OBS Chapter 1299 What was the mainland most lacking in 1980?
Chapter 1299 What was the mainland most lacking in 1980?
Chapter 1299 What was the mainland most lacking in 1980?
The night view of Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong was ignited by dazzling New Year's Eve fireworks, creating a bustling and vibrant atmosphere. In the executive lounge of a high-end hotel in Central, Yang Xun leaned against the huge floor-to-ceiling window, gazing dreamily at the cheering crowds and colorful neon lights below, a glass of whiskey in his hand shimmering with amber light.
Five months ago, he was just a small vendor in Shanbei Brigade who traded steamed buns for eggs and had just witnessed the prosperity of Guangzhou. Now, he stands on the clouds of Asia's top metropolis, overlooking the priceless scenery.
These five months have passed like a dream, yet they have been thrilling and unforgettable.
Qin Hao lived up to his "efficiency philosophy," thriving in the volatile Hong Kong stock market.
He has a keen eye for timing and a sharp ability to capture market sentiment and capital flows. From Sun Hung Kai Properties to Hutchison Whampoa... stocks are like building blocks in his hands.
Qin Hao's trading methods were extremely bold and precise. He took "day trading" to the extreme, buying low and selling high, and his capital expanded exponentially in a short period of time.
Yang Xun followed closely behind. He went from being completely bewildered to being captivated by the leaping numbers.
In five months, he witnessed firsthand how Qin Hao magically expanded his initial investment of HK$80 in the stock market to a dizzying figure—HK$2700 million! This enormous wealth effect strongly impacted Yang Xun's worldview, leading him to almost blindly worship Qin Hao.
Fireworks exploded high in the sky, casting flickering light on Qin Hao's calm face. Just as Yang Xun was immersed in his daydreams of unlimited future wealth, Qin Hao took a sip of the ice water in his glass and calmly said, "When the market opens tomorrow, help me sell off all my holdings in the account except for Wharf Holdings in batches."
Yang Xun was stunned, his excited smile freezing on his face: "Sell them all? Brother Hao, the market is booming right now! Especially Hutchison Whampoa, analysts say there's still a lot of room for growth! At this rate, it might even reach 3000 million after the New Year!"
Qin Hao's gaze remained fixed on the window: "The stock market is ultimately a game of capital. The more capital you invest, the more vulnerable you become. Twenty million Hong Kong dollars is already a considerable sum in the Hong Kong stock market. Continuing to increase investment makes you an easy target for major market manipulators."
Yang Xun opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but didn't know where to begin. He recalled what he had witnessed last month—a small-cap stock called "Nanhai Industry" saw its share price halved in just three days due to malicious short selling by a major player, leaving countless retail investors with nothing.
Seeing that Yang Xun was still somewhat unwilling, Qin Hao turned around and patted him on the shoulder: "I left HKD 700 million, didn't I? If you want to continue, just do what I did and buy all of it into Wharf Holdings shares for long-term investment."
Yang Xun's eyes lit up: "Brother Hao, you're that optimistic about Wharf Holdings?"
He scratched his head: "But why do I see financial news saying that Wharf Holdings' recent performance hasn't been too outstanding?"
"It's great that you've started to question things and are able to read financial news and analyze data. That's a huge improvement."
Qin Hao paused, then changed the subject: "But there's one thing you need to remember: any information that's publicly reported, especially that makes it into mainstream financial news, is 'historical information,' or even false information. Wharf Holdings' data doesn't look good right now? That might just be a sign that it's been underestimated and deliberately suppressed! If you could make a fortune in the stock market just by glancing at financial news, every grandma and housewife on the street would be a billionaire by now, and the stock exchange would collapse from overcrowding!"
Qin Hao looked directly into Yang Xun's eyes: "Yang Xun, you are smart, courageous, quick to learn, and adept at small business, but your biggest flaw right now is that you lack a big picture perspective. You are still at the stage of looking at a single product, a single price, or a single daily rise or fall. You haven't learned to stand on the mountaintop and see the direction of the entire chessboard and the true intentions of the players."
Yang Xun was shocked, as if he had been struck on the head with a thunderbolt.
Qin Hao continued, “First, what is this land beneath your feet? It’s Hong Kong! How did such a tiny place become the Pearl of the Orient? What is its core? It’s its port! It’s its uniquely advantageous deep-water harbor that connects it to the world! It’s its vital transportation artery that can handle giant ships from all over the world! And Wharf Holdings controls all of Hong Kong’s best and most indispensable deep-sea terminals! The terminals are the lifeblood of Hong Kong’s economy! Whoever controls Wharf Holdings, to some extent, controls the ‘master switch’ of Hong Kong’s economy! Tell me, can the value of such a core asset be measured by mere profit data from one or two years?”
Yang Xun's pupils contracted sharply. This was the first time he had ever thought about a company from this perspective! This level of understanding far exceeded his previous understanding of "performance".
