The aroma of mutton wafted from the enamel mug, making Bai Yejin's stomach rumble as she hadn't eaten yet.

Bai Yejin rubbed her stomach and shook her head firmly.

"Reciprocity is key!"

Lin Yifeng didn't allow Bai Yejin to refuse. He forcefully handed her the enamel mug, and then also handed her the two sesame seed cakes from the plastic bag.

"If you refuse this breakfast, how can I ever accept anything from you again?"

"Take it away quickly and eat it while it's hot."

"good!"

What Lin Yifeng admires most about Bai Yejin is that she is never coy or pretentious.

Taking the enamel mug from Lin Yifeng, Bai Yejin smiled brightly and said, "Then I won't be polite."

"Thanks, Lin Yifeng."

"Don't be so polite, it's just a bowl of mutton soup."

Lin Yifeng chuckled, "I bought Jianzhan teacups from you and resold them to some foreigners, making quite a bit of money."

"I'll treat you to a meal after I return the tricycle."

"Are all the Jianzhan teacups sold out?"

When it comes to Jianzhan teacups, Bai Yejin can't stop talking: "You sold them so fast! 176 Jianzhan teacups, and they're all sold out in just a few days."

“Our Jianzhan teacups sell very slowly; sometimes we can’t even sell one in a whole day.”

"Sometimes when business was so bad, my dad even thought about giving up making Jianzhan teacups and going to work with my uncle to make bricks."

"Bricks are selling very well now. Whenever someone in town builds a house, they build a brick house. The old-fashioned wooden beam houses are no longer popular."

Bai Yejin's words reminded Lin Yifeng of the bald stall owner outside Jinyang Park. He smiled and suggested, "Your dad makes Jianzhan teacups quite well. Why don't you let him keep at it for a while? Maybe his business will improve."

“That’s what I think too. My dad has been making Jianzhan teacups all his life. If you suddenly ask him to switch to making bricks, he’ll definitely feel uncomfortable.”

"And I'll be graduating soon, then..."

"Xiao Jin!"

A sudden shout from afar interrupted Bai Yejin's words. Bai Yejin turned her head and saw that it was her roommate calling her.

"Xiao Jin, let's go get food together, or all the food will be gone."

"They're here! They're here!"

Bai Yejin, whose enamel mug contained mutton soup, answered loudly. She apologized to Lin Yifeng and turned to find her roommate.

Her braided pigtails swayed cheerfully, and after Bai Yejin had taken two or three steps, she suddenly turned back:

"Lin Yifeng, the school is organizing a group outing in a few days, are you going?"

"A spring outing? Where to?"

"provincial capital!"

Lin Yifeng pondered for a few seconds: "If it's the provincial capital, I should go."

"Okay, Lin Yifeng, see you on our spring outing!"

The braids started swaying again, this time even more joyfully than before.

"Xiao Jin, who is he? He's so handsome! Is he your boyfriend?"

Bai Yejin's roommate's clothes were also very "outdated," a kind of "outdated" style reminiscent of the 1980s, reflecting the innocent high school girl's unawareness of her student-like mindset.

"Shh, Fangfang, you can't say things like that!"

Bai Yejin quickly denied it: "We are just friends. He took a liking to my Jianzhan teacups and came to my house to buy them."

"Why would he bring you food if he went to your house to buy Jianzhan teacups?"

"The mutton soup even comes with two sesame flatbreads. If he weren't your boyfriend, would he bring you such a luxurious breakfast?"

In the Central Plains region, people usually eat rice porridge with steamed buns in the morning, while those who are slightly better off might drink spicy soup.

Lamb soup is considered a luxury; not only students, but even teachers are reluctant to drink it.

"That's...that's..."

Bai Yejin was speechless. Her eyes darted around a few times before she came up with a reason: "That's because he made money selling my family's Jianzhan teacups, so he treated me to breakfast."

"Tch, go ahead and make it up."

"How much is a Jianzhan teacup worth? Selling Jianzhan teacups for a day wouldn't even cover the cost of mutton soup."

Li Yanfang glanced back at Lin Yifeng, who had walked away, and said, "If he's your boyfriend, then he's your boyfriend. What's there to be ashamed of?"

If I had a boyfriend that handsome, I'd want all my girlfriends to know.

"Oh well, whatever you think is what you are, anyway you won't believe me."

Bai Yejin wanted to continue refuting, but for some reason, the thought of the urea packet on Lin Yifeng's white T-shirt and the fragrant mutton soup made her not want to argue anymore.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, Fangfang, let's share the mutton soup."

Upon hearing this, Li Yanfang immediately hugged Bai Yejin's arm and said happily, "Xiao Jin, your boyfriend is so good."

Bai Yejin opened her mouth, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

...

In 1992, 1 US dollar could be exchanged for 5.514 RMB.

This is the official exchange rate; the private rate would be higher.

In this era of emigration fever, the demand for US dollars is enormous among those who want to go abroad.

If Lin Yifeng were to exchange US dollars privately, he could get at least a 6% or higher ratio.

However, exchanging US dollars privately is very risky and can easily lead to trouble. Although Lin Yifeng had the absolute trump card "Ye Yuqing" in his hands, he still went to the bank to exchange US dollars in order to avoid trouble as much as possible.

In the 1990s, the country was relatively short of foreign exchange. Exchanging US dollars for RMB could get you some foreign exchange certificates.

Foreign exchange certificates are considered "super RMB" and can be used to purchase rare items in "Friendship Shop" and "Duty-Free Shop".

Only the provincial capital of Zhongyuan Province has these two stores. Lin Yifeng originally planned to take some time to go to the provincial capital to buy some machines to earn his second pot of gold.

But since Bai Yejin said that the school was going to organize students to go on a spring outing to the provincial capital, Lin Yifeng decided not to act on his own.

Traveling with the school can save you a lot of travel expenses and also give you a sense of security.

"Fourteen thousand three thousand sounds like a lot, but it's actually not enough."

"The freezer costs over two thousand, the oven over one thousand, and the diesel tricycle around two thousand. Just these three alone cost over five thousand."

"This doesn't even include rent, labor, utilities, and food costs."

"A rough calculation shows that 14,300 yuan is barely enough to get the shop up and running."

Lin Yifeng hid the money inside his clothes, his eyes constantly scanning Ye Yuqing, who had accompanied him to exchange money.

After making his first fortune by swindling foreigners with Jianzhan teacups, Lin Yifeng had already begun to devise ways to make money next.

That means opening a fried chicken and burger shop!

In 1992, there were only two fried chicken and hamburger brands in the entire Chinese mainland.

One is KFC.

The other one is McDonald's.

Moreover, both of these brands are only available in major cities.

For example, in Zhongyuan Province, where Lin Yifeng lives, there is only one KFC in the entire provincial capital.

To eat at KFC, you not only need money, but you also have to wait in line.

Fried chicken and hamburger restaurants are incredibly popular these days, and among many options, Lin Yifeng chose fried chicken and hamburgers to earn his second pot of gold.

To open a fried chicken and burger shop, you need a freezer, an oven, and a diesel tricycle. The oven, in particular, must be purchased from the provincial capital.

In the small city where Lin Yifeng lives, ovens are not sold.