This time, the transaction on the surface only made less than 400 yuan, but many of the treasury bonds were bought below market value. After calculating everything, it turned out to be nearly 10,000 yuan in profit.
Unfortunately, with more money in hand, this nearly 10,000 yuan did not bring Li Shiqiang much surprise. This was the result of two months of hard work, using nearly 200,000 yuan in capital, and enduring a long, nerve-wracking train ride, only to make less than 10,000 yuan. It wasn't as good as exchanging nearly expired treasury bonds for others, which was less troublesome, more profitable, and closer to home.
Moreover, this round trip cost a lot of money for the two of them. Li Shiqiang felt it wasn't worth coming again. If Feng Yu could get more foreign exchange, that would be better, as it was more profitable. Foreign exchange was hard to come by now.
There were few people on the return train. Feng Yu and Li Shiqiang sat on the lower bunks, with roasted chicken and peanuts in front of them, but neither of them drank alcohol.
"Brother Li, let me explain. When you exchange treasury bonds for others, the denominations are only five yuan and ten yuan, right? But there are also 50 yuan, 100 yuan, 500 yuan, 1,000 yuan, and 5,000 yuan treasury bonds. Why do you only receive five yuan and ten yuan ones?" Feng Yu asked, tearing at a chicken leg.
"I don't know. It seems that people are unwilling to sell the larger denominations," Li Shiqiang said, popping a peanut into his mouth, looking very dejected.
"You're earning hard-earned money, running errands. For a ten yuan bond, the five-year interest is two yuan. If you give one yuan more, people who are too lazy to queue at the bank will sell it to you. But for a 100 yuan bond, the interest is 20 yuan. Do you think people would be willing to give you 10 yuan of that?"
"But I can also make one yuan profit, giving 119 yuan for a 100 yuan bond," Li Shiqiang argued.
Feng Yu shook his head. "Do you understand capital occupation and costs? We need to make our money work, to keep it flowing. Originally, you could make one yuan profit with 11 yuan, but now you need 119 yuan to make one yuan. Even though you might get more treasury bonds, do you think our profit margin has increased?"
Li Shiqiang scratched his head, realizing it made sense. But Feng Yu's idea of buying and selling treasury bonds between two places didn't seem reliable. It was a lot of effort for less than 400 yuan, and he had to take leave, which wasn't worth it.
Seeing Li Shiqiang's indifferent look, Feng Yu waved the paper with phone numbers on it. "Bingcheng is about to open as a pilot city, allowing free trading of treasury bonds. Once it opens, call these numbers, and you'll understand."
Feng Yu kept watch during the first half of the night, and Li Shiqiang during the second half. When Feng Yu woke up at dawn, it was time to get off the train.
This time, Feng Yu didn't take the long-distance bus but was stuffed into the post office's vehicle by Li Shiqiang, getting a free ride to the farm. Although it required two detours, he was guaranteed to arrive by noon.
Back at school, Teacher Sun asked Feng Yu a few questions. Feng Yu said his relative had pulled through and was much better, so he hurried back.
He continued to attend classes diligently every day. After school, he would stay in the classroom, getting tutoring from Li Na, and in return, he taught her some Russian. Both of them progressed quickly.
A week later, Bingcheng also allowed free trading of treasury bonds. Li Shiqiang, half-believing and half-doubting, called the Huaxia Bank in Shenyang, remembering what Feng Yu said.
"Hello, what's the current price of treasury bonds? How much?" Li Shiqiang's eyes widened, and his breathing quickened.
He couldn't believe it and called all the numbers listed.
They had risen, significantly!
Now, a 100 yuan treasury bond in Shenyang was priced at 105 yuan. In just a few days, the price of treasury bonds had risen so much.
If he took 200,000 yuan in treasury bonds, he could make 1,000 yuan in profit for a round trip. This business was easy and more profitable than dealing with small-denomination treasury bonds!
Li Shiqiang immediately took leave from his boss, took all his money, and went to the nearby Industrial and Commercial Bank, boldly saying, "I want to buy treasury bonds. How many do you have? I'll take all of them!"
"Young man, do you know how much our monthly quota is? 100,000 yuan! How much do you want to buy?" The bank manager, who happened to be there, looked down on this young man with a bit of money.
Li Shiqiang loudly said, "I'll take all 100,000 yuan!"
"What did you say?" The manager's hand holding the teacup trembled violently, spilling hot tea on his hand, but he didn't feel it.
"I said I'll take all of it," Li Shiqiang said, slamming his backpack on the counter.
Everyone looked at Li Shiqiang, wondering if he had 100,000 yuan in cash in his backpack.
When Li Shiqiang pulled out ten bundles of 100 yuan notes from his backpack, everyone in the bank looked at him with envy, jealousy, and confusion.
"Stop all the counters and help count the money quickly."
At this time, banknote counters were just starting to be used in banks and often made mistakes, so most banks still counted by hand.
Other counters had long queues, but everyone was busy with Li Shiqiang, and the manager even personally came over to light him a special cigarette.
"What do you do, young man?" the manager asked with a smile.
Li Shiqiang glanced at the manager warily. "I'm in the fur business, made some money, and now I want to support the country by buying treasury bonds."
In those days, to make money in the fur business, one had to transport goods to the south. This young man must have just returned from the south. The manager sized up Li Shiqiang, marveling at his good luck.
Ten minutes later, the counting was complete. Li Shiqiang also counted the treasury bonds and packed them into his backpack, hugging it as he left.
He had brought 200,000 yuan this time and only bought 100,000 yuan here, so he needed to find other banks to buy more.
At another bank, Li Shiqiang once again enjoyed the admiring gazes of others. When he took out 100,000 yuan, he instantly became the focus of everyone. This feeling was exhilarating!
He took the night train to Shenyang alone, remembering Feng Yu's advice to definitely buy a sleeper ticket, and an upper berth, to avoid being stolen from.
Although there were few people in the carriage, Li Shiqiang resisted the urge to sleep, staying awake. But in the middle of the night, he dozed off.
When the conductor woke him up, he was startled. Seeing his backpack still in his arms and the treasury bonds still inside, he finally relaxed.
After selling all 200,000 yuan in treasury bonds, Li Shiqiang bought a few buns and rushed to the train station to buy a return ticket, not daring to linger.
When he returned to Bingcheng, it was already evening. Li Shiqiang couldn't resist calling Feng Yu's school from the train station. Ten minutes later, when Feng Yu called back, he excitedly shouted, "Xiao Yu, the 100 yuan bonds are now 105 yuan. This trip, I made nearly 900 yuan. We're going to get rich!"
Feng Yu's voice on the phone was relaxed. "Calm down, Brother Li. This is just a small amount. In the future, we'll make a fortune every day!"
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