I'm back in 1990

Chapter 26: The Beautiful Female Stamp Dealer

Having said all that, Huang Xiaochuan passed on this information to Ge Changli, and he himself was eager to try it out, planning to go out and buy some goods today to test the waters.

Huang Xiaochuan had originally intended to have Ge Changli accompany him, but upon turning around and seeing Ge Changli still sitting in deep thought, as if in meditation, he realized that what he had just said had been quite a lot of information, and Ge Changli wasn't quite ready to process it yet. So Huang Xiaochuan decided to go alone, letting Ge Changli think it over carefully.

"Old Ge, you sit here for a while, I'll go take a walk by myself, and I'll come back to find you later."

Ge Changli subconsciously waved his hand to indicate that he had heard, then fell into deep thought. This was no small matter, and he needed to think about it seriously.

Seeing that Ge Changli had responded, Huang Xiaochuan went to wander around the market alone.

After wandering around for about ten minutes, Huang Xiaochuan tried buying a few 1980 Monkey stamps at 29 and 30 yuan each. He found that there were basically no traces of the large-format 1980 Monkey stamps on these stalls, only in the shop windows of storefronts.

It seemed that only large stamp dealers had complete sheets of stamps. Without hesitation, Huang Xiaochuan pushed open the door of a shop that had a complete sheet of 80 monkey stamps displayed in its window.

Because they do business in high volume, there aren't as many people in the shop as outside. There's only one out-of-town stamp dealer who has already negotiated a price and is checking the goods and paying with the shop assistant.

Huang Xiaochuan discovered that the shop actually had air conditioning. He thought to himself that he should have come in earlier to escape the heat.

Huang Xiaochuan casually surveyed the various rare stamps and philatelic items displayed in the shop. They had whole bundles and stacks of souvenir sheets, postage cards, and large sheets of stamps; the owner seemed quite wealthy!

Nan Hui saw Huang Xiaochuan as soon as he entered the room. She was slightly surprised to see this very handsome boy and couldn't help but take a few more glances at him.

When Huang Xiaochuan saw Nan Hui, his eyes lit up. He couldn't help it; this woman was simply too stunning.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her almond-shaped eyes sparkled with a lively light, her delicate eyebrows were slightly raised, and her jet-black hair was gently tied back.

Her graceful figure exudes a mature beauty that radiates from within, making people feel comfortable and at ease. A well-fitting cheongsam accentuates her well-proportioned figure.

"Elegant curves and graceful demeanor"—these two words immediately came to Huang Xiaochuan's mind.

Nan Hui is 34 years old this year. Her grandfather, Nan Kunhai, was a comprador for the Shanghai Maritime Company. Nan Hui inherited the family's business genes and started doing business in the 1980s.

Nan Hui's early life was quite difficult. She experienced all kinds of ups and downs. Because she was an only child, she was spared from being sent to the countryside. However, because of her family background, she had to wait in line for school and factory jobs, and it was uncertain when she would get a chance.

Unable to find work, she and her mother relied solely on her meager pension to survive. Out of desperation, she married a man, but he passed away after a serious illness, leaving Nan Hui with the stigma of being a jinx to her husbands.

Later, when the policy was implemented, the government returned some of the property and houses that had been confiscated to her family. Nan Hui seized the opportunity to sell a small portion of them and started reselling treasury bonds.

Every day, she traveled by train between Beijing and Shanghai, buying treasury bonds at low prices from other places and selling them on the Shanghai treasury bond exchange. Over time, she earned her first pot of gold.

However, the hardships she endured were beyond what outsiders could know. In order to conceal her appearance and avoid attracting misfortune, Nan Hui put a lot of effort into her clothing and appearance, making it impossible for anyone to tell that she was a beauty.

During her time trading treasury bonds on trains, she made herself look disheveled and carried a Yengisar dagger that someone had given her. After more than a year of this anxious travel, she keenly noticed that the country had liberalized stamp trading. She immediately seized the business opportunity and, without hesitation, asked someone to help her obtain a sole proprietorship license. She then rented a storefront in Lugong and started her stamp trading business.

It's similar to reselling treasury bonds, simply buying low and selling high. The only difference is that it requires accumulating extensive knowledge about stamps. For the incredibly intelligent Nan Hui, this was a piece of cake. She quickly mastered the knowledge and tricks of the trade and became one of the few powerful female stamp dealers in the Lu Gong Stamp Market.

After a moment of confusion, Huang Xiaochuan snapped out of it and pointed to the full sheet of 80 monkeys in the window, asking, "Boss, how much is a full sheet of 80 monkeys?"

Nan Hui had seen the handsome young man's reaction earlier. She was already used to the way men looked at her, because every man who had seen her was invariably amazed by her appearance.