"Secondly," Qin Hao held up his second finger, "what is Hong Kong's other lifeline? Land! This tiny place is incredibly valuable! Every piece of land near the sea is a treasure trove dripping with gold! And Wharf Holdings holds a vast reserve of high-quality land! In prime locations! Against the backdrop of sustained economic growth and soaring property values, the potential of this land is like a gold mine buried in the ground. Once activated, its value will explode exponentially! The current financial statements do not fully reflect this enormous land dividend!"
Qin Hao's eyes shone brightly: "Finally, the issue of Wharf Holdings' controlling stake is murky. The tentacles of some powerful Chinese families have already been subtly emerging, laying the groundwork for this lucrative opportunity. The apparent calm and lackluster performance may simply be the calm before the storm. It's waiting for a true 'dragon,' a force capable of unlocking its true value and igniting its potential. Once that intervention occurs, soaring growth will only be the beginning! Therefore, in my view, Wharf Holdings' current share price is not 'consolidation,' but severely undervalued! Our current average purchase price of HK$46, held in installments, is not for short-term profits, but because we are optimistic about its golden period of explosive growth over the next five, ten, or even longer years! This is true investment, not speculation!"
"Bang!" Yang Xun felt as if the last layer of paper in his mind had been completely pierced! The dry data in those financial reports seemed so shallow and laughable in the face of Qin Hao's analysis! He finally realized that his previous "analysis" was nothing more than the blind men and the elephant, only seeing the surface!
Without the slightest hesitation, the very next morning, as soon as the Hong Kong stock market opened, Yang Xun, at top speed, used all the funds in his account and the remaining HKD 700 million in Qin Hao's account, totaling HKD 900 million, to buy more than 19.5 shares of Wharf Holdings stock when the share price was around HKD 46, as instructed by Qin Hao.
After finishing all this in the afternoon, Qin Hao took him out of the hotel. Sitting in the comfortable car, Yang Xun looked at the bustling street scenes rushing past the window and finally couldn't help but ask, "Brother Hao, the money's all locked up, and the stocks' all bought, so what's next... we can't really just stay cooped up in the hotel watching the market every day, can we? That would be suffocating!"
Qin Hao chuckled upon hearing this, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Can't you stay idle already? Don't worry, you'll have your busy time."
The taxi stopped in front of an office building in Central. Qin Hao led Yang Xun into the lobby with practiced ease and took the elevator directly to the 17th floor.
Curious, Yang Xun followed Qin Hao out of the elevator, through a quiet corridor, and stopped in front of a brand-new frosted glass door. Above the door hung a brand-new, gold-plated sign written in both Chinese and English: Harmony International Trading Ltd.
Qin Hao pushed open the glass door.
Suddenly, the view opened up before me! It was a space of about fifty square meters, recently renovated, with a faint smell of paint and dust still lingering in the air.
But this doesn't detract from its clean, bright, and modern business atmosphere: brand-new off-white walls, beige carpets, and light gray, half-height partitions dividing the space into several functional areas. Directly opposite the entrance is a small, elegant reception desk, behind which are several private offices with nameplates.
Several neat and tidy desks and brand-new swivel chairs have been set up. A tea and coffee machine is placed in the corner bar area.
"Brother Hao, you...you're really going to do something big?!" Yang Xun's eyes widened, unable to hide his shock and excitement. This environment was so much better than the warehouse-like temporary "base" he had rented in Guangzhou! An unprecedented surge of pride welled up in his chest.
"What else?" Qin Hao chuckled, walking to the empty wall and taking out a formal document, meticulously framed in a metal frame, from his briefcase. He skillfully hung it on the hooks provided on the wall.
Yang Xun immediately stepped forward to take a look: a formal "Business Registration Certificate" and "Company Incorporation Certificate" stamped with the bright red seal of the Hong Kong authorities.
"Brother Hao," Yang Xun couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "We really have our own company now! Haoran International!"
As he read the name, he felt a completely different weight in it.
"In between stock trading, you always need to do something productive." Qin Hao looked at the newly hung license plate and dusted off his hands. "The capital market is efficient; as long as you have the money, a few hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars will get you residency, company license, bank account, and tax registration all done in one go. This place, the lease was signed last month, a little tidying up, and the framework is set up. How about it, no need to worry about being idle now, Manager Yang?"
"Brother Hao!" Yang Xun's excitement was palpable. Looking at this "base" that belonged to him and Qin Hao, he felt his blood boil: "Let's do it! We have to go all out! But what does our company do?"
Qin Hao countered, "Tell me, what is the mainland lacking most right now?"
Yang Xun frowned and pondered: "Color TV, refrigerator, car?"
Qin Hao shook his head, interrupting his list: "Wrong, it's foreign exchange. Our trading company specializes in selling products from the mainland to foreign countries."
"Huh?" Yang Xun was stunned again, his brows furrowing even more: "Brother Hao, isn't everyone saying that foreign goods are much better than our domestic products? Apart from tea and silk, what foreigners would even look at our stuff? Who would buy it? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?"
