Chapter 16

(Bowing in gratitude to Fengshen Yushao for the monthly ticket support!)

At the exit of the Binhai railway station, a young couple walked out with the crowd. The girl was exceptionally beautiful and dressed fashionably, and no man could resist looking at her, even if just for a glance. However, the man beside her was quite ordinary, which made people even more envious. This man was indeed fortunate, and the couple was Zhou Ming and Su Han, who had come to Binhai.

Leaning against Zhou Ming, Su Han asked, "Zhou Ming, does Aunt have a bias against me? Did you argue with her?"

Since getting on the train in Linyang, Su Han had asked herself this question more than once. Zhou Ming replied, "Don't worry, Xiao Han. My mother is just influenced by the rumors at the factory. She is actually very open-minded."

"Zhou Ming, you mustn't argue with Aunt. Don't argue for my sake; it's not worth it. I know my reputation isn't good..."

Before Su Han could finish, Zhou Ming held her hand and said, "What are you talking about? Your reputation is great. You can't look down on yourself like this. I said, you are the purest and most beautiful Xiao Han in my heart. I won't allow you to belittle yourself. When we have money and power in the future, I will help you get revenge. My mother will definitely change her opinion of you!"

Su Han was deeply moved. "Thank you, Zhou Ming."

Zhou Ming and Su Han came to Binhai to exchange treasury bonds. According to Zhou Ming's memory, the interest rate on treasury bonds in Binhai at this time was an astonishing 20%. Due to this extremely high interest rate, after confirming that his father was fully recovered and his mother was in good health, Zhou Ming brought 200,000 yuan worth of treasury bonds collected by Dog Grandpa to Binhai City.

The 200,000 yuan worth of treasury bonds filled two large bags. For safety, Zhou Ming and Su Han took a taxi directly to the hotel, and they went straight to the Peace Hotel.

The Peace Hotel was located by the Qingpu River, an old hotel with a long history. Of course, Zhou Ming didn't choose to stay there because of its legendary status in movies. He chose it because it was in the famous Binhai Bund, the financial center of Binhai City, where all the bank branches were concentrated, making it convenient to exchange treasury bonds. He was also concerned that the amount he needed to exchange was too large, and a regular bank might not be able to handle it, so it was better to go to a branch in the Bund.

After checking into the Peace Hotel, Zhou Ming and Su Han immediately went to the nearest bank. As soon as they entered, Su Han excitedly pulled Zhou Ming's clothes and said, "Zhou Ming, look! The interest rate here is 21%! It's really high, three points higher than in Jiangxia City."

On the wall at the entrance of the bank, there was an LED display board showing the bank's treasury bond interest rate, which was 21%, or 21 cents per yuan.

This interest rate was unimaginable in the future. According to this rate, a 100-yuan treasury bond with a five-year term would have an interest of about 110 yuan at maturity, exceeding the principal. This clearly did not conform to the basic rules of national bonds. However, at this specific time, the state raised the interest rate to such an absurd level to raise as much funds as possible to support the country's reform and opening-up policy and overall development plan. Additionally, due to the lack of clear understanding of treasury bonds among the residents, the state had no choice but to raise the interest rate to this level.

Originally, Zhou Ming thought he was born at the wrong time, but now it seemed that this era was truly filled with golden opportunities!

Zhou Ming chuckled to himself and went to the bank counter with Su Han, saying, "Comrade, I want to exchange 200,000 yuan worth of treasury bonds."

The bank clerk was stunned, her beautiful eyes wide open as she looked at Zhou Ming and asked, "You... you said you want to exchange how much in treasury bonds?"

Zhou Ming patted his bulging bag and said, "200,000 yuan."

The clerk gasped, "My goodness, a big capitalist!"

This made Zhou Ming speechless. Was 200,000 yuan worth of treasury bonds enough to make someone a big capitalist? But thinking about it, 200,000 yuan was indeed a significant amount in this era. If she could see the cars driven by rich second-generation kids twenty years later, costing hundreds of thousands or even millions, she would have a different reaction.

Despite her surprise, the clerk was efficient in her work. Due to the large amount Zhou Ming needed to exchange, for safety, he was asked to wait in a reception room inside the bank. After ten minutes of counting and calculating, the total amount of principal and interest was over 390,000 yuan.

"Comrade, do you want to withdraw the cash now or open a savings account? I suggest you open a savings account because carrying such a large amount of cash is very unsafe," the clerk said to Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming smiled slightly. "Thank you, but no. I'll withdraw 90,000 yuan in cash, and the rest will be transferred to the account of Dai Zhenjiang, the director of the Nanhui County Agricultural Bank in Linyang City, Jinghu Province."

This was the agreement Zhou Ming had made with Dai Zhenjiang before coming to Binhai, including Zhou Ming's original principal and the additional interest, with the rest being the money provided by Dai Zhenjiang and Dog Grandpa.

The clerk said, "Okay," and went to process the transaction. Soon, she returned with the transfer receipt and the 90,000 yuan in cash, handing them to Zhou Ming.

After receiving the transfer receipt and the 90,000 yuan, Zhou Ming and Su Han left the bank.

On the way, Zhou Ming sighed, "It's a pity we have to transfer 300,000 yuan back. If all 390,000 yuan were mine, that would be great."

