Reborn Industrial Tycoon

For a Toyota automotive engineer, 100 yuan in foreign exchange coupons is just a small amount of money, which is the cost of a dinner with colleagues.

However, to the Chinese people at that time, 100 yuan in foreign exchange coupons was a lot of money. If you went to the door of the Friendship Store to find a vendor selling foreign exchange coupons, you could exchange it for 330 yuan, which is equivalent to ten months' salary of an ordinary worker.

In China in the 1980s, there was a big gap between the official foreign exchange rate and the private exchange rate. For example, for one dollar, the official exchange rate was 1:3, while the private black market exchange rate was 1:10.

According to this exchange rate, the black market can exchange more dollars. If ordinary people have US dollars in their hands, they will definitely go to the black market to exchange them. Who will go to the authorities?

However, the actual situation is that most people still exchange foreign exchange through the government. The reason is that there is such a magical thing as foreign exchange coupons.

When ordinary people exchange U.S. dollars on the black market, they get RMB, but if they go to official institutions to exchange them, they get foreign exchange certificates.

Foreign exchange coupons can be used to buy imported goods in foreign-related stores, but RMB cannot be used in foreign-related stores. People at that time had foreign exchange, and they must have wanted to buy some imported goods that could not be bought with RMB, rather than domestic goods that could be bought with just money.

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Therefore, as long as they are not particularly short of money, after ordinary people have foreign exchange, they will go to official agencies to exchange foreign exchange coupons and then buy imported goods.

With 100 yuan of foreign exchange coupons, you can't buy anything big in the Friendship Store. At best, you can only buy Hershey's chocolate, Marlboro cigarettes and other non-staple foods, or buy imported clothes. It's not enough to buy electrical appliances.

, so Li Weidong temporarily collected the 100 yuan foreign exchange coupons.

After sending away Masayuki Kato, Li Weidong's translation work officially ended.

Zhou Fulai was very interesting and applied for a translation subsidy for Li Weidong.

Zhou Fulai personally handed an envelope to Li Weidong and said, "Mr. Xiao Li, you have worked hard these days. There is 50 yuan in it, which is a translation allowance for you."

"Then thank you, Bureau Zhou." Li Weidong was not polite and accepted it directly.

The foreign trade department must have special foreign affairs reception funds, and 50 yuan from it for translators is also a normal expense.

Zhou Fulai then asked: "Mr. Xiao Li, do you want to stay in Jinmen for a few more days? Take a walk around, or buy something to take back? After the foreign guests leave, although I can't arrange for you to continue to live in Lishunde, but our foreign trade

You can stay at the bureau guest house as long as you want."

Zhou Fulai is also a sensible person. He knows that when people from small cities come to Tianjin for a business trip, it is equivalent to a public trip. They visit the scenic spots and buy some goods that are not available in small cities. Some people even carry a refrigerator back.

Li Weidong thought for a while and said: "I have already visited all the fun places in Jinmen. I plan to go to Wuhe Shopping Mall tomorrow to look at TVs. TVs in Jinmen should be cheaper than where we are. We

A small place like that doesn’t even have a department store.”

"Do you want to buy a TV?" Zhou Fulai then asked, "Do you have enough money? A color TV costs 1,000 yuan!"

"If you don't want to buy a color TV, it's too expensive. Just buy a black and white TV." Li Weidong replied.

"A black and white TV costs five hundred yuan, right?" Zhou Fulai said.

"Perhaps the 12-inch one is cheaper?" Li Weidong continued: "I still have 100 yuan in foreign exchange coupons in my hand. Counting what I carry with me, it should be enough."

"Foreign exchange coupons?" Zhou Fulai's eyes lit up. However, he did not ask Li Weidong where he got the foreign exchange coupons. These days, when he works as a translator for foreign guests, it is common for foreign guests to give away one hundred and eighty yuan in foreign exchange coupons.

"Teacher Xiao Li, if you want to buy a TV, I have some ideas. Our state-owned 712 Factory in Jinmen is a related unit with our Foreign Trade Bureau. If I get the TV from their factory, it will be the ex-factory price, 14 inches.

For a black and white TV, about 100 yuan in foreign exchange coupons are enough." Zhou Fulai said.

Li Weidong instantly understood that Zhou Fulai was interested in the 100 yuan foreign exchange coupon.

