Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 211 The First Time to Pick Up a Bargain

After leaving the Friendship Store, Lin Chaoyang prepared to take Tao Yushu and A Mao to visit the furniture factory in the name of buying some furniture for the courtyard house.

When he walked to the bicycle, a tall and thin young man suddenly jumped out, looked around for a few times, and then lowered his voice and asked Lin Chaoyang: "Brother, do you want to exchange foreign exchange certificates? I will buy it at a high price."

Lin Chaoyang immediately realized that he had run into a ticket scalper. There was a foreigner among their group of three, and he knew at first glance that he would definitely not be short of foreign exchange coupons, so the first thing the other party said was "collect".

"What's the price?"

"Two for one."

"People charge one dollar and four cents each," said Lin Chaoyang.

"Nonsense! I only make $1.40 when I go out. Buddy, you have to let me earn some money, right? Who would take this risk if not for the money?"

"Okay, when I'm short of money, I'll ask you to exchange some."

Listening to Lin Chaoyang's words, the tall and thin man was not very happy. Why are you making fun of me if I don't exchange the ticket?
Foreign exchange coupons are something that have only been around for the past two years. The main purpose of their issuance is to facilitate foreign guests, overseas Chinese and foreign workers in purchasing goods and paying expenses in the country.

Foreign exchange coupons need to be exchanged for foreign currency and can only be used in specific places, such as foreign-related hotels, Friendship Stores, duty-free shops and other places. If you can't spend all the money, you can exchange it back for foreign currency when you leave the country. Of course, you can also keep it for use next time you come to China.

The circulation is not restricted, and it is not restricted by the ticket system, which has led to the public's pursuit of foreign exchange certificates. Since the day of its issuance, it has become a "hard currency" widely welcomed by the people.

Because of this popularity, smart people among the public soon started to think about this thing, and gradually the business of reselling foreign exchange certificates was formed.

在黑市上外汇券和人民币的兑付比例为1：1.4~1.5，也就是说一块外汇券可以兑换1.4~1.5块人民币。

The foreign exchange certificates in Lin Chaoyang's hand were exchanged for Hong Kong dollars by Li Hanxiang using his Hong Kong identity. Originally, it was worth 9,000 RMB, which was exchanged for foreign exchange certificates of equal value. If it was then converted into RMB, it would immediately become 13,500 RMB, and its value would skyrocket.

However, it was naturally impossible for Lin Chaoyang to exchange the foreign exchange coupons in his hand back into RMB. He had finally got these few foreign exchange coupons with great difficulty, and he still had to "pick up bargains".

There is no need for him to pick up bargains in this day and age. As long as he has foreign exchange or foreign exchange coupons, he will not be afraid of not being able to buy good things.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, a new model of comprehensive public-private partnership in capitalist industry and commerce was gradually realized in the country. The antique industry as a private form no longer existed, and instead a monopoly system of state-owned cultural relics stores emerged.

These cultural relics stores can carry out unified purchase and sales in accordance with the instructions of their superiors, and like to sell cultural relics to the outside world under the instructions of the planned economy.

One of the important reasons for the rise of antique shops is to earn foreign exchange.

Affected by the Korean War and the Cold War, China's international trade was greatly interfered with and hit, and foreign exchange was in short supply.

Therefore, in order to earn foreign exchange, state-owned cultural relics stores, arts and crafts stores and other institutions were established in various parts of the country to sell some "duplicate and of average value" cultural relics and artworks purchased from the private sector to foreign guests in exchange for foreign exchange.

In Yanjing, there are a total of six cultural relics stores that have been approved by relevant departments to buy and sell antiques and cultural relics. They are the Cultural Relics Store, Rongbaozhai, Trust Company, Friendship Store, China Bookstore and Yanjing Furniture Factory.

The six shops have different focuses. The Cultural Relics Shop has the most comprehensive categories, including inscriptions and calligraphy, paintings and calligraphy, bronze and stone carvings, pottery, porcelain, four treasures of the study, and miscellaneous cultural relics, covering almost all categories of the antique industry.

Rongbaozhai sells inscriptions, calligraphy and paintings and their reproductions, and the four treasures of the study.

Trust companies mainly engage in the sale of second-hand goods and sundry goods on consignment;

Friendship Store sells modern and contemporary calligraphy and paintings as well as inscriptions on stone tablets;
Chinese bookstores mainly sell old books and calligraphy and paintings.

The Yanjing Furniture Factory sells used furniture, and of course, it also sells new furniture.

It is worth mentioning that a considerable number of goods in these stores have the task of earning foreign exchange, so Chinese people cannot buy these cultural relics because they have no foreign exchange.

