Volume 5: The Age of Storms Chapter 0715: The Dark Man's Dark Deeds
"Uncle Nan, no matter how high the cotton price is this year, how much spare money do farmers have? I heard from a friend that many purchasing stations are short of funds and are issuing a lot of IOUs to farmers. Although they are very trustworthy and can basically be redeemed in less than a year, that will be next year."
"Oh? Your friend is so knowledgeable about the market, could he be a professional IOU trader?"
In the previous life, when the real estate industry was in a serious state of internal competition, advance payment and acceptance bills became popular. When a contractor finished a job for a real estate company, he usually received not cash or a transfer check at the time of settlement, but a commercial acceptance bill.
To put it simply, a commercial acceptance bill is an IOU with a repayment date indicated. It does not have any guarantees , and whether you can get the money when it is due is not determined by the "creditor". It is full of uncertainties, and whether it is reliable or not depends entirely on the reputation of the issuing company.
In the business world, reputation is often very important, but sometimes it can be worthless.
Even if the company is very trustworthy and can honor the commercial agreement when it matures, no one can guarantee that the "creditor" will not be in urgent need of money before it matures. When encountering such a situation, the "creditor" will take the commercial agreement to the bank for discount in advance, that is, pay the bank discount interest and get the money in advance.
This is a feasible method in theory, but in practice this method generally does not work. If you want to get the money in advance, you need to sell the commercial contract to a third-party company that specializes in commercial contract recycling.
This type of third-party enterprise usually has close ties with the enterprise that issues the commercial contract. The threshold is very high and not everyone can do it. They usually don’t have to worry about the commercial contract not being fulfilled, and may even be able to fulfill it in advance without any discount.
" My friend doesn't do it himself, but he has a relative who is doing this business," said Sun Changzheng.
"Oh, it's hard to say about the others. The cotton purchasing station is okay. IOUs and cash are split in half. There are always a few households in a village who are better off and have more money. They can still afford it. No matter how small the profit is, it's still meat. Any profit is good.
Besides making money, I also have another purpose which is publicity. When farmers buy a TV, you give them a TV cover for free. You can make it custom-made with thicker and better-looking fabric, and embroider the name of Jingxi Yiguo and the advertising slogan on it.
The slogan must be catchy. It should not only appear on the TV cover, but also in the mouths of children.
We are doing long-term business. We should not only focus on the present, but also look forward to and plan for the future. Children aged seven, eight or ten now can not only influence their parents' thinking, but will also be the main force of consumption in a dozen years. When they do not have the consumption capacity, we should engrave the words "Jingxi Yiguo" in their minds. "
Nan Yi said this and changed the topic to another place. "In 1919, in an American comic strip called Thimble Theatre, there appeared a character called Popeye. His name was Bobby. In this comic, no matter what kind of dangerous situation Bobby encountered, as long as he touched the head of a chicken, he would instantly become a superman with infinite strength.
The image of Popeye was surprisingly popular with readers as soon as it came out, and readers called for the publication of a separate Popeye comic strip.
Comics are also a business, and the purpose of publishing comics is of course to make money. Since the market response is so good, the comic company cannot fail to meet the needs of readers. In 1929, the serialized comic "Popeye" came out.
In 1933, "Popeye" was made into an animated film by Paramount Pictures, but the movie was very different from the cartoon. The chicken disappeared, and was replaced by spinach, BOBO brand spinach. Popeye would have super powers as long as he ate spinach.
"Uncle Nan, was the movie invested in by the factory that produces BOBO spinach?" Sun Changzheng asked thoughtfully.
"Part of it, it's considered a considerable amount of advertising money. Don't think about it now. Think about it carefully when you go back. In addition to good service, you also need good publicity to attract customers to the store. Come to my place on the morning of the 16th and we'll have a good chat."
"Okay, Master Nan."
Nan Yi nodded to Sun Changzheng, then said to Luo Tong, "Are you dating someone?"
"Not yet. My family did introduce a few to me, but I wasn't interested in dating, so I wasted my time and soon I lost interest in the girls."
"You are not young anymore, you should find someone, start a family and build a career. A man is like a wild horse that has broken free from its reins. If you don't put a bit on him, he will run around everywhere. With a family comes responsibility, and you will become more mature. With children, you will not dare to slack off.
People should not be too idle. If they are idle, they will ponder the meaning of their existence and think about whether it is interesting to live like this.
You have to live whether you have a meaning or not. You can live a miserable life. Few people would choose to die well. Instead of pondering the meaning of existence, you might as well work hard and make more money.
Is there any meaning in making money?
