Reborn in 1999: Starting as a black marketeer

Wang Feiyang had planned ahead; he would buy lottery tickets worth no more than 1,000 yuan at several different lottery shops.

These days, the lottery is very popular. It's common to see people buying hundreds of dollars worth of lottery tickets at once, and it's not uncommon for people to buy thousands or even tens of thousands. But for someone his age to buy more than five thousand dollars worth of lottery tickets at once would attract a lot of attention.

Of course, if he really did that, it wouldn't be a big deal. After all, everyone knows how chaotic the domestic lottery is. Even though he didn't buy lottery tickets in his previous life, he had seen a lot of news about it.

For example, in one lottery draw, someone in a certain place spent over 100,000 yuan to buy the same number, emptying the jackpot pool and taking away a prize of over 200 million yuan. They even triggered the payout limit rule, meaning they didn't have to pay the 20% income tax. Where can ordinary lottery players go to seek justice?

However, out of caution and with the mindset of "better to avoid trouble," Wang Feiyang preferred to go through the trouble of visiting several stores to buy the items separately.

He bought a multiplier bet; the maximum bet on a single lottery ticket is 100 times, which is 200 yuan.

So, for 800 yuan, all you get are four thin little pieces of paper. Carefully putting these four lottery tickets into the lining of his wallet, Wang Feiyang smiled, waved to the old lady, and turned to walk out of the store.

The older woman behind him was still shaking her head and sighing, thinking that the young man was really stupid. He had wasted several hundred yuan. If it were her, she would never have spent eight hundred yuan on lottery tickets. Wouldn't it have been better to use that money to buy ribs?

Next, Wang Feiyang went to several stores. In the busier stores, he bought 1,000 yuan worth of goods directly, while in the less busy stores, he bought 600 or even 400 yuan worth. Most of the shop owners didn't seem to care much; at most, they just thought, like that old lady, that the boy was a bit "wasteful"...

When Wang Feiyang was almost back at school, he looked at his wallet. The thick stack of hundred-yuan bills had all been spent, leaving only 56 yuan, some in whole numbers and some in small change.

He went straight into the lottery shop across from the school. There were quite a few people buying lottery tickets there. He easily spent 50 yuan to buy a 25x multiplier lottery ticket.

Just as he was about to leave, Wang Feiyang stopped, gritted his teeth, turned back, and used the last six yuan in his wallet to buy a lottery ticket with a 3x multiplier...

At this point, he was truly penniless, without even money for dinner!

However, the wallet contained a total of 26 lottery tickets with a multiplier of 100, a lottery ticket with a multiplier of 25, and a lottery ticket with a multiplier of 3.

…………

Back in my room at the guesthouse, I realized I was starving. I found a leftover dry flatbread from breakfast and made do with the free boiled water provided by the guesthouse for dinner.

As it approached 9 p.m., Wang Feiyang turned on the small TV in his room and found the provincial capital's satellite TV channel, because there would be a live lottery draw at 9 p.m.

Whether the lottery ticket, which cost him his "entire fortune" and even left him with a mountain of debt, can earn him start-up capital depends on the results of the draw.

Although he was certain that Zhang Liang's lottery ticket had indeed won the third prize in his previous life, he was really unsure whether it would be the same in this life.

What if things change...?

At 9:00 AM sharp, the live lottery draw began. As the first number [5] appeared in the lottery machine, Wang Feiyang's heart jumped. His lottery numbers were [722546+8], and the first number didn't match.

The second number [3] is wrong again!

Wang Feiyang's heart was already racing. Could it be that his memories of his past life had deviated from reality?

The third number appeared, [2]. Finally, one number was matched. According to the rules, the next three numbers must all be matched, which means four consecutive numbers must be matched to win the third prize.

Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened afterward. The next three numbers [5][4][6] all matched. Of course, there was no unexpected joy. The special number that came out was [4], while Wang Feiyang bought [8].

Just like I remember, I won the third prize!

Only then did Wang Feiyang breathe a sigh of relief. Everything was proceeding according to plan, and he knew he would be busy for the next while...

…………

The next morning, after waking up and washing up, Wang Feiyang went downstairs and headed straight for the lottery outlet opposite the guesthouse.

He took out the two lottery tickets he bought last night for 56 yuan, and amidst the shopkeeper's repeated "congratulations" and the envious and jealous looks from others, he received a prize of 8400 yuan!

For any lottery ticket with a winning amount of less than 10,000 yuan, you can redeem the prize at any sales point without paying taxes.

Therefore, of the lottery tickets Wang Feiyang bought yesterday, only these two can be redeemed directly at the sales point; the rest need to be redeemed at the lottery center and taxes paid.

After receiving a thick stack of hundred-yuan bills, he naturally rushed to eat breakfast. He had only eaten a dry sesame seed cake last night, and his stomach was already growling with hunger!

After finishing breakfast, we arrived at the conference room upstairs in the guesthouse. Before we even went in, we could hear Zhang Liang's loud voice.

"Haha, what did I say yesterday?! I really won the lottery, a whole 1500 yuan prize..."

Wang Feiyang smiled knowingly and went inside.

Because Zhang Liang won the "big prize," he generously decided, at the urging of the two girls, to treat Wang Feiyang and the other two to a big lunch at the newly opened McDonald's nearby!

Wang Feiyang didn't refuse, and thanked him with a smile, even giving him a thumbs-up to show his generosity. Zhang Liang was overjoyed, feeling that he had gained face in front of the two girls.

After class at noon, Wang Feiyang asked Teacher Wu for leave for the afternoon again. This time, his reason was that he had contacted a high school classmate who was studying in the provincial capital and was going to visit him.

Teacher Wu shook his head and sighed helplessly, but still readily granted the leave, just telling him to be careful and not to have any accidents. After all, he knew that with Wang Feiyang's Russian level, it wouldn't matter whether he listened to the training or not.

…………

After eating at McDonald's, Wang Feiyang made an excuse to see his old classmate. After saying goodbye to Zhang Liang and the other two, he went straight to the mobile phone store in the nearby commercial street, bought a Nokia 3210, got a number, and paid the phone bill, spending nearly three thousand yuan.

After coming out, I casually bought a Nike baseball cap (I don't know if it's real or fake) from a nearby sporting goods store and put it on my head.

I took a bus and leisurely arrived at the Provincial Lottery Center. It was already past 2 p.m. As soon as I entered, a staff member greeted me.

"Hello, are you here to claim your prize? What prize is it?" The staff member asked with a knowing smile.

He'd seen plenty of "lucky guys" like Wang Feiyang. A quick glance told him Wang Feiyang's prize wasn't much, since he was only wearing a baseball cap, no mask, no sunglasses, and no wig or anything like that…

"Yes, it's a prize, a third prize." Wang Feiyang gave a shy smile.

"Third prize? You can claim it at any lottery outlet, no need to come here," the staff member said, after a moment's surprise.

"I bought a lot of lottery tickets..."

Wang Feiyang said embarrassedly.