Smuggled cars were rampant in later years because they were cheap. In 1985, smuggled cars were rampant because there were only so many legally imported vehicles, and domestic production was limited by technology with very few automotive production lines. The demand gap for cars was enormous!
The Reform and Opening Up policy had only been in place for a few years. By the 1990s, when the economy improved, vehicle production still couldn’t keep up and smuggled cars became even more prevalent. Scarce items are appreciated – new cars could even be resold at a premium.
Of course, ordinary people were getting wealthier year by year.
The “ten-thousand yuan households” of today, as long as they weren’t unlucky, avoided excessive luxuries and worked diligently until the 1990s, could easily evolve into millionaires.
How could a millionaire not own a car?
Manager Wu’s bank branch had deposits far exceeding a million!
As an invisible millionaire, the lack of a car for his branch had always bothered Manager Wu.
Buying a car was impossible – the higher-ups wouldn’t approve the funds.
But if Xia Xiaolan mortgaged a car to the branch and defaulted on the loan, it would be legitimate for the branch to seize her car.
With so many bad loans each year, Manager Wu could find some pretext, and this Citroën CX20 could rightfully become the branch’s property.
He now looked at the car with burning desire.
“Manager Wu, you seem to particularly like this car?”
Xia Xiaolan had no idea about Manager Wu’s inner struggle.
“Brand new, this car is worth 200,000. If you had a Crown, I could loan you 300,000!”
Getting a cheap car from customs was possible because Xia Xiaolan had used connections.
Such connections grow thinner with use. While buying a car for herself was fine, trying to profit from reselling seized smuggled cars from customs… Though profitable, it would be too inconsiderate!
Zhou Cheng and Kang Wei both could get seized cars from customs, but why didn’t they touch this business?
They’d even stopped dealing cigarettes, which wasn’t even considered smuggling, just exploiting policy loopholes.
A car bought for 80,000 could be sold for 200,000 – knowing this business was off-limits pained Xia Xiaolan greatly.
She consoled herself that money wasn’t everything. Using one for herself was fine, but getting into that business would negatively impact Tang Hongen and the Zhou family! Xia Xiaolan knew some officials’ children got rich by reselling approval documents and playing empty-handed tricks, but she wasn’t at that point – she had other ways to make money.
Manager Wu’s fascination with the Citroën amused Xia Xiaolan.
Such scenes could only exist in 1985. In a few years, mid-to-high-level bank managers like Manager Wu would easily afford cars. Even without various irregular income sources, their normal salaries would be sufficient.
“Manager Wu, would you like to take it for a test drive?”
Manager Wu was indeed tempted.
Xia Xiaolan could see the struggle on his face, but he still refused.
“Don’t try to corrupt me with such sugar-coated bullets!”
Well, he’d readily accept government bonds and tobacco gifts, but offering a test drive became bribery. Xia Xiaolan couldn’t understand Manager Wu’s logic, “If you like cars so much, why doesn’t the branch just purchase one?”
Manager Wu glared at her, clearly hitting a sore spot:
“Let’s get to the point. Your uncle wants to borrow 800,000, and you too? This car can get you 200,000 in loans. Adding your three stores and the Shichahai courtyard house, that’s 600,000 total, but as you said, you need to pay off your previous bank loans.”
600,000 – that left a 200,000 gap!
“How about 700,000? ‘Blue Phoenix’ isn’t just a clothing store, it’s a clothing sales company. In Beijing alone, we have three stores and six employees, plus our branch in the Commercial City.”
Though Xia Xiaolan and Li Feimei operated separately, they didn’t split the registered brand. She could prove that the Commercial City stores were under ‘Blue Phoenix’.
Originally, Liu Yong planned to use the Commercial City store for loans, but with the 7.5 million project contract signed, he no longer needed to mortgage the store and Nanluogu Alley courtyard house, so Xia Xiaolan brought it up.
“Another branch?”
Manager Wu pondered, “Then 700,000 won’t be a problem. You need this loan in July?”
Xia Xiaolan nodded. The Gulou store was being renovated, which would cost several tens of thousands, leaving her with only about 80-90,000.
With Ge Jian supervising the renovation, even rushing would take over a month, finishing just in time for July.
By then, profits from summer clothing sales at the other two stores could be withdrawn. From May to July, two months, the two stores should earn at least 100,000.
Combined with her current savings, she could pay off the bank loan first.
With Manager Wu’s 700,000 loan and Zhou Cheng’s 170,000, which they’d agreed to use for shares this time, Xia Xiaolan could cover the funding gap!
Xia Xiaolan had another sum – Grandmother Zhou’s 9,000 yuan savings book. Though given to her, she couldn’t bear to use it; it wasn’t easy for the old lady to save so much.
More surprisingly, when Xia Xiaolan returned home after meeting Manager Wu, Grandmother Yu took out a savings book:
“You’ve been short on money lately, making several trips to the bank? Use this money first. I’ve exchanged the rest for dollars, can’t give you those.”
Grandmother Yu had secretly exchanged half of the hush money from the Ji family for dollars, leaving only 40,000 yuan.
Plus the 10,000 yuan Xia Xiaolan had extorted from Liang Bingyan and shared with her.
Grandmother Yu had also collected two years’ rent from the Commercial City clothing store. The old lady had 50,000 yuan in total savings, all in one book, now sitting before Xia Xiaolan.
“Your money’s too easy to steal. If I took it and ran, you’d have no proof at all.”
Xia Xiaolan was touched but couldn’t help joking.
Grandmother Yu looked uncomfortable, “Then write me an IOU first!”
“Just kidding, keep your money safe. I’ve already solved the funding gap. If I need more, I’ll ask to borrow from you.”
Xia Xiaolan couldn’t bring herself to take money from Grandmother Yu.
Business people are always short on money, but she wasn’t desperate enough to squeeze an elderly person’s savings. If short on money, she’d find her solution. If she couldn’t gather enough, it meant the timing wasn’t right for business – Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t force it.
Like the Nanhai Hotel renovation project – when Liu Tianquan approached last year, Xia Xiaolan refused no matter what. Back then, she and her uncle had no advantages; participating in such a large project was just Liu Tianquan trying to please Mayor Tang.
Times had changed. Even using loans to leverage a 7.5 million project was possible because both she and her uncle had more assets than last year.
Being able to get loans and propose plans for the Nanhai Hotel project, Xia Xiaolan had her own confidence!
Though Xia Xiaolan didn’t need Grandmother Yu’s money, knowing she was secretly exchanging dollars, she still advised her:
“The exchange student program is government-funded. I won’t need much money in America. Don’t exchange your remaining savings – put that 50,000 in a fixed-term deposit! Didn’t we agree, I’d help you find someone, and you’d give me the small building at Commercial City’s February 7th Square? You don’t need to give me extra money.”
When people age, everything becomes intangible – only money in hand truly provides security.
Grandmother Yu ran around helping Xia Xiaolan train store employees. She refused wages from Xia Xiaolan, and they had a prior agreement – how could Xia Xiaolan possibly use her savings for America?