It is very meaningful. Pay enough to the country, leave enough to the collective, and the rest is yours.
While making money for ourselves, we are actually contributing to the country. We can proudly pat our chests and say that we are useful people to the country.
I have said before that everyone should abandon the idea of being a profiteer. Will a profiteer, who engages in speculative transactions, take the initiative to go to the tax office to pay taxes?
No, absolutely not.
The money is in your pocket. Unless there is a knife at your neck, who the hell would give their money to others for free?
The country’s reform and opening up has freed everyone’s hands and feet to allow everyone to do business. What is the purpose of this?
Revitalize the economy and get money circulating.
Today the money belongs to Zhang San. Tomorrow Zhang San takes the money to buy something from Li Si, and the money becomes Li Si's again. The day after tomorrow Li Si takes the money to Ma Wu to purchase goods, and the money becomes Ma Wu's again. Ma Wu hires Zhang San to work for him and pays Zhang San a salary.
In this way, the money circulates between three people, and the state can collect various taxes during the flow of money. The faster the circulation, the more taxes the state can collect.
What the country needs are merchants who participate in this circulation process. The more merchants participate in the circulation, the bigger the pie can be, and more and more jobs will be created. The country's economy will improve, and the cycle will continue in a positive direction.
However, the profiteers kicked out countless middlemen like Li Si and directly connected Zhang San and Ma Wu, breaking the virtuous circulation closed loop, buying low and selling high, and directly sucking away a large amount of money.
Putting the rules aside, the money is sucked away. As long as the profiteers pay taxes and continue to participate in circulation, they can be considered to be making contributions to the country.
But is this what the profiteer does?
No, what speculators do is speculation. They do this today and that tomorrow, and they make holes everywhere. When there are no more opportunities for speculation, people will put their money into a pile and go home to buy houses and cars, eat and drink the best. But if the speculators think that the money they save up is enough to spend for a lifetime, they will not want to move.
That’s it, it’s fucking over. The money in circulation has become stagnant, and there’s not enough money in the closed circulation loop.
What if it’s not enough? "
"The country should print more." Sun Changzheng said.
"Yes." Nan Yi nodded, "Businessmen are only interested in profit. Everyone who goes into business is aiming to make a good living. No one goes there to contribute to the country.
If someone says that he does business only to contribute to the country and not to make money, and that he is not interested in money at all, then you should slap him in the face. You are so hypocritical.
"Hahaha!"
Nan Yi's humorous words made everyone in the box laugh.
Nan Yi took a sip of tea, and when the laughter died down, he continued, "Doing business is to make money, there is nothing wrong with that, there is nothing to be ashamed of saying it to others, as long as you think about whether your business can help the country while making money.
I'm not asking you to become noble people. You're already a businessman, so how can you be noble? I want you to think carefully about how much benefit this new business can bring to the country when you are preparing to start a new business.
You must not do anything that does not benefit you, and you must not touch anything that benefits you too much. The most important things should of course be handed over to the most trusted people. Everyone should remember their own identities. A concubine's son raised by a stepmother should not think of competing for benefits with a legitimate son. "
"Master Nan, Master Liu, Master Huang, Master Luo, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just sent away a customer who was getting his hair permed. I'm late, I'm late. I'll drink three cups as punishment later."
As soon as Nan Yi finished speaking, Bao Huantou walked into the box.
"Hello, it's very fashionable. Not only has her hair been permed, but it's also dyed. This color is great, the same color as the golden monkey."
"Haha, Master Nan, this is the most popular hairstyle in Xiangkeng. As a barber, I must take good care of my own hair."
"Stop talking nonsense and come and sit down." Nan Yi pointed to the seat next to him and said, "You are the host, and the top seat has been reserved for you."
Bao Huantou walked to Nan Yi and said, "Master Nan, how dare I sit on the throne when you are here."
"Don't be polite, just sit down if you're told to. We're not planning on paying for today's meal." Nan Yi pulled Bao Huantou's arm and pressed him down on his seat. "You can eat and drink what you want today, don't try to fool us with Erguotou."
"No, no, I have 58% Yilite [which is different from the later ones], 60% Bengbu Baijiu, and Hupaoquan Liquor that Tu Yu brought from Zhejiang Province. If you don't like them, I can go out and buy a few bottles of Moutai."
"Haha, I'm just teasing you. I'm drinking beer, and you can just greet them with some free talk."
In the box, everyone played cymbals for each other for a few seconds, and then Tu Yu came over with the dishes.
In the lively atmosphere, everyone was drinking and in high spirits. Huang Saner suggested going to the karaoke bar. A broken heart is more serious than anything else. Nan Yi may not give face to others, but not to Huang Saner.
