I, from the Celestial Empire, have parachuted into Teyvat.

Li Xuehai laughed heartily and said, "There's no such thing as hardship or not. As long as the organization gives the order, I, Old Li, will definitely do my duty without hesitation."

The two chatted for a few more minutes before getting down to business.

Ivan asked, "Now that the bank has been established, has the exchange rate been determined?"

Li Xuehai said, "According to market research and price analysis, the current exchange rate is one Chinese Yuan to one hundred Mora. This exchange rate will be gradually adjusted according to market price fluctuations."

“Okay.” Ivan nodded.

Ivan naturally didn't need to worry about these things; Li Xuehai, as the former deputy governor of the central bank, was far more professional than him.

As Huaxia Bank's reputation grew, its opening naturally attracted many Mondstadt residents who came to visit. When the bank officially opened for business, these residents also entered the bank.

Watching the crowd surge into the bank, Ivan asked, "Speaking of which, are all the bank's employees hired from Mondstadt?"

Li Xuehai said, "Most of them are Mondstadt people, and only a small number were brought over from China."

As a bank jointly established by China and the Knights of Favonius, it is inevitable that Huaxia Bank would employ Mondstadt citizens, which is also an advantage Huaxia Bank has over the Northern Bank.

Although the Fatui have weakened in Mondstadt, the two Northern Banks they established remain giants in Mondstadt's financial sector, and they are the biggest competitors facing the Huaxia Bank.

The employees and managers of the two Northern Banks were all from the Fools or were banking professionals from the Winter Kingdom, which inevitably led some people to wonder whether it was safe to entrust their money to institutions completely controlled by foreigners.

Huaxia Bank's hiring of Mondstadt residents will not only increase their sense of security but also create more job opportunities for them. As a result, many people will be more inclined to deposit their money in Huaxia Bank in the future.

Of course, this is just one of many ways to compete with the Northern Bank. To completely squeeze the Fatui out of Mondstadt, it is necessary to completely defeat them in every aspect.

First, let's look at the details.

Li Xuehai specially brought the entire banking system from China. After the bank opens today, Mondstadt residents entering the bank lobby will find a silver device more than one meter tall placed at the entrance. If any Chinese person is standing here, they will immediately recognize it as a queuing machine.

At this moment, bank staff came forward and patiently explained the function and usage of the queuing machine to everyone. The Mondstadt residents were amazed, as it was much more convenient than the Northern Bank's system, which required appointments to conduct business.

In addition to queuing machines, there are also self-service inquiry and processing equipment for simple business. The residents of Mondstadt quickly became familiar with how to operate them under the guidance of the staff.

Currently, Huaxia Bank has 20 queuing windows, and the staff at each window are all locals from Mondstadt. Before starting their jobs, they have all undergone extensive professional training from Huaxia Bank and are fully capable of handling customers' daily needs.

As more and more customers come to the bank to inquire about services, Huaxia Bank is bustling with activity.

Suddenly, a businessman-looking man at window number eight couldn't help but shout out, instantly attracting the attention of everyone in the hall.

"What? Did I hear that right? Your deposit interest rate is 0.3% higher than that of Northern Bank?"

The staff member at window number eight nodded and smiled, "Yes, you heard me right."

These words immediately caused an uproar.

"The deposit interest rate at the Northern Bank is 0.2%, so that's 0.5%?"

"My God, so many?"

Most people were shocked, but a small number of people who didn't understand the situation asked curiously, "0.3 points more? Is that a lot?"

"Brother, you're wrong about that. The extra 0.3% may seem like a small amount, but it's a compounding process. If you have enough savings, the interest rate will slowly accumulate and eventually become a terrifying number."

Everyone in the hall started discussing it enthusiastically, and some even took out paper and pens to start calculating.

However, what shocked everyone was only just beginning.

The staff member then said, "What you just asked about is the current account interest rate; the fixed deposit interest rate is higher."

The businessman who had already been shocked at window number eight was stunned: "Current account? Fixed deposit?"

Because the Northern Bank has always operated on a deposit-and-withdrawal basis, it did not have the concept of current or fixed deposit accounts. This was the first time the businessman had ever heard of these two terms.

The staff member began to explain: "Demand deposits mean that the money you deposit in this bank can be withdrawn or transferred at any time. Fixed deposits, on the other hand, involve agreeing with the bank for a specific period, such as six months or one year. During this period, the interest rate for this type of deposit will be much higher than that of demand deposits. If you withdraw this fixed deposit within the agreed period, the interest rate for the withdrawn portion will be calculated at the demand deposit rate. If you withdraw it after the agreed period has passed, it will be calculated at the normal fixed deposit rate. Fixed deposit interest rates are as follows: three months 1.43%, six months 1.75%, one year 2.1%, two years 2.94%, and three years or more 3.85%."

