As soon as Zhang Cheng and his group got off the bus, Zhang Zhongming was wearing a brand-new leather jacket.
He greeted them with a big laugh and gave each of them a bear hug.
His hair was slicked back and shiny, and he looked very energetic.
Zhang Jianhao punched him lightly and chuckled, "Well done, Zhongming! Look at this attitude, I'm even thinking of following you!"
Zhang Zhongming waved his hand, his smile genuine: "It's all hard-earned money to make a living." He turned his gaze to Zhang Cheng, quickly becoming more reserved, and called out, "Brother."
Zhang Cheng looked him over and nodded: "You look good."
Zhang Zhongming smiled sheepishly, then asked, "Brother, what brings you to Jiaxing this time?"
"We'll buy treasury bonds!" Zhang Jianhao answered quickly. "You're familiar with Jiaxing, so you can show us the way."
"Yes!" Zhang Zhongming patted his chest.
Zhang Cheng glanced around: "Where's Brother Dao?"
"Brother Dao is in the duty room at the toll station ahead. I'll take you there." Zhang Zhongming pointed to the small house a hundred meters away.
The small house was filled with smoke. Brother Dao, with a cigarette in his mouth, was playing Pai Gow with a few people.
As soon as the door opened, Brother Dao caught sight of the person who had entered. He threw down the cards in his hand, spat out his cigarette butt, and his scarred face instantly broke into a wide smile. He practically jogged over to greet him: "Brother Cheng, what brings you here?"
Zhang Cheng waved his hand to fan away the acrid smoke.
Dao Ge immediately turned around and yelled, "What are you standing there for? Open the window to let in some fresh air!" Then he turned back to his smiling face, "Master Cheng is right. I won't smoke or play cards indoors anymore."
Zhang Cheng didn't waste any words with him: "Let's have dinner together later. I need your help with something."
"Master Cheng, your orders are not considered helping!" Brother Dao adopted an extremely humble posture.
"Please call me a car first."
"Okay, I'll go right now!" Brother Dao dashed out like a gust of wind.
The remaining road administration field staff were awkwardly standing or sitting, unsure of what to do.
A short while later, a loud rumbling sound came from outside.
Brother Dao, driving a hand-operated tractor, excitedly waved to Zhang Cheng: "Brother Cheng, get in!"
Zhang Cheng's lips twitched, but he still led Zhang Jianhao and the others onto the sputtering truck bed.
"Brother Cheng, where are we going?" Brother Dao shouted at the top of his lungs.
"To Director Zhang."
The tractor sputtered and chugged toward the industrial area at an astonishing speed.
More than half an hour later, we finally stopped outside Zhang Tian Garment Factory.
Dao Ge jumped out of the car and ran to the gatekeeper, giving Zhang Cheng's name.
A moment later, Zhang Tian, wearing a large brown suit, strode out to greet them and warmly ushered them into the factory office.
"Brother Zhang, you've brought so many people this time, are you planning something big?" Zhang Tian personally poured Zhang Cheng a cup of Longjing tea, his face showing the shrewdness of a businessman.
"Brother Zhang, I've come to borrow money," Zhang Cheng said, getting straight to the point.
Zhang Tian raised an eyebrow: "How much?"
"Borrow as much as you have."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Tian's eyes narrowed slightly. He put down his teacup and lowered his voice: "Brother, may I ask what you need the money for?"
"Acquisition of treasury bonds."
Zhang Tian leaned back in his executive chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. After a moment's thought, he said, "I've also heard the news that the government is going to repurchase treasury bonds this year. But rumors are just rumors. As long as the policy isn't officially implemented, things could change. My friend, wouldn't it be better to just stick to the clothing business?"
Zhang Cheng remained calm: "Brother Zhang, I can't guarantee that the government will definitely buy back the bonds. But I have other ways to sell the treasury bonds I have."
"How many can you sell? What's the exchange rate?" Zhang Tian pressed. He knew that in the market, those who bought treasury bonds were lucky to get 70 or 80 yuan in cash for every 100 yuan face value. If Zhang Cheng's exchange rate was the same, then it wouldn't make much sense.
"One to one."
Zhang Tian sat bolt upright, wondering if he'd misheard: "One to one? Dude, are you kidding? Who would buy like that? What would they be after?"
In his view, the government would be lucky to repurchase the shares on a 1:1 basis; interest rates are basically out of the question.
"Brother Zhang, how about this? No matter how much you lend me, I'll repay you the principal plus 10% interest within half a month."
Zhang Cheng smiled slightly and added, "My clothing store in Funing earns two to three thousand yuan a month. My six video arcades generate two thousand yuan in profit each month. Also, I secured the project to bring electricity to the countryside in Funing, which will generate at least seventy to eighty thousand yuan in profit."
A glint flashed in Zhang Tian's eyes as he re-examined Zhang Cheng. He had heard of the project to bring electricity to the countryside; it wasn't something just anyone could get their hands on.
He remained silent for two or three minutes, then suddenly laughed and held up one finger.
"One hundred thousand?" Zhang Cheng guessed. His expectation was three or four hundred thousand, so one hundred thousand wouldn't be bad.
"One million!" Zhang Tian grinned. "I can lend you one million, for a month. And I won't charge interest."
Zhang Cheng's eyes sharpened as he stared directly at Zhang Tian.
Zhang Tian stood up, walked behind Zhang Cheng, put his hands on his shoulders, and said sincerely, "Brother, I'm lending you money because I think highly of you. To be honest, I'd rather do you a favor than take your interest. With your abilities, Brother Zhang, this favor is worth far more than a million yuan."
Zhang Cheng's heart stirred slightly, and he solemnly said, "Brother, thank you!"
"Hahaha!" Zhang Tian laughed loudly.
One million was an enormous sum in 1987. A pound of rice cost four mao, and a television set cost two or three hundred.
But for some people, like Jiang Yuhong, it might just be the price of a car.
Zhang Cheng and Zhang Tian had only just begun their collaboration, yet the other party was able to come up with one million yuan; that showed remarkable courage.
“Let’s go, to the credit union now! A million in cash, the credit union needs to prepare in advance.” Zhang Tian patted Zhang Cheng on the shoulder. “There are quite a few people in Jiaxing who collect treasury bonds. If you throw this million away, you’ll be taking away their jobs.”
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