There was no choice but for Nan Yi to be dragged along to the karaoke bar.
From the opening of the first "Ni Ge Karaoke Hall" in the eastern suburbs in the summer to now, karaoke in Beijing has shown a trend of blossoming everywhere. There must be karaoke in every lively place, and young people in Beijing have gained another form of mass entertainment.
Grain Store Karaoke, a karaoke room opened in a grain store.
Perhaps the boss lacked funds for renovation and had to use his brain. The walls of the karaoke room were covered with celebrity posters as wallpaper, and even the ceiling was covered with them. Don’t mention it, although it looks simple, it has a unique flavor.
All you need is a color TV, a karaoke recorder, some tables, chairs and benches, some wine and drinks, and some melon seeds from a grocery store, and you're ready to start your business.
It sounds simple, but to open a karaoke hall, you have to invest at least 20,000 to 30,000 yuan. If you want more songs, the money will be endless. Regardless of whether they are genuine or pirated, the price of the accompaniment video tapes will not be low.
The song list of the grain store karaoke is very thin, only three or four sheets of paper. There are only a few dozen songs, including this year's most popular songs and evergreen songs.
The decoration is simple and there are few songs, but the consumption is not low. Singing costs 1.5 yuan per song, and a can of Coke costs 6 yuan. Beer is cheaper and can be charged by the cup or by the bottle. It's almost the same either way, a total of 2.5 yuan per bottle.
Nan Yi accidentally pressed the low table and heard a creaking sound.
He bent over to take a look at the leg. It was broken, with wire tied on it. The broken end was so slanted and cute. Nan Yi imagined in his mind a scene where a man was kicked onto a low table, with the table's leg broken in the process.
Nowadays, fights are commonplace in places where there are wine and women. There are many reasons for conflicts, such as being drunk, hitting on women, fighting for seats, or simply being unhappy with someone.
Huang Saner was the most popular person today, so of course she had to be the first to request a song. She requested "Nothing at All".
They fought, drank and chatted for more than twenty minutes before the microphone with a long connecting cord was delivered to Nan Yi and his friends' table.
As the prelude of the accompaniment sounded, Huang Saner took the microphone and began to roar, "Now is a certain day, so-and-so and so-and-so are together, silently swearing to each other, saying that they love each other deeply, now is a certain day, so-and-so is smiling at me and looking forward to it, if I can be with you in the future, my heart is full of true love, what about true love, it is hard to say that it will never change..."
Huang Saner sang the Cantonese version of "What About True Love", which was a song that matched her current mood. Huang Saner's singing was not bad, with a little bit of Xiao Fengjie's flavor.
"Good, great singing, don't look at me, applaud, and give a shout out to this girl."
Huang Saner had just finished singing the last line when a burly man at a table not far from Nan Yi and the others shouted.
The big man looked to be about 1.85 meters tall and weighed at least 220 pounds.
"Girl, you sing so beautifully, please give me some face and come over for a drink." Seeing that Nan Yi and the others were looking over, the big man spoke to Huang Saner.
"Isn't this Jiang Zai'er? I just need you to have a glass of wine. Go wherever you want." Huang San'er said disdainfully.
Jiang Zi'er was a very important figure among the old guns in Beijing and a frequent visitor to the artillery towers and artillery bureaus. People called him Jiang Zi'er behind his back and called him Brother Jiang in front of him. Not many people dared to be as direct and disrespectful as Huang San'er.
When Nan Yi heard what Huang Saner said, his brows immediately frowned.
In the mainland, Nan Yi has never liked going to entertainment venues. Firstly, he doesn't like it and wants to protect his reputation. Secondly, he is afraid of trouble. It is pointless to fight and then make peace, but it would be inappropriate to get really violent. So, he simply stays away from them. If he has to go, he only goes to places where the boss is more protective and there aren't too many dirty things.
Jiang Zier looked at Huang Saner's face and said with a fake smile: "You are such a rude person in this circle. Are you not giving me, Jiang, face?"
"I……"
"Huang Saner, sit down."
Nan Yi said to Huang Saner with a cold face, then turned to Jiang Zaier and said with a smile: "My friend is in a bad mood today. I'm sorry, sorry. I'll pay for your bill. I'll take it as an apology to you. Please bear with me."
After hearing Nan Yi's apology, Jiang Zier said disdainfully: "Since I, Jiang, can't pay, I need you to pay for me. No problem, let the stinky circle come over and drink all the wine on our table, and then this matter will be over. Otherwise, hehe, you won't be able to leave here today."
