Chapter 581
Su Miao looked down at the foreign exchange certificate in his hand. The paper was thicker than the RMB. The words "Bank of China Foreign Exchange Certificate" were printed on the front, and the English words "Foreign Exchange Certificate" were written on the back.
On the fifty-yuan note, the pattern of Guilin's landscape glows with a hazy blue-gray halo under the slanting sunlight, and the outline of the Li River and Elephant Trunk Hill seem to flow out of the paper.
This is a very special monetary system implemented by my country after the opening up to facilitate visiting foreigners, returned overseas Chinese, and people from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan to purchase goods and pay fees in foreign-related places. That is, the RMB and foreign exchange coupons circulate at the same time.
In 1980, the central bank was authorized to issue foreign exchange certificates. In principle, the certificates were equivalent to RMB and were available in seven denominations.
Why do we say it is in principle? Because it is special and rare. For a long time, everyone felt that this piece of paper was a privilege.
Especially in the past few years, the market supply was very tight and daily necessities for domestic residents (such as grain, oil, meat, cloth, etc.) were still rationed.
With foreign exchange coupons, one could go to foreign-related stores and buy scarce goods that could not be purchased with RMB at the time.
For example, you can buy grain and oil in irregular quantities, rare fashionable clothes and cosmetics, and the most enviable thing is that you can buy imported items such as various home appliances and Swiss watches without tickets.
In the 1970s and 1980s, you couldn't just enter the Friendship Stores and Overseas Chinese Stores. Foreign exchange coupons were both circulation coupons and passes.
If you want to go in and shop, you have to show your foreign exchange coupons at the door to prove your financial status before you can enter.
The foreign exchange coupons circulating in the market mainly come from foreigners, overseas Chinese and diplomats. When they enter the country, they must exchange foreign currency into foreign exchange coupons in order to shop normally, and the unused part often flows into the black market for arbitrage.
Because foreign exchange coupons can be used to purchase scarce goods and can be directly exchanged for foreign currency, the exchange rate of foreign exchange coupons on the black market is usually 20% to 50% higher than the face value.
When the price of foreign exchange coupons reached its highest, the ratio to RMB reached 1:2, which means that one yuan of foreign exchange coupons was equivalent to two yuan. This gave rise to countless desperate speculators, and many people made a fortune by reselling foreign exchange coupons.
"Is this... true?"
Su Miao asked softly. After all, the boy looked to be only a little over ten years old. The sum of these foreign exchange coupons was a considerable amount. Only a parent as doting as her father would let him keep it for himself.
The boy nervously snatched back the foreign exchange coupons, but his hasty movement caused the wound on his palm to move, causing him to hiss in pain.
He took a half step back cautiously and said, "Of course it's real! It can be used in Friendship Stores and Overseas Chinese Stores. It's more valuable than RMB. You don't know the value of it!"
Su Miao opened her backpack and took something out of the inner pocket. This action made the boy's eyes light up and he stared at her movements.
But unexpectedly, what she took out was not money, but a Band-Aid.
This Band-Aid is not packaged individually, but is connected in a plate. Just cut one with a pair of foldable scissors, tear off the sticker and stick it on.
"Hands out."
The boy hesitated for a moment and slowly spread out his palm. Due to friction, the skin in one place was curled up, and dust mixed with blood was stuck to the wound.
Su Miao took a look at it, but didn't put it on immediately. She took out a small bottle of spare iodine and cotton swabs to disinfect her. This was her usual preparation when she went out.
The moment the iodine touched the wound, the boy's whole body tensed up, but he didn't make a sound.
"Why are you selling foreign exchange certificates by yourself? Where are your parents?"
Before Su Miao finished speaking, hurried footsteps and shouting were suddenly heard at the entrance of the alley, and several uniformed figures were swaying at the entrance.
"My name is Li Xiangyang."
The boy answered in a low voice, then skillfully stuffed the foreign exchange coupons into his Liberation shoes.
Several police officers walked past the alley, saw them, and walked straight towards them.
When they approached, Li Xiangyang had turned into an ordinary naughty boy, tilting his head to look at the zodiac pendant hanging on Su Miao's schoolbag.
"Sister, is this little tiger Su embroidery?" His voice was crisp, completely different from his previous shrewdness.
The leading police officer looked them up and down with a sharp gaze. "Comrade, what are you doing in this alley? Did you see anyone reselling foreign exchange certificates?"
Su Yuanzheng replied calmly, "My daughter wanted to buy some rain flower stones, but we got lost and didn't see anyone."
Comrade Gong'an was still a little unconvinced and said:
"Could you please show us your ID, we need to verify it."
When he saw Su Miao take out his A University ID card, his doubts disappeared instantly. Not only did he tell them where to buy Yuhua Stone, but he also wished them a pleasant journey before leaving.
Li Xiangyang's eyes were surprisingly bright in the dim alley. He stared at Su Miao's student ID card:
"Sister, are you a student at University A? My sister said it's the best university in the country."
Su Miao asked, "Are you on winter vacation? Where are your parents? Do they know you're out reselling foreign exchange certificates?"
"I know! The coupons were obtained by my father, and my sister and I sold them in different places! I can make money for the family! One day's income can equal someone else's monthly salary!" Li Xiangyang looked proud.
Su Yuanzheng frowned. "Do you know that reselling foreign exchange certificates is illegal? It would be a disaster if we were caught."
Li Xiangyang stiffened his neck and retorted, "I'm just a kid. Even if I'm caught, I won't be sentenced too severely. Besides, I can run pretty fast.
My dad said that it's unfair for a country to discriminate against others. Why can't ordinary people buy imported goods? Where there's demand, there's business. We're still helping everyone!"
Su Yuanzheng wanted to say something else, but Su Miao pulled his sleeve and he swallowed it back.
"Little friend, we don't need the foreign exchange certificates. Go sell them to someone else, but don't repeat what you just said. And don't wave the money around. If we're the bad guys today, you might lose all your money."
After saying that, Su Miao was about to pull his father out of the alley.
Li Xiangyang looked at the Band-Aid on his hand, took a few steps forward, and stuffed a 50-yuan foreign exchange certificate into Su Miao's hand.
"You helped me avoid the police, so this is a thank you. My dad said you have to be generous when you're out there! Come find me if you need foreign exchange certificates next time!"
After saying that, he ran in the opposite direction of the alley and disappeared around the corner.
Su Yuanzheng looked at the foreign exchange certificate with an embarrassed look on his face and said, "How can I return this? It's worth dozens of yuan."
Su Miao calmly stuffed it into his pocket and replied, "This is just a thank-you fee. You don't have to pay it back. Dad, our film is almost out. Let's go to the Friendship Store and buy this 50-yuan one."
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