Chapter 426: Yearly Summary

1981, the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, Minor New Year.

In the main hall of the Houhai Siheyuan, the charcoal fire burned brightly. A copper kettle sat on the red‑clay stove, steam swirling, tea aroma mixing with the fire scent, filling the warm room.

Six people were seated in the room.

Li Ping'an sat in the head seat, with Chen Jianghe and Sha Zhu on his left, and Li Yaozong and Chen Anbang on his right; Wang Dahu sat at the lower seat, his back straight as if at a military meeting.

On the table lay several thick ledgers and a stack of reports from various places.

Outside the window fine snow drifted silently, covering the courtyard and turning the blue‑brick ground into a sheet of pure white.

"Another year." Li Ping'an lifted his teacup, blew the froth, "let's all speak, how was this year."

Li Yaozong spoke first.

He had returned from Shenzhen, his skin a bit tanned, but his eyes brighter, his speech carrying southern warmth.

"Dad, Phase I of the Shenzhen Industrial Park is already completed. The clothing factory began production three months ago; the first batch of Jeans was shipped to Hong Kong and sold out in half a month. Half of the motorcycle factory's production line has been installed; a Japanese technician said the first bike can roll out before May 1 next year."

He opened his notebook.

"The clothing factory now has 300 workers, producing 20,000 Jeans per month, with a 40% profit margin. After the motorcycle factory starts production, it is expected to output 5,000 units annually, mainly for Southeast Asia."

Chen Anbang adjusted his glasses and added, "Uncle, we have registered the Wanshang R&D Center in Shenzhen, already hiring twenty‑seven technical staff, focusing on mechanical, electronic and material fields. He Xiao is overseeing it there, saying he wants to bring in a few German engineers."

Li Ping'an nodded.

"The R&D Center is fundamental. Holding technology in our own hands prevents us from being controlled."

Chen Jianghe opened the foreign trade company's ledgers.

"Brother, last month I personally escorted a shipment to the Soviet Union: one ton of clothing, a thousand cases of baijiu, five tons of white flour. By the third day in Moscow, everything was snapped up."

He paused, a complex expression appearing on his face.

"In the Soviet Union… supplies are severely scarce. Ordinary people line up for bread, store shelves are empty. The Jeans we brought could trade for a month's wages for them."

"What did we get in return?" Li Ping'an asked.

"We received a set of steel‑rolling equipment blueprints and two retired engineers," Chen Jianghe lowered his voice, "I placed the people in Shenzhen, signed three‑year contracts, monthly salary $500."

Five hundred dollars was a sky‑high price in 1981.

But Li Ping'an didn't blink an eye.

"Worth it. Technology is priceless."

Sha Zhu's report was the liveliest.

He pulled out a bunch of keys, clattered them onto the table.

"Brother Li, our Tan Family Old Flavor now has five branches in Beijing! Wangfujing flagship, one in Xidan, one in Dongdan, one at Qianmen, one in Haidian! Every location is packed!"

He counted on his fingers.

"Wangfujing store's monthly revenue is 80,000, net profit 30,000. The Xidan store, only three months old, is already profitable. The Dongdan store…"

"Zhuzi, give the total," Li Ping'an interrupted with a smile.

"Total… the total monthly net profit is 100,000!" Sha Zhu's voice rang loudly, "but all the money went to opening new branches, leaving only 100,000 cash on the books."

He looked at Li Ping'an, then at Chen Jianghe.

"According to our original agreement, I take 30%, Jianghe 30%, Brother Li 30%, the remaining 10% goes to a development fund. My share… 30,000."

When he mentioned 30,000, his voice trembled slightly.

A year ago, he was still cooking large‑pot dishes in the Steel Rolling Mill cafeteria, earning 58 yuan a month. Now, in half a year he splits 30,000.

Like a dream.

Wang Dahu's report was the most concise.

"The security company now has 187 personnel. One hundred and twenty are in the Shenzhen Industrial Park, thirty are at the Beijing stores, twenty handle important material transport, seventeen serve as mobile units."

"Training follows field‑army standards. Qinna Hand-to-hand Combat, vehicle driving, crisis handling, all practiced."

"Last month we assisted public security in capturing a theft gang, and received commendation."

Li Ping'an asked, "What about compensation?"

"Basic salary is 100, meals and lodging included. Missions have allowances, injuries have medical expenses, death has compensation." Wang Dahu paused, "Director Li, this standard… is higher than many state‑owned factory directors."

"It's deserved." Li Ping'an said, "People entrust their lives to you; you must not shortchange them."

