Chapter 2 Borrowing Money

Chapter 2 Borrowing Money

Wang Chuang choked, nearly spraying noodles out of his nose.

What?!

Wang Chuang was stunned.

He knew about homosexuality; he’d known since childhood.

There used to be an effeminate man at their silk factory who was gay. When the factory men cursed their good-for-nothing sons at home, they’d sometimes mention him.

But homosexuality.

That was homosexuality!

Ten years ago, they’d have been dragged to a mental hospital for medication and a brain check-up!

"You!"

Wang Chuang almost dropped the porcelain bowl in his hands, staring wide-eyed at Jiang Luo and lowering his voice. "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Jiang Luo wasn’t spouting nonsense; he genuinely liked men.

In his previous life, he hadn’t known at first. He just felt that being with women never quite clicked.

Then, by a twist of fate, he slept with a man, and that opened the door to a whole new world. Only then did he realize he was gay.

The question of whether he liked men or women wasn’t important right now.

Jiang Luo simply bypassed it.

He had already figured out what he needed to do to accumulate his first pot of gold.

He said to Wang Chuang, "Lend me that three hundred yuan. Can you get your hands on a bit more?"

He and Wang Chuang were close. In his previous life, he’d always brought Wang Chuang along in business, so there was no awkwardness in directly asking for money.

Wang Chuang was puzzled. "What do you need so much money for? Don’t you have five hundred already?"

Wang Chuang knew how much money Jiang Luo had.

They were tight, closer than blood brothers.

Jiang Luo: "It’s not enough."

Wang Chuang: "How much do you need?"

Jiang Luo: "Five thousand. If five thousand isn’t possible, two or three thousand will do."

Wang Chuang was surprised. "What do you need that much money for?"

Three to five thousand was a significant sum.

At the silk factory, an ordinary worker made just over three hundred a month. Even those in leadership positions only made four or five hundred.

Two or three thousand could buy a decent television.

Jiang Luo: "Don’t ask for now. I’ll tell you later."

"I’ll try to figure something out on my end. Can you also help me gather some?"

Wang Chuang scratched his face. "Oh, alright."

After a moment’s thought: "I’ll go back to school this afternoon and ask some classmates to lend you some."

Then he added: "How soon can you pay it back?"

Jiang Luo: "A month at the latest."

Wang Chuang: "Then I should be able to get it. I’ll try."

Wang Chuang took his empty bowl back to his own home, and Jiang Luo also went inside.

His home had two large rooms: one served as the kitchen and dining area, the other was divided—the inner part was Zhang Xiangping and Jiang Jianmin’s bedroom, and the outer half was where Jiang Luo slept.

The home was simple, with a bed, wardrobe, and table.

They didn’t have a bathroom either; the bathroom was in the stairwell and communal.

They bathed in the kitchen using a long wooden tub, heating water and washing with basins, then scooping the water out of the tub and pouring it into the sink.

Jiang Luo had no attachment to this home, nor any feelings for Zhang Xiangping and Jiang Jianmin, who had raised him with a hands-off approach.

The couple raised their child casually—put food on the table, handed him a key, just enough to keep him alive.

Jiang Luo received no care or affection from them, so naturally, he was equally indifferent toward them.

Jiang Luo went back to his room and pulled out the five hundred yuan he had tucked inside a book.

This five hundred yuan certainly wasn’t given by Zhang Xiangping or Jiang Jianmin; their family had no tradition of giving children spending money.

Zhang Xiangping and Jiang Jianmin never gave Jiang Luo money either. Jiang Luo had asked before, just for five or ten yuan, thinking even two or three would do if five or ten wasn’t possible.

But Zhang Xiangping immediately became defensive, saying, "What does a kid need money for? Have I ever shorted you on food or clothes?"

Jiang Luo had his pride too and never asked again after that.

This five hundred yuan was what Jiang Luo had earned as a junior member at "East No. 1," given by Brother Huazi.

A few times, because Jiang Luo had fought hard and even gotten a little injured, Brother Huazi had really taken a shine to him and rewarded him with thirty or fifty each time. Jiang Luo had gradually saved it up.

Jiang Luo sat on the edge of the bed, counted the money, closed the book, and thought it over. He needed to start making money as soon as possible; he couldn’t keep sticking around East No. 1 and Brother Huazi forever.

