Chapter 418: The More Glorious Now, the More Tragic later

Chapter 418: The More Glorious Now, the More Tragic later

Shanghai is the most prosperous city in modern China, without a doubt.

From the reform and opening up until Deng Shirong's rebirth, its GDP has always been the undisputed first in the country, truly impressive.

Moreover, Shanghai's prosperity extends far beyond these few decades. As early as the Republican era, it was already the economic center of the country. On the eve of the War, Shanghai even contributed 10% of the nation's GDP, which is truly terrifying.

Previously, when Deng Shirong asked Xiaodong where she wanted to play, she immediately blurt out Shanghai. This was not without reason; shanghai's fame in this era is so great that it is almost universally known, and its economic strength is unparalleled.

Last Spring Festival, Deng Shirong took Xiaodong to the Capital for a trip, and both grandfather and granddaughter traveled by plane.

This time, going to Shanghai is no exception; the entire family is traveling by plane.

Now, with the network of relationships the Deng Shirong family has, buying plane tickets and getting introduction letters is no longer a difficult task. Unlike a few years ago when they had to take trains for long trips, which was not only uncomfortable but also wasted most of their time on the road.

When the family arrived in Shanghai, it was already past four in the afternoon.

Deng Shirong has been to Shanghai a few times. While he is not overly familiar with the city, he is more knowledgeable than his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, who are visiting Shanghai for the first time. After arriving at the airport, they directly took a car to the most prosperous area of Shanghai—The Bund.

Compared to the places he has been to in the village, Deng Yunta has traveled to many major cities in Guangxi and several cities in Guangdong. Although Zhang Xiuping cannot compare to her husband, she has also been to cities like Nanning, Liuzhou, and Guilin.

However, the gap between the cities they have visited in the past and this prosperous Shanghai is truly significant.

On the way to The Bund, Deng Yunta sighed and remarked, “Truly, this is the famous Shanghai, which is hundreds of times more prosperous than Nanning!”

Zhang Xiuping, looking at the towering buildings and the constant flow of vehicles in this prosperous city, nodded and agreed, “Nanning can't compare to this place. This is the most prosperous city I've ever seen in my life.”

Deng Shirong smiled and said, “In our country, there are two central cities. One is our Capital, and the other is Shanghai. As for Nanning, it barely qualifies as a regional center in Guangxi, and it naturally falls far short of Shanghai.”

Xiaodong asked, “Grandpa, what's the best place to play in Shanghai?”

This question immediately stumped Deng Shirong. Shanghai doesn't have the historical depth and numerous scenic spots like The Capital. In this era, besides The Bund, there are not many other notable places to visit in Shanghai.

For example, the famous Oriental Pearl Tower is just beginning its construction, and iconic buildings like Jinmao Tower probably haven't even started their designs yet!

Places suitable for children, such as Disneyland, the World Expo, Wildlife Park, and museums, also don't exist in this era.

Therefore, while Shanghai is indeed prosperous in this era, the places suitable for tourism are far fewer compared to the future.

After some thought, Deng Shirong replied, “We'll go to The Bund first. That’s the most prosperous place in Shanghai and should be the best to play.”

...

An hour later.

The Deng Shirong family arrived at the Peace Hotel.

Looking at this famous building, known as the city's calling card, Deng Shirong said, “We'll check in here first, have dinner here, and then go out to enjoy The Bund's night view after dinner.”

Upon hearing this, Deng Yunta and the others naturally had no objections, and the family entered to check in.

They entered the Peace Hotel's South Building through a new art movement style yewood revolving door. Inside, there were eight columns, four of which were solid stone Doric columns. The white stone contrasted with dark bases, capitals, and entablatures, giving a bold and powerful outline. The inner columns were a mix of gold and wood, with the lower part shaped like prisms, creating a blend of Eastern and Western styles.

The walls were divided into three parts: the base, the body, and the cornice. The base and body were fully wrapped in wainscoting. The wooden frames in the wainscoting improved the stability of the wooden panels, which were adorned with meander patterns and golden circular floral designs, making the walls elegant yet not overly dull. The plaster ceiling had rich layers with golden plant motifs.

Deng Shirong could only marvel at the Peace Hotel, which indeed stands out with its over a century of history.

After checking in and settling their luggage, the family went downstairs to the restaurant for dinner.

