Chapter 16 There's nothing new under the sun.
When He Changyi returned to the capital, he felt as if he had lived through another world.
Stepping out of Beijing Railway Station, disregarding the fatigue of her cross-border journey, He Changyi immediately went to the black market to exchange currency.
After keeping the $200 for the train ticket, she exchanged the remaining $1,100 into RMB.
The people in the black market looked on with suspicion when they saw He Changyi carrying so many US dollars to exchange for currency.
It's important to know that most people who come to exchange currency are either people who have returned from business trips abroad and haven't spent all their foreign currency, or they have relatives overseas who have transferred US dollars from abroad.
Normally, currency exchange amounts are only tens or hundreds of dollars, but a complete stranger pulled out over a thousand dollars in one go, so it's no wonder he asked suspiciously:
"Was your money obtained legitimately?"
He Changyi didn't answer but instead asked a question:
"In this stack of US dollars, tell me which bill is legitimate and which is illegitimate?"
The man gave an awkward smile.
He's already running a black market currency exchange here, yet he doesn't care whether other people's money comes from legitimate sources. It's like a crow landing on a pig; nobody can call anyone else corrupt.
Currently, the exchange rate between US dollars and RMB at banks is 1:6, while the black market exchange rate is 20% higher than the official rate, which is 1:7.2. The US dollars that He Changyi brought can be exchanged for more than 7,900 RMB.
The man glanced at He Changyi, his face showing reluctance.
"Well... I don't have that much money on me. Why don't you wait a moment, and I'll find someone to help me gather it up and give it to you all at once?"
He Changyi, however, acted like the most difficult and picky customer, immediately turning her face away, taking the money and trying to leave.
"No money? What kind of business can you do without money! Either you give me the money now, or forget it, I'll find someone else. I refuse to believe that in this entire capital city, there's no one who can exchange it?!"
The man panicked and hurriedly tried to stop He Changyi.
"Hey, hey, don't worry, I was just saying. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough money and that it would delay your business, it's not that I really don't have enough money!"
He Changyi let him bow repeatedly and explain with a pained expression, and finally relented as if to charity, agreeing to continue the transaction with him.
When exchanging currency, the first step is still to verify the money.
He Changyi kept a close eye on him, and the man's movements as he counted the money became chaotic. He counted one bill twice, and it was only after He Changyi reminded him that he realized what had happened.
When it was He Changyi's turn, she still checked the authenticity of each banknote and recorded its serial number.
The man praised, half-jokingly and half-seriously:
"You're so meticulous, I've never seen anyone like you. Look how serious you are, you won't be able to count them all even when the police come."
He Changyi said without looking up:
"How can I not be careful? There are currency exchange counters everywhere, all eyeing the little bit of US dollars I have. If I wasn't careful, I wouldn't have the chance to stand here exchanging currency."
The man then fell silent.
After verifying the banknotes, the two parties exchanged US dollars and RMB, and the transaction was completed.
He Changyi turned and left, but before he had gone far, the man hurriedly chased after him.
"Sister, I've recalculated, and I gave you too much money. I gave you an extra thousand yuan, so you have to return it to me."
He Changyi stopped and looked him over carefully from head to toe.
The man felt uncomfortable under their gaze and couldn't help but ask:
What are you looking at?
He Changyi said leisurely:
"If you said you gave me two hundred more, I might believe you; but you gave me a thousand more, so you're just backing out now and want to change the price ratio to 1:6, right?"
The man suddenly changed his previous good temper, glared at her, and said fiercely:
"Whether I've changed it or not is none of your business. Just give me my money back, or I'm not exchanging it with you!"
He Changyi readily agreed and stretched out his hand towards him.
"Then give me my money back first."
Without saying a word, the man threw a stack of rolled-up US dollars on the ground and reached out to demand that He Changyi return the RMB to him.
He Changyi picked up the US dollars from the ground, untied the rubber bands, and began to count them from the beginning.
Upon seeing He Changyi's actions, the man immediately became anxious, and his expression changed.
"What do you mean? You don't trust me?! Do you believe I'll make you walk out of here sideways? Don't underestimate me just because you're a woman, I'll still teach you a lesson!"
He Changyi ignored his threats and continued to count the money at a leisurely pace.
"What's the rush? Are you afraid the police will arrest you? I'm a woman and I'm not afraid, so what are you afraid of? Even if you end up in the police station, I'll be there with you."
She changed the subject, feigning surprise:
"Oh dear, how come you only have one hundred dollars left of the money you returned? What's going on? Are you trying to cut off the money transfer?"
As soon as the words "Qie Hui" were uttered, the man rushed forward, his face pale, trying to steal RMB from He Changyi's pocket.
Without moving his hands, He Changyi suddenly exerted force with his legs, delivering a straight kick to the chest, sending the unsuspecting man flying three meters away.