The state-owned 712 Factory originally produced radios, but later switched to producing televisions. Although the televisions they produced are not as famous as Panda TVs, their sales in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region are still very good.

Li Weidong thought about it carefully. If 100 yuan of foreign exchange coupons were converted into RMB, it would be 330 yuan. He couldn't buy a domestic black and white TV. It would be better to bless the 100 yuan of foreign exchange coupons and exchange them directly.

A TV. This can be regarded as everyone getting what they need.

Thinking of this, Li Weidong took out the 100 yuan foreign exchange coupon and handed it to Zhou Fulai's hand: "Director Zhou, I will have to trouble you about the TV!"

"Well, I'll contact Factory 712 right away!" Zhou Fulai's expression was as bright as a flower.

…

Li Weidong sewed a 25 million yen cashier's check on the innermost layer of his clothes, then carried the TV and boarded the train back to Qinghe.

On the green leather train, there are many people carrying large and small bags, and various snakeskin sacks are the most popular luggage.

The carton of Li Weidong's TV was obviously different, but when everyone looked at the pattern of the TV on the carton, they all showed envious expressions.

Being able to afford a TV set in 1985 was definitely a symbol of being wealthy. In the eyes of people around him, Li Weidong had already achieved the four modernizations ahead of schedule.

"If the wealth is not exposed, this TV seems a bit eye-catching!" Li Weidong thought to himself.

Although the screen of the 14-inch black-and-white TV is not big, it is very heavy and cannot be moved away quickly. Li Weidong is not worried about others being concerned about it. What he is worried about is the 25 million yen cashier's check hidden in his clothes.

In the 1980s, social security was not as good as in later generations. In places like trains where there are many people and police officers, although no one openly robs, pickpockets are always inevitable.

Li Weidong was trembling all the way and finally arrived in Qinghe smoothly.

…

In the family courtyard of the transportation company, next to the stone pillar at the gate, Wang Lei was showing a square box in his hand, surrounded by a group of friends watching.

"Did you see it? This is a Sanyo tape recorder. Put the tape in it and press the switch to make sound!" Wang Lei showed off to the people around him.

In 1985, although tape recorders had already appeared, they were not popular. At that time, tape recorders were all imported. A better two-channel tape recorder cost more than 300 yuan, and a cheap one cost more than 100 yuan.

Most people are reluctant to spend one or two hundred yuan on a tape recorder to listen to music, so most of the people who buy a tape recorder are people who want to learn foreign languages.

Wang Lei didn't know where he got a second-hand Sanyo tape recorder. This tape recorder is like a big black head, monophonic, can only play one cassette, has no radio function, cannot be recharged, and uses two AA batteries.

.However, this does not affect Wang Haibin from showing off to everyone.

"Brother Wang, play it for us and let us hear the sound!" someone next to him said.

"Okay, let me play a song for you! This thing uses up the battery!" Wang Lei said, pressing the switch of the recorder.

"The Yangtze River, the Great Wall, Huangshan Mountain, and the Yellow River weigh a thousand pounds in my heart. They are as dear to me no matter when or where they are..."

"My Chinese Heart" played on the tape recorder. As the song played, the friends around them suddenly became quiet, as if they were immersed in Zhang Mingmin's singing.

Wang Lei looked triumphant. He enjoyed this feeling of swaggering through the market.

At this moment, Li Weidong passed by carrying a TV.

Wang Lei saw Li Weidong from a distance, and he deliberately turned up the volume of the recorder, as if to demonstrate against Li Weidong.

However, the TV box in Li Weidong's hand was very conspicuous, and the TV pattern painted on the box could be seen from a distance.

"Isn't that Li Weidong? What is he holding in his hand?"

"It looks like a TV set!"

"Li Weidong bought a TV!"

The people who originally gathered around Wang Lei immediately ran to Li Weidong.

"Li Weidong, is this a TV?" someone asked.

"Yes, I went to Jinmen on a business trip and picked up a TV when I came back." Li Weidong replied with a smile.

I saw my friends following Li Weidong into the family courtyard. They wanted to witness the unboxing of the TV with their own eyes.

A TV is much better than a tape recorder. With a TV, who would listen to a tape recorder?

In the blink of an eye, everyone was gone.

Wang Lei was the only one standing there, holding a big black brick in his hand with a windy look.