Yi Anguo had finally come to understand why so many wealthy people constantly complained about being short on cash. The wealthier people were, the more they seemed to lack money, because there was never enough to spend.

Moreover, the richer they were, the more they owed the banks. When the banks tightened credit, many affluent individuals had to tighten their belts, anxiously looking for ways to borrow money. If a cash flow was disrupted, it could be a matter of life and death. Companies would go bankrupt, and bosses would flee abroad to hide from their debts.

Yi Anguo could sell some of his real estate to raise cash, but selling properties now was not very advantageous.

I need to find more funds to invest in the stock market, he mused. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If I miss it, it's gone forever. Can you imagine that after 2008, the A-share index would hover around 3,000 points for more than a decade?

Right at that moment, President Jiang of the Development Bank called him.

Yi Anguo and President Jiang were quite familiar with each other due to their loan dealings, but it was usually Yi Anguo who initiated contact. It was uncommon for President Jiang to reach out to him.

"President Jiang! Hello!"

Yi Anguo was puzzled as to why President Jiang was calling him out of the blue.

"Mr. Yi! Sorry to disturb you! There's something I'd like to ask for your help with," President Jiang said candidly.

"President Jiang, you're the God of Wealth! What could you possibly need my help with?" Yi Anguo replied with a laugh.

"Here's the situation: our bank is slightly behind on our lending targets, so I wanted to ask if you currently have any financial needs?" President Jiang said with a chuckle.

"President Jiang, are you joking with me? Your bank has money; surely you don't worry about lending it out? Hordes of people are desperately looking for loans everywhere," Yi Anguo exclaimed in surprise.

"What you're saying is true, but we can't just lend our money to anyone. It's easy to issue loans, but collecting them is not so simple," President Jiang responded with a wry smile. "If we fail to collect on a loan, we bear some of the responsibility. Therefore, we won't approve loans that don't meet our requirements."

"Mr. Yi, you are an esteemed client of our bank with excellent credit, so we naturally prioritize serving clients like you."

"Of course, I desperately need a loan, but all my properties are already mortgaged to your bank. I don't have any collateral left," Yi Anguo said honestly.

"Your properties are indeed mortgaged to us, but haven't their values increased? Initially, we valued them at an average of 10,000 yuan, but now the average transaction price in your area has surpassed 12,000 yuan," President Jiang explained. "So, if you need funds, we can reassess their value and grant you another loan. It's entirely possible."

So that's how it works, Yi Anguo thought. The bank is really going to great lengths to lend out its money. The less money you have, the harder it is to get a loan. But for the wealthy, banks come knocking on your door, begging you to borrow. It's true that banks only serve the rich, taking deposits from the poor to lend to the wealthy for their investments.

"President Jiang, I recall your bank also handles securities financing. I have assets worth 400 million yuan in my stock account. How much financing could I apply for?" Yi Anguo suddenly remembered that stocks could be used as collateral and inquired.

"Of course, that's an option. We typically collaborate with securities companies, but if you want to finance directly with us, that's also possible. However, your account must be under our supervision. If your funds are at risk—meaning the stocks devalue significantly and the margin is insufficient—we reserve the right to forcibly liquidate your positions to prevent any losses to our capital," President Jiang explained.

"That's not a problem. How much financing could I get, and what are the interest rates?" Yi Anguo asked.

If you want financing, your account naturally has to be monitored. If the stock value drops too severely, they have every right to liquidate unless you can replenish the margin.

"Typically, the ratio is one-to-one, as the stock market is quite risky and prices fluctuate considerably. However, if you need more funds, we could arrange a two-to-one financing ratio for you. But the higher the ratio, the greater the risk, so you need to consider this carefully, Mr. Yi," President Jiang advised. "As for interest rates, they generally range from six to eight percent. But since you are a valued client, we can offer you funds at our lowest rate."

A two-to-one ratio on 400 million yuan would give me 800 million in funds. That should be plenty! Yi Anguo was very satisfied.

Yi Anguo had solved his funding problem for stock investments, and the bank had secured a premium credit client. Both parties were overjoyed and struck a deal immediately.

An 800 million yuan loan, even at the most favorable rate of six percent, would accrue an astronomical amount of daily interest—over 136,100 yuan. That added up to 48 million yuan a year. According to Yi Anguo's investment plan, he would need the funds for over two years, meaning the total interest would exceed one hundred million yuan.

However, with an extra 800 million yuan to invest in the stock market, in two years, he could easily make several billion yuan, perhaps even more than ten billion.

With his financial issues settled, Yi Anguo felt much more relaxed. He had no immediate intention of accelerating the expansion of his real estate agency. In 2008, ravaged by the financial crisis, many real estate agencies collapsed, and countless agents switched professions. Reckless expansion and opening numerous chain stores at this time would lead to a nasty downfall. For the entire middle part of 2008, the total volume of real estate transactions in Shenzhen City was negligible.

