Chapter 461: Old Huang Is Here!

Beijing. Northern Suburbs!

At the main entrance to the city, Li Yi sat in a brand-new sedan, glancing out the window from time to time.

In the passenger seat beside him, Jiang Longcheng held a cigarette in one hand and a cup of tea infused with goji berries in the other.

Seeing this guy looking like an old man, Li Yi couldn’t help but recall a saying: “When you reach middle age, you have no choice but to steep goji berries in your thermos!”

“Brother-in-law, it’s been over half an hour. When is the person you’re waiting for going to show up?” Jiang Longcheng said, sounding a bit frustrated.

He was supposed to be off today, taking the rare opportunity to help his wife tidy up their newly purchased courtyard house.

After all, with the wedding just around the corner, they couldn’t very well use a dilapidated place as their wedding home; they had to spruce it up at the very least.

But after working for just a short while, Li Yi called him out, saying a friend from out of town was coming to Beijing and asking him to come along to pick the person up.

Jiang Longcheng was usually happy to help with things like this; he was a sociable guy at heart.

But he never expected that the pickup location would be on the outskirts of the city, and that they’d end up waiting for over half an hour.

“What’s the rush? They’re coming from North Sai Province—isn’t it normal for them to be a little late?” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Brother-in-law, who on earth is this VIP that you’re personally coming out to the suburbs to greet?” Jiang Longcheng asked curiously.

He knew his brother-in-law’s temperament well—he was quite proud.

And the fact that this person had prompted him to drive all the way out to the suburbs to greet them meant their status was certainly no ordinary affair.

“Haha, I wouldn’t go so far as to call them a ‘divine being,’ but they certainly qualify as a major player in the financial world!”

“Capital? Is this person really that rich?”

“Drop the ‘ma’—he’s incredibly, incredibly wealthy, the kind with assets exceeding 100 million!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“How… how much?” Jiang Longcheng asked, looking utterly stunned.

These days, even being a “ten-thousand-yuan household” is a new concept; not even the joss paper money burned for one’s ancestors reaches such astronomical figures.

“My friend’s surname is Huang—Huang Lixing. He’s from Hong Kong, and he’s definitely a capital tycoon with assets exceeding 100 million!”

Li Yi had received a call from Huang Lixing yesterday. Huang had told him he’d wrapped up his business in North Province and planned to visit him in Beijing tomorrow before heading back to Hong Kong!

That was why Li Yi had come here early to wait for them!

“What does this guy do? How did he make so much money? That’s incredible!” Jiang Longcheng asked curiously.

“He runs casinos and dabbles in smuggling appliances on the side. Oh, and he’s also part of the Hong Kong underworld!”

Hearing this, Jiang Longcheng was a bit taken aback. Running casinos, smuggling, and hanging out with the underworld—what kind of decent person could that be?

“Bro-in-law,” he said, a hint of surprise in his voice, “how did you end up hanging out with someone like that?”

“Heh, Old Huang’s business is a bit shady, but he’s actually a decent guy. Plus, his personality is quite similar to yours!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Me?”

“Right. You’re both the type who’ll do anything, and you’re both incredibly loyal.”

Li Yi continued, “The main reason I asked you to come with me to pick him up today is so I can introduce you two.”

“Why would I want to meet him?”

“Do you want to make some money?”

“I do!” Jiang Longcheng said decisively.

With the wedding approaching and the yard in need of sprucing up, Jiang Longcheng could clearly feel that his earnings just weren’t enough to cover his expenses.

Even though he’d already taken a six-month advance on his wages from the factory, he was still barely making ends meet. Because of this, Zhang Xinyao had even contributed the few hundred yuan she’d saved by scrimping and saving.

Yet, the couple still felt their home paled in comparison to Li Yi’s.

At that moment, Jiang Longcheng realized once again how important it was to make money. He even felt that his job as factory director was somewhat pathetic—nowhere near as comfortable as that of his brother-in-law, Li Yi, the so-called “idle bum.”

“Heh, if you want to make money, get to know Old Huang better!” Li Yi said.

“You mean this Mr. Huang can help us make money?”

“No, Old Huang’s way of making money isn’t right for us, but his status as a Hong Kong businessman can help us avoid a lot of policy risks!”

Compared to the capital Old Huang had at his disposal, Li Yi valued his status as a Hong Kong businessman even more.

These days, although the government allows for the existence of individual businesses, it still hasn’t relaxed its stance on the private sector, making it nearly impossible for ordinary Chinese citizens to set up a factory.

However, the country had already opened its doors to foreign investment.

As early as July 1, 1979, the Law on Sino-Foreign Joint Ventures was passed, becoming the country’s first law regarding foreign investment, thereby providing legal safeguards for foreign investment.

Although the current model for utilizing foreign capital was the relatively rudimentary “three-comes-one-compensation” economy—namely, processing with supplied materials, assembly with supplied materials, processing to supplied samples, and compensation trade—as exemplified by the renowned Dongguan model.

But for Li Yi right now, no matter what the model is, as long as he’s allowed to build a factory and run a business, he can make money no matter how he does it.

Upon hearing Li Yi’s words, Jiang Longcheng immediately took an interest and asked, “Brother-in-law, I’m broke right now and can’t get away. What can I do when the time comes?”

“We’ll talk about that later…”

Just as he was speaking, Li Yi suddenly spotted a convoy of three vehicles coming into view.

Seeing that the lead vehicle bore a license plate from North Sai Province, and given the size of the convoy, Li Yi realized it must be Old Huang arriving.

He immediately stopped chatting, called out to Jiang Longcheng, and got out of the car.

Since the two parties had agreed to meet at the entrance to the city, the car slowed down as it approached that spot.

At the same time, Huang Lixing and the others looked around.

As soon as Li Yi got out of the car, Huang Lixing, Li Gang, Wang Anguo, and the others spotted him.

Shortly after, several cars pulled up in front of Li Yi!

After the convoy came to a stop, several bodyguards got out of the cars first, followed by Huang Lixing, Wang Anguo, and the others.

“Hahaha, Brother Li Yi, thank you so much for coming out to the city gates to welcome us!”

“Old Huang, you’re too kind. Welcome to the capital!”

Li Yi then turned to Wang Anguo and Li Gang and asked, “Brother Wang, Captain Li, why did you two come along too?”

Wang Anguo replied with a smile, “It was an order from above—we were instructed to ensure Old Huang and his family arrived safely in the capital!”

“I’m just tagging along for the ride!” Li Gang said with a laugh.

Li Yi pointed to Jiang Longcheng standing nearby and said, “Old Huang, Brother Wang, let me introduce you. This is my third older brother, Jiang Longcheng, the director of the Second State Cotton Mill in the capital!”

Huang Lixing immediately spoke in his broken Mandarin: “Hello, Director Jiang. I’m Huang Lixing. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Wang Anguo, meanwhile, stepped forward and extended his hand. “Director Jiang, I’m Wang Anguo. This is my wife, An Hong. I’ve long admired your reputation!”

An Hong had returned home for the New Year and had specifically told Wang Anguo about this eccentric factory director, Jiang Longcheng, so Wang Anguo had a very vivid impression of him.

“Comrade Wang Anguo, you’re the captain of the Ning City Criminal Investigation Division, right? My brother-in-law has mentioned you to me!”

Jiang Longcheng then added cheerfully, “Since you’re all my brother-in-law’s friends, you’re all like family to me. Now that you’re in Beijing, you’re on my turf—I’ll be happy to host you all…”

After a round of pleasantries, seeing that it was getting late, Li Yi promptly had everyone get back in the car.

He then got behind the wheel, leading the way as the group headed straight for the city center!

……..