sbdcsierra Chapter 212 Li Changqing becomes a middleman, borrowing money from Zhang the Madman
Chapter 212 Li Changqing becomes a middleman, borrowing money from Zhang the Madman
Lu Zhiqiang suddenly said, "Li Ju'an, I want to keep those two jumping cats from last time."
Li Ju'an laughed: "I'd already braised it, why would I wait until now? We have to add an extra dish for the New Year. What do you want to do with a jumping cat?"
After thinking it over carefully, Lu Zhiqiang said, "Jumping cats reproduce quickly. In a month or two, two jumping cats will have a whole litter. Isn't this like dividing the land among households? I'll clean out a yard, pen the jumping cats up, feed them hay, and start a breeding farm."
Significant policy changes occurred during this decade. The planned economy system implemented in the 1970s restricted individual animal husbandry to some extent, but some farmers still attempted individual animal husbandry, facing numerous challenges.
Starting in the 80s, the policy was gradually liberalized, but farms were still mainly state-owned. Some individuals, especially former members of production brigades, were eager to try their hand at animal husbandry after the land was distributed to individual households.
Lu Zhiqiang got the idea to start a breeding business after listening to the chatter of former commune members while playing cards.
Li Ju'an casually replied, "Let's do it."
Upon hearing what he said, Lu Zhiqiang was inspired and full of energy. He said, "When it's liberalized in a few years, we'll be among the first to get rich."
Li Ju'an then said, "You do your thing, I didn't say I wanted to run a breeding farm with you."
Lu Zhiqiang was completely baffled. He looked at Lu Jinyang with a puzzled expression, wondering to himself. This was too strange. Li Ju'an seemed quite supportive, saying that it was a waste not to make money, so why was he so enthusiastic about hunting but completely uninterested in starting a breeding farm?
"Lu Jinyang, do you know what he's thinking?"
"What were you thinking? What else could you be thinking? You just think that your farm isn't making money and is actually losing money."
Lu Zhiqiang scratched the back of his head, equally bewildered. How could this possibly result in losses? If a livestock farm doesn't make money, what other industry can?
He quickly followed behind Li Ju'an and said, "Li Ju'an, we can't spend our whole lives hiding in the mountains, hunting every day."
He excitedly said, spitting as he spoke, "I'm planning to... even if the farm goes out of business, it's okay. We'll go to the vicinity of state-owned factories to collect supplies, like sugar, scraps of cloth, and so on, and then sell them. Or, like Zhang the Madman, we can collect grain coupons, cloth coupons, and whatever else is available."
“Hey Li Ju’an, you’re very skilled. Last time you even modified a radio yourself. How about this, you modify it and I’ll buy the parts and use connections to buy components. We can assemble radios, TVs, and electric fans. This is very profitable. I estimate we can earn more than 100 yuan per unit.”
Lu Zhiqiang became more and more excited as he talked, his mind overflowing with ideas for making money.
He grabbed Lu Jinyang's hand and said excitedly, "After the land is distributed to individual households, we'll have farm produce. We can take it to the city and sell it to shops, wholesalers, or even set up a street stall. The income will be quite high; we can definitely make a fortune!"
Seeing his flushed face and unstoppable excitement as he spoke, his eyes shining brightly, Lu Jinyang was also swayed and began to waver. He thought, "If I'm bolder, I can make money. Why do I need to run into the mountains every day, braving wind and snow?"
Lu Jinyang raised his eyes and looked at Li Ju'an, saying, "It's an idea."
The timid starve, the bold thrive. Who would complain about making money so quickly?
Li Ju'an remained silent, focusing on setting up the clamps, until Lu Jinyang called him seriously, at which point he finally said, "Are you guys going to be middlemen?"
"Scalpers" are people who resell goods. Unless they can provide proof, they are easily arrested if reported and treated as speculators.
In his previous life, he ventured south and worked as a middleman, dealing in whatever brought in quick profits. However, he was reported by his brother and ended up in jail, a decision he regretted for the rest of his life.
The Lu brothers didn't take his words seriously. Lu Zhiqiang said nonchalantly, "Hey, what does it matter? Everyone else is doing it, why can't we?"
"You don't know, your cousin Li Changqing went south with Zhang Yingnian. Li Changqing had a falling out with his family, and he needed money to make his first fortune in the south. Do you know who Li Changqing borrowed money from?"
"Who?"
"You won't believe it, but Li Changqing went to borrow money from Sun Weimin."
Li Ju'an really didn't believe it: "Sun Weimin lost a lot of money in compensation for the dog, so where would he find the money to lend to Li Changqing?"
Lu Zhiqiang smiled smugly, noticing that Li Ju'an was unaware of his cousin's situation, but he knew, and he was incredibly proud of himself. He said, "Sun Weimin may not have money, but Zhang Fengzi does. Sun Weimin acted as a go-between, getting Li Changqing to borrow money from Zhang Fengzi. I heard Sun Weimin even took a cut, so when Li Changqing repays the money, he'll get a share of it back from Sun Weimin."
Li Ju'an understood and was utterly incredulous. He couldn't help but curse, "Li Changqing is acting recklessly, and Sun Weimin is following suit? He's vouching for Li Changqing! If Li Changqing really runs away with Zhang Yingnian and disappears south, won't those thugs from Wangxingtun tear Sun Weimin apart?"
After he finished speaking, Lu Zhiqiang suddenly realized that it was indeed true.
Who is Zhang the Madman? He's a loan shark and a seahorse seller; he's done all sorts of shady things, but he's gotten away with it all these years. They absolutely don't believe he's just lucky. It's said that Secretary Xiong's rise to leadership in Wangxingtun was also due to the fact that he used to be from Wangxingtun before moving out.
It is said that Zhang the Madman and Secretary Xiong are connected, which is why Zhang the Madman can do these things again and again. After being reported, he only behaved himself for a while, and then he started doing the same thing again. The report was never heard from again.
Lu Jinyang felt a wave of fear wash over him, and his face turned ashen.
Seeing his cousin's strange expression, Lu Zhiqiang suddenly realized something and shouted, "No way, Lu Jinyang, you didn't get approached by Li Changqing too? You lent Li Changqing money too?"
Under questioning from the two men, Lu Jinyang finally confessed the truth. He was an honest man who had always listened to his family since childhood. But the more honest and obedient a child was, the more rebellious he harbored in his heart. Before Li Changqing left, he borrowed money from him, saying that he would repay it with interest. Lu Jinyang was a man of honor, and he had grown up with Li Changqing, so he actually lent him his savings.
"How much did you give Li Changqing?"
"Two hundred dollars."
Li Ju'an and Lu Zhiqiang took a deep breath. They hadn't realized Lu Jinyang was so good at saving money; 200 yuan was quite a sum. He worked as a temporary worker at the forest farm and had just been promoted to a permanent position, his salary increasing from 17.5 yuan to 35.5 yuan. This 200 yuan was his hard-earned savings.
Lu Jinyang seemed unconcerned, saying, "I haven't separated from the family yet. I live and eat at home. Consider this 200 yuan as a token of my brotherly affection."
It's good that he can think things through. Li Ju'an knows all too well what it's like to lend money. When you're borrowing money, you're the servant, but when it's time to pay it back, you're the boss.
If someone lends money out, whether they get it back depends on how loyal they are. As for interest, forget about it; you'd be lucky to get the principal back.
Li Ju'an said, "Alright, we'll get back whatever we can, or we'll just consider it a token of our brotherhood."
Lu Jinyang laughed and said, "That can't be right. You can make money if you go south. Who knows, you might need to rely on Li Changqing to rebuild the Li family's old house in the future."