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

One jar contains 100 jin (50 kg) of liquid!

One hundred thousand yuan per kilogram!

All told, one jar costs a full ten million.

And almost all of it was pure profit that ended up in their pockets.

Holding so much cash in my hands, I dare not let it out for long. It's really worrying, a big problem!

The worst part is that I need to exchange money right away.

Starting next year, in 1955, the Dragon Kingdom will begin using the second set of RMB banknotes.

The exchange rate between the old and new banknotes is 10,000 to 1.

Ten thousand yuan today will only be worth one yuan next year.

He sold a jar of wine for ten million, but the following year it shrank to one thousand.

This is not the most terrible.

What truly kept him up at night was that there were only two months left before the nationwide implementation of the bill system and the full public-private partnership, less than eighty days in total!

If you make ten million a day, that's eight hundred million in cash in eighty days!

Are you planning to take 800 million old dollars to the bank to exchange them for new money next year?

Unless the government is blind, they definitely have to investigate him!

There's no escaping this kind of thing; it's clearly asking for trouble.

What?

There's no other way but to spend the money before it's too late.

The faster the better, the more the better.

Buy everything that can retain its value.

Let's start with food.

We already have rice, so let's stock up on some more flour.

Get some more meat!

Don't forget the eggs and oil.

The problem is that these things cost money too slowly to fill the hole.

We need to find another way out.

There's only one way to quickly burn through your money—

Buy antiques!

Unfortunately, Liu Dong is basically an amateur when it comes to old objects and doesn't really know how to look at them.

This trick won't work.

All I can do is keep busy shopping, buying as much as I can.

He then rode his tricycle to the grain store.

"Hey, Xiao Liu? It's you?"

When Pian'erye saw the cart piled high with rice and flour, he was taken aback: "You're all alone in your family, what are you going to do with so much grain?"

Liu Dong smiled, leaned closer, and whispered, "Uncle Pian, you don't know yet, do you? Soon we'll be implementing a public-private partnership, and all businesses will be under state control!"

"No matter what we sell, there will be a fixed quota. I'm storing up more food now so we won't go hungry later."

"What?!" Pian'erye stared wide-eyed.

But he had indeed heard some rumors, muttering to himself, "I've also heard that they'll be using some kind of receipts in the future, but I still have no idea what's going on."

He paused, then asked, "So, how much have you hoarded, kid?"

Liu Dong raised his hand, his five fingers spread open.

"Five hundred catties?" Pian'erye guessed.

Liu Dong laughed: "Five thousand catties of rice, five thousand catties of flour, plus two thousand catties of pork!"

"My goodness..." Master Pian gasped, "Are you out of your mind? Things will spoil if left out too long!"

"It won't spoil!" Liu Dong shook his head. "My family has large wine vats; we can seal grains and meat in them to store them. They'll keep for three years without any problem."

"If you ever find yourself short of money in the future, feel free to come to me, and I'll lend you some food!"

"Heh..." Pian'er chuckled awkwardly, "You've struck it rich lately, haven't you?"

"Absolutely!" Liu Dong nodded. "Xu Huizhen and Chen Xueru combined don't earn as much as I do!"

He wasn't really stupid, that's why he kept making a fuss.

There's a proper way to do it.

First, hoarding grain is not illegal and can be done openly and legitimately.

Secondly, he was after Pian'erye himself.

Pian'er's ancestors were once wealthy, owning a large courtyard near Qianmen. The front courtyard was three courtyards deep, over 3,000 square meters, and very spacious.

There's also a small courtyard behind it.

By his generation, the family business had almost completely failed, and he made a living by performing on the streets.

Barely able to make ends meet.

But the older generation had a strong sense of pride, and he was extremely concerned about his reputation, so he absolutely refused to lower himself and beg for help.

In the original drama, when the era of bills arrived, he couldn't hold on any longer and eventually sold the courtyard to Xu Huizhen at a low price.

But now the protagonist has changed to Liu Dong, and this house must fall into his hands!

How do I take it?

First, let him see your strength.

When the day comes that Pian'er Ye really has nothing to eat, he will naturally think of: Liu Dong has grain!

At that time, he wouldn't go to Xu Huizhen, he would only come to him!

Because they held their own lifeline in their hands!

"Master Pian'er!" Liu Dong advised with a smile, "I think you should make some preparations. You should get a few thousand catties of grain and store them in advance, just in case."

"Hey, hey..." Pian'er Ye couldn't save face, but he still tried to stick to his guns. "I'm not trying to criticize you, Xiao Liu, but your idea is too far-fetched."

He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm: "This is the new China now. Everyone is living in the new society. Would the country let anyone go hungry?"

"You're overthinking it, you're really overthinking it!"

After saying that, he waved his hand, pretending to be skeptical.

Liu Dong didn't expose him, but only gave him a word of advice: "Brother Pian, I'm only telling you this out of respect, so please don't spread this around."

"Don't worry!" Master Pian patted his chest, "I'm a man of status, I keep my mouth shut!"

……

"Old Master Niu!"

Liu Dong, carrying a small jar of fine wine weighing about ten pounds, knocked on the door of Master Niu's house.

Niu Ye is a man who cares a lot about his reputation, but he's also very capable.

He is a well-known expert in the field, with a thorough understanding of antiques and calligraphy.

"Hey, you little rascal, bringing the wine?" Old Niu chuckled as soon as he saw it. "I still owe you two catties of wine!"

"Hehe," Liu Dong said with a smile, "I can't just drink this wine for free this time. I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?" Old Niu waved his hand dismissively. "Tell me!"

The two sat down and started chatting.

Master Niu lived in a three-courtyard siheyuan with a separate entrance, which was well-designed, with carved beams and painted rafters, exuding nobility in every aspect.

Liu Dong cut to the chase: "Brother Niu, what's the approximate price for a decent courtyard house these days?"

"Oh!" Old Niu raised an eyebrow. "So you're thinking of buying a house? That's not cheap!"

He held up two fingers: "At least this number—two hundred million!"

Liu Dong was taken aback: "Two hundred million?"

"That's for sure!" Old Niu clicked his tongue. "Someone like me would probably need three hundred million."

"But then again, even if you had the money, there's nowhere to buy it. In this Qianmen area, who's ever sold their own yard? I've never even heard of it!"

Liu Dong hummed in agreement, understanding in his heart.

That's absolutely true.

In Beijing, anyone who owns a courtyard house has ancestors who have lived for eight generations. Even if their descendants are not very successful, they still have some means to make a living.

If we really can't make ends meet, we can sell a couple of old cabinets and a few armchairs to tide us over for a while.

Unless someone is a gambling addict who's gone crazy with money, who would actually sell their house?

He understands the principle.

But he doesn't care.

Just because it's not available now doesn't mean it won't come in the future.

Let's spread the word first—when the era of ration coupons arrives, money alone won't be enough; grain coupons, cloth coupons, and oil coupons will all be a bottleneck.

Back then, countless people were crying and begging to sell their houses.

Liu Dong said, "Whether I can buy it or not is another matter, just please pass on the word for me."

"Okay!" Master Niu agreed readily and decisively.

Within two days, the news that Liu Dong wanted to buy the courtyard houses spread throughout Qianmen.