand." Nan Yi nodded and said, "It's difficult. I can't think of anyone who wants to transport goods to Helan Mountain. I'll ask for you. If anyone needs me, I'll contact you."
"Just find my brother. I'm often out driving. Thanks in advance."
"You care so much about your classmates' affairs, female classmates, right?" Nan Yi teased.
"The female classmate is indeed a female classmate, but it's not what you think." Gao Tie shook his head and said, "I can't explain the relationship between her and me for the time being. Anyway, if you can help, I'll owe you a favor."
"Haha, sure. I'll take care of it. I mean, where's the food? Why didn't you get it?"
" I won't eat, but there will be some fragrant oil in a while, it's a gift from my classmate."
Nan Yi smiled and said, "Okay, just use the fried dough to block my mouth. Can it be delicious if it's not freshly fried?"
"I'll make do with it for now. I'll thank you with some salt pond sheep in the future."
After the high-speed rail was completed, Nan Yi began to wonder what specialties there were from the Helan Mountains that could be exported. He first thought of wolfberries, then long dates and round dates, then Yanchi beach sheep and Taixi coal, and it seemed that there was also a Helan inkstone.
Goji berries are still being purchased and sold under a unified system. Long and round dates can be connected to the candied date factory in Zhejiang Province, but the season is not right and the candied date factory is not open yet.
Forget about Taixi coal, it is a high-quality coal with three lows and six highs, which ranks first in domestic quality and is a best-selling product exported to Europe to earn foreign exchange.
Salt Pond Beach Sheep...
It’s over. Ordinary carriages cannot transport it at all.
Helan Inkstone...
There's no need to transport this stuff by train. A small van will be enough.
Nan Yi thought about it, the return carriage that was hidden and not given out easily was so useless, let alone the ones in the past. He might not be able to help much with the high-speed rail, and a good meal was wasted.
Well, it’s a rare opportunity to have a good meal on the train. Nan Yi, this dog, ate one meal and two meals. When all the private goods of the high-speed rail were eaten up, he felt that it would be a bit unreasonable not to help the high-speed rail to move a few carriages out.
But just as this embarrassment arose, Nan Yi got off the car.
The train has arrived.
After being away from his motherland for two years, Nan Yi was overwhelmed with emotions and couldn't stop crying.
"Damn, I'm so unlucky. I got hit right after I got off the car."
After finally getting the yellow sand out of his eyes, Nan Yi couldn't help but complain inwardly.
Nan Yi took out the microphone glasses with the trademark still on from his military bag, put them on, and walked out. He received countless compliments of "silly hat".
It only took two or three years for it to go from being trendy to looking a little silly.
Nowadays, it is popular in the market not to cut off the labels when buying clothes. If you wear a piece of clothing without a label on it, how can you face people?
Especially for suits, the trademark on the cuffs is a finishing touch. People who wear them want them to be as big as possible. It doesn’t matter if the clothes have a hole. But if the trademark falls off, it will be too late to regret.
In the 1940s, the shoulder pads popularized by Joan Crawford had already created a whirlwind in China with the hit of the American TV series "Dynasty". This trend has already reached Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Nan Yi believes that once summer is over, this trend will spread across the country.
Along the way from the exit to the parking lot, Nan Yi has seen two women wearing silk tops with shoulder pads. This year should be good for the chemical industry and for factories producing polyurethane foam, if they are not listed.
Nan Yi walked to the side of a yellow Daihatsu, opened the door and got in, "Old girl, you haven't married yourself yet?"
"Yes, I'm already thirty-four." Gong Xue said resentfully.
"Don't panic. The mellower the wine, the more fragrant it is. The older a woman is, the more valuable she is. If you don't accept a betrothal gift of 100,000 or 80,000 yuan, don't marry easily. Believe in yourself. You can do it. Somewhere in the world, there must be a man who is willing to die for you waiting for you."
