money player

"Hello, Ms. Su."

At the entrance of Bao'an No. 1 Toy Factory in Shatoujiao, Zuo Ruijin, the newly appointed factory manager, received Su Lizhen, who had come from Hong Kong.

Su Lizhen grasped Zuo Ruijin's right hand, but her gaze was fixed on the factory behind him. She exclaimed in surprise, "Director Zuo, you've moved so fast! The factory is already built!"

Zuo Ruijin proudly stated, "Ms. Su, this is the power of the people."

"With lofty aspirations and a willingness to sacrifice, we dare to change the world." Under the correct ideological guidance, the masses of the proletariat can indeed unleash boundless power.

Zuo Ruijin smiled faintly and said, "Ms. Su, you must be tired from your journey. Please come to the factory office for a cup of tea."

"It wasn't far from here, so it wasn't hard work. Director Zuo, are the samples ready?"

"It's all done. I have both linden and poplar wood. It's in my office. This way, Ms. Su."

Zuo Ruijin led Su Lizhen to his office, brewed some tea, and then took out two wooden boxes. He opened one of them first and said, "Ms. Su, this box is made of poplar wood."

Su Lizhen took a building block from the box, and her brows furrowed as soon as she picked it up. She turned the block around to examine its various cross-sections, and then said, "Director Zuo, any carpenter knows that poplar wood has a high moisture content and is prone to warping and cracking. It needs to be dried before making furniture. I think this building block..."

“Ms. Su, our factory would never make such a basic mistake. It’s just that time is tight. We couldn’t bring over the poplar wood from the Northeast forest farm in time, so we had to cut down the poplar wood nearby. We didn’t have time to dry it naturally, and no one in the factory knew how to kiln dry it, so we had to use fire to bake it. We’ll make a sample for you to see first.”

"I see." Su Lizhen nodded, put down the building blocks in her hand, took one out from another box, examined it for a while, and then brought it to her nose to smell it. "The quality of this building block is very good, but the smell is too strong. Is it made with oil-based paint?"

"Yes, oil-based paints have vibrant colors and high hardness after drying, so they won't fade for years."

Su Lizhen put down the building blocks in her hand, took out a stack of blueprints from her briefcase and handed them to Zuo Ruijin. "These are the blueprints that we will include with the building blocks. There are three blueprints in a set. The colors of each box of building blocks must match the blueprints. The bottom right corner shows the order quantity for each set of building blocks this time."

Zuo Ruijin flipped through the blueprints and mentally calculated the quantity; it was a whopping 50,000 boxes. "Ms. Su, when will this order be delivered?"

"Two months, with 20,000 boxes delivered in the first month, is there a problem?"

"no problem."

"I hope to use a natural resin paint made from tung oil and rosin for 5,000 sets of these products."

Zuo Ruijin frowned. "Ms. Su, natural resin paint is not wear-resistant and will fade quickly."

“I know, but natural resin paint is non-toxic. We want to take a different approach and launch high-end building blocks. Director Zuo, we would also appreciate it if your factory could think of a way to improve the process and address the problem of easy fading. We can provide research funding and a reasonable increase in the unit price.”

"Our factory can only try to find a solution; we can't guarantee anything."

"Thank you."

After spending an hour at the First Toy Factory, Su Lizhen went to the Bao'an Guesthouse to meet with representatives from the Sundries Export Company and the Livestock Export Company to discuss export cooperation matters for traditional handicrafts such as ceramics, lacquerware, cloisonné, embroidery, and straw weaving, as well as daily handicrafts such as bamboo ware, rattan products, fans, and the Four Treasures of the Study, and carpets and feather handicrafts.

After negotiations, an agreement was reached that the order would be delivered in Shekou. The mainland would lend Jinzhao Group a piece of land to build a temporary warehouse and a simple wharf for small cargo ships to load and unload cargo.

In this way, goods can be transferred directly to large cargo ships on the high seas without having to go through Hong Kong for transshipment.

Of course, this is just an intention and has not been finalized. The Jinzhao Group needs to obtain approval from the Foreign Investment Administration Bureau to build a warehouse in Shekou, and it will take some time to go through the process.

When they arrived, Su Lizhen was alone with only two people, but seven people returned to Hong Kong, including Wu Zecheng's wife and four children.

Wu Zecheng was a sensible man. His wife and children were not important figures, and it was not difficult to bring them to Hong Kong. He didn't even have the right to owe them a favor; at most, they would be a small bonus in a transaction.

Upon arriving in Hong Kong, Su Lizhen entrusted Wu Zecheng's wife and children to others for care and then hurriedly made a long-distance call.

Taipei.

Sin Yiu-man and Ng Hing-ling were having a pleasant conversation in a private room at the restaurant when suddenly a waiter knocked on the door and entered.

"Mr. Xian, there's a phone call for you. The caller says it's very urgent."

"Thank you."

After apologizing to Wu Qingling, Sin Yiu-man took a phone call outside the hotel, then apologized to Wu Qingling a second time, paid the bill, and left.

At midnight, he was deep in thought, holding the fax paper in his hand.

