I'm back in 1990

Chapter 343: The Black License Plates Unique to the 9s

After Nan Hui left, Huang Xiaochuan made a phone call to Yu Wei.

"I'm back. I'm coming to your house for dinner tonight, consider it a welcome-back dinner."

Without waiting for Yu Wei's response, he hung up the phone. Yu Wei, holding the receiver, listened to the dial tone, completely bewildered.

What's going on? I haven't seen him for over a month, and he hasn't called during this time either. Now he suddenly calls and wants to come over for dinner?

After thinking for a while, Yu Wei made a phone call to his sister.

"Sis, Huang Xiaochuan's back?"

"Really? How did you know?"

"He just called me out of the blue and said he wants to come over for dinner tonight."

"oh!"

"Judging from your tone, it sounds like you two planned this together?"

"Your brother-in-law has been away for over a month. Can't he come to your house for a meal when he gets back?" Yu Xiang was still very protective of her husband.

Yu Wei sensed Yu Xiang's displeasure and quickly said, "Fine, what's wrong with that? I didn't know he'd been gone for over a month. You didn't tell him, and you didn't tell me either."

"Now you know, don't you?"

"Alright, I'm hanging up now. I'm going to the market to buy groceries later." Yu Wei now truly understood what it meant to follow one's husband wherever he goes.

Yu Xiang hung up on Yu Wei, and then Huang Xiaochuan called again.

"Honey, let's go to Yu Wei's house for dinner tonight. I've already called him."

"Okay, then come pick me up from the hospital later."

"That's a must."

When Huang Xiaochuan brought Yu Xiang to Yu Wei's house that evening, he and Tang Yuan were busy with something.

Upon seeing Huang Xiaochuan arrive, Yu Wei, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, said smugly, "You're in luck! I recently learned a few dishes; just wait and see!"

"Big sister, brother-in-law, you're here!" Tang Yuan greeted the two of them warmly.

As Huang Xiaochuan changed his shoes, he gave Tang Yuan a thumbs up: "It has to be Tang Yuan. Yu Wei has undergone a complete transformation since you took him under your wing. The guy who wouldn't even pick up a fallen oil bottle before is now cooking?"

As he spoke, he casually handed a bag to Tang Yuan.

"You can't come here for a meal empty-handed! I brought you and Yu Wei some things."

Tang Yuan happily accepted it, showing no awkwardness with Yu Xiang and Huang Xiaochuan.

"Thank you, elder sister and brother-in-law!"

Huang Xiaochuan brought Yu Wei a deluxe edition of "The Deer and the Cauldron" personally signed by Jin Yong, and Tang Yuan brought limited edition vinyl records from Warner, PolyGram, Capital Artists, and Rock Records, as well as some of the latest laser discs. All of these were obtained by Cao Charlie through Huang Xiaochuan.

Tang Yuan enjoys listening to pop music, but he finds the tape recorder not satisfying enough, so he bought a deluxe audio system that not only plays records but also comes with a laser disc player. It's the kind of audio system that audiophiles dream of these days, although laser discs are relatively hard to find.

Before dinner, Yu Wei held the set of "The Deer and the Cauldron" with great affection.

"You went to Hong Kong? Did you meet Jin Yong in person?"

"I asked someone to help me get his signature. Besides, you care about the book, not him as a person."

"Hehe!" Yu Wei was overjoyed as he held the book.

Seeing Yu Wei grinning foolishly while holding the book, Huang Xiaochuan urged impatiently, "Hey, hey, are we going to eat or not?"

Yu Wei immediately put the book away: "Let's eat now. How can a welcome feast be without wine? Shall we have a drink?"

Huang Xiaochuan nodded in agreement.

As expected, Yu Wei produced a bottle of Moutai with an iron cap.

Huang Xiaochuan objected as soon as he saw the wine: "Give me a strong-aroma type. You can drink this one yourself. I don't like the taste."

Upon hearing this, Yu Wei put the Moutai on the table and went to find other liquors, muttering to himself, "Why buy so much Moutai if you're not going to drink it?"

During the meal, Yu Wei asked, "What are you going to Hong Kong for?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaochuan first glanced at Yu Xiang, realizing that she really hadn't told anyone about his trip abroad.

"I went to take care of some business. Old Ding is in Hong Kong right now, so I took care of some things with him."

Upon hearing Ding Yi's name, Yu Wei said, "Did you go and speculate on Hong Kong stocks with Lao Ding?"

"I went to Hong Kong for other reasons. Old Ding handled the Hong Kong stock market; you still have some money with him, right?"

Yu Wei clinked his glass against Huang Xiaochuan's: "I don't know where Lao Ding learned his stock trading skills from. He even transferred a large sum of money to me before the New Year, saying it was a dividend."

