Chapter 3: Exchanging Money

In a household as impoverished as theirs, fifty yuan was already a fortune.

He knew that his sister had saved up those fifty yuan over at least three or four years. At nineteen, she ventured out each night like a boy, flashlight in hand, to catch eels in the fields. She would also gather snails and fish for crayfish to sell to peddlers. Bit by bit, coin by coin, she had saved until now.

Chai Jin could feel the weight of those meager banknotes. With a resolute expression, he held them tightly in his palm. “Don’t worry. Our family will only get better from here.”

He climbed onto the bed and tucked in his sister, who was sleeping so deeply that she was drooling. Chai Fang blew out the kerosene lamp and silently got into bed herself.

Late into the night, Chai Fang suddenly sighed and spoke. “Brother, will our family really get better?”

Chai Jin was awake but did not answer. Instead, he clutched the fifty yuan from his sister and swore that with this new life, he would amass a fortune so vast it would shake the heavens—so that his whole family could live well, so that those who once forced them to kneel would one day bow their heads before them.

…

Before five the next morning, Chai Jin rose and left home. He walked half an hour to the town, then caught a bus to the county. There, he could take a coach to Zhonghai, but he had to leave early.

When he left, Chai Fang was full of regret, thinking she shouldn’t have impulsively given him the money, worrying something might happen to him on the road. She bombarded him with warnings and only turned home when his figure disappeared at the edge of the village.

The road to Zhonghai was rough in every sense. The coach zigzagged between highways, dirt roads, and ferries. After a grueling seventeen or eighteen hours, Chai Jin felt dizzy and dazed. It was not until the early morning of October 10th that he finally jumped down from the bus, backpack on his shoulders.

The bus station was utter chaos—a gathering of all sorts, emblematic of the era’s wild spirit. Chai Jin had no time to care. To save money, he’d eaten nothing along the way, drinking only water. Starving and weak, he bought two steamed buns at a nearby stall, then boarded a city bus straight to the Zhonghai Stock Exchange in Jing’an District.

By the time he arrived, it was already past eight. The entrance was packed with a sea of people. The myth of instant stock market wealth gripped every resident of Zhonghai. The belief that buying stocks equaled making money was rooted in the hearts of all. Old stocks were now in such short supply that demand far exceeded supply.

This led to the phenomenon of stock prices changing daily. Chai Jin understood that if he held on to his shares a bit longer, prices would soar even higher. But he needed cash to solve his family’s debt crisis.

Though October was not hot, being packed among hundreds or thousands felt stifling. The constant clamor made it unbearable. Chai Jin waited in line at the entrance for over an hour before finally reaching the counter.

When he took out the tin box containing his 135 shares and asked to list them for sale, the girl at the counter was momentarily stunned. “Feiyue Audio shares are going up daily. You want to sell them all?”

Chai Jin wiped the sweat from his brow. “Yes, sell them all.”

“You’re a strange one,” the girl muttered. In this bullish market, sellers were few and far between; it was rare to see someone offload so much. Still, she was friendly, took his ID, set up his account, and after a lengthy process, another hour passed.

When he left, Chai Jin felt his pockets—he only had enough for a meager lunch. Gritting his teeth, he went hungry. He squatted at the entrance, watching people come and go: the euphoria of those who bought in, the disappointment of those who didn’t. In his mind, his resolve for wealth only grew stronger.

To have returned to this cash-grabbing era was Heaven’s favor.

By afternoon, the exchange had closed. Outside, it began to drizzle, and the crowd thinned. Chai Jin took a deep breath and went back inside. The receptionist checked his details; Feiyue Audio’s average transaction price that day was 320 yuan per share.

At that moment, Chai Jin’s brow finally relaxed. According to the rules, he could only withdraw the money the next day. Which meant he had to spend a night in Zhonghai. There was nothing he could do but wait.

He bought a steamed bun and, like a beggar, found a spot under a pedestrian bridge, eating as he sat. The rain outside grew heavier. Many passersby glanced at him with disdain—some even pinched their noses and hurried past, clearly mistaking him for a vagrant.

Chai Jin, deep in thought about the future, paid them no mind.

Just then, a large Mercedes with a Guang B license plate roared past, splashing muddy water all over him. His half-eaten bun was ruined, soaked in mud. Irritated, Chai Jin shot to his feet, ready to curse, but the car stopped.

Soon, a strikingly beautiful young woman stepped out, wearing a stylish hat. A man who looked like a bodyguard got out from the passenger side to hold an umbrella for her. She was elegantly dressed, with softly curled hair, large apricot eyes, and stood about 1.68 meters tall. Even among actresses, she would have stood out.

In his previous life, Chai Jin had never argued with women, so he held back and sat down again.

The girl approached him. “I’m sorry, the driver didn’t see you standing there.”

Chai Jin didn’t look at her.

She frowned in frustration and signaled to the bodyguard, who promptly placed a ten-yuan note in front of Chai Jin. “Our apologies.”

Chai Jin raised his head calmly and glanced at the girl. “Take your money back. I’m not a beggar.” With that, he stood and left.

Behind him, the girl’s large apricot eyes reflected puzzlement and surprise.

A middle-aged man poked his head out from the car. “Nini, let’s go. Uncle Zhang is waiting for us for lunch.”

“Alright,” the girl replied. “I’m Chen Ni. I’m truly sorry. I’ll leave the money here—go find a guesthouse for the night. The weather report says it’ll get colder.”

She flashed Chai Jin a sweet smile and left.

Once in the car, she heard the middle-aged man grumble, “Nini, how many times have I told you not to give your name to strangers? It’s not like abroad here, you know?”

“Dad, it’s fine.”

“You child…” The car pulled away.

Chai Jin picked up the ten yuan from the ground, gazing after the departing car. He thought of the villagers and murmured, “They say the poor are pure and the rich are wicked. But is virtue really determined by wealth? Chen Ni—what a lovely name.”

He had no idea that after coming south to Guang Province, this girl would play a very important role in his life.

…

He didn’t know how he got through that night. As Chen Ni had said, Zhonghai really did turn colder that evening, leaving Chai Jin shivering.

At dawn, he went straight to the bank. By ten in the morning, when he left, his pockets bulged with ten thousand yuan in cash, and his bankbook showed over forty thousand in savings.

He found a small restaurant near the exchange, sat down, and devoured a hearty meal. Sated at last, he prepared to pay and buy a ticket home.

Just then, a middle-aged man with a gold tooth approached, grinning. “Young man, mind if we have a chat?”