After leaving the Friendship Store, Lin Chaoyang planned to take Tao Yushu and Amao to the furniture factory in the name of buying some furniture for the courtyard.

When I walked to the bicycle, a tall and thin young man suddenly appeared next to him. He looked around for a few times, and then lowered his voice and asked Lin Chaoyang: "Brother, do you want to exchange for foreign exchange coupons? I'll charge you a high price."

Lin Chaoyang immediately understood that he had met a ticket seller. There was a foreigner among the three of them, and he knew at a glance that there would be no shortage of foreign exchange coupons, so the other person said "accept" at first glance.

"What's the price?"

"One piece, two pieces, one piece."

"Everyone gets four for one piece," Lin Chaoyang said.

"Nonsense! I only get 1.4 yuan when I go out. Brother, you have to let me earn some money, right? Who would take such a risk if not to make money!"

"Okay, when I am short of money, I can exchange some with you."

Listening to Lin Chaoyang's words, the tall and thin man was not very happy. Why are you teasing me if I don't exchange my tickets?

Foreign exchange coupons are something that only appeared in the past two years. The purpose of issuance is mainly to facilitate foreign guests, overseas Chinese and foreign staff to purchase items and pay expenses in the country.

Foreign exchange vouchers need to be exchanged for foreign currency and can only be used in specific places, such as foreign-related hotels, friendship shops, duty-free shops and other places. If you spend too much money, you can exchange it back for foreign currency when you leave the country. Of course, keep it for next time

It is also possible to use it in China.

The circulation is not restricted and it is not subject to the restrictions of the voucher system. This has also created the popularity of foreign exchange vouchers among the people. Since the date of issuance, it has become a "hard currency" that is widely welcomed by the people.

Because of this popularity, smart people among the public soon came up with the idea of ​​​​this thing, and gradually formed the business of reselling foreign exchange certificates.

On the black market, the exchange ratio between foreign exchange coupons and RMB is 1:1.4~1.5, which means that one foreign exchange coupon can be exchanged for 1.4~1.5 RMB.

The foreign exchange coupon in Lin Chaoyang's hand was exchanged for him by Li Hanxiang using his Hong Kong identity. It was originally 9,000 yuan, but was converted into a foreign exchange coupon of the same value. If it was converted into renminbi, it would immediately become 13,000 yuan.

For fifteen hundred yuan, the value has skyrocketed.

However, it is naturally impossible for Lin Chaoyang to exchange the foreign exchange certificates in his hand into RMB. After finally getting so many foreign exchange certificates, he still has to "pick up the leaks".

There is no need for him to pick up the slack in this era. As long as you have foreign exchange or foreign exchange certificates in your hand, you are not afraid of not being able to buy good things.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the country gradually realized a new model of comprehensive public-private partnership in capitalist industry and commerce. The antique industry as a private form ceased to exist, and instead a monopolistic state-owned cultural relics store system emerged.

These cultural relics shops can carry out unified purchasing and sales according to the instructions of superiors, and like to sell cultural relics products to external parties under the instructions of the planned economy.

A very important reason for the rise of cultural relic shops is to earn foreign exchange.

Affected by the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea and the Cold War, China's international trade was greatly interfered with and hit, resulting in a severe shortage of foreign exchange.

Therefore, in order to earn foreign exchange, institutions such as state-owned cultural relics stores and arts and crafts stores have been established in various places in China to sell some "duplicate and of average value" cultural relics and art purchased from the private sector to foreign guests in exchange for foreign exchange.

In Yanjing, there are six cultural relics stores in Yanjing that can buy and sell antiques and cultural relics with the approval of relevant departments, namely cultural relics store, Rongbaozhai, trust company, friendship store, China Bookstore and Yanjing Furniture Factory.

