Siheyuan: A master brewer starts with a jar of bone-strengthening wine!

Just then, three or four idle workers, cigarettes dangling from their lips, walked by. They were all stunned by what they saw, then burst into laughter.

"Wow! Mr. Liu, you lost your fight with the toilet?"

"His zipper was flying off, and he was running louder than the cafeteria's lunch bell!"

"Hahaha... Quick, give him a hand, lest he lose his mind!"

Liu Haizhong ignored him completely, his eyes wide open, his lips trembling as he repeated the same sentence over and over: "A ghost! There really is a ghost in a white coat in that pit! It even smiled at me!!!"

Several people pursed their lips, shook their heads, and went into the toilet.

And what about Liu Dong?

No sooner had he finished rinsing than he leaped out of the window with a "whoosh," landing lightly on the roof of the tool shed next door and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in front of the sink, splashing water on my hands, with water droplets dripping from my fingertips.

He wiped his face, turned around, and went back to his office.

The invisibility trick is truly amazing—it can come and go as it pleases, without disturbing even a single hair.

I had only been sitting down for less than two minutes when there was a light knock on the door.

A woman in her early thirties poked her head in. She had short, permed curls, a folder tucked under her arm, and a bright smile: "Hello, Director Liu! I'm Liu Xuemei from the steel rolling mill office—you can just call me Xiao Liu!"

Liu Dong rolled his eyes inwardly:

"Big sister, do I look like someone who should call you 'Little Liu'? I'd be more like calling you 'sister'..."

Xiao Liu, however, didn't catch the underlying meaning and waved enthusiastically, "Come on! The office for the Foreign Exchange Development is ready for you, it's on the second floor, diagonally opposite the Publicity Department, just across the wall!"

The new office is small, with an old table, a green enamel thermos, and a new wooden sign nailed above the door frame with the words "Economic Development Office (East)" written in red.

Xiao Liu handed over the keys and casually patted the edge of the table: "Starting tomorrow, the broadcasting station will be taken over by a new person! You can focus on generating foreign exchange from now on. If you need any stationery, paper, or pens, just let me know, I'll be there anytime!"

Liu Dong sat down in the chair and let out a long sigh.

The broadcaster was gone, but Ding Qiunan was in charge of the clinic. She took care of all the minor ailments, and serious illnesses? She would just advise the patient to go to a big hospital and queue up for an appointment—no prescription was even needed. Once the medical insurance card was swiped, she wouldn't have to worry about anything, even if the sky fell.

Now? I'm focusing all my attention on one thing: foreign exchange!

Hey, this is brilliant!

While others rack their brains trying to earn a single cent, he can casually toss over twenty thousand dollars.

Why?

First, Viktor, that foreigner, was cured of his kidney failure by him. Upon returning home, he immediately became a walking advertisement for doctors, telling everyone he met, "There is a miracle doctor in China. He can save a life with just a needle prick and some medicine." Even his country's Ministry of Health gave him a special mention in its briefing.

Secondly, since the government has set up this position specifically to monitor foreign exchange, it must have secretly put the client list in his hands long ago—South American rubber merchants, African mining companies, Middle Eastern medical equipment purchasing groups… all familiar to him, waiting for him to take orders.

Feels good, right?

Salary will be paid as usual, bonuses will be doubled, and at the end of the year, you can get an award for outstanding employee.

The only thing that bothers me is that pile of foreign exchange certificates.

More than 54,000 thin pieces of paper, printed with fancy patterns, could only be exchanged at the Friendship Store for soap, radios, canned goods, and polyester fabric...

The issue is--

His family doesn't even lack salt, so why does he need so much soap?

Stockpile ten radios? To play "The East Is Red" together in the middle of the night?

Just as he was getting annoyed, a crisp "ding!" exploded in his mind, clear as a glass marble hitting a blue-and-white porcelain bowl:

[Ding-dong! Attention, host: Foreign exchange certificates can not only be used for spending, but also for donation!]