According to Su Lizhen, the livestock export company can supply 700 tons of Shancheng No. 27 pig bristles to Jinzhao Group at the export price of $105 per box, with the requirement that payment be settled within one month of delivery.

The standard weight of pig bristles is 50kg per box, so 700 tons would be 1.4 boxes, and the price would be US$147 million. This amount is not difficult for him, and he can pay first and receive the goods later to show his sincerity. However, he needs to think carefully about what to do after receiving the goods.

Last year, the total global trade volume of pig bristles was 6000 tons, with 80% exported from mainland China. This year, the largest demander, the United States, began importing pig bristles from India. However, the quality of Indian pig bristles is not as good as that of mainland Chinese pig bristles. Therefore, brush manufacturers in the United States cooperated with trading companies in Hong Kong to ship mainland Chinese pig bristles to the United States under the name of Indian pig bristles.

The reason for engaging in such self-deceiving behavior is twofold: firstly, it is affected by the embargo and the "license markup" of countermeasures in mainland China, which means that the export price of pig bristles to capitalist countries is $10-15 higher per box than to the Soviet Union, and intermediaries are not allowed to export to the United States.

The words following “且” can be ignored, but the price increase is real.

Secondly, last year the State Council of the People's Republic of China issued the "Decision on Unifying the National Financial and Economic Work," which abolished all commodity futures markets and implemented a unified purchase and sale system for pig bristles, accepting only spot trade and refusing to sign contracts in the form of futures.

Prior to this, a large amount of pig bristle trade was completed through forward contracts. Trading companies and intermediaries would sign forward contracts with companies representing exports from the mainland, with a delivery period of 6-12 months, stipulating a fixed price and executing the contract upon expiration.

The mainstream method is still forward contracts, but the method has changed slightly. The mainland will deliver the spot goods to the intermediaries, namely the Chinese merchants of the North and South, and then the North and South will sign forward contracts with the foreign firms.

With the existence of spot and forward contracts, there is a basis for futures speculation. In Hong Kong, there is a group of people who specialize in speculating on pig bristles. A batch of pig bristles is constantly changed hands among speculators, buying low and selling high or buying high and selling low, resulting in huge profits or losses.

Forward contracts lack backing, and waiting for the fixed price upon expiration may not be worthwhile. Furthermore, intermediaries face pressure to delay payments, making them more likely to participate in futures trading. They may choose to default on the contract upon expiration, which results in very low credibility in Hong Kong's physical pig bristle trade, pushing practitioners to embrace futures trading.

There are no hog bristle futures in London, but many speculators participate in over-the-counter trading of hog bristles—brokers match buyers and sellers to sign forward contracts without physical delivery, specifying quality standards and delivery time, and then the two parties settle the price difference when the delivery time arrives.

Simply put, it's a bet between the buyer and seller, with one side betting on the price to rise and the other betting on the price to fall. When the settlement date arrives, the amount by which the price has risen or fallen is the actual profit or loss for both parties.

Of course, you can also resell the contract to someone else midway through the process, either accepting a loss and exiting the game or securing your profits early.

To put it bluntly, what London is playing is futures trading without exchange guarantees and without physical delivery. Sin Yiu-man paid attention to it when he was in London. The market was very prosperous, with a very high daily turnover rate.

If the pig bristles were sold directly in Hong Kong, the profit would be the $15 difference between the price and the price in Su. Most middlemen could take on 1.4 boxes at once, but no middleman has the financial strength to pay in full at once. Installment payments or delayed payments are inevitable, and the theoretical profit of $21 would take a long time to materialize.

This means that he paid $147 million and received an IOU for $168 million. Putting aside the financial risks, the uncertain repayment time could easily turn the $21 profit into nothing.

If he uses $147 million to open a new smuggling route to the mainland, theoretically he can make five trips in six months, with a profit of 20% per trip. After five trips, $147 million will become $365.8 million. After deducting some expenses, doubling his capital is not a problem.

If the bristles were not sold in Hong Kong, but instead sourced from brush manufacturers, the theoretical profit could be higher. However, forward contracts would be necessary, and the current timing is unfavorable. Brush manufacturers' demand for bristles in the second half of the year has been largely met by the previous forward contract. What they can negotiate are forward contracts for next year's demand, which could take anywhere from six months to a year to settle, making it simply not worthwhile.

700 tons, accounting for 11.66% of the total international demand for the year, and it's the highest grade, Shancheng 27. It's not easy to settle the money and goods. This deal wasn't a benefit given to him by the mainland. He was probably short of foreign exchange and eager to cash out, so he approached this honest man. It was probably to echo the "Five People".

After thinking for a long time, he said, "Call back and negotiate with Michelle to have half of the pig bristles taken by the family, and inform her that I have follow-up plans, and the profit is not just the price difference."

After a pause, he continued, "The following content will be sent separately. I have heard that there is a 'Bristle King' in Shanghai, surnamed Wang, named Chunfang, who accumulated a large amount of capital by supplying military bristles to the Nationalist government during the War of Resistance against Japan."