In February of that year, second-hand housing transactions plummeted to fewer than 1,500 units. In 2007, over one hundred thousand people were employed in Shenzhen's real estate sector. How could fewer than 1,500 transactions sustain such a massive workforce? Coupled with exorbitant rents and operating costs, many brokerage firms had to resort to massive layoffs, shuttering stores, or declaring bankruptcy outright.

Besides, Yi Anguo had only established the real estate agency to conveniently rent out his own properties and facilitate sales when needed. He never intended to develop a career in the real estate brokerage industry.

As for the fresh food supermarkets, the second chain store had already opened. Yi Anguo hardly managed it at all, leaving it entirely to his third brother-in-law. If he were to push for faster growth, it would require more investment, which would further dilute his brother-in-law's shares. Yi Anguo's ambitions lay elsewhere, so he let it develop naturally without much intervention.

After the establishment of Anjing Trading Company, its eight self-operated convenience stores served as excellent models for prospective franchisees. They proved that franchising an Anjing convenience store was a stable and profitable venture, with each model store generating monthly profits of over ten thousand yuan. Potential investors were highly interested in a business that required an investment of only around a hundred thousand yuan but yielded monthly profits of ten to twenty thousand yuan, allowing them to recoup their capital within a year.

Now, over thirty Anjing franchise stores had opened in various districts of Shenzhen City, and the prospects were excellent. With a total of over forty stores, combining self-operated and franchised locations, the monthly turnover exceeded six million yuan. Centralized purchasing and distribution gave Anjing Company significant bargaining power, allowing them to secure more favorable prices from suppliers. For some products, they could even bypass distributors and purchase directly from manufacturers, cutting out the middlemen. As more franchise stores opened in the future, their negotiating power would grow even stronger, enabling them to source more products directly from the producers.

What pleased Yi Anguo the most was that despite the company's growth, Hu Jing had not neglected their daughter, Yi Xinyi. Whenever Yi Anguo was busy, Hu Jing would personally handle school drop-offs and pick-ups. She made breakfast for their daughter, took her on evening walks, and helped her with her studies—teaching her to read, do math problems, memorize classical poems, and sing nursery rhymes. Yi Anguo never had to worry about a thing; Hu Jing truly raised Yi Xinyi as if she were her own child.

After Li Sisi recovered and was discharged from the hospital, everything was normal. Aside from losing her ability to bear children due to the hysterectomy she underwent after her severe injuries, she had no other lasting ailments. As planned, she resigned from her job at the tax bureau and took over the Chuan Yu Restaurant left to her by her parents.

Perhaps everyone matures after experiencing adversity; it was just that the cost, in this case, was far too great.

Business at the Chuan Yu Restaurant was still booming after Li Sisi reopened it, which kept her extremely busy. She hardly had any time to spend with Yi Anguo.

Perhaps she's intentionally avoiding me. Keeping herself busy is just an excuse to escape. She probably still can't accept the fact that she'll never be able to have children. What woman doesn't want to be a mother? Being infertile means she can never have a child of her own. This might become a wound she carries for the rest of her life. Yi Anguo had no good way to console her. All he could do was give her time. Time is the best medicine, capable of healing the pain in anyone's heart.

Yi Anguo returned to the home he shared with Hu Jing and rang the doorbell. Yi Xinyi opened the door, her face beaming as she happily exclaimed, "Daddy!"

"Xinyi! What have you been up to?" Yi Anguo asked with a smile, picking up his daughter as he entered.

"Daddy! I learned how to sing! Can I sing for you?" Yi Xinyi asked jubilantly.

Without waiting for a reply, Yi Xinyi began to sing. "The sun shines in the sky, the flowers smile at me. The little bird says, 'Morning, morning, morning! Why do you carry a little book bag?'… I'm off to school, never late. I love to learn, I love to work, and I'll serve the people when I grow up!..."

"Wow! My darling daughter, you're amazing! You've learned to sing so well. Who taught you?" Yi Anguo praised her with a laugh.

"Our teacher taught me! I also know another one! 'Under the big bridge, a flock of ducks swims by. Quick, let's count them now, two, four, six, seven, eight! QUACK! QUACK! Oh, so many, I can't count how many ducks there are...'" Yi Xinyi said, and immediately started singing again.

"You're back!" Hu Jing said with a warm smile from the kitchen doorway, watching the happy father and daughter. "Whenever Xinyi learns something new, you're the first person she wants to show. She really is your little cotton-padded jacket."

"Mommy! What's a little cotton-padded jacket?" Yi Xinyi asked curiously.

"It's a heartwarming way of saying you love your daddy the most," Hu Jing explained.

"Mommy! Daddy says I'm his treasure," Yi Xinyi added. "Mommy! Are you Daddy's treasure, too?"

"You're Daddy's big treasure, and I'm Daddy's little treasure. Both of us are Daddy's treasures! Am I right, Daddy?"

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