Chapter 90: Chen Yixue's First Initiative

According to the superiors' requirement, this practical activity is open only to students of Classes 77 and 78, and does not accept registrations from freshmen.

This is mainly because senior students have learned more at the school, and their overall level is higher.

Yet this student named Xu Yuexin is outstanding in every ability.

"The Wreath Under the High Mountain", "The Horse Herder"—which one is not a novel that is currently sweeping the nation?

Including Zhou Lin himself, we are all readers of these two novels.

Not to mention, he also won the People's Literature Award.

It truly makes the choice difficult.

On one hand it's a rigid requirement, on the other hand it's an outstanding candidate…

Zhou Lin thought back and forth, his fountain pen hanging in the air, unable to come down.

In the end, he couldn't help but ponder the meaning of the activity's rule that it targets only Classes 77 and 78.

Undoubtedly, this is to ensure the participants' level.

So when a Class 79 student's level is not inferior to, or even surpasses, many students of Classes 77 and 78, should we prioritize substance or form? Undoubtedly, substance should come first.

Otherwise it would become formalism! Thinking this, Zhou Lin set down his pen and wrote the word "Agree" in the school's comments column of Xu Yuexin's registration form, signing his own name.

……

A few days later, the list of selected participants for the socialist practical activity was announced.

Yanda's prideful students almost all gathered in front of the bulletin board, craning their necks to see whether they had been selected.

Xu Yuexin and the roommates of Dormitory 506 were squeezed in the middle of the crowd, unable to move forward.

The whole dorm placed its hopes on Xu Yuexin and Liu Zhenyun, because both of them are tall.

"Old Liu, did you see my name?"

Chen Jiangong asked Liu Zhenyun, who was standing on tiptoe to look.

"No, ask Old Xu; he's even taller."

"I didn't see it either. Someone in front is standing by the bulletin board, his head blocking the list."

Xu Yuexin and Liu Zhenyun shook their heads in succession.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiangong grew anxious, stood on tiptoe and shouted forward, "Classmate, excuse us, move aside, don't block those behind us."

The people ahead, hearing the voice, quickly stepped aside, allowing Xu Yuexin and Liu Zhenyun, thanks to their height advantage, to finally see the list clearly.

"Old Xu made the list, Old Chen is also on it, but we didn't get in."

Liu Zhenyun turned back and said to his roommates.

"Old Xu got in? Impressive."

Liang Zuo, surprised, adjusted his glasses and said, "Wasn't it said that only Classes 77 and 78 were eligible?"

"Probably he's exceptionally outstanding and was selected exceptionally."

Liu Zhenyun guessed.

Xu Yuexin was especially pleased at this moment.

He not only saw his own name on the list, but also saw Chen Qiao Qiao.

Of course, to consider the feelings of the other two roommates, he behaved rather restrained.

"Purely luck."

Xu Yuexin said modestly, "If we do it again, maybe the one selected won't be me."

Chen Jiangong understood implicitly and also did not want to cause the other two roommates to feel disappointed.

"I'll treat everyone to a bowl of sea‑rice soup; with the changing seasons, let's all replenish together."

Chen Jiangong suggested.

He is older than the others and has literary publication experience; before Xu Yuexin arrived, he was already the senior brother in the dorm.

"Alright, today we'll have Old Chen's."

Liu Zhenyun responded enthusiastically, "No limit on how many bowls, right?"

"Look at you, so beautiful."

Xu Yuexin laughed, slapped Liu Zhenyun on the shoulder and said, "How many more do you want to drink?"

"As long as Old Chen is generous, I won't hit a ceiling."

Liu Zhenyun bragged.

"Fine, you're open to drinking today; I'll see exactly how much you can drink."

Chen Jiangong immediately stated.

These days university cafeterias are generally conscientious; taking Yanda as an example, the bowls used for sea‑rice soup are imported from overseas.