Huang Xiaochuan laughed and downed his drink in one gulp before saying, "When it comes to stock trading, this guy is indeed skilled, but he also has his share of mishaps. However, he's lucky and always manages to turn the tide."

Huang Xiaochuan revealed the matter without revealing his thoughts, but only he knew the whole story. Yu Wei, not knowing the reason, did not understand the hidden meaning in Huang Xiaochuan's words.

Yu Wei nodded in agreement: "Old Ding is really good at stock trading. The little bit of capital I put with him has already increased four or five times for me."

Yu Xiang and Tang Yuan finished eating in no time and sat on the sofa to watch TV and chat. They would clean up the table after Huang Xiaochuan and Yu Wei finished eating.

Huang Xiaochuan and Yu Wei hadn't eaten together for a while. That evening, they chatted and drank, with the windows open and a gentle breeze blowing in, making it very comfortable.

Yu Wei asked, "Are you really planning to pursue graduate studies?"

Huang Xiaochuan nodded, picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.

Yu Wei asked, puzzled, "I really don't understand what you're thinking. At your current level, you should either go into business or wait for a job assignment. Why are you still studying?"

Huang Xiaochuan laughed and said, "You don't understand, do you? Wealth never truly belongs to anyone. So-called businessmen are essentially just wealth movers. What truly belongs to you is knowledge. Once it enters your mind, you will possess it for the rest of your life. When you leave, you can take the knowledge with you. But wealth will be left behind and put to someone else's safekeeping."

Yu Wei held up his wine glass and pondered for a moment. What Huang Xiaochuan said was indeed true, and he couldn't help but feel great admiration for him.

"Wow! You've managed to cover up this whole thing?"

"Hehe! Just take this as a joke, don't go spreading it around." Huang Xiaochuan was actually just trying to fool Yu Wei, and his words didn't stand up to close scrutiny.

Yu Wei asked Huang Xiaochuan.

"You changed your car again?"

Huang Xiaochuan knew that Yu Wei was referring to the Bentley he had arrived in. The car was actually purchased from Hong Kong under the name of Guangda Real Estate, and could be registered with a black license plate to avoid import tax in mainland China. This was arranged by Cao Charlie. He thought that he himself drove a Maybach in Hong Kong, while his boss was still driving a Lexus SUV in mainland China. Wasn't this going against the grain?

So they got him this car. Originally, he wanted to buy a Rolls-Royce, but unfortunately, that car required pre-ordering and wouldn't be available for a year or two. Moreover, given Huang Xiaochuan's status, he couldn't even choose the color of the car. So Huang Xiaochuan didn't even want it!

"You have sharp eyes! You noticed that?"

Yu Wei laughed and said, "I handled the customs clearance for that car, how could I not recognize it?"

Then Yu Wei was still a bit confused: "Wait a minute! That car belongs to a Hong Kong real estate company, how did it end up in your hands? Did you go to Hong Kong just to get this car?"

Huang Xiaochuan interrupted Yu Wei's guess: "Stop guessing, I borrowed it."

This car was indeed being used for the first time today. Nan Hui brought it with her when she came to report to Huang Xiaochuan this afternoon. She left the car for Huang Xiaochuan after she left. Huang Xiaochuan had never ridden in a Bentley before, so he wanted to experience it.

However, after hearing Yu Wei's words, he immediately decided to switch back to his Lexus. It was better to keep a low profile in mainland China, since the Bentley was too eye-catching. It was a good thing that Charlie Cao didn't buy a Rolls-Royce, otherwise it would have been even more conspicuous.

The main problem is that there are too few luxury cars in mainland China right now. If it were in Hong Kong, there wouldn't be so much to worry about.

"Really? Why can't I borrow it?"

"Alright, don't take cars so seriously. Right now, it's because people's incomes are still low, so buying a car is still a luxury for ordinary people like us. But just you wait and see, the history of automobile development shows that as long as people's incomes rise, cars will become as common as televisions in every household in the future."

Yu Wei was still somewhat skeptical: "Televisions aren't even common in every household yet! Cars? That's even more impossible."

Huang Xiaochuan said, "In the 1980s, there were only seven television sets for every 100 households. But what were the statistics last year? There were already 82 television sets for every 100 households. How many years has it been? About ten years, right? Look how many times that has increased. And before, 12-inch black and white televisions were the mainstay. Now? Most of them have replaced them with 21-inch color televisions, right? Even the black and white ones have been replaced with large screens."

Yu Wei admitted that Huang Xiaochuan was indeed right. Many families now not only have color televisions but also VCRs, something unimaginable ten years ago.