"Three thousand two." Nan Hui quoted the highest price in line with the market, since the young man didn't seem like he could afford it anyway.

Unexpectedly, Huang Xiaochuan said, "Okay, I'll buy one, but you have to give me a booklet of the stamps as a gift, otherwise I can't take it."

After saying that, he took out a wad of cash from his shoulder bag, counted out three thousand two hundred yuan, put it on the table, and looked at Nan Hui, his eyes conveying the message that she should hurry up.

By this time, Huang Xiaochuan had already returned to normal. She was just a pretty woman; he could just look at her and that was it. Business was more important.

Moreover, Huang Xiaochuan didn't even consider bargaining. Compared to the future price increase of 80 monkeys, this small amount of money is nothing now, and there's no need to waste time on the price.

Nan Hui was taken aback. She hadn't realized that this young man was really there to buy goods; she had misjudged him.

However, according to the rules, once you set a price and the other party agrees, the deal is done. As for the stamp album, it's just a bonus, since it's not worth much anyway.

Although this deal wasn't huge, the transaction was completed at the fastest speed.

"Acheng, give this kid a sheet of '80 Monkeys' stamps. I've received the money. Also, give him a West German Lighthouse stamp booklet as a gift." As soon as she finished speaking, the money was already in Nan Hui's hand, and she counted it skillfully.

"Okay, sister." The clerk responded and quickly opened a safe, pulling out a full sheet of stamps from the top of a thick stack of 80 Monkey stamps. Huang Xiaochuan saw all of this; it seemed this female stamp dealer was quite capable.

The shop assistant placed the entire sheet of 80 monkeys in front of Huang Xiaochuan so that he could check its condition.

After putting on the gloves provided by the store, Huang Xiaochuan carefully checked the stamps. He found that the condition and authenticity were not in question, so he nodded in confirmation, put the stamps into the mailbag, and placed them into the stamp album.

After finishing all this, Huang Xiaochuan tucked the stamp album under his arm and left. Nan Hui watched Huang Xiaochuan leave with a glance, finding this young man quite interesting. From entering the store to the exchange of money and goods, the entire process took less than ten minutes, and most of that time was spent verifying the authenticity and condition of the stamps. He was efficient and decisive, unlike a stamp dealer from out of town.

After leaving the store, Huang Xiaochuan bought more than thirty loose 80 Year of the Monkey stamps before ending the acquisition, spending a total of about four thousand yuan, thus completing his first round of stockpiling.

After returning to the tea stall and meeting up with Ge Changli, Ge Changli noticed the stamp album that Huang Xiaochuan had suddenly acquired and asked, "You bought stamps?"

Huang Xiaochuan casually handed the stamp album to Ge Changli: "Sometimes doing is more important than saying. I'm the kind of person who always does what I think of."

Ge Changli flipped through the book and saw a whole sheet of bright red stamps of the Year of the Monkey lying in the booklet.

"Are you really that confident?"

Huang Xiaochuan said calmly, "My analysis is that prices will rise. As for how much they will rise, I can't be sure. Anyway, I firmly believe that the scarcer an item is, the more sought after it will be."

Ge Changli remained silent, staring at the entire page of 80s monkeys as he fell into deep thought.

During lunch, Ge Changli was still struggling with his decision, feeling uncertain and hesitant to make a decision. Firstly, he still didn't believe Huang Xiaochuan's words, after all, Huang Xiaochuan was too young. Secondly, he didn't have much cash at his disposal; most of his money was tied up in stamps.

Huang Xiaochuan was determined to follow this trend. His mindset was completely different from Ge Changli's because he was playing with special abilities and knew what the cards were up. Therefore, he understood Ge Changli's conflicted state of mind.

After dinner, Huang Xiaochuan said goodbye to Ge Changli and hailed a taxi to the train station to buy a ticket back to Suzhou. There were many trains to Suzhou, and tickets were easy to buy.

Before parting, Ge Changli said to Huang Xiaochuan, "I've decided to wait and see how things go."

Huang Xiaochuan smiled and said, "It's right not to rush into a decision, but I still stand by my opinion. I'm quite optimistic about the stamp market, and you'll see that in a few months."

Ge Changli laughed and said, "Okay, then let's wait a few months and see if it's as you said. Don't forget to come see me after school starts, I'll treat you to a meal."

"As long as you don't find me annoying, I'll definitely come." Just then, a taxi arrived. After waving goodbye, Huang Xiaochuan got in and drove away.

At the train station, Huang Xiaochuan saw an emergency news broadcast: Saddam Hussein had commanded his army to invade neighboring Kuwait. Upon seeing this news, a smile involuntarily appeared on Huang Xiaochuan's face. It seems that the general trend of history has not changed. Very good!