"Oh?" Nan Yi still smiled and said, "So, this matter today can't be resolved peacefully?"
"Who is the one who got out with his pants loose? You better shut up and tell that stinky girl to come here. If I don't teach her a lesson today, I will have wasted my time these past few years."
"Haha." Nan Yi's smile became more and more intense. "Brother Jiang speaks in a powerful way. Well, we have run into a tough guy today. We admit defeat and don't drink, okay? We are willing to pay you some money to apologize. What do you think about five hundred?"
"Give me money, 500, you think you're begging for food." Jiang Zai'er smiled sinisterly and said, "Give me 50,000, otherwise, I'll cut off one of your arms today and make you talk too much."
"Fifty thousand is good, that's a huge amount; breaking his arm is even better, it's also a personal threat." Nan Yi thought silently in his heart, a frightened expression on his face, and said tremblingly: "Brother Jiang, fifty thousand is not too much, can... can it be less?"
"Less. Ask my brothers if they agree." Jiang Zaier pointed at the people sitting at the same table with him and said, "Hurry up and pay. If you say one more word, I'll knock out all your teeth. Even if you get beaten, you still have to pay."
Before a fight breaks out, people usually engage in verbal exchanges to satisfy their desires. Experienced spectators will just stay and watch before the real fight breaks out.
At this time, the other guests in the karaoke room all turned their heads towards Nan Yi and his two tables, watching with great interest. Especially when they heard the number "fifty thousand", they became even more interested in watching the show, and no one planned to leave.
It would be better if you don't leave. All of you stay here as witnesses.
"Okay, okay, fifty thousand is fifty thousand. I...I'll pay for it."
Nan Yi stuttered and his hands trembled even more violently. He reached his hand into his pocket tremblingly and dug for a long time before he took out a wad of money. Before his hand could hold it firmly, the money fell to the ground with a plop.
When he took out the money, Nan Yi had already broken up the neatly folded money, and when it fell to the ground, the money scattered everywhere.
They are all in the 50s, about thirty of them.
Thirty-seven tickets. Nan Yi put two thousand yuan on him before going out. He went to the neighborhood committee and settled the electricity bill with Aunt Huang for three tickets.
Each household in the old villa area has its own meter. When the leak was removed two years ago, Nan Yi moved the electricity meter from inside the house to the wall outside, so that the meter reader could read the meter without entering the house.
Nan Yi had once informed the meter reader that if no one was at home, he should ask Aunt Huang to collect the electricity bill.
Amid the astonishment and glittering gazes of the crowd, Nan Yi leaned over and piled up the money, then stood up and put the money on the table. He was trembling with fear, but said to Sun Changzheng and the others in a loud voice: "Hurry up, everyone come together, you don't want to see my arm being removed, right?"
Huang Saner and his companions had never seen Nan Yi fighting with others, but they knew that Nan Yi was definitely not a coward. No matter how famous Jiang Zier was in Beijing, he could not intimidate Nan Yi. After a little thought, they all realized that Nan Yi was going to set a trap for Jiang Zier, and it was a deadly trap.
Sun Changzheng, the smartest one, also replied timidly: "Who would carry tens of thousands of dollars when going out? No... not that much. I only have a little over a thousand."
"Stop... stop talking nonsense. Just take as much as you have. If you don't have enough money, just use the phone."
If you say 50,000, it must be 50,000, no less, no more.
Sun Changzheng, Luo Tong and Huang Saner took out all the money they had on them, piled them together and counted them, which amounted to about 6,000 yuan. Then they took out mobile phones from their purses and put them on the table.
Seeing the three mobile phones on the table, the onlookers gasped and exclaimed: "These guys are all rich."
Jiang Zai'er also saw the mobile phone on the table, and he secretly laughed in his heart, "I've caught a big fish today."
If we talk about the people who are most familiar with the law, apart from legal practitioners, we have to mention those who often go into the trading floor. However, people like them are only clear about the legal provisions in their own "business field".
Take the old guard for example. They know very well what kind of punishments will be applied to the various types of fights and brawls of different natures.
How could they not be clear? They themselves have rich practical experience with many articles. Even when being questioned for their confessions, they would be very experienced in evading the serious and focusing on the minor ones, applying the lower ones to their own punishments and avoiding the heavier ones as much as possible.
Jiang Zaier knew exactly how to punish fighting, but he was unfamiliar with extortion and had no experience in this area at all.
In the past, if you accepted a little benefit from others, they would either be unwilling to give it to you and would either call for a fight between the two parties or find a prestigious peacemaker to mediate. No one would go to the police station before a fight.