After hearing what the staff member said, the businessman suddenly stood up and ran outside without looking back. Someone who knew him asked in confusion, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the Northern Bank to withdraw money! I want to transfer it!"

Chapter 76 The Fools' Revenge

The news of Huaxia Bank's extremely high interest rates spread rapidly throughout Mondstadt as soon as the bank opened.

The people of Mondstadt were shocked.

"Have you heard? Huaxia Bank's interest rate is almost four percent!"

"What? Where did you hear that from?"

"Don't spread rumors. Those are the interest rates for fixed deposits of three years or more. For deposits under three years, the rates are lower for current accounts. But even the lowest current account rate is three percentage points higher than that of Northern Bank."

"Current account/fixed account? What does that mean?"

"You still don't know? Let me tell you..."

"What? I can get such a high interest rate as long as the time is agreed upon? No way, I have to withdraw my money from the Northern Bank and deposit it here."

"With such high interest rates, aren't you afraid they won't be able to pay you back?"

"At least Huaxia Bank has our own Mondstadt people involved. Even if it's not very secure, it's still better than being in a bank full of Winter People."

For a time, the topic of Huaxia Bank's deposit interest rates sparked a lot of discussion in Mondstadt. Regardless of whether people were optimistic or pessimistic, it did not change the fact that more and more people were going to the two Northern Banks to withdraw money and deposit it in Huaxia Bank.

Such commotion naturally attracted the attention of the two northern banks.

Inside the North China Bank office in the East District, the presidents of the two banks were sitting together, urgently discussing countermeasures.

Logan, the president of the Northland Bank in the East District, put down his teacup, pushed up his glasses, and sighed, "The situation is a bit bad. More and more customers are coming to our bank to withdraw their entire deposits."

Gob, the bank manager of the West District, stroked his mustache and said, "Our situation is similar... Ever since Lady Zephyr left Mondstadt for some unknown reason, the Knights of Favonius have been targeting us at every turn, making our business in Mondstadt increasingly difficult. Now, with the emergence of the China Bank, isn't this just taking away our livelihood..."

Logan asked, "Brother Gebu, what are your thoughts?"

"idea?"

Gebu frowned and said, "The fact that the Knights of Favonius are involved with Huaxia Bank is clearly aimed at us. Huaxia Bank's move to divide deposits into demand deposit rates and time deposit rates is very clever. The time deposit rate is much higher than the demand deposit rate, which will lead people to prefer time deposits. This will allow their bank to have a large amount of available funds in a very short time. If we don't want to be squeezed out of Mondstadt, there is only one way, and that is for us to raise interest rates as well."

Logan frowned. "Raise interest rates? By how much?"

Ge Budao said, "At the very least, we should raise the interest rate to match theirs, and we should also differentiate between demand and time deposits."

Logan was taken aback: "On par with them? But a sudden interest rate hike would put a lot of pressure on our finances. We're not Liyue Golden House, and we can't print Mora."

Ge Bu squinted and said, "We need to compete with them on capital reserves. Huaxia Bank is just starting out and definitely doesn't have that much capital to support their operations. If we can force them into a cycle of interest rate hikes, they probably won't be able to hold on for long."

At this point, Ge Bu revealed a cold smile: "Besides, in addition to direct methods, we can also do some behind-the-scenes maneuvering."

The next day, in the afternoon, arrived.

A piece of news suddenly exploded in Mondstadt: the two banks of the Northern Bank suddenly announced an interest rate hike and would also open up both current and fixed deposit services to customers. The current deposit rate was raised to 0.6%, while the fixed deposit rates for three months, six months, one year, two years, three years and above were all on par with Huaxia Bank. In addition, all customers who still had deposits in the Northern Bank would have their interest recalculated from the original deposit period to today. Those with deposits of three months or more would have their interest recalculated at the fixed deposit rate, while those with deposits of less than three months would have their interest recalculated at the new current deposit rate.

The announcement sparked another round of heated discussion in Mondstadt.

"Have you heard? Beiguo Bank has also launched current and fixed deposit services, and the fixed deposit rate is the same as Huaxia Bank's, while the current deposit rate is one percentage point higher."

“I knew it. As a long-established bank in Teyvat, the Northern Bank couldn’t possibly do nothing.”

“My home is in Xicheng District, very close to Beiguo Bank, so I’ll just keep my money in Beiguo Bank.”

It must be said that the Northern Bank's actions were quite effective.