The restaurant was a combination of brown, white, and yellow, with artistic style lamps on the ceiling and classical carved decorations around the walls, blending modern and traditional elements to create an elegant and fashionable charm.

It was peak dinner time, and while waiting for their dishes, Deng Shirong's attention was drawn to a guest at the next table who was engaged in a heated discussion.

Listening carefully, it became clear that they were discussing stocks.

At this point in time, it was the beginning of the first bull market for the A-share market, and the stock market was incredibly prosperous. During this period, even a pig could make money by trading stocks. Among the major players in the stock market, there were three prominent figures known as the "Three Sheep."

In his previous life, Deng Shirong, a veteran bookworm with over a decade of reading experience, had read more web novels than most people. While many others with similar reading experience only read novels in their spare time, Deng Shirong, during his retirement in his hometown, spent most of his day reading novels and watching videos, aside from eating and sleeping.

Over those many years, he had read an immense number of web novels. In urban novels, especially those about rebirth and stock trading, the famous "Three Sheep" of the Shanghai stock market were often mentioned.

Having read so many, Deng Shirong was well aware of the general stories of the "Three Sheep." After listening for less than three minutes, he had a good idea of who the person discussing the market was. If his guess was correct, this person was one of the "Three Sheep," who at his peak held one-eighth of the Shanghai stock market.

This was indeed impressive, but this person had a habit of using extreme leverage in his trades. In the end, he not only lost everything but also accrued substantial debts and countless lawsuits, a fate that was truly lamentable.

Of course, he wasn't the worst off. The worst was another one of the "Three Sheep," the leader among them. At his peak, his wealth reached 30 million yuan. In the mid-1990s, such a fortune would have secured a comfortable life if he had stopped. Unfortunately, human nature is greedy. With 30 million yuan, he didn't think about settling down but dreamed of becoming a billionaire.

Perhaps the money came too easily, making him overly confident. Without proper knowledge, he ventured into futures trading and, despite mounting losses, continued to buy more. In the end, he received a harsh lesson, and his 30 million yuan fortune vanished within a month.

Whenever Deng Shirong thought about this person's story, he found it hard to understand. Despite his greed, this person was extremely frugal. Even with 30 million yuan, he didn't buy a car or a house and continued to ride an old bicycle between home and the securities trading center. His shirts were often patched up until they were no longer wearable.

If he didn't bring lunch, he would go to a nearby noodle shop and order the cheapest vegetable noodle soup. People often mocked him, but he would retort, "Why eat so well when it all ends up in the toilet anyway?"

Living so frugally while dreaming of becoming a billionaire was indeed bizarre. For such a person, who was so careful with every penny, losing 30 million yuan in a month and subsequently going insane was almost predictable.

Compared to these two tragic figures, the man known as "Yang Million" was much more cautious. He maintained a clear mind and didn't have the same gambling tendencies as the other two, thus ending his career on a positive note.

At this time, the stock market was in a bull phase, and stock traders were making large sums of money daily. Especially for the major player at the next table, the daily income was astronomical compared to the average person.

When a person is at the height of their success, many people are eager to listen to their insights.

Deng Yunta, after listening for a while, said in Hakka, "Dad, are stocks really that magical? Can you make tens or even hundreds of thousands of yuan by investing a few thousand?"

"Indeed, it is that magical. Some people have turned a few thousand yuan into tens of millions, but there are also those who have lost everything in a single night. This is not something ordinary people should touch; it's even more dangerous than gambling in our hometown."

Deng Shirong, fearing that his eldest son might get involved in stock trading, quickly dissuaded him, his expression serious. "Yunta, if you follow a steady path and run your chain of supermarkets, you are destined to become a billionaire. Here's a piece of advice from your father: you can do anything else in life, but you must never touch gambling, stocks, or futures. Otherwise, no matter how rich you are, even if you are the world's richest person, you will eventually lose everything."

Zhang Xiuping, who didn't understand stocks, but hearing her father-in-law compare them to gambling and speak so seriously, knew that they were something to avoid. She looked at her husband and said, "Big Brother Tai, did you hear what your father said? You must never touch stocks, understand?"

Deng Yunta, feeling a bit embarrassed, replied, "I was just asking out of curiosity. I never thought of getting involved in stocks. If it's that dangerous, only a fool would try."

Deng Shirong glanced at the next table and then lowered his voice. "You all heard that, right? That person is indeed very skilled at trading stocks, and the money he makes in a day might be more than what an ordinary farmer earns in a lifetime. But I can tell you, it won't be long before he loses everything, and he might even end up in debt."

