The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 343 struck it rich? (Bonus chapter 1950 for the emergence of the pornographic photographer)

Lao Yu arrived a few minutes after the online meeting had ended.

Then I remembered that I had lost that old Leica camera and forgot to tell that damned Hu Biao.

There was no way around it! Everyone's emotions were successfully stirred up by that unexpected windfall in the time leading up to the meeting.

Members with more money usually talk about whether to switch to a new vehicle, whether the Tank 500 gasoline vehicle is better or the Xiaomi SU7 electric vehicle is more convenient.

For members who are short on cash, the topic of conversation is often how much a 5090 graphics card costs recently, and whether it's worth buying.

Or, if you recently went to a foot massage parlor and topped up your card with 20,000 yuan, how much would the owner usually give you as a gift, and how significant would the discount be?

Anyway, they're all a bunch of guys. After being broke for so long, they suddenly got some unexpected money, so they're bound to spend some to treat themselves.

Even Lao Yu, a serious photography enthusiast, couldn't help but think about using this windfall to buy some new SLR camera lenses that he had been eyeing for a long time but couldn't bring himself to buy.

At that time, he will decide whether to buy a slightly cheaper Nikon Nikkor Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens, priced around 16 yuan.

It's still more expensive, around 23 for the Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8 EX DG lens.

By the time Lao Yu decided to buy the more expensive latter, the meeting had already ended for several minutes, but there was still no time to discuss the important matters with Hu Biao.

Old Yu immediately dialed Hu Biao's number, only to find that the kid was on another call, so he could only wait a few minutes before trying again.

In those few minutes, something happened that left him both amused and exasperated.

While waiting, he took out his phone to check some lens data, only to find that a group of photography enthusiasts he usually hung out with was having a lively discussion.

He instinctively clicked in to take a look, and after figuring out the situation, Lao Yu was speechless.

The hot topic in the group right now is a spring auction in Shanghai that will be held in a week, and one of the items on the auction has aroused great interest among these people.

It was an old-fashioned 'Leica IIIA' camera, which was invented in 36.

However, there are quite a few in existence, and the price of one unit is only around several thousand to tens of thousands.

The key issue is that the starting price for this particular car at the auction was 10, and the estimated final selling price reached 50.

The reason it's so expensive is said to be due to some legendary experiences during World War II that are not convenient to disclose.

In short, amidst the heated discussions in the group, this thing is simply not worth that much money. Only someone with a screw loose would waste 50 yuan on this thing.

Throughout the entire process, Lao Yu remained silent.

What did I say? Should I tell them that I'm the one who's lost my mind and is planning to waste 50 yuan on this thing?

He just opened the group chat and saw a photo that he didn't know where it came from.

With just a glance, I could see a familiar scratch near the shutter; so this 'Leica IIIA' camera was the one I had lost in another dimension not long ago.

"I haven't even had a chance to hold onto this money properly, no! I haven't even received it yet, and I'm about to spend it all; why is my luck so bad?"

After putting down his phone, Lao Yu couldn't help but complain.

He also gave up on calling Hu Biao to tell him that he had lost the camera.

However, what he didn't know was that similar major financial losses not only happened to him alone, but soon happened to other people as well.

In short, it seems that the mysterious place that transported them to this world had no intention of letting them get rich and turn their lives around in the modern world...

******
By the way! Why couldn't Lao Yu get through to Hu Biao's phone just now?
Immediately after the meeting ended, Hu Biao called Mo Yu and asked for his bank card number so he could transfer the 50 yuan to him.

This is what he was thinking: Squid will not get involved in the subsequent time travel, that's true, but it doesn't affect his efforts and contributions in the previous time travel.

So one thing at a time, the money that should be shared with him still needs to be shared.

After some persuasion, Mo Yu finally agreed to send over the bank card; Hu Biao, who had just hung up the phone, immediately breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

The squid incident was over, but that was only one aspect; another was that with this unexpected windfall of 50 yuan, he could pay off most of his debts. Feeling quite pleased with himself, he even asked Annie, "Boss lady! Are you free for the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

"There are still four or five months left, I'm not sure! But if you have something to do, I'll make sure to avoid taking on work during that period."

Annie, who was already preparing to go home, asked a question after hearing this.

Immediately, a smug smile appeared on Hu Biao's face, and he said boastfully:

"With this 500,000 yuan, I can pay off my huge debt in two months. If I earn money for another month or two, I should be able to afford an Audi A6."

How about your brother takes you back to our hometown in Hunan Province to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival?
Annie was overjoyed to be able to visit Old Hu's family in Hunan Province as soon as possible.

However, after thinking about something, she still hesitated and asked, "Is it convenient for you to tell me how much money you still owe?"

Annie had actually wanted to ask these questions for a long time.

He had only refrained from speaking out of consideration for the man's pride; now that Hu Biao had almost paid off his debts, it should be alright to ask.

As expected, Hu Biao answered the question very calmly:

"If there's anything I can't say, it's my personal debts. I've paid off all the small platforms. Right now, I still owe 150,000 to Dong Ge, 200,000 to Ant Financial, and 150,000 to 360 Security Technology."

But after owing for so long, the various penalties, late fees, and interest have accumulated to around five or six hundred thousand yuan.

Hearing this, Annie was speechless. It wasn't that she disliked Hu Biao for owing so much to the platform, but rather that he was so naive.

Unable to hold back, he said, "The money you owe is already considered a bad debt on these platforms' books. They'd be grateful if they could just get their principal back, so they wouldn't dare to think about any penalty fees."

I know a good lawyer. I can ask him to negotiate with the platform on your behalf. I estimate that we can easily reach an agreement where you only have to pay back the principal and then we'll call it even.

The money saved can then be used to buy a better car.

"How much will the lawyer's fees be?" Hu Biao asked a crucial question.

"Around four or five thousand yuan," Annie said, giving a significantly reduced price, clearly indicating she was secretly subsidizing the extra lawyer fees herself.

He then added, "I've been busy with work lately, and I also have to learn how to fly, so I haven't been coming to the store as often."

"Please keep a close eye on your private kitchen business."

That's right! Ever since Mina showed off to Annie how many Japanese soldiers she had killed while flying a plane.

Annie was quite envious of this, and that very day she signed up for a crash course in flying, in the same flying club as Mina.

"Don't worry! Besides the few dishes I used to make, I'm now proficient in the entire Shandong cuisine."

"I'm sure that Deyuelou's private dishes will soon be so popular in the capital that it will be impossible to get a table there, and you'll have to book at least a month in advance," Hu Biao confidently assured him.

After that, Hu Biao drove Annie home in his beat-up van, which he had bought for eight thousand yuan.

All the way to Annie, he kept talking about what kind of car he should buy if he were to buy a car next.

Although Hu Biao's boldest idea at this moment was to get some cars in the million-yuan range, the price of those cars was still less than a quarter or a third of the price of Annie's Bentley Continental, which had been gathering dust in the garage for quite some time.

But when Annie heard this, she felt even more excited than when she bought her first Ferrari when she first started working.

After thinking of something, his face shone with an indescribable radiance.

Meanwhile, the weather in the capital city had warmed up, and when Annie, who was sitting in the passenger seat, opened the car window, her long hair immediately danced in the night breeze.

So that people outside the window can see a couple chatting and laughing.

Although the van was a bit old, the young couple inside had smiling faces full of hope for the future, and their laughter was the simplest and purest kind of laughter.

This scene forced all the passersby who witnessed it to admit one thing:
This was the most beautiful view they saw tonight...

(End of this chapter)