It was only a little past four in the afternoon, but it was already dark. Fortunately, Feng Yu had a car, which allowed him to arrive at Mr. Sun's house before dinner. Mr. Sun was very pleased that Feng Yu had come to visit him.
Although this child was usually a bit quiet, he studied very hard. His Russian and math were a bit weak, so he might not be able to get into a city high school, but he had a good chance of getting into a county high school.
Feng Yu declined Mr. Sun's invitation to stay for dinner and returned to the Li family with Li Shiqiang. After dinner, Li Shiqiang went out to work. Feng Yu would take a bus back to the farm the next afternoon, so he still had some time in the morning. He might even be able to exchange some foreign currency at the International Hotel.
When Li Shiqiang returned, it was already past ten o'clock. He had exchanged over 50,000 RMB for the foreign currency he had taken out. Seeing their son return, Li's parents finally felt at ease and went to sleep. Feng Yu, however, pulled Li Shiqiang aside and continued to persuade him.
"Brother Li, isn't this money easy to earn?"
Li Shiqiang nodded vigorously. "You're smart. I didn't go to school much and don't know much. If we keep doing this, I can earn in a month what I would in a year at my job."
"Is there something even more profitable you'd like to do?"
"More profitable?" Li Shiqiang's breathing became more rapid.
"Xiao Yu, you keep talking about government bonds. But I know more about them than you. They don't really make money, and you can't use them like cash. You can't even exchange them at the bank before they mature. How can they make money?" Li Shiqiang's spirits sank when he heard it was about government bonds.
Not just him, but everyone in his unit and his parents' units had been forced to buy government bonds. But they all just kept them, earning no money at all. They said there would be interest in the future, but who could be sure about the future?
"Brother Li, you don't read the newspapers much, do you? The newspapers say that government bonds will soon be allowed to be traded, just like commodities. A 10-yuan government bond could become 11 yuan. Isn't that profitable?"
Li Shiqiang shook his head. "It's still not as profitable as exchanging foreign currency!"
Feng Yu was frustrated. "Do you think foreign currency is that easy to exchange? Not to mention whether it's legal, even if no one cares, how long can you keep doing it? Do you know any foreign languages? What will you do when I go back to the farm? Besides, the people at the International Hotel were watching us all the time today. If I go there again tomorrow, they'll probably kick us out."
Li Shiqiang was stunned. Could such a profitable business not be done?
Seeing Li Shiqiang's silence, Feng Yu continued, "Think about it. The interest on government bonds is higher than the bank's, right?"
"Yes, it's higher than fixed deposits, but it's not convenient to use."
"I've already told you, they will soon be allowed to be traded publicly. Think about it. If a 10-yuan government bond is offered to you for 9 yuan, would you buy it?"
"Buy! The term for government bonds is too long, and I can't wait."
"Exactly, many people think the same way. When the time comes, the price of government bonds will drop, from 10 yuan to 9 yuan. But some people have a lot of money and don't need it urgently, so they will start buying at a higher price, making a 10-yuan government bond worth 11 yuan."
"That's impossible. Who would pay 11 yuan for a 10-yuan bond? The interest on government bonds isn't that high." Li Shiqiang absolutely didn't believe it. Who would pay such a high price for a government bond?
"I'm just giving an example, but even at 10.1 yuan, someone will buy it, right?"
"Maybe, but will anyone really buy it? And are government bonds really allowed to be traded?"
"Mr. Sun said so. He has a classmate in the capital who gave him the inside information. When the time comes, we'll make a profit from the price difference. A 10-yuan bond will become 11 yuan. 100,000 yuan will become 110,000!" Feng Yu used Mr. Sun's name again to persuade him.
Li Shiqiang's eyes grew wider. 100,000 yuan becoming 110,000 yuan was too good to be true! His monthly salary was less than 100 yuan. Where could he find such a profitable business?
"Xiao Yu, what should I do?"
"Buy government bonds! Collect them from your colleagues and friends. Offer 9.5 yuan for a 10-yuan bond. Many of them bought them under duress and would be happy to get cash. Remember, collect as many as you can. In two months, when trading is allowed, they won't sell anymore!"
"Do you mean we should use all our money to buy government bonds? It's over 100,000 yuan. What if the information is wrong? How about we start with 10,000 yuan?" Li Shiqiang was hesitant. If the information was wrong, the government bonds would be useless for years, and both their families' money would be tied up.
"If you don't trust me, trust my teacher. What he says is absolutely correct. The foreign currency exchange was his idea, and just from that, we've made a lot of money. If you can borrow money, buying government bonds will definitely make you a lot of profit!"
Feng Yu mentioned Mr. Sun's name again, and it worked. Li Shiqiang bit his lip and nodded in agreement.
The next morning, Li Shiqiang drove Feng Yu to the International Hotel and then left to exchange more foreign currency in the morning.
Indeed, through word of mouth, many people now knew that Li Shiqiang had the ability to get foreign currency, and some even approached him.
Feng Yu continued to exchange foreign currency at the International Hotel. With his smooth talk, he quickly exchanged over 40,000 yuan, and his bag was filled with rubles and dollars.
Since he was alone this time, Feng Yu was afraid of any accidents and didn't dare to leave the hotel entrance. Naturally, he caught the attention of the people inside.
There were many foreign guests here, and nothing could go wrong. The security guard reported to the manager, and Yu Chunyuan came out, just in time to see Feng Yu exchanging foreign currency with a foreigner.
He was furious. The International Hotel often had foreigners asking him to exchange foreign currency, which he would then privately exchange with some leaders. Now, a child was cutting into his business!
Yu Chunyuan grabbed Feng Yu's sleeve. "Who told you to exchange foreign currency with foreigners here? I'll have the security guard arrest you!"
Sigh, as expected, this matter had touched someone's interests.
Feng Yu smiled awkwardly. "Manager Yu, I'm just helping my cousin. His leader is going abroad next month for a visit and wants to get some foreign currency to buy souvenirs. I've already finished, and I promise I won't come back."
Yu Chunyuan looked suspiciously at Feng Yu's bag, which seemed to contain a lot of money. But he didn't want to be seen as bullying a child, so he warned him again, "This time, I'll let it go. If you need to, you can apply at the bank. If I see you harassing foreigners here again, I'll send you to the police!"
Feng Yu nodded and left. An hour later, Li Shiqiang came to pick him up. When he learned that the International Hotel wouldn't allow them to harass foreigners anymore, he was very disappointed. This was such a quick way to make money.
"Brother Li, don't be discouraged. Government bonds can be a business for one or two years. Here, exchange all this foreign currency for RMB, and then start collecting government bonds. When trading is allowed, we'll make a fortune! You won't let my sister and father down, right?"
Li Shiqiang's eyes showed determination. "No, I won't let them down! Starting tomorrow, I'll begin collecting government bonds!"
There is a first-time reviewer in the book review section, and Lao Si is very happy. Thank you.
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