[Donate free of charge, and receive real-time system rebates!]

[For every 10 RMB in foreign exchange certificates donated, unlock 1 square meter of expanded space in the [Magic Wine Cellar]!]

Liu Dong suddenly sat up straight, his eyes widening in surprise:

"Holy crap... this thing can be used like this?!"

He lowered his head and counted on his fingers:

Fifty-four thousand coupons equals five thousand four hundred square meters—enough to build a small underground winery!

It's worth noting that last year's crude oil shipment from Vladivostok was only 16 barrels, which almost filled his existing wine cellar to the point of being a sardine can.

If you need to transport a whole ship full of weapons, a whole warehouse of Western medicine, or a whole train carload of rare earth elements in the future, how will you hide them without a big enough "bag"?

This is not just a useless thing.

This is--

A goose that lays golden eggs!

That's all set!

The wine cellar can actually be expanded even further, getting bigger and bigger!

Liu Dong let out a long breath, his mind racing:

He currently holds 55,000 foreign exchange certificates, which he hasn't touched.

Donate 50,000?

If you really donate it, you can immediately get the right to use a 5,000-square-meter wine cellar!

But who should receive this money?

Give it to the "birds"? No way!

Tsk... then I'll have to go to the "preferential treatment office".

This preferential treatment office is in charge of all matters concerning the families of martyrs.

After his adoptive father passed away, Liu Dong relied on this department to receive subsidies for several years—originally 100,000 yuan per month, but later reduced to 10 yuan.

Don't think it's too little. Ten dollars was a lot of money in the 1980s. It was enough for a family to buy several kilograms of meat and several yards of cloth.

Besides, the breadwinner of a martyr's family is gone, and most of them live a very frugal life, barely making ends meet with meager subsidies.

Donate! We must donate!

Consider it a helping hand to those comrades who, like myself, come from humble backgrounds but lack the advantages of a cheat system or external assistance.

Once the idea was made, action was taken immediately—but first, a heads-up with Director Yang was needed.

"Uncle Yang!"

Liu Dong pushed open the door and entered Yang Hongbing's office.

He was alone in the room, and he was writing something with his head down.

"What's wrong?" Yang Hongbing put down his pen and looked up at him.

"Well, it's like this," Liu Dong scratched his head, "the higher-ups just rewarded me with over 50,000 foreign exchange certificates for helping the factory earn foreign exchange... I don't need that much myself, but does your factory need any?"

"Of course we're short! We're short!" Factory Director Yang grinned. "The whole country is experiencing a 'shortage of goods,' and even I, the factory director, am struggling to make ends meet! But let me make this clear—if you really want it, I won't accept it!"

He slammed his pen on the table: "I'm your boss, taking your things? What do you call that? That's bribery! Xiao Liu, listen to me: working in the workshop, getting ahead in the factory, climbing the corporate ladder—it's never about giving gifts or bribing people! Real ability and real achievements are what shine brightest in a leader's eyes!"

He paused, then narrowed his eyes: "Are you planning to go back to Secretary Luo's place again, bring a bag, slip him something, and show your 'loyalty'?"

Liu Dong gave an awkward laugh: "Hehe..."

That was absolutely right.

It wasn't to curry favor with the leader, but rather because they felt guilty—such a large sum of money, passing through Secretary Luo's hands, and while he appeared upright and honest, some people were simply jealous!

If we show up and send a message sooner, we might be able to quietly defuse any potential problems.

Factory Director Yang waved his hand: "Don't go! Don't say a word! It will only benefit you!"

Why?

"Think about it, what if something happens one day? It could have far-reaching consequences—if Secretary Luo is being targeted, the first thing they'll investigate is the money that passed through his hands! Your 'proactive visit' will immediately turn you into a 'prime suspect'!"

Liu Dong felt a chill on the back of his neck, and the hairs on his neck stood on end.