Each of the six stores has its own emphasis on business types. The cultural relics store is the most comprehensive in business categories, including inscriptions, calligraphy and painting, epigraphy, pottery, porcelain, four treasures of the study, and miscellaneous cultural relics, covering almost the entire antique industry category;

Rongbaozhai deals in inscriptions, calligraphy and paintings and their reproductions, the Four Treasures of the Study, etc.;

Trust companies mainly sell used goods and miscellaneous items on consignment;

The Friendship Store sells modern calligraphy, paintings and inscriptions;

Chinese bookstores mainly sell old books, inscriptions, calligraphy and paintings.

Yanjing Furniture Factory deals in old furniture, and of course, also sells new furniture.

It is worth mentioning that a considerable part of the products in these stores have the task of earning foreign exchange, so Chinese people cannot buy these cultural relics because there is no foreign exchange.

Yanjing Furniture Factory, to be precise, is called Long Shuncheng Furniture Factory. In 1956, a public-private partnership merged 35 furniture factories in Yanjing into one, retaining the name of the time-honored Long Shuncheng Furniture Factory, becoming the only furniture factory in Yanjing.

However, the joint venture has become a joint venture, but production and retail sales are still dispersed.

It was not until 1963 that, in order to develop hardwood furniture, the Long Shuncheng Furniture Factory decided to move to a wide area east of Yongdingmenwai Street Road. Then the production locations were concentrated together, and furniture sales were through state-owned furniture stores in each district.

Lin Chaoyang brought Tao Yushu and Amao to the Longshuncheng Main Factory on Yongdingmenwai Street, because the state-owned furniture stores in each district sold new furniture, but only the main factory sold old furniture.

The painted archway of Longshuncheng in the far distance contrasts with the towering city wall not far away, and you can vaguely see some of the features outside the old South City.

Long Shuncheng and most of the woodworking shops in Yanjing City in the early years started from Luban Hutong. They were all handicraft workshops with a front shop and a back yard. This is still the case today.

In addition to two shops that display and sell furniture side by side on the street, Long Shuncheng's inner courtyard is surrounded by a patio, all of which are production workshops.

Walking into Long Shuncheng's shop, there is a dazzling array of furniture inside, most of which are hardwood furniture, such as the Eight Immortals table, the Six Immortals table, the two-drawer table, several cabinets, standing cabinets, square stools, bar stools, official hat chairs, bow chairs, etc.

"Can you guys look at the furniture?"

Long Shuncheng's sales assistants were all apprentices in the factory. When they saw the three people entering the door, they came forward and asked.

"Yes, I need to buy furniture for my family." Lin Chaoyang said.

The salesperson was in his twenties and had a simple and honest face. Seeing that Lin Chaoyang and others were young people, he said kindly: "What we sell here are all Jingzuo furniture and old furniture. If you are buying furniture for a newlywed, you can go to the furniture store to have a look."

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"We'd like to see old furniture."

Listening to Lin Chaoyang's words, the salesperson looked at Amao, a foreigner, thinking that Lin Chaoyang and Amao were accompanying Amao, a foreigner, to buy furniture.

"Then you guys, look over here!"

The salesperson led the three people to the area where there was a second-hand store. Long Shuncheng had a special second-hand department that collected old furniture from the private sector, renovated and maintained it, and then sold it to the outside world. Its main customers were overseas Chinese.

The furniture is a large piece of furniture, and ordinary foreign guests are not interested in it. Only overseas Chinese with the same culture and race are interested in this thing.

Although the old furniture displayed in the used goods department has been carefully maintained, many of them still have a quaint sense of age.

"This is a Ming Dynasty huanghuali wood pedestal with a mud support. On it is carved a tornado. The body and tail of the chi dragon are in the shape of a combination of grass blades and kidnapper patterns. The two chi dragons face each other. The elephant trunk and head have evolved into flowers and plants.

The trend is like a square fold with the curly grass pattern in the middle.

This kind of decoration mainly appeared on porcelain, jade and furniture in the Jiajing, Wanli, Tianqi and Chongzhen periods of the Ming Dynasty.

Look at the top, which is similar to a square platform, with concave walls and a relief of two chisel holding hands for longevity. They are connected with the large square table below using tenons. The large square table looks like it is divided into two parts, but in fact, the two parts are connected, and the four parts are connected.

