Era: Rise from the Wilderness

The two crossed the road and walked up the bank's wide steps.

The glass door was somewhat heavy, making a dull sound when pushed open.

A cool breeze, mixed with a stronger smell of ink and disinfectant, wafted over, creating a stark contrast to the sweltering heat outside.

The bank's interior space is spacious, but the lighting is somewhat dim.

A dark brown wooden counter divides the hall into inner and outer sections, with iron railings above it.

Large propaganda posters hung on the wall, with slogans such as "Saving is glorious" and "Supporting national construction".

The hall was not crowded and felt somewhat empty, with echoes reverberating in the air.

There were sparse queues in front of several windows, mostly for depositing or withdrawing money.

Li Yunjing walked to the information desk, where a middle-aged female employee wearing glasses was sitting, looking down at some document.

"Hello, sister."

Li Yunjing said politely, "I would like to inquire about the exchange of treasury bonds."

The female employee looked up, adjusted her glasses, glanced at him, then at Lü Ruoxi behind him. Her attitude wasn't particularly enthusiastic, but she was still patient: "Exchange treasury bonds? Are they due? Did you bring your ID and the bonds?"

"I brought the coupon, but... it hasn't expired yet, there's still about a year left."

As Li Yunjing spoke, he carefully took out a small stack of treasury bonds wrapped in oil paper from his schoolbag. They were all from the same year and had face values ​​of ten, fifty, and one hundred yuan.

He unfolded a corner of the oil paper package across the counter so that the female employee could see it.

The female employee glanced at it, her brow furrowing slightly: "Not yet due? You can't redeem it before it matures. You can only wait until it matures, or..."

She paused, lowering her voice slightly, "Or you could try asking around outside; some people buy them privately, and the price might be lower. We only process redemptions according to regulations."

She spoke subtly, but her meaning was clear.

The bank's refusal to process early redemption of unmatured treasury bonds hints at the possibility of "private" transactions.

"Oh, I see. Thank you, sister."

Li Yunjing showed no disappointment or urgency, but simply nodded calmly, rewrapped the treasury bonds, and put them away.

This result was within his expectations.

He then asked about the specific procedures required for redemption upon maturity, and the female employee gave a brief explanation.

After asking the questions, he thanked her and, together with Lü Ruoxi, casually strolled around the lobby, glanced at the interest rate table on the wall, and then slowly walked out of the bank.

Standing once again under the scorching sun, Li Yunjing's gaze seemingly unintentionally swept over the "targets" at the doorway.

Sure enough, the man in the gray t-shirt squatting by the pillar and the man in the straw hat leaning against the bicycle both glanced at them a few more times, their eyes filled with assessment and a hint of barely perceptible interest.

The fish smelled it.

Li Yunjing sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm.

He tugged at Lü Ruoxi's arm and whispered, "Come on, let's go to the department store next door and cool off."

The two turned around and walked towards the department store not far away, their steps slow, as if they were strolling around.

The two had just stepped off the bank stairs, and hadn't even gone ten meters, when a slightly hoarse voice came from behind them: "Young man, wait a minute!"

Li Yunjing paused slightly and exchanged a knowing glance with Lü Ruoxi.

coming.

He turned around, his face revealing a perfectly timed hint of doubt and wariness.

The man who called out to them was leaning against his bicycle and wearing a straw hat.

The straw hat was pulled low, obscuring his entire face, revealing only a ring of dark stubble around his chin.

He pushed his slightly worn-out old bicycle and followed at a leisurely pace.

"What's up?"

Li Yunjing asked, turning his body slightly to the side, shielding Lü Ruoxi half a body length behind him.

The man in the straw hat approached, looked around, then lowered his voice and forced a somewhat friendly smile: "Young man, were you inquiring about treasury bonds at the bank earlier?"

Li Yunjing neither admitted nor denied it, but simply looked at him.

The man in the straw hat didn't seem to mind and continued, "I heard from that lady that the bank doesn't process payments that haven't matured yet, right?"

"I might be able to help in some way."

He paused, then lowered his voice even further, "Interested in talking?"

"How can you help?"

Li Yunjing spoke calmly, with the caution and slight disbelief characteristic of a young man.

"Hey young man, you look like you're running errands for your family, right?"

The man in the straw hat chuckled, pulled a half-pack of crumpled "Da Qianmen" cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, and without lighting it, just held it between his fingers. "Banks won't exchange this stuff, but there are people buying it on the market!"

"Many people need money urgently, so it's better to just leave it sitting there and convert it into cash."

"I'm just... helping to make connections, to build bridges."

As he spoke, he kept an eye on Li Yunjing's expression and also observed the girl behind him who had remained silent but had bright eyes.

"How do you collect it?"

Li Yunjing asked, seemingly somewhat interested, but still maintaining a distance.

"Look at the year, the condition, and the face value."

The man in the straw hat perked up and spoke faster, "Like the kind you have, from '88 or '89, right? If it's in good condition, I can give you around ninety for a hundred-yuan note."

"Of course, we'll have to see the product to know for sure."

ninety?

Li Yunjing quickly made a decision in his mind.

The price was slightly lower than he expected, but considering that the other party was a "middleman" and needed to make a profit, it was within a reasonable range.

However, he doesn't intend to reveal all his cards right away.

"Ninety? That's too low."

Li Yunjing shook his head and made as if to leave, "The adults at home said that I have to at least break even."

"Hey, young man, don't be in such a hurry!"

The man in the straw hat quickly stopped him, his smile widening. "The price is negotiable! Breaking even... isn't impossible, but it depends on the quality. If it's a large quantity, we can discuss it further."

How many do you have?

"If it's convenient, could we find a quiet place to look at the goods?"

He pointed to a relatively quiet alleyway leading to the back alley of the department store: "There are fewer people there, so it's easier to talk."

Li Yunjing glanced at the alley, then at the man in the straw hat.

Aside from the shrewdness of a businessman, no other malice could be detected in the other party's eyes at the moment.

But he remained vigilant.

"No need, let's just talk here, it's bright."

Li Yunjing didn't move. He took out the oil paper package from his bag again, this time pulling out only a fifty-yuan treasury bond in relatively good condition. He waved it in his hand, "Just like this, I'll buy it back at face value. How much can you collect?"

The man in the straw hat leaned closer, squinted, and carefully examined the year, number, and condition of the coupon. He even held it up to the sunlight to check the watermark.

"The timing is alright. How many of these do you have?"

After reading it, he pondered for a moment.

"Not much, a little over 1000 yuan, in various denominations."

Li Yunjing said vaguely, without giving a specific number, "If you really want it and the price is right, I can give it all to you."