Tang Jing’s father was from the Reform and Opening-Up period. He was a local Shanghainese, and during that time, all he needed to do was stay at home obediently and wait for the country to develop, but he did not.
1992 was a very important year in the Reform and Opening-Up period because that year solidified the country’s economic status and Shanghai’s stock exchange was introduced.
From the original eight pioneer shares[1], the number of new shares was increased to 37.
Tang Jing’s father believed that this was a golden opportunity, so he persuaded the entire family to sell the house and invest all the money in new shares and subscription warrants.
However, since the house was his family’s roots, Tang Jing’s grandfather almost strangled his own son for doing something this risky.
It was then that Tang Jing’s father’s decisiveness and boldness came into play. He decided to split up with his father’s family and go solo. Back then, people lived in villages, and usually when a family split up, the house would be divided into two or a new house would be built.
Tang Jing’s grandfather compromised and gave her father a few thousand yuan to help him build a new house. However, her father used those few thousand yuan to buy new shares.
Some people probably knew what happened after that. In a few months, the value of the shares multiplied almost ten times, so the few thousand her father invested became 200,000 yuan and more.
200,000 yuan in 1992 was an astronomical figure. Back then, a square meter of land in Pudong District, the financial district, was only a few thousand yuan.
Tang Jing’s father did not stop there after the initial success. He invested half of the 200,000 yuan in properties throughout Shanghai and the rest were reinvested in shares. That was the rise of his success.
Even though Tang Jing was still very young then at only two to three years old, her tiny heart would always remember what happened that night.
Her father sat down on the stool in their old house, smoking cigarette after cigarette, going on for more than two hours. When he was down to the last cigarette, he clenched his teeth and said to his mother, “Wifey, I want to split with my father! I want the money to buy shares! I can’t let this opportunity slip away!”
When her father uttered those words, his eyes were confident and persistent just like Su Yang’s eyes at the moment.
While Tang Jing took a stroll down memory lane, Su Yang’s voice suddenly entered her ears, “Sister Tang, Sister Tang?”
Tang Jing regained her senses and she replied with a soft squeal.
Su Yang asked, “Are you alright?”
Tang Jing was at a loss.
“You were spacing out just now. Are you feeling okay?” asked Su Yang.
Tang Jing blushed. She took a sip of her Angel’s Kiss and averted his gaze. “I’m fine. I was just thinking about something.”
Su Yang did not press on the matter since everyone had their own secrets. He always had his curiosity in check.
To cover up her embarrassment, Tang Jing raised her glass for another sip and then said, “Do you have a plan yet?”
Su Yang then told her about his company and everything that he had done recently. They were not secrets anyway although he skipped the part about his future goals.
Tang Jing was obviously not experienced in this field. She was just following Su Yang’s pace during the conversation. Despite being a woman in her 30s, she responded like a cute little girl, “I have no idea about what you just said, but if you need help, just come to me.”
Other than having limited curiosity, Su Yang’s other positive point was being practical. Since Tang Jing offered to help, he went straight to the point. “Sister Tang, I actually need a little help.”
Tang Jing looked at him. Maybe because of the cocktail and the little embarrassment, her sight was rather blurry, and she felt as if she was looking through a layer of mist.
Su Yang said, “You said you have a lot of friends who are looking for home tutors for their children, don’t you? Can you introduce me to them? I think I can introduce some of the students to fill the spots.”
Tang Jing thought for a while and answered, “Sure. We will have a gathering in a day or two, so I’ll go ask around, but you’d better prepare a list for me to introduce them to.”
“Of course! That won’t be a problem!” said Su Yang.
After that, he added, “On top of that, Sister Tang, do you have connections to different fields in Shanghai? I want to target companies in different fields. Maybe I can find the students a suitable company for part-time jobs or even internship opportunities.”
Tang Jing thought about it even longer than before and eventually nodded. “I think I have some. Let me ask around.”
After going over the official matters, the two of them talked about Tang Xiaomi’s studies.
According to Tang Jing, Tang Xiaomi had a good memory and had proper mastery of literature and English. Reciting a classical poem or memorizing English words were a piece of cake for the little girl. The problem with Tang Xiaomi was Mathematics. She had trouble learning how to count and would always make unnecessary mistakes.
Su Yang said, “I have an almost perfect score in Mathematics in both high school and university. I’m quite good at it.”
Tang Jing added, “But as a child’s tutor, you still have to play with her. You have to take care of her and not let her wander around, so it might take you a whole day.”
He nodded. “If it’s on a weekend, it should be fine. I’m just helping you to make it through these two weeks. I’ll be on my way when you get a replacement.”
Tang Jing pondered and said, “I’ve been thinking that I think I should stop with the home tutoring. Xiaomi should be going to a kindergarten now. I’ll find a suitable kindergarten for her in the next two weeks instead.”
Then, she sighed before continuing, “I don’t actually want her to attend kindergarten at this age. That’s why I bring her wherever I go, but after having lost her twice, it made me nervous.
“I got her a nanny and a home tutor, but I still can’t stop worrying. After some serious thinking, I realize that sending her to a kindergarten is much safer. I’ll have to find one that’s near to my office, so I can visit her during lunch.”
Su Yang empathized with Tang Jing’s situation. After all, all parents cared about their children.
This meeting did not go on for the whole night because Tang Xiaomi was waiting for Tang Jing at home.
After the discussion, they left.
Tang Jing wanted to drive Su Yang home, but he stopped her by reminding her, “Sister Tang, there are a million roads out there, but there’s only one life. Safety first. Don’t drink and drive and don’t drive when you drink. I think it’s better for you to call a designated driver.”
Tang Jing was a timid person, so she meekly nodded after Su Yang warned her about the potential danger.
A while later, the designated driver arrived, but upon seeing that it was a man, Su Yang was worried about Tang Jing since she had consumed alcohol, so he decided to send her home first.
He thought Tang Jing would return to the villa in Jingan District, but she said that she was going to the waterfront promenade, or The Bund.
‘Yikes, she’s a really wealthy lady. She basically has a house in every corner of Shanghai.’
Su Yang was really thinking about asking her to be his sugar mommy.
When they arrived at Tang Jing’s place, he realized that he had underestimated the wealth of this Shanghai lady.
Her place was located in Luxiang Garden. It might not be the most expensive neighbourhood in Shanghai, but a single square meter in this place cost around 140,000 yuan, so a single unit would cost at least 10 million.
If Su Yang could have a toilet of 7 square meters in this place, he would easily complete his Silver Mission.
After the designated driver parked the car and Su Yang rejected Tang Jing’s offer to go in for a drink, he took the subway back to his own neighborhood.
When he arrived at his neighborhood, Su Yang did not sprint back home right away. He remembered that he still had to fill up the slots in the faucet and expand his ‘beverage empire’, so he headed to the supermarket and bought many big bottles of his favorite drinks.
When he walked past the alcohol section, Su Yang conveniently took a bottle of Tsingtao beer.
He wanted to have a test with beer first. If he could drink 500 ml in a single breath, he would move on to other alcohol. If he could not, he must find another way.
With a bunch of beverages in his hands, Su Yang made the payment under the cashier’s strange gaze. He then headed back with several bags of beverages in his hand.
Right after he stepped into his neighborhood, his phone rang. It was from an unregistered number.
[1] These are the shares that pioneered the share market in China. It is considered a historical remain from the previous generation. Interested folks can google the term 老八股