Does Chapter 98 have anything to do with ordinary people?

"Pfft..." The two almost fainted.

creak—creak—crunch—

That old, worn-out iron gate, like a rusty old ox pulling a millstone, was forcibly pushed open.

The steel rolling mill releases workers as soon as it's time to leave, and the workers pour out like water being released from a dam.

The sky was already a hazy gray, and as soon as the sun slipped down the mountain, the stars eagerly began to peek out.

In the northern winter, it gets completely dark by six o'clock.

"Ha...ha...ha..." Yi Zhonghai breathed on his hands to warm them while vigorously rubbing his frozen red fingers. Finally, he simply stuffed his oily hands into his cotton-padded jacket pocket.

Standing next to him were Jia Dongxu, Liu Haizhong, and a few other familiar faces.

"Did you see it?" Yi Zhonghai asked.

Liu Haizhong shook his head: "Nowhere to be found."

But no sooner had he finished speaking than Jia Dongxu jumped up and shouted, "I see him! I see him! Liu Dong! Liu Dong is here!"

Liu Dong pushed his bicycle out of the factory gate, but there were so many people outside that he couldn't get on. Just as he turned the corner, Jia Dongxu grabbed the back of the bicycle.

"What are you doing?" Liu Dong was taken aback.

"Tell me quickly!" Jia Dongxu leaned closer. "First, I know—you've become a medic; second? The announcement on the radio went off like a firecracker, 'bang,' and then it was gone! What was it?"

The three of them stared at him intently, their eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

Why? Because the second item says "Advanced Individual," and "advanced" means you can get a bicycle ticket!

Who wouldn't be envious?

Liu Dong strode up onto the bicycle seat, tossing out, "Foreign exchange earnings!"

With two quick kicks, he darted away, leaving only his silhouette swaying under the streetlights.

"What??" Jia Dongxu stood there dumbfounded.

He turned to Yi Zhonghai and asked, "Master, did you hear that? What did he just say?"

Yi Zhonghai nodded and replied in a low voice, "Foreign exchange earnings."

After saying that, he lowered his head and left without saying a word.

Foreign exchange earnings? What does that have to do with him?

What does this have to do with ordinary people?

Just then, Xu Damao strolled by, and Jia Dongxu immediately grabbed him: "Damao, do you know anything about 'foreign exchange earnings'?"

Xu Damao grinned: "Got it! Simply put—make money off foreigners!"

Jia Dongxu: ...

Liu Haizhong: ...

People have a common flaw: if they have any skill, they want to be a teacher.

Xu Damao was no exception, immediately launching into a long explanation: "The country is short of foreign exchange right now, you understand? Foreign exchange is the money foreigners use!"

"The money we print ourselves is not accepted by other countries! So the country has to save up US dollars and gold in order to buy machinery, technology and production lines."

"The task has been assigned to the factory—a large unit like our steel rolling mill pays $2000 a year. If you complete it, you get a bonus; if you don't... well, you'll have to write a self-criticism and get a public reprimand!"

"So the whole factory was mobilized: those with relatives overseas, quickly write to them asking them to send money; those who can do crafts, figure out how to sell the products abroad; even if all you can do is paper cutting and basket weaving, as long as foreigners pay in US dollars, you've done a great job!"

Jia Dongxu froze on the spot: Me?

Where do I have a way?

This is no good news, it's a death sentence!

Why?

While others can truly become "advanced in foreign exchange earnings," he can't even get a chance to be considered!

"Dongxu," Xu Damao said, glancing sideways, "your Qin Huairu might have already been introduced to work abroad. Ask her more about it..."

"Xu Damao—are you asking for a beating?!" Jia Dongxu roared, his anger flaring.

When I looked up, the person had already disappeared.

As soon as Liu Dong opened the door, he saw his wife, Chen Xueru, sitting on the sofa drinking water.

"Oh? Why so early today?" He was a little confused.

Logically speaking, the tavern is busiest at night, and Chen Xueru, the general manager, always goes home right after lights out.

Chen Xueru sighed, "The old staff at the shop are keeping an eye on things, and Huizhen is keeping a close watch on everything, so don't worry! Besides... I'm pregnant, so everyone's being lenient with me!"

Chen's mother brought over two glasses of water: "Have some, I'll go cook!"

Chen Xueru gulped down a large mouthful of water, then suddenly slammed her hand on the table: "I'm so angry!"

Liu Dong: "..."

"Who upset you? Did Fan Jinyou act like a hooligan again?" He jumped up, reaching for a pen. "The wine cellar curse wine is ready; I'll write the name right now!"

"It wasn't him!" Chen Xueru waved her hand. "It was those people from the neighborhood committee! This afternoon they barged into the tavern, slammed their fists on the table, and gave the order—'You'll generate $50 in foreign exchange every month!' Ha, what can a tiny, run-down tavern generate? Sell peanuts for US dollars?"

Liu Dong's forehead twitched: Wow... the higher-ups are really worried this time.

No wonder.

If you looked at this before he time-traveled, he would understand.

An agricultural country cannot transform into an industrial country by simply shouting slogans.

We need to buy technology, buy equipment, hire experts, and import raw materials...

But they don't accept RMB; they only accept USD, GBP, and gold.

No money? Then you can only—work your ass off! The question is: where will the knife come from?

hard currency!

The savings that the people of the whole country have accumulated with every grain of rice and every drop of sweat are exchanged for a pitiful amount of foreign currency in exchange for the best grains, cotton and soybeans from China.

There's another way—earn foreign exchange yourself.

They mobilized all the people of the Dragon Kingdom to write letters to their relatives living overseas, asking for money.

It's that difficult.

"What is foreign exchange?" Chen's mother was completely confused, but seeing her daughter so worried that she was pulling her hair, she also became anxious and turned to ask Tian Lai.

Chen Xueru said, "It's foreign money."

He then broke it down and explained it in more detail.

My mother-in-law slapped her thigh: "Oh my, there's a chance! There's a chance!"

"Your dad has a younger brother, whom you should call Third Grandfather. He went to Taiwan a long time ago. Why don't you write him a letter? Maybe you can get some money..."

"No!" Liu Dong grabbed his mother-in-law's wrist, his voice quick and forceful. "Mom—this absolutely cannot be done, not a single word can be mentioned! From now on, there's no such uncle in our family, no second or third uncle! Remember that—there isn't! There isn't one at all!"

"Do you understand?"

Are you kidding me!

It's understandable that you'd ask for money now;

What about ten years from now? Do you think you'll be invited out for a drink?

Drinking tea is considered a light meal!

Chen Xueru's back was immediately soaked with sweat. She quickly advised, "Mom, don't worry... Listen to Liu Dong, he knows what he's doing!"

"Oh, oh, oh..." Seeing her son-in-law's tense expression, Chen's mother immediately realized how troublesome the situation was, and shut up. "Mom won't say anything more! From now on, keep everything to yourself! I'll also remind your brother later!"

"Xueru, don't panic!" Liu Dong patted her shoulder. "The higher-ups have given us a task, but nine and a half out of ten people don't have overseas connections—foreign exchange earnings? It sounds impressive, but it's just empty talk!"

"Even if we can't gather the money, we won't do anything to you, don't worry!"

"That's all we can do..." Chen Xueru sighed. "Let's just take it one step at a time!"

The slogans were shouted loudly.

But very few people actually manage to pocket foreign currency.

For several days in a row, no one at the steel rolling mill reported the good news of "foreign exchange arriving".