Finally came the real estate company.

Li Ping'an opened that report himself.

"Beijing: acquired fifty Siheyuan. Among them, twenty‑eight three‑entrance courtyards, fifteen four‑entrance courtyards, seven of Beilefu specification. Mainly concentrated in Shichahai, Nanluoguxiang, Dongsi districts."

"Shanghai: obtained 300 mu in Pudong New District. It is still paddy fields, but the plan is out; it will become a financial center."

"Shenzhen: besides the Industrial Park, we also secured 200 mu of commercial land in Luohu."

"Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, Tianjin, Chongqing, Chengdu… prime locations in each city, totaling 2,000 mu."

He closed the report.

"These lands now look like wasteland, old houses, but in five years, ten years, every inch will be gold."

The room fell quiet.

Only the charcoal crackled.

Li Ping'an stood, walked to the wall, and pulled open the curtain.

Behind it was a huge map of China.

Red, blue and green dots densely marked it.

Red marks acquired properties, blue marks projects under planning, green marks foreign‑trade routes.

Like a massive net covering most of China.

"Next year," Li Ping'an turned, "we will undertake six tasks."

Six pairs of eyes stared at him.

"First, the real estate company continues to expand. Use existing land as collateral, borrow from banks, acquire more land. Focus on prime locations in first‑ and second‑tier cities. Not only buy land, but also build our own buildings—high‑rises, malls, residential complexes."

He drew three circles on the map at the locations of Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

"Second, Jiang He."

Chen Jianghe sat up straight.

"When you go to the Soviet Union later, don't just do trade," Li Ping'an said, looking at him. "You must make connections. Especially senior military officers, leaders of defense enterprises, and research institute experts."

He walked to the map and pointed his finger at the Soviet Union's location.

"The Soviet Union's heavy industry is advanced, but its light industry is weak. Whatever they lack, we will ship over. Exchange their technology—steelmaking, automobiles, shipbuilding, aviation... whatever can be exchanged, we will exchange. When necessary, we can invite people over."

"Safety first," Li Ping'an emphasized, "Bring enough personnel; if a situation is uncertain, prioritize survival."

Chen Jianghe nodded solemnly.

"Third, Dahu."

"Got it!" Wang Dahu sprang up.

"Sit down and speak," Li Ping'an gestured, "The security company will keep expanding recruitment. Veterans get priority; hire as many as needed. If we can't recruit enough, go straight to Zhou Zhengwei—this also counts as helping the country solve employment."

Wang Dahu's eyes lit up.

"Yes!"

"Fourth, the Shenzhen side," Li Ping'an said, looking at Li Yaozong. "Next year, build the Wanshang headquarters building next to the industrial park. At the same time, expand the R&D center. Automobiles, chips, telecommunications, mobile phones, steel, integrated circuits, CNC machine tools, computers... we need to establish a presence in all these fields."

He wrote a line in his notebook.

"Recruit talent for high‑tech. If domestic supply is insufficient, hire abroad. Offer sufficient salary, adequate benefits, housing and cars—everything is negotiable."

Li Yaozong took a deep breath.

"Dad, this investment..."

"No matter how large the investment, we must invest," Li Ping'an said. "Technology is the future lifeline. If we are reluctant to spend now, we'll have to spend ten or a hundred times more later to buy it."

"Fifth, open supermarkets, build logistics."

The remark left everyone momentarily stunned.

"Supermarket?" Sha Zhu scratched his head. "Is it... a department store?"

"Close enough, but bigger and more comprehensive," Li Ping'an explained. "In one store, everything you can eat, wear, use—everything is there. Customers pick what they want inside, then pay at the door after they're done."

"Then wouldn't things get lost?" Chen Jianghe frowned.

"So we need surveillance and an anti‑theft system," Li Ping'an said. "Start with a pilot in Shenzhen; if successful, roll it out elsewhere."

"Logistics means building a fleet," he continued. "Currently we outsource cargo transport, which is costly and inefficient. We'll buy our own vehicles, employ our own drivers, build warehouses, creating a complete chain from production to sales."

Wang Dahu's eyes brightened.

"Boss Li, I can handle this! I've managed fleets in the army!"

"Alright, it's yours," Li Ping'an nodded. "Start with a fleet of twenty vehicles."

"Sixth, build a home appliance factory."

Li Ping'an walked to the window, watching the snow falling outside.

"Now ordinary people have better lives and begin to pursue quality of living. Refrigerators, air conditioners, televisions—these will become standard equipment for every household in the future."

He turned around.