But East No. 1 he still had to go to.

First, because he was already in deep with them and couldn’t just leave without a word—otherwise, Brother Huazi would definitely be unhappy and come after him.

Second, because he had no other connections right now. Brother Huazi was at least a path he could take; he needed to figure out how to get some "start-up capital."

Tossing the book back onto the table, Jiang Luo stood up, left without even grabbing his keys or closing the door.

He didn’t even own a bike now and had to walk to East No. 1.

By the time he arrived, it was already forty minutes later.

Jiang Luo’s legs were sore from walking, and he couldn’t understand how he’d done it before. Young and dumb, full of determination—using his two feet like they were wheels.

He thought that once he had money, his first order of business would be to get himself some wheels.

Entering East No. 1, the interior was classy and upscale, with several Roman columns in the lobby, a sight not often seen these days.

Having just been reborn, Jiang Luo didn't remember this place. He glanced around and walked up to the front desk, asking, "Is Brother Huazi here today?"

He had no recollection of the receptionist either.

The girl at the front desk was wearing blue eyeshadow but knew Jiang Luo. As soon as he approached, she smiled and said, "Yes, of course he is."

She added, "What brings you in so early today?"

The club usually didn’t open until 5 p.m., and Jiang Luo and the others, who came to oversee the spot, typically arrived around 6 or 7 p.m. and left by dawn.

After asking, Jiang Luo was about to head inside when the girl looked puzzled and said, "Hey, everything alright today?"

?

He met her gaze, and it hit him what he was like back in the day—always eager to chat with young people, especially pretty girls, wherever he went.

No doubt, when he used to come to East No. 1, he would often flirt with the front desk girl and mess with her.

Of course, later on, he stopped teasing girls.

After realizing he was attracted to men, he exclusively hit on dudes, especially handsome ones—typical for a playboy, right?

Tickled by his younger self, Jiang Luo smirked and raised an eyebrow at the girl, throwing out, "That eyeshadow color looks really nice today."

The girl laughed and shot back, "When does it ever not look nice?"

She got back to business, and Jiang Luo headed inside.

As soon as he entered, he found himself in a big main room.

At the moment, the party lights weren’t on yet, and only the regular dim lighting was on. The hall’s décor was in dark tones, making the entire space appear rather dark.

Jiang Luo scanned the room and noticed a few people spread out around a long booth in the center.

As he walked over, he racked his brain, trying to recall who they were.

Approaching them, he called out, "Brother Chu, Brother Lu, Brother Yu."

*Just wait,* he thought to himself. *Enjoy it while it lasts.*

*Next time we meet, there’ll be no more of these "brothers"—only your Master Jiang.*

"Oh, you’re here. So early today."

Jiang Luo didn’t sit down—not because there was no seat for him, but because he wasn’t in the mood. He was there with a clear purpose: to find Brother Hua.

Jiang Luo immediately asked, "Is Brother Hua not here?"

"He’s in the office," one of them said, giving each other a look, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

Jiang Luo didn’t notice and didn’t second-guess it, assuming he could go to the office. He headed straight in the direction he remembered the office to be.

As he walked away, the "brothers" watched his back as he walked off.

Once Jiang Luo was out of earshot, one of them said, "Why did you mess with the kid? He’s just a kid."

The one who had told Jiang Luo that Brother Hua was in the office chuckled and said, "So what if I did? Messing with a kid isn’t illegal."

"What, are you going to have me shot?"

They all laughed.

They were all seasoned troublemakers, old hands who didn’t take newbies like Jiang Luo seriously.

Meanwhile, Jiang Luo stopped outside the office next to the staff locker room.

He heard faint, muffled heavy breathing and a woman’s moans and immediately realized what Brother Hua was doing in the office.

It was then that he remembered—this had happened in his previous life too. He had come looking for Brother Hua, knocked on the door, cockblocked him, and been reamed out by Brother Hua while he was still pulling up his pants.

*Messing with me, huh?* Jiang Luo snorted inwardly.

Jiang Luo didn’t knock. Instead, he leaned against the locker room doorframe and waited silently.

