Chapter 812: Pointing at the Mulberry Tree and Cursing the Mulberry

Li Ye and the others were going to Mitsubishi’s truck factory, which wasn’t in Tokyo, so the journey was long—at least two hours—giving Li Ye more time to observe.

The secretary pulled out several more newspapers and asked Liu Muhan: “Comrade Liu, could you please take a look? Do these newspapers also claim Japan’s economic situation is better than America’s?”

Liu Muhan skimmed the translations and nodded: “Pretty much. Since last year, Japan’s economic growth has been astonishing, exceeding many Western economists’ expectations.”

“When I went to America a few months ago, people there said the Japanese now seemed to have endless cash—buying everything they saw.”

“Last year, Mitsui spent six hundred million dollars buying America’s Exxon Building; Sumitomo bought 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan; Mitsubishi even wanted to buy Rockefeller Center.”

“These aren’t just ordinary buildings—they’re landmarks, like China’s Temple of Heaven or the Yellow Crane Tower.”

Liu Muhan was a skilled storyteller; with just a few thin newspapers, she vividly portrayed the Japanese arrogance of the moment, reviving the spirits of everyone in the van.

But then she shifted tone and smiled: “Secretary Zhong, these financial news items have little to do with our project—why are you suddenly so interested?”

“.”

Secretary Zhong fell silent, but Gu Lao spoke firmly: “Little Liu, you’re wrong—this matters a great deal to us. Economics determines everything.”

“Think about it—if the Japanese really have so much money they can’t spend it all, will our negotiations go smoothly? Five million dollars is astronomical to us, but to them, it’s a drop in the ocean.”

“So Gu Lao doesn’t just understand technology—he understands economic analysis too!”

Gu Lao rattled off a long explanation and immediately won praise from the younger men.

Xiao Jingen exaggerated: “Wow, there’s so much depth in newspapers? I never knew.”

Secretary Zhong also offered praise: “Exactly, Gu Lao sees the big picture in small details—truly insightful.”

Even Li Ye felt Gu Lao’s words had some merit, if only a little—his intent was at least good.

But then Gu Lao pointed to a stock price chart on the paper and asked: “Little Liu, what are these figures? I see several ‘Mitsubishi’ names—do they relate to Mitsubishi Motors’ financial situation?”

Liu Muhan blinked, puzzled, but patiently explained: “These are Japan’s recent stock gain rankings.”

“These entries are Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Electric, and Mitsubishi Electric—no direct link to Mitsubishi Motors, but all part of the Mitsubishi Group.”

“Oh, I get it—just like the relationship between Plant One and Light Vehicle Company?”

Gu Lao nodded in understanding, then pointed to a 17% figure: “This seventeen percent—is that what you call the gain? What does it actually mean?”

Liu Muhan nodded: “Yes. Mitsubishi Electric rose seventeen percent yesterday—so if you owned a hundred yuan’s worth yesterday, today it’s worth one hundred and seventeen.”

“.”

The van fell silent for a few seconds, then erupted in noise.

“Whoa, seventeen yuan profit in one day? My god.”

“Isn’t that worse than loan-sharking?”

“Seventeen percent a day? Higher than our bank interest for a whole year—is this even legal? Isn’t there a trick here?”

“.”

“A trick? Ha~ Don’t say that to the Japanese—they’ll laugh at your ignorance.”

Secretary Zhong smiled: “We’ve been stuck inland our whole lives—we have no idea how vast the outside world is. My friends say in developed countries, stocks can double—or even triple—in a single day!”

“Triple in a day? That’s gambling.”

“Gambling? Don’t talk nonsense,” Secretary Zhong hurried to explain. “That’s called futures—a highly advanced financial trading method.”

“Good heavens, so advanced? No wonder the Japanese are so rich.”

“.”

Several people in the van turned red, their eyes gleaming green with hunger.

But Li Ye watched Gu Jianqi and Secretary Zhong, his doubts deepening.

Though they claimed understanding Japan’s finance would help communicate and trade with Mitsubishi Motors—this sounded reasonable enough—

Li Ye, based on his sharp observational experience, sensed Secretary Zhong and Gu Lao were far more fascinated by which stocks surged fastest, how much they rose daily, and how compounding ten percent twelve times tripled your money.

Liu Muhan narrowed her eyes and smiled: “Actually, when it comes to economics, Li Ye is the expert—he graduated from Peking University’s Economics Department. Li Ye, explain futures to Gu Lao.”

Li Ye nodded, cleared his throat, and prepared to warn everyone about futures risks—how people got wiped out in volatile markets, how some jumped from buildings daily, and so on.

But before he could utter a single word, Gu Lao waved dismissively: “Forget it. We’re just chatting on the road. Comrade Li, our deputy factory director, is preoccupied with the project—don’t distract him.”

“.”

After Gu Lao spoke, everyone fell silent—they were all part of the project evaluation team and should be focusing on the cars.

After a moment, Xiao Jingen broke the awkwardness: “Huh, don’t you all feel this van is just as good as a sedan? Spacious, comfortable.”

“Exactly. I’ve been thinking about this too—why are our domestic vans so bumpy, while this one feels like sitting on cotton?”

The group chattered for a while, then suddenly asked Li Ye: “Comrade Li, you rode in a Mercedes yesterday—didn’t you notice this difference?”

“I’ve analyzed this with Factory Director Lu and Professor Zhao back home. Our domestic vans evolved from trucks—they use truck chassis.”

“But this van clearly uses a dedicated passenger vehicle chassis. If we get the chance, we should negotiate with Mitsubishi Motors to import this chassis technology.”

Li Ye calmly explained why two vans could feel so different.

Why, even into the year 2000, did domestic vans still crudely transplant truck chassis?

Li Ye believed it was directly tied to these sluggish “technical authorities.” If they’d imported advanced chassis tech earlier, their independent R&D would’ve accelerated dramatically.

But as soon as Li Ye finished speaking, someone doused him with cold water.

“Young man, don’t see something good and immediately want to buy it—first, see how far behind you are.”

Gu Lao stared ahead, speaking coolly: “The Japanese buy everything because they can afford it. If you want to buy, first ask your parents if they have the money.”

“.”

Li Ye clenched his lips, almost retorting—but held back.

Saying something sharp might feel satisfying, but he wasn’t retired yet. If this old man complained to higher-ups afterward, it’d only stir up trouble.

But while Li Ye stayed silent, Liu Muhan smiled: “Gu Lao’s right. Our five million dollars comes from Plant One’s own funds—if we exceed the budget, we’ll need the ministry to subsidize us.”

“.”

Everyone fell silent.

If Li Ye said, “I’ll pay for the tech myself—what’s it to you old folks?” he’d be branded “ambitious, rebellious, disloyal.”

But Liu Muhan didn’t care.

She wasn’t even in the same system—she was openly pointing at the mulberry tree and cursing the mulberry’s neighbor—so what?