Yanjing Furniture Factory, more precisely Long Shuncheng Furniture Factory. In 1956, the public-private partnership was formed, and 35 furniture factories in Yanjing were merged into one, retaining the old name of Long Shuncheng, becoming the only furniture factory in Yanjing.

However, although it is a joint venture, production and store sales are still decentralized.

It was not until 1963 that Long Shuncheng Furniture Factory decided to move to a wide area on the east side of Yongdingmenwai Street in order to develop hardwood furniture. Only then were all production locations concentrated together, and furniture sales were carried out in state-owned furniture stores in each district.

Lin Chaoyang brought Tao Yushu and Amao to the Long Shuncheng General Factory on Yongdingmenwai Street, because the state-owned furniture stores in various districts all sold new furniture, only the general factory sold used furniture.

From a distance, Long Shuncheng's painted archway and the towering city wall not far away complement each other, and you can still vaguely see some of the old appearance outside the South City.

Long Shuncheng and most of the woodworking shops in Yanjing City in the early years started in Luban Hutong. They were all handicraft workshops with a front shop and a back workshop, and this is still the case today.

In addition to two furniture display and sales shops side by side on the street side, Long Shuncheng's inner courtyard is surrounded by a patio and is full of production workshops.

Walking into Long Shuncheng's shop, you will see a wide variety of furniture, most of which are hardwood furniture, such as eight-immortal tables, six-immortal tables, two-drawer tables, desks, cabinets, square stools, long stools, official hat chairs, round chairs, etc.

"How about you guys take a look at the furniture?"

Long Shuncheng's salesmen were all apprentices in the factory. When they saw the three people come in, they came forward and asked.

"Yes, we need to buy furniture for our home," said Lin Chaoyang.

The salesman was in his twenties, with a simple and honest face. Seeing that Lin Chaoyang and the others were all young people, he kindly said, "We sell Beijing-made furniture and second-hand furniture. If you want to buy furniture for a newlywed, you can go to the furniture store to have a look."

“We want to look at old furniture.”

Listening to Lin Chaoyang's words, the salesperson looked at the foreigner A Mao, thinking that Lin Chaoyang and the other man were accompanying the foreigner A Mao to buy furniture.

"Then please look this way!"

The salesperson led the three people to the second-hand shop area. Long Shuncheng has a special second-hand goods department. He collects old furniture from the public, refurbishes and maintains it, and then sells it to the outside. His main customers are overseas Chinese.

Furniture is a large item and most foreign guests are not interested in it. Only overseas Chinese who share the same language and culture are interested in it.

Although the old furniture in the second-hand goods department has been carefully maintained, many of them still have a rustic feel to their age.

"This is a square pedestal made of yellow rosewood from the Ming Dynasty with a base. It is carved with a dragon and curling grass. The dragon's body and tail are in the shape of a combination of grass leaf patterns and crooked patterns. The two dragons face each other, with elephant trunks and heads that seem to be evolving into flowers and grass. The curling grass pattern in the middle is folded in a square.

This kind of pattern mainly appeared on porcelain, jade and furniture during the Jiajing, Wanli, Tianqi and Chongzhen periods of the Ming Dynasty.

Look at this, it is similar to a square table, with concave walls and a relief of two dragons holding longevity. It is connected to the large square table below with mortise and tenon joints. This large square table looks like it is divided into two parts, but in fact it is two parts connected. The four legs are made of one piece of wood. The workmanship is extremely delicate and it is a rare and ingenious work. "The salesman was very skilled in his business. He introduced these old furniture with classics and was very knowledgeable. Tao Yushu and the little foreigner Amao were stunned by what he heard.

"The craftsmanship is quite exquisite, but it's a bit bloated," said Lin Chaoyang.

The salesperson was slightly stunned when he heard this. Just from this one sentence, he knew that he had met an expert today.

He usually interacts with customers, most of whom are laymen. As long as they listen to his introduction, they will basically have a sense of awe.

But Lin Chaoyang's reaction was very calm, and he pointed out the flaw of this piece of furniture in just one sentence.

This square table made in the Ming Dynasty is made of solid materials, has exquisite workmanship, and is well preserved. Its only drawback is that it is bulky.

"You have a good eye! This pedestal is good in every way, but its only shortcoming is that it is clumsy and bulky. That's what the old craftsman in our factory said."

Tao Yushu listened to the salesperson's praise for Lin Chaoyang with delight, and quietly asked him, "You also know about furniture?"

"I don't understand. I just read a few books and made up this nonsense."