Since the implementation of the unified purchase and sale system in mainland China, the Hong Kong market has been flooded with pig bristles supplied by non-livestock export companies, reportedly originating from Vietnam, Shantou, and Zhoushan.

Mr. Xian wanted to know how the mainland was cracking down on pig bristle smuggling and when such action would be taken.

Quietly grab a Zhoushan native and ask if there are any more pig-bristle boats coming from Zhoushan recently. If so, gag him with gold bars, release him, and prepare to receive the cargo.

Please let us know if the Soviet Union places additional orders.

That's all for the second one. The next one will be sent separately to Peipei.

Top secret: The mainland is launching a campaign to donate airplanes and artillery. They have secretly borrowed HK$228 million from Liu Rongju, in cash only, and cannot withdraw the money from the bank.

If he doesn't have that much, he can ask Zhong Chengkun to help him out. Huaxia Bus has a lot of small change transactions every day, so he should have a lot of cash on hand.

After receiving the money, hand it over to Zhang Hua of the United Trading Company in your own name, as a donation of two MiG-15s.

Also, please inform Cheryl that a shareholders' meeting should be convened to propose that Golden Season Logistics purchase $20 worth of canned pineapple from Prince Trading and deliver it to customers free of charge as a way of expressing gratitude to them.

I can directly explain to the shareholders that Prince Trading is my business, that I supply goods at cost price, and that I only ask for $20 in foreign exchange.

"Show me."

After reviewing Qi Longque's notes, Xian Yaowen made slight modifications and instructed Qi Longque to send the encrypted fax.

Upon receiving the fax in Hong Kong, Su Lizhen immediately sprang into action, while Cen Peipei, after some deliberation, returned to her apartment, opened her jewelry box, and selected a few pieces that she particularly liked and was reluctant to part with. She then gathered the rest together, intending to donate them all.

After tidying up the jewelry, I set my sights on the wardrobe. Many of the cheongsams had only been worn once and were just sitting there. There was also a huge pile of Sin Yiu-man's masterpieces, "rags," which could also be exchanged for money. Those that could be pawned were pawned, and those that couldn't be pawned were sold at low prices to rag collectors.

I pawned my clothes at a pawn shop, and then went to a department store and bought a bunch of expensive things that are related to luxury goods.

She is a well-known figure, and news about the clothes will definitely spread. People who do business with the Xian family will easily have negative associations upon hearing the news, so another piece of news is needed to counteract it.

As for why she didn't let others go to the pawn shop secretly, and why secretly? It was to spread the word that she kept the money from pawning the clothes, while the department store shopping bills were paid by the Xian family.

The Xian family is the Xian family, and Cen Peipei is Cen Peipei; they cannot be treated the same.

Sin Yiu-man was blind and deaf. Even if Cen Pei-pei had secretly conspired with others to carry out a massive pseudo-revolution that swept hundreds of millions of people for ten years, he could still be deceived.

Mosquitoes, armadillos, and dragons—when it's time to go blind, they all have to go blind. Anyone who dares to peek will be dealt with.

A little later, Sin Yiu-man went to the Bank of Taiwan to sign a loan agreement. Then, when the time difference was right for both sides, he contacted Eve Ashley, his secretary at Dean Group, and asked her to compile a list of people working in London for frying pig bristles.

After finishing his business, he took some ingredients to Wang Chaoyun's residence.

The house wasn't big, but it had everything you needed, including a Japanese-style kitchen. As soon as he arrived, he put a pot on the stove and got busy cooking.

Fill a pot with water, add kelp, and simmer over low heat.

The ready-made "Za'an" is pickled radish cut into shreds, arranged in a small dish, about the amount that even a Northeastern food blogger would have to be careful with when taking a bite.

Once the water boils, remove the kelp, add the bonito flakes, turn off the heat and let it simmer for 2 minutes, then strain the broth.

Bring the broth to a boil, add five ounces of tofu, kelp heads, and shiitake mushrooms, then simmer over low heat.

Taking advantage of the break, I turned on another stove, cracked six eggs, and made a tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet).

Blanch six okra pods in boiling water, then cut them into small pieces and set aside. Put a large spoonful of natto in a bowl, stir it with chopsticks, then add the okra, and top with a soft-boiled egg.

Add two spoonfuls of miso to the pot, cook for another three minutes, sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve.

I lit two pieces of charcoal and heated them until they were red-hot, then set up a charcoal fire. I chopped up a bunch of side dishes, eight ounces of beef, and eight ounces of mutton, and made a deluxe version of sukiyaki.

Once the food was prepared and served on the table, Wang Chaoyun returned right on time.

Upon seeing the table laden with food, she exclaimed, "Wow, Takano-kun, dinner is so plentiful! Let's dig in!"

"Don't rush, the guests haven't arrived yet."

"Who?"

"Your man."

"Wu Zecheng is coming?"

"He never brought the money that was supposed to be paid, and I didn't ask him for it. We agreed to have a meal here today as a handover ceremony."

Wang Chaoyun retorted, "Hand me over?" (End of Chapter)