People who keep their money in banks, even if it's all fixed deposits, will inevitably need the money urgently someday. If they withdraw the money early, the interest rate on the withdrawn portion will be calculated at the current account rate. Given that the fixed deposit rate is the same, but the current account rate is higher, people will definitely prefer the bank with the higher current account rate. Moreover, the Northern Bank has also agreed to directly raise the interest rate on the deposits of customers who still have deposits in the bank. This series of operations has stopped the large wave of people withdrawing money and transferring it to new deposits.

Meanwhile, a rumor began to circulate in Mondstadt.

"Have you heard? The money we deposited in the China Bank was actually secretly smuggled back to China. China is stealing our Mondstadt property in this way. We and the Knights have been deceived by China."

"What? Really?"

"Of course it's true. Think about it, the Northern Bank is backed by the Fools. They operate a lot of businesses not only in Mondstadt but also throughout Teyvat. They can easily afford those high interest rates. But what about the China Bank? The China Bank has no businesses in Mondstadt, and I've never heard of it having any businesses or assets in other countries. It basically has no guarantees. It's obvious that they're going to run away with the money."

Similar rumors, fueled by those with ulterior motives, quickly spread among the common people, causing many who wanted to deposit their money in Huaxia Bank to hesitate.

However, perhaps because the rumor was too sensational, or perhaps because Huaxia Bank's performance during the Dragon Plague and with the Knights of Favonius had earned the trust of the Mondstadt people, there were still many voices of clarification or opposition to refute the rumor. But overall, the number of customers going to Huaxia Bank to conduct business recently has decreased significantly.

The news quickly reached Ivan's ears.

Upon hearing this, Ivan realized that things were not so simple, so he immediately rushed to Huaxia Bank to see Li Xuehai. At this time, Li Xuehai had just finished a meeting with the heads of various departments. When he saw Ivan arrive, he immediately invited Ivan into the bank president's office.

Before Ivan could even speak after entering, Li Xinhai said with a smile, "Commander Ivan, you've come because of the rumors circulating in the streets, haven't you?"

Ivan asked, "Old Li knows too?"

Li Xinhai said, "I knew it a long time ago, or rather, I expected it. The new forces are trying to squeeze in and take a piece of the old forces' pie, and the old forces will definitely not agree to it. I was just talking about this in the meeting, telling all employees to use it properly and not to be affected by the rumors."

Ivan laughed and said, "Looks like I was worrying for nothing."

Li Xinhai said, "The rumors have affected the business of some banks to some extent, but it's not a big problem. The Northern Bank's sudden interest rate hike and the spread of rumors are meant to trap us in a cycle of interest rate hikes that will deplete our savings. They are betting that our cash flow is not as reliable as theirs."

Ivan was taken aback: "Comparing their cash flow to ours? They've dug themselves a hole."

Li Xinhai said, "Who says otherwise? Besides, I personally don't have the habit of sitting in a chair and waiting for people to come to me. Since they've resorted to such underhanded tactics as spreading rumors, I'm not going to play by any rules. Anyway, there's no bank or market supervision bureau here, so I'm going to give them a big one."

Ivan laughed and said, "In that case, I'll wait and see what the show is like."

Chapter 77 The Fatal Bank Run

One morning, on the windswept plains, several transport helicopters carrying more than a dozen containers slowly landed on the ground under the direction of ground personnel.

One of the transport helicopters sent a man off, who saluted Xiang Feng, who was in charge of the docking, and then produced a list.

Xiang Feng glanced at the list, then nodded and signed it.

Xiang Feng said, "The new batch of supplies list should have been sent back to the Maritime Command. Please transport them as soon as possible. We may need to trouble you to make several trips in the next half month. Also, see if you can ask the logistics department to airdrop a few trucks over. Transporting them by horse-drawn carts is too troublesome."

The transport worker laughed and said, "No problem, I'll report it to the logistics department for you."

After the helicopter dropped the container, it took off and left. Xiang Feng waved, and dozens of Chinese soldiers opened the container and began to load the contents onto horse-drawn carriages in batches for transport to Mondstadt.

"We need to hurry. These things are key to completely squeezing the Fools out of Mondstadt."

......

Sally is an ordinary housewife in Mondstadt. Her husband is an ordinary worker, and her child has just learned to walk. Although they are not very wealthy, the family lives a warm and happy life.

Every morning from eight to ten o'clock is Sally's time to take her child out to buy groceries. Today, Sally, as usual, carried a shopping basket and led her son to the vegetable market she frequents to buy some mushrooms and greens. She is going to make a vegetable salad for lunch today.

Just then, Sally's son tugged at her skirt. Sally looked down and saw that her son was reaching for a fruit stand not far away, seemingly attracted by something.

Sally smiled, reached out and patted her son's head, and led him toward the fruit stand.

Since my son wants to eat fruit, I'll buy some. Adding fruit to a vegetable salad is also fine.