"Now, the more glorious, the more tragic later."

Deng Yunta was surprised, "Dad, it can't be that exaggerated, can it? From what they were saying, that person's assets in the stock market are almost reaching ten million yuan. Could he really end up with nothing and even owe a huge debt?"

Deng Shirong replied, "Not at all exaggerated. Do you know what they meant by 'leveraged trading'?"

Deng Yunta shook his head and asked, "What does it mean?"

Deng Shirong explained, "Leveraged trading, in simple terms, means borrowing money to trade stocks."

He elaborated further, "For example, let's say Xiao Ming notices that the price of lychees is rising in the market. Xiao Ming also wants to sell lychees to make money, so he buys a batch. The purchase price is 2 yuan per pound, but Xiao Ming only has 100 yuan, which means he can only buy 50 pounds of lychees. Xiao Ming thinks that the profit from 50 pounds is too small.

So, he borrows 900 yuan from someone, adding it to his 100 yuan to make 1000 yuan, and buys 500 pounds of lychees. He plans to sell them and then pay back the money.

If the market price of lychees rises to 3 yuan per pound, Xiao Ming would make a profit of 500 yuan, which is five times his initial capital.

But if the price of lychees falls to 1.8 yuan per pound after Xiao Ming buys them, his 500 pounds of lychees would only be worth 900 yuan. This means Xiao Ming has already lost his initial 100 yuan.

If the price continues to fall, he will start losing the money he borrowed. The lender won't stand for this and will demand that Xiao Ming either sell the lychees immediately to pay back the loan or put up more money as collateral to prevent further losses.

Xiao Ming doesn't want to sell at a loss, but he can't come up with more money. The lender will then forcibly sell Xiao Ming's lychees to recover the loan. This situation in the stock market is called a margin call or 'blowout.'

If the price of lychees falls too quickly and Xiao Ming can't sell them at 1.8 yuan per pound, and they end up selling at 1.6 yuan per pound, recovering only 800 yuan, Xiao Ming will not only lose his initial 100 yuan but also owe the lender 100 yuan.

This is what leveraged trading means.

As the saying goes, walking the night road long enough, you will eventually encounter a ghost. Borrowing money to trade stocks is extremely risky. Sooner or later, he will end up in trouble."

Deng Yunta suddenly understood, "I see, so doing this is indeed very risky, almost like gambling."

Deng Shirong nodded, "For ordinary people, trading stocks is essentially gambling. The only difference is that gambling is illegal, while trading stocks is legal."

This explanation made both Deng Yunta and Zhang Xiuping nod frequently. With the concept that trading stocks is like gambling, they would definitely stay away from the stock market in the future, no matter who tried to persuade them otherwise.

After all, their father hated gambling the most and had banned it throughout the clan. As his children and daughter-in-law, they would never go against his wishes.

At this moment, the waiter began to serve the dishes, so Deng Shirong stopped the conversation. He had already given his eldest son a warning. Knowing his son, he believed he would never touch stocks again.

The family then enjoyed their meal.

After they finished and were about to leave, the people at the next table were still drinking enthusiastically. Although Deng Shirong knew the outcome for that man, they were just passing strangers, and he wouldn't interfere. People who trade stocks, like gamblers, rarely listen to advice.

Without going into details, let's take Yang Million as an example. He made a lot of money in the stock market, but none of his relatives or friends could follow his success. It wasn't that he didn't want to help them; it was that they were too unreliable.

Once, when he made money from buying electric vacuum stocks, Yang Million helped his cousin buy 4000 yuan worth of stocks.

Not long after, the stock quadrupled in value. He called his cousin and said, "It's quadrupled. Do you want to sell? It might go even higher."

His cousin decided to sell and said she wouldn't regret it.

But when the stock reached 2300 yuan per share, she regretted it and complained, "I don't understand, and you didn't stop me."

In 1992, when the Shanghai Composite Index reached 1500 points, Yang Million invited his relatives to his home and advised them to cash out, as the market was very dangerous and could crash at any time. But no one listened to his advice.

When the market crashed and they lost money, these relatives turned against him.

So, for ordinary people, trading stocks is indeed like gambling. Only a few can remain rational.

After leaving the Peace Hotel, Deng Shirong's family began to tour The Bund, enjoying the night view of this "Mile of Foreign Buildings."