Inside, besides the sea‑rice, there are also nori, shrimp, and fried tofu as side dishes.

Chen Jiangong, like Xu Yuexin, didn't believe Liu Zhenyun could drink more than one bowl.

After arriving at the cafeteria, the group got rice and bought soup, and Chen Jiangong paid the soup money for everyone.

Sitting down, Xu Yuexin spooned a mouthful of fresh sea‑rice soup and watched Liu Zhenyun's performance.

"Hoo‑hoo…"

Liu Zhenyun lifted the sea bowl, tipped his head back and gulped fiercely; soon the bowl was empty, revealing the sea‑rice, shrimp and other toppings at the bottom.

Those side dishes added up to about half a bowl. Liu Zhenyun kept picking them up with his chopsticks, and soon the vegetables were all gone.

Meanwhile, Xu Yuexin and the others hadn't even reached half a bowl…

"You're a beast."

Chen Jiangong gave a thumbs‑up and said, "You sit there, I'll get you another bowl."

"Old Liu, you really can eat a lot."

Liang Zuo, who was always taciturn, exclaimed.

"Being able to eat is a blessing."

Xu Yuexin said, "He could become the top humanities scholar of Henan, perhaps because his brain received ample nourishment."

A group of roommates were chatting about the mountain, and at that moment Chen Jiangong brought the second bowl of sea‑rice soup back to the table.

This time, Liu Zhenyun was still eliminated very quickly.

Next up, the third bowl…

"I've seen it."

When Liu Zhenyun finished the third bowl of sea‑rice soup, Chen Jiangong raised his thumb and said, "Two bowls are already enough to make me gasp."

"Stop here? Don't overextend your stomach."

Xu Yuexin said.

"Hmm, if you hadn't said it, I wouldn't have given Old Liu any more to drink," Chen Jiangong said with a sigh, "Old Liu, I finally understand why you grew so tall."

Liu Zhenyun chuckled, "Then, by height proportion, Old Xu could at least drink five bowls."

"But no, I have a big appetite for rice, yet I can't drink that much water."

Xu Yuexin quickly waved his hand and said, "This tests not only the stomach but also the bladder."

"To have a strong stomach, you also need a strong bladder."

"Hahaha…"

Chen Jiangong, Liu Zhenyun, Liang Zuo and the others burst into laughter, drawing the attention of many nearby classmates.

After finishing the meal, Xu Yuexin said goodbye to his roommates and went to class with a full stomach.

Being in a different cohort from the roommates is like that; the vast majority of the time, it's just one person.

The afternoon class was Chinese Literary History, taught by Professor Yuan Xingpei.

Professor Yuan is the Chief Editor of the later high‑school Chinese language textbooks, and Xu Yuexin had seen his elderly name on textbook covers time and again.

Now that he could see the real person, Xu Yuexin felt a strange sensation and listened to the lecture with utmost seriousness.

After class, he didn't return to the dormitory but rode his motorcycle home, turned on the TV and waited for the news broadcast.

On January 1 1978, Beijing Television launched the news broadcast program, which later was renamed Central Television.

From that day on, the program became the mainstream channel for everyone to learn about the nation's major policies.

According to Xu Yuexin's memory, today would be the day the nation announced an increase in the gold purchase price, and the television should announce this major event.

In a mixture of anticipation and unease, time slipped by second by second.

After a while, a red screen appeared on the monitor, followed immediately by the four big characters for News Broadcast.

"Dear viewers, today's news broadcast mainly includes…"

Unlike later eras, the news broadcast hosts of this time did not announce the time at the opening, but jumped straight into the topic.

Xu Yuexin waited patiently and watched attentively for nearly twenty minutes.

Until the domestic news segment was about to end, the host finally began to report the news he had been yearning for.

"To boost the enthusiasm of mining countries, the masses engaged in gold production, refining, and handling, China People Yin Hang has decided to raise the gold purchase price from 262.5 yuan per liang to 390.625 yuan per liang."

