Chapter 930: The Difficult Problem Given by Man Man Laoyezi Jian

The old man put down the newspaper in his hand and picked up the teacup beside him to take a sip.

"You were strongly opposed before; why did you suddenly agree?"

Gu Minglan said in a somewhat stiff tone: "The standard of the requirement I proposed was a bit low."

The old man was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood: "Zhou Andong's personal assets already total 1 billion now?"

"More than that!" Gu Minglan took a deep breath: "At the end of last year, the British Pound depreciated. Zhou Andong shorted the Pound in the UK, and coupled with buying the dip in the stock market, in just a few months, he made a profit of over 2 billion US dollars."

"How much?" The old man seemed not to have heard clearly and asked again.

Gu Minglan said: "At the end of last year, Zhou Andong shorted the British Pound and made a profit of over 2 billion US dollars."

The old man was silent for a long while, then suddenly laughed. His hearty laughter made the secretary and guards outside very surprised.

For the past few days, the leader had been frowning, but now that he was laughing so happily, something good must have happened, and their hearts felt much lighter.

"Incredible!" The old man said with deep emotion, "We Chinese can actually earn 2 billion US dollars in the capitalist Western financial market. Incredible, truly incredible."

Hearing the old man's words, a ray of light pierced through the haze in Gu Minglan's heart, making her feel much brighter all of a sudden.

"If you ask me, it's just that he's bold and lucky."

"That's not right." The old man shook his head and said very seriously: "The financial market is a deep subject; it's not just about being bold and lucky.

Look at those financial experts in our country—they talk a good game during meetings, but who among them really dares to go to foreign financial markets to trade foreign exchange? Not a single one."

For some reason, Gu Minglan felt a hint of joy in her heart: "I told Qiuqiu that she and Zhou Andong will come over after they finish eating."

The old man nodded. He was becoming more and more interested in Zhou Andong, and he was also looking forward to seeing if Zhou Andong could give him a surprise.

Just past seven o'clock, Zhou Andong, Jian Qiu, Zhao Ping, and Jian Mingfan arrived. Gu Minglan still didn't give Zhou Andong a good look.

"Man Man Laoyezi is in the study; you guys go in."

Jian Mingfan wanted to follow them in, but was pulled back by Zhao Ping: "Why are you everywhere? Stay here honestly."

Jian Mingfan muttered something with dissatisfaction, lay back on the sofa, and picked up the remote control to turn on the TV.

Zhao Ping glared at her son and pulled Gu Minglan to sit on a chair nearby to chat.

"Hello, Man Man Laoyezi!" As soon as he entered the study, Zhou Andong called out 'Man Man Laoyezi' in a proper and respectful manner.

The old man scrutinized Zhou Andong; this was a grandfather's inspection of his granddaughter's husband. Slowly, a smile appeared on the old man's face.

"Sit down!"

Jian Qiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, quickly walked behind the old man, and diligently massaged his shoulders.

"Grandpa, we plan to buy the land of the First Machine Tool Factory to build the Qiudongfang headquarters building. After it's built, this will be the largest building in the world."

The old man said with a smile: "I don't manage these things; you need to go talk to Chaoyang or directly to the city."

"We went to Chaoyang this morning to see Jinkang." Jian Qiu briefly explained the process of the conversation. "We also want to buy the land of the Metal Structure Factory to build an urban complex."

At this, the old man immediately became spirited.

"You plan to build an urban complex in the capital?"

"Yes!" Jian Qiu said: "We want to create a business district, consisting of specialty commercial streets, kindergartens, high-end business clubs, large shopping plazas, central green spaces, and other supporting facilities. It will cover various functions such as five-star hotels, 5A office buildings, large-scale themed commerce, and international business apartments."

The old man had always been a firm supporter of reform and opening up. He was truly happy that his granddaughter and her husband were earning money abroad and investing back in the country.

"The horn to promote reform and opening up has been blown. You are still young, capable, and driven. Whether China's future can stand at the pinnacle of the world again depends on your generation."

Zhou Andong puffed out his chest: "Grandpa, don't worry. I will definitely hold high the great banner of reform and opening up, promote the economy without pause with a high-spirited state of mind, and achieve great results on the road of reform and opening up..."

"Hahaha..."

The old man laughed heartily; Zhou Andong's words had touched his heart.

Zhou Andong looked at Jian Qiu triumphantly, and Jian Qiu rolled her eyes at him.

"Just shouting slogans is useless." The old man looked at Zhou Andong with a smile.

Zhou Andong's eyelid twitched violently, his triumphant expression disappeared instantly, and he had a very bad premonition in his heart.

"Now, our country has encountered a major problem; it depends on whether you can solve it."

Zhou Andong smacked his lips, the smile on his face uglier than crying: "Grandpa, are you joking with me? A national problem—how can I, a small businessman, solve it?"

As he spoke, Zhou Andong shrugged his shoulders: "Look, my little shoulders are so thin; I can barely carry two buckets of water, how could I carry a national problem?"

The old man tempted him: "As long as you can solve this problem, there will be no resistance to your affair with Qiuqiu in the Jian family, and, within a reasonable scope, I promise you one condition."

Zhou Andong's heart thumped, jumping violently. Regarding his affair with Qiuqiu, as long as Gu Minglan didn't object, it didn't matter who else in the Jian family objected, including the old man.

However, the old man promising him one condition made him have to consider it carefully. You must know that on this land of China, those who could get a promise from Man Man Laoyezi Jian could be counted on one's fingers.

Jian Qiu's eyes also became very bright. She looked at Zhou Andong and said: "Why don't you listen to what Grandpa has to say?"

Zhou Andong said: "You speak, I'll see if I can solve it. If I can't, don't force me."

The old man picked up the teacup beside him that had already gone cold, took a sip of cold tea, and then pondered for a moment before saying.

"After reform and opening up, our country has experienced two bouts of inflation—one in '88, and the other is now. I think you should have felt it too."

Zhou Andong nodded, his eyes aiming at the cigarettes on the desk, and he licked his somewhat dry lips with his tongue.

Seeing this, Jian Qiu tacitly reached out, picked up the cigarettes, walked to Zhou Andong's side, lit one for him, and then put the remaining half-pack of cigarettes into her small bag.

The corners of the old man's mouth twitched, but he pretended to see nothing.

"Especially regarding livelihood materials, which relate to the interests of over a billion people, the country is preparing to regulate them. However, some scarce materials need to be purchased in the international market.

For example, white sugar. If we acquire it in the international market, it will inevitably lead to a sharp rise in prices. If we force the acquisition, the loss will be too great because our foreign exchange reserves are not abundant and cannot afford the consumption." ===== CHAPTER 931 =====