"Really?" Gong Xue put her right hand on the car key and said, "I'm leaving."
"No, there are only two female drivers in the world, one is called School Beauty, and the other is called Other. The sun is too hot, I just came up to sit, how can I let you be my driver." Nan Yi waved his hand and said, "I'll go to your place for lunch tomorrow, and we can talk tomorrow if there's anything. Have your skills improved?"
"You'll know when you eat it tomorrow." Gong Xue said confidently.
"Um."
Nan Yi nodded, opened the car door, got out, took two steps and got into his car.
"School beauties need cars and people."
"What standard?"
"Follow Ruan Mei's standards."
"clear."
When Nan Yi's car arrived at the old villa, there was already a car parked at the gate.
Walking into the yard, Nan Yi saw Li Jin and an unfamiliar man, about thirty-three or thirty-four years old, sitting by the bamboo grove.
"Old Li, why are you here?"
"Knowing you're coming back today, of course I have to rush over to greet you." Upon seeing Nan Yi, Li Jin stood up from the low stool, "Nan Yi, let me introduce you to Zhou Xiaobing, Brother Zhou, from Beijing Steel."
As soon as Li Jin said "Zhou Xiaobing", Nan Yi knew who this was. He had heard from Kang Kang that Zhou Xiaobing's father was the leader of Jinggang, and he was a very powerful person in Jinggang, and he was considered a real gangster.
His name is Xiaobing and he is also a soldier by birth.
As for what a small soldier is, this topic is a bit taboo and hard to explain. They are a relatively special group. There are quite a few such small soldiers in Beijing, but Nan Yi has never had much contact with them. After all, there is an age gap and they are in different circles.
Nan Yi was quite unhappy with Li Jin's nickname "Brother Zhou". Li Jin forced him to follow suit. You know, in some circles, "brother" is not a casual title, which implicitly means putting himself and "brother" in the same circle.
"Hello, Brother Zhou, why aren't you sitting in the living room?" Nan Yi walked up and shook hands with Zhou Xiaobing.
Nan Yi's call of "brother" meant that he would not get too close to Zhou Xiaobing. He only wanted to do business and did not want to get involved in other matters.
"I heard from Xiao Li that you don't smoke, so our two chimneys won't dirty your living room. Xiao Li talked a lot about you today, which aroused my interest in you. It just so happens that he wants to welcome you, so I followed him to meet you."
Zhou Xiaobing has a loud and rough voice, and the tone of his voice gives people a feeling that "he is the boss". He is probably usually surrounded by a group of younger brothers and is used to being the big brother.
"Brother Zhou, you're too polite. There's no rush to welcome you today. I've just returned, and the first meal I have to have is with my wife. Tomorrow night, I'll host you, and we'll find a place and drink to our heart's content."
Zhou Xiaobing's rosacea is very obvious. He must drink alcohol regularly and his alcohol tolerance is not bad.
"Okay, that's great. I like drinking with straightforward people." Zhou Xiaobing smiled and said, "We can now be considered acquainted. I'll give you my pager number. Call me tomorrow."
"become."
After noting down Zhou Xiaobing's pager number, Nan Yi dealt with him and Li Jin for a while. The two left about an hour later.
"What does this Zhou Xiaobing have in mind about me?"
A man who is used to being the big brother takes the initiative to come to Nan Yi and wait. If he says he has no intention of doing so, Nan Yi will definitely not believe it.
Nan Yi listed in his mind all the information that Li Jin probably knew about him, and started the process of elimination, eliminating the impossible ones one by one. Finally, there were only two left - Grandma Fang Mengyin and Yaqing Company.
"Damn it, find something for me to do as soon as I get back."
Nan Yi complained, put the matter aside for the time being, and started the first thing he did when he returned home, "cleaning".
After cleaning the old house inside and out, it was almost time for dinner. Nan Yi worked around the clock to prepare dinner and waited for Liu Zhen to come home from get off work.