"Great!"

A very short message was enough to make Xu Yuexin shout with joy.

He had 11 large yellowfish in his hand, totaling nearly 69 liang, and the purchase price at the time was 290 yuan per liang.

According to the new pricing, Xu Yuexin could earn 100 yuan per liang, so 69 liang is almost 7,000 yuan! And the total value of this gold will reach nearly 27,000 yuan! He's made a fortune, really made a fortune.

Now it's time to plan the next step, that is, how to allocate this gold.

Xu Yuexin, happy, began calm contemplation.

Raising the price from about 260 yuan to 390 yuan, the People's Bank this time increased the gold purchase price by a full 50%!

And this is certainly not the last time.

After the reform and opening, the People's Bank raised the gold purchase price multiple times within just a few years.

In 1980, the gold purchase price rose again from 390 yuan per liang to 500 yuan per liang.

In 1985, the People's Bank raised the gold purchase price twice in one year, first to 700 yuan per liang at the start of the year, then to 900 yuan per liang on September 1…

Looking at the paper numbers alone, gold is a very good investment target.

But is the reality really like that?

Xu Yuexin's pre‑travel study was economics. In his economic history course, he learned that starting at the end of 1979, society was about to enter a rapid inflationary track.

At the end of that year, the economic authorities decided to raise workers' wages, initially planning a 40% increase for some outstanding workers, but in practice it became a universal raise for everyone.

Accordingly, prices rose as well.

Afterwards, the cycle of wage rise → price rise → wage rise continued.

From this perspective, the gold price increase after 1979 actually lagged behind both the general price level and wages.

Therefore, when Xu Yuexin first invested in gold, he decided to hold it only short‑term, selling it as soon as the most rapid adjustment round ended, never keeping a long‑term position.

The problem is how to sell this gold and where to spend the money afterward.

For the first problem, Xu Yuexin's idea is "small, fast steps in different locations"—going to the suburbs, even to some cities in Hebei, selling gold in small quantities, frequently, but never at the same gold shop.

As for the latter…

Xu Yuexin is still pondering.

His main business is writing books; he cannot devote much energy to running a business, so that route is ruled out.

What he needs is an investment that, like gold, can be bought and then left untouched to appreciate automatically.

How about Silver? A thought sprang up in Xu Yuexin's mind.

Starting in the second half of 1979, Silver experienced the most shocking bull market in history.

In January 1980, after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the price of Silver was pushed to $49 per ounce, and in less than six months it rose by more than double.

And to reap this windfall, the prerequisite is…

Seek an opportunity and head to Xiangjiang again!

With this plan in mind, Xu Yuexin already had a calculation in his heart.

The most urgent matter, however, is to sell the gold he holds.

Of course he must not forget Da Yizi, who also has three large yellow fish in her hand.

……

Early the next morning, Xu Yuexin rode his Harley motorcycle, intending to go to the Chen Family.

But before his bike even left Keyuan Community, he ran into Chen Yixue, who had come looking for him.

Today Chen Yixue wore a long gray woolen sweater, her beautiful legs wrapped in flesh‑colored stockings, and she wore small boots—her appearance elegant and charming.

"I was just looking for you."

Chen Yixue stepped forward and said, "Did you see last night's news?"

"I saw it, go ahead and say it."

Xu Yuexin whispered, turned his bike around, drove into the basement and parked, then returned home with Chen Yixue.

As soon as they entered the house, Chen Yixue immediately took off her Shoulder Bag, opened it, and revealed the large yellow fish inside.

"Just as you said, it's up to 390 per tael now."

Chen Yixue took a deep breath, her tone hard to read, "Should we consider selling it?"

"Listen to me—doesn't that sound right?"

Xu Yuexin deliberately looked into Da Yizi's eyes and asked, "You made the money; how do you plan to reward me?"

(End of chapter)