"Zhou Ming, you're really greedy," Su Han said, trying to console him. "We don't have that much capital. Originally, we had to borrow high-interest loans and go door-to-door to collect treasury bonds. Now, we don't have to do anything. We just wait for Director Dai to deliver the treasury bonds to us, and we make a trip to Binhai City. We didn't even pay for the round-trip travel, accommodation, or meals, and we still made so much money. That's already impressive!"

Indeed, if what Su Han said was true, just a day's business trip to Binhai had earned them tens of thousands of yuan. If he told this to the others at the factory, they would be envious. But for Zhou Ming, who had been reborn, earning just a few thousand yuan was not enough. To make a fortune, he needed to wait for the right opportunity. He couldn't rush it.

Thinking about this, Zhou Ming said to Su Han, "Since we've come to Binhai, let's take a good look at this beautiful Bund!"

"Is this a date?" Su Han's sudden question made Zhou Ming pause, and then she added, "Sure!"

With that, Su Han took Zhou Ming's hand and led him to the Bund. At this time, the Bund was not as developed as in the future, and Binhai City did not have as many skyscrapers. There were few cars on the streets, mostly bicycles, and even some cargo tricycles. Of course, there was no smog like in the future.

"Zhou Ming, come and look! There's a photo studio here!"

While Zhou Ming was lost in thought, Su Han was waving at him frantically. Zhou Ming followed her gaze and saw a roadside photo studio. Seeing Su Han's excited expression, Zhou Ming was reminded of the countless selfies taken by women twenty years later. It seemed that women, whether now or in the future, loved taking photos.

"That's the Peace Hotel, a landmark of the Bund. It's a legendary hotel where only the rich and powerful can stay. Why don't you use that as the background?" the photographer suggested.

"That's not right, sir. This is the era of the people being in charge. The Peace Hotel is just an ordinary hotel where anyone can stay, not a privilege of the elite. We are staying there too," Su Han said with a smile.

The photographer was surprised. "Really? I heard it costs over 100 yuan per night! Even many locals in Binhai can't afford it."

Zhou Ming and Su Han didn't explain much. Zhou Ming looked back at the Peace Hotel and then at the opposite side of the Qingpu River. "Let's take one photo with this as the background and another with Pudong as the background."

"Pudong?" The photographer looked back at the sparse houses on the other side of the Qingpu River, puzzled. "What's there to see? It's just a bunch of shabby houses."

"It's a bunch of shabby houses now, but it might not be like that in a few years. In ten years, it will be a place where every inch of land is valuable. As they say, 'I'd rather have a bed in Pudong than a room in Puxi,'" Zhou Ming said.

"You have it backwards, young man. People in Binhai say, 'I'd rather have a room in Puxi than a bed in Pudong,'" the photographer corrected.

"That's now, but I'm talking about the future," Zhou Ming said firmly.

Zhou Ming and Su Han posed for a few photos. Zhou Ming, feeling a bit regretful, said to Su Han, "It's a pity we don't have enough money. If we bought some land in Pudong now, we'd be rich in ten years."

The photographer silently finished taking the photos and then walked up to Zhou Ming, bowing deeply. "Young comrade, can you tell me why you are so sure that Pudong will develop well? My name is Wang Qiangguo, and I'm currently working on a municipal project."

Wang Qiangguo?

This name made Zhou Ming's heart skip a beat. He carefully examined the photographer and was shocked to recognize him as the future richest man in China and the founder of the largest real estate group in China. Zhou Ming had seen his photos online and was familiar with him. Recalling that he was indeed traveling around the country for projects at this time, Zhou Ming was surprised to meet him here.

Amidst his surprise, Zhou Ming couldn't help but feel the magic of fate. If this was indeed the real estate tycoon, then by telling him about the value of Pudong, wasn't he guiding a future Chinese billionaire?

Thinking about this, Zhou Ming said to Wang Qiangguo, "If someone else asked me, I wouldn't answer, but since you asked, I'll tell you. The reason I believe this is simple. First, Puxi is so prosperous, but Pudong, just across the river, is a slum. Is that normal? Second, Puxi has limited space. If it reaches its limit, where will it expand? Finally, the country is implementing a reform and opening-up strategy, meaning we will eventually open our doors to the sea. Pudong, being the closest to the sea, has the best natural port. Why wouldn't it develop?"

Wang Qiangguo bowed deeply again, deeply moved. "Hearing your words, young man, is better than reading ten years of books! Your insights are truly profound, and I understand a lot more now."

Su Han said proudly, "Of course, Zhou Ming is a college student!"

"Yes, you are indeed more forward-thinking than I am," Wang Qiangguo said. "May I ask, what is your surname, young man?"

"My name is Zhou Ming. One day, you'll see me on TV and in newspapers and magazines," Zhou Ming said.

Wang Qiangguo stared at Zhou Ming in disbelief. If someone else had said this, he would have dismissed it as youthful arrogance. In his mind, people who appeared on TV or in newspapers and magazines were extraordinary. But with Zhou Ming, he believed he could achieve what he said.

Zhou Ming's confidence reminded Wang Qiangguo of a story he had heard. It was said that when Qin Shi Huang traveled, everyone knelt before him, except for Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, who not only refused to kneel but also criticized him. This was the confidence of a king.

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