Tao Yushu glanced at him with her beautiful eyes, and that look seemed to be saying that he was being falsely modest.

The salesperson introduced the three people for a long time. The old furniture here is basically from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and there are many fine products among them.

Lin Chaoyang pointed to a pair of red wood dragon-carved Duobaoge from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and asked, "How much is this Duobaoge?"

"This is a pair. It costs six hundred yuan, and it has to be in foreign exchange coupons," the salesperson replied.

Tao Yushu was surprised when he heard the price, "It's so expensive!"

In this day and age, an ordinary piece of furniture would only cost a few dozen yuan, and if the materials were better, a hundred yuan or so would be enough. However, this Duobaoge piece cost six hundred yuan, and that had to be paid in foreign exchange coupons, which was almost a sky-high price considering the prices of that era.

The salesperson smiled shyly and said, "It's indeed a bit expensive. The second-hand goods here are usually sold to overseas Chinese."

Tao Yushu nodded without saying anything and looked at Lin Chaoyang.

"I want this one!" said Lin Chaoyang.

Then he pointed to two pieces of furniture next to him. Both were Ming Huanghuali armchairs, but they were of different styles. One was an official hat chair, and the other had a single backrest with a headrest.

These three pieces of furniture are the best in condition among the second-hand goods area. If they were put on auction houses in the future, their starting price would basically be 20 million RMB.

The three pieces of furniture cost Lin Chaoyang a total of 1150 foreign exchange coupons. After paying the money, he felt as happy as if he had found a treasure.

Tao Yushu and A Mao could not understand his happiness.

Tao Yushu felt a little pained after spending one eighth of his foreign exchange coupons in one go. He asked, "Can you use the furniture you bought?"

"These are antiques, of course they can't be used. Can't we just buy something else?"

Having been in the furniture store for a while, Tao Yushu also knew from the salesperson's introduction that Long Shuncheng had a foreign exchange earning task for both new and old furniture. Even a small amount of furniture that did not require foreign exchange coupons required tickets.

"You have tickets? You can't use foreign exchange coupons to buy new furniture, right?" Tao Yushu said with concern.

Lin Chaoyang smiled and said, "Wouldn't it be enough to just get a few tickets?"

As he spoke, he turned to the salesman and asked, "Young man, we need to buy some new furniture. Do you employees have any furniture tickets?"

Nowadays, every unit has its own welfare benefits. If you work in a soy sauce factory, you will definitely not worry about eating soy sauce. If you work in a bicycle factory, you will not worry about bicycle tickets.

The same is true in furniture factories. Long Shuncheng's employees can get furniture tickets every six months. For employees who don't need furniture at home, this is equivalent to giving money.

Lin Chaoyang just spent more than a thousand yuan in foreign exchange coupons in their store without blinking an eye. He is a rare big customer nowadays.

"Our factory just issued a batch of furniture tickets last month, but I don't know if they still have them. What kind of tickets do you need? I'll ask my colleagues for you."

"Everything that can be used at home is needed."

Hearing Lin Chaoyang's tone, the salesperson happily went to the factory behind to ask around, and then brought back a message for Lin Chaoyang.

"Just a bed ticket and a wardrobe ticket."

Furniture tickets are a necessity for weddings and have always been in short supply. Moreover, tickets are time-limited, so it is not easy to get two tickets.

After some communication, Lin Chaoyang spent 20 yuan plus 5 foreign exchange coupons to exchange for two furniture tickets, and then paid 74 yuan to buy the furniture.

Including three old pieces of furniture, Lin Chaoyang bought a total of five pieces of furniture. He asked the sales manager of the furniture factory to deliver the goods to his door, and the other party agreed immediately.

Before leaving, Lin Chaoyang asked the honest-looking salesperson, "Little brother, what's your name?"

"You're welcome. My last name is Zhang Guihe."

"What's your name?" Lin Chaoyang praised her and said, "Please keep an eye out for me later. If your factory receives any good quality furniture, please let me know."

As he spoke, he quietly handed a five-yuan foreign exchange certificate to Zhang Guihe.

Zhang Guihe quickly pushed his hand away and said, "Leave me your address and I'll let you know later."

Seeing that he didn't want to accept the foreign exchange coupons, Lin Chaoyang didn't force it. He nodded and said, "Please keep an eye out for the furniture coupons for me. We still need a lot of furniture at home."

"no problem."

Zhang Guihe responded happily. Lin Chaoyang was very generous and had foreign exchange coupons. Anyone who had coupons would be eager to exchange them with him.

By introducing Lin Chaoyang to someone, he will also have face among his colleagues.

(End of this chapter)