The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

"We're afraid of him, and he's afraid of us?" The leader asked, puzzled. "What makes you say that?"

"What I mean by fear is not dread, but worry." Liu Hua shook his head: "Our economy is too closely tied to the United States. If we fall out, both of us will suffer considerable losses. Most importantly, it will easily allow others to benefit."

"The Americans are indeed our biggest export customer right now, but if things really turn sour, so be it, we're not afraid of that."

"Of course, but there are clearly ways to avoid it."

The leader glanced at Liu Hua: "You seem to know something?"

Liu Hua nodded: "I know, but it won't work this time. We're definitely going to suffer a loss this time."

"Suffering a loss?"

"A financial crisis in the US is probably inevitable. We're too closely tied to them, so we're bound to be drained of our resources by the US. We're definitely going to suffer losses."

The leaders all knew about the financial crisis in the United States; there were signs long ago. Indeed, as Liu Hua said, we suffered a hidden loss this time.

Liu Hua said with a smile, "Actually, there are ways to make up for some of the losses."

"any solution?"

Liu Hua smiled sinisterly: "Short the US, South Korea, Japan, and Europe. These places are more closely tied to the US; they are the US's lifeblood. They will be the first to be affected, so shorting them will definitely be profitable."

"This is playing with fire. If we push them too far, we won't be able to get the money back even if we make it."

"If they can't get it back, they can't get it back. During the financial crisis, they will sell off all kinds of assets at bargain prices. Didn't the former Great Bear develop by taking advantage of the Western financial crisis to buy all kinds of Western equipment?"

“That makes sense,” the leader said with a smile. “Money is nothing compared to the real treasures: supplies and equipment. Academician Liu, when did you start studying finance?”

Liu Hua rolled her eyes at him: "I'm not blind. I can see all the news online. The US has a financial crisis every few years. It's a disease we were born with, and it keeps recurring."

After thinking for a moment, Liu Hua said, "I think we should bring together private enterprises and let those with strength go overseas for mergers and acquisitions after the financial crisis. This will not only expand our market but also increase our own technological foundation."

“That’s right, why don’t you take the lead on this matter?”

Liu Hua waved his hand: "Forget it, I have no intention of mergers and acquisitions. My technology is already the most advanced in the world, so who would I want to acquire?"

"I forgot about that." The leader clapped his hands with a smile. "I'll go back and make a plan to implement all your ideas properly. This year, we should have a prosperous New Year."

Seeing him rising from a tall building, seeing his banquet guests, seeing his building collapsed.

2008 should be considered a watershed year. After the global financial crisis, our country began a full-scale boom.

On New Year's Day, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology gave Liu Hua's family four sets of tickets, which were all the tickets for the upcoming Olympic Games, and all of them were for the best seats.

Liu Hua bought a few more sets through connections. His sister-in-law and brother-in-law's whole family should have one. Guan Zhilin is a crazy person; if she doesn't get one, she'll cause a ruckus at home every day. The company should also prepare a few sets as a reward.

As for why you need to use connections, it's even simpler: without connections, it's practically impossible to buy a good seat package ticket; these tickets are extremely sought after.

After the Lunar New Year, the countdown to the Olympics began, and security in Beijing was heightened again. To alleviate traffic congestion, locals were required to use alternate license plates (odd-even license plates), so Liu Hua had to buy a few more cars to alternate between, as his wife also needed to travel.

Liu Feifei complained, "Before, roads were under construction everywhere, making travel inconvenient. Now that the roads are repaired, travel is still inconvenient. Wasn't the road construction a waste?"

"Our city has a permanent population of over 20 million. This small city of Beijing is under too much pressure," Liu Hua joked. "At least with the odd-even license plate system, traffic jams aren't as bad."

"What's the use? The road isn't blocked anymore, but the sidewalk is completely blocked."

Our country's Olympic Games not only showcase our economic and technological strength, but also our hard power.

In March, two more Wuzhiqi-class destroyers, the Type 052E, were launched, making it one for each of the three major fleets. The Philippines, which had been stirring up trouble in the South China Sea, immediately quieted down.

Because our Wuzhiqi (a type of warship) sailed right up to their doorstep, the Americans were being hypocritical towards us while secretly instigating the Philippines. The Japanese even sold them a few dilapidated patrol ships.

So, a segment of our evening news program featured an interview with Jiangnan Shipyard about their support for the Olympics.

One scene shows four warships being built neatly on four slipways. Although they are still in their infancy, those in the know can easily identify them as Type 052E destroyers.

The bigwigs were very anxious. Bush, who was about to step down, rushed to push through a military procurement bill in order to deal with the situation in the Pacific. The bigwigs wanted to equip the US Navy with twenty Arleigh Burke III-class destroyers.

Liu Hua felt like he was hallucinating. According to his knowledge, in his previous life, the Arleigh Burke III didn't start construction until 2018, and this was only 2008, a full ten years earlier.

After taking a closer look at the news report, I realized that this military procurement would not be fully completed until 2035, with the first week of delivery scheduled for 2015 – seven years later.

In that much time, we might have even built a 20,000-ton destroyer.

The team at Dijun Company responsible for designing warships has been busy. According to the information provided by Liu Hua, they have been designing 20,000-ton destroyers and amphibious assault ships.

After the US military procurement deal was approved, Dijun Company immediately submitted the already designed destroyer design to the Navy.

The Navy held a seminar and invited experts to review the blueprints. Liu Hua saw the director of the Strategic Deception Bureau.

Liu Hua greeted him with a smile: "Hello, General Zhang. I often see you on TV."

"It's a real honor. I didn't expect Academician Liu to watch my program." The director said with a smile, "When you watch my program, are you thinking to yourself, 'This old man is really good at making up stories, he can just spout them off'?"

Liu Hua shook his head: "No, I was wondering if our country has a new department?"

The naval leader asked with a smile, "What new department?"

Liu Hua said with a smile, "The Strategic Deception Bureau, specializing in deceiving the great Americans, strategic deception. This must be the director, right?"

The leader jokingly said, "Old Zhang, you've become a master conman."

"I've been a master conman for a long time, even longer than Zhao Benshan." (End of Chapter)