The Bund is indeed the most prosperous place in Shanghai, with a constant flow of traffic and a beautiful array of old buildings illuminated by various lights. Such a night view would be considered beautiful even in the future, let alone in this era.

Deng Yunta, Zhang Xiuping, and the two children were all amazed by the sights.

Now, Nanning hasn't developed much yet, and there's really no night view worth seeing. Even Guilin, a tourist city, doesn't have much of a night view before the completion of the Two Rivers and Four Lakes project.

So, for Deng Yunta and the others, this was truly their first time seeing such a beautiful night view.

The family stayed at The Bund until around ten o'clock in the evening before returning to the Peace Hotel to wash up and go to bed.

Over the next few days, the Deng Shirong family wandered around randomly, heading wherever was lively and fun. They let Xiaodong and Dongzi decide where to go, emphasizing companionship.

This bustling Shanghai indeed had plenty of interesting places to visit. Over the course of a week, Xiaodong and Dongzi had a great time.

Even Deng Yunta and Zhang Xiuping enjoyed themselves immensely, and this trip to Shanghai truly broadened their horizons.

...

Wuyue Square.

La Meizi Hotpot.

Li Shuqin, looking at her old classmate's enormous hotpot restaurant, exclaimed in amazement, "My goodness, Zhu, your hotpot restaurant is really that big? Are other hotpot restaurants also this large?"

Deng Yunzhu shook her head with a smile, "Of course not. This is our flagship store, so it's natural for it to be bigger. The other branches are only about 200 to 300 square meters, roughly one-tenth the size of this flagship store."

Li Shuqin nodded, "200 to 300 square meters is already enough. This flagship store is really too big; I bet a lot of space is wasted."

Deng Yunzhu smiled, "Indeed, about 80% of the space is currently unused. But it's fine; it's our own property, so we don't have to pay rent. This space is just temporarily unused, and once business picks up, we'll definitely find a use for it."

Li Shuqin was shocked, "Zhu, is this property yours? What about Wuyue Square?"

Deng Yunzhu smiled, "It's also mine."

Li Shuqin's eyes widened, and she gave a thumbs up, "Zhu, I really admire you. I'll follow you from now on."

Deng Yunzhu happily said, "With you, a top graduate, joining, my hotpot chain will be even stronger. Your main task will be to help me establish a practical management system for the hotpot stores, so I can keep track of the operations of all branches no matter where I am."

Li Shuqin confidently said, "Sure, leave it to me."

Next, Deng Yunzhu discussed the job benefits with her old classmate.

As the general manager of La Meizi Hotpot Chain, the benefits Deng Yunzhu offered were not low. The salary of a few hundred yuan was secondary; the real big deal was the 1% profit share she offered, which was a generous gesture.

Given the current revenue of the La Meizi Hotpot Chain, the annual profit of two to three million yuan was feasible. A 1% profit share would amount to 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, which was not a small sum.

Moreover, as the number of chain stores increased, this figure would continue to rise. It wouldn't take many years for Li Shuqin's annual income to exceed 100,000 yuan, which was a significant salary for an employee.

Li Shuqin was truly moved, "Zhu, giving me a few hundred yuan salary is already a great benefit. I don't know how long it would take to earn such a high salary even if I worked in the finance bureau. You don't need to give me the profit share; I haven't done anything yet to deserve it."

Deng Yunzhu smiled, "No need to decline. As the general manager, you are second to only me, and it's right to give you a profit share. As for you not having contributed yet, I believe that's just a matter of time. With your excellent background from a top university, I am confident you won't let me down."

Li Shuqin, emotionally moved, said, "Thank you for your trust, Zhu. I promise I won't let you down and will manage the hotpot chain well for you."

With that, Li Shuqin officially took up her position as the general manager. She had majored in management in university, and her outstanding performance at Songshan High School, a school with ordinary teaching resources, and her admission to a well-ranked university already proved her excellence.

In university, Li Shuqin thrived.

Four years of university life made her stand out among her peers, becoming the most outstanding graduate in her class.

Now, taking on the role of general manager right after graduation, though it came with significant pressure, she was confident and unafraid.

With her joining, the La Meizi Hotpot Chain was sure to soar to new heights.

...

PS: Sorry, I got stuck today, and this chapter is a bit watered down. Please bear with me (ー_ー)!!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end