At this point, the lookouts and accomplices around them stopped pretending to be bystanders and all ran over here.
He Changyi walked over, stepped down on his chest from above, and twisted his foot, leaving a complete shoe print.
"I've seen this move before in Mosk."
These black market currency exchange operators have two faces. When they encounter a tough customer, they behave honestly; but if the customer seems like a law-abiding citizen, they tear off their mask and reveal their true colors.
He Changyi never believed him from the very beginning.
This guy first said he didn't have enough money and needed to find someone to pool it together, but if we actually let him go, who knows what kind of people he'll end up with.
As for his sudden change of heart and refusal to exchange currency, demanding that He Changyi return the money to him, that's even simpler.
In the brief moment that He Changyi turned to leave, he quickly took most of the money from the roll of US dollars, leaving only a few small denomination bills. He also deliberately provoked her with a bad attitude and tone, making her return the RMB to him in a fit of anger.
If He Changyi returned the money without carefully checking it, it would be too late by the time she discovered the dollar was suspicious.
The man cried out in pain, squeezing out a single sentence from his throat.
"So you made your fortune in Russia, coming from those Russians who risk their lives to make money? I must have been blind... Even if we're strangers now, if you ever come to me to exchange money again, I'll give you the highest rate... Ouch, grandma, stop stepping on me, it hurts so much!"
This guy was quite flexible; He Changyi finally stomped on his leg hard before moving it away.
She glanced at the men who had gathered around, then at the genuine passersby who had been drawn in from a distance, and had to regretfully abandon her plan to double-cross them.
"My dear grandson, your great-aunt will come to you again next time you need to exchange currency."
He Changyi held the US dollars in his palm, rubbed them together with his fingers to form a fan shape, and then, with a flick of his wrist, scattered all the banknotes in his hand like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.
Riding the spring breeze, Washington, Lincoln, Franklin, and Hamilton twirled and danced in the capital.
The accomplices, no longer concerned with surrounding He Changyi, scrambled to pick up the US dollars scattered on the ground.
A banknote floated down to a passerby's feet. He picked it up, looked at it, and immediately shouted with delight:
"Wow, this is American money! And it's a hundred-dollar bill!"
Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd hurriedly bent down to look for banknotes on the ground, and for a moment everyone was bending over to pick up money.
"Don't pick it up! Don't pick it up! That's my money!"
"Hey, hey, put the money down! Is it yours? Then pick it up!"
No one listened to him. The man who was picking up the money was extremely anxious. He endured the pain in his chest, got up from the ground, and hurriedly joined the ranks of those picking up money.
He Changyi took the opportunity to leave and disappeared into the chaos.
Behind her, a police officer wearing a peaked cap arrived late.
"Hey, what are you doing here... Where did you get these dollars? What are you doing here? Don't run away!"
He Changyi found a high-end hotel, booked a room, took a long and refreshing shower, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow while her hair was still wet. She slept for a full day and night.
When she woke up, it was already dusk outside the window; it was the next day.
He Changyi felt refreshed and took a taxi to the Listening Orioles Pavilion in the Summer Palace.
Back then, you could still see open flames in Tingli Pavilion, and the duck roasted in a fruitwood oven was exceptional. Later, when the Summer Palace became a World Heritage Site, open flames were no longer allowed in the scenic area, so this roast duck was removed from the menu.
The master chef is skilled enough to slice a four-pound duck into exactly one hundred and eight pieces, each piece containing both fat and lean meat.
He Changyi ordered a whole roast duck. He brushed a layer of sweet bean sauce on a lotus leaf pancake, added one or two slices of roast duck with the skin on, and then served it with cucumber strips and scallion shreds. He rolled it up and put it to his mouth. One bite was full of flavor.
The roast duck has crispy skin and tender meat, the cucumber is refreshing and crisp, the scallions are slightly spicy and invigorating, and the sweet bean sauce is rich and savory, making it a truly satisfying meal.
The removed duck carcass, half salted with pepper and half used to make soup, is also a rare delicacy.
He Changyi swept the table clean like a tornado, and ate the whole four-pound duck, head and tail intact.
After indulging in a large meal, she returned to the hotel, clutching her belly, yawning constantly on the way. Once she lay down on the bed, she slept soundly through the night without a single dream.
When He Changyi woke up again, it was the morning of the third day, and the sunlight gently peeked in through the gaps in the curtains.
She stretched happily, and the hard work and fatigue of the past two weeks vanished.
Without taking a few more days of rest, He Changyi went to Xidan to buy clothes without stopping.
Next stop, still Russia.
A note from the author:
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The revision is complete! Chapters 15 and 16 contain entirely new content, and the second half of Chapter 14 is also available. Those who haven't read them yet can check them out now!
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