Once a fight breaks out, the nature of the matter changes and the legal provisions on fighting and assault will apply.
Nan Yi quickly counted the money on the table and memorized the number of bills of various denominations. After he got the money, he put his mobile phone and the money together and held them in both hands and went to Jiang Zaier's table.
"Jiang...Brother Jiang, I don't have that much money on me. Can I use my phone to pay for it?"
Jiang Zier looked at Nan Yi with contempt, "If you don't have money in your pocket, don't show off outside. Look at how capable you are, and you still want me to give you face. You are a coward and you still have face? Put your things down. I get angry just by looking at your face. Get out of here now, and don't let me see you again."
"Yes, yes, I'll leave. I'll leave right away. But, but..."
"Fuck you, fart now."
Nan Yi's hesitation made Jiang Zaier, who was eager to admire the trophy, look unhappy.
"Brother Jiang, our table hasn't paid the bill yet. The money is here. Can we..." Nan Yi gritted his teeth and said it, but in the end he still didn't have the courage to finish the words.
"Go, go, go, I'm in a good mood today. I'll pay for you. Haha, you wimp, you said you'd pay for me, but I still paid for you in the end. Learn from me. Don't just talk big, show some real skills."
"Thank you, Jiang Ge. Thank you, Jiang Ge."
Nan Yi thanked them while calling Huang Saner and a few others and left the karaoke bar at the grain station amid the contempt of the crowd.
After standing outside under the street light, Nan Yi said to the school beauty: "Call Lawyer Jin and ask him to wait at the police station entrance; Liuzi, call the police and tell them that we are being blackmailed for 6025.4 yuan in cash and three mobile phones."
"yes."
"Okay, Master Nan."
Sun Changzheng responded and happily ran towards a shop that was still open. He had already seen the public telephone sign hanging at the door of the shop.
"You are so foul-mouthed and always looking for trouble. If I wasn't here today, you would have to fight. If you win, you will have to pay money and sit in the fence. If you lose, you will lose arms and legs. After you go to the hospital, you will have to be locked up in the artillery tower for a few days. Are you addicted to fighting?
It’s only been less than half a year since the change and you’re already finding trouble every day, right?
You like fighting, right? I'll send you abroad to do some underground boxing, the kind where you can't leave until someone dies. With your poor skills, someone will rip your arm off and stuff it into your mouth in less than three seconds.
Go back and chop off a finger and write a letter in blood, saying that you want to go to the front line to fight, saying that you want to join the death squad. Have you seen "Black Panthers"? Every actor plays themselves. They bleed and sacrifice on the front line just to protect you. There are fights every day.
ah!!!"
Nan Yi started spitting all over Huang Saner's face.
"I'll tell you one last time, change your bad temper. It's ok if you're lucky in your life, but if you're unlucky and meet a stubborn person like me, you won't know how you died. Unless you can make two big Ivans with one punch and two big Ivans with one kick, and everyone on earth is afraid of you, don't swing your fist at me."
"Nansheng, Lawyer Jin has already left." The school beauty walked up to Nan Yi and said after finishing the call.
"Well, ask someone tomorrow. The coldest temperature near Shihezi Prison in winter can drop to several degrees below zero. Can it freeze people to death? Also, find out what kind of work the prisoners in the prison usually do during labor reform. Give me the phone number."
Life imprisonment in the Gobi Desert, not too light or too heavy a sentence in Shihezi, and less than five years in Zixin Road. This is the general way of assigning sentences for prisoners in the capital. Nan Yi estimates that Jiang Zaier will most likely be sent to Shihezi, and he plans to generate some income for the prison there during the winter.
Jiang Zaier is a big and strong man, so he should work in the hardest job and strengthen labor reform. When he comes back, he will be reborn, reform himself and become a useful person to the society.
After taking the phone from the school beauty, Nan Yi called Chen Feng.
"I'm in some trouble. Wait..." Nan Yi covered the phone and asked Huang Saner, "Which police station is this under?"
"Dongyiqi Police Station."
"Dongyiqi Police Station, you just need to be there in an hour. It's not what you think. I'm a victim. Well, let's talk about it later. Who knows when I can get out of the police station. For now, just hold on tight."
After Nan Yi hung up the phone, he handed it back to the school beauty and said to Huang Saner, "Don't run around tomorrow. Wait for my call. I'll ask someone to help you with the formalities and send you abroad to relax. You really make me worry."
Nan Yi plans to send Huang Saner abroad to see what it means to be ruthless, and see if she will still have such a bad temper after seeing the advanced experience abroad.
