Hong Kong Tycoon: Starting from Delivering Dongfeng Express

Chapter 45 Xu Jiang: Just call me Xiao Jiang!

Ye Dongsheng didn't find it strange that Xu Jiang was carrying a gun.

First of all, it's not illegal now. Until the gun ban in 96, civilians had a large number of guns. Gangs in Hong Kong Island bought guns from mainland China. The thief king, Zhang Shihao, was arrested after returning to mainland China to purchase weapons...

And even if you kill someone with a gun, or are being robbed or assaulted, you will not be arrested.

For example, if the driver Xu Jiang just mentioned was killed and he pulled out a gun and killed the man on the spot, he could go to the police station and make a statement and be released.

Even now, you can see slogans hanging on the streets of Beijing and Haikou: "Those who are carrying out armed robberies can be shot dead on the spot. There will be rewards for those who kill them!"

As I said, public security is very chaotic these days and people are very wild.

After they got into the car, Ye Dongsheng took out some money from his pocket and said, "Master Xu, do you accept Hong Kong dollars? I'll give you the exchange rate."

The current official exchange rate is 36 to 8 Hong Kong dollars.

Xu Jiang pulled out two Redwood Fish (HKD 100) and said with a smile, "Is this your first time here?"

"Oh? What do you say?"

"When we deal with people from the other side of the strait, we accept Hong Kong dollars. You Hong Kong people don't want to use our money because you think it's unstable. We are happy to accept Hong Kong dollars!"

"Unstable?"

Xu Jiang complained bitterly when he heard this:
"You wouldn't know this if you hadn't come to the mainland. In just over half a year, our money has depreciated by half!
Last September, I went to the black market and exchanged 9 yuan for 43 Hong Kong dollars. Now, more than half a year later, it costs 100 yuan to get 89 Hong Kong dollars. But the price of foreign exchange coupons at the Friendship Store hasn't changed. Isn't this a devaluation of half?

The Friendship Store has many imported good things that are not sold anywhere else, but it only accepts foreign exchange coupons as currency, so ordinary people who want to buy things there can only exchange foreign currency for foreign exchange coupons.

Hearing this, Ye Dongsheng thought that the gap and fluctuation were indeed a bit too big.

Xu Jiang is indeed a taxi driver, and he started a new topic:
"Are you going outside the Great Wall to visit relatives?"

"Oh? How did Master Xu know?"

Xu Jiang chuckled: "People from Hong Kong Island who come to Jinghai are either here to invest or to look for relatives. Those who come to invest basically can't go outside the customs, so the only option for you is to look for relatives!"

Ye Dongsheng smiled and praised: "It seems that Master Xu is a veteran in this field?"

Xu Jiang smirked: "I can't say I'm a veteran, but I was one of the first taxi drivers in Jinghai last year!"

"Then you must be very familiar with the roads in Jinghai City?" Ye Dongsheng asked with interest.

Xu Jiang chuckled: "I dare not tell you outside the pass, but inside the pass, tell me where you want to go, and I can find you with my eyes closed!"

"Okay, Master Xu, since you said that, I'll rent your car for the next few days. How about 1 yuan a day?"

As he spoke, Ye Dongsheng took out a few 500-yuan coins and put them directly on the car.

Xu Jiang's eyes lit up, and he grinned broadly: "Wow! Looks like I've run into a big boss today! Taking you for a ride is equivalent to a month's work for me! Don't worry, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

The starting fare for a taxi is 6 yuan, and 2 yuan per kilometer is very expensive these days. Ordinary people simply cannot afford it, so taxi drivers like Xu Jiang often wait for customers with empty cars. Their main service targets are actually Hong Kong people who come here, and they also have to compete with their peers. It is considered good if they can take ten orders a day.

After deducting the cost of gas and company fees, he only had about a thousand yuan left in his pocket. He could only get a 200 yuan trip like today's one or two times a month, let alone a 1 yuan charter for a day!
The few thousand Hong Kong dollars that Ye Dongsheng bought is enough for Xu Jiang to earn for several months!

"Okay, then it's settled, Master Xu!"

"Hey, boss, please don't call me Master Xu. Just call me Xiao Xu or Xiao Jiang!" Xu Jiang became more and more concerned about his parents who provided him with food and clothing.

Ye Dongsheng patted Xu Jiang's shoulder with a smile: "Then I won't be polite with you, Xiao Jiang."

"Please don't be polite to me. Just listening to Xiao Jiang makes me feel refreshed!"

Xu Jiang's face was beaming at this moment, and he was glad that he had snatched this business. He was not just doing it for the few thousand dollars!
Taxi drivers like them come into contact with many people, so their experience is naturally much better than most people of this era.

Someone like Ye Dongsheng who only spends a few thousand dollars is considered wealthy in Hong Kong Island. He is definitely not an ordinary worker!

Xu Jiang had heard before that someone from their company had been spotted by a Hong Kong boss and then became a full-time driver, earning several thousand yuan a month.

A few thousand yuan a month, tens of thousands a year!
Moreover, the driver is one of the boss's most trusted people, so there's a chance he'll be reused in the future!

In today's era when the country is attracting investment and Hong Kong businessmen are constantly pouring into the special administrative regions, too many similar things happen every day!
Whoever can seize the opportunity will be able to succeed!

Now, Xu Jiang felt that the boss in front of him might be such an opportunity for him, so he naturally showed great enthusiasm.

Ye Dongsheng asked with a smile: "Xiao Jiang, I came to Jinghai this time not only to visit relatives, but also to make some investments."

When Xu Jiang heard this, he couldn't help but feel excited and the smile on his face became wider.

Ye Dongsheng changed the subject: "However, I am worried about the investment environment here. Will we be bullied by some local tyrants?"

Xu Jiang immediately shook his head: "No, no, our SAR welcomes Hong Kong businessmen like you to invest and build factories. How can we let you be bullied!"

Suddenly he thought of something, and then asked quietly: "Boss, your business... is it legal?"

Ye Dongsheng smiled and said, "It's legal, but it's not an investment in building a factory. It's a service company, similar to how your taxi company provides services to customers."

Xu Jiang didn't quite understand what a service company was, but he still said, "Boss, I don't know much about running a company, but our boss is also a Hong Kong businessman. I heard that he has strong connections and a lot of friends."

The main taxi company in Jinghai is a joint venture between Hong Kong businessmen and the government.

Ye Dongsheng stroked his chin. Taxi companies were involved in license approvals and other matters, so the connections they could make were definitely important. But his courier company didn't seem to be involved in that, right?

Considering the current situation inside the country, with his identity as a Hong Kong businessman, the company should not be subject to any messy things like being harassed by thugs.

Moreover, relationships and connections have to be accumulated slowly. Just do it first, and then if any problems arise, you can deal with them accordingly!
At this time, Ye Dongsheng saw a large placard standing on the roadside: "Time is money, efficiency is life!"

He couldn't help but laugh, this sentence was just right for his Dongfeng Express!
"Xiao Jiang, speed up a little bit~"

"okay!"

Xu Jiang stepped on the accelerator and the taxi sped out of the customs.

PS: The exchange rate is quoted from "The Troubles of One Currency, Two Rates" (1985)
(End of this chapter)