The legs are made from one piece of wood, and the craftsmanship is extremely exquisite. It is a rare piece of craftsmanship."

The salesperson was very proficient in his business. He introduced these old furniture and quoted scriptures in a clear and logical manner, which made Tao Yushu and Amao, a little foreigner, stunned for a moment.

"The craftsmanship is quite exquisite, but it's a pity that it's a bit bloated," Lin Chaoyang said.

The salesman was slightly startled when he heard this. Just by these words, he knew that he had met an expert today.

He usually comes into contact with customers, most of whom are laymen. As long as they listen to his introduction, they will basically have a feeling of incomprehension.

But Lin Chaoyang's reaction was very indifferent, and he hit on the shortcomings of this piece of furniture in one sentence.

This Ming-made square table is made of solid materials, exquisite craftsmanship, and well-preserved. The only drawback is that it is bulky.

"You have such a good eye! This pedestal is good everywhere, but its only shortcoming is that it is clumsy and bloated. The old master in our factory also said so."

Tao Yushu looked delighted when he heard the salesman's praise of Lin Chaoyang, and quietly asked him: "Do you know anything about furniture?"

"I don't understand. I've read a few books and I'm just talking nonsense."

Tao Yushu glanced at him with her beautiful eyes, which said that he was falsely modest.

The salesperson introduced the three of them for a long time. The old furniture here is basically from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and there are many fine products among them.

Lin Chaoyang pointed to a pair of mahogany dragon-carved Duobao Pavilions from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and asked: "How much does this Duobao Pavilion cost?"

"This is a pair, it costs 600 yuan, and it must be a foreign exchange certificate." the salesperson replied.

Tao Yushu was surprised when he heard the price, "It's so expensive!"

These days, an ordinary piece of furniture costs dozens of yuan. No matter how good the materials are, it will cost more than a hundred yuan. But this Duobao Pavilion costs 600 yuan, and it also requires foreign exchange coupons. With the prices of this era

It's almost a sky-high price.

The salesperson smiled a little shyly and said, "It is indeed a bit expensive. The used goods here are usually sold to overseas Chinese."

Tao Yushu nodded without saying anything and looked at Lin Chaoyang.

"I want this!" Lin Chaoyang said.

Then he pointed to the two pieces of furniture next to him. Both pieces of furniture were Ming huanghuali chairs, but they were made in different styles. One was an official hat chair, and the other had a backrest and a headrest.

These three pieces of furniture are in the best condition in the second-hand goods area. If they were put in an auction house in the future, they would basically start at 20 million yuan.

The three pieces of furniture cost Lin Chaoyang a total of 1,150 yuan in foreign exchange coupons. After paying the money, he felt like he had found a treasure.

Tao Yushu and Amao couldn't understand his happiness.

After spending one-eighth of the foreign exchange certificates in his hand at once, Tao Yushu felt a little pained and asked: "Can you use the furniture you bought?"

"These are antiques, so of course they can't be used. Wouldn't it be over if we just buy something else?"

After coming to the furniture store for a while, Tao Yushu also knew through the introduction of the salesperson that longshuncheng's furniture, whether old or new, had the task of earning foreign exchange. A very small number of furniture that did not require foreign exchange coupons also required tickets.

"Do you have a ticket? You can't use foreign exchange vouchers to buy new furniture, right?" Tao Yushu said distressedly.

Lin Chaoyang smiled and said, "Isn't it enough to just get a few tickets?"

As he spoke, he asked the salesperson: "Brother, we are going to buy some new furniture. Do you employees have any furniture tickets?"

These days, every unit has its own benefits. If you work in a soy sauce factory, you won't have to worry about eating soy sauce. If you work in a bicycle factory, you won't have to worry about bicycle tickets.

The same is true in the furniture factory. Long Shuncheng's employees can receive furniture tickets once every six months. For employees who don't need furniture at home, this is equivalent to paying money.

Lin Chaoyang just spent more than a thousand yuan in foreign exchange coupons in their store without blinking an eye. This is a rare big customer nowadays.
To be continued...