"We bought production lines from Japan, but mere assembly isn't enough. We need to absorb the technology, develop our own, and create our own brand."

"I've already thought of the name—let's call it 'Wanshang Home Appliances'."

The room fell silent again.

Only the crackle of the stove fire and the sound of tea boiling filled the air.

Finally, Li Ping'an spoke about the Japanese investment.

"Zhou Wenbin called from Hong Kong," he lifted his tea cup. "Over in Japan, stocks and real estate are still rising. The 3.5 billion we invested has already nearly doubled."

Sha Zhu's sunflower seeds fell to the floor.

"How much... how many?"

"Over six billion, I guess," Li Ping'an said calmly. "US dollars."

A chorus of sharp inhalations echoed in the room.

Sixty billion US dollars.

In 1981, that was an astronomical figure. The entire China's foreign exchange reserves were only a few tens of billions.

"But I didn't have the money transferred back," Li Ping'an continued. "I had Zhou Wenbin acquire banks in Hong Kong."

"Acquire banks?" Chen Jianghe's eyes widened.

"Yes. Standard Chartered Bank, Hang Seng Bank—take as many shares of those two as possible. Ideally we can gain controlling stakes."

Li Ping'an walked to the map and pointed at Hong Kong's location.

"With our own bank, capital flows become secure. When our business reaches worldwide, we'll need a reliable financial channel."

He paused.

"Additionally, I had Zhou Wenbin recruit foreign financial experts, especially those knowledgeable about Soviet finance."

Chen Jianghe asked, puzzled, "Soviet finance?"

"The Soviet Union now operates a fixed exchange rate—one US dollar to 0.6 rubles," Li Ping'an said. "But on the black market, one dollar can fetch a dozen or even dozens of rubles."

He drew a circle on the paper.

"We can use underground channels to convert dollars into black‑market rubles, then use those rubles in the Soviet Union to buy scarce goods—caviar, vodka, furs, even some defense‑to‑civilian products."

"Then sell those goods in Europe, America, the Middle East, and exchange them back for more dollars."

He set down his pen.

"That's called foreign‑exchange black‑market arbitrage. The larger the spread, the larger the profit."

Outside the window, the snow fell heavier and heavier.

A thin layer of white had already accumulated in the courtyard.

Inside the house, however, it was steaming hot.

Six people, six cups of tea, a map, a blueprint.

Li Ping'an raised his tea cup.

"Next year, our steps will be larger. We may encounter difficulties, we may have envious eyes, we may hear people say we're too radical."

He looked at each person present.

"But the era has given us an opportunity; if we don't seize it, we betray the era and ourselves."

The cups clinked.

The crisp ringing echoed through the quiet main hall.

Like a horn, like a war drum.

After the meeting, the people left one by one.

Sha Zhu, pocketing the 30,000‑yuan dividend, walked as if he were floating. He planned to buy Ma Dongmei a mink coat—something he had never even dared to imagine before.

Chen Jianghe stood in the courtyard for a while, watching the sky full of snow.

Soviet Union, black market, arbitrage…

Those words kept turning in his mind. He knew that next year his burden would be heavy.

Wang Dahu left last, chatting with Li Ping'an for half an hour about the fleet. Before departing he gave a military salute: "Li, rest assured, I'll definitely take good care of the fleet!"

Li Yaozong and Chen Anbang stayed until the end.

"Dad," Li Yaozong whispered, "can we really achieve all that? supermarkets, home appliances, chips…"

"We can," Li Ping'an patted his son's shoulder, "because we stand in the best era. And moreover,"

He glanced at the snow outside the window.

"We are not alone."

Night deepened.

Li Ping'an sat alone in the main hall, looking at the map on the wall.

Red, blue and green markings, like stars, scattered over this ancient land.

He knew that from next year on, Wanshang would no longer be just a company, a brand.

It would become a force.

A force that drives the era forward.

And he, standing at the source of that force.

Like a helmsman, holding the direction.

The stove fire waned, the tea grew cold.

Yet the fire in his heart burned brightly.

Li Ping'an stood up and walked into the courtyard.

The snow kept falling, silently, yet covering the whole world.

He reached out and caught a snowflake.

The snowflake melted in his palm, leaving a drop of icy water.

Like this era.

Cold, yet containing infinite vitality.

And he, about to let that vitality break through the soil and grow into a towering tree.

In the distance, faint firecracker sounds drifted.

The New Year is near.

The new year is about to arrive.

Li Ping'an lifted his head, looking at the pitch‑black night sky.

A faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Light, but resolute.