Before long, he heard a heavy groan and the woman’s sweet, breathy moans. Knowing it was over, Jiang Luo ducked back into the locker room.

Soon, the office door opened, and a wave of perfume wafted out, followed by the sound of a woman’s footsteps.

After she left, Jiang Luo stepped out, walked to the office door, knocked twice, and called out, "Brother Hua."

"Come in."

Jiang Luo pushed the door open.

A man in his thirties, with pockmarked skin and a dark complexion, was sitting behind the desk lighting a cigarette. Seeing it was Jiang Luo, the man exhaled smoke and jerked his chin up. "What’s up?"

Jiang Luo caught a whiff of cheap perfume mixed with the smell of smoke and something else. He waved a hand in front of his nose but showed no reaction, grinning anyway. "Living the dream, huh boss?"

Lu Fuhua knew what Jiang Luo was referring to. He took a drag from his cigarette, leaned back in his chair, and preened. "You’re not doing so bad yourself, kid. With a face like yours, you’ve probably had girls falling over you."

"You’ll get yours someday."

He asked again, "So, what’s up?"

Jiang Luo stepped closer and got straight to the point. "Brother Hua, I’d like to ask for a loan."

"Borrow money?" Lu Fuhua was surprised. "How much?"

He added, "What does a young guy like you need money for?"

Standing in front of the desk, Jiang Luo didn’t explain what the money was for. He simply said, "I’d like to borrow five grand. If that’s not possible, two or three thousand would work too."

"I’ll have it back to you in a week at the earliest, or a month at the latest."

"If you lend me five thousand, I’ll pay back six thousand."

"If you lend me two thousand, I’ll pay back twenty-five hundred."

"I can write an IOU."

Lu Fuhua took a drag from his cigarette and raised an eyebrow, "What've you figured out, kid? Borrow five thousand and pay back six thousand in just a few days? Even loan sharks aren't that greedy."

Jiang Luo said bluntly, "Can you lend it to me, bro? If you can, I’ll borrow it and write an IOU. If not, I’ll figure something else out."

Lu Fuhua squinted, "What are you planning to do?"

"How're you turning money around that fast?"

"Can't tell me?"

"I can tell you."

Jiang Luo calmly said, "Stocks."

Stocks?

Lu Fuhua snorted, "With those handful of stocks bouncing up and down, how many people actually make money?"

Lu Fuhua knew about stocks; he knew most of the tricks ordinary people tried to make money.

But he didn’t believe stocks could be profitable at all—he'd tried it himself, lost money, and lost a lot. It still pissed him off.

Lu Fuhua had a heavy smoking habit and took a few quick drags and finished his cigarette. He crushed the butt in the ashtray and advised Jiang Luo, "Kid, don't bother. Buying stocks? Aren’t you afraid of losing everything?"

"You think you buy, the price goes up, and you make a profit?"

"Why don’t you consider that it could also fall? Crash through the floor and wipe you out completely!"

Jiang Luo thought to himself, *That’s because you guys don't know how to buy.*

It was 1990, April. You could trade stocks, but the Shanghai Stock Exchange hadn't officially opened yet, nor had the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

In the future, ordinary people would only know about Moutai going for thousands per share, but they wouldn’t know that in this era, after the Shanghai Stock Exchange fully liberalized stock prices, the SSE Index would soar from 600 points to 1,400 points in just five days. A stock called Yuyuan Mall would eventually skyrocket to an unprecedented 10,000 points!

When he told Lu Fuhua he would borrow five thousand and repay six thousand, in reality, with that five thousand as starting money, he could make another five thousand.

Once he had ten thousand, he could double it again.

Twenty thousand would become forty thousand, forty thousand would become eighty thousand—money making money, profit compounding profit.

Jiang Luo, reborn in this era, was determined to seize the opportunities of the times and make his fortune.

Author’s Note:

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Semi-alternate universe, some content is based on historical research.

Note: Stocks were indeed tradable in Shanghai before 1990. After the establishment of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the "Old Eight Stocks" emerged. But even before that, Feile, Yanzhong, and Vacuum Tube were already listed. If I recall correctly, around 1990, the market index was around 100 points and only rose after the stock exchange officially opened. At this time, subscription certificates did not yet exist—they were introduced later.