Qin Hao laughed: "Foreigners come in many forms. Foreigners from developed countries like Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea naturally look down on our products. But there are many third-world countries that don't have complete industrial systems and need to import many things. Although our products are not as good as those from developed countries, they are sufficient for them."
For the next week, Qin Hao and Yang Xun were extremely busy. They first recruited an accountant, a salesperson, and a customs broker, thus establishing the basic structure of the trading company.
"Brother Hao, where should we go first to explore the market?" Yang Xun asked curiously.
Qin Hao stood before the world map, his finger finally landing on Southeast Asia: "Here. Southeast Asian countries are close to us, share similar cultures, and have varying levels of economic development—this is our opportunity."
Two weeks later, in Malaysia.
The humid and hot climate made Yang Xun very uncomfortable. He kept wiping the sweat from his forehead as he followed Qin Hao through various shopping malls and wholesale markets.
"Brother Hao, the goods here are monopolized by European, American, Japanese, and Korean companies," Yang Xun said dejectedly. "Our products simply can't compete with them."
Qin Hao, however, remained calm. He bought several local newspapers and carefully studied the advertisements and market information. Suddenly, a government announcement caught his attention.
"Young Yang Xun, look at this." Qin Hao pointed to a wanted notice in the newspaper.
Yang Xun took the notice but couldn't understand the English. Qin Hao translated it word by word. The notice was roughly about a government in a certain country soliciting effective rat control methods from the public to solve the increasingly serious rat infestation problem, and offering rewards to those who provided effective methods or products. Below were many smaller print descriptions of specific losses caused by the rat infestation.
After reading it, Yang Xun looked bewildered: "A rat infestation? What does this have to do with our trade..."
Before he could finish speaking, a thought suddenly struck him! He abruptly looked up at Qin Hao, his eyes gleaming with disbelief!
Qin Hao's smile widened as he nodded firmly: "That's right! Rat poison! Highly effective rat poison that can kill rats on a large scale! This stuff can be produced in many chemical plants in our country; the technology is mature and the cost is low. But there, there's no mature local production, or the local products are not very effective! The government is even willing to offer a reward for finding a solution! What a huge market demand this is!"
Yang Xun slapped his thigh, almost jumping up with excitement: "That's it! Rat poison! This stuff is used in large quantities, consumed quickly, doesn't require advanced technology, and is cheap! The key is—those big companies in Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea don't even look at such a small business."
Qin Hao made the final decision: "Time is tight, and the mission is urgent! Xiao Yang, you set off back to the mainland immediately! Under the guise of being a 'purchasing representative of Hong Kong-funded trading company' from Haoran International, target several powerful, preferably state-owned, pesticide or chemical plants in North and East China. Anything—'Rat Vanish,' 'Three-Step Kill,' 'Smell to Death'—as long as it's potent, legal, and meets international customs standards, get samples! Conduct real mouse experiments. The faster and stronger the effect, the higher the priority! Speed is crucial!"
"Alright! Don't worry, Brother Hao! I'm good at this! I guarantee I'll find you the most potent rat poison that can wipe out three generations of rats in the fastest time!"
Yang Xun was energized; the moment he received the order, he felt his instinct to "find connections" and "explore the market" burning brightly again.
A few days later, in a provincial capital city in mainland China, Yang Xun, holding a bilingual business card with the gold-embossed lettering of "Haoran International Trade Co., Ltd." in both Chinese and English, and wearing a specially purchased suit, walked into the building of the Provincial Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Commission. Upon learning that a Hong Kong-funded company was going to purchase rat poison for export on a large scale, the official's initial surprise was quickly replaced by great enthusiasm.
In the early days of reform and opening up, "earning foreign exchange" was the bottom line, no matter how insignificant the goods looked!
Ten days later, in Hong Kong, at the Haoran International office, Yang Xun returned, travel-worn, with a box of carefully selected rat poison samples. He even set up a cage locally, using wild rats as a substitute when real rats were unavailable, and spent several days in the guesthouse conducting on-site "efficacy comparisons" before finally selecting three batches of the most effective, fastest-acting, and relatively safest residues.
Qin Hao reviewed Yang Xun's handwritten efficacy experiment records and sample labels, as well as the blurry but clear experimental photos he had taken. He nodded in satisfaction: "Okay! Order according to this model and the corresponding factory."
After a slight buzzing sound, the "five million US dollar order" was quickly sent to the selected mainland pesticide factories via fax!
The effect was sensational! A few days later, when Yang Xun set foot on the mainland again to contact the manufacturers who had received the "five million US dollars in intended orders," the scene was completely different from half a month ago! The news spread like wildfire, from the province to the city and then to the factories.
The factory director and party secretary, whom I used to have to run around to see, now personally greet me at the gate!
This truly allowed Yang Xun to experience the thrill of being an "imperial envoy."